Inverse correlation between the expression of AMPK/SIRT1 and NAMPT in psoriatic skin: A pilot study

PurposeEpidermal hyperplasia and the involvement of immune cells characterize the clinical picture of psoriasis. Among the several factors involved, attention has been focused on sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) - a deacetylase endowed with a variety of functions including the control of metabolic and inflammatory processes-, and on nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT), important for SIRT1 activation and involved in inflammatory events. The aim of the study was to analyze changes of SIRT1 and NAMPT expression in psoriatic skin.Patients and methodsSamples from healthy controls and psoriatic patients were subjected to immunohistochemical analysis.ResultsA strong downregulation of SIRT1 expression was observed in skin samples from psoriatic patients compared to healthy controls. This was accompanied by a parallel reduction of adenosine monophosphate-activated kinase (AMPK) expression and, more strikingly, by the disappearance of cells immunolabeled for its active, phosphorylated form (pAMPK). In both cases, analysis of the distribution of immunopositive cells revealed a shift towards reduced intensity of staining. In contrast, NAMPT expression was upregulated in psoriatic samples in line with its pro-inflammatory role. This was again more visible with an intensity-based distribution analysis that evidenced a shift towards more intensely immunostained cell populations.ConclusionsThe present data correlate in the same samples the expression of SIRT1, pAMPK/AMPK and NAMPT in psoriasis and open the way for novel pharmacological targets in the treatment of the disease.     

Social Determinants of Breastfeeding in the United States

Despite overall improvement in breastfeeding in the past 3 decades in the United States, significant and alarming social disparities persist. Adverse social determinants of health are increasingly recognized as root causes of social disparities in health outcomes, including breastfeeding initiation and continuation. We provide an overview of the evidence and mechanisms by which social determinants of health, including education, employment, food, neighborhood, and housing contribute to ongoing social disparities in breastfeeding in the United States, including current research gaps. We also review the intersection of social determinants of health with income, racism, and theory of planned behavior, a commonly used decision-making framework for breastfeeding promotion. Future interventions to address social determinants of breastfeeding should occur at the policy, community, organization, and individual levels.     

妊娠合并自发性卵巢过度刺激综合征一例

卵巢过度刺激综合征是辅助生殖技术常见的并发症,通常在排卵后2周或2周以上发生。然而自发性卵巢过度刺激综合征极其罕见,一些病例报道表明,自发性卵巢过度刺激综合征的发生与卵泡刺激素受体突变、高人绒毛膜促性腺激素水平、高促甲状腺激素水平、促性腺激素垂体腺瘤等有关。现报告1例双胎妊娠合并自发性卵巢过度刺激综合征的病例,并进一步探讨自发性卵巢过度刺激综合征的可能病因、诊断和治疗原则。     

Exploring a 7-gene prognostic model based on ferroptosis for efficiently guiding immunotherapy in melanoma patients

PurposeAlthough skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM) is a relatively immunotherapy-sensitive tumor type, there is still a certain fraction that benefits less from treatment. Ferroptosis has been demonstrated to modulate tumor progression in many cancer types. This study focused on ferroptosis-related genes to construct a prognostic model for SKCM patients.Materials and methodsGene expression profiles of SKCM samples were obtained from public databases. Unsupervised consensus clustering was used to determine molecular subtypes related to ferroptosis. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and stepwise Akaike information criterion (stepAIC) were applied to construct a prognostic model based on differentially expressed genes between two molecular subtypes.ResultsC1 and C2 subtypes were identified with differential prognosis and immune infiltration. A 7-gene prognostic model was constructed to classify samples into high-FPRS and low-FPRS groups. Low-FPRS group with favorable prognosis had higher immune infiltration and more enriched immune-related pathways than the high-FPRS group. The two groups showed distinct sensitivity to immunotherapy, with the low-FPRS group predicted to have more positive response to immunotherapy than the high-FPRS group. A nomogram based on the FPRS score and clinical features was built for more convenient use.ConclusionsThe critical role of ferroptosis involved in SKCM development was further validated in this study. The prognostic model was efficient and stable to be applied in clinical conditions to support clinicians in determining personalized therapy for SKCM patients especially those with metastasis.     

