Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of curative esophagectomy versus definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT) in patients with clinical T1bN0M0 thoracic esophageal cancer.Methods:The propensity score matching (PSM) and retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinico-pathological data of 163 patients with clinical T1bN0M0 thoracic esophageal cancer who were admitted to Henan Provincial People′s Hospital from January 2014 to December 2020 were collected. There were 125 males and 38 females, aged (58.9±7.0)years. Of 163 patients, 124 cases undergoing curative transthoracic esophagectomy were allocated into the radical resection group, 39 cases undergoing dCRT were allocated into the dCRT group. Observation indicators:(1) PSM and compari-son of clinicopathological characteristics of patients between the two groups after matching; (2) complications in the radical resection group and treatment status in the dCRT group; (3) survival analysis; (4) analysis of factors influencing patients′ prognosis. Comparison of measurement data with normal distribution between groups was conducted using the Welch t test. Comparison of measurement data with skewed distribution between groups was conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test. Comparison of count data between groups was conducted using the chi-square test or Fisher exact probability. Comparison of ordinal data was conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test. The Cox proportional hazard model was used for univariate and multivariate analyses. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate survival rate and plot survival curve, and Log-rank test was used for survival analysis. PSM was performed using the 2∶1 nearest neighbor matching method. The caliper value was set as 0.05. Results:(1) PSM and comparison of clinicopathological charac-teristics of patients between the two groups after matching. Of the 163 patients, 117 cases were successfully matched, with 78 cases in the radical resection group and 39 cases in the dCRT group. After PSM, the elimination of tumor differentiation degree confounding bias ensured comparability. (2) Complications in the radical resection group and treatment status in the dCRT group.Among the 78 patients in the curative esophagectomy group, 22 cases developed complications within 30 days after surgery. There was no death within 30 days after surgery. Among the 39 patients in the dCRT group, 25 cases received concurrent chemoradiotherapy alone, 8 cases received induction chemo-therapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy, 3 cases received sequential chemoradiotherapy, and 3 cases received radiotherapy alone. Among the 33 patients who received concurrent chemo-radiotherapy, 29 cases were treated with the XP regimen, and 4 cases with the FP regimen. Efficacy evaluation showed that 37 patients achieved complete remission, and 2 patients had residual lesions. Twenty-two patients developed treatment-related adverse reactions. (3) Survival analysis. After PSM, the follow-up duration was 58(range, 13-125)months in the radical resection group and 56(range, 10-129)months in the dCRT group. The postoperative 5-year overall survival rates were 95.7% and 97.1% in the radical resection group and dCRT group, respectively, showing no significant difference between the two groups ( χ2=0.001, P>0.05). The postoperative 5-year disease-free progression survival rates were 88.2% and 94.2% in the radical resection group and dCRT group, respectively, showing no significant difference between the two groups ( χ2=0.652, P>0.05). (4) Analysis of factors influencing patients prognosis. Age and pathological TNM stage were indepen-dent influencing factors for overall survival time in patients with clinical T1bN0M0 thoracic esophageal cancer ( hazard ratio=1.312, 2.945, 95% confidence interval as 1.042-1.711, 2.204-5.517, P<0.05). Age and pathological TNM stage were independent influencing factors for disease-free survival time in patients with clinical T1bN0M0 thoracic esophageal cancer ( hazard ratio=1.215, 3.301, 95% confidence interval as 1.012-1.699, 2.012-6.321, P<0.05). Conclusions:There is no significant difference in overall survival and disease-free survival between patients with clinical T1bN0M0 thoracic esophageal cancer undergoing curative esophagectomy and dCRT. The treatment modality is not an independent prognostic factor.