Purpose: Metastatic rectal cancer (mRC) is a highly lethal and complex disease that demands a multidisciplinary treatment approach. However, the clinical effectiveness of radiotherapy (RT) for de novo mRC remains controversial and uncertain. Methods: This retrospective cohort study examined medical records from Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital for patients with histologically confirmed de novo mRC diagnosed between January 2015 and December 2020. All patients received standard systemic therapy and radical surgery when feasible. The primary outcome, overall survival (OS), was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Multivariable analysis was performed using a Cox regression model. Results: Among 271 patients included in the analysis, 117 received RT and 154 did not. The median OS was significantly longer in the RT group compared with the non-RT group (27.8 months vs. 21.9 months; P=0.046). Multivariate analysis identified several independent predictors of OS: age ≥65 years (hazard ratio [HR], 1.69; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.26–2.27; P=0.001), primary tumor resection (HR, 2.62; 95% CI, 1.90–3.61; P<0.001), M1b or M1c disease (HR, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.44–2.69; P<0.001), and receipt of RT (HR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.02–1.94; P=0.036). Conclusion RT significantly improves OS in patients with mRC, underscoring its role in treatment strategies. These findings support its inclusion in therapeutic protocols and highlight the need for larger, multicenter trials to confirm and extend these results.

Objectives: . The prognostic value of the pretreatment albumin-to-alkaline phosphatase ratio (AAPR) in head and neck cancer (HNC) remains uncertain. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the predictive role of AAPR for survival outcomes in patients with HNC. Methods: . A comprehensive search of the Cochrane Library, PubMed, and Embase databases was conducted to identify relevant studies published up to July 30, 2024. We included studies on AAPR and survival outcomes in HNC patients. Results: . Eight studies comprising 1,737 HNC patients were analyzed using random-effects models. Lower AAPR values were significantly correlated with worse overall survival (hazard ratio [HR], 2.08), progression-free survival (HR, 2.00), and disease-free survival (HR, 2.18). Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of these results, with no significant publication bias detected. Conclusion . Our findings suggest that pretreatment AAPR could serve as a valuable and cost-effective prognostic indicator in HNC, potentially aiding clinicians in risk stratification and treatment decision-making. However, additional validation studies are warranted to confirm its clinical applicability.

