Objective To explore the efficacy and safety of fluoroscopy-guided balloon dilation for esophageal strictures in patients with epidermolysis bullosa(EB).Methods The clinical data and follow-up results of EB patients,who received fluoroscopy-guided balloon dilation due to esophageal stricture at Shanghai Xinhua Hospital from May 2020 to May 2023,were retrospectively collected.The therapeutic efficacy and the prognosis of this treatment method were analyzed.Results A total of 17 EB patients received fluoroscopy-guided balloon dilation treatment due to dysphagia caused by esophageal stricture.Most esophageal strictures were single-site stenosis(13/17,76.5％)and it commonly occurred in the esophageal cervical segment(12/17,70.6％)and the upper thoracic segment(8/17,47.1％)of esophagus.Two patients developed esophageal bleeding after dilatation and no special treatment is required.No other post-treatment complications were observed.In most of the patients(15/17,88.2％)a long-term improvement of the dysphagia symptoms could be obtained after receiving a single balloon dilation treatment.By the last follow-up visit,most of the patients(15/17,88.2％)gained more weight when compared with their pre-treatment body weight,with an average increased weight of 2.97 kg.Conclusion Clinically,EB is a rare etiology that can cause an esophageal stricture.This esophageal stenosis is characterized by a single stenosis mostly located in the upper segment of the esophagus.Fluoroscopy-guided balloon dilation is an effective and safe treatment for this type of esophageal strictures.

Objective:To compare the efficacy and safety of Changsulin ? with Lantus ? in treating patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods:This was a phase Ⅲ, multicenter, randomized, open-label, parallel-group, active-controlled clinical trial. A total of 578 participants with T2DM inadequately controlled on oral hypoglycemic agents were randomized 3∶1 to Changsulin ? or Lantus ? treatment for 24 weeks. The efficacy measures included changes in glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2h postprandial plasma glucose (2hPG), 8-point self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) profiles from baseline, and proportions of subjects achieving targets of HbA1c and FPG. The safety outcomes included rates of hypoglycemia, adverse events (AEs) and anti-insulin glargine antibody. Results:After 24 weeks of treatment, mean HbAlc decreased 1.16% and 1.25%, FPG decreased 3.05 mmol/L and 2.90 mmol/L, 2hPG decreased 2.49 mmol/L and 2.38 mmol/L in Changsulin ? and in Lantus ?, respectively. No significant differences could be viewed in above parameters between the two groups (all P>0.05). There were also no significant differences between Changsulin ? and Lantus ? in 8-point SMBG profiles from baseline and proportions of subjects achieving the targets of HbA1c and FPG (all P>0.05). The rates of total hypoglycemia (38.00% and 39.01% for Changsulin ? and Lantus ?, respectively) and nocturnal hypoglycemia (17.25% and 16.31% for Changsulin ? and Lantus ?, respectively) were similar between the two groups (all P>0.05). Most of the hypoglycemia events were asymptomatic, and no severe hypoglycemia were found in both groups. No differences were observed in rates of AEs (61.77% vs.52.48%) and anti-insulin glargine antibody (after 24 weeks of treatment, 6.91% vs.3.65%) between the two groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions:Changsulin ? shows similar efficacy and safety profiles compared with Lantus ? and Changsulin ? treatment was well tolerated in patients with T2DM.

