OBJECTIVE: To investigate the predictive value of the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) and systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI) for short-term efficacy and prognosis in newly treated patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL). METHODS: The general data, laboratory indicators, disease stage and other clinical data of 91 newly treated PTCL patients admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from January 2015 to December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The optimal cutoff values for PNI and SIRI were determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and the patients were stratified into groups based on these cutoffs to compare clinical features and short-term efficacy between the different groups. Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot survival curves, and univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the factors affecting overall survival (OS). RESULTS: The optimal cutoff values for PNI and SIRI were 45.30 and 1.74×10⁹/L, respectively. Patients in different PNI groups showed statistically significant differences in age, Ann Arbor stage, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level, international prognostic index (IPI), prognostic index for PTCL-not otherwise specified (PIT), pathological subtypes, and complete response (CR) rate (P < 0.05). PTCL patients in different SIRI groups exhibited significant differences in Ann Arbor stage, LDH level, IPI score, PIT score, and CR rate (P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that age ≥60 years old (OR =2.750), Ann Arbor stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ (OR =5.200), IPI score ≥2 (OR =7.650), low PNI (OR =3.296), and high SIRI (OR =3.130) were independent risk factors affecting treatment efficacy in PTCL patients (P < 0.05). Cox proportional hazards regression model analysis showed that low PNI and elevated β₂-microglobulin (β₂-MG) levels were independent risk factors affecting OS (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION PNI and SIRI have certain application value in evaluating short-term efficacy and prognosis in patients with PTCL. Compared with SIRI, PNI demonstrates greater predictive value for patient prognosis.
Humans ; Prognosis ; Lymphoma, T-Cell, Peripheral/therapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Nutrition Assessment ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; ROC Curve ; Inflammation

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the combination of chemotherapy with staged Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) therapy could enhance health-related quality of life (QoL) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and prolong the time before deterioration of lung cancer symptoms, in comparison to chemotherapy alone. METHODS: A prospective, double-blind, randomized, controlled trial was conducted from December 14, 2017 to August 28, 2020. A total of 180 patients with stage I B-IIIA NSCLC from 5 hospitals in Shanghai were randomly divided into chemotherapy combined with CHM (chemo+CHM) group (120 cases) or chemotherapy combined with placebo (chemo+placebo) group (60 cases) using stratified blocking randomization. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality-of-Life-Core 30 Scale (QLQ-C30) was used to evaluate the patient-reported outcomes (PROs) during postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with early-stage NSCLC. Adverse events (AEs) were assessed in the safety analysis. RESULTS: Out of the total 180 patients, 173 patients (116 in the chemo+CHM group and 57 in the chemo+placebo group) were included in the PRO analyses. The initial mean QLQ-C30 Global Health Status (GHS)/QoL scores at baseline were 57.16 ± 1.64 and 57.67 ± 2.25 for the two respective groups (P>0.05). Compared with baseline, the chemo+CHM group had an improvement in EORTC QLQ-C30 GHS/QoL score at week 18 [least squares mean (LSM) change 17.83, 95% confidence interval (CI) 14.29 to 21.38]. Conversely, the chemo+placebo group had a decrease in the score (LSM change -13.67, 95% CI -22.70 to -4.63). A significant between-group difference in the LSM GHS/QoL score was observed, amounting to 31.63 points (95% CI 25.61 to 37.64, P<0.001). The similar trends were observed in physical functioning, fatigue and appetite loss. At week 18, patients in the chemo+CHM group had a higher proportion of improvement or stabilization in GHS/QoL functional and symptom scores compared to chemo+placebo group (P<0.001). The median time to deterioration was longer in the chemo+CHM group for GHS/QoL score [hazard ratio (HR)=0.33, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.48, P<0.0010], physical functioning (HR=0.43, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.75, P=0.0005), fatigue (HR=0.47, 95% CI 0.30 to 0.72, P<0.0001) and appetite loss (HR=0.65, 95% CI 0.42 to 1.00, P=0.0215). The incidence of AEs was lower in the chemo+CHM group than in the chemo+placebo group (9.83% vs. 15.79%, P=0.52). CONCLUSION The staged CHM therapy could help improve the PROs of postoperative patients with early-stage NSCLC during adjuvant chemotherapy, which is worthy of further clinical research. (Registry No. NCT03372694).
Humans ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/surgery* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Lung Neoplasms/pathology* ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Patient Reported Outcome Measures ; Quality of Life ; Aged ; Postoperative Period ; Prospective Studies

