Background::Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is gradually accepted as the standard of care in breast cancer patients with down-staged axillary disease after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). However, it is still difficult to precisely define pre-NAC clinical node-positive (cN1) and post-NAC clinical node-negative (ycN0). This prospective single-center trial was designed to evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of standard targeted axillary dissection (TAD) after NAC in highly selective pre-NAC cN1 patients (not considering ultrasound-based axillary ycN staging).Methods::This prospective trial included patients with initial pre-NAC cT1–3N1M0 invasive breast cancer but with a rigorous definition of cN1 from the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University. When NAC was effective (including complete and partial responses) and preoperative axillary palpation was negative, preoperative ultrasound-based axillary staging was not considered, and all patients underwent TAD followed by axillary lymph node (LN) dissection. The detection rate (DR) and false-negative rate (FNR) of TAD were calculated.Results::A total of 82 patients were included, and 77 of them were eligible for data analysis. The DR for TAD was 94.8% (73/77). There were 26 patients with one abnormal LN at the time of diagnosis based on ultrasound, 45 patients with two, and 2 patients with three. One patient had one TAD LN, four patients had two TAD LNs, and 68 patients had three or more TAD LNs. Preoperative axillary palpation yielded negative results for all 73 patients who successfully underwent TAD. Preoperative ultrasound-based ycN0 and ycN+ conditions were detected for 52 and 21 cases, respectively. The FNR was 7.4% (2/27) for standard TAD (≥3 SLNs), which was lower than that of all successful TAD (≥1 SLN; 10.0%, 3/30).Conclusions::In rigorously defined pre-NAC cN1 breast cancer patients, standard TAD is feasible for those with negative axillary palpation after NAC, and FNR is also less than 10%.Registration::chictr.org.cn, ChiCTR2100049093

Objective To explore the effect of gender,training duration and type of sports on electro-cardiographic changes in Chinese elite athletes by performing electrocardiography(ECG).Methods A to-tal of 891 Chinese elite athletes who underwent ECG examinations between 2016 and 2019 were in-cluded in the study.The ECGs were divided into three groups according to the guidelines of the Euro-pean Society of Cardiology(ESC)in 2010:group 0(normal ECG),group 1(common and training-relat-ed ECG)and Group 2(uncommon and training-unrelated ECG).The effect of gender,training dura-tion(4 to 6 years,7 to 10 years and more than 11 years)and sports types(skill,strength,endur-ance and mixed categories)on the ECG changes was assessed.Results No significant differences were found in Group 2 in sex,training duration or sports types.However,the prevalence of common train-ing-related ECG changes was significantly higher in male athletes than in female athletes(58.9%vs.47.4%).Moreover,the highest prevalence was found in athletes with more than 11 years of training,significantly higher than those with 4-6 years of training(P<0.05).A highly significant difference was also observed among athletes of different sports(P<0.01),with the highest in those of the mixed cate-gory at 64.6%.Moreover,sinus bradycardia occurred with significantly higher incidence in athletes un-dertaking mixed and endurance training than others(P<0.05).Conclusion The training-related ECG changes of Chinese elite athletes is closely correlated to their gender,training duration and sports types.

