Robust antibody response after a third BNT162b2 vaccine compared to the second among immunocompromised and healthy individuals,a prospective longitudinal cohort study

PurposeAs protection from COVID-19 following two doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine showed a time dependent waning, a third (booster) dose was administrated. This study aims to compare the antibody response following the third dose versus the second and to evaluate post-booster seroconversion.MethodsA prospective observational study conducted in Maccabi Healthcare Services. Serial SARS-CoV-2 Spike IgG tests, 1,2,3 and 6 months following the second vaccine dose and one month following the third were obtained. Neutralizing antibody levels were measured in a subset of participants. Per individual SARS-CoV-2 Spike IgG titer ratios were calculated one month after the booster administration compared to titers one month following the second dose and prior to booster.ResultsAmong 110 participants, 56 (51%) were women. Mean age was 61.7 ± 1.9 years and 66 (60%) were immunocompromised. One month after third dose, IgG titers were induced 7.83 (95 %CI 5.25–11.67) folds and 2.40 (95 %CI 1.90–3.03) folds compared to one month after the second, in the immunocompromised and immunocompetent groups, respectively. Of the 17 immunocompromised participants who were seronegative after the second dose, 4 (24%) became seropositive following the third. Comparing the titers prior to the third dose, an increase of 50.7 (95 %CI 32.5–79.1) fold in the immunocompromised group and 25.7 (95 %CI 19.1–34.7) fold in and immunocompetent group, was observed.ConclusionA third BNT162b2 vaccine elicited robust humoral response, superior to the response observed following the second, among immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals.     

IL-37b作用于树突状细胞CD39/ATP轴抑制类风湿性关节炎大鼠炎症反应的作用及机制

目的探讨白细胞介素37b重组蛋白(rmIL-37b)通过调节CD39/ATP轴抑制树突状细胞(DC)诱导类风湿性关节炎(RA)大鼠炎症反应的机制。方法将SD大鼠随机分为空白对照组(CTL)、CIA模型组、rmIL-37b 5μg/kg组、rmIL-37b 10μg/kg组,每组各10只。除了空白对照组外,其余大鼠采用含有卡介苗的完全弗氏佐剂和牛Ⅱ型胶原混合乳液免疫刺激,建立CIA模型。确定建模成功当天(D0),rmIL-37b组分别尾静脉注射5μg/kg、10μg/kg rmIL-37b;CTL组和CIA模型组注射相同体积的(1 ml/kg)生理盐水,连续给药15 d。免疫组化法检测滑膜组织Nod样受体蛋白3(NRPL3)炎症小体的表达,流式细胞术检测DC表型,另外试剂盒检测血清三磷酸腺苷(ATP)和免疫学指标。结果与CIA模型组相比,rmIL-37b 10μg/kg组大鼠足容积、AI值、NLRP3炎症小体表达量、血清ATP、IL-1β、IL-18、肿瘤坏死因子α(TNF-α)、抗Ⅱ型胶原抗体亚型(anti-ColⅡ-IgG、anti-ColⅡ-IgG2a)水平均降低,同时DC表面CD...     

Optical coherence tomography angiography in the evaluation of vascular patterns of ocular surface squamous neoplasia during topical medical treatment

PurposeOptical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) was utilized to examine changes in ocular surface squamous neoplasia (OSSN) vascular patterns over time in individuals treated with topical medical therapy.MethodsTen individuals with OSSN diagnosed by clinical examination and high resolution (HR)-optical coherence tomography (OCT) were recruited. All individuals received topical immuno- or chemotherapy. OCTA images were obtained and analyzed at three points: presentation, mid-treatment and tumor resolution. Tumor metrics including tumor area (TA), tumor volume (TV), tumor depth (TD), and total tumor density (TTD) were calculated. Vessel area density (VAD) was also quantified within the OSSN, the subepithelium under and adjacent to the OSSN and the subepithelium of the uninvolved, contralateral eye. Vascular network changes were also subjectively evaluated.ResultsTA, TV, TD and TTD all significantly decreased with time (p < 0.001). The mean VAD within the OSSN significantly decreased (p < 0.001) between visits (presentation: 26.52 ± 6.8%, mid-treatment: 7.19 ± 5.88%, tumor resolution: 0.11 ± 0.34%). The mean subepithelial VAD under the OSSN also decreased with time (23.22 ± 11.03%, 20.99 ± 5.99% and 19.58 ± 7.08%), and after resolution the sub-tumor VAD (19.58 ± 7.08%) was comparable to the subepithelial VAD in the contralateral eye (15.47 ± 4.37%, p > 0.05). The mean VAD in the subepithelium adjacent to the OSSN increased with treatment, then decreased significantly between mid-treatment and resolution (23.26 ± 4.54, 28.30 ± 7.43% and 21.68 ± 6.10%, p = 0.009). Qualitatively, the tumor subepithelial vascular network was complex and dense but with tumor resolution appeared less tortuous and similar to the uninvolved eye.ConclusionOCTA provided insight into the pathophysiology of tumor angiogenesis, showing decreased vascular density and normalization of vascular networks associated with tumor resolution.     

