Objective To assess inter-observer variations(IOV)in the delineation of target volumes and organs-at-risk(OAR)for intensity-modulated radiotherapy(IMRT)of nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC)among physicians from different levels of cancer centers,thereby providing a reference for quality control in multi-center clinical trials.Methods Twelve patients with NPC of different TMN stages were randomly selected.Three physicians from the same municipal cancer center manually delineated the target volume(GTVnx)and OAR for each patient.The manually modified and confirmed target volume(GTVnx)and OAR delineation structures by radiotherapy experts from the regional cancer center were used as the standard delineation.The absolute volume difference ratio(△V_diff),maximum/minimum volume ratio(MMR),coefficient of variation(CV),and Dice similarity coefficient(DSC)were used to compare the differences in organ delineation among physicians from different levels of cancer centers and among the 3 physicians from the same municipal cancer center.Furthermore,the IOV of GTVnx and OAR among physicians from different levels cancer centers were compared across different TMN stages.Results Significant differences in the delineation of GTVnx were observed among physicians from different levels of cancer centers.Among the 3 physicians,the maximum values of △V_diff,MMR,and CV were 97.23%±83.45%,2.19±0.75,and 0.31±0.14,respectively,with an average DSC of less than 0.7.Additionally,there were considerable differences in the delineation of small-volume OAR such as the left and right optic nerves,chiasm,and pituitary,with average MMR>2.8,CV>0.37,and DSC<0.51.However,relatively smaller differences were observed in the delineation of large-volume OAR such as the brainstem,spinal cord,left and right eyeballs,and left and right mandible,with average△V_diff<42%,MMR<1.55,and DSC>0.7.Compared with the differences among physicians from different levels cancer centers,the differences among the 3 physicians from the municipal cancer center were slightly reduced.Furthermore,there were also differences in the delineation of target volumes for NPC among physicians from different levels cancer centers,depending on the staging of the disease.Compared with the delineation of target volumes for earlier stage patients(stages I or II),the differences among physicians in the delineation of target volumes for advanced stage patients(stages III or IV)were smaller,with average △V_diff and DSC of 98.31%±67.36%vs 69.38%±72.61%(P<0.05)and 0.55±0.08 vs 0.72±0.12(P<0.05),respectively.Conclusion There are differences in the delineation of GTVnx and OAR in radiation therapy for NPC among physicians from different levels of cancer centers,especially in the delineation of target volume(GTVnx)and small-volume OAR for early-stage patients.To ensure the accuracy of multicenter clinical trials,it is recommended to provide unified training to physicians from different levels of cancer centers and review their delineation results to reduce the effect of differences on treatment outcomes.

Objective : To investigate the effects and mechanism of small ubiquitin-like modifier ( SUMO) specific proteinase-1 (SENP-1) on chronic intermittent hypoxia ( CIH) induced myocardial injury in rats． Methods : 32 male SD rats were randomly divided into : control group，CIH group，negative control adeno-associated virus interven- tion group (AAV-shNC) and SENP-1 shRNA adeno-associated virus intervention group (AAV-shSENP-1) ，with 8 rats in each group．After 6 weeks of CIH induction，echocardiography was performed．The levels of cardiac troponin I (cTNI) ，creatine kinase MB isoenzyme ( CKMB) ，myoglobin (Mb) ，lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in serum and malondialdehyde (MDA) ，uperoxide dismutases ( SOD) ，glutathione ( GSH) ，interleukin( IL) -1 β , IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) in myocardial tissue were detected by ELISA．The pathological changes of myocardial tis- sue was observed by HE staining．The reactive oxygen species ( ROS) level in myocardial tissue was detected by DCFH-DA fluorescence probe labeling．The small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) level of hypoxia inducible factor- 1 α (HIF-1 α) protein in myocardial tissue was detected by kit．The mRNA and protein levels of SENP-1 and HIF- 1 α in myocardial tissue were detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot. Results : Compared with the control group， the pathological damage of myocardial tissue in CIH group was serious，the levels of left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDD) ，left ventricular end systolic dimension (LVESD) and serum cTNI，CKMB，Mb and LDH signif- icantly increased (P＜0. 05) ，and the levels of ROS，MDA，IL-1 β , IL-6，TNF-α and the mRNA and protein levels of SENP-1 and HIF-1α in myocardial tissue also significantly increased (P ＜0. 05 ) ，while the levels of LVEF， LVFS，serum GSH and SOD significantly decreased (P ＜0. 05) ，and the SUMOylates level of HIF-1α protein in myocardial tissue also significantly decreased (P ＜0. 05 ) ．Compared with CIH group，AAV-shSENP-1 group had less myocardial pathological damage，the levels of LVEDD，LVESD and serum cTNI，CKMB，Mb and LDH signifi- cantly decreased (P＜0. 05) ，and the levels of ROS，MDA，IL-1 β, IL-6，TNF-α and the mRNA and protein levels of SENP-1 and HIF-1α in myocardial tissue also significantly decreased (P＜0. 05) ，the levels of LVEF，LVFS，serum GSH and SOD significantly increased (P＜0. 05) ，and the SUMOylates level of HIF-1α protein in myocardial tissue also significantly decreased (P＜0. 05) ． Conclusion Inhibition of SENP-1 expression can alleviate CIH induced myocarditis and oxidative stress in rats，improve myocardial injury and cardiac dysfunction，and its mechanism may be related to the improvement of HIF-1α SUMOylates level，thus inhibiting HIF-1α expression.