Purpose: Patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)–low advanced breast cancer can benefit from trastuzumab deruxtecan. Given the unclear prognostic characteristics of HER2-low breast cancer, we investigated the prognostic characteristics of HER2-low expression from primary tumor to residual disease after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). Materials and Methods: The data of HER2-negative patients receiving NACT at our center were collected. Pathological complete response (pCR) rate were compared between HER2-0 and HER2-low patients. The evolution of HER2 expression from primary tumor to residual disease and its impact on disease-free survival (DFS) were examined. Results: Of the 690 patients, 494 patients had HER2-low status, of which 72.3% were hormone receptor (HR)–positive (p < 0.001). The pCR rates of HER2-low and HER2-0 patients (14.2% vs. 23.0%) showed no difference in multivariate analysis regardless of HR status. No association was observed between DFS and HER2 status. Of the 564 non-pCR patients, 57 (10.1%) changed to HER2-positive, and 64 of the 150 patients (42.7%) with HER2-0 tumors changed to HER2-low. HER2-low (p=0.004) and HR-positive (p=0.010) tumors before NACT were prone to HER2 gain. HER2 gain patients had a better DFS compared with HER2-negative maintained patients (87.9% vs. 79.5%, p=0.048), and the DFS of targeted therapy group was better than that of no targeted therapy group (92.4% vs. 66.7%, p=0.016). Conclusion Although HER2-low did not affect the pCR rate and DFS, significant evolution of HER2-low expression after NACT creates opportunities for targeted therapy including trastuzumab.

Glioblastoma(GBM)originates from glial cells,and complete surgical resection followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy is the current standard treatment.However,gliomas are subjected to not only accelerated cell death after radiotherapy and chemotherapy but also cellular senescence.Senescent cells produce a senescence-associated secretory phenotype(SASP),which has a dual effect on the tumor microenvironment.The"one-two punch"strategy of specifically eliminating senescent cells and inhibiting SASP-derived secretions provides a new direction for tumor therapy.In this article,we review the mechanisms that mediate tumor cellular senescence and SASP,the elimina-tion of senescent cells by senolytics for SASP inhibition,and the current situation of the"one-two punch"strategy for the treatment of glioma.

Stimulator of interferon genes (STING) is a cytosolic DNA sensor which is regarded as a potential target for antitumor immunotherapy. However, clinical trials of STING agonists display limited anti-tumor effects and dose-dependent side-effects like inflammatory damage and cell toxicity. Here, we showed that tetrahedral DNA nanostructures (TDNs) actively enter macrophages to promote STING activation and M1 polarization in a size-dependent manner, and synergized with Mn²⁺ to enhance the expressions of IFN-β and iNOS, as well as the co-stimulatory molecules for antigen presentation. Moreover, to reduce the cytotoxicity of Mn²⁺, we constructed a TDN-MnO₂ complex and found that it displayed a much higher efficacy than TDN plus Mn²⁺ to initiate macrophage activation and anti-tumor response both in vitro and in vivo. Together, our studies explored a novel immune activation effect of TDN in cancer therapy and its synergistic therapeutic outcomes with MnO₂. These findings provide new therapeutic opportunities for cancer therapy.

Objective:To explore whether NSBB is suitable for the primary prevention of liver cirrhosis accompanied by CSPH with no or small esophageal varices.Methods:Relevant literatures were retrieved from Cochrane library, PubMed, EMBASE, SinoMed, CNKI and Wanfang databases until December 12, 2020. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on NSBB use for primary prevention of cirrhosis accompanied by CSPH with no or small esophageal varices were collected. The literature was strictly screened according to the established inclusion and exclusion criteria, odds ratio (OR), and 95% confidence interval (CI) combined effect size. The development of esophageal varices and the initial upper gastrointestinal bleeding were the primary outcome measures. Death (with a maximum average follow-up of about five years) and adverse events (adverse drug reactions, etc.) were the secondary outcome measures.Results:A total of 9 RCTs with 1396 cases were included. Meta-analysis results showed that, compared with placebo, NSBB significantly reduced the incidence of liver cirrhosis accompanied by CSPH with no or small esophageal varices to large esophageal varices progression ( OR=0.51, 95% CI: 0.29-0.89, P=0.02), and mortality (with maximum average follow-up of about five years) ( OR=0.64, 95% CI: 0.44-0.92, P=0.02); however, there was no statistically significant difference in the initial upper gastrointestinal bleeding rate between the two groups ( OR=0.82, 95% CI: 0.44-1.52, P=0.53). Adverse event incidence was greater in the NSBB than the placebo group ( OR=1.74, 95% CI: 1.27-2.37, P=0.0005). Conclusions:NSBB use cannot reduce the initial upper gastrointestinal bleeding rate or adverse event incidence in patients with liver cirrhosis accompanied by CSPH with no or small esophageal varices, but it can delay the progression of gastroesophageal varices and reduce patient mortality.