Objective To investigate the effect of green laser anatomical vaporization on patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH)and type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM),as well as its impact on inflammatory factors,quality of life,and urethral stricture.Methods A total of 120 patients with BPH and T2DM who were treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University from March 2021 to August 2022 were selected as the research subjects.The patients were divided into a control group and an observation group according to the surgical approach,with 60 cases in each group.Patients in the control group underwent green laser selective photovaporization,while patients in the observation group were treated with green laser anatomical vaporization.The intraoperative and postoperative recovery indicators such as operation time,intraoperative blood loss,prostate resection quality,catheter indwelling time,bladder irrigation time,and hospitalization time of patients between the two groups were compared.The serum levels of interleukin-6(IL-6)and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)were detected by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,and the serum levels of malondialdehyde(MDA)and lipid peroxide(LPO)were detected by using immunofluorescence assay before surgery,3 days after surgery,and 7 days after surgery.The international prostate symptom score(IPSS)was used to assess prostate symptoms,the urinary symptom distress score(USDS)was used to assess urinary symptoms,the dynamic urodynamic monitor was used to measure urodynamics[maximum flow rate(Qmax),residual urine volume(RUV)],the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the serum level of total prostate specific antigen(tPSA),the international index of erectile function-5(IIEF-5)was used to assess erectile function,and the BPH quality of life(BPH-QOL)scale was used to assess quality of life before surgery,3 months after surgery,and 6 months after surgery.The incidence of complications such as urethral stricture,urinary tract irritation,bladder neck contracture,urinary retention,and secondary bleeding was compared between the two groups.Results The operation time of patients in the observation group was significantly longer than that in the control group,the intraoperative blood loss was significantly less than that in the control group,and the bladder irrigation time,catheter indwelling time,and hospitalization time were significantly shorter than those in the control group(P＜0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in the quality of prostatectomy between the two groups of patients(P＞0.05).Before surgery,there was no statistically significant difference in the levels of serum TNF-α,IL-6,MDA,and LPO between the two groups of patients(P＞0.05).On postoperative days 3 and 7,the levels of serum TNF-α,IL-6,MDA,and LPO in both groups were significantly higher than those before surgery,and the levels of serum TNF-α,IL-6,MDA,and LPO in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group(P＜0.05).Before surgery,there was no statistically significant difference in the IPSS and USDS scores between the two groups of patients(P＞0.05).At 3 and 6 months after surgery,the IPSS and USDS scores of patients in both groups were significantly lower than those before surgery,and the IPSS and USDS scores of patients in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group(P＜0.05).Before surgery,there was no statistically significant difference in RUV,Qmax,and serum tPSA levels between the two groups of patients(P＞0.05).At 3 and 6 months after surgery,the RUV and serum tPSA levels of patients in both groups were significantly lower than those before surgery,while the Qmax was signifi-cantly higher than that before surgery(P＜0.05).The RUV and serum tPSA levels of patients in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group,while the Qmax was significantly higher than that in the control group(P＜0.05).Before surgery,there was no statistically significant difference in the IIEF-5 and BPH-QOL scores of patients between the two groups(P＞0.05).At 3 and 6 months after surgery,the IIEF-5 scores of patients in both groups were significantly lower than those before surgery,while the BPH-QOL scores were significantly higher than those before surgery(P＜0.05).The IIEF-5 and BPH-QOL scores of patients in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group(P＜0.05).The total incidence of complications in the control group and the observation group was 16.67％(10/60)and 5.00％(3/60),respectively,and the total incidence of complications in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group(x2=4.227,P＜0.05).Conclusion Green laser anatomical vaporization in the treatment of BPH patients with T2DM can optimize the surgical process,reduce inflammatory stress and the risk of complications,promote early postoperative recovery,improve urodynamics and sexual function,relieve symptoms,and enhance quality of life.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the pathogenesis of erythrocytosis by detecting the key enzymes of glucose metabolism and glucose transporter in bone marrow erythrocytes of chronic mountain sickness (CMS), and analyzing its correlation with hemoglobin. METHODS: Twenty CMS patients hospitalized in Qinghai Provincial People's Hospital from January 2019 to December 2020 were selected as CMS group. Twenty males with leukocyte count > 3.5×10⁹/L who had accepted bone marrow aspiration and had normal result were taken as control group. The mRNA and protein expression of key enzymes and glucose transporter in glucose metabolism in bone marrow CD71⁺ erythrocytes were detected by real time qPCR and Western blot, respectively. Glucose, lactic acid and 2,3-diphosphoglycerate in the bone marrow supernatant and serum were tested by ELISA. The mRNA and protein expression of key enzymes and glucose transporter, glucose, lactic acid and 2,3-diphosphoglycerate of the two groups were compared. Pearson correlation was used to analyze the correlation between key enzymes, glucose transporter in glucose metabolism in bone marrow CD71⁺ erythrocytes and hemoglobin. RESULTS: The expression of HK2, GLUT1 and GLUT2 mRNA in the CMS group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.001), while the expression of HK1, OGDH and COX5B mRNA were not different. The expression of HK2, GLUT1 and GLUT2 protein in the CMS group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). The levels of glucose and lactic acid in the bone marrow supernatant and serum in the CMS group were not different from those in the control group, while the level of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate was higher (P<0.001). Both HK2 and GLUT2 proteins were positively correlated with hemoglobin (r=0.511, 0.717). CONCLUSION CMS patients may increase glycolysis by increasing the expression of HK2, and promote the utilization of glucose through high expression of GLUT1 and GLUT2 to meet the need of energy supply.
Male ; Humans ; Altitude Sickness/metabolism* ; Glucose Transporter Type 1 ; 2,3-Diphosphoglycerate ; Hemoglobins ; Chronic Disease ; RNA, Messenger ; Phenotype ; Glucose