Objective: To investigate the assessment and treatment strategy of patients with renal cell carcinoma. Methods: The clinical data of 43 patients with renal cell carcinoma and bone metastases admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2006 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. The follow-up time was 6 years, with an average age of 55.4 years (21-87 years). There were 29 males, 14 females, 22 cases of limb bone metastasis, 12 cases of spinal metastasis, 9 cases of multiple bone metastasis, 21 cases of Fuhrman grade 1 and 2, 19 cases of T₁, and 20 cases of N₀. All patients were confirmed by postoperative pathological examination or imaging data suggesting that bone metastasis are from renal cell carcinoma. Forty-three patients underwent primary renal surgery, and molecular targeted therapy was used after the operation. The treatment process was smooth, no obvious discomfort, and postoperative pathology showed clear cell carcinoma.22 patients with limb bones metastasis and 12 patients with spinal metastasis included in the study all met the indications for secondary surgery after the disease assessment. After communicating with the patient, 13 patients with limbs metastasis and 6 patients with spinal metastasis received local treatment, including complete resection of the extremities and spinal fixation, the remaining 15 patients and 9 patients with multiple bone metastasis were treated conservatively. There were 19 patients in the local treatment group, 13 patients with limbs bone metastasis, 6 patients with spinal bone metastasis, the average age was 54.9 years, the average diameter of the primary tumor was 4.7 cm. There were 24 patients in the conservative treatment group, 9 patients with limbs metastasis, 6 patients with spinal metastases and 9 cases with multiple bone metastasis, with an average age of 56 years and a primary tumor diameter of 5.6 cm. Limb metastatic lesions were evaluated according to the patient's general condition, bone pain, fracture risk, and bone metastasis. Spinal lesions were evaluated according to Tokuhashi score, Harrington score, Tomita score, vertebral stability assessment, and molecular targeted therapy. Aminokinase inhibitors, conservative treatment with local radiotherapy and bisphosphonate treatment. Results: During the follow-up period, the 1-year overall survival rate of the local treatment group was 100.0%, the 2-year overall survival rate was 89.4%, and the 5-year overall survival rate was 73.7%. The 1-year overall survival rate of the conservative treatment group was 87.5%, and the 2-year overall survival rate was 62.5%. The 5-year overall survival rate was 16.7%. The 2-year and 5-year survival rates of the local treatment group were statistically different (P=0.044, P=0.000) compared with the conservative treatment group. For patients with limb bone metastasis, the 5-year survival rate was significantly higher in patients receiving topical treatment than in the conservative treatment group (P=0.011). For spinal metastasis, spinal pain in the local treatment group was alleviated to varying degrees. No spinal instability and spasticity were observed after follow-up. In the spine patients who received conservative treatment, 3 patients developed paraplegia, which was statistically different from local treatment (P=0.046). Another 9 patients with multiple bone metastases did not undergo local surgery, and all died after multiple organ failure. Conclusions At the same time of molecular targeted therapy, according to the evaluation results, selective treatment of bone metastases with secondary surgical indications, including complete resection of the extremities and spinal fixation, can significantly improve the survival and quality of life of those patients.

Objective To analyze the effect of diabetes mellitus (DM) on the prognosis of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after receiving transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE).Methods A total of 858 HCC patients,who were admitted to the Affiliated Xinhua Hospital,School of Medicine,Shanghai Jiaotong University,China,during the period from January 2010 to June 2015 to receive TACE,were selected.Among the 858 HCC patients,175 patients suffered from coexisting DM (DM group) and 683 patients had no DM (non-DM group).The differences in general clinical data and overall survival between the two groups were analyzed.Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the survival rate,the difference between the two groups was evaluated by log-rank method,and Cox proportional hazards regression was adopted to analyze the prognostic factors of HCC patients after receiving TACE.Results There were no statistically significant differences in sex,age,serum albumin,total bilirubin,prothrombin time,alpha fetoprotein (AFP),Child-Pugh grade,tumor size and number,cirrhosis,number of TACE treatment times and BCLC staging between the two groups (P＞0.05);the fasting blood glucose (FPG)level in DM group was higher than that in non-DM group (P＜0.05).The 1-,3-and5-year survival rates of the DM group were 60.9％,27.5％ and 10.7％ respectively,which were 70.9％,36.0％ and 17.6％ respectively in the non-DM group;the Log-rank test showed that the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P=0.008).Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis revealed that the largest tumor diameter ＞5 cm,multiple tumor lesions,AFP＞20 ng/ml,BCLC stage and coexisting DM were independent risk factors that affected the prognosis of HCC patients after receiving TACE.Conclusion The coexisting DM is an independent risk factor that may affect the prognosis of patients with inoperable HCC after receiving TACE.

