Objective To investigate the nursing of cancerous aching in patients during whole body hyperthermia. Methods Seventy patients with malignant tumors were carefully concerned before and after receiving whole body hyperthermia and their responses were recorded. Results The remission rate of aching was 88.55%, and the common side effects were burning of skin, bedsore, and nausea or vomiting. Conclusion The whole body hyperthermia therapy can relieve the cancerous pain, and good nursing can improve the efficacy.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of mycophenolate mofeil (MMF) combined with dose-decreased calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) in patients who received liver transplanation with chronic kidney malfunction.Methods28 liver transplant patients with chronic kidney malfunction were prospectively included in this study.MMF was initiated and the dose of the original immunosuppressive drug CNIs decreased.The change in renal function and adverse events were evaluated.ResultsOne patient was discontinued with MMF treatment because of serious myelosuppression.The other 27 patients were treated with MMF with a median of 30.8 months.The basal creatinine values and the basal creatinine clearance were ( 134.26 ± 27.25) μmol/1 and (57.70 ± 16.93) ml/min,respectively.The basal glomerular filtration rate was (53.91±11.63) ml/min.The creatinine values at 1,3,6,12,24 and 36 months were 124.30±28.27 (P=0.006),130.19±29.29 (P=0.174),125.49±38.18 (P=0.194),119.71±31.36 (P=0.010),137.43±42.55 (P＝0.804),and (139.04±39.80) μmol/L (P=0.916).And the creatinine clearance values at 1,3,6,12,24 and 36 months were 62.57±19.29 (P=0.008),61.18± 19.70 (P=0.086),64.27±22.82 (P=0.018),67.48±22.59 (P=0.002),57.18±19.55 (P=0.405),and (54.56±23.48) ml/minute (P=0.708),respectively.The glomerular filtration rate at 1,3,6,12,24 and 36 months were 59.20 ± 14.05 (P=0.006),56.61±14.01 (P=0.04),60.47±17.33 (P=0.016),63.59±17.66 (P=0.002),53.75±13.60 (P=0.369),and (51.70±16.07) ml/min (P＝0.703).One patient (3.7％) had mild acute rejection.5 patients (18.5 ％ ) had mild abdominal distention or diarrhea.2 patients (7.4％) had ischemic cholangitis.No patient had cytomegalo virus infection or tumor recurrence.ConclusionIn liver transplant recipients with chronic renal dysfunction,MMF allowed CNIs dose reduction or discontinuation,improved or stabilized renal function in most patients and it had only mild adverse events.

Objective To evaluate the dosimetric characteristics of helical tomotherapy (HT),intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) for postoperative radiotherapy of rectal cancer.Methods Ten male patients with stage Ⅱ or Ⅲ middle or low position rectal cancer were selected retrospectively.All of the 10 patients underwent Dixon surgery and CT simulation orientation.The target volumes and normal organs were drawn in the CT images and the plans for HT,IMRT and 3D-CRT were designed.The prescribed dose was given 50 Gy in 25 fractions,covering at least 95％ of the planning target volume.Results All plans met the needs of the prescribed doses.The HT and IMRT plans met the needs of dose limit to organs at risk,however,the 3D-CRT plans failed to do that.The conformity indexes of HT,IMRT and 3D-CRT plans were 0.86,0.82 and 0.62,respectively (F =206.81,P ＜ 0.001),and the homogeneity indexes were 0.001,0.157,and 0.205,respectively (x2 =15.8,P ＜ 0.001).The 3D-CRT plans had larger volumes than the HT plans and IMRT plans in the high-dose regions such as pelvic V50,bladder V40,bowel V50 and femoral head D5 (P ＜ 0.05),but the differences between the HT plans and IMRT plans were not statistically significant (P ＞0.05).The V15 value of bowel of HT plans were higher than those of the IMRT and 3D-CRT plans (71.1％ vs.63.3％ and 67.7％,respectively).However,there was no significantly difference.Conclusions All of the HT,IMRT and 3D-CRT plans are able to meet the prescription dose requirement of the target regions of rectal cancer.The HT plans show the best dose homogeneity and target conformity,followed by the IMRT plans,and then the 3D-CRT plans.The HT plans meet the needs of all OARs slightly better than the IMRT plans.3D-CRT plans are simple and practical with poor protective ability toward the OARs.

