ObjectiveTo investigate the efficacy and safety of stereotactic body radiotherapy （SBRT） combined with sintilimab and bevacizumab in the treatment of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma （uHCC） and related prognostic factors. MethodsA total of 42 patients with uHCC who underwent SBRT combined with sintilimab and bevacizumab in Department of Radiation Oncology， The Fifth Medical Centre of PLA General Hospital， from March to December 2022 were enrolled. The prescribed dose of planning target volume was 36‍ ‍—‍ ‍50 Gy in 5‍ ‍—‍ ‍6 fractions for continuous irradiation， followed by the regimen of sintilimab and bevacizumab. Each course of treatment was 3 weeks until the presence of tumor progression or serious adverse events. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate overall survival （OS） rate and progression-free survival （PFS） rate， and the log-rank test was used for comparison between groups； the Cox proportional hazards model was used to investigate the influencing factors for prognosis. ResultsThe median follow-up time was 21.6 months， with an objective response rate of 69%， a disease control rate of 85.7%， a median PFS of 10.0 months （95% confidence interval ［CI］： 6.7‍ ‍—‍ ‍13.0）， and a median OS of 23.3 months （95%CI： 14.7‍ ‍—‍ ‍31.8）. Most adverse events were grade 1‍ ‍—‍ ‍2 events， and there were no fatal adverse events. At 6‍ ‍—‍ ‍8 weeks after treatment， the AFP response group had a significantly better OS than the non-AFP response group （not reached vs 11.8 months， P=0.007）. The multivariate analysis showed that AFP response was associated with the good prognosis of patients （hazard ratio=0.31， 95%CI： 0.13‍ ‍—‍ ‍0.75， P=0.009）. ConclusionFor patients with uHCC， SBRT combined with sintilimab and bevacizumab can improve survival with a manageable safety profile， and a >50% reduction in AFP at 6‍ ‍—‍ ‍8 weeks after treatment can be used as a potential prognostic indicator.

Humans ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Constriction, Pathologic/diagnosis* ; Bile Duct Neoplasms/diagnosis* ; Endoscopy, Digestive System

BACKGROUND:Some patients still have unsatisfactory improvement of operative limb fatigue and pain after total knee arthroplasty.Clinical findings show that Jianpi Yiqi Huoxue Formula can promote recovery after total knee arthroplasty,but the specific efficacy remains to be studied. OBJECTIVE:To observe the effect of Jianpi Yiqi Huoxue Formula on the muscle strength and pain of the operated limb after the primary unilateral total knee arthroplasty. METHODS:A total of 74 patients undergoing primary unilateral total knee arthroplasty were randomly divided into a trial group and a control group with 37 patients in each group.All patients received the same prostheses and surgical methods during the operation.Patients in the control group were treated with routine analgesics,anticoagulant drugs and functional exercise after the operation.The trial group received Jianpi Yiqi Huoxue Formula after the treatment in the control group.Both groups were treated continuously and followed up for 1 month.The changes in isokinetic muscle strength(peak torque and total work amount of extensor and flexor),visual analog scale score and the hospital for special surgery score of the two groups were analyzed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The trial group had better improvement in peak torque and total work amount of extensor and flexor and the hospital for special surgery score than the control group 14 days and 1 month after surgery(P<0.05).(2)In contrast to the control group,the visual analog scale score of the trial group improved better at 7 and 14 days and 1 month after surgery(P<0.05).(3)It is indicated that Jianpi Yiqi Huoxue Formula can effectively improve the muscle strength of the operated limb,enhance the degree of postoperative joint pain,and promote functional rehabilitation after total knee arthroplasty.

