BACKGROUND:Haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is associated with a higher rate of graft rejection and therefore often requires a higher CD34+ cell dose,but the findings reported in existing studies regarding the relationship between CD34+ cell dose and study endpoints after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation are controversial. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect of CD34+ cell dose on clinical outcomes of haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for malignant hematological diseases. METHODS:135 patients who underwent haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation at Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Center,Department of Hematology,First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University between January 2019 and December 2021 were included.Combining the results of previous studies and our center's experience,the cohort was divided into two groups using a CD34+ cell count of 5.0×106/kg as the cut-off point.Clinical outcomes related to graft implantation,relapse incidence,non-relapse mortality,overall survival and progression-free survival were evaluated in both groups. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)CD34+ cell dose correlated with platelet engraftment,with platelets implanted earlier in the high-dose group than in the low-dose group(14 days vs.16 days,P=0.013).(2)There was no significant difference in 3-year overall survival between the two groups(67.5%vs.53.8%,P=0.257);nor was there a significant difference in progression-free survival between the two groups(65.6%vs.44.2%,P=0.106),but stratified analysis based on disease risk index revealed an association with elevated 3-year progression-free survival in the high-dose group among low-risk patients(72.0%vs.49.3%,P=0.036).(3)The cumulative 3-year relapse incidence was smaller in the high-dose group than in the low-dose group(16.0%vs.33.5%,P=0.05).(4)The rate of non-relapse mortality within 100 days was greater in the high-dose group than in the low-dose group,but there was no significant difference(17.3%vs.6.7%,P=0.070);stratified analysis revealed that non-relapse mortality within 100 days was significantly higher in the high-dose group than in the low-dose group(20.0%vs.3.3%,P=0.046).(5)In conclusion,CD34+ cell doses>5.0×106/kg promote early platelet implantation,improve 3-year progression-free survival in low-risk patients at transplantation and reduce the cumulative relapse incidence.However,in high-risk patients,high-dose CD34+ cells result in increased non-relapse mortality within 100 days after transplantation,which is considered to be possibly associated with an increased occurrence of severe acute graft versus host disease in the early post-transplantation period.Therefore,it is considered that graft versus host disease monitoring should be enhanced in patients who transfused high-dose CD34+ cells.

BACKGROUND:Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is an effective and even the only way to cure various hematological diseases,but the short-term mortality rate is relatively high after transplantation. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the risk factors affecting the overall survival of patients with hematological diseases in the short term(within 100 days)after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation,so as to reduce mortality and effectively prevent related risks in the short term(within 100 days)after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. METHODS:Clinical data of 585 patients with hematological diseases who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation at the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Center of First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 1,2018 to June 30,2021 were retrospectively analyzed.The risk factors that affected overall survival within 100 days after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation were explored. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:A total of 585 patients with hematologic diseases underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.92 patients died within 100 days after transplantation,with a mortality rate of 15.7%(92/585).The median age of death cases was 26.5 years old(1-56 years),and the median survival time of death cases was 48 days(0-97 days).Univariate analysis exhibited that age≥14 years old,acute graft-versus-host disease,grade IV acute graft-versus-host disease,bacterial bloodstream infection,as well as carbapenem-resistant organism bloodstream infection,were risk factors for overall survival within 100 days after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(P<0.05).Multivariate regression analysis showed that age≥14 years old,grades Ⅲ-Ⅳ acute graft-versus-host disease,bacterial bloodstream infection,and carbapenem-resistant organism bloodstream infections were independent risk factors for overall survival(within 100 days)in patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.Hazard ratios were 1.77(95%CI 1.047-2.991),7.926(95%CI 3.763-16.695),2.039(95%CI 1.117-3.722),and 3.389(95%CI 1.563-7.347),respectively.In conclusion,all-cause mortality rate after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is relatively high in the short term.A timely diagnosis and effective treatment of bacterial bloodstream infection and acute graft-versus-host disease are essential to improving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation outcomes.

