OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of patients with extranasal NK/T-cell lymphoma (NKTCL). METHODS: The clinical data of 138 patients with NKTCL diagnosed in 10 medical centers of Huaihai Lymphoma Working Group from June 2015 to April 2021 were collected and analyzed retrospectively. The differences in clinicopathological characteristics of patients with different involvement and efficacy of pegaspargase regimen were compared, as well as perform survival analysis. RESULTS: A total of 138 extranasal NKTCL patients were included, with a median age of 46 years, and the ratio of males to females was approximately 2∶1. There were 39 patients with gastrointestinal involvement, 32 patients with oropharyngeal involvement, 17 patients with skin involvement, 11 patients with lymph node involvement, 11 patients with orbital involvement, and 28 patients with other parts involvement. Patients with skin involvement had a higher proportion of advanced disease and a lower proportion of CD56 positive rate compared to those with oropharyngeal involvement. Among the patients with gastrointestinal involvement, the survival rate of patients who received pegaspargase regimen was significantly higher than those who were treated without pegaspargase (P < 0.01). Multivariate analysis showed that serum creatinine was an independent prognostic factor for patients with skin involvement ( HR =1.027, 95%CI : 1.001-1.054, P =0.040), ECOG PS and EBV DNA were independent prognostic factors for patients with gastrointestinal involvement ( HR =2.635, 95%CI : 1.096-6.338, P =0.030; HR =4.772, 95% CI : 1.092-20.854, P =0.038), and ECOG PS and CA stage were independent prognostic factors for patients with oropharyngeal involvement ( HR =13.875, 95%CI : 2.517-76.496, P =0.002; HR =20.261, 95%CI : 2.466-166.470, P =0.005). CONCLUSION The clinicopathological characteristics of extranasal NKTCL patients with different sites of involvement are vary, and effective individualized treatment need to be further explored.
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Asparaginase/therapeutic use* ; Lymphoma, Extranodal NK-T-Cell/pathology* ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Polyethylene Glycols

Objective To provide a longitudinal evaluation tool based on the frequency of aggressive be-havior for the aggression assessment of schizophrenia patients.Methods The Life History of Aggression was translated and revised to form the Life History of Aggression-Chinese Version(LHA-CV)based on 369 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia in the Chengdu community and compulsory medical insti-tution.The reliability of LHA-CV was analyzed by means of split-half reliability,test-retest reliability and inter-evaluator consistency.The validity was analyzed by item analysis,construct validity and crite-rion validity.Results Item analysis found that LHA-CV had good homogeneity and discriminant validity.Exploratory factor analysis found that the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin(KMO)test value was 0.80,and the Bartlett's sphericity test χ2=1203.46(P<0.05),and it revealed four factors including non-physical ag-gression,physical aggression,self-directed aggression and antisocial behavior/consequences.The factor loadings for all 11 items were greater than 0.40.Confirmatory factor analysis was performed on the factor model,Chi-square degree of freedom(χ2/df)was 3.61,root mean square error of approxima-tion(RMSEA)was 0.07,goodness-of-fit index(GFI)was 0.92,comparative fit index(CFI)was 0.90,incremental fit index(IFI)was 0.90,and the discriminant validity of each factor was good.The criterion validity test showed the total score of LHA-CV was positively correlated with the aggressive behavior level of MacArthur Community Violence Instrument,the total score of Buss-Perry Aggression Scale,and the score of Antisocial Personality Disorder Subscale of Personality Diagnostic Question-naire-4th Edition Plus(PDQ-4+_ASPD,P<0.05).The Cronbach's α coefficient of non-physical aggres-sion,physical aggression,self-directed aggression,antisocial behavior/consequences and LHA-CV total score were 0.82,0.73,0.74,0.56 and 0.79,respectively.The test-retest reliability,Spearman-Brown split-half reliability and intra-class correlation coefficient of LHA-CV total score were 0.82(P<0.05),0.66 and 0.99,respectively.Conclusion LHA-CV has good reliability and validity,and can be used as an evaluation tool for longitudinally assessing aggressive behavior in schizophrenia patients.