Objective: To explore the relationship between nuclear factor-kappa B subunit 1 (NFKB1) and LIM-homeobox gene 2 (LHX2) polymorphisms and esophageal cancer susceptibility, so as to provide the reference for the prevention and treatment of esophageal cancer. Methods: A total of 100 patients with primary esophageal cancer diagnosed at the Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from 2019 to 2023 were selected as the case group, and 100 healthy individuals undergoing physical examination during the same period of time were selected as the control group. Demographic information, disease history and lifestyle data were collected through questionnaire surveys. The single nucleotide polymorphisms at the rs28362491 and rs4648068 loci of NFKB1 gene as well as rs10760310 and rs10121751 loci of LHX2 gene were detected using multiplex high-temperature ligase detection reaction technology. The relationship between these loci and esophageal cancer susceptibility were analyzed using a multivariable conditional logistic regression, linkage disequilibrium and haplotype analysis. The impact of the interaction between the above-mentioned loci and environmental factors on esophageal cancer susceptibility using the generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction (GMDR) method. Results: The case group comprised 73 males and 27 females, with a mean age of (64.02±8.90) years. The control group included 73 males and 27 females, with a mean age of (64.54±9.43) years. The genotype distributions of rs28362491, rs4648068, rs10760310 and rs10121751, loci in both groups conformed to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (all P>0.05). Multivariable conditional logistic regression analysis showed that rs10760310 and rs10121751 loci of LHX2 gene were associated with the esophageal cancer susceptibility (both P<0.05). The overdominant model of rs10760310 loci of LHX2 gene had the lowest Akaike information criterion value (OR=0.22, 95%CI: 0.10-0.47). GAA haplotypes at rs4648068, rs10760310 and rs10121751 loci were associated with a lower risk of esophageal cancer susceptibility (OR=0.26, 95%CI: 0.13-0.50). GMDR analysis revealed a statistically significant interaction between rs10760310 loci and smoking on esophageal cancer susceptibility (P<0.05, cross-validation consistency coefficient: 10/10). Conclusion The rs10760310 and rs10121751 loci polymorphisms of LHX2 gene may be associated with esophageal cancer susceptibility, and there is an interaction between rs10760310 loci and smoking on the esophageal cancer susceptibility.

Objective:To explore the relationship between serum matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8), myeloperoxidase (MPO), human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection and the type of carotid atherosclerosis in patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease (ICVD).Methods:From February 2017 to May 2019, 90 patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease diagnosed by Peking University Medical Rehabilitation Hospital were selected as study group and 90 healthy adult persons who underwent health checkup as control group, and the study group was divided into non-stable plaque type group (30 cases) and stable plaque type group (30 cases) according to the ultrasonic imaging data and referring to the type of carotid plaque of the patients. The patients whose plaque property were between the two groups were were enrolled as the middle type group (30 cases). The relationship between human cytomegalovirus PP65 antigen (HCMV-PP65) in the serum, MMP-8, MPO and peripheral blood white blood cells and carotid atherosclerotic plaque in patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease was analyzed.Results:The serum MMP-8, MPO level and HCMV-PP65 positive rate in the 3 study groups were significantly higher than that of the control group ( P<0.05), and the serum MMP-8 in different plaque types groups was significantly higher in the study group and the control group than in the control group. The higher the level of MPO and the positive rate of HCMV-PP65, the higher the serum MMP-8 and MPO level in the middle plaque type group, and the positive rate of HCMV-PP65 in the middle plaque type group was higher than that of the stable plaque group and the unstable plaque group ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The serum MMP-8, the MPO level and the HCMV infection are related to the unstable type of the carotid atherosclerosis plaque in the patients with the ischemic cerebrovascular disease, and the recognition of the carotid atherosclerosis is improved; it is an important link to control the severity of patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease and to take timely and effective prevention and treatment measures.

Objective To investigate the change of serum cancer antigen(CA) 125 in patients with pleural effusion.Methods One hundred and twenty-eight patients with pleural effusion were admitted to the Naval General Hospital of People's Liberation Army from January 2010 to September 2012 were selected as our subjects.The level of serum CA125 was measured.The difference of serum CA125 positive rate and level were compared according to gender,pleural effusion nature,quantity and pleural effusion chest area; And the difference of patients with malignant pleural effusion tuberculosis,inflammatory,exudative pleural effusion based on above indicators.The correlation between serum CA125 level and pleural effusion depth were analyzed.Results The positive proportions of CA125 were 83.3％ (35/42) and 76.7 ％ (66/88) of patients with malignant and benign effusion respectively,and there was no significant difference (x2 =0.74,P ＞ 0.05).The serum CA125 level of patients with malignant pleural effusion was significantly higher than benign ones ((177.8 ± 31.4) U/ml vs.(110.6 ± 13.6) U/ml,t =31.24,P ＜ 0.05).There were no significant difference in the positive proportion of serum CA125 between malignant,tuberculous,inflammatory and transudative pleural effusion(75.8％ (25/33),70.0％ (20/29),87.5％ (21/24) and 83.3％ (35/42),P ＞ 0.05).Serum CA125 levels of patients with malignant pleural effusion were significantly higher than that with inflammatory ((177.8 ± 31.4) U/ml vs.(72.5 ± 12.8) U/ml,P ＜ 0.05),but the differences were not significant among malignant,tuberculous and transudative pleural effusion group((140.6 ± 28.2) U/ml,(154.3 ± 30.5) U/ml,P ＞ 0.05).The serum CA125 levels of patients with small,moderate and large effusions were (56.4 ± 18.2) U/ml,(120.2 ± 24.5) U/ml and (185.5 ± 34.6) U/ml respectively,and the difference among these groups were significant(F =296.03,P ＜ 0.05).Serum CA125 levels was positively correlated with pleural fluid depth (r =0.56,P ＜0.01).Different gender,pleural effusion parts serum CA125 positive rate and the different levels were not statistically significant (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion Serum CA125 increased in patients with benign and malignant pleural effusion,and serum CA125 was not severed as the diagnosis biomarker in differentiating benign and malignant pleural effusion.Serum CA125 levels is helpful in monitoring the change of pleural fluid size due to the relation with depth of pleural fluid.