The Prognostic Role of Peritumoral Edema in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma: A Retrospective Analysis

ObjectivePrevious studies on glioblastomas (GBMs) have not reached a consensus on peritumoral edema (PTE)’s influence on survival. This study evaluated the PTE index’s prognostic role in newly diagnosed GBMs using a well-designed method.MethodsSelected patients were reviewed after a rigorous screening process. Their general information was obtained from electronic medical records. The imaging metrics (MTD, TTM, TTE) representing tumor diameter, laterality, and PTE extent were obtained by manual measurement in Syngo FastView software. The PTE index was a ratio of TTE to MTD. Multiple variables were evaluated using analysis of variance and Cox regression model.ResultsOf 143 patients, 62 were included in this study. MGMT promoter methylation and tumor laterality were both independent prognostic factors (p = 0.020, 0.042; HR = 0.272, 2.630). The lateral tumors’ index was higher than that of the medial tumors (57.7% vs. 42.6%, p = 0.027). Low-index tumors were located in relatively medial positions compared with high-index tumors (TTM, 4.9 vs. 12.8, p = 0.032). This finding indicated that the PTE index tended to increase with tumor laterality. Moreover, the patients with low-index tumors had a significant survival disadvantage in the univariate analysis but not in the multivariate analysis (p = 0.023, 0.220). However, further analysis found that the combination of tumor laterality and PTE statistically stratified the survival outcome. The patients with lateral high-index tumors survived significantly longer (p = 0.022, HR = 1.927).ConclusionsIn contrast with the previous studies, this study recommends combining PTE and tumor laterality for survival stratification in newly diagnosed GBMs.     

神经浸润对胃癌患者生存预后的影响

  目的  探讨神经浸润（perineural invasion，PNI）对胃癌患者生存预后的影响。  方法  回顾性分析2011年1月至2012年12月天津医科大学肿瘤医院收治的1 007例胃癌患者的临床病理资料，根据术后病理标本中有无PNI将所有患者分为PNI阴性组和PNI阳性组，分析PNI与临床病理因素的关系及其对胃癌患者生存预后的影响。  结果  1 007例胃癌患者中PNI阳性120例，阳性率为11.9%。分化程度、浸润深度和脉管癌栓是PNI的独立危险因素。单因素分析显示，年龄、肿瘤部位、Borrmann分型、肿瘤大小、根治度、TNM分期、术式、癌结节、脉管癌栓、PNI、术前CA19-9及CEA水平与胃癌患者预后相关。PNI阴性和PNI阳性患者5年生存率分别为66.6%和38.3%，差异具有统计学意义（P < 0.001）。多因素分析显示年龄、BorrmannⅣ型、TNM分期、根治度、癌结节和PNI是胃癌患者的独立预后因素。分层分析显示，PNI仅对Ⅰ、Ⅱ和Ⅲa期胃癌预后影响具有统计学意义。  结论  PNI是胃癌患者独立预后因素，可作为Ⅰ、Ⅱ和Ⅲa期患者预后评价指标。      

Diagnostic blood loss from phlebotomy and hospital acquired anemia in patients with severe burns

PurposeThe study was performed to estimate the diagnostic blood loss (DBL) volume during hospitalization and investigate its relationship with the development of moderate to severe hospital acquired anemia (HAA) and increased number of red blood cell (RBC) transfusion following extensive burns.Materials and methodsThis was a retrospective study of adult burned patients with total body surface area (TBSA) burn larger than 40%, who were admitted to burn center of Changhai hospital between January 2005 and December 2017.ResultsWe included a final number of 157 patients in the present study. Moderate to severe HAA within the fourth week postburn was developed in 46 of 121 patients who stayed over 28-day hospitalization. Patients with moderate to severe HAA had both significantly higher total DBL volume [245 (IQR: 183.75, 325.25) mL vs 168 (119, 163) mL ; P = 0.001] and DBL volume per day [10.22 (IQR: 8.57, 12.38) mL vs 6.63 (5.22, 10.42) mL/day; P = 0.005]. Logistic regression analysis revealed that both DBL volume per day and TBSA burn were independent risk factors for the development of moderate to severe HAA.ConclusionsSeverely burned patients appear to be prone to develop HAA during hospitalization. The DBL volume contribute to the occurrence of moderate to severe HAA, which might be a modifiable target for preventing HAA.     

Improving burn surgery education for medical students in China

IntroductionIn China, although burn treatment develops rapidly, and ranks in the forefront of the world, there is a relative shortage of burn specialists, which limits the development of burn education. In traditional curriculum of surgery education, burn surgery education accounts for few proportions, which results in the indifference to the burn surgery among medical students. To date, few research reported the application of Clinical pathway- Problem based Learning (CP-PBL) in burn surgery education. The objective of the study is to explore the teaching effect of this novel teaching method in burn surgery education.MethodsA pilot study was performed. One hundred and six students were randomly divided into a Lecture based Learning (LBL) only group (control group) and a LBL combined Clinical pathway- Problem based Learning group (observation group). A set of test was designed as evaluation criteria based on questions of burn surgery in National Medical Licensing Examination (NMLE) from 2011 to 2018.ResultsThe students with Clinical pathway- Problem based Learning had better academic performances in profession theory. Type A2 and Type A3/A4 scores in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (p < 0.05). The scores of the observation group were higher than those of control group in the domains of understanding and application (p < 0.05). They also have higher favorable impressions of learning experience.ConclusionsMore active approaches yield more learning and are viewed more favorable, which provides a vital message for the evolution of curriculum in Chinese medical schools.