Aim To investigate the effects of CPD1,a novel phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor,on renal pathological phenotype and fibrotic protein expression in renal fibrosis model mice. Methods Male C57BL/6 J mice were divided into three groups randomly(sham group,UUO group and UUO+CPD1 group). Unilateral ureteric obstruction model was constructed by surgery,and CPD1(5 mg·kg-1·d-1)was administered by intragastric administration two hours after the modeling for seven days. HE and Sirius Red staining were used to observe the distribution of tissue structural lesions and fibrosis. Immunohistochemical staining and Western blot were used to detect the expression of fibronectin(FN),α-SMA,collagen-I and kidney injury molecule-1(Kim-1). Results Compared with sham operation group,the renal tubules of mice were dilated and accompanied by a large amount of inflammatory infiltration. Moreover,the expressions of FN,α-SMA,collagen-I and Kim-1 proteins increased significantly(P<0.05)in UUO group. CPD1 treatment improved the kidney structure and decreased the expression of collagen fibers. Furthermore,CPD1 inhibited the expression of FN,α-SMA,collagen-I and Kim-1 markedly(P<0.05). Conclusions Phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor CPD1 alleviates the progression of renal fibrosis induced by unilateral ureteral obstruction through down-regulating ECM deposition in the extracellular matrix and expression of Kim-1. The specific mechanism remains to be further studied.

Objective: To analyze the prevalence of dry and wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in patients with diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia, and to analyze the risk factors for AMD. Methods: A population-based cross-sectional epidemiologic study was conducted involving 14,440 individuals. We assessed the prevalence of dry and wet AMD in diabetic and non-diabetic subjects and analyzed the risk factors for AMD. Results: The prevalence of wet AMD in diabetic and non-diabetic patients was 0.3% and 0.5%, respectively, and the prevalence of dry AMD was 17% and 16.4%, respectively. The prevalence of wet AMD in healthy, hypertensive, hyperlipidemic, and hypertensive/hyperlipidemic populations was 0.5%, 0.3%, 0.2%, and 0.7%, respectively. The prevalence of dry AMD in healthy, hypertensive, hyperlipidemic, and hypertensive/hyperlipidemic populations was 16.6%, 16.2%, 15.2%, and 17.2%, respectively. Age, sex, body mass index, and use of hypoglycemic drugs or lowering blood pressure drugs were corrected in the risk factor analysis of AMD. Diabetes, diabetes/hypertension, diabetes/hyperlipidemia, and diabetes/hypertension/hyperlipidemia were analyzed. None of the factors analyzed in the current study increased the risk for the onset of AMD. Conclusion There was no significant difference in the prevalence of wet and dry AMD among diabetic and non-diabetic subjects. Similarly, there was no significant difference in the prevalence of wet and dry AMD among subjects with hypertension and hyperlipidemia. Diabetes co-existing with hypertension and hyperlipidemia were not shown to be risk factors for the onset of dry AMD.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus/epidemiology* ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias/epidemiology* ; Hypertension/epidemiology* ; Macular Degeneration/etiology* ; Risk Factors

No consensus on standardized technique of enterostomy creation has been made meanwhile high heterogeneity of surgical procedure exists in 'stoma creation' chapters of textbooks or atlases of colorectal surgery. The present article reviews the anatomy of tendinous aponeurotic fibers which is crucial for abdominal wall tension and integrity. Through empirical practice we hypothesize a procedure of enterostomy creation basied on abdominal wall tension plus anchor suture for fascia fixation which could theoretically decrease short-term stoma complication rates and long-term parastomal hernia rates. Surgical techniques are as followed: (1) preoperative stoma site mark for de-functioning ileostomy should be positioned at the lateral border of rectus abdominis muscle (RAM) to decrease the difficulty of stoma reversal and for permanent colostomy should be placed overlying the RAM to promote adhesion; (2)Optimal circular removal or lineal opening of skin, and avoid dissection of subcutaneous tissue; (3) Lineal dissection of natural strong fascia (rectus sheath) at stoma site and blunt separation of muscular fibers. The tunnel of the fascia should be made with appropriate size without undue tension. To prevent the formation of dead space, additional suturing at fascia layer is unnecessary. (4) Anchor suture for fascia fixation at two ends of fascia opening could be considered to avoid delayed fascia disruption and parastomal hernia. (5) After pull-through of ileum or colon loop, 4-8 interrupted seromuscular sutures could be placed to attach loop to skin. For ileostomy, self-eversion of mucosa can be successful in vast majority of cases and a Brooke ileostomy is not necessary. The efficacy and safety of this procedure should be tested in future trials.
Humans ; Abdominal Wall/surgery* ; Surgical Stomas/adverse effects* ; Enterostomy ; Incisional Hernia ; Fascia

