Efficacy,effectiveness and side effects of medications used to prevent fractures

There is an increasing number of effective therapies for fracture prevention in adults at risk of osteoporosis. However, shortcomings in the evidence underpinning our management of osteoporosis still exist. Evidence of antifracture efficacy in the groups of patients who most commonly use calcium and vitamin D supplements is lacking, the safety of calcium supplements is in doubt, and the safety and efficacy of high doses of vitamin D give cause for concern. Alendronate, risedronate, zoledronate and denosumab have been shown to prevent spine, nonspine and hip fractures; in addition, teriparatide and strontium ranelate prevent both spine and nonspine fractures, and raloxifene and ibandronate prevent spine fractures. However, most trials provide little information regarding long‐term efficacy or safety. A particular concern at present is the possibility that oral bisphosphonates might cause atypical femoral fractures. Observational data suggest that the incidence of this type of fracture increases steeply with duration of bisphosphonate use, resulting in concern that the benefit–risk balance may become negative in the long term, particularly in patients in whom the osteoporotic fracture risk is not high. Therefore, reappraisal of ongoing use of bisphosphonates after about 5 years is endorsed by expert consensus, and ‘drug holidays’ should be considered at this time. Further studies are needed to guide clinical practice in this area.     

Spread of an Enterococcus faecalis sequence type 6 (CC2) clone in patients undergoing selective decontamination of the digestive tract

Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) is a common cause of nosocomial infection in immunocompromised patients. The presence and dissemination of high‐risk clonal complexes, such as CC2, is an ongoing problem in hospitals. The aim of this work was to characterize 24 E. faecalis isolates from ICU patients undergoing selective decontamination of the digestive tract (SDD) by phenotypical (antimicrobial susceptibility) and genotypical (presence of virulence genes, RAPD‐PCR and MLST) methods. Our results showed high prevalence of the ST6 E. faecalis clone (91.6%), especially adapted to the hospital environment, with a multidrug resistance pattern and a multitude of putative virulence genes. In addition, ST179 (4.2%) and ST191 (4.2%) were detected. By RAPD–PCR analysis, the 22 isolates identified as ST6 showed six different DNA patterns, while the two remaining isolates, ST179 and ST191, showed two additional profiles. CC2 is a known clonal complex with high adaptability to hospital environment and worldwide distribution. The high prevalence of the ST6 clone in the studied population could be related to the presence of gentamicin in the SDD mixture since most strains were gentamicin resistant. Consequently, strict surveillance should be applied for rapid detection and control of this clone to prevent future spread outside the ICU.     

早期宫颈癌组织中ATG-12表达与HPV16-E6/E7-DNA病毒载量及预后的关系

目的探讨早期宫颈癌组织中自噬相关蛋白-12(ATG-12)与人乳头瘤病毒(HPV)16-E6/E7-DNA病毒载量及预后的关系。方法选取2015年1月至2017年12月期间在安徽皖北煤电集团总医院保存的宫颈活检或手术切除宫颈组织203例,包括30例慢性宫颈炎、18例宫颈上皮内瘤变(CIN)Ⅰ、23例CINⅡ、26例CINⅢ和106例早期(ⅠA2~ⅡB期)宫颈鳞状上皮癌(CSCC)。采用巢式多重聚合酶链式反应(NM-PCR)和免疫组化染色SP法检测组织中HPV 16-E6/E7-DNA病毒载量和ATG-12蛋白表达。分析ATG-12蛋白表达与早期CSCC临床病理特征的关系。随访CSCC患者无瘤生存时间(DFS)。采用Cox风险比例回归模型分析影响CSCC预后的因素。结果CSCC组织ATG-12蛋白阳性表达率为26.42%(28/106),低于慢性宫颈炎和CIN组织(P<0.05)。ATG-12蛋白表达与HPV16-E6/E7-DNA病毒载量呈负相关(r=-0.306,P=0.001;r=-0.436,P=0.001)。ATG-12蛋白表达与FIGO分期、间质浸润、淋巴脉管间隙浸润、淋巴结转移有关(P<0.05)。随访11~64个月,ATG-12蛋白阳性表达患者5年无瘤生存率为78.57%(22/28),ATG-12蛋白表达阴性患者5年无瘤生存率为60.26%(47/78)。多因素Cox风险回归模型结果显示,HPV16-E6/E7-DNA病毒载量和ATG-12蛋白表达是影响患者DFS的独立预后因素(P<0.05)。结论早期宫颈鳞状上皮癌组织中ATG-12阳性表达率低,与HPV16-E6/E7-DNA病毒载量呈负相关,有望成为评估HPV阳性早期宫颈癌患者预后的重要指标。