Jiming Powder is a traditional ancient prescription with good therapeutic effect in the treatment of heart failure, but its mechanism lacks further exploration. In this study, a mouse model of coronary artery ligation was used to evaluate the effect and mechanism of Jiming Powder on myocardial fibrosis in mice with myocardial infarction. The study constructed a mouse model of heart failure after myocardial infarction using the method of left anterior descending coronary artery ligation. The efficacy of Jiming Powder was evaluated from multiple angles, including ultrasound imaging, hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining, Masson staining, Sirius Red staining, and serum myocardial enzyme spectrum detection. Western blot analysis was performed to detect key proteins involved in ventricular remodeling, including transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1), α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA), wingless-type MMTV integration site family member 3a(Wnt3a), β-catenin, matrix metallopeptidase 2(MMP2), matrix metallopeptidase 3(MMP3), TIMP metallopeptidase inhibitor 1(TIMP1), and TIMP metallopeptidase inhibitor 2(TIMP2). The results showed that compared with the model group, the high and low-dose Jiming Powder significantly reduced the left ventricular internal diameter in systole(LVID;s) and diastole(LVID;d), increased the left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF) and left ventricular fractional shortening(LVFS), effectively improved cardiac function in mice after myocardial infarction, and effectively reduced the levels of myocardial injury markers such as creatine kinase(CK), creatine kinase isoenzyme(CK-MB), and lactic dehydrogenase(LDH), thus protecting ischemic myocardium. HE staining showed that Jiming Powder could attenuate myocardial inflammatory cell infiltration after myocardial infarction. Masson and Sirius Red staining demonstrated that Jiming Powder effectively inhibited myocardial fibrosis, reduced the collagen Ⅰ/Ⅲ ratio in myocardial tissues, and improved collagen remodeling after myocardial infarction. Western blot results showed that Jiming Powder reduced the expression of TGF-β1, α-SMA, Wnt3a, and β-catenin, decreased the levels of MMP2, MMP3, and TIMP2, and increased the level of TIMP1, suggesting its role in inhibiting cardiac fibroblast transformation, reducing extracellular matrix metabolism in myocardial cells, and lowering collagen Ⅰ and α-SMA content, thus exerting an anti-myocardial fibrosis effect after myocardial infarction. This study revealed the role of Jiming Powder in improving ventricular remodeling and treating myocardial infarction, laying the foundation for further research on the pharmacological effect of Jiming Powder.
Mice ; Animals ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1/metabolism* ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2/metabolism* ; beta Catenin/metabolism* ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 3/therapeutic use* ; Powders ; Ventricular Remodeling ; Stroke Volume ; Ventricular Function, Left ; Myocardial Infarction/drug therapy* ; Myocardium/pathology* ; Heart Failure/metabolism* ; Collagen/metabolism* ; Creatine Kinase ; Fibrosis

Background: Shared decision making using patient decision aids (PtDAs) was established over a decade ago, but few studies have evaluated its efficacy in Asian countries. We therefore evaluated the application of PtDAs in a decision conflict between two muscle relaxant reversal agents, neostigmine and sugammadex, and sequentially analyzed the regional differences and operating room turnover rates. Methods: This multicenter, outcome-assessor-blind, randomized controlled trial included 3,132 surgical patients from two medical centers admitted between March 2020 and August 2020. The patients were randomly divided into the classical and PtDA groups for pre-anesthesia consultations. Their clinicodemographic characteristics were analyzed to identify variables influencing the choice of reversal agent. On the day of the pre-anesthesia consultation, the patients completed the four SURE scale (sure of myself, understand information, risk-benefit ratio, encouragement) screening items. The operating turnover rates were also evaluated using anesthesia records. Results: Compared with the classical group, the PtDA group felt more confident about receiving sufficient medical information (P < 0.001), felt better informed about the advantages and disadvantages of the medications (P < 0.001), exhibited a superior understanding of the benefits and risks of their options (P < 0.001), and felt surer about their choice (P < 0.001). Moreover, the PtDA group had a significantly greater tendency to choose sugammadex over neostigmine (P < 0.001). Conclusions PtDA interventions in pre-anesthesia consultations provided surgical patients with clear knowledge and better support. PtDAs should be made available in other medical fields to enhance shared clinical decision-making.

A 51-year-old woman presented with metachronous tumor development in bilateral breasts, thyroid, and endometrium. Additional signs and symptoms fulfilled the National Comprehensive Cancer Network criteria for Cowden syndrome. Immunohistochemistry showed loss of PTEN expression in all tumors. Single nucleotide variants, 647 germline variants (including one each in PTEN and MSH3), and 21 somatic mutations within exons were detected in all tumors after whole-exome sequencing. There were 0, 11, and 46 specific somatic mutations in bilateral breasts, thyroid, and endometrial cancers, respectively.Although PTEN mutation is key to the development of Cowden syndrome, DNA repair dysfunction might be the initial driver of mutations. Fewer mutations were required to induce initial bilateral breast carcinomas, with subsequent thyroid and endometrial carcinomas requiring more mutations for induction. When genetic screening is unavailable, breast cancer patients with clinical manifestations of Cowden syndrome must be carefully assessed for secondary malignancies, such as thyroid and endometrial carcinomas.