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of curative esophagectomy versus definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT) in patients with clinical T1bN0M0 thoracic esophageal cancer.Methods:The propensity score matching (PSM) and retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinico-pathological data of 163 patients with clinical T1bN0M0 thoracic esophageal cancer who were admitted to Henan Provincial People′s Hospital from January 2014 to December 2020 were collected. There were 125 males and 38 females, aged (58.9±7.0)years. Of 163 patients, 124 cases undergoing curative transthoracic esophagectomy were allocated into the radical resection group, 39 cases undergoing dCRT were allocated into the dCRT group. Observation indicators:(1) PSM and compari-son of clinicopathological characteristics of patients between the two groups after matching; (2) complications in the radical resection group and treatment status in the dCRT group; (3) survival analysis; (4) analysis of factors influencing patients′ prognosis. Comparison of measurement data with normal distribution between groups was conducted using the Welch t test. Comparison of measurement data with skewed distribution between groups was conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test. Comparison of count data between groups was conducted using the chi-square test or Fisher exact probability. Comparison of ordinal data was conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test. The Cox proportional hazard model was used for univariate and multivariate analyses. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate survival rate and plot survival curve, and Log-rank test was used for survival analysis. PSM was performed using the 2∶1 nearest neighbor matching method. The caliper value was set as 0.05. Results:(1) PSM and comparison of clinicopathological charac-teristics of patients between the two groups after matching. Of the 163 patients, 117 cases were successfully matched, with 78 cases in the radical resection group and 39 cases in the dCRT group. After PSM, the elimination of tumor differentiation degree confounding bias ensured comparability. (2) Complications in the radical resection group and treatment status in the dCRT group.Among the 78 patients in the curative esophagectomy group, 22 cases developed complications within 30 days after surgery. There was no death within 30 days after surgery. Among the 39 patients in the dCRT group, 25 cases received concurrent chemoradiotherapy alone, 8 cases received induction chemo-therapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy, 3 cases received sequential chemoradiotherapy, and 3 cases received radiotherapy alone. Among the 33 patients who received concurrent chemo-radiotherapy, 29 cases were treated with the XP regimen, and 4 cases with the FP regimen. Efficacy evaluation showed that 37 patients achieved complete remission, and 2 patients had residual lesions. Twenty-two patients developed treatment-related adverse reactions. (3) Survival analysis. After PSM, the follow-up duration was 58(range, 13-125)months in the radical resection group and 56(range, 10-129)months in the dCRT group. The postoperative 5-year overall survival rates were 95.7% and 97.1% in the radical resection group and dCRT group, respectively, showing no significant difference between the two groups ( χ2=0.001, P>0.05). The postoperative 5-year disease-free progression survival rates were 88.2% and 94.2% in the radical resection group and dCRT group, respectively, showing no significant difference between the two groups ( χ2=0.652, P>0.05). (4) Analysis of factors influencing patients prognosis. Age and pathological TNM stage were indepen-dent influencing factors for overall survival time in patients with clinical T1bN0M0 thoracic esophageal cancer ( hazard ratio=1.312, 2.945, 95% confidence interval as 1.042-1.711, 2.204-5.517, P<0.05). Age and pathological TNM stage were independent influencing factors for disease-free survival time in patients with clinical T1bN0M0 thoracic esophageal cancer ( hazard ratio=1.215, 3.301, 95% confidence interval as 1.012-1.699, 2.012-6.321, P<0.05). Conclusions:There is no significant difference in overall survival and disease-free survival between patients with clinical T1bN0M0 thoracic esophageal cancer undergoing curative esophagectomy and dCRT. The treatment modality is not an independent prognostic factor.

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of selenoprotein M (SelM) in endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis in nickel-exposed mouse hearts and to explore the detoxifying effects of melatonin. At 21 d after intraperitoneal injection of nickel chloride (NiCl₂) and/or melatonin into male wild-type (WT) and SelM knockout (KO) C57BL/6J mice, NiCl₂ was found to induce changes in the microstructure and ultrastructure of the hearts of both WT and SelM KO mice, which were caused by oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and apoptosis, as evidenced by decreases in malondialdehyde (MDA) content and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) activity. Changes in the messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression of genes related to endoplasmic reticulum stress (activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), inositol-requiring protein 1 (IRE1), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP)) and apoptosis (B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), Caspase-3, Caspase-9, and Caspase-12) were also observed. Notably, the observed damage was worse in SelM KO mice. Furthermore, melatonin alleviated the heart injury caused by NiCl₂ in WT mice but could not exert a good protective effect in the heart of SelM KO mice. Overall, the findings suggested that the antioxidant capacity of SelM, as well as its modulation of endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis, plays important roles in nickel-induced heart injury.
