Objective At present,nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a head and neck cancer with special geographical distribution and biological behavior.Studies have shown that 18 F-FDG PET/CT parameters have certain prognostic values in patients with NPC in high-incidence areas.The aim of this study is to investigate the prognostic values of 18 F-FDG PET/CT parameters in patients with NPC in low-incidence areas.Methods The clinical data of 83 NPC patients who were diagnosed and treated in Beth Israel Medical Center, Albert Einstein Medical College from January 2003 to December 2013 were analyzed retrospectively.Based on 18 F-FDG PET/CT images,gross tumor volume (GTV) was delineated using the gradient method to obtain 18 F-FDG PET/CT parameters:maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax ), metabolic tumor volume ( MTV),and total lesion glycolysis ( TLG).Results The number of patients followed was 37 at 3-years time.For all patients,the 3-year failure-free survival,locoregional relapse-free survival,and metastasis-free survival rates were 74%,88%,and 85%,respectively.The univariate analysis showed that SUVmax of the primary tumor (P=0.004) and TLG (P=0.014) were prognostic factors for 3-year locoregional relapse-free survival rate,and SUVmax of the primary tumor (P=0.024) and TLG (P=0.033) were prognostic factors for 3-year failure-free survival rate.The multivariate analysis showed that SUVmax of the primary tumor was the independent prognostic factor for 3-year failure-free survival rate. Conclusion SUVmax of the primary tumor before treatment is the independent prognostic factor for failure-free survival in patients with NPC.

OBJECTIVETo compare the characteristics of auditory event-related potentials (AERP) evoked by pure tone stimuli and Chinese speech stimuli respectively, and to explore the feasibility of using Chinese speech stimuli to evoke AERP for Chinese.

METHODSAERP were tested by both Chinese speech and pure tone as stimuli in normal young participants (83 ears in 44 young postgraduate students), then each AERP wave form were scored. The latencies, amplitudes and scores of AERP evoked by speech stimuli were compared with by pure tone stimuli.

RESULTSTypical waves of AERP were recorded and identified more easily with speech stimuli than pure tone stimuli, moreover, the differences were statistically significance (X2 = 4.0, P = 0.039). The latency and amplitude of P3 evoked by both Chinese speech stimuli and pure tone stimuli in the 72 ears were no significant difference (P > 0.05). But the mean scores of AERP evoked by speech stimuli were significantly higher than those evoked by pure tone stimuli (t = 6.57, P = 0.000). N2 and P3 latency in left ear evoked by speech stimuli were significantly shorter than those evoked by pure tone stimuli (P = 0.002, P = 0.003). However there were no significant differences in right ear(P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSChinese speech stimuli were more consistent with requests of AERP test and custom of Chinese spoken language, so the Chinese speech stimuli was more available for Chinese's AERP test than pure tone stimuli.

Acoustic Stimulation ; Adult ; Audiometry, Pure-Tone ; China ; Evoked Potentials ; Evoked Potentials, Auditory ; physiology ; Female ; Humans ; Language ; Male ; Speech

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression of Fas/FasL in infantile hemangiomas and discuss the role of Fas/FasL in the pathologic evolution of infantile hemangioma.

METHODThe EnVision immunohistochemical stain and RT-PCR technique was used to examine the expression of Fas/FasL protein and mRNA in the infantile hemangiomas.

RESULTS(1) In the early and middle proliferating stage, a number of infantile hemangioma cells expressed Fas. In the late proliferating stage, the number of positive cells increased obviously and the expression of Fas mRNA was reaching the strongest level. In the early regressing stage the Fas still existed in some cells and after that the expression decreased quickly. (2) Up to the middle proliferating stage, there were a few of FasL(+) cells foound. In the late proliferating stage, the number of FasL(+) cells increased significantly. From the early regressing stage, the number of FasL(+) cells decreased rapidly and disappeared.

CONCLUSIONThere may exist significant correlation between the expression of Fas/FasL and the development of the infantile hemangioma cells. The apoptosis of the infantile hemangioma cells mediated by Fas/ FasL may be the major reason of the spontaneous involution of infantile hemangioma.

Apoptosis ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Fas Ligand Protein ; metabolism ; Hemangioma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Infant ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Signal Transduction ; fas Receptor ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo explore the characteristics of distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE), auditory brainstem response (ABR) and mismatch negativity (MMN) in guinea pigs with hyperbilirubinemia and assess the impact of hyperbilirubinemia on their hearing functions.

METHODNormal neonatal guinea pigs were randomly divided into normal control, low- and high-dose bilirubin groups. DPOAE, ABR and MMN were tested and compared between the 3 groups of guinea pigs.