Purpose: This study investigated the value of synchronous tele-ultrasonography (TUS) for naive operators in thyroid ultrasonography (US) examinations. Methods: Ninety-seven patients were included in this prospective, parallel-controlled trial. Thyroid scanning and diagnosis were completed by resident A independently, resident B with guidance from a US expert through synchronous TUS, and an on-site US expert. The on-site expert’s findings constituted the reference standard. Two other off-site US experts analyzed all data in a blind manner. Inter-operator consistency between the two residents and the on-site US expert for thyroid size measurements, nodule measurements, nodule features, American College of Radiology (ACR) Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TI-RADS) categories, and image quality was compared. Two questionnaires were completed to evaluate the clinical benefit. Results: Resident B detected more nodules consistent with the on-site expert than resident A did (89.4% vs. 56.5%, P<0.001). Resident B achieved excellent consistency with the on-site expert in terms of ACR TI-RADS categories, nodule composition, shape, echogenic foci, and vascularity (all intra-class correlation coefficients [ICCs] >0.75), while resident A achieved lower consistency in ACR TI-RADS categories, composition, echogenicity, margin, echogenic foci, and vascularity (all ICCs 0.40-0.75). Residents A and B had excellent consistency in target nodule measurements (all ICCs >0.75). Resident B achieved better performance than resident A for gray values, time gain compensation, depth, color Doppler adjustment, and the visibility of key information (all P<0.05). Furthermore, 61.9% (60/97) of patients accepted synchronous TUS, and 59.8% (58/97) patients were willing to pay for it. Conclusion Synchronous TUS can help inexperienced residents achieve comparable thyroid diagnostic capability to a US expert.

OBJECTIVE: To quantitatively evaluate the non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks of low-level dichloromethane(DCM) exposure. METHODS: A typical sampling method was used to select workers from an engine factory and an automobile parts factory as the research subjects. After hazard identification and hazard characteristic assessment, the occupational health risks of DCM in the workplace were quantitatively assessed by non-carcinogenic risk assessment and carcinogenic risk assessment. RESULTS: The highest exposure concentration of short-term of DCM was 43.6 mg/m~3 in the air of eight DCM job posts in these two enterprises, which was lower than the operational level of 300.0 mg/m~3(half of the occupational exposure limit in China). Under this premise, the non-carcinogenic risk assessment results showed that the non-carcinogenic risk caused by inhalation of DCM was unacceptable in workers of these eight job posts. The results of carcinogenic risk assessment showed that the carcinogenic risk caused by inhalation of DCM was acceptable for all the workers in these eight job posts. CONCLUSION: Low-level DCM exposure can cause unacceptable occupational health risks to workers. Quantitative risk assessment can be applied to assess exposure to low-level chemicals.

Objective:To explore the effect of modified Xiongxiesan on the proliferation of airway smooth muscle tissues and the expressions of matrix metalloproteinase-9（MMP-9）， tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 （TIMP-1） in cough variant asthma （CVA） model rats. Method:A total 48 male SD rats were randomly divided into the normal control group （8 rats） and model group （40 rats）. CVA model of rats were established through the intraperitoneal administration with 2 mg ovalbumin （OVA） and 100 mg Al（OH）₃， and then aerosol inhalation of 1％ OVA 15 days later. The same volume of sterile saline was given to the normal group through the intraperitoneal injection. Then 40 rats in the modeling group were randomly divided into model group， modified Xiongxiesan group （TCM group， 6 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， montelukast group （0.4 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）， chemokine receptor1/2 （CXCR1/2） inhibitor group （G31P group injected subcutaneously via the neck with a dose of 0.5 mg·kg^-1 every other day）， and CXCR1/2 inhibitor and modified Xiongxiesan group （G31P+TCM group）， with 8 rats in each group. The control group and the model group were orally given distilled water 10 mL·kg^-1·d^-1. Then the rats were sacrificed， and lung samples were collected. Histological changes were examined by hematoxylin-eosin（HE）. Basement membrane perimeter （PBM），wall area of bronchial tube （WAt），wall area of bronchial smooth muscle （WAm） and the number of smooth muscle cells （N） were measured using image pro-plus software and standardized based on PBM. The expressions of PCNA， MMP9 and TIMP1 were detected by immunohistochemistry. Result:Compared with the control group， there were a large number of inflammatory cells infiltration and moderate hyperplasia of smooth muscle area in the model group， which however were alleviated in other groups. The expressions of PCNA and MMP-9，TIMP1 were higher in the model group，which were reduced in other groups significantly. Conclusion:Modified Xiongxiesan can reduce the thickness of airway smooth muscle tissue in the CVA model rats， which may be correlated with the inhibition of the CXCR1/2 pathway， thereby reducing the proliferative activity of smooth muscle tissue and inhibiting the expression of related matrix metalloproteinases.