Epstein-Barr virus(EBV)is the first virus discovered to be associated with human tumors,and its association with gastric cancer has received widespread attention in recent years.In 2014,The Cancer Genome Atlas initially classified gastric cancer into four subtypes based on molecular characteristics,with EBV positive individuals grouped into a distinct subtype known as EBV-positive gastric cancer,which has unique molecular and clinicopathological characteristics.While EBV infection in malignant gastric epithelial cells and the induction of host genetic mutations and epigenetic abnormalities were generally considered as important bases for EBV carcinogenesis,the mechanisms un-derlying the relationship between EBV infection and gastric cancer risk remain unclear.We here summarize the existing epidemiological data supporting associations between different indicators of EBV infection and gastric cancer and provide an overview of the potential roles and mechanisms of EBV in gastric cancer carcinogenesis,which is expected to offer significant guidance for future studies elucidating the rela-tionship between EBV infection and gastric cancer development.

BACKGROUND: Reports on the prevalence of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) among Chinese patients with psoriasis are very limited. This study, conducted by rheumatologists, estimated the prevalence of PsA in a large number of Chinese patients with psoriasis. METHODS: Consecutive patients with a confirmed diagnosis of psoriasis attending nine dermatology clinics in five hospitals were recruited. All psoriasis patients were asked to complete a questionnaire comprising 16 questions to identify possible cases of PsA. All patients with one or more positive answers to the questionnaire were evaluated by two experienced rheumatologists. RESULTS: A total of 2434 psoriasis patients, including 1561 males and 873 females, were enrolled. Both the questionnaire and rheumatologists' examinations were completed in the dermatology clinics. The results identified 252 patients with PsA, comprising 168 males and 84 females. The overall prevalence of PsA among psoriasis patients was 10.4% (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 9.1%-11.7%). By sex, the prevalence was 10.8% (95% CI, 9.2%-12.5%) for males and 9.6% (95% CI, 7.7%-11.9%) for females and there was no significant sex difference in the prevalence of PsA (P = 0.38). Of the 252 PsA patients, 125 (49.6%, 95% CI, 41.3%-59.1%) were newly diagnosed by rheumatologists. Consequently, the prevalence of undiagnosed PsA among psoriasis patients was 5.2% (95% CI, 4.4%-6.2%). CONCLUSION The prevalence of PsA in the Chinese population with psoriasis is about 10.4%, which is almost double that of previous reports in the Chinese population, but lower than that in Caucasians.
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Arthritis, Psoriatic/epidemiology* ; Rheumatologists ; Prevalence ; East Asian People ; Psoriasis/epidemiology*

Objective:To explore the effect of pretreatment body mass index (BMI) on the prognosis of patients with unresectable locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after chemoradiotherapy.Methods:The clinical data of 711 patients with locally advanced NSCLC treated with radiotherapy, sequential chemoradiotherapy or concurrent chemoradiotherapy from January 2013 to December 2017 in Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College were retrospectively analyzed. Radiotherapy was performed with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) or volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT), and the chemotherapy regimens were paclitaxel+carboplatin, pemetrexed+cisplatin or etoposide+cisplatin. The effects of pretreatment BMI and other clinical factors on overall survival (OS) of patients were analyzed. Survival analysis was performed by using Kaplan-Meier method; univariate and multivariate analyses were performed by using Cox proportional hazards model.Results:According to the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended BMI grouping method for Asian, the median OS time of low BMI group (<18.5 kg/m 2, 23 cases), normal BMI group (18.5-23.9 kg/m 2, 293 cases) and high BMI group (≥24.0 kg/m 2, 395 cases) was 17 months (95% CI 11-29 months), 29 months (95% CI 22-36 months) and 30 months (95% CI 27-34 months), respectively. OS in the low BMI group was poorer than that in the normal BMI group and high BMI group ( χ2 = 11.20, P = 0.004). Maximally selected rank statistics was used to determine the optimal cut-off value of BMI for prediction of survival as 21.31 kg/m 2, according to which patients were divided into low BMI group (BMI<21.31 kg/m 2, 130 cases) and high BMI group (BMI≥21.31 kg/m 2, 581 cases), the median OS time of the two groups was 20 months (95% CI 17-27 months) and 32 months (95% CI 28-35 months), respectively. OS in the low BMI group was poorer than that in the high BMI group ( χ2 = 12.30, P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that age ≥ 65 years old, male, Karnofsky score < 80 points, low BMI, smoking, histological type of squamous cell carcinoma and radiotherapy alone were independent risk factors for OS (all P < 0.05). Conclusions:For patients with unresectable locally advanced NSCLC who received chemoradiotherapy, those with low pretreatment BMI have poor prognosis.

