Objective To evaluate the feasibility of video-assisted thoracoscopic resection of thymoma for myasthenia gravis.Methods Between July 2005 and February 2006,10 patients with thymoma were enrolled in this study.After double lumen intubation,video-assisted thoracoscopic resection of the thymus and thymoma was performed on the patients under total intravenous anesthesia.The largest tumor in this series was 6 cm ? 4 cm ? 3 cm.For a three-trocar technique,three incisions with a length of 1,3,or 1.5 cm were made respectively at the fifth intercostal space on the midaxillary line,fourth intercostal space on the middle between the anterior axillary line and midclavicular line,and sixth intercostal space on the anterior axillary line.During the operation,to expose the ipsilateral thymus and part of the contralateral thymus,the mediastinal pleura was cut along the internal thoracic artery,and superior vena cava or phrenic nerve.The thymus was then separated,and the thymic vein was dissected along the brachiocephalic vein and ligated.All the patients received radiotherapy after the operation with a dose of 4000 cGy.Results The operation time ranged from 70 to 130 minutes(mean,110 minutes)and the blood loss was less than 100 ml in all the cases.After the operation,7 patients presented Masaoka stage Ⅰ and 3 were at stage Ⅱ.No patient died or had cardiopulmonary complications or myasthenia crisis.The symptoms of myasthenia gravis were relieved in 1 week.The patients were followed up for 8 to 15 months(mean 13.0 months).During the period,none of them developed recurrence,metastasis,or aggravation of the myasthenia gravis.Conclusions It is feasible to resect stage Ⅰ to Ⅱ thymoma by video-assisted thoracoscopy.The procedure is minimal invasive with a few postoperative complications and good cosmetic outcomes.

ObjectiveTo guide fluid management and evaluate the clinical index through monitoring extravascular lung water index(EVLWI) of patients with pulmonary contusion.MethodsThirtyone severe chest trauma patients with pulmonary contusion were selected,performed with central venous catheterization or femoral artery catheterization,and connected to pulse index continuous cardiac output (PICCO).EVLWI after pulmonary contusion were measured by using thermal dilution.The intake and output of patients were recorded in detail,fluid intake was controlled,furosemide was prescribed,and the changes and correlations of oxygenation index,EVLWI and liquid balance difference at different time points were evaluated.ResultsEVLWI after pulmonary contusion at 1st to 7th d after hospitalization was respectively (9.25 ±0.71),(8.98 ±0.61),(8.61 ±0.59),(7.75±0.53),(6.64 ±0.49),(6.22±0.36),(5.59 ±0.39) ml/kg.Comparing with 1st d after hospitalization,EVLWI declined from 3rd d (P ＜ 0.05).Oxygenation index at Ist to 7th d after hospitallzation was respectively( 145.76±23.61 ),( 144.19±20.24),( 146.67±19.25 ),(159.33±15.42),(177.38±14.25),(199.33±19.04),(213.71±18.51) mm Hg(1 mm Hg =0.133 kPa).Comparing with 1st d,oxygenation index from 4th to 7th d had significant difference (P ＜ 0.05 ).The fluid volume at 1st d to 7th d were all negative balance,that of 3rd d to 6th d had significant difference comparing with 1st d [(-431.43±121.17),(-601.43±127.09),(-629.52±140.69),(-320.01 ±93.71) ml vs.(-213.81±63.91 ) ml](P ＜ 0.05 ).Oxygenation index and EVLWI had negative correlation(r =-0.824,P＜0.01).Liquid balance difference and the changes of oxygenation index and EVLWI had no correlation.ConclusionEVLWI effectively monitoring after pulmonary contusion can not only evaluate the changes of pulmonary vascular permeability of patients with pulmonary contusion,but also have important significance to guide fluid management.

