Comparing Radiomics features of tumour and healthy liver tissue in a limited CT dataset: A machine learning study

IntroductionLiver cancer lesions on Computed Tomography (CT) withholds a great amount of data, which is not visible to the radiologists and radiographer. Radiomics features can be extracted from the lesions and used to train Machine Learning (ML) algorithms to predict between tumour and liver tissue. The purpose of this study was to investigate and classify Radiomics features extracted from liver tumours and normal liver tissue in a limited CT dataset.MethodsThe Liver Tumour Segmentation Benchmark (LiTS) dataset consisting of 131 CT scans of the liver with segmentations of tumour tissue and healthy liver was used to extract Radiomic features. Extracted Radiomic features included size, shape, and location extracted with morphological and statistical techniques according to the International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging manual. Relevant features was selected with chi2 correlation and principal component analysis (PCA) with tumour and healthy liver tissue as outcome according to a consensus between three experienced radiologists. Logistic regression, random forest and support vector machine was used to train and validate the dataset with a 10-fold cross-validation method and the Grid Search as hyper-parameter tuning. Performance was evaluated with sensitivity, specificity and accuracy.ResultsThe performance of the ML algorithms achieved sensitivities, specificities and accuracy ranging from 96.30% (95% CI: 81.03%–99.91%) to 100.00% (95% CI: 86.77%–100.00%), 91.30% (95% CI: 71.96%–98.93%) to 100.00% (95% CI: 83.89%–100.00%)and 94.00% (95% CI: 83.45%–98.75%) to 100.00% (95% CI: 92.45%–100.00%), respectively.ConclusionML algorithms classifies Radiomics features extracted from healthy liver and tumour tissue with perfect accuracy. The Radiomics signature allows for a prognostic biomarker for hepatic tumour screening on liver CT.Implications for practiceDifferentiation between tumour and liver tissue with Radiomics ML algorithms have the potential to increase the diagnostic accuracy, assist in the decision-making of supplementary multiphasic enhanced medical imaging, as well as for developing novel prognostic biomarkers for liver cancer patients.     

益气活血法联合西药治疗肺纤维化疗效及安全性Meta分析＊

目的 系统评价益气活血法联合西药治疗特发性肺纤维化（idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis，IPF）的疗效及安全性。方法 系统检索中国知网、维普网、万方数据库、EMbase、PubMed、Cochrane Library图书馆等数据库，检索时限从数据库建库至2021年1月，纳入益气活血法联合西药治疗特发性肺纤维化的随机对照试验（randomized controlled trial，RCT），由2名研究人员独立筛选并交叉核对纳入结果，提取有效数据后，应用RevMan 5.3软件进行Meta分析。结果 纳入16项随机对照试验共计1160例IPF患者。分析结果显示益气活血法联合西药组可提高临床总有效率（OR= 3.71，95% CI ［2.68，5.14］，P<0.00001）；改善患者肺功能：用力肺活量（MD=0.31，95% CI ［0.23，0.38］，P<0.00001）（MD=3.59，95% CI ［1.51，5.66］，P=0.0007），一氧化碳弥散量（MD=2.54，95% CI ［1.83，3.25］，P<0.00001）；提高生活质量，降低圣乔治评分：呼吸困难（MD=-12.70，95% CI ［-21.07，-4.32］，P=0.003），活动能力（MD=-8.38，95% CI ［-13.66，-3.10］，P=0.002），疾病影响（MD=-13.87，95% CI ［-22.53，-5.22］，P=0.002）；并可降低患者中医症状积分：喘息（MD=-0.66，95% CI ［-0.84，-0.49］，P<0.00001），咳嗽（MD=-0.71，95% CI ［-1.04，-0.37］，P<0.0001）；有效提高动脉血氧分压（MD=5.92，95% CI ［4.61，7.22］，P<0.00001）；且不增加不良事件发生率（OR=0.55，95% CI ［0.27，1.14］，P=0.11）。结论 益气活血法联合西药治疗IPF可提高临床治疗有效率，改善患者生活质量，且不增加临床不良事件（便秘、嗜睡、口干、恶心呕吐、皮肤瘙痒、腹泻等）发生率。但本研究纳入文献质量参差不齐，仍需更多大样本、高质量、多中心的RCT试验验证结论。     

补充与替代疗法治疗肠易激综合征的研究进展

肠易激综合征是临床常见的功能性胃肠病之一。由于多数患者的症状经过一线药物治疗后仍不能得到较好改善，许多患者为获得更好的治疗效果，转向选择补充与替代疗法进行治疗。然而，由于研究质量和数量的限制，大部分治疗肠易激综合征的补充与替代疗法并未被相关共识和指南所推荐。本文从补充与替代疗法的分类入手，从天然产品、身心治疗、传统医药3个方面就目前国内外常用的补充与替代疗法治疗肠易激综合征的研究进行概述，以期为临床工作者和患者更好地了解和应用提供帮助。     

从环境隐喻的角度看外感病的因机证治＊

外感病是感受六淫、疫毒等外界因素引起的疾病，现代医学认为其主要致病因素为细菌或病毒。在以肉身体验为主要认知手段的古代，中医学家不可能发现细菌或病毒的存在，因而中医学家往往以天人相应的整体观来把握认知外感病。由于外感病的发病与传播受到外界气候环境和社会环境的影响，尤与人体的内环境密切相关。有鉴于此，本文从“环境隐喻”的立场出发，对外感病发病的因机证治进行分析。外界的气候环境和社会环境容易被人们感受，而对于古代无法观察人体的内环境，作者借助《论语·季氏将伐颛臾》中“祸起萧墙”的故事，对人体内环境为何与外感病的发病关系密切作以阐释，并通过人参败毒散、达原饮等方证的案例式说明，揭示清理人体内外环境而达治疗外感病的机理。     

