Objective To describe the significance of the pretreatment inflammatory indicators in predicting the prognosis of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) after undergoing radical radiotherapy. Methods The data of 246 ESCC patients who underwent radical radiotherapy were retrospectively collected. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn to determine the optimal cutoff values for platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII). The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis. We conducted univariate and multivariate analyses by using the Cox proportional risk regression model. Software R (version 4.2.0) was used to create the nomogram of prognostic factors. Results The results of the ROC curve analysis showed that the optimal cutoff values of PLR, NLR, and SII were 146.06, 2.67, and 493.97, respectively. The overall response rates were 77.6% and 64.5% in the low and high NLR groups, respectively (P<0.05). The results of the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that the prognosis of patients in the low PLR, NLR, and SII group was better than that of patients in the high PLR, NLR, and SII group (all P<0.05). The results of the multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that gender, treatment modalities, T stage, and NLR were independent factors affecting the overall survival (OS). In addition, T stage and NLR were independent factors affecting the progression-free survival (PFS) (all P<0.05). The nomogram models of OS and PFS prediction were established based on multivariate analysis. The C-index values were 0.703 and 0.668. The calibration curves showed excellent consistency between the predicted and observed OS and PFS. Conclusion The pretreatment values of PLR, NLR, and SII are correlated with the prognosis of patients with ESCC who underwent radical radiotherapy. Moreover, NLR is an independent factor affecting the OS and PFS of ESCC patients. The NLR-based nomogram model has a good predictive ability.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of Danmu Extract Syrup (DMS) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) in mice and explore the mechanism. METHODS: Seventy-two male Balb/C mice were randomly divided into 6 groups according to a random number table (n=12), including control (normal saline), LPS (5 mg/kg), LPS+DMS 2.5 mL/kg, LPS+DMS 5 mL/kg, LPS+DMS 10 mL/kg, and LPS+Dexamethasone (DXM, 5 mg/kg) groups. After pretreatment with DMS and DXM, the ALI mice model was induced by LPS, and the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were collected to determine protein concentration, cell counts and inflammatory cytokines. The lung tissues of mice were stained with hematoxylin-eosin, and the wet/dry weight ratio (W/D) of lung tissue was calculated. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1 β in BALF of mice were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The expression levels of Claudin-5, vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), phospho-protein kinase B (p-Akt) and Akt were detected by Western blot analysis. RESULTS: DMS pre-treatment significantly ameliorated lung histopathological changes. Compared with the LPS group, the W/D ratio and protein contents in BALF were obviously reduced after DMS pretreatment (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The number of cells in BALF and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity decreased significantly after DMS pretreatment (P<0.05 or P<0.01). DMS pre-treatment decreased the levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1 β (P<0.01). Meanwhile, DMS activated the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) pathway and reversed the expressions of Claudin-5, VE-cadherin and VEGF (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS DMS attenuated LPS-induced ALI in mice through repairing endothelial barrier. It might be a potential therapeutic drug for LPS-induced lung injury.
Mice ; Male ; Animals ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism* ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism* ; Interleukin-1beta/metabolism* ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/metabolism* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; Claudin-5/metabolism* ; Acute Lung Injury/chemically induced* ; Lung/pathology* ; Interleukin-6/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal

Objective To analyze the combined effect of body mass index(BMI)and age with cancer occurrence among a hypertensive population in Minhang District,Shanghai.Methods Participants of this study were 212 394 hypertensive patients without cancer in Minhang District,Shanghai,registered in the electronic health information system from 2007 to 2015.Age and BMI were included as smoothing functions in the generalized additive Cox proportional risk model.The bivariate response model was constructed to visualize results using surface plots and to comprehensively analyze the association of BMI and age with the risk of cancer occurrence.Results A total of 22 141 participants developed cancer by Dec 31,2018.The association between age and the risk of cancer incidence showed an overall linear trend while the association between BMI and the risk of cancer incidence showed an overall"U"shape.BMI at about 26 kg/m2 showed the lowest risk of cancer incidence.The risk of cancer occurrence increased with increasing age in people with different BMIs.The associations between BMI and the risk of cancer incidence were different at different age groups:there was no significant association between BMI and the risk of cancer incidence in the young people(20-44 years).While in the middle-aged and older people aged over 45 years,BMI was associated with the risk of cancer incidence in a"U"shape.The lowest risk of cancer incidence was around the BMI of 26 kg/m2.Conclusion BMI among the population with hypertension should be controlled in a reasonable range,especially in the middle-aged and older population,to prevent cancer occurrence.