Objective To evaluate the clinical characteristics of patients with growth-hormone adenoma (GHA) and summarize the diagnosis and treatment experience.Methods The clinical data of 338 GHA cases at the General Hospital of PLA from Jan. 1990 to Dec. 2016 were collected, of which 252 cases with more complete clinical data were retrospectively analyzed including their general situation, medical history, laboratory tests and auxiliary examinations, and treatment modalities and outcomes. Parts of the patients were followed up.Results The cases of hospitalized GHA patients have increased year by year since 1990, and the number of patients admitted in the last 3 years accounted for 56.2% of the total number of cases. The sex ratio for GHA patients was nearly 1:1. Age of visiting followed Gaussian distribution while the 41-50 age group occupied the largest part. The most typical sign is hand and foot enlargement (60.7%), followed by the hypertrophy of nasal ala. The most common symptoms are headache (42.5%), hypopsia, visual field defect and diplopia. More than half of GHA patients were complicated with prediabetes and diabetes (72.6%), sleep apnea (69.5%), goiter or thyroid nodularity (56.4%), cardiac insufficiency (57.0%) and colon polyp (54.1%); while the percentages of cases undergone the relevant examination in the total number of cases were as follows: 75g OGTT test (42.1%), polysomnography (23.4%), thyroid ultrasound (37.3%), echocardiogram (47.6%) and colonoscopy (14.7%); GHA was 23.37±1.42μg/L and IGF-1 was 804.28±273.93ng/ml on average; 85.0% of somatotroph tumors are macroadenoma. Surgery remains the mainstay of therapy to GHA, while medical therapy was selected by less patients. During the follow-up, only 38.0%of GHA patients can be contacted, among them the remission rate decreased to 40.5%. The positive rate of long-term remission evaluated by early postoperative GHA level was consistent with that confirmed by the long-term follow-up (χ2=3.368,P>0.05). Conclusions The number of hospitalized GHA patients have increased recent years. The common clinical signs and symptoms are somatic enlargement and nonspecific headache. Due to uncompleted screening, GHA associated complications are always misdiagnosed; It is essential to establish a sound model of follow-up to improve patients' quality of life. The early postoperative GHA levels may predict the prognosis of surgery.

Objective To study the influence of ultralow‐frequency transcranial magnetic stimulus(TMS) on the cognitive a‐bility of rats with cerebral ischemia and its mechanism .Methods 60 healthy rats were divided into 4 groups(15 cases each):A (sham‐operation) ,B(model) ,C(TMS) and D(TMS+ H89) .The escape latency time ,times of passing through platform ,expression level of VEGF ,BDNF and nestin protein were compared among 4 groups .Results In the group A ,the escape latency time was (16 .31 ± 2 .33)s ,times passing through platform were (8 .02 ± 1 .76) times ;in group B ,which were (57 .14 ± 2 .89)s and (3 .15 ± 0 .88) times;in group C ,which were (29 .18 ± 1 .95)s and (5 .44 ± 0 .75) times ;in group D ,which were (45 .87 ± 2 .06)s and (4 .16 ± 1 .02) times .Compared with the group A ,the escape latency time in the group B ,C and D was significantly extended ,more‐over that in the group B was longer than that in the group D and C ,the differences were statistically significant (P<0 .05);the times of passing through platform decreased ,which in the group B was less than that in the group D and C ,the differences had sta‐tistical significance(P<0 .05) .The expression levels of VEGF ,BDNF and nestin had statistical differences among various groups (P<0 .05) .Conclusion Low‐frequency TMS can significantly improve the cognitive ability of rats with cerebral ischemia ,its effect is related to the expression of cAMP‐response element binding protein and its following genes(VEGF and BDNF) .