Objective To observe the correlation of serum aquaporin 4 (AQP4) antibodies and condition and visual prognosis in patients with severe neuromyelitis optica spectral disorders (NMOSD). Methods Fifty NMOSD patients with visual acuity of 20/200 or worse in at least one eye were enrolled in this retrospective analysis. There were 12 males and 38 females. The age ranged from 17 to 65 years, with the mean of (39.86±2.02) years. The patients were divided into two groups according to the serum AQP4-IgG status. The ophthalmologic examination, serum anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA), myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody detection and vision prognosis were compared and analyzed. Glucocorticoid therapy was delivered to 46 patients who were within 1 month of onset. The visual acuity of the patients after treatment was divided into complete recovery, partial recovery, stabilization and reduction, and the visual acuity of the two groups were analyzed. Results Among 50 patients, there were 30 (60%) seropositive patients (positive group), 20 (40%) seronegative patients (negative group). The positive group had significantly higher ratio of female to male (P=0.004), and more binocular optic neuritis (ON) (P=0.010) compared with the negative group. More recurrence ON were also found in the positive group, but without statistic difference between two groups (P=0.167). There was no difference of age, course, and vision damage degrees and abnormal orbital MRI scanning between two groups (P>0.05). Among 24 patients who underwent serum ANA detection in the positive group, 8 patients were positive. All of 18 patients who underwent serum ANA detection in the negative group were negative. The difference of the ratio of serum ANA positive patients between two groups was significant (P=0.030). Serum MOG antibody detection in the positive group was negative (0/10). Sixteen patients who underwent MOG antibody detection in negative group, 4 patients were positive. After treatment, there were 23.3%, 23.3%, 53.3% patients with vision of complete recovery, partial recovery and reduction in the positive group; 25.0%, 30.0%, 25.0% patients with vision of complete recovery, partial recovery and reduction in the negative group, respectively. There was no difference in proportion of vision with complete recovery and partial recovery between two groups (P=0.163, 0.607), but significant difference was observed in proportion of vision with stabilization and reduction between two groups (P=0.021, 0.048). Conclusions The positive serum AQP4 antibody is common in patients with severe NMOSD. The patients with AQP4 antibody in the serum are more likely combined with immunological serological markers and poor vision prognosis.

BACKGROUNDThere is important significance of micrometastasis for the individual treatment and prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). LUNX is a lung-specific gene found recently. The aim of this study is to detect LUNX mRNA expression in NSCLC patients in order to discuss the possibility of indicating lung cancer micrometastasis by LUNX.

METHODSFluorescence quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (FQ-RT-PCR) and ordinary RT-PCR were used to detect LUNX mRNA in cancer tissues, bone marrow and peripheral blood from 62 patients with NSCLC. Lung tissue, bone marrow and peripheral blood from 10 patients with pulmonary benign diseases and peripheral blood from 10 healthy volunteers were served as controls.

RESULTSLUNX mRNA was expressed in all the lung tissues, either malignant or benign. No bone marrow and peripheral blood sample was positive for LUNX mRNA in controls. The positive detection rate of LUNX mRNA for NSCLC was 38.7% (24/62) in bone marrow, 29.0% (18/62) in peripheral blood, and 45.2% (28/62) in either. The positive rate of LUNX mRNA for NSCLC in bone marrow increased according to the stage of disease and there was a statistical significance (P=0.02), aod there was a correlation between bone marrow and peripheral blood expression in NSCLC (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONSLUNX mRNA is an efficient indicating factor on sensitivity and specificity to detect early haematogenous dissemination of cancer cells for patients with NSCLC. This method may lead to an earlier diagnosis of metastasis for lung cancer and help to evaluate the cancer more correctly and make the best treatment plan.