Objective To compare the imaging characteristics of multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica (NMO) for better diagnosis and differential diagnosis.Methods The brain and spinal MRI images of 60 MS and 48 NMO cases were retrospectively reviewed.The imaging characteristics including the predilection site,morphological features,enhancement manifestations were summarized.All data was analyzed by using t test and Chi square test with SPSS 13.0.Results (1) The three top predilection sites of brain in head MRI of MS patients were periventricular white matter (34 cases in 60),subcortical white matter (27 cases in 60),brain stem (23 cases in 60).MS lesions also were found in basal ganglia,cerebellum,corpus callosum and thalamus,as well as cortex (9 cases in 60).By contrast,brain lesions were observed in 59.4％ (19/32) of NMO patients,and the three top predilection sites of NMO by turns were brain stem (13 cases in 19),periventricular white matter (12 cases in 19),subcortical white matter (7 cases in 19).Furthermore,the lesions surrounding third ventricle (6 cases in 19) and the tegmentum of brain stem near peri-aqueduct (8 cases in 19) in NMO were not found in patients of MS.The involvement of brain stem and thalamus was more frequent in NMO than in MS (x2 =5.267,6.004,P ＜0.05,respectively).(2) The lesions of spinal cord in MS patients were typically oval,peripheral,and asymmetric,but in NMO patients they were longitudinally extensive and centrally located.The mean number of involved vertebral segments in NMO patients was significantly more than that in MS patients (7.3 vs 2.2,t =-9.288,P ＜ 0.01).Furthermore,the number of spinal cord lesions in MS patients was remarkably more than that in NMO (2.0 vs 1.3,t =4.565,P ＜0.01).The ratios of occurrence of spinal cord swelling and distension of NMO patients was 58.3％ (28/48),which was significantly higher than 21.9％ in MS (7/32,x2 =10.370,P ＜0.01).(3)The enhancement pattern in MS was circular (7 cases in 42),oval (6 cases in 42) and irregular (4 cases in 42),while in NMO was mainly sheet-shaped with mild enhancement (5/11).The lesions of spinal cord showed in MS mainly manifested as oval enhancement (16 cases in 26) and linear enhancement (8 cases in 26),while in NMO lesions manifested as strand or mild linear enhancement (26 cases in 35).Conclusions NMO has several distinct imaging characteristics,which are helpful for differentiation from MS.

Objective To explore the value of brain CT scanning for distinguishing tumor-like inflammatory demyelinating diseases (TIDD) from glioma or primary central nervous system lymphoma.Methods The brain CT features in 20 patients with TIDD(10 female,10 male;mean age (35.6±14.0)years;range,6-51 years)and 32 gliomas(16 female,16 male;mean age(42.0±19.8)years;range,12-75 years)and 6 lymphomas(3 female,3 male;mean age(53.8±11.8)years;range,32-68 years)were retrospectively reviewed and compared between brain tumors and TIDD.Results (1)Among the 38 primary brain tumors,there were 19 cases(50%,14 gliomas,5 lymphomas)with hyperdense lesions,10 cases(26.3%,9 gliomas,1 lymphomas)with isodense lesions,and 9 glionms (23.7%)with hypodense lesions.In contrast,the brain unenhanced CT manifestation of 20 TIDD all showed with hypodense lesions.(2)On unenhanced CT the lesions of 6 lymphomas all were hyperdense or isodense,like 90% of 20 high grade gliomas(WHO grade Ⅲ and Ⅳ),but this rate for grade Ⅱ was only 41.7%.(3)According to the shape of hyperdense lesions of the 19 primary brain tumors with,7 cages(6 gliomas,1 lymphomas)manifested with asymmetric hyperdense small-patches,4 cases(1 gliomas,3 lymphomas)with symmetric hyperdense large-patches,4 cases(3 gliomas,1 lymphomas)with diffused hyperdensed lesions,and 4 cases(4 gliomas)with ring-shaped hyperdensed lesions.Furthermore,4 primary brain tumors(4 lymphomas)underwent CT enhanced scanning and all the cases showed strong enhancement(3 cases with hyperdense lesions and 1 with isodense lesions on unenhanced CT),but only 3 cases of 7 TIDD showed mild enhancement in contrast.(4)By Spearman's relevant analysis,hyperdense and isodense on unenhanced CT was proved to have significant positive correlation between the grade of gliomas(r=0.435,P=0.013).Therefore,the frequency of hyperdense and isodense lesions in lymphomas and WHO grade Ⅲ and Ⅳ astrocytoma was higher in contrast with low grade astrocytoma.Conclusions Brain CT as a simple,economical and practical examination method has significant meaning for differentiating TIDD from glioma or PCNSL and could be used as an adjuvant method for MRI and magnetic resonance spectroscopy.Patients with hyperdense or isodense on unenhanced CT or strong enhancement could be excluded from TIDD.