BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of subsequent radiotherapy (RT) following first-line treatment with durvalumab plus chemotherapy in patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). METHODS: A total of 122 patients with ES-SCLC from three hospitals during July 2019 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) analysis was performed to address potential confounding factors. The primary focus of our evaluation was to assess the impact of RT on progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: After IPTW analysis, 49 patients received durvalumab plus platinum-etoposide (EP) chemotherapy followed by RT (Durva + EP + RT) and 72 patients received immunochemotherapy (Durva + EP). The median OS was 17.2 months vs . 12.3 months (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.38, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.17-0.85, P = 0.020), and the median PFS was 8.9 months vs . 5.9 months (HR: 0.56, 95% CI: 0.32-0.97, P = 0.030) in Durva + EP + RT and Durva + EP groups, respectively. Thoracic radiation therapy (TRT) resulted in longer OS (17.2 months vs . 14.7 months) and PFS (9.1 months vs . 7.2 months) compared to RT directed to other metastatic sites. Among patients with oligo-metastasis, RT also showed significant benefits, with a median OS of 17.4 months vs . 13.7 months and median PFS of 9.8 months vs . 5.9 months compared to no RT. Continuous durvalumab treatment beyond progression (TBP) prolonged OS compared to patients without TBP, in both the Durva + EP + RT (NA vs . 15.8 months, HR: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.14-1.63, P = 0.238) and Durva + EP groups (12.3 months vs . 4.3 months, HR: 0.29, 95% CI: 0.10-0.81, P = 0.018). Grade 3 or 4 adverse events occurred in 13 (26.5%) and 13 (18.1%) patients, respectively, in the two groups; pneumonitis was mostly low-grade. CONCLUSION Addition of RT after first-line immunochemotherapy significantly improved survival outcomes with manageable toxicity in ES-SCLC.
Humans ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma/therapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Lung Neoplasms/therapy* ; Aged ; Antibodies, Monoclonal/therapeutic use* ; Adult ; Immunotherapy/methods* ; Aged, 80 and over

Objective:To investigate the effect of rapamycin on the proliferation and apoptosis of rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts (RA-FLS) and its mechanism.Methods:Synovial tissues were collected from patients with RA during joint replacement surgery, and primary synovial fibroblasts were extracted by trypsin digestion. The effect of rapamycin on the proliferation of RA-FLS was detected by cell counting kit (CCK-8) method. RA-FLS were divided into the control group and the rapamycin group (10 nmol/L). The effect of rapamycin on apoptosis of RA-FLS cells was detected by flow cytometry. The mRNA expres-sion levels of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), serine/threonine-protein kinase AKT, B lymphocy-toma-2 (Bcl-2) associated X gene (Bax) and Bcl-2 were detected by RT-PCR. The protein expression levels of Bax, Bcl-2, mTOR, p-mTOR (2448), AKT, p-AKT and mTORC1 downstream related molecules protein S6 kinase 1(S6K1), p-S6K1, eukaryotic translation initiation factor-binding protein 1 (4EBP1) and p-4EBP1 were detected by Western blot. Differences between the two groups were compared using two independent samples t-test. Results:The results showed that the proliferation efficiency of RA-FLS treated with rapamycin was significantly weaker than that of the control group, and the drug inhibition rate of rapamycin increased with the increase of rapamycin concentration. The apoptosis rate of rapamycin group was significantly higher than that of the control group (5.31±0.59)% vs (3.49±0.40)%, t=7.83, P=0.001). The expression of Bax mRNA in rapamycin group was significantly increased (1.35±0.04 vs 1.00±0.00, t=15.60, P=0.004), while the expression of Bcl-2 mRNA (0.790±0.003 vs 1.000±0.000, t=85.50, P=0.007), mTOR mRNA (0.41±0.08 vs 1.00±0.00, t=14.37, P=0.044) and AKT mRNA (0.59±0.08 vs 1.00±0.00, t=7.54, P=0.017) were decreased, and the differences were statistically significant when compared with the control group. Compared with the control group, the protein expression of Bax in rapamycin group was significantly increased (0.75±0.10 vs 0.48±0.09, t=4.04, P=0.007), and the expression levels of Bcl-2 (0.632±0.055 vs 0.758±0.020, t=7.35, P=0.002), p-AKT/AKT(0.61±0.07 vs 0.88±0.04, t=5.61, P=0.005), p-mTOR/mTOR(0.92±0.12 vs 1.28±0.09, t=5.05, P=0.002), p-S6K1/S6K1(0.884±0.020 vs 1.023±0.058, t=4.52, P=0.004) and p-4EBP1/4EBP1 were decreased(0.86±0.05 vs 1.11±0.05, t=6.00, P=0.004). Conclusion:Rapamycin may inhibit the proliferation and induce apoptosis of RA-FLS cells by inhibiting AKT/mTORC1 pathway.

