Objective To explore risk factors for cardiac valve calcification (CVC) in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients and evaluate its impact on cardiovascular events and mortality. Methods Retrospective selection of 223 patients with MHD admitted to the Department of Nephrology of Jinshan Hospital, Fudan University from June 30, 2019 to June 30, 2024, and enrollment completed within one week of June 30, 2019. Patients were divided into CVC and non-CVC groups. Baseline data and 5-year follow-up data were collected. The binary logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the risk factors for CVC. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to analyze the survival rate of patients. Cox proportional hazard regression model was applied to evaluate the impact of CVC on the survival rates of MHD patients. Results Totally, 223 MHD patients with an average age of (58.4±13.5) years and an average dialysis duration of (64.0±55.4) months were involved. Among them, 136(61.0%) were males, 117(52.5%) were complicated with CVC. Age, dialysis duration, diabetic kidney disease (DKD), the serum corrected total calcium and phosphate, intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), and homocysteine (Hcy) were independent related factors for CVC (P＜0.05). Both all-cause mortality (46.6% vs 28.7%) and cardiovascular mortality (33.3% vs 16.0%) were significantly higher in the CVC group than those in the non-CVC group (P＜0.01). Conclusions Age, dialysis duration, the primary disease, calcium and phosphate, and inflammation- and nutrition-related serum indicators are associated with CVC in MHD patients. CVC significantly increases mortality risk of MHD patients.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of subsequent radiotherapy (RT) following first-line treatment with durvalumab plus chemotherapy in patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). METHODS: A total of 122 patients with ES-SCLC from three hospitals during July 2019 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) analysis was performed to address potential confounding factors. The primary focus of our evaluation was to assess the impact of RT on progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: After IPTW analysis, 49 patients received durvalumab plus platinum-etoposide (EP) chemotherapy followed by RT (Durva + EP + RT) and 72 patients received immunochemotherapy (Durva + EP). The median OS was 17.2 months vs . 12.3 months (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.38, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.17-0.85, P = 0.020), and the median PFS was 8.9 months vs . 5.9 months (HR: 0.56, 95% CI: 0.32-0.97, P = 0.030) in Durva + EP + RT and Durva + EP groups, respectively. Thoracic radiation therapy (TRT) resulted in longer OS (17.2 months vs . 14.7 months) and PFS (9.1 months vs . 7.2 months) compared to RT directed to other metastatic sites. Among patients with oligo-metastasis, RT also showed significant benefits, with a median OS of 17.4 months vs . 13.7 months and median PFS of 9.8 months vs . 5.9 months compared to no RT. Continuous durvalumab treatment beyond progression (TBP) prolonged OS compared to patients without TBP, in both the Durva + EP + RT (NA vs . 15.8 months, HR: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.14-1.63, P = 0.238) and Durva + EP groups (12.3 months vs . 4.3 months, HR: 0.29, 95% CI: 0.10-0.81, P = 0.018). Grade 3 or 4 adverse events occurred in 13 (26.5%) and 13 (18.1%) patients, respectively, in the two groups; pneumonitis was mostly low-grade. CONCLUSION Addition of RT after first-line immunochemotherapy significantly improved survival outcomes with manageable toxicity in ES-SCLC.
Humans ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma/therapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Lung Neoplasms/therapy* ; Aged ; Antibodies, Monoclonal/therapeutic use* ; Adult ; Immunotherapy/methods* ; Aged, 80 and over

BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant therapeutic strategies play a pivotal role in the comprehensive treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) generally exhibits a more favorable response to neoadjuvant therapy compared with lung adenocarcinoma (ADC). The aim of this study is to elucidate how baseline cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and tumor-associated endothelial cells (TAECs) influence the differential therapeutic outcomes of neoadjuvant treatment in SCC versus ADC. METHODS: We retrospectively collected pretreatment biopsy samples from 104 patients with stage II-III NSCLC who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) or neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy (NAIC) at Shandong Cancer Hospital between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2023. Tissue microarrays were constructed using an automated arrayer, and multiplex immunofluorescence staining (α-SMA/CD31/CK/DAPI) was performed to identify CAFs (α-SMA+/CK-) and TAECs (CD31+/CK-). Quantitative analyses included CAFs and TAECs densities, the nearest neighbor distance (NND) between CAFs and TAECs, and their spatial proximity (30 μm). Differences in major pathological response (MPR) between groups, defined as residual viable tumor cells ≤10% in resected specimens after neoadjuvant therapy, were assessed using the χ² test. The Mann-Whitney U test was applied to analyze intergroup differences in quantitative indicators, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was conducted to evaluate the predictive performance of immune-related markers for MPR in the NAIC cohort. RESULTS: Among the 104 NSCLC patients who received neoadjuvant therapy, 35 underwent NAIC and 69 received NAC. Overall, patients with SCC were more likely to achieve MPR compared with those with ADC (50.0% vs 22.4%, P=0.006). This trend persisted in the NAIC subgroup (72.7% vs 30.8%, P=0.038), whereas no significant difference in MPR rates was observed between SCC and ADC in the NAC subgroup. At baseline, prior to NAIC or NAC, programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1)/programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) expression, CAFs and TAECs densities, CAFs-TAECs NND, and CAFs-TAECs proximity (30 μm) showed no significant differences between SCC and ADC. In patients with SCC receiving NAIC, baseline PD-L1/PD-1 expression, CAFs density, and TAECs density showed not significant differences between MPR and NMPR groups. However, the CAFs-TAECs distance was significantly greater in the MPR group (NND: 31.2 vs 24.7 μm, P=0.038), and the number of TAECs within 30 μm of CAFs was significantly lower (proximity: 1.1 vs 3.6, P=0.038). Univariate Cox regression analysis indicated that low TAECs density was associated with MPR following NAIC (OR=36.00, 95%CI: 2.68-1486.88, P=0.019). Furthermore, ROC analysis demonstrated that baseline CAFs-TAECs NND and proximity (30 μm) exhibited strong predictive performance for MPR in SCC patients treated with NAIC, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.893, sensitivity of 0.857, and specificity of 1.000. CONCLUSIONS CAFs are more spatially distant from TAECs and more prone to MPR after NAIC in SCC, which may be related to the reduced interaction of CAFs with TAECs and reduced tumor-associated angiogenesis.
Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/therapy* ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Endothelial Cells/drug effects* ; Aged ; Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts/drug effects* ; Immunotherapy ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/drug therapy* ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/drug therapy* ; Adult

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics of patients with paraquat mixed with diquat poisoning.Methods:The clinical data of 145 patients with paraquat mixed with diquat poisoning admitted to the Department of Emergency of the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from January 20, 2016 to March 31, 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the detection results of plasma toxicants in patients with poisoning, the patients were divided into the paraquat diquat mixed group (mixed group), paraquat group (PQ group) and diquat group (DQ group). The clinical indexes, organ dysfunction, different poisoning doses and prognosis of the three groups were compared. Patients in the mixed group were divided into the survival group and death group according to their 90-day survival, and the differences of each index between the two groups were compared. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was conducted for each index. After Log-rank test, multivariate Cox regression was used to analyze the risk factors of death in the mixed group.Results:A total of 31 patients were included in the mixed group, 92 patients in the PQ group, and 22 patients in the DQ group. There were significant differences in age, toxic dose, number of organ dysfunction, PSS score and APACHE II score among the three groups ( P<0.05). The main injured organs of the mixed group were gastrointestinal tract, kidney, liver, lung and nervous system. The proportion of organ damage in the mixed group was higher than that in the PQ group and DQ group. The white blood cell count, neutrophil count, HB, creatinine, AST, lactic acid, PT and APTT were statistically significant among the three groups ( P<0.05). In the mixed group, patients taking oral administration of < 20 mL all survived; 8 patients taking oral administration of 20 -50 mL died; 11 patients took oral administration of 51-100 mL and 8 (72.7%) died; and 10 patients took oral administration of more than 100 mL and 9 patients (90%) died. In the mixed group, patients with the concentration of diquat > 5000 ng/mL died. Among 31 patients with mixed poisoning, 30 patients (96.78%) had significantly higher concentrations of diquat than paraquat. There were no significant differences in sex, age, time from poisoning to hospitalization, ingestion amount, lymphocyte count, Hb, BNU, CK, total bilirubin, PH, and PT between the survival group and the death group ( P>0.05). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the ingestion amount, plasma PQ concentration at admission, plasma DQ concentration at admission, and lactic acid were independent risk factors for death ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Paraquat mixed with diquat can cause multiple organ function damage. The main damaged organs are gastrointestinal tract, kidney, liver, lung and nervous system. Compared with PQ or DQ poisoning, mixed poisoning has a higher incidence of organ damage, a more serious condition, and a higher mortality rate. Ingestion amount, plasma PQ concentration at admission, plasma DQ concentration at admission and lactic acid were independent factors influencing the prognosis of mixed poisoning.

Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is a very important pathogen, especially for children.On a global scale, GAS is an important cause of morbidity and mortality.But the burden of disease caused by GAS is still unknown in China and also has not obtained enough attention.For this purpose, the expert consensus is comprehensively described in diagnosis, treatment and prevention of GAS diseases in children, covering related aspects of pneumology, infectiology, immunology, microbiology, cardiology, nephrology, critical care medicine and preventive medicine.Accordingly, the consensus document was intended to improve management strategies of GAS disease in Chinese children.

ObjectiveTo analyze the management and treatment for patients with severe mental disorders in Chengdu from 2016 to 2020， in order to provide references for the relevant authorities to formulate policies and improving the mental health service system. MethodsData relating to 22 districts （cities） and counties in Chengdu from January 1， 2016 to December 31， 2020 were extracted from the National Information System for Severe Mental Disorders. Indicators such as reported prevalence rate， management rate， standardized management rate， medication rate， regular medication rate and stable condition rate of patients with severe mental disorders were analyzed on a yearly basis. ResultsBy the end of 2020， there were 71 899 registered cases of severe mental disorders in Chengdu， with a reported prevalence rate of 0.34%， a standardized management rate of 95.53%， and a regular medication rate of 72.50%. From 2016 to 2020， except the reported prevalence rate （χ²=269.566， P<0.01）， management rate （χ²=384.030， P<0.01）， standardized management rate （χ²=309.742， P<0.01）， medication rate （χ²=414.252， P<0.01）， regular medication rate （χ²=316.172， P<0.01） and stable condition rate （χ²=288.335， P<0.01） had linear trends of increasing with the annual increase. ConclusionFrom 2016 to 2020， the management rate， treatment rate and regular medication rate of patients with severe mental disorders have been increased year by year in Chengdu. Nevertheless， the increase in reported prevalence rate should be accompanied by strengthened management and follow-up to increase the regular medication rate to maintain the stability of patients' conditions.

Objective:To identify important prognostic molecular markers of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) using high throughput sequencing technology and to explore the correlation of spindle checkpoint protein BUB1B and clinicopathological features with patients′ prognosis.Methods:The clinicopathological data and prognostic information of TNBC diagnosed at the West China Hospital of Sichuan University from 2009 to 2017 were collected. Forty-seven fresh tumor samples and 139 formalin fixed paraffin-embedded samples were selected. The fresh tumor samples were subject to RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). The enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis were performed after intersection of difference analysis between RNAseq and GEO (Gene Expression Omnibus) datasets GSE38959 and GSE65194. Kaplan-Meier plotter database was used to analyze the relationship between expression of BUB1B and prognosis. Immunohistochemical staining was used to verify its expression in TNBC and correlation with clinicopathological features and prognosis.Results:Using edgeR to perform differential expression analysis between 47 TNBC tumor tissues and 12 normal tissues, 1 559 up-regulated genes and 1 376 down-regulated genes were identified, while only 131 differentially expressed genes were overlapping with those in GSE38959 and GSE65194. Enrichment analysis was mainly enriched in cell cycle, JAK-STAT signaling pathway and p53 signaling pathway. The top 10 genes ranked by degree of association were TOP2A, BUB1B, MKI67, PLK1, RRM2, PCNA, KPNA2, SMC4, PBK and IGF1. Kaplan-Meier plotter database analysis showed that the expression of BUB1B was significantly correlated with the prognosis of TNBC [overall survival, hazard ratio (HR)=0.52, 95% CI (0.35-0.77), P=0.001; distant metastasis-free, HR=0.72, 95% CI (0.52-0.98), P=0.038]. The immunohistochemical analyses of 139 formalin fixed paraffin-embedded samples showed that the low expression of BUB1B was correlated with poor prognosis in TNBC [HR=0.41, 95% CI (0.18-0.95), P=0.024]. Conclusions:The low expression of BUB1B protein is associated with poor prognosis in TNBC patients, and the molecular mechanism related with prognosis and potential therapeutic targets need to be further studied.

Blood-retina barrier destruction, nerve injury, formation of neovascularization and fibroblast proliferation membrane are important pathological changes of DR, which are related to the combined effects of various vitreous cytokines. VEGF is mainly involved in increasing retinal vascular permeability and inducing neovascularization. Pigment epithelium derived factor is vital reducing vascular permeability and neuroprotection; IL plays a key role in mediating inflammatory response. TNF-α is related to inflammation, which is significantly up-regulated by hypoxia. TGF-β is an important cytokine regulating cell proliferation and differentiation. Connective tissue growth factor can promote the growth, migration and adhesion of endothelial cell. In addition, many other molecular mechanisms have not been fully elucidated, and further study on the molecular mechanism of DR is urgent. With the further study of molecular mechanism, the early intervention and targeted treatment of DR will be more effective.

