Objective:To explore the long-term effect of endoscopic radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of unresectable ampullary carcinoma.Methods:Clinical data of patients with ampullary carcinoma who received endoscopic radiofrequency ablation in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University from January 2012 to May 2019 were retrospectively collected, including basic information, frequency of radiofrequency ablation, the type of biliary stent, postoperative complications, and follow-up. Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the survival of patients after endoscopic radiofrequency ablation. Relationship between frequency of radiofrequency ablation, type of biliary stent and overall survival time was analyzed.Results:A total of 50 patients were enrolled, including 31 males and 19 females, aged 73.0±9.7 years. Twenty-five patients (50.0%) underwent 1 radiofrequency ablation treatment, while 25 patients (50.0%) underwent radiofrequency ablation treatments more than twice. Postoperative complications occurred in 6 patients (12.0%), all of which were mild symptoms. The average follow-up was 22.3 months, with a total of 39 (78.0%) deaths, 5 (10.0%) lost to follow-up, and 6 (12.0%) surviving. The median overall survival time was 16.9 (95% CI: 9.1-24.8) months, with cumulative survival rates of 62.0%, 38.5%, 27.0%, and 12.6% at 1, 2, 3, and 5 years, respectively. The median overall survival time of those treated with radiofrequency ablation ≥2 times showed a trend of prolongation compared to patients treated once, but the difference was not statistically significant [26.7 (95% CI: 9.7-43.7) months VS 12.6 (95% CI: 4.9-20.3) months, χ2=3.049, P=0.081]. Plastic stents were used in 32 patients (64.0%) and metal stents in 18 patients (36.0%). There was no significant difference in median overall survival time between patients using metal and plastic stents [17.1 (95% CI: 6.1-28.0) months VS 15.9 (95% CI: 6.9-24.9) months， χ2=0.029， P=0.865]. Conclusion:Endoscopic radiofrequency ablation is a safe treatment for unresectable ampullary carcinoma, and multiple consecutive treatments may increase the survival benefit.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of endoscopic stent placement for patients with Bismuth type Ⅳ hilar cholangiocarcinoma.Methods:Data of 229 patients with unresectable Bismuth type Ⅳ hilar cholangiocarcinoma who successfully underwent endoscopic stent placement at the Department of Endoscopy, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University from January 2002 to January 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Outcomes included clinical success rate, complication incidence, stent patency period and overall survival time. The patency of stents and overall survival time of patients were estimated by using the Kaplan-Meier method. The independent predictors for stent patency and overall survival of patients were analyzed by a multivariate Cox proportional regression model.Results:The overall clinical success rate was 78.2% (179/229). The incidence of early cholangitis after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography was 20.5% (47/229). The median stent patency and overall survival time were 5.7 (95% CI: 4.8-6.7) months and 5.1 (95% CI: 4.2-6.0) months, respectively. Further multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that metal stent ( P<0.001, HR=0.452, 95% CI: 0.307-0.666) and bilateral stents with bilateral angiography ( P=0.036, HR=0.644, 95% CI: 0.427-0.971) were independent predictors of stent patency; total bilirubin>200 μmol/L ( P=0.001, HR=1.627, 95% CI: 1.208-2.192), metal stent ( P=0.004, HR=0.636, 95% CI: 0.467-0.866) and antitumor therapy ( P<0.001, HR=0.439, 95% CI:0.308-0.626) were independent predictors of overall survival. Conclusion:There is high incidence of cholangitis in patients with unresectable Bismuth type Ⅳ hilar cholangiocarcinoma treated with endoscopic stenting. Longer stent patency can be achieved with metal stent placement and bilateral drainage. In addition, metal stent for drainage and antitumor therapy can also help increase the survival benefit.

For wild natural medicine, unanticipated biodiversity as species or varieties with similar morphological characteristics and sympatric distribution may co-exist in a single batch of medical materials, which affects the efficacy and safety of clinical medication. DNA barcoding as an effective species identification tool is limited by its low sample throughput nature. In this study, combining DNA mini-barcode, DNA metabarcoding and species delimitation method, a novel biological sources consistency evaluation strategy was proposed, and high level of interspecific and intraspecific variations were observed and validated among 5376 Amynthas samples from 19 sampling points regarded as "Guang Dilong" and 25 batches of proprietary Chinese medicines. Besides Amynthas aspergillum as the authentic source, 8 other Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) were elucidated. Significantly, even the subgroups within A. aspergillum revealed here differ significantly on chemical compositions and biological activity. Fortunately, this biodiversity could be controlled when the collection was limited to designated areas, as proved by 2796 "decoction pieces" samples. This batch biological identification method should be introduced as a novel concept regarding natural medicine quality control, and to offer guidelines for in-situ conservation and breeding bases construction of wild natural medicine.