Size of the macular hole (MH) is an important factor affecting the treatment of MH.MH with a diameter >400 mm was defined as large MH.Pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) combined with internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling or intravitreal gas tamponade, which can effectively relieve the traction of vitreoretinal interface, is the standard surgical technique for idiopathic full-thickness macular hole (FTMH), but its efficacy on refractory large FTMH is very limited.In order to obtain ideal anatomical healing and functional recovery of large FTMH, new surgical strategies, such as reversal of retinal internal limiting membrane (ILM), expanded removal of ILM, transplantation of different tissue valves, application of mesenchymal stem cells and so on, have been the focus of researchers in the field of fundus diseases.More targeted and personalized treatment is the development trend of treatment for large FTMH.The progress of ILM flipping surgery, expansion of ILM removal, transplantation of different tissue valves, biomaterials and other auxiliary techniques in the treatment of large diameter FTMH were reviewed in this article.

Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is a very important pathogen, especially for children.On a global scale, GAS is an important cause of morbidity and mortality.But the burden of disease caused by GAS is still unknown in China and also has not obtained enough attention.For this purpose, the expert consensus is comprehensively described in diagnosis, treatment and prevention of GAS diseases in children, covering related aspects of pneumology, infectiology, immunology, microbiology, cardiology, nephrology, critical care medicine and preventive medicine.Accordingly, the consensus document was intended to improve management strategies of GAS disease in Chinese children.

Objective:To explore the link between the differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and the number of regulatory T cells (Tregs) by detecting the lncRNAs expression profiles in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), then analyze the correlation between Tregs and lncRNAs and the clinical features of SLE patients. We also predict the mechanism by which lncRNAs regulate the differentiation and development of Tregs, and provid new approach for the treatment of SLE.Methods:Peripheral blood of 9 active SLE patients was collected and mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were extracted. The lncRNAs expression profiles of PBMCs was analyzed by whole transcriptome sequencing. Nine healthy people served as controls to screen the differentially expressed lncRNAs, and to analyze the correlation between lncRNAs and Tregs number. Pearson test was used to analyze the correlation between lncRNA and the number of Tregs, and the correlation between Treg-associated lncRNAs and systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index(SLEDAI) score, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C3, C4 in SLE patients. The targeted genes of Treg asso-ciated lncRNAs were predicted with miRcode and Targetscan databases and co-expression network.Results:There were 240 differentially expressed lncRNAs in SLE patients compared with healthy controls, including 134 highly expressed lncRNAs ( P<0.05) and 106 low expressed lncRNAs ( P<0.05). The expression of ANKRD44-AS1 ( r=0.74, P=0.022), LINC00200 ( r=0.70, P=0.037), AP001363.2 ( r=0.78, P=0.014) and LINC02824 (r=0.79, P=0.011) were positively correlated with the number of Tregs, and the expression of AP000640.1 ( r=-0.72, P=0.028), AC124248.1 ( r=-0.77, P=0.016), LINC00482 ( r=-0.83, P=0.005) and MIR503HG ( r=-0.96, P<0.001) were negatively correlated with the number of Tregs. Among these eight Tregs associated lncRNAs, the expression of LINC00482 ( r=-0.73, P<0.001) and MIR503HG ( r=-0.76, P<0.001) were negatively correlated with C3. LINC00200, ANKRD44-AS1 and AP000640.1 related to Tregs regulated the expression of STAT5, PLD1, HOPX and RUNX3 through competitively binding of miRNA or transregulatory mechanism, thereby regulating the differentiation and development of Tregs. Conclusion:The lncRNAs expression profiles are changed in SLE patients, the differentially expressed lncRNAs are associated with abnormal number and function of Tregs in SLE patients, and Treg associated lncRNAs are associated with SLE disease activity, which may affect the expression of STAT5, PLD1, HOPX, RUNX3 and regulate Tregs function and participate in the pathogenesis and progression of SLE by competitively binding to miRNAs or trans-regulatory mechanism.