Animals ; Male ; Mice ; Antioxidants/pharmacology* ; Apoptosis ; Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress ; Melatonin/pharmacology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Nickel/adverse effects* ; Selenoproteins/genetics* ; Heart/drug effects*

Cell mechanics is essential to cell development and function,and its dynamics evolution reflects the physiological state of cells.Here,we investigate the dynamical mechanical properties of single cells under various drug conditions,and present two mathematical approaches to quantitatively character-izing the cell physiological state.It is demonstrated that the cellular mechanical properties upon the drug action increase over time and tend to saturate,and can be mathematically characterized by a linear time-invariant dynamical model.It is shown that the transition matrices of dynamical cell systems signifi-cantly improve the classification accuracies of the cells under different drug actions.Furthermore,it is revealed that there exists a positive linear correlation between the cytoskeleton density and the cellular mechanical properties,and the physiological state of a cell in terms of its cytoskeleton density can be predicted from its mechanical properties by a linear regression model.This study builds a relationship between the cellular mechanical properties and the cellular physiological state,adding information for evaluating drug efficacy.

Objective:To observe the image characteristics of optical coherence tomography (OCT) in patients with primary vitreoretinal lymphoma (PVRL).Methods:A retrospective clinical study. Thirty-two eyes of 19 patients diagnosed with PVRL by vitreous pathology in the Department of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Hospital from September 2016 to October 2019 were included in this study. There were 7 males and 12 females. The median age was 56 years. The mean time from symptom onset to final diagnosis was 6.1±3.8 months. The first diagnosis was uveitis in 12 cases (63.1%, 12/19), retinal vein occlusion in 2 cases (10.5%, 2/19), central retinal artery occlusion in 1 case (5.3%, 1/19), and suspected PVRL of camouflage syndrome in 4 cases (21.1%, 4/19). Routine ophthalmic examination and frequency-domain OCT examination were performed in all the patients, and typical images were stored for analysis. According to the examination results, PVRL OCT signs were divided into vitreous cells, inner retinal infiltration, outer retinal infiltration, retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) infiltration, sub-RPE infiltration, and subretinal fluid.Results:Vitreous cells were found in all eyes (100.0%, 32/32). RPE infiltrated were observed in 19 eyes (59.4%, 19/32), RPE infiltration in 16 eyes (50.0%, 16/32), outer retinal infiltration in 8 eyes (25.0%, 8/32), inner retinal infiltration in 16 eyes (50.0%, 16/32), and subretinal fluid in 4 eyes (12.5%, 4/32).Conclusions:PVRL OCT signs can involve vitreous and retinal anatomical levels, including vitreous cells, inner retinal infiltration, outer retinal infiltration, RPE infiltration, sub-RPE infiltration and subretinal fluid. The same patient can show multiple signs at the same time.

Objective To investigate the epidemiological characteristics and related risk factors of elderly patients with osteoporosis. Methods The basic data of 900 elderly people in Xining City from February 2015 to February 2018 were investigated. The proximal femur and L2～4 bone mineral density were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Osteoporosis was diagnosed and its epidemiological characteristics and risk factors were analyzed. Results Among the 900 elderly people in Xining,276 had osteoporosis,624 did not have osteoporosis, and the prevalence rate was 30. 67%. There were significant differences in gender,body mass index,smoking,alcoholism,family history of osteoporosis between elderly people with osteoporosis and those without osteoporosis ( all P＜0. 05) . The incidence of osteoporosis was 26. 63%(192／721),47. 41%(64／135) and 45. 45%( 20／44) in the elderly of Han nationality,Tibetan nationality and Hui nationality,respectively. The average bone density of femoral trochanter,bilateral femoral neck,Ward＇s triangle and L2～4 in the elderly of different age groups in Xining city was 2. 63%(192／721) . The prevalence of femoral trochanter,bilateral femoral neck,Ward＿s triangle and L2～4 was lower in male elderly than in female elderly ( all P＜0. 05) . By logistic regression analysis, female ( OR＝2. 573, 95%CI1. 319～3. 086), age growth ( OR＝3. 076,95%CI1. 128～3. 746),bad living habits ( OR＝1. 796,95%CI1. 154～5. 286) and family history of osteoporosis(OR＝1. 641,95%CI1. 128～4. 376) were elderly in Xining. Risk factors of osteoporosis ( all P＜0. 05) . Conclusion The prevalence of osteoporosis in 900 elderly people in Xining City was 30. 67%. With the increase of age,the bone mineral density of the elderly gradually decreased. The average bone mineral density of L2～4 was higher than that of proximal femur,and the average bone mineral density of females was lower than that of males. The occurrence of osteoporosis was attributed to females,age growth,bad living habits and family history of osteoporosis. Risk factors can provide reference for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in the elderly in Xining.