Objective To investigate the effect of home diabetes care platform based on internet and family fixed partner on the continuous care of diabetes patients outside the hospital.Methods A total of 150 out-patients with diabetes were collected from June 2016 to November 2016,divided into family fixed partner group(group A),smart phone APP home diabetes care platform group(group B),family fixed partner combination with smart phone APP home diabetes care platform group(group C)with 50 cases each by random digits table method.The three groups received the same health education during their stay in hospital,patients in group A and group C were required to have family fixed partners,patients in group B and group C were required to receive the home diabetes care platform for smart phones APP after they left the hospital,the intervention time was six months,and the indexes of blood glucose metabolism,self-management ability of diabetes were assessed at the end of six months after intervention and before intervention.Results Fasting blood glucose and postprandial blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin values of the three groups after intervention were lower than those before intervention.The postprandial blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin values was(9.96±4.23)mmol/L,(7.16±1.47)%in group C,(13.78±3.34),(11.46±4.85)mmol/L and(8.46±2.21)%,(8.07±2.45)%in group A and B,the difference was significant(F=10.57,3.92,P＜0.05).The scores of self-management ability of diabetes of the three groups after intervention were all higher than those before intervention.The score of self-management ability of diabetes of item 1-6 was(6.45±1.65),(4.87±2.23),(6.17±2.12),(5.24±1.65),(4.67±2.13),(6.27±2.02)points in group C,(5.78±1.96),(3.63±2.14),(5.25±2.34),(4.12±1.97),(3.65±1.34),(5.26±2.21)points in group B,(5.04±1.78),(3.37±1.64),(4.63±1.87),(4.03±2.17),(3.32±1.74),(5.30±1.97)points in group A,the difference was statistically significant(F=3.82-7.94,P＜0.05).Conclusions Home diabetes care platform based on internet,combined with family fixed partner education,are more conductive to patient blood sugar control,and enhance self-management ability and account ability.

Objective: To understand the pollution characteristics and assess the pollution health risks of heavy metals in atmospheric PM_2.5 in Lanzhou. Methods: According to the regional characteristics of air pollution and industrial distribution characteristics in Lanzhou, atmospheric PM_2.5 was sampled monthly in Chengguan and Xigu Districts from January, 2015 to December, 2016. Detected the concentration of PM_2.5 and 12 kinds of elements (Sb, Al, As, Be, Cd, Cr, Hg, Pb, Mn, Ni, Se and Tl) by weighing method and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Enrichment factor and geo-accumulation index were used to describe the pollution characteristics, while health risk assessment was conducted using the recommended United States Environmental Protection Agency (USA EPA) model. The health risks of non-carcinogens were evaluated by non-cancer hazard quotient (HQ), the non-carcinogenic risk was considered to be negligible when HQ<1, HQ>1 meant a health risk. With a single contaminant cancer Risk value to evaluate the health risks of carcinogens, when the Risk value between 10^-6 to10^-4 as an acceptable level. Results: The daily average concentrations of PM_2.5 was 83.0 μg/m³, 77.0 μg/m³ in Chengguan and Xigu Districts, respectively, during the sampling periods, and the concentration of PM_2.5 in winter/spring was higher than summer/fall in both districts. The concentration of Al in PM_2.5 was the highest and other elements in descending order: Pb, Mn, As, Sb/Cd, Tl in both districts. Enrichment factor results showed that Al and Mn were mainly affected by natural factors, the rest of five elements were all typical man-made pollution elements and according to geo-accumulation index pollution level of Cd was the strongest in the winter. The results of health risk assessment showed that Mn had the highest non-cancer risks (HQ>1) and affected the health of the children seriously. HQ reached up to 2.44 and 1.79 in Chengguan and Xigu Districts, respectively. Pb, As, Sb, Cd had slight health impact (HQ<1), could be negligible. The cancer risks range of As, Cr were 6.33×10^-6 to 6.46×10^-5 between the acceptable level of risk (10^-6 to 10^-4), which indicated that As and Cd had potential cancer-risks. Conclusions The pollution level of atmospheric PM_2.5 and the heavy metals in it was still grim;the non-cancer risks caused by multiple metals on children deserved attention. Although the cancer risks of As and Cd were between the acceptable level of risk, the potential cancer risk still shall not be ignored.