With the improvement of sanitation, the infection rate of hookworm is greatly reduced and the severe infected case is rarely reported. Combined morphological and molecular biological examinations, a severe hookworm infection patient was diagnosed in Department of Laboratorial Examination, Quanzhou First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University. The morphological methods such as direct fecal smear microscopy, saturated brine flotation and hookworm larvae culture methods were used to identify the eggs and larvae from stool samples of the patient. There were a large number of hookworm eggs in patient's stool samples, and the average count was 60 840 per gram by modified Kato method, which belonged to severe hookworm infection. Meanwhile, to distinguish the hookworm species, the semi-nested RT-PCR assay was employed to detect hookworm internal transcribed spacer series from eggs in patient's stool samples, and the result showed that the hookworm species was confirmed to be Necator americanus.
Ancylostomatoidea/genetics* ; Animals ; Feces ; Hookworm Infections/diagnosis* ; Humans ; Necator americanus/genetics* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

The School of Basic Medical Sciences of North Sichuan Medical University explores the reform of the basic medicine teacher's ability cultivation from the following aspects, including the classroom teaching quality, practical teaching skills, the innovation ability of scientific research, the basic and clinical integration and so on. Practice has proved that these reforms have greatly improved the quality of teachers' abilities and also the quality of education and teaching.

Objective:To investigate the association between levator hiatus area, pelvic organ prolapse quantification (POP-Q) examination and prolapse symptoms.Methods:The prospective multicenter study enrolled 996 female patients between January 2017 and January 2019. All enrolled patients underwent a standard clinical interview, POP-Q examination and transperineal ultrasound examination. Volume data of pelvic floor ultrasound examinations were obtained at rest, during contraction and during maximal Valsalva maneuver. The association between levator hiatus area, POP-Q examination and prolapse symptoms was analyzed. The performance of levator hiatus area on maximal Valsalva for assessing significant POP(POP-Q stage≥2) and prolapse symptoms were also evaluated.Results:There were significant differences of levator hiatus area at rest, during contraction and during maximal Valsalva among patients with different POP-Q stages (all P<0.001). Levator hiatus area during maximal Valsalva showed the highest correlation with abdominal dragging sensation ( r=0.277, P<0.001). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of levator hiatus area during maximal Valsalva for significant POP (POP-Q stage≥2) was significantly higher than that for prolapse symptoms (AUC: 0.77 vs 0.69, P<0.001). Conclusions:Levator hiatus area on transperineal has moderate correlation with POP-Q examination and their association is stronger than the correlation between ultrasound findings and prolapse symptoms.