Objective:To investigate the effect and associated mechanism of tumor tissue-infiltrating NK cells after receiving radiotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods:A HCC tumor-bearing mouse model was constructed using human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (SK-Hep-1) and divided into four groups: control, radiotherapy, NK cell clearance, and NK clearance combined with radiotherapy. Tumor growth condition was simultaneously recorded. The NK cell ratio in peripheral blood and the NK cell intratumoral infiltration condition were detected by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. Lentiviral-constructed SK-Hep-1 cells was used to detect the effect of radiotherapy on the regulation of CXCL10 and NK cell chemotaxis following EZH2 overexpression. SK-Hep-1 cells were irradiated in vitro and in vivo. The expression levels of EZH2 and CXCL10 mRNA and protein in the two groups of cell lines and mouse tumor tissues were detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), western blotting (WB), and immunohistochemistry. The chemotaxis and blocking experiments were used to validate the chemotaxis effect of CXCL10 on NK cells. The independent sample t-test was used to compare the groups. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results:The HCC tumor-bearing mouse model experiment showed that HCC tumor growth was most remarkable in the NK clearance combined with the radiotherapy group compared to the radiotherapy group ( P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the number of NK cells in the peripheral blood of nude mice in the radiotherapy group was significantly reduced, while the NK cell intratumoral infiltration was significantly increased ( P<0.05). Flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry showed invitro and invivo expressional alterations. The average expression levels of EZH2 mRNA and protein in hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines and tumor tissues were decreased in the radiotherapy group than the control group and mouse tumor tissues ( P<0.05), while the mRNA and protein expression levels of CXCL10 increased ( P<0.05). The cell supernatant following radiotherapy enhanced NK cell chemotaxis but inhibited CXCL10 neutralization. EZH2 overexpression validated that radiotherapy up-regulated CXCL10 mRNA and down-regulated protein expression levels in in vitro and in vivo experiments ( P<0.05). The chemotactic effect on NK cells was significantly weakened with EZH2 overexpression following radiotherapy. Conclusion:NK cells, as immune effector cells, are directly involved in radiotherapy- activated anti-HCC immunity. Importantly, radiotherapy inhibits EZH2 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma, thereby upregulating CXCL10 expression and enhancing intratumoral NK cell invasion.

ObjectiveTo test the inter-tester reliability and test-retest reliability of MyotonPRO for evaluating neck and shoulder muscle performance parameters in patients with unilateral chronic neck pain, observe the difference of muscle performance between the healthy and affected sides of patients with chronic neck pain, and analyze the factors that cause the imbalance of muscle performance in patients with chronic neck pain. MethodsFrom January to June, 2023, 32 patients with unilateral chronic neck pain in Guangdong Second Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital were selected. Two testers used the same MyotonPRO equipment to measure the muscle tone, muscle hardness and muscle elasticity on both sides of the sternocleidomastoid muscle and the upper trapezius muscle in the relaxed position. Tester 1 repeated the measurement after an interval of 30 minutes, and Tester 2 was measured within the time interval between the two measurements of Tester 1. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), standard error of mean (SEM) and minimum detectable change (MDC) were calculated simultaneously. The measurement results were plotted into Bland-Altman diagram and systematic bias analysis was performed. The difference in muscle characteristics between the affected side and the healthy side was compared. At the same time, the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score and body mass index (BMI) of the subjects were collected for correlation analysis. ResultsExcept the sternocleidomastoid muscle elasticity of the affected side (ICC = 0.697), the inter-tester reliability of all other parameters was high to very high (ICC = 0.719 to 0.952, SEM = 0.04 to 6.53, MDC = 0.12 to 18.11). The test-retest reliability of all parameters was high (ICC = 0.883 to 0.981, SEM = 0.03 to 5.72, MDC = 0.09 to 15.84). Bland-Altman plot analysis showed that the scatter distribution was consistent. The muscle tone, muscle hardness and muscle elasticity of sternocleidomastoid muscle and upper trapezius muscle were higher on the affected side than on the healthy side (t > 2.846, P < 0.05). The asymmetry index of tension, hardness and elasticity of upper trapezius muscle and sternocleidomastoid muscle was significantly positively correlated with VAS score and BMI (r > 0.385, P < 0.05). ConclusionMyotonPRO has good inter-tester reliability and retest reliability in evaluating the muscle performance of both sides of patients with chronic neck pain. The muscle tone, muscle hardness and muscle elasticity of sternocleidomastoid muscle and upper trapezius muscle on the affected side were higher than on the healthy side, and the difference of muscle performance was positively correlated with pain and BMI.