Association between reactogenicity and SARS-CoV-2 antibodies after the second dose of the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine

High vaccine reactogenicities may reflect stronger immune responses, but the epidemiological evidence for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines is sparse and inconsistent. We observed that a fever of ≥38℃ after two doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine was associated with higher severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike IgG titers.     

Preoperative comprehensive malignancy risk estimation for thyroid nodules: Development and verification of a network-based prediction model

BackgroundIn order to avoid excessive treatment of thyroid nodules in the clinic, it is necessary to find a simple and practical analysis method to comprehensively and accurately reflect benign or malignant thyroid nodules. This study aimed to construct and validate a comprehensive and reliable network-based predictive model using a variety of imaging and laboratory criteria for thyroid nodules to stratify the risk of malignancy prior to surgery.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed data from patients who underwent surgical treatment for thyroid nodules at the Thyroid and Breast Diagnosis and Treatment Center of Weifang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine between January 2018 and December 2020. Binary logical regression analysis was performed to predict whether nodules were malignant or benign. The developmental dataset included 457 patients (January 2018–December 2020). The validation set included separate data points (n = 225, January 2018–December 2020).ResultsIn this study, criteria that showed significant predictive value for malignant nodules included TI-RADS: 4b (p = 0.065); Bethesda IV, Bethesda V, Bethesda VI (P < 0.0001); BRAF^V600E mutation (P < 0.0001); Calcitonin>5 pg/ml (p = 0.0037); and FNA-Tg>30 ng/ml (p = 0.0003). A 10-grade risk scoring system was developed. The risk of malignancy risk ranged from 2.06% to 100% and was positively associated with increasing risk grade. The areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curve of the development and validation sets were 0.972 and 0.946, respectively.ConclusionA simple, comprehensive and reliable web-based predictive model was designed using a variety of imaging and laboratory criteria to stratify thyroid nodules by probability of malignancy.     

多模态超声对侵袭性前列腺癌的诊断价值及ROC曲线分析研究

目的：探讨多模态超声(MUS)对侵袭性前列腺癌(PCa)的诊断价值及受试者工作特征(ROC)曲线分析。方法：选择2018年01月至2021年02月于本院行手术切除并经病理证实的86例PCa患者作为研究对象,根据病理Gleason评分可分为两组,高侵袭组(Gleason＞4+3,共46例),低-中侵袭组(Gleason≤4+3,共40例)。所有患者术前均行MUS检查,包括经直肠常规超声(TRUS)、剪切波弹性成像(SWE)、超声造影(CEUS)。比较两组之间各参数的差异,采用ROC曲线分析其对高侵袭组PCa的诊断效能。结果：高侵袭组与低-中侵袭组的TRUS表现显著不同(P<0.05),其中高侵袭组中TRUS主要表现为弥漫性。高侵袭组SWE中SR比值(23.86±13.67)显著高于低-中侵袭组(12.82±11.95),差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05)。高侵袭组的CEUS参数中初始强度、峰值强度显著高于低-中侵袭组(P<0.05),而两组达峰时间、峰值减半时间无显著差异(P>0.05)。MUS对高侵袭组PCa诊断的ROC曲线下面积最大,敏感度、特异度也最高(P<0.05)。结论：MUS对高侵袭性PCa具有更高的诊断价值,有助于指导临床对治疗方案的选择。     