Objective:To investigate the feasibility of transperineal ultrasound in quantitative assessment of posterior compartment prolapse among Chinese women.Methods:The prospective multicenter study enrolled 485 women between January 2017 and January 2019. All patients underwent a standard clinical interview, pelvic organ prolapse quantification (POP-Q) examination and transperineal ultrasound examination. Volume data of transperineal ultrasound examinations were obtained at rest and in maximal Valsalva maneuver.Results:The higher POP-Q stage of posterior compartment, the lower rectal ampulla position in maximal Valsalva maneuver (POP-Q stage=0 vs POP-Q stage=1, P<0.001; POP-Q stage=1 vs POP-Q stage≥2, P<0.001), and the greater rectal ampulla hypermobility (POP-Q stage=0 vs POP-Q stage=1, P<0.001; POP-Q stage=1 vs POP-Q stage≥ 2, P=0.007). The rectal ampulla position at rest and in maximal Valsalva maneuver and rectocele depth were correlated with prolapse symptoms ( r=-0.200, P<0.001; r=-0.252, P<0.001; r=0.086, P=0.045). The corresponding cut-off values of rectal ampulla position in maximal Valsalva in diagnosing posterior compartment prolapse (POP-Q stage ≥1) and clinical significant posterior compartment prolapse (POP-Q stage ≥2) were 7.32 mm below the symphysis pubis and 12 mm below the symphysis pubis, respectively, with the area under the ROC curve as 0.75 and 0.85, respectively. Conclusions:The ultrasonic measurements by transperineal ultrasound is significantly associated with POP-Q examination in posterior compartment, and it is demonstrated as a useful tool in quantitative assessment of the severity of posterior compartment prolapse.

Objective: To investigate the feasibility and consistency of four-dimensional flow (4D flow) quantification of pulmonary regurgitation in patients with repaired Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) by comparing with conventional two-dimensional flow (2D flow) and echocardiography. Methods: Both the 4D flow and 2D flow imaging were acquired with repaired ToF (a total of 21 patients) consecutively on 3.0 T MR scanner from May 2018 to August 2018. Pulmonary flow and regurgitant fraction were measured by a commercial post processing software Circle CVI42. All patients underwent echocardiography within one week after or before MR examination. The inter/intra-observer variability by 2D/4D f1ow and agreement between the two methods were investigated by interclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Bland-Altman analyses. The agreement between MR and echocardiography were analyzed by weighted Kappa coefficient. The correlation between pulmonary regurgitation and cardiac function was also investigated by Pearson analysis. Results: All patients were included and completed the examinations successfully. Both inter-observer and intra-observer agreement by 4D flow for total forward volume (ICC=0.993, 0.996, respectively, P<0.001), total backward volume (ICC=0.994, 0.997, respectively, P<0.001) and regurgitant fraction (ICC=0.968, 0.985, respectively, P<0.001) were good. The total forward volume, total backward volume and regurgitant fraction measured by 2D flow and 4D flow reached a good agreement (ICC=0.954, 0.913,0.721,respectively,P<0.001). The consistency was good for severity of regurgitation measured by 2D flow (weighted Kappa=0.897, P<0.001) and 4D flow (weighted Kappa=0.710, P=0.001) compared with echocardiography. Significant correlation was found among right ventricular cardiac index(r=0.600, P<0.05), right ventricular end-diastolic volume index(r=0.788, P<0.05), right ventricular end-systolic volume index(r=0.683, P<0.05) and left ventricular end-diastolic volume index(r=0.578, P<0.05), left ventricular end-systolic volume index(r=0.687, P<0.05) with regurgitant fraction measured by 2D flow. Regurgitant fraction measured by 4D flow had a significant correlation with right ventricular cardiac index(r=0.606, P<0.05), right ventricular end-diastolic volume index(r=0.685,P<0.05), right ventricular end-systolic volume index(r=0.534, P<0.05) and left ventricular end-diastolic volume index(r=0.459, P<0.05), left ventricular mass index(r=0.633, P<0.05). Conclusion 4D flow MRI provides highly reproducible measurements of pulmonary flow on morphology and haemodynamics in patients with repaired ToF compared with 2D flow MRI and echocardiography.