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a user-friendly risk score for older mitral regurgitation (MR) patients, referred to as the Elder-MR score. METHODS: The China Senile Valvular Heart Disease (China-DVD) Cohort Study functioned as the development cohort, while the China Valvular Heart Disease (China-VHD) Study was employed for external validation. We included patients aged 60 years and above receiving medical treatment for moderate or severe MR (2274 patients in the development cohort and 1929 patients in the validation cohort). Candidate predictors were chosen using Cox's proportional hazards model and stepwise selection with Akaike's information criterion. RESULTS: Eight predictors were identified: age ≥ 75 years, body mass index < 20 kg/m², NYHA class III/IV, secondary MR, anemia, estimated glomerular filtration rate < 60 mL/min per 1.73 m², albumin < 35 g/L, and left ventricular ejection fraction < 60%. The model displayed satisfactory performance in predicting one-year mortality in both the development cohort (C-statistic = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.69-0.77, Brier score = 0.06) and the validation cohort (C-statistic = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.68-0.78, Brier score = 0.06). The Elder-MR score ranges from 0 to 15 points. At a one-year follow-up, each point increase in the Elder-MR score represents a 1.27-fold risk of death (HR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.21-1.34, P < 0.001) in the development cohort and a 1.24-fold risk of death (HR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.17-1.30, P < 0.001) in the validation cohort. Compared to EuroSCORE II, the Elder-MR score demonstrated superior predictive accuracy for one-year mortality in the validation cohort (C-statistic = 0.71 vs. 0.70, net reclassification improvement = 0.320, P < 0.01; integrated discrimination improvement = 0.029, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS The Elder-MR score may serve as an effective risk stratification tool to assist clinical decision-making in older MR patients.

Objective: To explore the prognostic factors of extracellular NK/T cell lymphoma (ENKTL) treated with pegaspargase/L-asparaginase. Methods: The clinical data of 656 ENKTL patients diagnosed at 11 medical centers in the Huaihai Lymphoma Working Group from March 2014 to April 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were randomly divided into two groups: a training set (460 cases) and a validation set (196 cases) at 7∶3, and the prognostic factors of the patients were analyzed. A prognostic scoring system was established, and the predictive performance of different models was compared. Results: Patients' median age was 46 (34, 57) years, with 456 males (69.5% ) and 561 nasal involvement (85.5% ). 203 patients (30.9% ) received a chemotherapy regimen based on L-asparaginase combined with anthracyclines, and the 5-year overall survival rate of patients treated with P-GEMOX regimen (pegaspargase+gemcitabine+oxaliplatin) was better than those treated with SMILE regimen (methotrexate+dexamethasone+cyclophosphamide+L-asparaginase+etoposide) (85.9% vs 63.8% ; P=0.004). The results of multivariate analysis showed that gender, CA stage, the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) score, HGB, and EB virus DNA were independent influencing factors for the prognosis of ENKTL patients (P<0.05). In this study, the predictive performance of the prognostic factors is superior to the international prognostic index, Korean prognostic index, and prognostic index of natural killer lymphoma. Conclusion: Gender, CA stage, ECOG PS score, HGB, and EB virus DNA are prognostic factors for ENKTL patients treated with pegaspargase/L-asparaginase.