Objective:To explore the predictive value of secretogranin II (SCG2) for the prognosis of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNET) and to construct a nomogram prediction model based on SCG2.Methods:One hundred and thirty-three patients with pNET who underwent radical surgery at the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University from August 2013 to December 2021 were retrospectively collected. The cohort, including 60 males and 73 females with a mean age of (53.70±12.08) years, was divided into a training set ( n=93) and a validation set ( n=40). Clinical data such as gender, age, tumor size, lymph node metastasis, TNM stage, liver metastasis, surrounding tissue invasion, tumor histological grade, and carcinoembryonic antigen (CA) 19-9 levels were gathered. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to detect SCG2 expression. Patient survival information was obtained through outpatient records or telephone follow-up. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to analyze prognostic factors. A nomogram was created based on the multivariate Cox regression analysis results. The calibration curve and the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to evaluate the nomogram's accuracy and discrimination. Results:The SCG2 expression in pNET patients with AJCC stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ was higher than in those with stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ. Similarly, patients with histological grade G3 had higher SCG2 levels compared to those with grades G1-G2. SCG2 expression was also elevated in patients older than 60 years compared to those 60 years or younger, and in patients with CA19-9>30 U/L compared to those with CA19-9≤30 U/L. These differences were all statistically significant (all P<0.05). Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that lymph node metastasis ( HR=3.132, 95% CI: 1.212-8.096, P=0.017), liver metastasis ( HR=2.685, 95% CI: 1.002-7.192, P=0.049), histological grade G3 ( HR=3.692, 95% CI: 1.229-11.088, P=0.011), and high SCG2 expression ( HR=52.181, 95% CI: 38.476-108.118, P=0.002) were associated with significantly higher risks of shorter disease free survival. Additionally, patients with longer tumor diameters ( HR=1.297, 95% CI: 1.088-1.545, P=0.004), histological grade G3 ( HR=19.625, 95% CI: 5.276-88.634, P<0.001), and high SCG2 expression ( HR=39.454, 95% CI: 17.317-97.263, P<0.001) had a higher risk of shorter overall survival. A nomogram prediction model was constructed using these above factors. The calibration curve demonstrated good alignment between predicted and actual outcomes in both the training and validation sets. The areas under the ROC curves for the disease-free survival and overall survival nomogram models for predicting 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival of pNET patients in both sets were above 0.8. Conclusion:High SCG2 expression is an independent risk factor for poor prognosis in pNET patients. The nomogram model based on SCG2 has high predictive efficacy for pNET patient prognosis.

Objective:To explore the predictive value of secretogranin II (SCG2) for the prognosis of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNET) and to construct a nomogram prediction model based on SCG2.Methods:One hundred and thirty-three patients with pNET who underwent radical surgery at the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University from August 2013 to December 2021 were retrospectively collected. The cohort, including 60 males and 73 females with a mean age of (53.70±12.08) years, was divided into a training set ( n=93) and a validation set ( n=40). Clinical data such as gender, age, tumor size, lymph node metastasis, TNM stage, liver metastasis, surrounding tissue invasion, tumor histological grade, and carcinoembryonic antigen (CA) 19-9 levels were gathered. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to detect SCG2 expression. Patient survival information was obtained through outpatient records or telephone follow-up. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to analyze prognostic factors. A nomogram was created based on the multivariate Cox regression analysis results. The calibration curve and the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to evaluate the nomogram's accuracy and discrimination. Results:The SCG2 expression in pNET patients with AJCC stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ was higher than in those with stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ. Similarly, patients with histological grade G3 had higher SCG2 levels compared to those with grades G1-G2. SCG2 expression was also elevated in patients older than 60 years compared to those 60 years or younger, and in patients with CA19-9>30 U/L compared to those with CA19-9≤30 U/L. These differences were all statistically significant (all P<0.05). Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that lymph node metastasis ( HR=3.132, 95% CI: 1.212-8.096, P=0.017), liver metastasis ( HR=2.685, 95% CI: 1.002-7.192, P=0.049), histological grade G3 ( HR=3.692, 95% CI: 1.229-11.088, P=0.011), and high SCG2 expression ( HR=52.181, 95% CI: 38.476-108.118, P=0.002) were associated with significantly higher risks of shorter disease free survival. Additionally, patients with longer tumor diameters ( HR=1.297, 95% CI: 1.088-1.545, P=0.004), histological grade G3 ( HR=19.625, 95% CI: 5.276-88.634, P<0.001), and high SCG2 expression ( HR=39.454, 95% CI: 17.317-97.263, P<0.001) had a higher risk of shorter overall survival. A nomogram prediction model was constructed using these above factors. The calibration curve demonstrated good alignment between predicted and actual outcomes in both the training and validation sets. The areas under the ROC curves for the disease-free survival and overall survival nomogram models for predicting 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival of pNET patients in both sets were above 0.8. Conclusion:High SCG2 expression is an independent risk factor for poor prognosis in pNET patients. The nomogram model based on SCG2 has high predictive efficacy for pNET patient prognosis.

