To analyze the clinical data and imaging examination data of a patient with metallic mercury poisoning from subcutaneous injection. The abdominal B-ultrasonograph results of the patient indicated multiple scattered hyperechoic spots accompanied by "comet tail" sign in the liver and right renal sinus, the nature of which was not clear and it was considered crystal deposition. The chest X-ray revealed scattered and multiple spot-like, snowflake-like and tree-cast-like high-density shadows in both lung fields. The chest computed tomography scan revealed multiple spot and patchy high-density shadows distributed in both lungs, considering hematogenous distribution deposits, and possible mercury poisoning. Laboratory test results showed that blood mercury level was 4.16 μmol/L and urine mercury level was 6 545.5 μg/g Cr. After 28 days of mercury chelation therapy, the abdominal ultrasound examination showed that the hyperechoic spots in the liver and right renal sinus were reduced compared with the previous examination. Metallic mercury poisoning from subcutaneous injection has specific manifestations in abdominal B-ultrasound imaging, which can provide a basis for the early diagnosis of metallic mercury poisoning in clinical practice and can be used to observe the efficacy of mercury chelation therapy.

Loss-of-function variants of low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5 (LRP5) can lead to reduced bone formation, culminating in diminished bone mass. Our previous study reported transcription factor osterix (SP7)‍-binding sites on the LRP5 promoter and its pivotal role in upregulating LRP5 expression during implant osseointegration. However, the potential role of SP7 in ameliorating LRP5-dependent osteoporosis remained unknown. In this study, we used mice with a conditional knockout (cKO) of LRP5 in mature osteoblasts, which presented decreased osteogenesis. The in vitro experimental results showed that SP7 could promote LRP5 expression, thereby upregulating the osteogenic markers such as alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2), and β‍-catenin (P<0.05). For the in vivo experiment, the SP7 overexpression virus was injected into a bone defect model of LRP5 cKO mice, resulting in increased bone mineral density (BMD) (P<0.001) and volumetric density (bone volume (BV)/total volume (TV)) (P<0.001), and decreased trabecular separation (Tb.‍Sp) (P<0.05). These data suggested that SP7 could ameliorate bone defect healing in LRP5 cKO mice. Our study provides new insights into potential therapeutic opportunities for ameliorating LRP5-dependent osteoporosis.
Animals ; Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Related Protein-5/metabolism* ; Osteoporosis/genetics* ; Mice ; Mice, Knockout ; Sp7 Transcription Factor/physiology* ; Osteogenesis ; Bone Density ; Osteoblasts/metabolism* ; Core Binding Factor Alpha 1 Subunit/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; beta Catenin/metabolism*

Gut microbial communities are likely remodeled in tandem with accumulated physiological decline during aging, yet there is limited understanding of gut microbiome variation in advanced age. Here, we performed a metagenomics-based enterotype analysis in a geographically homogeneous cohort of 367 enrolled Chinese individuals between the ages of 60 and 94 years, with the goal of characterizing the gut microbiome of elderly individuals and identifying factors linked to enterotype variations. In addition to two adult-like enterotypes dominated by Bacteroides (ET-Bacteroides) and Prevotella (ET-Prevotella), we identified a novel enterotype dominated by Escherichia (ET-Escherichia), whose prevalence increased in advanced age. Our data demonstrated that age explained more of the variance in the gut microbiome than previously identified factors such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) or diet. We characterized the distinct taxonomic and functional profiles of ET-Escherichia, and found the strongest cohesion and highest robustness of the microbial co-occurrence network in this enterotype, as well as the lowest species diversity. In addition, we carried out a series of correlation analyses and co-abundance network analyses, which showed that several factors were likely linked to the overabundance of Escherichia members, including advanced age, vegetable intake, and fruit intake. Overall, our data revealed an enterotype variation characterized by Escherichia enrichment in the elderly population. Considering the different age distribution of each enterotype, these findings provide new insights into the changes that occur in the gut microbiome with age and highlight the importance of microbiome-based stratification of elderly individuals.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Bacteroides ; China ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/microbiology* ; Escherichia coli/classification* ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/genetics* ; Metagenomics ; East Asian People