Male ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Asparaginase/therapeutic use* ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Lymphoma, Extranodal NK-T-Cell/drug therapy* ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use* ; Etoposide ; Cyclophosphamide ; Methotrexate/therapeutic use* ; DNA/therapeutic use* ; Treatment Outcome

AIM: To evaluate the necessity of slit-lamp biomicroscopy(referred to here as “slit-lamp”)training from the student's perspective and reach a consensus on slit-lamp training in medical students during ophthalmology clerkship.METHODS: A controlled before-after clerkship study was performed on 117 students of the class of 2017 enrolled in clinical medicine at Sun Yat-sen University. All medical students underwent slit-lamp training during ophthalmology clerkship. We evaluated the students' cognition, perceived need and recommendations for slit-lamp teaching, using a self-completed questionnaire survey and compared the students' scores in these aspects before and after their ophthalmology clerkships. Additionally, the efficiency of slit-lamp training was evaluated by subjective student assessment after the ophthalmology clerkship. Each item was scored on a five-point Likert Scale. Statistical analysis was performed by IBM SPSS(Version 20.0; SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).RESULTS: A total of 116(99.1%)medical students completed the survey. The average score before clerkship was 19.99±3.03, which indicated a high level of cognition regarding slit-lamp utility; However, this score significantly increased to 22.97±2.37 after clerkship(P<0.001). The average score regarding perceived need was also higher for post-clerkship students than for pre-clerkship students(24.62±3.15 vs. 23.60±2.36, P=0.009). Moreover, 86.2% of post-clerkship students reported that hands-on slit-lamp practice could help promote clerkship quality. More than three-quarters of the surveyed students tended to agree that slit-lamp practice time should be increased(76.7% and 77.6% before and after clerkship, respectively).CONCLUSION: A hands-on approach to slit-lamp training is more favored by medical students in ophthalmology clerkships, and this training should be recommended in ophthalmology clerkships given its potential usefulness for improving clerkship quality.

This study aimed to examine the effect and underlying mechanism of Puerariae Lobatae Radix on insulin resistance in db/db mice with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM) based on the analysis of intestinal flora. Fifty db/db mice were randomly divided into a model group(M group), a metformin group(YX group), a high-dose Puerariae Lobatae Radix group(YGG group), a medium-dose Puerariae Lobatae Radix group(YGZ group), and a low-dose Puerariae Lobatae Radix group(YGD group). Another 10 db/m mice were assigned to the normal group(K group). After continuous administration for eight weeks, body weight and blood sugar of mice were measured. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was used to detect glycosylated serum protein(GSP) and fasting serum insulin(FINS), and insulin resistance index(HOMA-IR) was calculated. The histopathological changes in the pancreas were observed by HE staining. Tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α expression in the pancreas was detected using immunohistochemistry. The structural changes in fecal intestinal flora in the K, M, and YGZ groups were detected by 16S rRNA. Western blot was used to detect the expression of farnesoid X receptor(FXR) and takeda G protein-coupled receptor 5(TGR5) in the ileum, cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase(CYP7A1) and sterol 27α-hydroxylase(CYP27A1) in the liver, and G protein-coupled receptors 41(GPR41) and 43(GPR43) in the colon. Compared with the K group, the M group showed increased body weight, blood sugar, serum GSP, fasting blood glucose(FBG), and FINS, increased HOMA-IR, inflammatory infiltration of islet cells, necrosis and degeneration of massive acinar cells, unclear boundary between islet cells and acinar cells, disturbed intestinal flora, and down-regulated FXR, TGR5, CYP7A1, CYP27A1, GPR41, and GPR43. Compared with the M group, the YX, YGG, YGZ, and YGD groups showed decreased body weight, blood sugar, serum GSP, FBG, and FINS, islet cells with intact and clumpy morphology and clear boundary, necrosis of a few acinar cells, and more visible islet cells. The intestinal flora in the YGZ group changed from phylum to genus levels, and the relative abundance of intestinal flora affecting the metabolites of intestinal flora increased. The protein expression of FXR, TGR5, CYP7A1, CYP27A1, GPR41, and GPR43 increased. The results show that Puerariae Lobatae Radix can improve the inflammatory damage of pancreatic islet cells and reduce insulin resistance in db/db mice with T2DM. The mechanism of action may be related to the increase in the abundance of Actinobacteria, Bifidobacterium, and Bacteroides in the intestinal tract and the protein expression related to metabolites of intestinal flora.