Objective To investigate the perioperative risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in patients with hepatic cirrhosis that underwent total hip arthroplasty (THA), and to evaluate the safety and feasibility of individualized anti-coagulation treatment.Methods There were 25 patients complicating hepatic cirrhosis that underwent THA (from Jan.to Dec.2014), including 17 males and 8 females, aged 57.9t9.2 years.The primary causes of THA were avascular necrosis of the femoral head (eighteen cases) and osteoarthritis of the hip (seven cases).Low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) was applied for anti-coagulation treatment.Parameters of hepatic function and coagulation function of THA cases (randomized thirty cases, from Jan.2008 to Dec.2008) without hepatic cirrhosis were used as reference for monitoring.For the cases of massive blood loss or upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage, a LMWH administration pause and an administration of fresh frozen plasma and clotting factors were performed in order to maintain a hemorrage/coagulation balance.The clinical outcome of the hip joint was evaluated and complications were treated.A subsequent follow-up was also carried out after perioperative period.Results All cases received successful surgeries and followed up.The follow-up duration was 34± 15.7 months.The preoperative Harris hip score was 32.4± 10.2 points, while the most recent follow-up score was 82.9±6.1 points, which was statistically significant.Dislocation, periprosthetic fracture and periprosthetic infection were absent.All cases received individualized anti-coagulation treatments during peripoerative period.A hemorrage/coagulation balance was achieved.The dynamic parameter curves did not present excessive deviation from reference.One case encountered intermuscular hematoma of the lower limbs 48 hours postoperatively, which was solved by a LMWH pause and administration of fresh frozen plasma and clotting factors.One case suffered upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage five days postoperatively, which was controlled by a LMWH pause and the administration of somatostatin and proton pump inhibitor.Jaundic got worse in one case three days postoperatively but got relieved after treatment.Overt blood loss was 686t141.8 ml.Perioperative death, hepatic failure, hepatic encephalopath, hepatorenal syndrome were absent.No DVT was observed.Conclusion There are risks of DVT in patients of hepatic cirrhosis.Individualized anti-coagulation treatment is needed during perioperative period of THA.

AIM: To explore the effect of atorvastatin on the expression of α-SMA and TGF-β1 in the adventi-tia of ApoE-/-mice with atherosclerosis, and to investigate the underlying mechanism of atorvastatin therapy.METHODS:Male ApoE-/-mice (n =40) at 6-weeks of age were used to establish the atherosclerosis model by feeding with high fat diet. The mice were randomly divided into model group and atorvastatin group.In atorvastatin group, the mice were lavaged with atorvastatin at dose of 20 mg? kg-1? d-1 .The mice in model group were given normal saline.C57BL/6 mice of the same age served as control group, feeding with ordinary food.The mice were respectively sacrificed at the time points of 10 and 15 weeks after feeding with different diets.The ascending aorta was removed for serial sectioning.Some sections were per-formed with Movat staining in order to observe the morphological changes of the tissues, and to measure the relative athero-sclerotic plaque area and the thickness of the adventitia.Some sections were stained with Sirius red to identify the collagen synthesis.Immunohistochemistry assay was prepared to observe the expression of α-SMA and TGF-β1 in the adventitia at different time points.The expression of TGF-β1 at mRNA and protein levels in the thoracoabdominal aorta was measured by RT-qPCR and Western blot.RESULTS: Compared with model group, the formation of plaque in atorvastatin group signifi-cantly descended.Meanwhile the adventitial thickness and collagen synthesis also decreased.The results of immunohisto-
chemical staining showed that compared with 10 weeks-model group, α-SMA and TGF-β1 in 15 weeks-model group was in-creased.The expression of α-SMA and TGF-β1 in atorvastatin group decreased significantly compared with model group. The expression of TGF-β1 at mRNA and protein levels in model group were higher than those in control group.They de-creased in atorvastatin group compared with model group.Compared with 10 weeks-model group, the mRNA and protein of TGF-β1 in 15 weeks-model group were increased.CONCLUSION: Atorvastatin modulates adventitial fibroblast phenotype differentiation by suppressing expression of TGF-β1 and intervenes atherosclerotic development in ApoE.