Objective: To investigate the frequency of KRAS mutation in mucinous epithelial lesions of the endometrium, and analyze the correlation between KRAS mutation and the clinicopathologic features. Methods: The cohort included forty-three cases of mucinous epithelial lesions of the endometrium selected from July 2015 to October 2017 from Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, and 22 control cases. Genomic DNA was extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections. Polymerase chain reaction amplification for KRAS exons 2 and 3 was performed, followed by sequencing using capillary electrophoresis. The Fisher exact test was used to compare the prevalence of KRAS mutation among the different groups. Results: The patients′age ranged from 33 to 77 years [mean (55.12±9.34) years, median 55 years]. None of the eight cases of endometrial hyperplasia with mucinous differentiation without atypia showed KRAS mutation. The frequency of KRAS mutations was 1/10 in endometrial atypical hyperplasia, 1/12 in endometrioid carcinoma, 4/11 in endometrial atypical hyperplasia with mucinous differentiation (EAHMD), 6/15 in endometrioid carcinoma with mucinous differentiation (ECMD) and 8/9 in mucinous carcinoma (MC), respectively. The differences were statistically significant between MC versus EC (P<0.01) and MC versus ECMD (P<0.05). Conclusion The high frequency of KRAS mutation in EAHMD, ECMD and MC indicates that KRAS mutational activation is implicated in the pathogenesis of endometrial mucinous carcinoma.

Objective To evaluate the effect of polydatin on neuropathic pain in rats.Methods Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats,aged 6-8 weeks,weighing 200-230 g,were randomly divided into 5 groups (n =8 each) using a random number table:sham operation group (group S),neuropathic pain group (group NP),polydatin 5 mg/kg group (group P1),polydatin 10 mg/kg group (group P2),and polydatin 20 mg/kg group (group P3).Neuropathic pain was induced by chronic constriction injury in NP and P1-3 groups.In group S,the sciatic nerve was only exposed but not ligated.In S and NP groups,normal saline 0.1 ml was injected intraperitoneally immediately after operation and at 1,3,5 and 7 days after operation (T1-4).In P1-3 groups,polydatin 5,10 and 20 mg/kg (in normal saline 0.1 ml) were injected intraperitoneally immediately after operation and at T1-4.At 1 day before operation (T0) and T1-4,the mechanical paw withdrawal threshold (MWT) and thermal paw withdrawal latency (TWL) were measured.After measurement of pain threshold at T4,the rats were sacrificed,and L4-6 segments of the spinal cords were removed for determination of the expression of high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1),Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4),interleukin-1beta (IL-1β),tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) by Western blot.Results Compared with group S,the MWT was significantly decreased,and the TWL was significantly shortened at T1-4 in group NP,the MWT was significantly decreased at T1-4,and the TWL was significantly shortened at T2-4 in group P1,the MWT was significantly decreased at T1-4,and the TWL was significantly shortened at T3.4 in group P2,the MWT was significantly decreased at T1-4 in group P3,and the expression of HMGB1,TLR4,IL-1β,TNF-α and MCP-1 was significantly up-regulated in NP,P1 and P2 groups (P＜0.05).Compared with group NP,the MWT was significantly increased at Tt-4,and the TWL was significantly prolonged at T1,2 in group P2,the MWT was significantly increased,and the TWL was significantly prolonged at T1-4 in group P3,the expression of HMGB1,TLR4,IL-1β,TNF-α and MCP-1 was significantly down-regulated in P2 and P3 groups (P＜0.05),and no significant change was found in the parameters mentioned above in group P1 (P＞0.05).Compared with group P1,the MWT was significantly increased at T4 in group P2,and the MWT was significantly increased at T14,the TWL was significantly prolonged at T3,4,and the expression of HMGB1,TLR4,IL-1β,TNF-α and MCP-1 was significantly down-regulated in group P3 (P＜0.05).Compared with group P2,the MWT was significantly increased at T3,4,and the expression of TLR4,IL-1β,TNF-α and MCP-1 was significantly down-regulated in group P3 (P＜0.05).Conclusion Polydatin can alleviate neuropathic pain through inhibiting inflammatory responses in the spinal cord of rats.

