Objective To study the characteristics of microscopic spread of esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma (ESCC) and the influence of clinicopathological features on it to help define the clinical target volume (CTV) margin in radiotherapy.Methods Sixty-four surgical specimens of ESCC were observed for longitudinal microscopic spread per centimeter both proximally and distally from the tumor.The shrinkage ratio of each specimen was calculated and used for tissue incision.Results The further the distance beyond the tumor, the lower the incidence there was of microscopic spread.Positive rates of microscopic spread in group 3 cm of proximal and distal were 4.8% and 6.9%, respectively, and in group 4 cm were both 3.6%.Tumors longer than 5 cm in length,with poorer differentiation, lymph nodes metastasis and more aggressive phase had higher positive rates (79.3% vs 45.7%,77.4% vs 45.5%,76.0% vs 51.2%,70.5% vs 40.0%,χ2=7.52,6.86,3.91,5.36;P=0.006,0.009,0.042,0.021).Differentiation and tumor length were main factors contributing to microscopic spread (χ2=0.19,4.82;P=0.020,0.017).Conclusions To cover 95% of the microscopic spread,a margin of 3.0 cm proximal and 4.0 cm distal beyond gross tumor volume is needed and as to 90%, a margin of 3.0 cm both proximal and distal is needed.Moreover, the influence of pathological features should be taken into account.

The insulin receptor (IR) is an important hub in insulin signaling and its activation is tightly regulated. Upon insulin stimulation, IR is activated through autophosphorylation, and consequently phosphorylates several insulin receptor substrate (IRS) proteins, including IRS1-6, Shc and Gab1. Certain adipokines have also been found to activate IR. On the contrary, PTP, Grb and SOCS proteins, which are responsible for the negative regulation of IR, are characterized as IR inhibitors. Additionally, many other proteins have been identified as IR substrates and participate in the insulin signaling pathway. To provide a more comprehensive understanding of the signals mediated through IR, we reviewed the upstream and downstream signal molecules of IR, summarized the positive and negative modulators of IR, and discussed the IR substrates and interacting adaptor proteins. We propose that the molecular events associated with IR should be integrated to obtain a better understanding of the insulin signaling pathway and diabetes.
Animals ; Humans ; Protein Binding ; Receptor, Insulin ; metabolism ; Signal Transduction ; Substrate Specificity

Objective To understand the ability and level of emergency rescue at general hospitals in Tianjin city. Methods Such actions as formulating plans and examination forms, establishing assessment indicators and evaluation criteria, and simulation exercises were performed to evaluate the capacity of 28 general hospitals in terms of their organizational structure, emergency response, event reporting, and summary assessment. Results The emergency response assessment system consisted of 4 level-1 indicators, 19 level-2 indicators and 58 level-3 indicators. 28 hospitals were found high in their overall emergency response capacity, but some were found with setbacks. For example, the " organizational structure" scored the highest in 4 first-level indicators, up to 88. 91％ , while " incident report" scored the lowest, down to 67. 99％ . Among level-2 indicators, professional emergency professional procedures and initial reporting scored the lowest. Conclusions In order to further improve the ability of medical institutions to respond to emergency events, the hospitals are recommended to enhance their backup resources for emergency response, their staff′s awareness of first aid knowledge and first aid skills, as well as their timeliness of initial reports and the completeness of progress reports.

Klebsiella pneumoniae is one of the common pathogens causing hospital-acquired infection. With the wide use of carbapenem in recent years, carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) has emerged around the world. Carbapenemase production is the main cause of resistance to carbapenem antibiotics in Klebsiella pneumoniae. More than 70% of Klebsiella pneumoniae strains produce carbapenemase. Ceftazidime/avibactam (CAZ/AVI) can effectively treat CRKP infection, especially those caused by CRKP that can produce Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC) or oxaclillinase (OXA)-48. However, it has been reported that CAZ/AVI-resistant CRKP strains have emerged. In this paper, the epidemiology, risk factors, resistance mechanism and treatment of CAZ/AVI-resistant CRKP were summarized to provide reference for clinical treatment.