Mice ; Animals ; Insulin Resistance ; Blood Glucose/metabolism* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/genetics* ; Pueraria/chemistry* ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ; Body Weight ; Necrosis

The present study explored the anti-inflammatory and anti-thrombotic mechanism of Jingfang Granules on tail thrombosis induced by carrageenan in mice. Thirty-two male ICR mice were randomly divided into a control group, a model group, a Jingfang Granules group, and a positive drug(aspirin) group, with eight mice in each group. The thrombosis model was induced by intraperitoneal injection of carrageenan(45 mg·kg~(-1)) combined with low-temperature stimulation, and the mice were treated with drugs for 7 days before modeling. Twenty-four hours after modeling, blood was detected for four blood coagulation indices in each group. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was used to detect the activity of plasma interleukin-6(IL-6), interleukin-1β(IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), and other inflammatory factors. The tails of mice in each group were cut off to observe tail lesions and measure the length of the thrombus. The protein expression and phosphorylation level of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2(ERK1/2) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase(p38 MAPK) in spleen tissues were detected by Western blot. The results showed that dark red thrombus appeared in the tails of mice in each group. The length of the black part accounted for about 40% of the total tail in the model group. Additionally, the model group showed prolonged prothrombin time(PT), increased fibrinogen(FIB) content, and shortened activated partial thromboplastin time(APTT). Compared with the model group, the groups with drug intervention displayed shortened black parts in the tail and improved four blood coagulation indices(P<0.05). As revealed by ELISA, the expression levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in the mouse plasma were significantly up-regulated in the model group, and those in the groups with drug intervention were reduced as compared with the model group(P<0.05). As demonstrated by Western blot, the protein expression and phosphorylation levels of ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK in the spleen tissues were significantly elevated in the model group, while those in the Jingfang Granules group were down-regulated as compared with the model group with a significant difference. Jingfang Granules can inhibit tail thrombosis of mice caused by carrageenan presumedly by inhibiting the activation of ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK signaling pathways.
Animals ; Carrageenan/adverse effects* ; Interleukin-6/metabolism* ; MAP Kinase Signaling System ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Signal Transduction ; Thrombosis/drug therapy* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism*

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Jingangwan on the expression of osteoclast， c-Jun N-terminal kinase（JNK）， p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase（p38 MAPK）， and interleukin-1（IL-1） in the osteoporosis model rats， explore the mechanism of Jingangwan in the treatment of osteoporosis， and determine the optimal dosing concentration of Jingangwan. MethodFifty-six rats of SPF grade were randomized into a blank group，a sham operation group，a model group， model group，high-， medium-， and low-dose Jingangwan groups （0.72， 0.36， 0.18 g·kg^-1·d^-1， ig），and an estradiol valerate group （0.009 g·kg^-1·d^-1， ig）， with eight rats in each group. The rats in the model group， the blank group， and the sham operation group received 3 mL of normal saline， respectively. Samples were collected 12 weeks after drug administration. The number of osteoclasts was observed by tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase （TRAP） staining. Serum levels of JNK， p38 MAPK， and IL-1 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The mRNA expression levels of p38 MAPK and JNK were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）. ResultThe TRAP staining results showed that compared with the model group， the estradiol valerate group and the Jingangwan groups could inhibit the formation of osteoclasts to different degrees. As revealed by ELISA results， compared with the model group and the sham operation group， the model group showed increased serum levels of p38 MAPK， JNK， and IL-1 （P<0.01）， while compared with the model group， all the groups with drug intervention showed decreased levels of p38 MAPK， JNK， and IL-1 （P<0.01）. The serum levels of JNK and IL-1 in the high-dose Jingangwan group were lower than those in the estradiol valerate group （P<0.05）. Real-time PCR results showed that compared with the blank group， the model group showed increased relative mRNA expression of p38 MAPK and JNK in the thighbone （P<0.01）， while compared with the model group， all the groups with drug intervention showed decreased relative mRNA expression of p38 MAPK and JNK in the thighbone （P<0.01）. ConclusionJingangwan can inhibit the formation of osteoblasts，reduce the diameter of the bone marrow cavity，improve bone quality，suppress the production of inflammatory factors，affect the metabolism of the MAPK signaling pathway，and blunt p38 MAPK and JNK activities to inhibit the differentiation and proliferation of osteoblasts and regulate bone metabolism， thereby preventing osteoporosis. Therefore，Jingangwan may be of application value in maintaining bone health and treating osteoporosis.