ObjectiveTo investigate the survival and adverse reactions of patients with unresectable cholangiocarcinoma after stereotactic body radiation therapy （SBRT）. MethodsA total of 27 patients with unresectable solitary cholangiocarcinoma without metastasis who underwent SBRT in The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from February 2012 to July 2020 were enrolled. The prescribed dose to planning target volume was 42-60 Gy in 5-8 fractions， with 5-11 Gy/fraction. Among these patients， five patients were also treated with chemotherapy and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization. The 6-， 12-， 18-， and 24-month overall survival （OS） rates， progression-free survival （PFS） rates， and local control （LC） rates were used as the assessment indices for treatment outcome； Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v.4.03 was used to evaluate adverse reactions； the Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate OS， PFS， and LC rates. ResultsThe median follow-up time was 17 months. For all 27 patients， the 6-， 12-， 18-， and 24-month OS rates were 100%， 88%， 57.5%， and 47.9%， respectively； the 6-， 12-， 18-， and 24-month PFS rates were 74.1%， 58.6%， 47.9%， and 35.9%， respectively； the 6-， 12-， 18-， and 24-month LC rates were 96.3%， 91.9%， 84.8%， and 76.4%， respectively. No grade 3 or above toxic reactions were observed. Five patients were diagnosed with radiation-induced liver injury， but there was no death due to radiation-induced liver injury. ConclusionSBRT is safe and effective in the treatment of unresectable cholangiocarcinoma， with relatively high survival rate， PFS rate， and LC rate and low toxicity， and therefore， SBRT can be used as an alternative treatment method for patients with cholangiocarcinoma who are not candidates for surgery.

Objective:To investigate the optimal monoenergetic level of virtual monoenergetic images (VMI) in transplanted renal artery on a dual-layer spectral detector CT.Methods:A retrospective study was performed on 16 renal transplant patients who underwent transplanted renal angiography on a dual-layer spectral detector CT in Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology from June 2020 to April 2021. Conventional 120 kVp polyenergetic images (PI) were reconstructed, and virtual monoenergetic images (VMIs) in range of 40-200 keV with interval of 10 keV were reconstructed, too. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of 120 kVp PI and VMIs were measured. Meanwhile, the subjective scores of the display of transplanted renal artery were performed on volume rendering images of 120 kVp PI and VMIs. Spearman correlation analysis was used to explore the correlation between energy levels and SNR or CNR. Rank sum tests were performed to compare the parameters of image quality between the VMI which had the highest SNR and CNR, and the other VMIs, or 120 kVp PI.Results:Among the VMIs, SNR or CNR was negatively correlated with energy levels ( r =-0.86 and -0.88, all P<0.001). The SNR [22.80(18.57, 34.16)] and CNR [35.38(25.97, 39.01)] of 40 keV VMI were the highest, and significantly higher than that of 120 kVp PI and 50-200 keV VMIs, all the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The subjective scores of 40 keV VMI and 120 kVp PI were 5 (5, 5) and 4 (3, 5), respectively. The score of 40 keV VMI was significantly higher than that of 120 kVp PI ( Z=-2.60, P=0.009). There were no significant differences in subjective scores between 40 keV VMI and 50-70 keV VMIs ( Z=-1.00, -1.41, -1.73, P=0.317, 0.157, 0.083), but the subjective score of 40 keV VMI was higher than that of 80-200 keV VMIs and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). Conclusions:As for the images of transplanted renal angiography on a dual-layer spectral detector CT, the image quality of 40 keV VMI was best, thus 40 keV was the optimal monoenergetic level.