RESULTSThe DPOAE was comparable between the 3 groups (P>0.05). The guinea pigs with peritoneal injection of low-dose bilirubin exhibited significantly prolonged wave III and V latencies and I-III interwave intervals during the ABR test in comparison with the control group (P<0.05). All the ABR parameters were significantly different between the high-dose bilirubin group and the control group (P<0.05). The detection rates of MMN were significantly different between the 3 groups (Chi(2)=7.438, P=0.024), and the average MMN latency was significantly shorter in the control group than in the high-dose group (P<0.05), but the amplitudes of MMN remained similar between the 3 groups (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONSHyperbilirubinemia results impairment primarily of retrocochlear auditory pathway with relative mild damage of the cochlear. Apart from sensorineural auditory impairment, hyperbilirubinemia may also cause central auditory processing abnormalities.

Animals ; Behavior, Animal ; Bilirubin ; blood ; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem ; Female ; Guinea Pigs ; Hyperbilirubinemia ; blood ; physiopathology ; Male ; Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of chromosomal karyotype on the prognosis of patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) in condition of the maintenance treatment based on arsenic trioxide. METHODS: The patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia for last 12 years in our hospital were retrospectively collected. The patients mainly treated with arsenic trioxide in maintenance protocol were selected and followed up. All the patients were divided into 3 groups according to cytogenetic data: single t (15; 17) group, t (15; 17) with additional chromosomal abnormality (ACA) group, and normal karyotype group. Then, the prognostic significance of ACAs and complex karyotype were investigated in APL patients. RESULTS: There were 57 cases in the single t (15; 17) group, in which 8 cases died in the first month after induction treatment with early mortality rate of 14%. There were 21 patients in t (15; 17) with ACA group, in which 4 cases died in the first month with early mortality rate of 19%. There were 15 cases in normal chromosome group, in which 5 cases died in the first month with the early mortality rate of 33.3%. There was no statistical difference in the early mortality among 3 groups. All the remaining 76 patients achieved complete hematological remission. These patients were followed up. The median follow-up time was 43.9 months. Among them, only 2 patients in single t (15; 17) group and 1 patient in t (15; 17) with ACA group relapsed. No patient relapsed in normal karyotype group. The relapse rate was 3.5% in single t (15; 17) group and 4.2% in t (15; 17) with ACA group, respectively. There was no statistical difference in the overall survival and disease-free survival rates among 3 groups. Further analysis showed that the patients with complex chromosome karyotypes had lower relapse-free survival rates, but overall survival rates were not significantly different in 3 group. CONCLUSION In general, ACA can not affect the prognosis of patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia in condition of the maintenance treatment based on arsenic trioxide, but the complex chromosomal karyotype may reduce the relapse-free survival rates.
Arsenic Trioxide ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Karyotype ; Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute ; drug therapy ; Prognosis ; Remission Induction ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Tretinoin

Objective:To analyze the incidence and epidemiological characteristics of traumatic spinal cord injury in China in 2018.Methods:Multi-stage stratified cluster sampling was used to randomly select hospitals capable of treating patients with spinal cord injury from 3 regions，9 provinces and 27 cities in China to retrospectively investigate eligible patients with traumatic spinal cord injury admitted in 2018. National and regional incidence rates were calculated. The data of cause of injury，injury level，severity of injury，segment and type of fracture，complications，death and other data were collected by medical record questionnaire，and analyzed according to geographical region，age and gender.Results:Medical records of 4，134 patients were included in this study，with a male-to-female ratio of 2.99∶1. The incidence of traumatic spinal cord injury in China in 2018 was 50.484 / 1 million （95% CI 50.122-50.846）. The highest incidence in the Eastern region was 53.791 / 1 million （95% CI 53.217-54.365）. In the whole country，the main causes of injury were high falls （29.58%），as well as in the Western region （40.68%），while the main causes of injury in the Eastern and Central regions were traffic injuries （31.22%，30.10%）. The main injury level was cervical spinal cord in the whole country （64.49%），and the proportion of cervical spinal cord injury in the Central region was the highest （74.68%），and the proportion of lumbosacral spinal cord injury in the Western region was the highest （32.30%）. The highest proportion of degree of injury was incomplete quadriplegia （55.20%），and the distribution pattern was the same in each region. A total of 65.87% of the patients were complicated with fracture or dislocation，77.95% in the Western region and only 54.77% in the Central region. In the whole country，the head was the main combined injury （37.87%），as well as in the Eastern and Central regions，while the proportion of chest combined injury in the Western region was the highest （38.57%）. A total of 32.90% of the patients were complicated with respiratory complications. There were 23 patients （0.56%） died in hospital，of which 17（73.91%） died of respiratory dysfunction. Conclusions:The Eastern region of China has a high incidence of traumatic spinal cord injury. Other epidemiological features include high fall as the main cause of injury cervical spinal cord injury as the main injury level，incomplete quadriplegia as the main degree of injury，head as the main combined injury，and respiratory complications as the main complication.