BACKGROUND: MAVERIC (Mitral Valve Repair Clinical Trial) validates the safety and efficacy of the ARTO system. We here report the first two successful cases of utilizing the ARTO system in patients with symptomatic heart failure (HF) with functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) in Asia. METHODS: Two patients, aged 70 and 63, had severe HF with FMR. Transesophageal echocardiography confirmed that the left ventricular ejection fractions were less than 50% with severe mitral regurgitation (MR) in both patients. Optimizing drug treatment could not mitigate their symptoms. Therefore, we used the ARTO system to repair the mitral valve for these patients on March 5 and 6, 2019, respectively. RESULTS: Mitral valve repairs using the ARTO system were successfully performed under general anaesthesia for these two patients. MR was decreased immediately after the procedures in both patients. The 30-day and 3-month transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) revealed a moderate to severe MR in both patients, and the New York Heart Association (NYHA) scales were also partially improved. CONCLUSION The first two cases in Asia indicate that the ARTO system is feasible for patients with heart failure with FMR, and the patient selection appears to be crucial.

Objective To evaluate the effect of serum chromium on oral cancer after adjusting the covarite between groups based on propensity score matching (PSM). Methods We performed a case-control study in 395 cases of newly diagnosed primary oral cancer from the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University and 1 240 controls from the same community from January 2010 to February 2018. Using the PSM to select 309 controls randomly which were matched with the cases by 1 ∶1 matching. Conditional Logistic regression model was used to explore the association between chromium and oral cancer. Results The level of serum chromium was 178.91 (121.83-284.19) μg/L in the case group, which was lower than 324.27 (264.82-397.69) μg/L in control group, the difference was statistically significant (P＜0.001). Dose-response analysis showed that the risk of oral cancer gradually decreased with the increase of serum chromium, which presented a negative correlation. There was a negative correlation between serum chromium level and the risk for oral cancer by conditional Logistic regression,the aOR of serum chromium in the Q2, Q3 and Q4 compared with the Q1 were 0.14 (0.08-0.26), 0.15 (0.08-0.28) and 0.10 (0.05-0.20),with significant trend (Ptrend＜0.001). Stratified analysis showed the negative correlation between serum chromium and oral cancer by smoking, drinking tea, not drinking alcohol status and fish, fruits and green vegetables intake frequencies. Conclusions The high level of serum chromium is a protective factor for the incidence of oral cancer, and the higher of serum chromium, the lower risk of developing oral cancer.

BACKGROUND: Bisphenol F (BPF) and bisphenol S (BPS) are increasingly used as substitutes for bisphenol A (BPA), an environmental obesogen. However, health effects of BPF and BPS remain unclear. In this study, we evaluated the associations of BPA, BPF, and BPS with obesity in children and adolescents. METHODS: We used data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013 to 2014, a nationally representative study. We included 745 participants aged 6 to 17 years old. General obesity was defined based on the 2000 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention body mass index-for-age growth charts for the United States. Abdominal obesity was defined as waist-to-height ratio ≥0.5. RESULTS: After adjustment for demographic, socioeconomic and lifestyle factors, and urinary creatinine levels, the odds ratio of general obesity comparing the highest with lowest quartile of urinary bisphenol levels was 1.74 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.92 to 3.31) for BPA, 1.54 (95% CI, 1.02 to 2.32) for BPF, and 1.36 (95% CI, 0.53 to 3.51) for BPS. Moreover, the associations were stronger in boys than in girls for BPA and BPF. Similar results were observed for abdominal obesity. CONCLUSION: This study for the first time showed that exposure to BPF, a commonly used substitute for BPA, was positively associated with higher risk of obesity in children and adolescents. The association of BPA and BPF with general and abdominal obesity was primarily observed in boys, suggesting a possible sex difference. Further investigations on the underlying mechanisms are needed.
Adolescent ; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) ; Child ; Creatinine ; Female ; Growth Charts ; Humans ; Life Style ; Nutrition Surveys ; Obesity ; Obesity, Abdominal ; Odds Ratio ; Sex Characteristics ; United States

