Objective To compare the long-term survival of elderly patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) treated with surgical versus non-surgical treatment. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of elderly patients aged ≥70 years with ESCC who underwent esophagectomy or radiotherapy/chemotherapy at Sichuan Cancer Hospital from January 2009 to September 2017. Patients were divided into a surgical group (S group) and a non-surgical group (NS group) according to the treatment method. The propensity score matching method was used to match the two groups of patients at a ratio of 1∶1, and the survival of the two groups before and after matching was analyzed. Results A total of 726 elderly patients with ESCC were included, including 552 males and 174 females, with 651 patients aged ≥70-80 years and 75 patients aged ≥80-90 years. There were 515 patients in the S group and 211 patients in the NS group. The median follow-up time was 60.8 months, and the median overall survival of the S group was 41.9 months [95%CI (35.2, 48.5)], while that of the NS group was only 24.0 months [95%CI (19.8, 28.3)]. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates of the S group were 84%, 54%, and 40%, respectively, while those of the NS group were 72%, 40%, and 30%, respectively [HR=0.689, 95%CI (0.559, 0.849), P<0.001]. After matching, 138 patients were included in each group, and there was no statistical difference in the overall survival between the two groups [HR=0.871, 95%CI (0.649, 1.167), P=0.352]. Conclusion Compared with conservative treatment, there is no significant difference in the long-term survival of elderly patients aged ≥70 years who undergo esophagectomy for ESCC. Neoadjuvant therapy combined with surgery is still an important choice to potentially improve the survival of elderly patients with ESCC.

BACKGROUND: LY01005 (Goserelin acetate sustained-release microsphere injection) is a modified gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist injected monthly. This phase III trial study aimed to evaluated the efficacy and safety of LY01005 in Chinese patients with prostate cancer. METHODS: We conducted a randomized controlled, open-label, non-inferiority trial across 49 sites in China. This study included 290 patients with prostate cancer who received either LY01005 or goserelin implants every 28 days for three injections. The primary efficacy endpoints were the percentage of patients with testosterone suppression ≤50 ng/dL at day 29 and the cumulative probability of testosterone ≤50 ng/dL from day 29 to 85. Non-inferiority was prespecified at a margin of -10%. Secondary endpoints included significant castration (≤20 ng/dL), testosterone surge within 72 h following repeated dosing, and changes in luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and prostate specific antigen levels. RESULTS: On day 29, in the LY01005 and goserelin implant groups, testosterone concentrations fell below medical-castration levels in 99.3% (142/143) and 100% (140/140) of patients, respectively, with a difference of -0.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], -3.9% to 2.0%) between the two groups. The cumulative probabilities of maintaining castration from days 29 to 85 were 99.3% and 97.8%, respectively, with a between-group difference of 1.5% (95% CI, -1.3% to 4.4%). Both results met the criterion for non-inferiority. Secondary endpoints were similar between groups. Both treatments were well-tolerated. LY01005 was associated with fewer injection-site reactions than the goserelin implant (0% vs . 1.4% [2/145]). CONCLUSION: LY01005 is as effective as goserelin implants in reducing testosterone to castration levels, with a similar safety profile. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04563936.
Humans ; Male ; Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal/therapeutic use* ; East Asian People ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone/agonists* ; Goserelin/therapeutic use* ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; Prostatic Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Testosterone