Patient satisfaction is one of the core indicators to measure the service quality of medical institutions. To this end, a multi-campus public hospital in Shanghai constructed a management system of patient satisfaction evaluation. Since 2021, its call center has conducted a full coverage satisfaction assessment for discharged patients from its three campuses and collected dissatisfaction information feedback. The hospital organized relevant clinical departments and functional departments to fully communicate with the dissatisfied patients according to the feedback information, followed by a joint rectification. The hospital regularly conducts in-depth analysis of all complaints for timely discovery of common problems in different campuses for continuous improvement. This practice can provide reference for multi-campus hospitals to promote homogeneous management, to improve management efficiency, service quality and patient satisfaction.

Objective:To characterize proteomic profile in aqueous humor of patients with high myopia using quantitative proteomic analysis.Methods:Sixty-eight age-related cataract patients were divided into high myopic cataract group and simple cataract group according to that they had high myopia or not, with 34 patients (34 eyes) in each group.Aqueous humor samples (100 μl/patient) were collected from each patient using a 1 ml tuberculin syringe during cataract surgery at Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital from January 2019 to August 2019.Sixteen samples from each group were selected for protein quantification and comparison by BCA method.The differentially expressed proteins between the two groups were analyzed using label-free liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.The function and signal transduction pathways of differentially expressed proteins were further analyzed by Gene Ontology enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes.Eighteen aqueous humor samples from each group were selected to verify the results of mass spectrometry by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). This study protocol adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki.The use of human samples was approved by an Ethics Committee of Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital (No.2020KY[L]-40). Written informed consent was obtained from each patient prior to surgery.Results:The mean protein mass concentration of aqueous humor sample in the high myopic cataract group was (1 134.91±104.78) ng/L, which was significantly higher than that in the simple cataract group (706.71±85.43) ng/L, showing statistically significant difference ( t=11.977, P<0.01). A total of 463 proteins were identified and 86 proteins were found to be differentially expressed, including 49 up-regulated proteins and 37 down-regulated proteins in the two groups.These differentially expressed proteins were mainly protein-binding activity modulator, extracellular matrix protein, carrier protein, intercellular signal molecule, protein modifying enzyme and so on, accounting for 32.70%, 14.50%, 9.10%, 9.10% and 7.30%, respectively.Bioinformatics analysis showed that 86 differentially expressed proteins were mainly related to biological processes such as complement activation and regulation, acute inflammatory response, and extracellular matrix tissue remodeling.Among them, 21 differentially expressed proteins were enriched in the complement and coagulation cascades pathways, 15 in the extracellular matrix-receptor interaction pathway, and 8 in the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway.ELISA results showed that the expression trends of three randomly selected differentially expressed proteins of the two groups were consistent with the results of label-free quantitative proteomic analysis. Conclusions:There are significant changes in proteomic profiles of aqueous humor between the high myopia cataract patients and simple cataract patients.High myopia is closely associated with inflammation and immune interactions, and remodeling of extracellular matrix.