Objective To investigate the choice of surgical methods and short-term therapeutic efficacy of laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 188 cases who underwent laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD) from December 2015 to December 2017 in Cangzhou Central Hospital.Total laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (TLPD) was performed in 102 patients whose diameter of pancreatic duct was greater than or equal to 3 mm,and end-to-side anastomosis of pancreatic duct and jejunum was used to reconstruct the digestive tract (TLPD group).Laparoscopic assisted pancreaticoduodenectomy (LAPD) was performed in 86 patients with pancreatic duct diameter less than 3 mm,and the digestive tract was reconstructed by end-to-side pancreaticoduodenectomy with pocket-insertion (LAPD group).The clinical data of the two groups were analyzed and compared.Results There were no significant differences on sex,age,ASA grade,preoperative total bilirubin,alanine aminotransferase and serum albumin levels between the two groups(P ＞0.05),which was comparable.The total incision length and hospitalization time in TLPD group were significantly shorter than those in LAPD group [(8.2± 1.4)cm vs (12.9±2.6) cm];[(10.9±5.9)d vs (14.3±6.5) d],while the time of pancreaticojejunostomy was significantly longer than that in LAPD group [(36.1 ± 14.7) min vs (14.0 ± 4.2) min].The incidence of pancreatic fistula after operation was significantly higher than that in LAPD group (30.4％ vs 10.5％).The difference was statistically significant (all P＜0.05).There were no significant differences on mean operation time,intraoperative bleeding volume,number of lymph node dissection,R0 resection rate,ICU admission time,eating time,total complication rate and 6-month disease-free survival rate between the two groups.Conclusions TLPD has the advantages of less trauma and quicker recovery.But for pancreatic duct diameter less than 3 mm,the choice of LAPD can increase the safety of operation and reduce the incidence of postoperative pancreatic fistula.

Objective To explore the safety and feasibility of laparoscopic radical resection of Bismuth-type Ⅲb hilar cholangiocarcinoma.Methods The clinical data of 109 patients with Bismuth-type Ⅲ b hilar cholangiocarcinoma in the Department of General Surgery of Cangzhou Central Hospital from Jan 2015 to Feb 2018 were retrospectively analyzed.Among those 17 patients undergoing total laparoscopic surgery were compared with 17 open cases.Results There were significant differences between the laparoscopic group and the control group in operation time [(420.8 ± 136.5) min vs (292.3 ± 65.6) min],total length of incision [(8.2 ± 4.7) cm vs (20.4 ± 5.8) cm],incidence of postoperative complications [29.4％ (5/17) vs 52.9％ (9/17)],postoperative feeding time,postoperative ICU stay and postoperative hospital stay (P ＜ 0.05).There were no significant difference in the amount of bleeding[(325.2 ± 98.7)ml vs(367.4 ±72.9)ml],pathological results,number of lymph node dissection,R0 resection rate and tumor recurrence rate (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion Total laparoscopic radical resection of Bismuth-type Ⅲ b hilar cholangiocarcinoma is safe,feasible,and has the advantages of minimal invasion and rapid recovery.

Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of gemcitabine-oxaliplatin (GEMOX) regimen combined with targeted therapy for advanced gallbladder cancer.Methods The retrospective descriptive study was conducted.The clinical data of 21 patients with advanced gallbladder cancer who were admitted to the Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine between January 2016 and December 2017 were collected,including 8 males and 13 females,aged from 28 to 80 years,with the age of (58± 12)years.Patients received GEMOX regimen combined with targeted therapy.According to the results of gene test,patients selected tageted therapy with Cetuximab,Herceptin or Apatinib.Observation indicators:(1) gene test situations;(2) situations of GEMOX regimen combined with targeted therapy;(3) adverse reactions of GEMOX regimen combined with targeted therapy.Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean±SD,and measurement data with skewed distribution were described as M (range).Count data were represented as absolute number or percentage.The survival curve and rate were respectively drawn and calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method.The survival analysis was done using the Log-rank test.Results (1) Gene test situations:of 21 patients,19 were confirmed as K-ras wild type,including 13 of single K-ras wild type,4 of K-ras wild type combined with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2),2 of K-ras wild type combined with vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2);5 were detected positive HER2,including 1 of single positive HER2,4 of positive HER2 combined with K-ras wild type;3 were detected positive VEGFR2,including 1 of single positive VEGFR2,2 of positive VEGFR2 combined with K-ras wild type.Two and 19 patients had 0 and l of Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group score.(2) Situations of GEMOX regimen combined with targeted therapy:all the 21 patients underwent ≥ 2 courses of GEMOX regimen combined with targeted therapy.Among the 21 patients,0,4,9 and 8 were respectively detected in the complete remission (CR),partial remission (PR),stable disease (SD) and disease progression (PD).Fourteen patients (13 of single K-ras wild type and 1 of K-ras wild type combined with positive VEGFR2) received GEMOX regimen combined with Cetuximab therapy,including 0 with CR,4 with PR,5 with SD and 5 with PD;5 patients (1 of single positive HER2 and 4 of positive HER2 combined with K-ras wild type) received GEMOX regimen combined with Herceptin therapy,including 0 with CR,0 with PR,2 with SD and 3 with PD;2 patients (1 of single positive VEGFR2 and 1 of positive VEGFR2 combined with K-ras wild type) received GEMOX regimen combined with Apatinib therapy,including 0 with CR,0 with PR,2 with SD and 0 with PD.The objective response rate was 19.0％ (4/21) and disease control rate was 61.9％(13/21) in the 21 patients.The median onset time was 1.8 months in the 21 patients.The 3-,6-and 9-month progression free survival (PFS) rates and median PFS time were respectively 90.5％,71.4％,58.5％ and 10.7 months.The 6-and 12-month overall survival rates were respectively 90.2％ and 58.6％,and median overall survival (OS) time was 15.5 months in the 21 patients.The PFS and OS time were 8.4 months and 10.4 months in the 7 patients combined with jaundice,10.5 months and 14.8 months in the 14 patients without jaundice,with no statistically significant difference (x2 =0.868,0.774,P＞0.05).(3) Adverse reactions of GEMOX regimen combined with targeted therapy:the most common adverse events were skin rash and digestive tract reactions.No serious adverse event occurred during the therapy.All the adverse events were improved after symptomatic treatments.Conclusion GEMOX regimen combined with targeted therapy for advanced gallbladder cancer has good outcomes,less adverse reactions and higher safety.