中药治疗哮喘-慢阻肺重叠的Meta分析＊

目的 系统评价中药治疗哮喘-慢阻肺（ACO）的疗效与安全性。方法 全面检索PubMed、Cochrane Library、Web of Science、中国知网、万方、维普、中国医学文献数据库，纳入有关中医药治疗ACO的随机对照试验（RCT），运用Cochrane手册对纳入研究的方法学质量进行评估，采用Review Manager 5.3进行Meta分析。结果 共纳入32项RCT，包括2688例ACO患者，其中试验组1361例，对照组1327例。Meta分析结果显示，中医药可以显著改善ACO患者的中医证候疗效［RR=1.19，95% CI（1.13，1.25），P<0.00001］、CAT评分［MD=-3.62，95% CI（-4.37，-2.87），P<0.00001］、ACT评分［MD=3.42，95% CI（2.23，4.62），P<0.00001］，、中医证候总积分［MD=-3.61，95% CI（-4.83，-2.39），P<0.00001］、FEV₁［MD=0.59，95% CI（0.08，1.10），P=0.02］、FEV₁%［MD=8.61，95% CI（5.20，12.1），P<0.00001］、FEV₁/FVC［MD=6.52，95% CI（4.24，8.80），P<0.00001］、6 min步行实验［MD=41.18，95% CI（22.15，60.21），P<0.0001］、急性发作次数［MD=-2.46，95% CI（-3.62，-1.13），P<0.0001］。所有研究均未报道严重不良反应。结论 中药治疗ACO，可以显著提高临床疗效，改善患者的肺功能且具有较好安全性，但是需要更高质量、多样本、多中心的随机对照试验进一步确认。     

A comparison of efficacy and safety of complementary and alternative therapies for severe mycoplasma pneumonia in children: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:In recent years, the incidence rate of children with severe Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (SMPP) is increasing, which poses a great threat to children''s life and safety. There are some limitations in the existing drugs for the treatment of SMPP, and the supplementary and alternative therapy of SMPP plays an irreplaceable role in the treatment of this disease. This study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of various complementary and alternative therapies for SMPP by means of mesh meta-analysis. In order to provide the basis for clinical rational use.Methods:Two researchers will independently and comprehensively searched the Cochrane Central controlled trials registry, Cochrane Library, PubMed, web of science, EMBASE, CNKI, and Wanfang database to collect randomized controlled trials (RCT) studies on complementary and alternative therapies for SMPP. And the relevant references included in the systematic review/meta-analysis are screened. The retrieval time limit is from the establishment of the database to November 2020. We will use Revman 5.3 software for meta-analysis and use grade to grade the quality of evidence in the net meta-analysis (NMA).Results:The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of different complementary and alternative therapies in the treatment of SMPP, with a view to evaluating and ranking different interventions.Conclusion:The supplement and replacement therapy of SMPP can improve the clinical efficacy, relieve the clinical symptoms, improve the quality of life of children, and reduce adverse reactions, which can provide strong support for the rational use of clinicians.INPLASY registration number:INPLASY2020110079.     

Renal Neoplasia in Tuberous Sclerosis: A Study of 41 Patients

ObjectiveTo study the clinical features and identify unique renal neoplasia subtypes and their prognostic implications in individuals with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC).Patients and MethodsThe Mayo Clinic nephrectomy registry included 37 patients with TSC diagnosed between 1970 and 2018. Four additional patients were identified from the pathology consultation and autopsy files. All available renal tumors were further characterized using immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Clinicopathologic features and follow-up were obtained from the medical record. The American Association for Cancer Research Project GENIE registry was accessed using cBioPortal for molecular profiling of angiomyolipoma (AML).ResultsA total of 276 renal tumors from 41 patients were analyzed. Renal tumors were classified into 9 distinct morphological subtypes, with AML predominating (238 [86%]). Interestingly, all these tumors acted in a benign fashion except one renal cell carcinoma with clear cells and fibromyomatous stroma and one epithelioid AML that metastasized. Molecular profiling studies revealed that epithelioid AMLs were enriched for alterations of TP53, RB1, and ATRX. Eight patients died of direct complications of TSC, including 3 of end-stage renal disease. To date, none have died of a renal epithelial neoplasm.ConclusionThe identification of unique renal neoplasia subtypes may provide important clues to establish a diagnosis of TSC, and in the somatic setting, this finding has important implications for accurate prognostication. These tumors tend to be indolent, and only 2 of 276 tumors in our study exhibited metastatic behavior. Our results support multidisciplinary management with a focus on preservation of renal function.     

COVID-19 Gender Disparities and Mitigation Recommendations: A Narrative Review

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has rapidly created widespread impacts on global health and the economy. Data suggest that women are less susceptible to severe illness. However, sex-disaggregated data are incomplete, leaving room for misinterpretation, and focusing only on biologic sex underestimates the gendered impact of the pandemic on women. This narrative review summarizes what is known about gender disparities during the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic, domestic, and health burdens along with overlapping vulnerabilities related to the pandemic. In addition, this review outlines recommended strategies that advocacy groups, community leaders, and policymakers should implement to mitigate the widening gender disparities related to COVID-19.