OBJECTIVE To improve the quality standard for Jubei mixture . METHODS The chemical reaction of trinitrophenol and hydrocyanic acid was used to identify Armeniacae Amarum solution . Platycodon grandiflorus ，Fritillaria thunbergii，Scutellaria baicalensis ，the leaves of Eriobotrya japonica and Glycyrrhiza uralensis in Jubei mixture were identified by thin-layer chromatography （TLC）. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to simultaneously determine the contents of four active components ，such as amygdalin ，baicalin，wogonoside and monoammonium glycyrrhizinate in Jubei mixture . RESULTS Trinitrophenol test paper showed brick red . TLC spots of five medicinal materials were clear ，without interference from negative control . The linear ranges of amygdalin ，baicalin，wogonoside and monoammonium glycyrrhizinate were 0.066 8-1.335 5 μg（R2＝0.9994），0.189 8-3.796 9 μg（R2＝0.999 9），0.062 6-1.251 3 μg（R2＝0.999 9），0.041 8-0.835 5 μg（R2＝0.999 8）， respectively. RSDs of precision ，repeatability and stability tests were all lower than 2%. The average recoveries were 98.2%， 99.5%，98.3%，99.6%，and RSDs were 0.7%，1.6%，1.5%，1.1%（n＝6）. The contents of 15 batches of samples were different ， and the content of sample from company A was generally lower than those from companies B and C . CONCLUSIONS The standard established can reflect the inherent quality of Jubei mixture well .

Objective To investigate the influence of vitamin D deficiency on nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Methods The patients with NASH who were hospitalized in Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Hospital of Changsha, from January 2020 to October 2021 were enrolled, and according to the serum level of 1, 25(OH) 2 D 3 , they were divided into group A with 1, 25(OH) 2 D 3 deficiency (< 20 ng/mL), group B with 1, 25(OH) 2 D 3 insufficiency (20-30 ng/mL), and group C with sufficient 1, 25(OH) 2 D 3 (> 30 ng/mL). The three groups were compared in terms of the serum levels of 1, 25(OH) 2 D 3 , alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TBil), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), interleukin-18 (IL-18), and interleukin-37 (IL-37) and liver pathological grade, and fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index was calculated. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups, and the least significant difference t -test was used for further comparison between two groups; the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. A Pearson correlation analysis was also performed. Results A total of 120 NASH patients were enrolled, with 40 patients in each group. Compared with group A, groups B and C had significant increases in the levels of 1, 25(OH) 2 D 3 and IL-37 and significant reductions in FIB-4 index and the levels of ALT, AST, TBil, TC, TG, and IL-18 (all P < 0.05). Compared with group B, group C had significant increases in the levels of 1, 25(OH) 2 D 3 and IL-37 and significant reductions in FIB-4 index and the levels of ALT, AST, TC, TG, and IL-18 (all P < 0.05). The correlation analysis showed that 1, 25(OH) 2 D 3 was negatively correlated with ALT ( r =-0.84, P < 0.001), AST ( r =-0.77, P < 0.001), TBil ( r =-0.32, P < 0.001), TC ( r =-0.45, P < 0.001), TG ( r =-0.42, P < 0.001), IL-18 ( r =-0.40, P < 0.001), and FIB-4 index ( r =-0.62, P < 0.001), and it was positively correlated with IL-37 ( r =0.59, P < 0.001). Compared with group A, groups B and C had significant reductions in the proportion of patients with severe steatosis ( χ 2 =51.46, P < 0.001), bridging fibrosis and early liver cirrhosis ( χ 2 =36.59, P < 0.001), or bridging necrosis and large-scale necrosis ( χ 2 =37.28, P < 0.001). Light microscopy showed that group A had extensive ballooning degeneration of hepatocytes, a large number of lipid droplets (mainly macrovesicular lipid droplets), disordered arrangement of the liver plate, lymphocyte infiltration, and focal bridging fibrosis; group B mainly had spotted focal necrosis, periportal fibrosis, lipid droplets with various sizes, a small amount of neutrophil infiltration, and ballooning degeneration of some hepatocytes; group C had ballooning degeneration of a small number of hepatocytes, focal perisinusoidal fibrosis, a small number of lesions with spotted focal necrosis, and a small number of lipid droplets in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes. Conclusion The degree of liver injury and fibrosis increases with the reduction in vitamin D level, and vitamin D measurement helps to evaluate the progression of NASH.