Objective: The characteristics of patients with metachronous breast and ovarian malignancies and the pathogenic role of BRCA1/2 mutations remain poorly understood. We investigated these issues through a review of hospital records and nationwide Taiwanese registry data, followed by BRCA1/2 mutation analysis in hospital-based cases. Methods: We retrospectively retrieved consecutive clinical records of Taiwanese patients who presented with these malignancies to our hospital between 2001 and 2017. We also collected information from the Data Science Center of the Taiwan Cancer Registry (TCR) between 2007 and 2015. Next-generation sequencing and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification were used to identify BRCA1/2 mutations and large genomic rearrangements, respectively. When BRCA1/2 mutations were identified in index cases, pedigrees were reconstructed and genetic testing was offered to family members. Results: A total of 12,769 patients with breast cancer and 1,537 with ovarian cancer were retrieved from our hospital records. Of them, 28 had metachronous breast and ovarian malignancies. We also identified 113 cases from the TCR dataset. Eighteen hospital-based cases underwent BRCA1/2 sequencing and germline pathogenic mutations were detected in 7 patients (38.9%, 5 in BRCA1 and 2 in BRCA2). All BRCA1/2 mutation carriers had ovarian high-grade serous carcinomas. Of the 12 patients who were alive at the time of analysis, 5 were BRCA1/2 mutation carriers. All of them had family members with BRCA1/2-associated malignancies. Conclusions Our results provide pilot evidence that BRCA1/2 mutations are common in Taiwanese patients with metachronous breast and ovarian malignancies, supporting the clinical utility of genetic counseling.

From September to October 2018, a questionnaire survey was conducted on the status of diabetes management, basic equipment allocation, complication screening and follow-up, basic drug supply and health education among 136 grassroots institutions in Nanjing. Doctors in the 136 grassroots institutions who had received diabetes specialist training accounted for 18.2% (358/1 968) of total general practitioners. The management rate of diabetes patients was 98.67% (196 352/199 000) , and the standard management rate was 88.63%(174 024/196 352).The screening and follow-up rates of diabetic complications were 89.0%(121/136) and 61.2%(74/121) for glycosylated hemoglobin; 64.7%(88/136), 58.0%(51/88) for urine microalbumin;51.5% (70/136), 62.9%(44/70) for diabetic foot; 44.9%(61/136), 42.6%(26/61) carotid ultrasonography; 32.4%(44/136) and 59.1%(26/44) for fundus examination; 17.6%(24/136) and 33.3%(8/24) for ankle brachial index. The rates of screening for glycosylated hemoglobin, urinary microalbumin, diabetic foot, carotid B ultrasound, fundus and ankle brachial index in urban areas were significantly higher than those in the suburbs (both P<0.05). The diabetes health education was regularly conducted in 92.0%(126/136) of grassroots institutions. At present, the grassroots institutions in Nanjing have established health archives for most diabetic patients and conducted health education regularly, but the professional training and the screening of diabetic complications need to be strengthened.

Objective The prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) is increasing in middle-aged and older people. This article aimed to analyze the relationship between thyroid hormone and NAFLD in euthyroid middle-aged and older people.Methods We retrospectively analyzed 589 euthyroid patients aged 40 years or older who were hospitalized in our department from January 2015 to December 2017. According to the Results of abdominal ultrasound, they were divided into NAFLD group (n=217) and non-NAFLD group (n=372). We compared the differences of general data between two groups and analyzed the association of thyroid hormones(FT3, TSH) with metabolic indexes and the risk of NAFLD.Results TSH and FT3 in NAFLD group were significantly higher than those in non-NAFLD group (respectively 2.18±1.01 mIU/L versus 1.74±0.77 mIU/L, P<0.001; 4.54±0.72 pmol/L vs 4.05±0.83 pmol/L, P<0.001). After adjusting for age and sex, TSH was positively correlated with BMI, abdominal circumference, and LDL (r, P respectively were 0.117, 0.005; 0.136, 0.001; 0.086, 0.037). FT3 was positively correlated with LDL (r=0.098, P=0.017), and negatively correlated with FPG and HbA1c (r, P respectively were -0.161, <0.001; -0.139, 0.001). With the increase of TSH and FT3 quartiles, the risk of NAFLD showed a significantly increasing trend (P<0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed that abdominal circumference, BMI, ALT, TG, TSH, and FT3 were independent risk factors of NAFLD. Conclusion TSH and FT3 are risk factors of NAFLD in euthyroid middle-aged and older people, which can be used as a good serological indicator of NAFLD.