Objective:To analyze the mediastinal displacement of target volume in the postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) process for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the value of mid-term evaluation.Methods:For 100 patients with postoperativeN 2 stage NSCLC, R 1-2 and any N staging, bone anatomy was utilized to measure the change of the first and second CT localization on the same level. Statistical analysis were performed using the WilCoxon, Kruskal-Wallis and χ2 tests. The cut-off values were calculated with the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results:Among the included patients, in the PORT process, the mediastinal displacement in the x (front and rear), Y (left and right) and Z (upper and lower) directions were 0.04-0.53 cm, 0.00-0.84 cm and 0.00-1.27 cm, respectively, and the order of mediastinal displacement distance wasz > Y> X,respectively. According to the ROC curve calculation, the cut-off values were 0.263, 0.352 and 0.405, respectively, which were greater than the cut-off values in 25 cases (25%), 30 cases (30%) and 30 cases (30%), respectively. There was significant difference in the three-dimensionalmediastinal displacement ( P=0.007, <0.001 and<0.001). The mediastinal displacement in thex, Y and Z directions had no statistical significance regarding resection site ( P=0.355, 0.239 and 0.256) and operation mode ( P=0.241, 0.110 and 0.064). Comparative analysis of modified whole group mediastinal shift> and cut-off values, medium-simulation (m-S) and the originally planned radiotherapy shown that there was no significant difference in the incidence of radiation esophagitis (RE) and radiation pneumonitis in PORT patients (all P>0.05); however, the incidence of ≥grade 3 RE in the modified plan after m-S was significantly lower than that in the originally planned PORT patients, which were 0 and 7%, respectively ( P<0.001). Conclusions:Mediastinal displacement exists in the PORT process of N 2 or/and R 1-2 cases after radical operation of NSCLC, and obvious movement occurs in 20%-30% of patients. Relocating and modifying the target volume and radiotherapy plan in the middle of the PORT process is beneficial to quality assurance and quality control.

Objective:To investigate the implication of micro RNA-21(miR-21) in Endostar combined with X-ray irradiation of cardiac fibroblasts (CF).Methods:Rat CFs were used in this experiment and been divided into the blank control group, 10 Gy X-ray irradiation group, Endostar group, 10 Gy X-ray+ Endostar group, 10 Gy X-ray+ Endostar+ NC mimic group (negative control 1), 10 Gy X-ray+ Endostar+ miR-21 mimic group, 10 Gy X-ray+ Endostar+ NC inhibitor group (negative control 2) and 10 Gy X-ray+ Endostar+ miR-21 inhibitor group. The proliferation of CF was determined by Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. The expression level of Collagen Ⅰ protein was analyzed by Western blot. The expression levels of Collagen Ⅰ and miR-21 mRNA were assayed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR).Results:In the 10 Gy X-ray+ Endostar+ miR-21 mimic group, the CF proliferation, Collagen Ⅰ and miR-21 mRNA were increased significantly compared with those in the blank control group, 10 Gy X-ray+ Endostar group, and negative control group 1 (all P<0.05). In the 10 Gy X-ray+ Endostar+ miR-21 inhibitor group, the CF proliferation and expression levels of Collagen Ⅰ mRNA were decreased significantly compared with those in the blank control group, 10 Gy X-ray+ Endostar group and negative control group 2(all P<0.05). Conclusions:The CF proliferation and Collagen Ⅰ expression are increased when the expression level of miR-21 gene is simulated. When inhibiting the expression of miR-21 gene, the CF proliferation and Collagen Ⅰ expression are reduced.

Objective:To investigate the role of chemokine receptor CX3CR1 in chronic skin inflammation and its regulatory mechanism.Methods:Wild type (WT) C57BL/6 mice and Cx3 cr1 GFP/GFP mice were induced by DNFB to establish acute and chronic allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) model. Ear inflammation and swelling were observed with hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. Flow cytometry (FCM) was used to detect the changes in classical Langerhans cell (LC) and monocyte-derived LC (Mo-LC), as well as the expression of major histocompatibility complex Ⅱ (MHCⅡ), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and TNF-α. Changes in epidermal LC in UV irradiation-induced dermatitis models were also analyzed. In human chronic skin inflammation, CX3CL1 expression was detected using immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR and Western blot and CD1a, CD14 and CD207 expression was observed with immunofluorescence staining. Results:In the chronic ACD model, Cx3 cr1 GFP/GFP mice showed significantly alleviated ear inflammatory and swelling as compared with WT mice, but no significant difference was found in the acute ACD model. The percentages of Mo-LC were decreased in the chronic ACD model and after three weeks of UV irradiation. Moreover, MHCⅡ, TNF-α and iNOS expressed by Mo-LC were significantly upregulated as compared with those by classical LC. CX3CL1 expression was significantly upregulated and the numbers of CD14 + monocytes and CD1a + langerin - Mo-LC were dramatically increased in human chronic skin inflammation. Conclusions:CX3CR1 might maintain inflammatory response by regulating local remodeling of Mo-LC in chronic skin inflammation.