Objective To observe the effects of penetrance,different time of onset and mutation sites on retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and macular thickness in patients with Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON).Methods This was a cross-sectional observational study.A total of 88 patients with LHON and 1492 relatives of the maternal relatives (gene carriers) who received treatment in People's Liberation Army General Hospital from 2015 to 2017 were included in the study.Among the 1492 family members,there were 694 males and 798 females.Peripheral venous blood was extracted from all subjects for mitochondrial DNA testing,and penetrance was calculated.A total of 117 patients underwent BCVA and SD-OCT examinations,including 82 patients and 35 gene carriers.The BCVA examination was performed using the Snellen visual acuity chart,which was converted into logMAR visual acuity.The thickness of RNFL,ganglion cell complex (GCC) and inner limiting membrane (ILM)-RPE were measured with OCT instrument.The mean follow-up was 50.02± 86.27 months.The disease course was divided into 6 stages including ≤3 months,4-6 months,7-12 months and ＞ 12 months.The thickness of RNFL,GCC and ILM-RPE in patients with different time of onset and mutation sites were comparatively analyzed by covariance analysis.Categorical variables were expressed as a percentage,and the x2 test was used for comparison among multiple groups.Results Among the 1492 family members,285 were diagnosed with LHON and highly suspected clinical manifestations (19.10％),including 190 males (21.98％) and 95 females (11.90％).The total penetrance rates of 11778,14484 and rare mutation sites were 19.84％ (228/1149),20.50％ (33/161),and 13.19％ (24/182) respectively;male penetrance rates were 28.87％ (153/530),27.28％ (20/72),and 18.48％ (17/92) and female penetrance rates were 12.12％ (75/619),14.61％ (13/89) and 7.78％ (7/90).There was no significant difference in total (x2=4.732),male (x2=4.263) and female (x2=4.263) penetrance between different mutation sites (P=0.094,0.110,0.349).Compared with non-pathogenic carriers,the thickness of the RNFL,GCC and ILM-RPE were all different in the four stages (≤3months,4-6 months,7-12 months and ＞12 months).The thickness ofRNFL,GCC and ILM-RPE decreased with the time of onset (P=0.000).There were significant differences in the thickness of each of the GCC and ILM-RPE layers in the macular area of LHON patients with different mutation sites (P＜ 0.05).Among them,the site 11778 and 3460 had the most severe damage in all quadrants of macular GCC and ILM-RPE layer,followed by 14484 site,and the rare site had the least damage in all quadrants.Conclusions The penetrance of LHON patients is 19.10％.With the extension of the onset time (within 1 year),the RNFL layer of the optic disc and all quadrants of the macular GCC and ILM-RPE layer gradually thinned.Compared with 11778 and rare site,14484 site,and the rare site had the lighter damage on the thickness of RNFL,GCC and ILM-RPE.

OBJECTIVE To investigate in vitro activities of 12 antimicrobial agents including cefmetazole against extended-spectrum beta-lactamases-producing Escherichia coli(528 strains),Klebsiella pneumoniae(311 strains) and Proteus mirabilis(15 strains).METHODS They all collected from 15 teaching hospitals in China during 2005 and 2006 and included in the study.The levels of minimal inhibitory concentration(MIC) of 12 antimicrobial agents were determined by agar dilution method.WHONET 5.4 Software was used to analyze the data.RESULTS Against ESBLs-producing E.coli and ESBLs-producing K.pneumoniae,carbapenems were the most active antimicrobial agents(all 100.0% susceptible),followed by cephamycins(80.1-97.3%).Piperacillin/tazobactam(78.5-95.1%)showed a higher activity than cefoperazone/sulbactam(44.1-56.2%).The susceptible rate to ceftazidime against ESBLs-producing E.coli was remarkably higher than the other three cephalosporins,however the differences did not happen to ESBL-producing K.pneumoniae obviously.The susceptible rate to cefuroxime was below 1.6%.ESBLs-producing K.pneumoniae showed high sensitivity to carbapenems,cephamycins and ?-lactam/lactamase inhibitor combinations(all 100% susceptible),however the susceptible rates to cephalosporins were relatively lower.CONCLUSIONS Carbapenems and cephamycins remain the relatively high activity against ESBLs-producing Enterobacteriaceae.

Objective To assess the association between killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) gene polymorphisms and the risk of hypertension in autoimmune mechanism.Methods We conducted a case-control study including 205 hypertensives and 205 controls matched with sex and age,from a community-based population.KIR genes of all subjects were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction with sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP).Conditional logistic regression model and generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction (GMDR) method were used to estimate the association among KIR gene polymorphisms and the risk of hypertension.Results The genotypic frequencies of KIRs were not significantly different between the hypertensives and the control groups (P＞0.05).Among all the models of GMDR concerning the association between interactions of KIR genes and essential hypertension,the testing accuracy of the interaction between K/R2DS2 and KIR2DS3 was the highest (55.13％),with cross-validation consistency as 10/10 (P=0.054).Results from the conditional logistic regression showed that individuals with KIR2DS2 +:KIR2DS3-were significantly associated with an increased risk on hypertension (OR=2.555,95％CI:1.203-5.429,P=0.015).However,individuals with KIR2DS2 +:KIR2DS3 + were significantly associated with a reduced risk of hypertension (0R=0.268,95％ CI:0.088-0.815,P=0.020).Individuals with KIR2DS2-KIR2DS3 + did not seem to be associated with the risk of hypertension (0R=1.602,95％ C I:0.785-3.266,P=0.195),when compared to the KIR2DS2-KIR2DS3-group.Interactions between KIR2DS2 and KIR2DS3 were significantly associated with the risk of hypertension,after adjusted for BMI,smoking,drinking and family history of hypertension (OR=0.065,95％CI:0.013-0.317,P=0.001).Conclusion Individuals with KIR2DS2 and no KIR2DS3 were associated with the increased risk of hypertension.KIR2DS2 that coexisted with KIR2DS3 were associated with the reduced risk of hypertension.Antagonism between KIR2DS2 and KIR2DS3 might serve as a protect factor for hypertension.