Objective: To investigate the number and distribution of dendritic cells (DCs), macrophages and M2 macrophages in renal tissues of patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN) and their correlation with clinicopathological parameters, and explore its role in the progression of IgAN. Methods: Renal tissue samples from 42 patients aged ≥18 years with IgAN were collected by kidney biopsy in Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital from January 2018 to June 2018. The patients were divided into different groups according to Oxford classification and Lee grade classification criteria. The distribution and number of DCs (CD209), macrophages (CD68) and M2 macrophages (CD68 and CD206) were detected by immunohistochemistry. Spearman correlation test was used to analyze the correlation between the number of DCs and macrophages in renal tissues and clinical pathological parameters. Results: The number of DCs in the glomeruli of the M1, T0 and C1 groups increased significantly compared with the M0, T1 and C0 groups, and the number of DCs in the renal interstitium of the T1 group increased significantly compared with the T0 group (all P<0.05). The number of glomerular macrophages in group C1 was significantly higher than that in group C0. The number of macrophages in S1, T1 and Lee IV-V tubulointerstitial groups was significantly higher than that in S0, T0 and Lee II-III groups (P<0.05). The number of M2 macrophages in the S1, T1 and Lee IV-V groups was significantly higher in the tubulointerstitial group than in the S0, T0 and Lee II-III groups (all P<0.05). The blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine and 24 h urine protein levels in the T1 and Lee IV-V groups were significantly higher than those in the T0 and Lee II-III groups, and the serum albumin levels in the Lee IV-V group were significantly lower (all P<0.05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that the number of DCs in renal interstitium was positively correlated with the proportion of tubulointerstitial fibrosis. There were a positive correlation between the proportion of glomerular segmental sclerosis and tubulointerstitial fibrosis and renal interstitial macrophages and M2 macrophages. The number of M2 macrophages was positively correlated with serum creatinine and 24 h urine protein (both P<0.05). Conclusions The number of DCs and M2 macrophages in kidneys are positively correlated with the clinicopathological features of IgAN patients, which indicates that they may be associated with disease progression.

Objective: To identify the anatomical positional relation of the internal jugular vein and the common carotid artery, and investigate the predictive factors associated with the stenosis rate of the internal jugular vein after catheterization in hemodialysis patients. Methods: A single-center cross-sectional survey study of 235 patients from the Department of Nephrology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital between August 2017 and June 2018 was performed. According to whether received hemodialysis treatment, The patients were divided into dialysis group (n=187) and control group (chronic kidney disease non-dialysis patients, n=48). Clinical data such as age, primary disease, history of deep vein catheterization, catheter indwelling time and dialysis age were collected. The positional relationship between the internal jugular vein and the common carotid artery was examined by Doppler ultrasound. Measure the cross-sectional area of the internal jugular vein in different neck anatomical planes and analyse of the incidence of internal jugular vein stenosis in the dialysis group. Chi-square test was used to compare the differences in the incidence of internal jugular vein stenosis between subgroups of different ages, with or without catheter retention, catheter indwelling time, dialysis age and presence or absence of diabetic nephropathy. Results: Doppler ultrasonography showed that in the 235 patients, there were four types of anatomical relationship between the internal jugular vein and the common carotid artery in the plane of the flat thyroid cartilage and the apex plane of the upper clavicle. The internal jugular vein was located on the lateral, anterolateral, anterior and medial sides of the common carotid artery, accounting for 16.23%, 36.52%, 41.11% and 3.14% respectively. There were significant differences in the anatomical relationship between the internal jugular vein and the common carotid artery between the left and right sides, different anatomical planes and patients of different ages (P<0.05). The rate of internal jugular vein stenosis in 187 hemodialysis patients was 47.1%. The right internal jugular vein stenosis rate was 66.4% and 44.1% in the age<65 years old group (n=128) and age≥65 years old group (n=59), respectively (P=0.004). The rate of internal jugular vein stenosis was 49.0% and 32.8% (P=0.018) in the catheter placement group (n=151) and the catheterless retention group (n=36), respectively. Two variables including age and history of catheterization were included in the logistic regression equation. The results showed that the history of catheterization was a risk factor for internal jugular vein stenosis (OR=1.668, 95% CI 1.083-2.568, P=0.020). Conclusions There is variability in the anatomical relationship between the internal jugular vein and the common carotid artery. Internal jugular vein stenosis is a common complication after indwelling catheters in hemodialysis patients. The history of internal jugular vein catheterization is a risk factor affecting internal jugular vein stenosis.