Objective:To explore the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors combined with adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with phase III gastric cancer and esophagogastric junction cancer.Methods:This study used a retrospective cohort study method based on real-world data. Clinical data of 403 patients with stage III gastric/esophagogastric junction cancer who underwent gastrectomy followed by adjuvant therapy in the Department of Gastric Surgery at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center from January 2020 to December 2023 were retrospectively collected. The study cohort comprised 147 (36.5%) patients with stage IIIA, 130 (32.3%) with stage IIIB, and 126 (31.3%) with stage IIIC gastric/esophagogastric junction cancer. Of them, 15 (3.7%) were HER-2 positive, 25 (6.2%) dMMR, and 22 (5.5%) patients Epstein-Barr virus encoding RNA (EBER) positive. Based on treatment plans, the patients were divided into immune checkpoint inhibitor combined with chemotherapy group (immune therapy group, n=110, 71 males and 39 females, median age 59 years old) and chemotherapy alone group (chemotherapy group, n=293, 186 males and 107 females, median age 60 years old). All patients in the immunotherapy group received immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting the programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) and its ligand (PD-L1). Of them, 85 received pembrolizumab, 10 received sintilimab, 8 received tislelizumab, 4 received camrelizumab, 2 received toripalimab, and 1 received pabocizumab. The adjuvant chemotherapy regimens used among the chemotherapy alone group includes SOX regimen (132 cases), XELOX (102 cases), S-1 monotherapy (44 cases), and other regimens (15 cases). The 3-year DFS rate of the two groups was compared, and subgroup analysis was conducted based on different ages, molecular phenotypes, pTNM staging, extranodal infiltration, and tumor length. Results:The median follow-up was 20.5 months (range 3.1~46.3), with a 3-year overall DFS rate of 61.4% for the entire 403 patients. The 3-year DFS rate for the immunotherapy group was 82.7%, higher than the chemotherapy alone group (58.8%), with a statistically significant difference ( P=0.021). Multivariate analysis showed that postoperative immunotherapy was a protective factor for DFS (HR=0.352, 95%CI: 0.180~0.685). Subgroup analysis showed that stage IIIC (HR=0.416, 95%CI: 0.184~0.940), aged ≥60 years (HR=0.336, 95%CI: 0.121~0.934) and extranodal invasion (HR=0.378, 95%CI: 0.170~0.839) were associated with benefit from the combined immune adjuvant chemotherapy, while no association was observed for MMR, HER-2 or EBER status. Conclusion:Stage III gastric/esophagogastric junction cancer patients may benefite from postoperative immune checkpoint inhibitor combined with adjuvant chemotherapy in real-world settings.

Objective:To explore the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors combined with adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with phase III gastric cancer and esophagogastric junction cancer.Methods:This study used a retrospective cohort study method based on real-world data. Clinical data of 403 patients with stage III gastric/esophagogastric junction cancer who underwent gastrectomy followed by adjuvant therapy in the Department of Gastric Surgery at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center from January 2020 to December 2023 were retrospectively collected. The study cohort comprised 147 (36.5%) patients with stage IIIA, 130 (32.3%) with stage IIIB, and 126 (31.3%) with stage IIIC gastric/esophagogastric junction cancer. Of them, 15 (3.7%) were HER-2 positive, 25 (6.2%) dMMR, and 22 (5.5%) patients Epstein-Barr virus encoding RNA (EBER) positive. Based on treatment plans, the patients were divided into immune checkpoint inhibitor combined with chemotherapy group (immune therapy group, n=110, 71 males and 39 females, median age 59 years old) and chemotherapy alone group (chemotherapy group, n=293, 186 males and 107 females, median age 60 years old). All patients in the immunotherapy group received immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting the programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) and its ligand (PD-L1). Of them, 85 received pembrolizumab, 10 received sintilimab, 8 received tislelizumab, 4 received camrelizumab, 2 received toripalimab, and 1 received pabocizumab. The adjuvant chemotherapy regimens used among the chemotherapy alone group includes SOX regimen (132 cases), XELOX (102 cases), S-1 monotherapy (44 cases), and other regimens (15 cases). The 3-year DFS rate of the two groups was compared, and subgroup analysis was conducted based on different ages, molecular phenotypes, pTNM staging, extranodal infiltration, and tumor length. Results:The median follow-up was 20.5 months (range 3.1~46.3), with a 3-year overall DFS rate of 61.4% for the entire 403 patients. The 3-year DFS rate for the immunotherapy group was 82.7%, higher than the chemotherapy alone group (58.8%), with a statistically significant difference ( P=0.021). Multivariate analysis showed that postoperative immunotherapy was a protective factor for DFS (HR=0.352, 95%CI: 0.180~0.685). Subgroup analysis showed that stage IIIC (HR=0.416, 95%CI: 0.184~0.940), aged ≥60 years (HR=0.336, 95%CI: 0.121~0.934) and extranodal invasion (HR=0.378, 95%CI: 0.170~0.839) were associated with benefit from the combined immune adjuvant chemotherapy, while no association was observed for MMR, HER-2 or EBER status. Conclusion:Stage III gastric/esophagogastric junction cancer patients may benefite from postoperative immune checkpoint inhibitor combined with adjuvant chemotherapy in real-world settings.

