Aim Poly (methoxypolyethyleneglycol cyanoacrylate-co-hexadecyl cyanoacrylate) (PEGPHDCA) and PHDCA niosomes were prepared and the influence of the PEG chain length on the niosomes physicochemical characteristics, complement consumption and phagocytic uptake were studied. Methods The physicochemical parameters of PEG-PHDCA niosomes were characterized in terms of particle size, zeta potential, surface PEG density and fixed aqueous layer thickness. The relationship between physicochemical characteristics and in vitro complement consumption and phagocytic uptake was further illustrated. Results Experimental results showed that PEG10000-PHDCA had most loose structure and least PEG surface density among three groups. Configuration simulation through fixed aqueous layer thickness confirmed that PEG folding and less flexibility of the PEG chains of PEG10000-PHDCA niosomes were accountable for its poor stealth effects. Compared with PEG2000-PHDCA, PEG5000-PHDCA showed a thicker fixed aqueous layer (FALT) of 4. 20 nm, less negative zeta potential of -10.03 mV, and consumption and phagocytic uptake. Conclusion Excessive chain length of PEG was not necessary for stealth effects of PEG-PHDCA niosomes. PEG5000-PHDCA niosomes had best effects on evading complement consumption and subsequent phagocytic uptake.

Objective:To analyze the feature of cranial nerve involvement in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and its relationship with the prognosis.Method:A total of 1892 patients who were diagnosed as NPC in our hospital from January 2002 to December 2003,of which the cranial nerve involvement was 183 (9.6%) patients, were analyzed the effect of cranial nerve involvement on the prognosis.Result:The percentage of cranial nerve involvement was 9.4%. The 5 year overall survival rate was 61.0%,disease free survival rate was 55.3%,local relapse free survival rate was 75.2% and distant metastasis free survival rate was73.4%.Periods of cranial nerve involvement,clinical stage,the diameter of the lymph nodes,involvement of cavernous sinus, and the level of the recovery of cranial nerve involvement were significantly associated with prognosis in univariate analysis(P<0.05).With multivariate analysis,the recovery level of cranial nerve involvement was the independent factor that affected the 5-year overall survival (RR=2.087). The diameter of the lymph nodes and involvement of cavernous sinus were the independent factors that affected the 5-year distant metastasis-free survival(RR=1.954 and 2.136,respectively).Conclusion:Periods of cranial nerve involvement and the level of the recovery of cranial nerve involvement were significantly correlated with prognosis. Involvement of cavernous sinus could increase the rate of distant metastasis.

Objective To compare the efficacy of concurrent chemoradiotherapy versus radiotherapy alone for T3-4 N0-1 M0 and T14 N2-3 M0 nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) after induction chemotherapy.Methods From 2002 to 2005,400 patients with stage Ⅲ and Ⅳa NPC were randomly divided into 2 groups :induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy group (IC/CCRT,201 patients),and induction chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy alone group (IC/RT, 199 patients).Subgroup analysis was conducted for 197 patients with stage T3-4N0-1M0 NPC and 203 with stage T1-4N2-3M0 NPC.Results The follow-up rate were 96.2%, with a median followg-up time of 3.9 years.For T3-4N0-1 M0 NPC patients in IC/CCRT group (104 patients) and IC/RT group (93 patients), the 3-year overall survival, disease-free survival, locoregional recurrence-free survival and distant metastasis-free survival rates were 84.0% and 85.9% (χ2=0.08,P =0.780) ,77.0% and 72.0% (χ2=0.44,P =0.510) ,89.5% and 92.3% (χ2=0.65 ,P = 0.420), and 84.9% and 77.0% (χ2= 1.59, P = 0.210), respectively; For T1-4 N2-3 M0 NPC patients in IC/CCRT group (97 patients) and IC/RT group (106 patients), the corresponding rates were 67.4% and 82.2% (χ2=3.48,P=0.060), 61.5% and 68.0% (χ2= 1.86,P=0.170), 86.2% and 87.0% (χ2=0.57 ,P =0.450) and 66.2% and 75.6% (χ2=2.07 ,P =0.150), respectively.Acute sideeffects were similar except more leucocytopenia in IC/CCRT group than IC/RT group.Conclusions Compared with IC/RT, IC/CCRT dose not improve the overall survival in patients with T3-4N0-1 M0 and T1-4 N2-3 M0 NPC.