Tumor recurrence and metastasis after liver transplantation (LT) remains one of the most important factors that affect the outcome of LT for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The diagnosis and treatment strategies in the era of precision medicine, including utilizing multi-omics, high-throughput gene sequencing analysis, big data and artificial intelligence to select the biomarkers which can accurately predict the prognosis after LT, evaluating the immune status comprehensively, inducing immune tolerance, providing effective prevention for patients at a high risk of recurrence with sensitive antitumor drugs and attaching importance to individualized treatment for recurrence and metastasis, may further improve the outcome of LT. Combined with experience and review of relevant research articles, the authors elaborate perioperative diagnosis and treatment strategies of LT for HCC, aiming to promote the application of precision medicine in the field of LT.

Objective:To explore the risk factors influencing the prognosis for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence after liver transplantation and summarize the relevant diagnostic and therapeutic experiences.Methods:The clinicopathological features with diagnosis and treatment plan of 102 recurrent HCC patients fulfilling the Fudan Criteria were compared for survival rate (univariate analysis) and independent prognostic indicators were obtained by Cox multivariate analysis.Results:The 1/3/5-year overall survival rates were 92.2%, 48.6% and 34.6% and the 1/3/5-year survival rates with tumor were 63.2%, 31.0% and 16.7% respectively. Cox regression analysis indicated that patient age, whether tumor can be surgically resected or not and personalized diagnostic & therapeutic plan based upon targeted therapy were independent prognostic factors affecting the overall survival rates and survival rates with tumor.Conclusions:Although HCC recurrence and metastasis after liver transplantation seriously influence patient prognosis, satisfactory outcomes may be obtained for some patients through active, effective and precise managements.

The preliminary screening of oral cancer mostly depends on the experience of clinicians, The surgical margin of tumor is mostly based on physical examination and preoperative imaging examination. It lacks real-time and objective intraoperative evaluation methods. Indocyanine green (ICG), as a safe and pollution-free organic fluorescent pigments, combined with near-infrared fluorescence imaging can be applied in the screening of early oral cancer, the determination of tumor resection margins, sentinel lymph node biopsy, cervical lymph node dissection, targeted chemotherapy, and other aspects. Near-infrared fluorescence imaging may become a key link in the early diagnosis and accurate treatment for oral cancer in the future.
Humans ; Indocyanine Green ; Lymph Nodes ; Mouth Neoplasms/therapy* ; Optical Imaging ; Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy

Objective:To explore the clinical value of serum des-γ-carboxy prothrombin (DCP) in predicting hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence after liver transplantation.Methods:A total of 115 cases with hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent liver transplantation in Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University from October 2016 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, Mann-Whitney U test, Kaplan-Meier method, Log-Rank test, χ2 test, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis and other statistical methods were used to explore the value of DCP in predicting tumor recurrence after liver transplantation and its correlation with clinicopathological characteristics.Results:The preoperative serum DCP level in recurrent population after liver transplantation was significantly higher than that in non-recurrent population ( P < 0.001). The optimal cut-off value of preoperative DCP for predicting recurrence was 200mAU/ml with the use of receiver operating characteristic curve. The sensitivity, specificity, Youden’s index and the receiver operating characteristic curve was 87.90%, 57.30%, 0.452, and 0.726, respectively. Survival analysis results grouped by this cut-off value showed that patients with preoperative DCP ≥200mAU/ml had a higher probability of recurrence ( P < 0.001). Further, subgroup survival analysis showed that patients with preoperative DCP≥200 mAU/ ml had a higher probability of recurrence than other cases of alpha-fetoprotein negative subgroup, cumulative tumor diameter ≤ 9 cm subgroup and Milan criteria subgroup ( P < 0.05). Cox regression analysis showed that preoperative DCP≥200 mAU/ ml ( P = 0.017) and cumulative tumor diameter > 9 cm ( P = 0.014) was an independent risk factor for recurrence after liver transplantation. χ2 test results showed that preoperative serum DCP level was correlated with gender, serum gamma glutamyltransferase level, serum alpha fetoprotein level, cumulative tumor diameter, vascular invasion, tumor differentiation and liver cancer transplant criteria ( P < 0.05). Conclusion:Preoperative serum DCP can be used as a supplement to the existing liver cancer transplant criteria to predict hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence after liver transplantation. In addition, the accurate screening of patients with low risk of HCC recurrence after liver transplantation can improve the prognosis and efficacy of liver transplant patients.

Objective:To compare the histologic features of immune-mediated hepatitis (IMH) due to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) monotherapy and combined ICIs anti-angiogenesis tyrosine kinases (TKIs) targeted therapy.Methods:Twenty-one IMH patients who had liver biopsy during ICIs treatment in Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University from 2015 to 2019 were included. Among them, ten were treated with ICIs monotherapy, and 11 were treated with combined ICIs and anti-angiogenesis targeted therapy. The histologic features of IMH were assessed by HE staining and PD-L1/2 was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining.Results:Patients treated with monotherapy ICIs presented with different levels of lobular hepatitis and portal inflammation. Besides, there were also cholangitis, endothelialitis, Kupffer cells activation and peliosisi hepatitis. Eight cases (8/10) showed mild and two cases (2/10) showed moderate hepatic injury. As for patients receiving combined ICIs and TKIs therapy, the extent of IMH was more severe, with four cases (4/11) showing moderate-severe liver injury, with confluent or bridging necrosis, portal inflammation, cholangitis, interface hepatitis. Among these, one patient developed acute severe hepatitis with massive hepatocyte necrosis and died of multisystem dysfunction. In those cases with severe liver injury, many CD8 positive lymphocytes aggregated in the portal area and hepatic sinusoid, and PD-L1 was expressed in many endothelial cells. There were both 2 cases of death in ICIs monotherapy and combination therapy group. Among the latter group, 1 patient developed acute severe hepatitis with massive hepatocyte necrosis and died of multisystem dysfunction.Conclusion:Compared with ICIs monotherapy, combined ICIs and anti-angiogenesis targeted TKIs therapy may cause overlapping hepatic injury, leading to severe IMH.

Objective To explore the clinical value of laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal herniorrhaphy (LTEP) and open to tally extraperitoneal (OTEP) for bilateral inguinal hernias.Methods From January 2015 to December 2017,61 male patients with bilateral inguinal hernias,who were in accordance with the inclusion criteria,were prospectively randomized into laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal herniorrhaphy group (LTEP group,n =31)or totally extraperitoneal herniorrhaphy via hypogastric midline incision group(OTEP group,n =30).Operative outcomes,postoperative complications,recurrence,the levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) were analyzed.The data were analyzed by statistical software.Results The operative baselines of patients in two groups were equivalent.In patients who received laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal herniorrhaphy,decreased levels of CRP on the 1th day after operation,postoperative ambulation and hospital stay [(88.7 ± 18.5) mg/L vs (102.0 ±25.1) mg/L,P=0.022];[(5.6±2.2) h vs (20.0±5.5) h,P＜0.001;(3.0±0.6) dvs (4.5±1.0) d,P ＜ 0.001],were found compared with the OTEP group significantly,LTEP group had more hospitalization expense than OTEP group [(14 779.3 ± 1450.1) yuan vs (13 650.0 ± 1 787.3) yuan,P ＜ 0.001].There were no mesh infection,chronic pain,scrotal edema and recurrence of inguinal hernia in two groups.No difference was found between the two groups in the other operative outcomes and postoperative complications.Conclusion Both laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal herniorrhaphy and totally extraperitoneal herniorrhaphy via hypogastric midline incision are effective and safe in the treatment of bilateral inguinal hernias,each has both advantages and disadvantages,and complement each other.