Identification of serum biomarkers for evaluating seizure outcome after resective epilepsy surgery

Although patients with drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) achieve good seizure control with resective surgery combined with anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) treatment, it is still not clear when to withdraw AEDs after the surgery due to a lack of objective strategy for assessing the surgery outcome. Our aim is to identify objective and efficient biomarkers for assessment of surgery outcome to guide postoperative pharmacotherapy. Here, we detected 469 proteins differentially expressed between pre- and post-operative sera of TLE patients with postoperative seizure freedom, and identified six candidate proteins (HBA1, HBB, PRDX2, CA1, CAT and BLVRB) for validation. These six proteins were significantly reduced within three months after surgery, indicating these proteins may be potential biomarkers to assess the surgery outcome for TLE patients in the early stage. Interestingly,we found HBA1 to HBB ratio was superior to individual proteins to evaluate the postoperative surgery outcome with 90.0% sensitivity, 90% specificity and area under the curve of 0.960. We also suppose these proteins were derived from epilepsy foci due to the rat experiment results that HBA1, HBB, PRDX2, CA1 and CAT were highly expressed in cerebrospinal fluid of epilepsy rat models. Additionally, HBA1, HBB, PRDX2, CA1 and BLVRB proteins were highly expressed in the sera of TLE patients with postoperative seizure freedom when compared to TLE patients with postoperative seizure and patients with other types of epilepsy, suggesting surgery outcome or the original sites of seizure might be assessed before the operation through monitoring these protein levels in the sera. Our study provides experimental data for establishing objective indicators for assessing seizure freedom after resective surgery and also proposed potential markers for specific diagnoses of TLE and prediction of TLE surgery outcome.     

严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2流行期间儿童实体肿瘤诊治中的防控策略

自2019年12月湖北出现新型冠状病毒感染(corona virus disease 2019,COVID-19)患者以来,该病毒现已逐步扩散至全国各地及境外多个国家。国际病毒分类委员会将致病病毒命名为严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2(severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2,SARS-CoV-2),人群普遍易感,包括儿童和孕产妇。恶性实体肿瘤患儿因肿瘤本身及化疗、放疗、免疫治疗等综合治疗手段的影响,免疫力较正常儿童低,可能更容易发生感染并进展为重症病例,而保障恶性实体肿瘤综合治疗计划实施的延续性和规范性是提高疗效、获得良好预后的关键之一。疫情期间,如何在做好疫情防控工作的同时保障肿瘤诊疗工作有序进行,是摆在每一个病患和医务人员面前的难题。本文结合COVID-19的传播特点以及有关部门防控COVID-19的要求,针对儿童实体肿瘤诊疗工作中的主要环节,提出疫情期间应考虑实施的措施和策略,建议制定科学的实体肿瘤门诊和病房管理制度,保障急诊手术,合理安排限期手术,适当延期择期手术,保障化疗规律进行,在保护患儿免受SARS-CoV-2感染的同时,确保儿童实体肿瘤综合诊疗工作的连续性。     

第477例——肌痉挛,脱发,腹泻

患者为28岁女性,以腹泻、全身性脱发为突出表现,通过详细询问病史及多学科讨论,最终诊断为Satoyoshi综合征。患者原发病罕见,同时合并巨细胞病毒感染、铅中毒,诊断较为棘手。     

Very fast-progressive pulmonary opacities and high inflammatory factors levels are associated with decease of young Coronavirus Disease 2019 patients

We aimed to retrospectively analyze the clinical and computed tomography (CT) characteristics of young adults with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia who were critically ill and to identify the features associated with non-survival.Thirty-eight COVID-19 patients (20–45 years old, 28 men) who had been admitted in the intensive care unit were included, including 18 non-survivors (group 1) and 20 survivors (group 2). Their clinical characteristics and initial and follow-up CT were compared between groups.In group 1, the days from illness onset to death were 21.1 ± 10.3 days; 7 patients had underlying comorbidities. At admission, group 1 exhibited higher serum ferritin and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels (1142.6 ± 242.4 mg/L and 33.8 ± 18.6 mmol/L) compared with group 2 (728.3 ± 150.9 mg/L and 15.2 ± 6.9 mmol/L, P < .01). Group 1 exhibited more rapidly progressive opacities and consolidation in follow-up CT (16.7 ± 3.1 scores, 15.7 ± 3.1 segments) than group 2 (11.4 ± 4.0 scores, 10.3 ± 4.6 segments, P < .01). The oxygenation index was lower (87.6 ± 19.2 vs 99.1 ± 20.4 mm Hg) and the mechanical ventilation duration was longer (14.7 ± 6.9 vs 9.7 ± 3.7 days) in group 1 compare with group 2 (P < .01).Compared with the survivors, the non-survivors showed higher serum ferritin and IL-6 levels, more rapidly progressive opacities in CT, lower oxygenation index, and longer mechanical ventilation durations. Special attention to ferritin/IL-6 levels and oxygenation index as well as early CT application and timely reexaminations are important to identify the individuals who may be at risk of becoming critically ill.     

Primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma: A case report of pathological complete response (pCR) by neoadjuvant treatment

Rationale:Primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (PPLELC) is a rare subtype of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). It is predominantly reported in East Asia and currently there is no standard treatment for this disease. We report a case of stage IV PPLELC that achieved pathological complete response (pCR) by neoadjuvant treatment.Patient concerns:The patient was a 46-year-old male who developed hemoptysis for about 20 ml of volume accompanied by cough and sputum after physical labor.Diagnoses:Contrast enhanced chest CT scanning showed occupation of left lower hilar area and left pleural effusion. Combined with medical history and auxiliary examination, the patient was formally diagnosed stage IV lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the left lower lung (T3N0M1a pleura).Interventions:The patient was given Sintilimab combined with gemcitabine + nedaplatin chemotherapy (GP) regimen for four cycles with 3 weeks as a cycle, supplemented with antiemetics and stomach protection drugs to reduce chemotherapy-related side effects.Outcomes:After 4 cycles of treatment, the patient''s left lung lesion has been markedly reduced and the left pleural effusion has also been significantly absorbed. Remarkably, surgical biopsies found no cancer cells in the lesion site and postoperative pathology showed complete pathological remission (pCR).Lessons:We reported a case of PPLELC that is sensitive to neoadjuvant treatment, showing excellent effectiveness and safety and achieving pCR.     

A rare case of monozygotic triplets with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Twins with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) have been widely studied. We report the first rare case of monozygotic triplets with DMD who shared consistent phenotypes, including delayed motor and language milestones, muscle wasting and weakness, joint contracture, and lumbar lordosis. Muscle magnetic resonance imaging and biopsy revealed the similar muscle injury characteristics and dystrophin absence. Short tandem repeat analysis confirmed monozygosity. A de novo mutation (exon 49–52 deletion) was found in the triplets but not in their mother. Treatment included prednisone, idebenone, and rehabilitation management. At the 2-year follow-up, motor function had deteriorated, and muscle fatty infiltration was more extensive and severe. Our case offers a unique opportunity for genetic and therapeutic research. Furthermore, it highlights the critical role of genetic factors in DMD phenotypes and provides a potential choice for treatment observations.