This article introduced the basic theory of quantile regression and its application in medical and public health research for methodological reference.We fit the quantile regression model to cross-sectional data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to estimate the association between sleep duration and depression levels at different quantiles of depression levels.The method showed that among people with low levels of depression,sleep duration was not significantly associated with depression level.While among people with higher levels of depression,the association of sleep duration with depression level became much more pronounced.The real data analysis shows that quantile regression can provide a comprehensive analysis of association between exposure and continuous outcome,and identify subgroups that are more sensitive to exposure,providing recommendations for targeted interventions.The method showed promising application value in medical and public health research.

This article introduced the basic theory of non-parametric regression and its application in medical and public health research for methodological reference.We conducted Cox proportional hazard models with restricted cubic splines using chronic disease management data from a Center for Disease Control and Prevention.We aimed to explore the separate and combined effects of mean fasting blood glucose level and glucose variability on all-cause mortality among individuals with type 2 diabetes.A non-linear association was observed between glucose variability and the risk of all-cause mortality.The association between glucose variability and all-cause mortality was stronger at higher mean fasting blood glucose levels compared to lower levels.The non-parametric regression methods comprehensively explored dose-response relationships between continuous exposure and outcome,revealing the combined effects of continuous exposures,which provided recommendations for targeted interventions.The method showed promising application value in medical and public health research.

Objective To compare the effects of two arc(TA)and dual arc(DA)techniques on the dose distribution to the planning target volume(PTV)and organs at risk(OAR)in volumetric modulated arc therapy(VMAT)for lower mid-thoracic esophageal cancer.Methods Ten patients with lower mid-thoracic esophageal cancer who received radiation therapy at some hospital from July 2020 to June 2022 were selected retrospectively.A TA radiation therapy plan and a DA radiation therapy plan were developed for each patient using the Ray Arc module of RayStation 4.7.5.4 planning system,and the two kinds of radiation plans were compared in terms of dosimetric parameters including D2,D5,D50,D95,D98,homogeneity index(HI),conformity index(CI),beam-on time and total monitor unit for PTV and lung V5,V10,V20,V30 and Dmean and heartV30,V40 and Dmean and spine cord Dmax for OAR.SPSS 22.0 was used for statistical analysis.Results TA and DA radiation therapy plans had no significant differences in PTV CI,HI,D2,D5,D50,D95 and beam-on time(P＞0.05),and DA plan had D98 and total monitor unit higher obviously than those of TA plan(P＜0.05).In terms of OARs protection,DA plan had heart V30,V40 and Dmean slightly lower than those of TA plan with non-significantly differences(P＞0.05),while lung V5,V30 and Dmean and spine cordDmax significantly lower(P＜0.05).Conclusion DA technique gains advantages over TA technique in PTV dose distribution and dose to OAR,and the involvement of DA technique in preparing the VMAT plan for esophageal cancer contributes to enhancing the treatment efficacy.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(1):62-66]