Objective:To analyze the differences in clinical outcomes and toxicities between postoperative radiotherapy alone and postoperative radiochemotherapy for soft tissue sarcoma (STS), as well as the related factors affecting clinical prognosis of STS patients.Methods:Retrospective analysis of patients diagnosed with primary STS admitted to Zhejiang Cancer Hospital from May 2012 to May 2019 was performed, who received adjuvant radiotherapy after surgery, combined with or without postoperative chemotherapy. A total of 100 patients were enrolled and divided into postoperative radiotherapy group ( n=52) and postoperative radiochemotherapy group ( n=48). The median follow-up time was 65 months (24-124 months). The local recurrence-free survival (LRFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), overall survival (OS), and treatment-related toxicities were recorded in two groups. The survival rate was calculated by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Log-rank test was used for univariate analysis, and Cox model was used for multivariate analysis. Results:In multivariate analysis, the maximum tumor diameter was an independent predictor of local tumor recurrence ( HR=4.80, 95% CI=1.16-19.85, P=0.031), distant metastasis ( HR=4.67, 95% CI=1.53-14.26, P=0.007) and OS ( HR=4.10, 95% CI=1.35-12.48, P=0.013). In addition, the degree of myelosuppression in patients in postoperative radiochemotherapy was significantly higher than that in their counterparts in postoperative radiotherapy group ( P<0.001). Conclusions:In the limited number of patients, radiochemotherapy has no advantages over radiotherapy alone in distant metastasis or survival rate. Besides, it increases toxicities, but the overall tolerability is favorable. It is necessary to conduct prospective randomized studies in a large population and subgroup analysis of histological subtypes, aiming to obtain results with better reference value.

Ampullary carcinoma is a rare malignant tumor of the digestive tract. Compared with other malignant tumors around the ampulla, its prognosis is significantly better, but the prognosis of some patients with ampulla cancer is unsatisfactory. Studies have confirmed that the systemic inflammatory response is closely related to the prognosis and efficacy of tumors, and the tumor microenvironment plays a vital role in tumor progression and prognosis. In recent years, inflammatory parameters and related prediction models have become a hot spot in predicting the prognosis and survival of ampullary cancer, and they have been confirmed to have certain predictive value. This article reviews the correlation between inflammatory parameters and prognosis of ampullary carcinoma and presents the possible progress for future research.