Objective To explore the application value of simple manual rubber traction device in endoscopic submucosal dissection(ESD)of colorectal laterally spreading tumor(LST).Methods A retrospective cohort study was used to collect patients who underwent ESD for colorectal LST from June 1,2022 to June 9,2023.According to the use of the manual rubber traction device,patients were divided into colorectal traction ESD group(tESD group,n=22)and colorectal conventional ESD group(cESD group,n=44),the differences were compared between the two groups in the number of intraoperative hemostasis,the number of titanium clips used,the success rate of ESD,incidence of postoperative complications,hospital stay time,and treatment costs.Results The tESD group had relatively longer operation time and shorter hospitalization days than those of cESD group,but the difference was not statistically significant(P>0.05);There were no statistically significant differences in the number of titanium clips used,postoperative complication rates,and hospitalization costs between the two groups(P>0.05).Conclusion Colorectal traction ESD can be used as a remedial plan when traditional ESD is difficult to perform,and the use of traction does not increase the hospitalization cost of patients,and the postoperative complications of the two methods are similar.It is worthy of clinical application.

Objective:To compare the safety and efficacy of two-person and three-person operation of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) after Roux-en-Y anastomosis.Methods:A total of 31 cases of bile duct stones where endoscopic access was successful and papilla was detected after Roux-en-Y anastomosis in Hangzhou First People's Hospital from January 2021 to September 2022 were recruited. Based on the retrospective study, 17 patients with the two-person operation (an operator and an assistant completed selective intubation) were included in group A from January to December 2021, and 14 patients with the three-person operation (an operator and two assistants completed the selective intubation) from January to September 2022 were included in group B. The success rate, the time of intubation, and complication incidence of the two groups were compared.Results:The intubation success rate of all enrolled patients was 90.32% (28/31). There was no significant difference in the intubation success rate between group A and group B [82.35% (14/17) VS 100.00% (14/14), P=0.232]. The intubation time in group B was significantly less than that of group A (42.89±6.57 min VS 61.02±9.23 min) with significant difference ( t=5.77, P<0.001). The incidence of postoperative complication of ERCP in all enrolled patients was 16.13% (5/31). There was no significant difference in the postoperative complication incidence between group A and group B [17.65% (3/17) VS 14.29% (2/14), P=1.000]. Conclusion:For patients undergoing ERCP after Roux-en-Y anastomosis, the two methods were not statistically different in terms of the intubation success rate and the incidence of procedure-related complications. But three-person operation shows clear advantage in terms of operation time.

Hearing loss is one of the common radiotherapy-induced complications of head and neck tumors, including nasopharyngeal carcinoma. These side reactions can be classified into acute or delayed types, which affect all structures of the auditory organs, resulting in conductive, sensorineural or mixed hearing loss. Up to 40% of patients develop acute middle ear side effects during radical radiotherapy, while approximately 1/3 develop late sensorineural hearing loss. The total radiation dose and tumor site appear to be the most important factors associated with the risk of hearing loss. The mechanisms of conductive and sensorineural hearing impairment are different. New radiotherapy techniques (three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy, intensity modulated radiotherapy, proton therapy) enable better dose distribution, lower dose to non-target organs, and gradually increase the feasibility of protecting normal tissues. The present article illustrates recent progress in radiotherapy-induced hearing loss, specially focusing on the occurrence, the mechanisms and related factors of ear toxicity, detection and diagnosis, and treatment.

Dysphagia is the main complication of chemoradiotherapy for head and neck cancer. Recently, the advancement of multidisciplinary treatment has achieved a higher tumor control rate, but also a higher incidence of late radiation-induced dysphagia in head and neck cancer. Radiation-induced dysphagia leads to prolonged unnatural feeding, nutritional deficiency, weight loss, and also has a major risk for silent aspiration and aspiration pneumonia, which significantly reduces the quality of life of patients. Besides, late radiation-induced dysphagia is the main reason for limiting the intensity of treatment. Therefore, it is of great significance to deeply understand the pathogenesis of radiation-induced dysphagia and actively explore effective prevention and treatment measures to improve the survival rate and quality of life in head and neck cancer. This paper summarizes the pathogenesis, occurrence, risk factors of radiation-induced dysphagia in head and neck cancer, as well as the progress in the measurement and reporting methods, prevention and treatment strategies.

Cardiotoxicity is traditionally regarded as the late toxic side effect of radiotherapy. Classical radiobiology suggests that non-proliferative and highly-differentiated tissues, such as the heart, should exhibit robust resistance to ionizing radiation. However, in-depth analyses of radiation-induced heart disease (RIHD) have discovered that radiation can induce a range of physiological changes in the heart. These changes, which include endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, thrombosis, and cardiac fibrosis, may be significantly accelerated as radiation doses increase. At present, multidisciplinary team treatment modalities have substantially enhanced curative effects for cancer patients. However, the resulting prolongation of survival time exposes a larger patient population to the risks of treatment-related cardiotoxicity, establishing RIHD as a pressing research concern. This article offers a systematic review of recent insights into the incidence of RIHD, the relationship between radiotherapy and RIHD, methods for its detection and diagnosis, as well as its pathogenesis and potential treatment strategies.