Objective To assess the significance of insulin tolerance test(ITT) in clinical diagnosis of adult growth hormone deficiency(GHD).Methods Eighty-two patients with an established diagnosis of adult GHD [53males,29 females,mean age (30.9 ± 12.3) years (18-65 years)] were reviewed retrospectively for evaluating the GH response to ITT in the General Hospital of the People' s Liberation Army.Control data for peak GH after ITT were obtained in 15 healthy subjects [9 males,6 females,mean age (26.7 ± 5.6) years (22-41 years)].Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and the area under the curve (AUC) were used to evaluate the diagnostic cut-off point of peak GH and GH increment response to ITT.Results (1) Mean peak GH response to ITT was significantly higher in 15 controls compared with 82 patients (the median 14 μg/L vs 0.62 μg/L,P =0.001).The cut-off point of the peak GH(chemiluminescent immunoassay,CLIA) response to ITT in adult GHD was 4.935 μg/L (AUC 0.993).(2) Mean GH increment was significantly higher in 15 controls compared with 82 patients (the median 13.17 μg/L vs 0.19 ug/L,P＜0.001).The cut-off point of the GH increment was 4.088 μg/L(AUC 0.937),with a 91.5％ sensitivity and 100％ specificity.(3) The peak GH showed even higher diagnostic value than the GH increment after ITT.(4)The above mentioned cut-off points (peak GH less than 4.935 μg/L and 5 μg/L) had a coincidence with a 95.1％ sensitivity and 100％ specificity,respectively.Conclusion The current guidelines for the diagnosis of adult GHD based on the optimal cut-off point of the peak GH(CLIA) response to ITT less than 5 μg/L turned to be of reliable diagnostic value in our country.

Objective To investigate whether repeated low-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can affect the expression of Kca1.1,Nav1.6,NMDAR1 and/or GAD65 protein in the pyramid layer of the CA3 region of the hippocampus.Methods Fifty rats were randomly divided into an experimental group and a sham group.The former was administered low-frequency rTMS on 14 consecutive days ; the latter were given sham stimulation for 14 days.After the protocols were completed,each group was sub-divided into 6 h,24 h,1 week,3 week and 6 week sub-groups.The rats of each sub-group were sacrificed at the corresponding time points and the expression of KCa1.1,Nav1.6,NMDAR1 and GAD65 in the CA3 region of the hippocampus was examined using immunohistochemical techniques.Results Compared with the sham group,KCa1.1-positive neuron densities increased significantly in the period 6 h to 3 weeks after rTMS.GAD65-positive neuron densities were also elevated significantly from 6 h to 3 weeks.NaV1.6-and NMDAR1-positive neuron densities decreased transiently at 6 h after the completion of the rTMS protocol.Conclusions These results show that low-frequency rTMS can upregulate the expression of KCa1.1 and GAD65,and that the effect lasts for at least 3 weeks.It transiently downregulates the expression of NaV 1.6 and NMDAR1 in the hippocampal CA3 region,at least in rats.These changes may be one of its anti-epileptic mechanisms.

Objective To study the effects of low-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on rats with seizures induced by lithium-pilocarpine. Methods Rats were randomly divided into five groups and pre-treated with TMS at 75% of the stimulator's maximum output, but at 0 Hz (the sham group), 0.3 Hz, 0.5 Hz, 0.8 Hz and 1.0 Hz, respectively. After stimulation every day for 2 weeks, a model of acute epilepsy was induced u-sing iithium-pilocarpine. Subsequent behavior and the latencies of seizures were observed, and the severity of the sei- zures was quantitatively evaluated for 90 rain. Results The seizure latencies were significantly prolonged in all the other groups relative to the sham group (P<0.05). The prolongation in the 0.5 Hz and 0.8 Hz groups was signifi-cantly greater than in the 0.3 Hz and 1.0 Hz groups. The severity of seizures in the 0.3 Hz and 1.0 Hz groups was not significantly different from that in the sham group, but most of the rats in the 0.5 Hz group and the 0.8 Hz group experienced much lighter seizures, with seizure severity scores significantly lower than those in the other 3 groups. Conclusions Pretreatment with TMS at 0.3 to 1.0 Hz led to a longer latency of seizure onset. 0.5 Hz and 0.8 Hz gave the longest latencies and showed conspicuous antiepileptie effects.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of embolization therapy with NBCA for intracranial arteriovenous fistula (AVF) in infants. Methods Four patients with cerebral arteriovenous fistula were reported, including 3 males and 1 female with nonspecific symptoms and signs, and the diagnosis was made by DSA. Three of them were treated by embolization therapy with NBCA. Results Three of the cases were treated by NBCA, neither death nor complication occurred. Conclusion Intracranial AVF is rare in childhood. Endovascular treatment with NBCA is effective and safe, but the long-term effect has to be comfirmed by follow-up study. (J Intervent Radiol, 2006, 15: 451-452)