Objective To evaluate the impact of chemotherapy compliance on the therapeutic efficacy of induction chemotherapy plus concurrent chemoradiotherapy versus induction chemotherapy plus radiotherapy alone for patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods Based on intention to treat analysis (ITT) for 400 patients, 314 patients were analyzed by per protocol (PP) analysis. The patients were divided into induction chemotherapy plus concurrent chemoradiotherapy group (IC/CCRT, 127 patients) or induction chemotherapy plus radiotherapy group (IC/RT, 187 patients). The patients who completed 2 cycles of induction chemotherapy and at least 2 cycles of concurrent chemotherapy in the IC/CCRT group and the patients who completed 2 cycles of induction chemotherapy in the IC/RT group were analyzed. Radiotherapy was given by two-dimensional technique with γ-ray, X-ray and electron beams. The chemotherapy regimen was FUDR plus carboplatin for induction chemotherapy and carboplatin alone for concurrent chemotherapy. Results The follow-up rate was 96.2%. 295 patients were followed to at 3 years. Based on PP analysis, Grade 3/4 toxicity was found in 23.6% of the patients in IC/CCRT group and 13.4% in the IC/RT group (χ~2 =5,50,P=0.019). No grade 4 toxicity was found in the IC/RT group. The median follow-up time was 3.9 years, and no significant difference was found between the two groups in 3-year overall survival (78.1% : 84.6% ;χ~2 = 0. 61, P =0. 435), disease-free survival (74.3 % : 70.1% ;χ~2= 0. 12, P= 0.731), Iocoregional relapse-free survival (89.7% : 89.5% ; χ~2= 0. 10, P= 0.748), or distant metastasis-free survival (78.9%:76.5% ;χ~2=0.05,P=0.825). Conclusions With more severe toxicities, the IC/CCRT regimen does not improve the overall survival in locally advanced NPC patients compared with the IC/RT regimen.

Objective: To investigate the long-term effect of submandibular salivary gland transfer on xerostomia induced by radiation in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods: A total of 70 eligible patients with NPC were divided into the test group (36 cases) and the control group (34 cases). In the test group, the submandibular salivary glands were transferred to the submental space before conventional radiotherapy (XRT) and shielded during XRT. Submandibular gland function and salivary fluid before and after radiotherapy, questionnaire of xerostomia at 60 months after XRT, and 5-year survival rate were compared between the two groups. Results: At 5 years after XRT, the trapping and excretion function of submandibular glands were significantly better in the test group (P=0.000 and P=0.000, respectively). The mean weight of saliva after XRT was greater in the test group than in the control group (1.65gvs.0.73g, P=0.000). Incidence of moderate to severe degree of xerostomia was significantly lower in the test group than in the control group (12.9%vs.78.6%, P=0.000). No significant difference was found in 5 year survival rate between the two groups (86.1%vs.82.4%, P＞0.05). Conclusion: Submandibular gland transfer procedure is safe for NPC patients. It can prevent XRT induced xerostomia and improve the quality of life of NPC patients.