Objective:To study the clinical characteristics and management strategies of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in high-altitude areas.Methods:An observational cross-sectional study was conducted in 79 stable COPD patients who visited the outpatient of Respiratory Medicine at Tibet Autonomous Region People′s Hospital and Peking University Third Hospital from August 3 rd 2020 to November 30 th 2020. Patients were divided into Lhasa group ( n=44) and Beijing group ( n=35). The differences of clinical characteristics including demographic characteristics, risk factors, respiratory symptoms, comorbidities, medications and spirometry were analyzed. Further comparative analysis was conducted on the clinical characteristics of smokers ( n=15) and non-smokers ( n=29) in Lhasa group. Results:The proportion of female patients and biofuel exposure in Lhasa group was significantly higher than Beijing group (56.8% vs 0, 86.4% vs 0, both P<0.001). The proportion of smokers in Lhasa group was significantly lower than Beijing group (34.1% vs 100%, P<0.001). The mean score of COPD assessment test (CAT) in Lhasa group was significantly higher than Beijing group (21.27 vs 9.17, P<0.001). The proportion of acute exacerbations ≥2 in the past year in Lhasa group was significantly higher than Beijing group (31.8% vs 11.4%, P=0.032). The median percentage of forced vital capacity in the first second of predicted value (FEV 1%pred) of patients in Lhasa group was significantly higher than Beijing group (63% vs 38%, P<0.001). The proportion of patients treated by inhaled corticosteroid/long-acting β 2-agonist (ICS/LABA) and inhaled long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMA) in Lhasa group was significantly lower than Beijing group (4.5% vs 60.0%, 0 vs 65.7%, both P<0.001). There were no significant differences in CAT score, number of acute exacerbations in the past year and lung function between smokers and non-smokers in Lhasa group. Conclusions:Compared with those patients in Beijing, the majority of patients with COPD living in Lhasa are female, with a low proportion of smokers and a high proportion of biofuel exposure. Although their lung function is better, their respiratory symptoms are more severe with more acute exacerbations in the past year, and most patients do not receive standardized medication.

BACKGROUNDThe interleukin (IL)-32/tumor necrosis factor (TNF) a pathway is supposed to play a key role in the amplification of the immune response in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) inflammation. Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) in combination with long-acting β2-agonists (LABA) have shown airway anti-inflammatory effects in recent studies, but the mechanism is still uncertain.

METHODSPatients were treated in a randomized, open-labeled, parallel group clinical trial with either a combination of salmeterol xinafoate/fluticasone propionate (SF; Seretide, GlaxoSmithKline) Diskus (50/500 µg twice daily) or ipratropium bromide/salbutamol (IS; Combivent, Boehringer Ingelheim) MDI (42 µg/240 µg quartic daily) for 12 weeks. At the start and the end of treatment, induced sputum was collected and the concentration of IL-32 and TNF-α, the number of neutrophils and eosinophils were measured.

RESULTSFollowing 12 weeks of treatment, a statistically significant fall from baseline in the concentration of TNF-α in sputum (P = 0.004) was seen after treatment with SF but not with IS. However, neither treatment had significant effects on the concentration of IL-32 in sputum. There was a decrease from baseline in the number of sputum neutrophils with SF that approached statistical significance (P = 0.028) but not with IS, while the number of sputum eosinophils did not change significantly from baseline in either treatment group. There was a statistically significant decline from baseline in the quality of life as assessed by the St George's respiratory questionnaire in both the SF (P = 0.004) and IS (P = 0.030) treatment groups, but no evidence of improvement in lung function was observed in either group.

CONCLUSIONThe sputum TNF-α and neutrophils, but not IL-32 and macrophages, could be reduced by ICS/LABA treatment, suggesting that IL-32 could be involved in the corticosteroid resistance of COPD inflammation.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Albuterol ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Androstadienes ; therapeutic use ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; therapeutic use ; Drug Combinations ; Female ; Fluticasone-Salmeterol Drug Combination ; Humans ; Interleukins ; metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; drug therapy ; metabolism

Objective:Evidence on potential cardiovascular benefits of personal-level intervention among the elderly exposed to high levels of particulate matter(PM)remains limited.We aimed to assess improvements in surrogate markers of cardiovascular injury in vulnerable populations at risks by using indoor air filtration units.Methods:We conducted a randomized crossover trial for 2 separate 2-week air filtration interventions in 20 households of patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and their partners in the winter of 2013,with concurrent measurements of indoor PM.The changes in biomarkers indicative of cardiac injury,atherosclerosis progression and systemic inflammation following intervention were evaluated using linear mixed-effect models.Results:In the analysis,average levels of indoor PM with aerodynamic diameters＜2.5 μm(PM2.5)decreased significantly by 59.2％(from 59.6 to 24.3 μg/m3,P＜0.001)during the active air filtration.The reduction was accompanied by improvements in levels of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I by-84.6％(95％confidence interval[CI]:-90.7 to-78.6),growth differentiation factor-15 by-48.1％(95％CI:-31.2 to-25.6),osteoprotegerin by-65.4％(95％CI:-56.5 to-18.7),interleukin-4 by-46.6％(95％CI:-62.3 to-31.0)and myeloperoxidase by-60.3％(95％CI:-83.7 to-3.0),respectively.Conclusion:Indoor air filtration intervention may provide potential cardiovascular benefits in vulnerable popu-lations at risks.