BACKGROUND: Insomnia is a common complaint that is closely related to gastrointestinal symptoms, which is consistent with the traditional Chinese medicine classical theory of "stomach disharmony leading to restless sleep." Acupuncture is an effective complementary and alternative medicine therapy to improve gastrointestinal function and restore the normal sleep-wake cycle. However, studies on the effectiveness of acupuncture for insomnia due to spleen-stomach disharmony syndrome are limited to case reports and few randomized controlled trials; deeper research on its mechanism is still lacking. This randomized controlled trial aims to assess the treatment efficacy of "harmonizing stomach to tranquilize mind" acupuncture for insomnia and its influence on the intestinal microbiome. METHODS/DESIGN: This is a randomized, single-blind, parallel-group study. Sixty eligible patients with insomnia due to spleen-stomach disharmony syndrome will be randomly divided into two groups (1:1 allocation ratio). The intervention group will use "harmonizing stomach to tranquilize mind" acupuncture, and the control group will receive sham acupuncture. Participants will receive 5 acupuncture treatment sessions per week for 4 consecutive weeks. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index will be used to evaluate the clinical efficacy of acupuncture treatment by making assessments at baseline, the end of treatment and the end of the follow-up. High-throughput 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid gene sequencing will be performed to detect changes in the intestinal microbial composition before and after treatment. DISCUSSION: The results of this trial are expected to confirm that "harmonizing stomach to tranquilize mind" acupuncture can effectively relieve insomnia and alter the intestinal microbiome. TRIAL REGISTRATION Chinese Clinical Trials Registry: ChiCTR1800017092.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation of E-cadherin expression level with the clinical characterastics in children with acute leukemia (AL), and to explore the possible regulatory mechanism. METHODS: Real-time quantitative RT-PCR was applied to detect the expression level of E-cadherin in bone marrow samples from 135 child patients diagnosed as AL, and its relevance with clinical indicators was statistically analyzed. The expression levels of E-cadherin, β-catenin, and Akt/p-Akt were detected by using Western blot. The bone marrow samples from 22 children with non-malignant hematological diseases were used as controls. RESULTS: The expression level of E-cadherin significantly decreased in newly diagnosed patients with all 3 types of AL as compared with bone marrow samples from control group (P<0.01). In B-ALL group, compared with standard risk group, E-cadherin expression level significantly decreased in intermediate risk group (P<0.05). Moreover,the expression level of E-cadherin mRNA was also reduced in splenomegaly group (P<0.01). However, the correlation of E-cadherin level with clinical characteristics was not found in T-ALL and AML (P>0.05). The expression level of E-cadherin in the patients from Common-B-ALL group was higher than B-ALL patients with other immunophenotypes (P<0.01), while no significant difference was found among patients grouped by FAB classification. By the correlation analysis of measured data, lower E-cadherin expression level was found to be related with high WBC count and serum lactic dehydrogenase level (LDH) (r=-0.419, r=-0.269), but with low blood platelet count in B-ALL (r=0.335). In T-ALL, expression of E-cadherin was found to be negatively correlated with LDH and percentage of immature cells in the bone marrow (r=-0.567, r=-0.557). In addition, the lower expression of E-cadherin was also found to be related with WBC count and percentage of immature cells in the bone marrow in newly diagnosed AML patients (r=-0.368, r=-0.391). Compared with control group, the expression of E-cadherin was down-regulated significantly (P<0.01), while β-catenin, Akt significantly was up-regulated in 3 types of AL patients (P<0.01). The expression of p-Akt and p-Akt/Akt was up-regulated significantly in T-ALL (P<0.01). CONCLUSION Lower expression of E-cadherin is related factor of unfavourable prognosis in children with acute leukemia. The expression deficiency or down-regulation of E-cadherin may activate Wnt/β-catenin and PI3K/ Akt signaling pathways to promote the genesis and progress of haematological malignancies, thus resulting in a series of malignant biological behaviors in cells. E-cadherin may be a new prognostic indicator for pediatric acute leukemia, thus to guide individualized hemotherapy.
Acute Disease ; Bone Marrow ; Cadherins ; Child ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma

BACKGROUND: An artificial intelligence system of Faster Region-based Convolutional Neural Network (Faster R-CNN) is newly developed for the diagnosis of metastatic lymph node (LN) in rectal cancer patients. The primary objective of this study was to comprehensively verify its accuracy in clinical use. METHODS: Four hundred fourteen patients with rectal cancer discharged between January 2013 and March 2015 were collected from 6 clinical centers, and the magnetic resonance imaging data for pelvic metastatic LNs of each patient was identified by Faster R-CNN. Faster R-CNN based diagnoses were compared with radiologist based diagnoses and pathologist based diagnoses for methodological verification, using correlation analyses and consistency check. For clinical verification, the patients were retrospectively followed up by telephone for 36 months, with post-operative recurrence of rectal cancer as a clinical outcome; recurrence-free survivals of the patients were compared among different diagnostic groups, by methods of Kaplan-Meier and Cox hazards regression model. RESULTS: Significant correlations were observed between any 2 factors among the numbers of metastatic LNs separately diagnosed by radiologists, Faster R-CNN and pathologists, as evidenced by rradiologist-Faster R-CNN of 0.912, rPathologist-radiologist of 0.134, and rPathologist-Faster R-CNN of 0.448 respectively. The value of kappa coefficient in N staging between Faster R-CNN and pathologists was 0.573, and this value between radiologists and pathologists was 0.473. The 3 groups of Faster R-CNN, radiologists and pathologists showed no significant differences in the recurrence-free survival time for stage N0 and N1 patients, but significant differences were found for stage N2 patients. CONCLUSION: Faster R-CNN surpasses radiologists in the evaluation of pelvic metastatic LNs of rectal cancer, but is not on par with pathologists. TRIAL REGISTRATION www.chictr.org.cn (No. ChiCTR-DDD-17013842).
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Artificial Intelligence ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Neoplasm Staging ; Neural Networks (Computer) ; Pathologists ; Radiologists ; Rectal Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; mortality ; pathology

Metformin (MET), an antidiabetic agent, also has antioxidative effects in metabolic-related hypertension. This study was designed to determine whether MET has anti-hypertensive effects in salt-sensitive hypertensive rats by inhibiting oxidative stress in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN). Salt-sensitive rats received a high-salt (HS) diet to induce hypertension, or a normal-salt (NS) diet as control. At the same time, they received intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusion of MET or vehicle for 6 weeks. We found that HS rats had higher oxidative stress levels and mean arterial pressure (MAP) than NS rats. ICV infusion of MET attenuated MAP and reduced plasma norepinephrine levels in HS rats. It also decreased reactive oxygen species and the expression of subunits of NAD(P)H oxidase, improved the superoxide dismutase activity, reduced components of the renin-angiotensin system, and altered neurotransmitters in the PVN. Our findings suggest that central MET administration lowers MAP in salt-sensitive hypertension via attenuating oxidative stress, inhibiting the renin-angiotensin system, and restoring the balance between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters in the PVN.
Animals ; Antioxidants ; therapeutic use ; Arterial Pressure ; drug effects ; Hypertension ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; Infusions, Intraventricular ; Male ; Metformin ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Neurotransmitter Agents ; metabolism ; Oxidative Stress ; drug effects ; Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus ; drug effects ; Rats ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; metabolism ; Sodium Chloride, Dietary ; pharmacology