Objective:To investigate the surgical treatment and prognosis of thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).Methods:The retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 2 766 patients with thoracic ESCC who were admitted to Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute from January 2010 to December 2017 were collected. There were 2 256 males and 510 females, aged (62±8)years. All patients underwent surgical treatment. Observation indicators: (1) treatment; (2) postoperative complications; (3) postoperative survival. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M( Q1, Q3). Count data were described as absolute numbers or percentages. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw survival curve and calculate survival rate, and the Log-Rank test was used for survival analysis. Result:(1) Treatment. Fifty-two of the 2 766 patients underwent neoadjuvant therapy. There were 1 444 patients undergoing open surgery, including 44 cases conversion to thoracotomy, and there were 1 322 patients undergoing minimally invasive esophagectomy. There were 1 991, 729 and 46 cases with McKeown, Ivor-Lewis and Sweet esophagectomy, respectively. One thousand two hundred and seventy-one of the 2 766 patients underwent postoperative adjuvant therapy. The number of lymph node metastases, the number of lymph node dissected, rate of R 0 resection, operation time of 2 766 patients were 2.1(0,3.0), 22±12, 94.722%(2 620/2 766), (237±66)minutes. (2) Postoperative complications. The overall incidence of postoperative complications was 25.850%(715/2 766). The top two postoperative complications were pneumonia and anastomotic fistula, with incidence rates of 8.604%(238/2766) and 7.484%(207/2766), respectively. One patient may have more than two kinds of postoperative complications. (3) Postoperative survival. The 1-, 3-and 5-year overall survival rates of 2 766 patients were 86.2%, 57.5% and 46.8%, respectively. Further analysis indicated that the 5-year overall survival rates of 510 female patients and 2 256 male patients were 62.0% and 43.3%, respectively, showing a significant difference between them ( χ2=48.94, P<0.05). The 5-year overall survival rates of 693 cases with upper thoracic ESCC, 1 479 cases with middle thoracic ESCC and 594 cases with lower thoracic ESCC were 49.5%, 46.7% and 44.1%, respectively, showing no significant difference among them ( χ2=3.21, P>0.05). The 5-year overall survival rates of 68 cases with stage 0 thoracic ESCC, 259 cases with stage Ⅰ esophageal ESCC, 885 cases with stage Ⅱ thoracic ESCC, 1 222 cases with stage Ⅲ thoracic ESCC, and 332 cases with stage Ⅳ thoracic ESCC were 95.6%, 76.4%, 61.4%, 35.6%, and 14.5%, respectively, showing a significant difference among them ( χ2=500.40, P<0.05). The 5-year overall survival rates of 1 444 patients undergoing open esophagectomy and 1 322 patients undergoing minimally invasive esophagectomy were 42.5% and 51.8%, respectively, showing a significant difference between them ( χ2=31.29, P<0.05). The 5-year overall survival rates of 1 991 cases undergoing McKeown esophagectomy, 729 cases undergoing Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy, and 46 cases undergoing Sweet esophagectomy were 49.5%, 41.2%, and 32.3%, respectively, showing a significant difference among them ( χ2=19.19, P<0.05). Conclusions:Compared with open esophagectomy, minimally invasive esophagectomy brings survival benefits to patients with thoracic esophageal ESCC. Among different esophagectomy methods, the McKeown esophagectomy has also brought survival benefits to patients with esophageal ESCC compared to the Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy and the Sweet esophagectomy.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has outbroken globally. As an acute infectious disease, COVID-19 has significant impacts on multiple organs and systems throughout the body. Among patients with COVID-19, especially severe and critical cases, a variety of potential risk factors for coagulation dysfunction exist. Furthermore, the coagulation dysfunction of COVID-19 patients was mainly characterized by elevated D-dimer levels. The coagulation dysfunction could directly affect the prognosis of COVID-19 patients and is a major cause of death in patients with severe COVID-19. In this article, the literatures on the basic clinical manifestations, clinical risk factor, mechanism of coagulation dysfunction and evaluation of coagulation function in COVID-19 were reviewed.

Objective:To compare the clinical efficacy of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE)-covered stent and drug combined with gastroscopy as the secondary prevention of esophageal-gastric variceal bleeding in portal hypertension.Methods:Patients with esophageal-gastric variceal bleeding who received TIPS treatment (ePTFE covered stent) or gastroscopy for the first time as the secondary prevention for portal hypertension at Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University through March to July 2017 were selected. One year after the operation, liver function changes, ascites remission rates, incidence of hepatic encephalopathy, re-bleeding rate, average hospitalization frequency and expenses, survival time, as well as the TIPS patency conditions were analyzed in the two groups of patients. 2 test, Kaplan-Meier method and Mann-Whitney U test were used to analyze the data.Results:There were 74 and 66 cases in the TIPS and the drug combined gastroscopy group and the follow-up duration (14.57 ± 0.79) was 12-16 months. One year after surgery, the remission rate of ascites in the TIPS group was higher 57.1% (32/56) than that of the drug combined gastroscopy group (0), and the difference was statistically significant (χ 2 = 2 = 36.73, P < 0.01). The cumulative incidence of hepatic encephalopathy at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery in the TIPS group was 32.4% (24/74), 37.8% (28/74), 40.5% (30/74), and 40.5% (30/74), respectively. The cumulative incidence of hepatic encephalopathy in the drug combined gastroscopy group was 3.0% (2/66), 3.0% (2/66), 3.0% (2/66), and 6.1% (4/66), respectively. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the cumulative incidence of hepatic encephalopathy in the TIPS group was higher than that of the drug combined gastroscopy group (χ 2 = 11.29, P < 0.01). The incidence of severe hepatic encephalopathy ( grade III to IV) at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery in the TIPS group was 2.7% (2/74), 0, 0, and 0, respectively. The incidence of severe hepatic encephalopathy in drug combined gastroscopy group was 0, and there was no statistically significant difference in development of hepatic encephalopathy between the two groups ( P > 0.05). The re-bleeding rates of TIPS group and drug combined gastroscopy group were 0 and 27.3% (18/66), respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (χ 2 = 22.42, P < 0.01). There was no death reported during the follow-up period between both groups. The hospitalization frequency times (1.45 ± 0.80) in TIPS group was lower than that of the drug combined gastroscopy group times (3.24 ± 1.80), and the difference was statistically significant ( U = -4.52, P < 0.01). Conclusion:In the prevention of esophageal-gastric variceal bleeding, TIPS (ePTFE-covered stent) treatment has the advantages of reducing re-bleeding rate, high ascites remission rate and hospitalizations frequency. In addition, patients treated with TIPS have a higher incidence of hepatic encephalopathy than that of drugs combined with gastroscopy. However, TIPS did not exacerbate the incidence of hepatic encephalopathy, and there was no significant difference in the 1-year survival rate after TIPS and drugs combined with gastroscopy treatment.