Objective To compare the clinical efficacies of video-assisted thoracoscopic segmentectomy versus lobectomy for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer.Methods The clinical data of 234 patients with stage ⅠA non-small cell lung cancer and undergoing different surgical methods under video-assisted thoracoscopy admitted to Chongqing Dianjiang General Hospital were retrospectively analyzed,and the patients were divided into the lung segment group and the lung lobe group according to their surgical methods.The clinical characteristics of the patients in the two groups were balanced by a 1-to-1 ratio matching through the propensity score matching method,and each group finally included 63 cases.The perioperative indicators containing operation time,intraoperative blood loss,postoperative thoracic drainage tube indwelling time,thoracic drainage volumes 24 hours and 48 hours after operation and postoperative hospital stay were compared of patients between the two groups.The incidence of postoperative complications such as air leakage>6 days,pulmonary infection,atelectasis,hemoptysis,and hoarseness in the two groups was collected.Results There was no significant difference in the operation time,intraoperative blood loss,thoracic drainage volumes 24 hours and 48 hours after operation,postoperative thoracic drainage tube indwelling time or incidence of postoperative complications of patients between the two groups(P>0.05).The postoperative hospital stay of patients in the lung segment group was shorter than that in the lung lobe group,with statistically significant difference(P=0.003).Conclusion For patients with stage ⅠA non-small cell lung cancer,video-assisted thoracoscopic segmentectomy has similar perioperative efficacy to lobectomy,while segmentectomy has a more significant advantage in shortening the hospital stay.

This paper introduces a transfer learning approach based on regression models and demonstrates its application in the medical field through an example.Using data from the 2013-2014 U.S.National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey,the study investigates the association of sleep duration with depression levels and depressive disorder.It employs demographic characteristics and lifestyle factors as predictor variables to predict depression levels and depressive disorder across different racial groups.Compared to models built solely on target racial groups,transfer learning enhances the accuracy of estimating the effect of sleep duration in the target group and improves the prediction accuracy for depression levels and depressive disorder.The results illustrate that transfer learning effectively integrates source data to significantly improve estimation and prediction capabilities of target models,especially in situations with limited target data and heterogeneous data sources.

Objective:To observe the changes in the nutritional status of pediatric patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(allo-HSCT)for one year,and to analyze the risk factors.Methods:We collected data from 88 pediatric patients who underwent allo-HSCT at the Department of Hematology and Oncology in Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University between May 2018 and November 2022.All pediatric patients underwent nutritional status analysis before transplantation,at enrollment,3 months,6 months and 1 year after allo-HSCT.Linear regression model was used to analyze the risk factors for growth rate.Results:The body mass index Z score(BMI-Z)before allo-HSCT was(0.096±1.349),and decreased to(-0.258±1.438)、(-0.715±1.432)、(-0.584±1.444)at enrollment,3 months,6 months after allo-HSCT,and(-0.130±1.317)at 1 year after allo-HSCT(P<0.001).There was no significant change in BMI-Z between pre-transplantation and 1 year after transplantation(P=1.000).Height for age Z score(HAZ)before transplantation was(0.137±1.305)and decreased to(-0.083±1.267)、(-0.221±1.299)、(-0.269±1.282)in 3 months,6 months and 1 year after allo-HSCT(P<0.001).Multivariate linear regression showed that age≥10 years old(P=0.015)and chronic graft-versus-host disease(cGVHD)(P=0.005)were independent risk factors for change in HAZ.Conclusion:The BMI-Z of pediatric patients treated with allo-HSCT returned to the pre-transplantation level after one year,while HAZ continued to decrease.Allo-HSCT may cause impaired growth rate in pediatric patients.Attention should be paid to HAZ changes in pediatric patients before and after allo-HSCT,especially in pediatric patients≥10 years old of age and those with cGVHD.Effective nutritional intervention should be provided in time.

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children(MIS-C)is a complex syndrome characterized by multi-organ involvement that has emerged in the context of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)outbreak.The clinical presentation of MIS-C is similar to Kawasaki disease but predominantly presents with fever and gastrointestinal symptoms,and severe cases can involve toxic shock and cardiac dysfunction.Epidemiological findings indicate that the majority of MIS-C patients test positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.The pathogenesis and pathophysiology of MIS-C remain unclear,though immune dysregulation following SARS-CoV-2 infection is considered a major contributing factor.Current treatment approaches for MIS-C primarily involve intravenous immunoglobulin therapy and symptomatic supportive care.This review article provides a comprehensive overview of the definition,epidemiology,pathogenesis,clinical presentation,diagnosis,treatment,and prognosis of MIS-C.