Background: Serum immunoglobulin A antibodies against Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), viral capsid antigen (VCA?IgA) and early antigen (EA?IgA), are used to screen for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in endemic areas. However, their routine use has been questioned because of a lack of specificity. This study aimed to determine the distributions of different subtypes of antibody and to illustrate how the natural variation patterns affect the specificity of screening in non?NPC participants. Methods: The distribution of baseline VCA?IgA was analyzed between sexes and across 10?year age groups in 18,286 non?NPC participants using Chi square tests. Fluctuations in the VCA?IgA level were assessed in 1056 non?NPC participants with at least two retests in the first 5?year period (1987–1992) after the initial screening using the Kaplan–Meier method. Results: The titers of VCA?IgA increased with age (P < 0.001). Using a previous serological definition of high NPC risk, nasopharyngeal endoscopy and/or nasopharyngeal biopsy would be recommended in 55.5% of the non?NPC partici?pants with an initial VCA?IgA?positive status and in 20.6% with an initial negative status during the 5?year follow?up. However, seroconversions were common; 85.2% of the participants with a VCA?IgA?positive status at baseline con?verted to negative, and all VCA?IgA?negative participants changed to positive at least once during the 5?year follow?up. The EA?IgA status had a high seroconversion probability (100%) from positive to negative; however, it had a low probability (19.6%) from negative to positive. Conclusions: Age? and sex?specific cutoff titer values for serum anti?EBV antibodies as well as their specific titer fluc?tuation patterns should be considered when defining high NPC risk criteria for follow?up diagnostics and monitoring.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the feature of cranial nerve involvement in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and its relationship with the prognosis. METHOD: A total of 1892 patients who were diagnosed as NPC in our hospital from January 2002 to December 2003, of which the cranial nerve involvement was 183 (9.6%) patients, were analyzed the effect of cranial nerve involvement on the prognosis. RESULT: The percentage of cranial nerve involvement was 9.4%. The 5 year overall survival rate was 61.0%, disease free survival rate was 55.3%, local relapse free survival rate was 75.2% and distant metastasis free survival rate was 73.4%. Periods of cranial nerve involvement, clinical stage, the diameter of the lymph nodes, involvement of cavernous sinus, and the level of the recovery of cranial nerve involvement were significantly associated with prognosis in univariate analysis(P < 0.05). With multivariate analysis, the recovery level of cranial nerve involvement was the independent factor that affected the 5-year overall survival (RR = 2.087). The diameter of the lymph nodes and involvement of cavernous sinus were the independent factors that affected the 5-year distant metastasis-free survival (RR = 1.954 and 2.136, respectively). CONCLUSION Periods of cranial nerve involvement and the level of the recovery of cranial nerve involvement were significantly correlated with prognosis. Involvement of cavernous sinus could increase the rate of distant metastasis.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Cranial Nerves ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Young Adult

With the rapid changes in people's lifestyles, natural and social environments in recent years, the prevalence of chronic and non-communicable diseases in China and its related risk factors have also had tremendous changes. The epidemiological characteristics of chronic and non-communicable diseases and their risk factors vary throughout the country, and the impact of unique climate, diet and lifestyle in southern China on the incidence and prevalence of chronic and non-communicable chronic diseases remains to be elucidated. Therefore, large-scale cohort study is urgently needed to provide evidence for the etiological research and management of chronic and non-communicable chronic diseases in different areas, and for the national management strategy for major chronic and non-communicable diseases. The prospective cohort study of chronic and non-communicable diseases in general population in southern China was established in December 2017. The study recruited permanent residents aged 35-74 years from both urban and rural areas in Guangdong, Hainan, Fujian Provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. A big data platform of precision medicine which integrates health information with biological samples for long-term follow up has been established. A baseline database of 116 520 people aged (54.9±12.5) years, including 71 077 women (61.0%), has been established. Collecting questionnaire survey data, physical examination data, and biological samples. This paper briefly introduces the concept, design and progress of the prospective cohort study of chronic and non-communicable diseases in general population in southern China.