尿液外泌体lncRNA PCAT-1评估非浸润性膀胱癌患者复发的价值

目的探究尿液外泌体长链非编码RNA前列腺癌相关转录本1（lncRNA PCAT-1）评估非浸润性膀胱癌患者复发的价值。方法随机选取2015年1月—2016年3月进行治疗的非浸润性膀胱癌患者50例作为非浸润性膀胱癌组，选取同期在进行健康体检的健康受检者50例作为对照组。测定两组尿液外泌体中lncRNA PCAT-1表达情况。分析尿液外泌体lncRNA PCAT-1表达与临床病理参数的相关性、尿液外泌体lncRNA PCAT-1与尿液脱落细胞学对非浸润性膀胱癌的诊断价值、影响非浸润性膀胱癌患者复发的相关因素，评估非浸润性膀胱癌复发的价值及尿液外泌体lncRNA PCAT-1表达与非浸润性膀胱癌患者预后的关系。结果与对照组比较，非浸润性膀胱癌组患者尿液外泌体lncRNA PCAT-1表达水平明显升高（P<0.01）。尿液外泌体lncRNA PCAT-1表达与病理分期具有明显相关性（P<0.01）。尿液外泌体lncRNA PCAT-1诊断非浸润性膀胱癌的曲线下面积明显高于尿液脱落细胞学。采用Cox比例风险因素回归模型分析，病理分期及lncRNA PCAT-1均为影响非浸润性膀胱癌患者复发的独立危险因素。以尿液外泌体lncRNA PCAT-1相对表达量5.14±1.04分为高表达组（23例）与低表达组（27例），Kaplan-Meier生存曲线分析结果显示，lncRNA PCAT-1低表达量组生存期明显高于lncRNA PCAT-1高表达组。结论外泌体lncRNA PCAT-1在非浸润性膀胱癌患者尿液中的表达水平较健康受检者明显升高，且其表达水平与患者病理分期明显相关。尿液外泌体lncRNA PCAT-1对评估非浸润性膀胱癌患者的复发具有重要作用。     

Evaluation of 5-aminolevulinic acid-mediated photodynamic therapy in postmenopausal women with persistent HPV infection with or without cervical and vaginal low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (CIN1/VaIN1)

ObjectiveTo analyze the efficacy and safety of photodynamic therapy (PDT) on postmenopausal women with persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection with or without low-grade cervical and vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN1 and VaIN1).Materials and methodsThe clinicopathological and follow-up data of 86 postmenopausal women with HPV infection (35 cases with chronic cervicitis and 51 cases with CIN1/VaIN1) were collected. All the women in this group met these criteria: menopausal time ≥ 1 year, HPV infection time ≥ 2 years, colposcopy and pathological diagnosis of biopsy ≤ CIN1/VaIN1 before PDT treatment, and 5-aminolaevulinic acid (5-ALA) as photosensitizer treating for 6 times with a week interval. The above patients were followed up 6 months and 12 months after PDT treatment, and the follow-up contents included HPV typing, cytology, colposcopy and pathological examinations. HPV negative conversion rate and lesion remission rate are the evaluation indicators of treatment efficacy. In addition, we also assessed the safety of PDT treatment.ResultsAt 12-month follow-up, the overall HPV clearance rate was 60% (45/75), of which the negative conversion rate of 16/18 HPV was 41.38% (12/29), and non-16/18 HPV was 71.74% (33/46) (p = 0.009). In patients without lesions, the HPV clearance rate was 51.72% (15/29), while in patients with CIN1/VaIN1 (n = 46), the HPV complete remission rate and lesion regression rate were 65.22% (30/46) and 89.13% (41/46), respectively. In addition, the clearance rate of HPV in lesion regression group was significantly higher than that in lesion persistence/progression group (0.00% vs. 73.17%, p = 0.003). The adverse reactions after PDT treatment were mild, mainly manifested as increased vaginal secretions or burning/tingling.ConclusionsPhotodynamic therapy can significantly enhance the elimination rate of persistent HPV infection in postmenopausal women and reduce the progression of CIN1/VaIN1. It could be an effective conservative treatment for persistent HPV infection and CIN1/VaIN1 in postmenopausal women.