Background: Esophageal mucosal injury induced by gastroesophageal reflux is a key link to the development of Barrett's esophagus-associated adenocarcinoma. However, the molecular mechanism is still not elucidated. Aims: To investigate the role of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) after stimulating esophageal cells with acid and bile acid in the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Methods: The DEGs were obtained through bioinformatics methods after stimulating esophageal cells with low pH and deoxycholic acid, and GO, KEGG enrichment analysis were performed. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was performed to screen the hub genes, and their relationships with prognosis and tumor stage of EAC patients were analyzed. The role of co-expressed genes of GADD45B in EAC was also analyzed. Results: Thirty-one overlapping DEGs were obtained after stimulating esophageal cells with low pH and deoxycholic acid, which mainly enriched in the cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, transcription factors activity, and regulation of cell proliferation and apoptotic process. High expression of GADD45B was correlated with the survival prognosis and tumor stage of EAC patients. GADD45B and its co-expressed genes were involved in the production of tumor necrosis factor. Conclusions: The high expression of GADD45B induced by acid and bile acid is correlated with the prognosis and tumor stage of EAC patients, and is a potential diagnosis and treatment target for Barrett's esophagus-associated adenocarcinoma.

Objective:To investigate the risk factors for anastomotic leakage after laparo-scopic lower anterior resection (LAR) of rectal cancer, and the application value of its risk assess-ment scoring model.Methods:The retrospective case-control study was conducted. The clinico-pathological data of 539 patients who underwent laparoscopic LAR of rectal cancer in 13 medical centers, including 248 cases in Renji Hospital of Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, 35 cases in Ningbo First Hospital, 35 cases in Changzhou Second People's Hospital, 32 cases in the First People's Hospital of Nantong, 32 cases in Linyi People's Hospital, 31 cases in Changzhou Wujin People's Hospital, 28 cases in Jiading District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 27 cases in the First Hospital of Taizhou, 26 cases in Shanghai Pudong Gongli Hospital, 21 cases in the People's Hospital of Rugao, 11 cases in Central Hospital of Fengxian District, 7 cases in Ningbo Hangzhou Bay Hospital and 6 cases in Jiangsu jianhu People's Hospital, from January 2016 to November 2020 were collected. There were 157 males and 382 females, aged (62.7±0.5)years. Observation indicators: (1) follow-up; (2) risk factors for anastomotic leakage after laparoscopic LAR; (3) establishment of risk assessment scoring model for anastomotic leakage after laparoscopic LAR. Follow-up was conducted by outpatient examination or telephone interview. Patients were followed up at 1 week after discharge or 1 month after the operation to detect the anastomotic leakage. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M(range). Count data were represented as absolute numbers or percentages, and comparison between groups was analyzed using the chi-square test. Univariate analysis was conducted using the chi-square test and multivariate analysis was conducted usong the Logistic regression model. The area under curve of receiver operating characteristic curve was used to estimate the efficiency of detecton methods. The maximum value of the Youden index was defined as the best cut-off value. Results:(1) Follow-up: 539 patients were followed up at postoperative 1 week and 1 month. During the follow-up, 79 patient had anastomotic leakage, with an incidence of 14.66%(79/539). Of the 79 patients, 39 cases were cured after conservative treatment, 40 cases were cured after reoperation (ileostomy or colostomy). (2) Risk factors for anastomotic leakage after laparoscopic LAR. Results of univariate analysis showed that sex, age, body mass index, smoking and/or drinking, tumor diameter, diabetes mellitus, hemoglobin, albumin, grade of American Society of Anesthesio-logists (ASA), neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy, distance from anastomotic level to dentate line, the number of pelvic stapler, reinforced anastomosis, volume of intraoperative blood loss, placement of decompression tube, preservation of left colic artery, operation time and professional doctors were related factors for anastomotic leakage after laparoscopic LAR ( χ2=14.060, 4.387, 5.039, 4.094, 17.488, 33.485, 25.066, 28.959, 34.973, 34.207, 22.076, 13.208, 16.440, 17.708, 17.260, 4.573, 5.919, 5.389, P<0.05). Results of multivariate analysis showed that male, tumor diameter ≥3.5 cm, diabetes mellitus, hemoglobin <90 g/L, albumin <30 g/L, grade of ASA ≥Ⅲ, neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy, distance from anastomotic level to dentate line <1 cm, the number of pelvic stapler ≥3, non-reinforced anastomosis, volume of intraoperative blood loss ≥100 mL and no placement of decom-pression tube were independent risk factors for anastomotic leakage after laparoscopic LAR ( odds ratio=2.864,3.043,12.556,7.178,8.425,12.895,8.987,4.002,3.084,4.393,3.266,3.224,95% confidence interval as 1.279?6.411, 1.404?6.594, 4.469?35.274, 2.648?19.459, 2.471?28.733, 4.027?41.289, 3.702?21.777, 1.746?9.171, 1.365?6.966, 1.914?10.083, 1.434?7.441, 1.321?7.867, P<0.05). (3) Establishment of risk assessment scoring model for anastomotic leakage after laparoscopic LAR. based on the results of univariate analysis, clinicopathological factors with χ2>20, χ2>10 and ≤20 or χ2≤10 were defined as scoring of 3, 2, 1, respectively. The cumulative clinicopatho-logical factors scoring ≥6 was defined as an effective evaluating indicator for postoperative anastomotic leakage. The risk assessment scoring model (6-321) for anastomotic leakage after laparoscopic LAR was established. The cumulative value ≥6 indicated high incidence of anastomotic leakage, and the cumulative value <6 indicated low incidence of anastomotic leakage. Conclusions:Male, tumor diameter ≥3.5 cm, diabetes mellitus, hemoglobin <90 g/L, albumin <30 g/L, grade of ASA ≥Ⅲ, neo-adjuvant chemoradiotherapy, distance from anastomotic level to dentate line <1 cm, the number of pelvic stapler ≥3, non-reinforced anastomosis, volume of intraoperative blood loss ≥100 mL and no placement of decompression tube are independent risk factors for anastomotic leakage after laparoscopic LAR. The risk assessment scoring model (6-321) is established according to the above results.The cumulative value ≥6 indicates high incidence of anastomotic leakage and the cumulative value <6 indicates low incidence of anastomotic leakage.

Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) is an emerging powerful cancer immunotherapy, which includes a complex process of genetic modification, stimulation and expansion. During these