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical efficacy of coiling-dragon warm needling atHuatuo jiaji points plus Chinese herbal fumigation in treating ankylosing spondylitis (AS).MethodEighty AS patients were randomly allocated to treatment and control groups, 40 cases each. The treatment group received coiling-dragon warm needling at Huatuo jiaji points plus Chinese herbal fumigation and the control group, oral administration of salicylazosulfapyridine (SASP). An investigation was made of the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), the patients’ overall assessment, the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), the total number of swollen joints, the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Measurement Index (BASMI) and laboratory inflammatory indices: erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), platelet (PLT) and C reactive protein (CRP).ResultThere was a statistically significant difference in the marked efficacy rate between the two groups (P<0.05). Clinical indices: disease activity index and functional index and laboratory indices: ESR, PLT and CRP improved somewhat inboth groups of patients after treatment (P<0.05). After two courses of treatment, the therapeutic effect was better in the treatment group and there was a statistically significant difference compared with the control group (P<0.05).ConclusionCoiling-dragon warm needling at Huatuo jiaji points plus Chinese herbal fumigation can effectively relieve the clinical symptoms and reduce inflammatory reactions in the active stage in AS patients. It is an effective way to treat AS.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effection of the pulmonary function of patients of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) with asthma which treated with endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) based comprehensive treatment. METHOD: There were 50 cases of chronic rhinosinusitis with asthma whom met the study criteria. 35 cases enrolled in the tri al group, which treated with endoscopic sinus surgery, and routine perioperative tratment. Another 15 cases as control group which underwent conservative treatment. Both groups underwent the rule treatment of asthma. The main monitoring indexes, which included visual analogue scale (VAS) score, endoscopic Lund-Kennedy score, control of asthma symptoms, the pulmonary function which involved forced expiratory volume in first second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), the ratio of forced expiratory volume in first second and forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) and peak expiratory flow (PEF), were measured in the patients of each groups before surgery, follow-up for 1 year and 3-year. RESULT: Our study found that the VAS score of CRS with asthma was significantly negatively correlated with FEV1 and PEF (P < 0.05), endoscopic Lund-Kennedy score was significantly negatively correlated with PEF (P < 0.05); After the trial group underwent ESS based comprehensive treatment, the improvement of VAS score and endoscopic Lund-Kennedy score of postoperative compared with preoperative and the same period in the control group were significantly (P < 0.05). The difference of the postoperative asthma control rate of trial group after 1 year and after 3 years, respectively, compared with the same period control group were statistically significant (P < 0.05). The preoperative FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC and PEF of trial group compared with preoperative were significantly (P < 0.05). Even the difference of them compared with the same period control group were significantly (P < 0.05), except the FVC in the follow-up 3 years (P = 0.088). CONCLUSION The CRS may aggravate asthma symptoms and affect negatively the pulmonary function, and poor asthma control or aggravate may exacerbate the CRS in the course of CRS with asthma patient. With ESS based on combined therapy, it can improve the condition of CRS significantly and improve the control of asthma symptoms and pulmonary function else.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Asthma ; complications ; Chronic Disease ; Endoscopy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nose ; surgery ; Pulmonary Ventilation ; physiology ; Rhinitis ; complications ; surgery ; Sinusitis ; complications ; surgery ; Young Adult