Objective To study the related factors associated with the reversal of posttransplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM) following liver transplantation. Methods The clinical data of 62patients with PTDM in 232 patients receiving liver transplantation (26. 7 %) were retrospectively analyzed and the patients were divided into two groups: patients with transient PTDM (34 cases) and those with persistent PTDM (28 cases). Pre-operative and post-operative variables, including sex,age, body mass index, family history of diabetes, hepatitis B virus infection, pretransplantation fasting plasma glucose, the immunosuppressant regime, FK506 concentration and duration of steroid usage, were analyzed retrospectively. Results The variables, including sex, age, body mass index,family history of diabetes, hepatitis B virus infection, pretransplantation fasting plasma glucose,FK506 concentration at month 1, 3 and 6 after operation, rate of cyclosporine usage and duration of steroid usage had no significant difference between the two groups (P＞0. 05). Compared with the persistent PTDM patients, the transient PTDM patients were characterized by younger age at the time of transplantation (54 ± 8 vs. 42 ± 6 years, P＜0. 05), longer time before the development of PTDM (18 ± 23 vs. 35 ± 42 days, P＜0. 05), and higher rate of mycophenolate mofetil or sirolimus usage (0vs. 8. 9 %, P＜0. 05). Based on a multivariate analysis, age at the time of transplantation was determined as the single independent predictive factor associated with reversal of PTDM following liver transplantation (odds ratio: 1. 312, 95 % confidence interval: 1. 005 - 1. 743). Conclusion Age at the time of transplantation, duration before the development of PTDM and rate of mycophenolate mofetil or sirolimus usage are associated with reversal of PTDM following liver transplantation. Among these factors, age at the time of transplantation is only the single independent predictive factor.

OBJECTIVETo compare the acute kidney injury classification systems of RIFLE,AKIN,KDIGO and conventional criteria for determining prognosis of acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) patients.

METHODSPatients with ACLF admitted to our hospital between July 2008 and March 2014 were enrolled in the study. The incidence, stages, and outcomes of acute kidney injury were determined according to the RIFLE, AKIN,KDIGO and conventional criteria.ROC curves were generated to compare the predictive ability for 30-day mortality of the four systems.Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were used for statistical analyses, as well.

RESULTSAll four classification systems detected acute kidney injury among the patients in the study population (n =358), but the detection rates were not consistent (expressed as % of total): KDIGO criteria: 45.0%, AKIN: 38.8%, rIFLE: 35.5%, conventional criterion: 20.4%. The KDIGO and AKIN criteria showed higher sensitivity (72%), especially to early kidney injury, but the conventional criterion showed higher specificity (92%). The AUC for 30-day mortality was highest for the conventional criteria (0.75), followed by AKIN (0.72), rIFLE (0.70) and KDIGO (0.69) (all, P less than 0.05). In-hospital mortality increased with severity of AKI in a stepwise manner.

CONCLUSIONAmong the four common evaluation systems for acute kidney injury, the conventional criteria has the highest specificity for predicting short-term prognosis of patients with ACLF, while the AKIN and KDIGO criteria have the highest sensitivity for the presence of acute kidney injury, especially at the early stage.

Acute Kidney Injury ; classification ; diagnosis ; Acute-On-Chronic Liver Failure ; diagnosis ; Hospital Mortality ; Humans ; Incidence ; Prognosis ; ROC Curve ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Objective: To determine the diagnostic value of serum cystatin C (Cys C) for acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with liver cirrhosis. Methods: Serum Cys C levels in 150 liver cirrhosis patients (88 AKI and 62 non-AKI patients) were measured by the Particle-Enhanced Nephelometric Immuno-Assay. The accuracy of serum Cys C for the diagnosis of AKI in liver cirrhosis was evaluated by the ROC curve. Results: Liver cirrhosis patients with AKI had significantly higher serum Cys C levels [2.37 (1.75-2.83) mg/L] than those without AKI [0.97 (0.85-1.09) g/L] (P <0.001). Serum Cys C level was highest in the acute tubular necrosis group [5.41 (2.77-6.19) mg/L], followed by the hepatorenal syndrome group [2.55 (2.28-3.59) mg/L] and prerenal azotemia group [2.07 (1.70-2.41) mg/L], and the serum Cys C level was significantly different between the three groups (P <0.001). In addition, patients with AKI were further divided into infection group and non-infection group. Serum Cys C level was significantly higher in the infection group than in the non-infection group (P <0.05). The area under the ROC curve of serum Cys C for the diagnosis of AKI in liver cirrhosis was 0.99 (0.98-1.00) at a cut-off value of 1.36 mg/L, and the sensitivity and specificity were 97% and 95%, respectively. Conclusion Serum Cys C is a good marker for detecting AKI in liver cirrhosis, and the different levels of increase in Cys C may be useful in differentiating the different types of AKI.