BACKGROUND: 3D printing technology provides possibility for the preparation of an ideal bone tissue engineering scaffold with high individualization, precise regulation of the porosity, pore size and inter-aperture connectivity. OBJECTIVE: To study the physical properties and biocompatibility of allogeneic bone microparticle/poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) composite absorbable scaffolds fabricated via fused deposition modeling 3D printing. METHODS: 3D printed bone microparticle/poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) composite absorbable scaffolds were fabricated via fused deposition modeling. The porosity, water absorption, water contact angle and in vitro degradation rate of the scaffold were measured. (1) Cytotoxicity test: Rabbit adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells were cultured in normal medium (negative control group) and composite scaffold extract (experimental group) for 1, 3, 5, 7 days, and cell counting kit-8 was then used to detect cell proliferation. (2) Hemolysis test: Rabbit anti-clotting was added to physiological saline, distilled water and composite scaffold extract, and the hemolysis rate was detected after 50 minutes. (3) Acute toxicity test: The physiological saline and composite scaffold extracts were intraperitoneally injected into the rabbits respectively to observe the general condition of rabbits and the pathological changes of important organs. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) The porosity, water absorption and water contact angle of the composite scaffold were (60.86±2.88) ％, (53.98±2.04) ％ and (76.27±0.34) °, respectively. (2) After in vitro immersion in PBS for 4 weeks, the absorbable composite scaffold degraded relatively slowly, and the scaffold morphology remained stable, while the degradation rate accelerated after 4 weeks. The scaffold was almost completely absorbed at about 11 weeks, and it is a relatively ideal absorbable scaffold material. (3) There was no difference in cell proliferation between the experimental group and the negative control group at different time points (P> 0.05) . The cytotoxicity of the absorbable composite scaffold was grade 1. (4) The hemolysis rate of the absorbable composite scaffold was 3.8％, which met the hemolytic requirement of biomedical materials (the hemolysis rate of less than 5％) . (5) Within 72 hours after injection of absorbable scaffold extract, the rabbits showed no acute toxic reaction, as well as no pathological changes in the liver, heart and kidney were observed after 7 days of injection. (6) To conclude, the 3D printed allogeneic bone microparticle/poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) fabricated via fused deposition modeling 3D printing has preferable physical properties and biocompatibility.

Objective To assess the feasibility of low concentration contrast medium (270 mgI/ml) and low radiation dose (100 kV) for enhanced CT scanning in infants and young children abdominal CT examination.Methods Ninety children with abdomen tumors or abdominal injuries who underwent contrast-enhanced CT examination were selected.The patients were divided into 3 groups (each n＝ 30):Group A with tube voltage of 120 kV for non-contrast enhanced and parenchymal phase scanning and iodixanol contrast-medium (320 mgI/ml);group B with tube voltage of 100 kV for non-contrast enhanced and parenchyrnal phase scanning and iodixanol contrast-medium (270 mgI/rnl);group C with tube voltage of 100 kV for non-contrast enhanced and parenchymal phase scanning and iodixanol contrast-medium (270 mgI/ml).The 4-point scale was used to evaluate the quality of parenchymal phase imaging.The standard difference (SD) of CT value in subcutaneous fat,SNR and CNR of liver parenchyma,splenic parenchyma,renal cortical,renal vein,and abdominal aorta were measured at parenchymal phase,and CT dose index of volume (CTDI,ol),dose length product (DLP) and effective dose (ED) were recorded.The data were statistically analyzed among 3 groups.Results There was no significant difference of SNR,CNR nor objective scores of liver parenchyma,splenic parenchyma,renal cortical,renal vein and abdominal aorta among 3 groups (all P＞0.05).The differences of CTDIvol,DLP and ED among 3 groups were statistically significant (all P＜0.01).The CTDIvol had no statistical difference between group B and group C (P ＝ 0.001,0.002),DLP (P ＝ 0.013,0.004) and ED (P ＝ 0.03,＜0.001) of group A had statistical difference with those of group B and C.Conclusion CNR of the abdominal image can be guaranteed using low concentration contrast medium (270 mgI/ml) combined with 100 kV tube voltage for CT scanning of infants and young children,therefore satisfying clinical diagnostic requirements.