Objective:To investigate the risk factors of postoperative vitreous hemorrhage (PVH) after vitrectomy for proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR).Methods:A case-control study was conducted.A total of 1 848 consecutive PDR patients (1 848 eyes) with vitreous hemorrhage receiving first pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) in Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital from June 2012 to May 2019 were enrolled.There were 979 males and 869 females, with the average age of (55.72±10.39) years.All of the enrolled eyes underwent standard three-channel PPV.The subjects were followed up for 6 to 24 months, with the mean follow-up of (379.34±231.28) days.The eyes were divided into PVH group and non-PVH group according to whether the PVH occurred or not.The PVH group were further divided into early PVH group and late PVH group according to the occurrence time of PVH.There were 170 (9.19%) of 1 848 eyes developed PVH after surgery, including 17.64%(30/170) of eyes with early PVH and 82.36% (140/170) of eyes with late PVH.The PVH occurred at 6 to 450 days after surgery.Baseline systemic parameters including sex, age, diabetes duration, preoperative glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level, and ocular parameters including whether or not performing panretinal photocoagnlation, whether or not receiving treatment of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) three days before operation, lens status, whether or not being combined with neovascularization of iris (NVI), as well as intraoperative ocular parameters including whether or not having neovascularization of disc (NVD) bleeding, whether or not being combined with cataract phacoemulsification, whether or not receiving postoperative anti-VEGF, were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression analysis to identify the risk factors of PVH after PPV in PDR patients with VH.This study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki, and the study protocol was approved by an Ethics Committee of Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital (No.2019KY[L]-09).Results:Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that age ( OR=0.940, P<0.01), preoperative high HbA1c level ( OR=1.878, P<0.01), combined with retinal vein occlusion (RVO) ( OR=8.310, P<0.01), diabetes diet to control blood glucose ( OR=3.030, P<0.01), diabetes duration ( OR=1.044, P<0.01), history of hypertension ( OR=1.802, P<0.01), nephropathy or cardiovascular or cerebrovascular diseases ( OR=18.377, P<0.01), preoperative NVI ( OR=7.488, P<0.01), not combined with phacoemulsification surgery ( OR=1.628, P=0.023), NVD bleeding ( OR=2.691, P<0.01), postoperative anti-VEGF treatment ( OR=0.181, P<0.01), postoperative air tamponade ( OR=1.901, P=0.024) were associated with PVH.There were no significant differences in baseline, ocular and intraoperative ocular parameters between early PVH and late PVH groups (all at P>0.05). Conclusions:Younger age, preoperative high HbA1c level, combined with RVO, diabetes diet to control diabetes, diabetes duration, history of hypertension, nephropathy or cardiovascular or cerebrovascular diseases, preoperative NVI, uncombined with cataract surgery, NVD bleeding, without postoperative intravitreal anti-VEGF injection, postoperative air tamponade are the potential risk factors of PVH after PPV for PDR patients with VH.

According to different experimental methods of induced diabetic retinopathy (DR) and different characteristics of the observed retinopathy, DR animal models can be divided into drug or dietary-induced models, oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) models, spontaneous inheritance models, and transgenic models. At present, induced model is one of the most commonly used animal model for DR study, which has the advantages of short modeling cycle, low cost, simple experimental operation and good repeatability. However, the drugs have certain side effects on various organs of animals and the risk of animal death is higher. OIR model has good repeatability, good stability and relatively low cost. However, due to the lack of metabolic changes of hyperglycemia in OIR mice, this model cannot accurately reflect the effects of metabolism on retina under hyperglycemia. The pathological changes of the spontaneous model are relatively stable, however, the application of this model is limited because the genetic homogeneity of diabetes differs from that of human and the cost is high. Transgenic model has definite etiology, however, its application is limited owing to the high cost and the high requirements of technology, operation and equipment. Therefore, researchers should comprehensively consider characteristics and limitations of different models while choosing suitable DR model based on research objectives, observation indicators, experimental conditions, and funds. In addition, animal models that can more accurately simulate DR need to be developed to provide more effective tools for studying the mechanism of DR and developing feasible prevention and treatment approaches.