Objective To evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of one booster dose of inactivated hepatitis A vaccine in young adults.Methods The subjects were selected from participants in the clinical trial of immunogenicity of inactivated and attenuated live hepatitis A vaccine in young adults.Eligible subjects were those who had received one dose of inactivated or attenuated hepatitis A vaccine,could be contacted and were sero-negative before primary vaccination.All qualified subjects were immunized with one booster dose of inactivated hepatitis A vaccine.The blood samples were collected before booster dose vaccination and 28 days after the immunization.Anti-HAV antibody titer ≥20 mIU/ml was considered to be sero-protected against hepatitis A virus.Results The GMCs in the inactivated HAV vaccine group and attenuated live vaccine group before booster dose vaccination were 70.80 mIU/ml and 50.12 mIU/ml,respectively,and the sero-protection rates were 94.7％ and 65.0％,respectively.After the vaccination of the booster dose,the sero-protection rates in both groups were 100.0％,and the GMCs were 2 816.09 mIU/ml and 2 654.55 mIU/ml,respectively.Conclusion The GMCs and sero-protection rates of anti-HAV antibody in young adults declined after three years of the primary vaccination.However,the higher GMC and sero-protection rate were observed in the inactivated vaccine group than in the attenuated live vaccine group.Significant increases of GMC levels were observed in both groups after one booster dose vaccination.

BACKGROUNDMany studies have suggested that C-reactive protein (CRP) and blood lipids are associated with hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, few studies discussed the combined action of CRP and blood lipids on the risk of hypertension and prehypertension. This study aimed to investigate the combined action of CRP and lipid profiles on the risk of hypertension and prehypertension in Mongolian adults from Inner Mongolia, China.

METHODSThe systolic and diastolic blood pressure, height, weight and waist circumference were measured and factors such as smoking, alcohol intake, family history of hypertension, etc., were investigated and CRP, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG) were tested for 2 534 Mongolian adults aged ≥ 20 years. The subjects were divided into four subgroups, namely CRP median subgroup, CRP >median and LDL-C (TG) median and LDL-C (TG) >median subgroup. The ORs (95% CIs) of hypertension and prehypertension for the subgroups were calculated by univariate and multivariate analysis.

RESULTSThe multivariate adjusted ORs (95%CIs) of hypertension/prehypertension were 1.389 (0.979-1.970)/1.151(0.865-1.531), 1.666 (1.159-2.394)/1.431 (1.060-1.930), 1.756 (1.242-2.484)/ 1.770 (1.321-2.372), for CRP median subgroup, CRP >median and LDL-C median and LDL-C >median subgroup, respectively, compared with CRP median subgroup, CRP >median and TG median and TG >median subgroup, respectively, compared with CRP median and LDL-C (TG) >median subgroup among the four subgroups.

CONCLUSIONSSubjects with both CRP >median and LDL-C (TG) >median had highest risks of hypertension and prehypertension among all subjects. This study appeared to indicate that the combined action of elevated CRP and elevated LDL-C (TG) further increase the risks of hypertension and prehypertension among Mongolian population.

Adult ; Body Height ; physiology ; Body Weight ; physiology ; C-Reactive Protein ; metabolism ; China ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; blood ; epidemiology ; metabolism ; Lipids ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Waist Circumference ; physiology

The widespread application of next generation sequencing (NGS) in clinical settings has enabled testing, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of genetic diseases. However, many issues have arisen in the meanwhile. One of the most pressing issues is the lack of standards for reporting genetic test results across different service providers. The First Forum on Standards and Specifications for Clinical Genetic Testing was held to address the issue in Shenzhen, China, on October 28, 2017. Participants, including geneticists, clinicians, and representatives of genetic testing service providers, discussed problems of clinical genetic testing services across in China and shared opinions on principles, challenges, and standards for reporting clinical genetic test results. Here we summarize expert opinions presented at the seminar and report the consensus, which will serve as a basis for the development of standards and guidelines for reporting of clinical genetic testing results, in order to promote the standardization and regulation of genetic testing services in China.