甘欣锦辨治滤泡性淋巴瘤经验

甘欣锦主任医师认为,滤泡性淋巴瘤乃本虚标实之证,以正气不足为本,痰毒瘀邪为标。在临床上,针对未达到西医治疗指征的滤泡性淋巴瘤患者,甘老师以“养正积自消”为治疗原则,扶正贯穿于治疗的始终,并加用抗肿瘤药物,以达扶正抗瘤之效。甘老师多采用补益药物充养先后天之本,从而改善肿瘤患者的虚损,以达阴平阳秘、气血调畅、正气充足的状态。甘老师常以主方为基础结合治疗变证的方法改善局部症状,并减轻放化疗、靶向治疗所带来的不良反应。临证时,在中医辨证的基础上结合辨病分层治疗,调节扶正与解毒的主次。另外,对于出现的各种变证当灵活化裁以改善症状,通过中医的治疗手段改善患者生活质量,延长患者生存时间。     

BRCA1/2突变的中国健康女性乳腺预防性切除及Ⅰ期重建的临床实践

目的:探讨对携带BRCA1/2突变的中国健康女性实施乳腺预防性切除及I期重建的可行性。方法:选择2018年1月至2019年2月3例于北京大学国际医院就诊的携带BRCA1/2突变的中国健康女性,其中2例携带BRCA1突变、1例携带BRCA2突变,均有乳腺癌家族史,年龄为34~36岁,实施预防性保留乳头-乳晕的双侧乳腺切除和Ⅰ期假体重建术。结果:3例患者术后无并发症发生,术后中位随访时间为18个月,均无乳腺癌发生,对重建乳房外形满意,且焦虑和恐惧情绪显著下降,取得良好的疗效。结论:对携带BRCA1/2突变且有乳腺癌家族史的中国健康女性,在严格筛选的基础上,可慎重开展乳腺预防性切除及Ⅰ期重建术。     

High prevalence of benign mammary tumors in a rat model of polycystic ovary syndrome during postmenopausal period

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorders in reproductive-age women. Significant associations between PCOS and benign breast diseases (BBD) and a possibly potential association between PCOS and breast cancer have been reported. The etiology of these events of mammary glands in PCOS remains unclear. Animal models that show BBD and breast cancer may contribute to further understanding about these diseases. We aimed to examine the spontaneous occurrence of mammary tumors, their prevalence, and type in our rat model of PCOS. Prenatal androgen-induced PCOS rats and controls were examined in later life. Benign mammary tumors were observed in 75% and 33.33% of PCOS rats and controls during the postmenopausal period, respectively (p?=?.0158). Mammary tumors were non-invasive, margins of excision were normal and tumors were freely movable, in both groups. After microscopic evaluations of tumors, proliferative breast lesions and adenomas with a tubular growth pattern were observed in both groups. However, in PCOS rats, of benign tumors two had a mixed pattern of fibroadenoma/fibroma and cysts. High prevalence of benign mammary tumors was observed in our rat model of PCOS during the postmenopausal period, possibly due to hormonal imbalances during their reproductive lifespan; this model may contribute to current data available regarding the events of mammary glands in PCOS.     

The curvilinear relationship of early-life adversity and successful aging: the mediating role of mental health

Objectives: The steeling effect suggests that early-life adversity can have a beneficial impact later in life. However, little is known about its underlying mechanisms and long-term outcomes . The study aimed to examine the role of early-life adversity (ELA) on successful aging, and whether this relationship can be explained by mental and physical health.

Method: Socio-demographics, early-life adversity (ELA), individual quality of life (iQoL), and mental and physical health of 270 individuals (M_age = 66.82 years, 71.5% female) were assessed. Polynomial regressions and mediation analyses were conducted.

Results: Significant inverse U-shaped associations were found between ELA and iQoL (β = ?.59, p = .005) and between ELA and mental health (β = ?.64, p = .002), but not between ELA and physical health. Furthermore, mental health significantly mediated the relationship between ELA and iQoL (b = ?.84, BCa CI [?1.66, ?.27]).

Conclusion: Highest level of individual quality of life (i.e. successful aging) was related to a moderate amount of ELA. Additionally, mental health significantly mediated this relationship. These findings suggest that some amount of ELA could be beneficial for successful aging. Resource-focused interventions are needed to improve health and promote successful aging for an underdetected, at-risk subgroup with low early-life adversity.     

A prospective study of high resolution ultrasound in brachial plexopathies – Correlation with electrophysiological measurements

ObjectivesTo evaluate the diagnostic role of ultrasound in brachial plexopathies.MethodsWe included 59 healthy subjects (HS) and 42 patients consecutively referred with clinical suspicion of brachial plexopathy from October 2015 to May 2016. Patients underwent routine electrodiagnostic testing (EDx) as reference standard and a blinded standardised ultrasound examination of the brachial plexus as index test with cross-sectional area (CSA) as the ultrasound parameter of choice.ResultsSeventeen patients were diagnosed by EDx with brachial plexopathy, ten with mononeuropathies, and ten had normal EDx. Five had a cervical radiculopathy. In 11 (64%) out of the 17 patients with EDx diagnosed plexopathy, we found at least one abnormal level on ultrasound. Six (60%) out of ten normal EDx patients had a normal ultrasound examination at all levels. Ultrasound identified the same abnormal level(s) as EDx in eight (73%) of the 11 patients who had both abnormal EDx and ultrasound results. Mean CSA was higher in the plexopathy group compared to HS at the level of the C6 root (p = .022), the middle trunk (p = .027), and the medial cord (p = .003).ConclusionUltrasound examination showed abnormalities in patients with brachial plexopathies in good agreement with EDx.SignificanceUltrasound may be an important supplement to electrodiagnostics in evaluating brachial plexopathies.     

Brain biomarkers and cognition across adulthood

Understanding the associations between brain biomarkers (BMs) and cognition across age is of paramount importance. Five hundred and sixty‐two participants (19–80 years old, 16 mean years of education) were studied. Data from structural T1, diffusion tensor imaging, fluid‐attenuated inversion recovery, and resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans combined with a neuropsychological evaluation were used. More specifically, the measures of cortical, entorhinal, and parahippocampal thickness, hippocampal and striatal volume, default‐mode network and fronto‐parietal control network, fractional anisotropy (FA), and white matter hyperintensity (WMH) were assessed. z‐Scores for three cognitive domains measuring episodic memory, executive function, and speed of processing were computed. Multiple linear regressions and interaction effects between each of the BMs and age on cognition were examined. Adjustments were made for age, sex, education, intracranial volume, and then, further, for general cognition and motion. BMs were significantly associated with cognition. Across the adult lifespan, slow speed was associated with low striatal volume, low FA, and high WMH burden. Poor executive function was associated with low FA, while poor memory was associated with high WMH burden. After adjustments, results were significant for the associations: speed‐FA and WMH, memory‐entorhinal thickness. There was also a significant interaction between hippocampal volume and age in memory. In age‐stratified analyses, the most significant associations for the young group occurred between FA and executive function, WMH, and memory, while for the old group, between entorhinal thickness and speed, and WMH and speed, executive function. Unique sets of BMs can explain variation in specific cognitive domains across adulthood. Such results provide essential information about the neurobiology of aging.