Multiple measurements of nocturnal penile tumescence and rigidity (NPTR) are widely accepted as a method to differentiate psychogenic erectile dysfunction (ED) from organic ED. However, direct evidence remains limited regarding the first-night effect on NPTR measurement using the RigiScan. Here, we evaluated the first-night effect on the results of NPTR measurement to validate the necessity of NPTR measurement for two consecutive nights, particularly when abnormal first-night measurements are recorded in a laboratory setting. We retrospectively reviewed 105 patients with a complaint of ED, who underwent NPTR measurement using the RigiScan in the Department of Infertility and Sexual Medicine, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University (Guangzhou, China), for two consecutive nights, during the period from November 2015 to May 2016. NPTR parameters were collected and analyzed. We found that more effective nocturnal erections were detected during the second night than during the first night (P <0.001). Twenty percent of all patients had no effective erection during the first night, but exhibited at least one effective erection during the second night. The negative predictive value of NPTR measurement during the first night was 43.2%; this was significantly lower than that on the second night (84.2%; P = 0.003). Most NPTR parameters were better on the second night than on the first night. The first-night effect might be greater among patients younger than 40 years of age. In conclusion, two consecutive nightly measurements of NPTR can avoid a false-abnormal result caused by the first-night effect; moreover, these measurements more accurately reflect erectile capacity, especially when the first-night record is abnormal in a laboratory setting.
Adult ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Diagnostic Techniques, Urological ; Erectile Dysfunction/etiology* ; Humans ; Male ; Penile Erection ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Reproducibility of Results ; Retrospective Studies ; Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological/diagnosis* ; Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological/diagnosis* ; Sleep ; Young Adult

Objective To investigate the epidemic factors of schistosomiasis in wetlands in Sichuan Province, so as to provide scientific evidence for the prevention and control of schistosomiasis in wetlands. Methods The artificial and natural wetlands were selected from Sichuan Province, and the relevant data regarding wetlands were collected. Routine snail survey, investigation on human morbidity due to schistosomiasis, snail diffusion experiments, questionnaire survey, determination of water infectivity and retrospective survey were conducted. Results In Sichuan Province, the mean densities of living snails were 0.003 snails/0.1 m² and 2.033 snails/0.1 m² in the upper and lower reaches of the Meiwan Reservoir wetlands, 0.08 snails/0.1 m² in the Jinyan Lake of Guanghan City, 0.21 snails/0.1 m² in Muhe River of Guanghan City, and 0.02 snails/0.1 m² prior to the construction of Qiong-hai wetland park in Xichang City in 2015. Artificial simulation experiments showed that the largest distance of snail diffusion in water was 2 000 m. There were 8.80% (41/466) of subjects that lived neighboring wetlands, worked in wetlands and visited wet-lands having infested water contact behaviors. A total of 690 sentinel mice were assigned, and no Schistosoma japonicum infection was detected in the 677 mice dissected. Retrospective survey showed that the construction of the Meiwan Reservoir caused the spread of schistosomiasis in Dailing County, and snails were found in the ditches entering the Jinyan Lake and in Jinyan Lake areas 5 years following the construction of the Jinyan Lake in Guanghan City, with S. japonicum -infected snails detected in the ditches entering the Jinyan Lake. Conclusions O. hupensis snails are found in some wetlands in Sichuan Province. Protection of wetlands and snail control with environmental improvements are recommended for the prevention of snail importation in natural wetlands, while in artificial wetlands, thorough snail control is recommended during the construction of the wetlands because of the likelihood of snail importation via water systems. In addition, both natural and artificial wetlands require long-term systematic surveillance of schistosomiasis.