Objective:To investigate the function of circ-EIF3I on the growth and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its possible mechanism.Methods:A total of 39 HCC patients admitted to the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University from May 2014 to October 2015 were selected as the study subjects, including 29 males and 10 females, aged (62.2±5.6) years old. Part of HCC tissues and adjacent tissues were obtained during the surgical operation. Fluorescence quantitative PCR was used to detect the expression of circ-EIF3I, and Western blotting was used to detect phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1) in HCC and adjacent tissues, respectively. Small molecule RNA interference and gene overexpression experiments were used to adjust its expression in Hep3B and Huh-7 HCC cell lines, and then MTT cell viability test was used to detect cell proliferation ability. Transwell assaya was used to detect cell migration and invasion ability. Finally, the dual luciferase report experiment was used to detect the targeting relationship between circ-EIF3I and miR-149-5p/miR-1271-5p, and the targeting relationship between miR-149-5p/miR-1271-5p and PGK1.Results:Compared with adjacent tissues, the relative expression of circ-EIF3I [(4.32±0.62) vs. (1.24±0.59)] and PGK1 [(2.69±0.19) vs. (1.00±0.07)] in HCC tissues from 39 cases were increased, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). Compared with the negative control group, the cell viability of the circ-EIF3I small molecule interfering RNA group was reduced [Hep3B: (55.3±7.5)% vs. (100.0±9.2)%; Huh-7: (42.7±6.0)% vs. (100.0±5.6)%] , the number of migrating cells was decreased [Hep3B: (71.0±10.0) vs. (130.0±15.0); Huh-7: (50.0±8.5) vs. (125.0±10.0)], the number of invasive cells also was decreased [Hep3B: (52.0±7.0) vs. (105.0±13.0); Huh-7: (60.0±8.0) vs. (144.0±11.0)], the difference was statistically significant (all P<0.05). The dual luciferase report experiment confirmed that circ-EIF3I could target miR-149-5p/miR-1271-5p, and miR-149-5p/miR-1271-5p can target PGK1. Over expression of PGK1 could significantly reverse the effects of knockdown of circ-EIF3I on the proliferation, migration and invasion of HCC cells. Conclusion:Knockdown of circ-EIF3I could inhibit the proliferation, migration, invasion of HCC cells by regulating the miR-149-5p/miR-1271-5p/PGK1 molecular axis.

Objective To investigate the association of promoter hypermethylation of secreted frizzled-related proteins (SFRPs) in patients with colorectal cancer. Methods The promoter hypermethylation of SFRPs in 20 sporadic colorectal cancer tissues and adjacent mucosa were detected by methylation-specific PCR. The amplified DNA was subcloned into the T-A cloning vector and sequenced. Two colorectal cancer cell lines (HCT116 and SW480) were treated with 5-aza-2' deoxycytidine for demethylation. The promoter hypermethylation and protein expression of SFRPs in colorectal cancer cell lines were detected by methylation-specific PCR and Western blotting. Results It was demonstrated that the hypermethylation of SFRP 1, 2, 4 or 5 was 19/20,17/20,3/20 or 13/20in cancer tissues, respectively, whereas it was 12/20, 8/12, 1/20 or 7/20 in adjacent mucosa,respectively. SFRP 1, 2 or 5 methylation was more frequently found in cancer tissue than in adjacent mucosa (P～0.05). Methylation of SFRP 1, 2, 4 and 5 were found in HCT116 cell line, but only SFRP1 and SFRP2 were found in SW480 cell line. There was a negative correlation between protein expression and methylation of SFRPs. The Western blotting revealed that SFRP protein re-expressedafter it treated with 5-aza-2' deoxyeytidine. Conclusion Methylation of SFRP 1, 2 or 5 gene is associated with the evolution of eolorectal cancer, and is closely related to silencing expression.

Objective To investigate the epidemiology of BDV infection in Yili horses and Yili donkeys and to analyze phylogenetic source of BDV in Yili area, Xinjiang. Methods We established fluo- rescence quantitative nested RT-PCR to detect BDV p24 segment in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 518 Yili horses and 206 Yili donkeys in Yili area, Xinjiang. Positive products were validated by detecting BDV p40 segment and plasmid to preclude the contamination, and were sequenced to analyze the homology of gene sequence, amino acid sequence and phylogenetic tree. Results The positive rates of BDV infection in PBMCs of 518 Yili horses and 206 Yili donkeys were 0.97% and 1.94%, respectively. The results of BDV p40 segment verification were positive in all of the samples of BDV p24 positive. All the samples tested were not contaminated by plasmid. There was a homology of the gene sequence of positive PCR samples with strain He/80. And the gene sequence revealed more than 93% identical to H1766 and strain V. Conclusion Our study suggested BDV natural infection in Yili horses and Yili donkeys. The en- demic BDV had a high degree of identity to strain He/80.

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors. The majority of the patients die of metastases and recurrences after surgery. Circulating tumor cells (CTC) exist in the patients' peripheral blood, which can be considered as the crucial step in the metastasis cascade, thus being considered as the most valuable prognostic indicator. This paper summarized the clinical research works about CTC in eolorectal cancer during recent years.