Clinical research coordinator (CRC) can improve the efficiency of clinical research, ensure the accuracy and reliability of the research process, as well as the standardized implementation of research projects and the safety of subjects. However, the CRCs dispatched by the site management organization have problems such as high liquidity, uneven quality, low work initiative, and high management costs. Since 2004, a research hospital in South China had started to employ CRCs by itself, exploring and forming three self-employed CRC management modes: hospital employ-hospital manage, researcher employ hospital manage, and researcher employ-third-party labor dispatch agency manage. The CRCs under hospital employ-hospital manage mode were recruited and selected by the hospital. The hospital established a labor relationship with CRC, and the hospital′s personnel department was responsible for salary distribution and promotion management of professional titles/positions. The relevant labor costs were borne by the hospital′s funds, and the salary standards were also formulated by the hospital. This type of CRC could participate in the promotion of health technology series titles. The CRCs under researcher employ-hospital manage mode were recruited and selected by the researcher. The hospital established a labor relationship with them. The relevant labor costs were borne by the research funding, and the researchers determined the specific salary standards for CRCs based on the salary guidance plan formulated by the hospital. These kind of CRCs could not be promoted to professional titles in hospitals. The CRCs under researcher employ-third-party labor dispatch agency manage mode were recruited and selected by researchers. The third-party labor dispatch agency established an employment relationship with them and provided personnel services. The relevant labor costs were borne by the research funding, and the researchers formulated their own salary standards. Such CRCs could not be promoted to professional titles in hospitals. As of July 2023, the number of self-employed CRCs in the hospital had reached 185, with 75.8% having a bachelor′s degree or above and an average work experience of 4.58 years. Among them, there were 26 people in the hospital hiring-hospital management mode, 45 people in the researcher hiring-hospital management mode, and 114 people in the researcher hiring-third-party labor dispatch agency management mode. These measures had fully released management efficiency, effectively met manpower needs, promoted rapid growth in the number of clinical research projects, and reduced management costs through third-party labor dispatch mode, which could provide references for CRC management in clinical trial institutions of China.

Background: Anti-programmed death-1/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) immunotherapy has been proved to be effective on gastric cancer in ongoing clinical trials. However, the value of PD-L1 in predicting responses of patients with gastric cancer to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy is controversial. Some studies suggested that intra- and inter-tumoral heterogeneity of PD-L1 expression might explain the controversy. This study aimed to analyze the expression of PD-L1, PD-L2, and PD-1 as well as CD8(+) T-cell density in primary tumors and lymph nodes from patients with stage T1-4N+M0 gastric adenocarcinoma to explore the heterogeneity of PD-1 signaling pathway molecules. Methods: In primary tumors and metastatic as well as non-metastatic lymph nodes from patients with stage T1-4N+M0 gastric adenocarcinoma, we detected PD-L1 and PD-L2 expression with immunohistochemistry. CD8(+) T-cell density in primary tumors and PD-1 expression on CD8(+) T cells were detected with immunofluorescence. Uni-variate analysis was used to determine the prognostic values of them. Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to identify independent risk factors that affect patients' overall survival and disease-free survival. Results: Among 119 eligible patients who had undergone surgical resection, the positive rate of PD-L1 was higher in metastatic lymph nodes than in primary tumors (45.4％ vs. 38.7％,P= 0.005); the positive rate of PD-1 on CD8(+) T cells was significantly higher in primary tumors and metastatic lymph nodes than in tumor-free lymph nodes (both P < 0.001). The intensity of PD-1 expression on CD8(+) T cells in primary tumors and in metastatic lymph nodes were stronger than that in tumor-free lymph nodes from the same patient. Beside, the positive rate of PD-L2 did not show any differences between primary tumors and metastatic lymph nodes. In multivariate analysis, PD-L1 expression, PD-L2 expression, a low density of CD8(+) T cells in primary tumors, and PD-1 expression on CD8(+) T cells in primary tumors were associated with poor prognosis.Conclusion: The expression of PD-L1 is heterogeneous in primary tumors and in metastatic lymph nodes from patients with stage T1-4N+M0 gastric adenocarcinoma, which might explain the inconsistent results in assessing the prognostic value of PD-L1 expression in previous studies.