Objective:To investigate the application value of three-dimensional visualization technology in management of middle hepatic vein (MHV) processing in associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy(ALPPS).Methods:The retrospective and descriptive study was conducted. The clinical data of 40 patients with right massive liver cancer or multiple right liver lesions who underwent ALPPS in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University from November 2017 to August 2019 were collected. There were 34 males and 6 females, aged (44±9)years, with a range from 26 to 64 years. All patients underwent multi-slice computed tomography (CT) plain and enhanced scan of superior abdominal region before operation, and the data were transmitted to the liver visualization analysis software IQQA system with 1.5 mm thin-layer images to complete the three-dimensional reconstruction of the liver and its blood vessels. Patients were performed ALPPS based on results of three-dimensional reconstruction and intraoperative findings. Observation indicators: (1) results of preoperative three-dimensional reconstruction; (2) surgical situations; (3) follow-up. Follow-up was conducted using outpatient examinations and telephone interview to detect postopeartive survival of patients up to March 2020. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and measurement data with skewed distribution were described as M (range). Count data were represented as absolute numbers. Results:(1) Results of preoperative three-dimensional reconstruction: 40 patients underwent three-dimensional reconstruction successfully, of which 37 clearly showed MHV, tumor location and relationship between them, 3 patients showed unclearly MHV and were classified based on two-dimensional images. Of the 40 patients, 12 had MHV classified as type A, 13 as type B, 9 as type C, and 6 as type D. Three-dimensional reconstruction of vessels showed 22 with umbilical veins and 9 with anterior veins. Of the 40 patients, 35 were predicted to preserve MHV, and 5 were predicted to resect MHV. Total estimated liver volume, tumor volume, and reserved liver volume were (1 012±119)cm 3, 600 cm 3(8-2 055 cm 3), (346±80)cm 3. The ratio of future liver remnant to standard liver volume was 34%±8%. (2) Surgical situations : 40 patients underwent the first-stage ALPPS, including 35 with preservation of MHV and 5 with resection of MHV, which was accorded with preoperative prediction. Thirty-four patients underwent the second-stage ALPPS, and 6 patients had failure to receive the second-stage ALPPS due to undificiency future liver remnant. The operation time and volume of intraoperative blood loss for 40 patients undergoing first-stage ALPPS were (350±79)minutes and 300 mL(range, 100-2 600 mL). Three patients received blood transfusion and no perioperative death occurred. There were 24 patients with grade A heptic insufficiency according to criteria of International StudyGroup of Liver Surgery (ISGLS) and 16 patients with grade B heptic insufficiency after the first-stage ALPPS. Twenty-eight patients had grade Ⅰ complications of Clavien-Dindo classification, including 17 with a small pleural effusion, 10 with a small pleural and abdominal effusion, 1 with hypoproteinemia; 8 patients had grade Ⅱ complications of Clavien-Dindo classification, including 5 with pneumonia, 1 with pneumonia combined with pleural and abdominal effusion, 1 with coagulation disorders, 1 with biliary fistula; 3 patients had grade Ⅲ complications of Clavien-Dindo classification, including 2 with pneumothorax and pneumonia, 1 with pneumothorax, pneumonia and coagulation disorders; 1 patient had grade Ⅳ complications of Clavien-Dindo classification as systemic inflammatory response syndrome. All patients with complications were improved after symptomatic treatment, anti infection, transfusion of fresh frozen plasma or drainage. For the 34 patients undergoing the second-stage ALPPS, the operation time and volume of intraoperative blood loss were (320±83)minutes and 500 mL(range, 200-6 000 mL). Twelve patients received blood transfusion. There were 12 patients with grade A heptic insufficiency according to criteria of ISGLS and 22 with grade B heptic insufficiency after the second-stage ALPPS. Eighteen patients had grade Ⅰ complications of Clavien-Dindo classification, including 11 with a small pleural effusion, 7 with a small pleural and abdominal effusion; 12 patients had grade Ⅱ complications of Clavien-Dindo classification, including 4 with pneumonia, 4 with coagulation disorders, 3 with massive abdominal effusion, 1 with biliary fistula; 3 patients had grade Ⅲ complications of Clavien-Dindo classification, including 1 with pneumothorax and pneumonia, 1 with massive pleural effusion, 1 with obstructive jaundice; 1 patient had grade Ⅳ complications of Clavien-Dindo classification as pneumonia and anemia. All patients with complications were improved after symptomatic treatment, anti infection, transfusion of fresh frozen plasma or drainage. (3) Follow-up: 40 patients were followed up for 2-35 months, with a median follow-up time of 17 months. The 6-month, 1-, and 2-year survival cases were 35, 26, 21 cases. Conclusion:Three-dimensional visualization technology can clearly show the MHV classification and its relationship with tumor location, which has an important guiding significance in the decision-making of MHV management in ALPPS.