PURPOSE: The definition of nodal pathologic complete response (pCR) after a neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) just included the evaluation of axillary lymph node (ALN) without internal mammary lymph node. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of internal mammary-sentinel lymph node biopsy (IM-SLNB) in patients with breast cancer who underwent NAC. METHODS: From November 2011 to 2017, 179 patients with primary breast cancer who underwent operation after NAC were included in this study. All patients received radiotracer injection with modified injection technology. IM-SLNB would be performed on patients with internal mammary sentinel lymph node (IMSLN) visualization. RESULTS: Among the 158 patients with cN+ disease, the rate of nodal pCR was 36.1% (57/158). Among the 179 patients, the visualization rate of IMSLN was 31.8% (57/179) and was 12.3% (7/57) and 87.7% (50/57) among those with cN0 and cN+ disease, respectively. Furthermore, the detection rate of IMSLN was 31.3% (56/179). The success rate of IM-SLNB was 98.2% (56/57). The IMSLN metastasis rate was 7.1% (4/56), and all of them were accompanied by ALN metastasis. The number of positive ALNs in patients with IMSLN metastasis was 3, 6, 8, and 9. The pathology nodal stage had been changed from pN1/pN2 to pN3b. The pathology stage had been changed from IIA/IIIA to IIIC. CONCLUSION: Patients with visualization of IMSLN should perform IM-SLNB after NAC, especially for patients with cN+ disease, in order to complete lymph nodal staging. IM-SLNB could further improve the definition of nodal pCR and guide the internal mammary node irradiation.
Biopsy ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Drug Therapy* ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pathology ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy*

Objective To explore the effect of amisulpride and risperidone in the treatment of patients with first-episode schizophrenia and its influence on social function.Methods 70 patients of schizophrenia conformed to the International classification of diseases tenth edition(ICD-10) were randomly divided into amisulpride group(observation group,35 cases) and risperidone group(control group,35 cases) by using the random number table method.The Positive and Negative Scale(PANSS) was used to evaluate the efficacy,the Scale of Social Function in Psychosis Inpatients(SSPI) was used to evaluate social function before and after 8 weeks of treatment.Results After 8 weeks treatment,the negative symptom factor score of the PANSS in the observation group was (15.04±3.55)points,which was improved significantly compared with (17.82±3.87)points in the control group,the difference was statistically significant(t=3.132,P<0.05).The scores of the field in movement and interaction,social activities and skills factor score and the total score of SSPI in the observation group were (15.49±3.54)points,(14.53±4.25)points,(39.25±8.27)points,respectively,which in the control group were (12.78±3.29)points,(10.01±3.78)points,(33.72±7.83)points,respectively,the differences between the two groups were statistically significant (t=3.317,4.701,2.873,all P<0.05).Conclusion Amisulpride is effective in improving the negative symptoms,social function in patients with schizophrenia,and the effect is better than risperidone.

Background and purpose:Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women. The new technology of mammography is helpful in breast cancer diagnosis. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) with conventional imaging methods in the diagnosis of benign and malignant breast lesions.Methods:During the period from Mar. 2015 to Dec. 2015, 227 patients with suspected lesions (by palpation or sonography) underwent further imaging exam in our hospital. The sonography, full-field digital mammography (FFDM), DBT and breast MRI were performed on all the patients. A double-blind assessment was carried out according to BI-RADS (version 2013) by experienced radiologists. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of all methods, referring to the pathological data as the golden standard; the difference in the efficiency of DBT from the other methods was determined byZ-test.Results:Thirty patients were excluded for the unsatisfactory images, and 205 lesions (132 malignant and 73 benign lesions) were detected in the remaining 197 patients. Area under the curve (AUC) of sonography, FFDM, DBT, DBT+FFDM and MRI based on the BI-RADS were 0.8308, 0.8592, 0.9167, 0.9198, and 0.9354, respectively. The AUC of DBT was significantly higher than those of sonography (Z=7.36,P=0.0067) and FFDM (Z=4.89,P=0.0271), while there was no significantly difference between DBT and MRI (Z=0.02,P=0.9002) or FFDM+DBT (Z=0.69,P=0.4048).Conclusion:DBT could significantly improve the diagnostic performance for breast lesions compared with sonography and FFDM, providing a comparable efficiency to MRI. As a new mammography technology, DBT has good clinical application prospect.