Objective:To investigate changes in circadian gene cryptochrome 2 (CRY2) expression in mouse models of psoriasis and HaCaT cells, and to explore underlying mechanisms.Methods:Imiquimod-induced mouse model experiment: 12 C57BL/6 female mice were randomly and equally divided into imiquimod group receiving topical imiquimod treatment for 5 consecutive days and control group receiving no treatment; these mice were sacrificed on day 6, skin tissues were resected from the back of mice, and immunofluorescence staining was performed to determine the CRY2 expression in the epidermis. HaCaT cell transfection experiment: HaCaT cells with small interfering RNA (siRNA) -mediated knockdown of CRY2 served as siRNA-CRY2 group, and siRNA-NC group as control group; 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU) staining was performed to evaluate the proliferative activity of the HaCaT cells, real-time fluorescence-based quantitative PCR (qPCR) to determine the mRNA expression of chemokines in the HaCaT cells, and Western blot analysis to determine phosphorylation levels of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) . Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) -stimulated animal and cell experiments: 12 C57BL/6 female mice were randomly and equally divided into TNF-α group subcutaneously injected with TNF-α solution in the ear for 6 days, and phosphate buffered saline (PBS) group subcutaneously injected with the same amount of PBS; the mice were sacrificed on day 7, skin tissues were resected from the ear of mice, and immunofluorescence staining was conducted to determine the CRY2 expression in the epidermis; CRY2-knockdown HaCaT cells stimulated with 50 ng/ml TNF-α for 12 hours served as siRNA-CRY2 + TNF-α group, and siRNA-NC + TNF-α group as control group; qPCR was performed to determine the mRNA expression of chemokines in HaCaT cells in the above groups. Statistical analysis was carried out by using two-independent-sample t test. Results:Immunofluorescence staining showed that the CRY2 protein expression was significantly lower in the mouse dorsal epidermis in the imiquimod group (0.94 ± 0.23) than in the control group (2.30 ± 0.25, t = 3.99, P = 0.016) . Compared with the siRNA-NC group, the siRNA-CRY2 group showed significantly increased proportions of EdU-positive cells (48.13% ± 10.97% vs. 38.23% ± 0.81%, t = 5.00, P = 0.007) , mRNA expression levels of chemokines CXCL1 and CXCL8, as well as significantly increased phosphorylated (p) -ERK1/2 protein expression levels (all P < 0.05) , while there were no significant differences in the CCL20 mRNA expression or ERK1/2 protein expression between the two groups (both P > 0.05) . Immunofluorescence staining showed significantly decreased CRY2 protein expression level in the mouse ear epidermis in the TNF-α group (0.37 ± 0.34) compared with the PBS group (2.04 ± 0.17, t = 4.38, P = 0.012) ; the relative mRNA expression levels of chemokines CXCL1, CXCL8, and CCL20 in HaCaT cells were significantly higher in the siRNA-CRY2 + TNF-α group than in the siRNA-NC + TNF-α group (all P < 0.05) . Conclusion:CRY2 was markedly underexpressed in psoriasis, which might promote the proliferation of keratinocytes and expression of chemokines CXCL1, CXCL8 and CCL20, and TNF-α might be an upstream cytokine that could downregulate CRY2 expression.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and safety of a new China-made direct visualization system of peroral cholangiopancreatography in the diagnosis and treatment of biliopancreatic diseases.Methods:Clinical data of 37 patients who underwent endoscopic examination through the direct visualization system of peroral cholangiopancreatography at Digestive Endoscopy Center of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from April 2020 to June 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Technical success rate and complications were analyzed.Results:The examination was completed in 37 patients through the system. The technical success rate was 100.0%. The nature of biliary stricture was confirmed in 24 cases, presenece or absence of bleeding or residual stones in the bile duct was confirmed in 6 cases, neoplasm or residual stones in the pancreatic duct was determined in 2 cases, biliary stricture was passed assisted with visualized guidewire in 2 cases, and lithotripsy was performed assisted with biliary laser in 3 cases. Nine patients were pathologically diagnosed as having malignant biliary stricture, and 8 of them were confirmed malignant by the system. Drainage was performed in 34 cases after the examination. There were 3 cases of cholangitis, 4 cases of bacteremia and 2 cases of postoperative pancreatitis after the operation, which were relieved in a short time after conservative treatment. Bleeding occurred in 1 case which was improved after two times of endoscopic hemostasis.Conclusion:The new direct visualization system of peroral cholangiopancreatography is safe and effective in the diagnosis and treatment of biliopancreatic diseases.