Barrett’s esophagus: Review of natural history and comparative efficacy of endoscopic and surgical therapies

Barrett's esophagus (BE) is the precursor to esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Progression to cancer typically occurs in a stepwise fashion through worsening dysplasia and ultimately, invasive neoplasia. Established EAC with deep involvement of the esophageal wall and/or metastatic disease is invariably associated with poor long-term survival rates. This guides the rationale of surveillance of Barrett’s in an attempt to treat lesions at an earlier, and potentially curative stage. The last two decades have seen a paradigm shift in management of Barrett’s with rapid expansion in the role of endoscopic eradication therapy (EET) for management of dysplastic and early neoplastic BE, and there have been substantial changes to international consensus guidelines for management of early BE based on evolving evidence. This review aims to assist the physician in the therapeutic decision-making process with patients by comprehensive review and summary of literature surrounding natural history of Barrett’s by histological stage, and the effectiveness of interventions in attenuating the risk posed by its natural history. Key findings were as follows. Non-dysplastic Barrett’s is associated with extremely low risk of progression, and interventions cannot be justified. The annual risk of cancer progression in low grade dysplasia is between 1%-3%; EET can be offered though evidence for its benefit remains confined to highly select settings. High-grade dysplasia progresses to cancer in 5%-10% per year; EET is similarly effective to and less morbid than surgery and should be routinely performed for this indication. Risk of nodal metastases in intramucosal cancer is 2%-4%, which is comparable to operative mortality rate, so EET is usually preferred. Submucosal cancer is associated with nodal metastases in 14%-41% hence surgery remains standard of care, except for select situations.     

基于PERK-eIF2α-CHOP通路调控巨噬细胞胆固醇稳态及冠心康含药血清干预机制研究＊

目的 观察具有益气化痰活血作用的冠心康对人单核/巨噬细胞株THP-1细胞PERK-eIF2α信号通路及相关活化转录因子（ATF）和C/EBP同源转录因子（CHOP）的影响，探究冠心康对胆固醇在巨噬细胞内质网中的代谢稳态调节及作为“脂毒”流出后异常沉积的相关作用。方法 采用100 ng·mL^-1 PMA及80 μg·mL^-1氧化低密度脂蛋白诱导THP-1细胞株，构建巨噬细胞模型，并随机分为模型组、冠心康组、辛伐他汀组、正常组。分别采用10%小牛血清及含药血清干预模型细胞72 h后收集细胞。HE染色观察巨噬细胞病理形态变化，同时进行胆固醇及脂滴含量测定。分别采用Real-time PCR及Western blot法检测各组细胞PERK、eIF2α、ATF、CHOP mRNA及蛋白的表达。结果 HE染色观察到模型组细胞内呈现较多红色脂滴，经胆固醇含量测定，明显高于正常组，脂滴含量测定与前者一致（P<0.01）。模型组细胞ATF、CHOP基因表达水平均显著升高（P<0.01）。与模型组比较，冠心康组和辛伐他汀组细胞ATF、CHOP基因表达水平均显著降低（P<0.01）。PERK磷酸化以及CHOP蛋白表达水平在冠心康和辛伐他汀干预组表现为显著下调，与模型组比较，差异具有统计学意义（P<0.05）。结论 冠心康可能通过调控PERK-eIF2α-CHOP通路相关基因及蛋白，减少泡沫细胞形成，从而减轻内质网应激，维持细胞内胆固醇稳态，减少细胞内胆固醇沉积。     

Pure laparoscopic living donor liver transplantation: Dreams come true

Minimally invasive approaches are increasingly being applied in surgeries and have recently been used in living donor hepatectomy. We have developed a safe and reproducible method for minimally invasive living donor liver transplantation, which consists of pure laparoscopic explant hepatectomy and pure laparoscopic implantation of the graft, which was inserted through a suprapubic incision. Pure laparoscopic explant hepatectomy without liver fragmentation was performed in a 60-year-old man with alcoholic liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The explanted liver was retrieved through a suprapubic incision. A modified right liver graft, procured from his 24-year-old son using the pure laparoscopic method, was inserted through a suprapubic incision, and implantation was performed intracorporeally throughout the procedure. The time required to remove the liver was 369 min, and the total operative time was 960 min. No complications occurred during or after the surgery. The patient recovered well, and his hospital stay was of 11 days. Pure laparoscopic living donor liver transplantation from explant hepatectomy to implantation was performed successfully. It is a feasible procedure when performed by a highly experienced surgeon and transplantation team. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm its safety and feasibility.

     

定量分析对常规超声联合超声造影定性误诊甲状腺结节的诊断价值

摘要：目的：探讨超声造影（CEUS）定量分析对常规超声联合CEUS定性诊断误诊为恶性的甲状腺结节与甲状腺乳头状癌的鉴别诊断价值。方法：选取2018年7月至2021年11月在我院超声科行甲状腺常规超声及CEUS检查，术前联合超声诊断为恶性（C-TIRADS≥4b 或 CEUS 表现为低增强和快速消退任一征像）而病理为良性的35位患者共35个结节为研究组；选择同期联合超声诊断与病理一致的甲状腺乳头状癌患者47例做为对照组。分析常规超声及CEUS特征，并将结节整体、中央部、边缘部及邻近正常甲状腺实质作为感兴趣区分别绘制时间-强度曲线（TIC）进行定量分析，比较两组结节各定量参数之间的差异。结果：研究组整体相对上升时间（△RT）以0.45为截断值，诊断恶性结节的敏感度为97.9%，特异度为85.7%，受试者工作（ROC）曲线下面积为0.96；研究组中央区△RT以0.55为截断值，诊断恶性结节的敏感度为95.7%，特异度为82.9%，ROC曲线下面积为0.87；研究组边缘区△RT以0.25为截断值，诊断恶性结节的敏感度为89.4%，特异度为77.1%，ROC曲线下面积为0.89。结论：CEUS定量分析在常规超声联合CEUS定性误诊甲状腺结节的诊断中具有一定的鉴别诊断价值。     

Online Health Information-Seeking Behavior Among Korean American Immigrants in Rural Alabama: Dose Discrimination Matter?

Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health - Little attention has been paid to online health information seeking (OHIS) among immigrants residing in rural areas. This study examines the intensity of...     

Opposing patterns in self-reported and measured physical activity levels in middle-aged adults

Physical activity brings significant health benefits to middle-aged adults, although the research to date has been focused on late adulthood. This study aims to examine how ageing affects the self-reported and accelerometer-derived measures of physical activity levels in middle-aged adults. We employed the data recorded in the UK Biobank and analysed the physical activity levels of 2,998 participants (1381 men and 1617 women), based on self-completion questionnaire and accelerometry measurement of physical activity. We also assessed the musculoskeletal health of the participants using the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measurements provided by the UK Biobank. Participants were categorised into three groups according to their age: group I younger middle-aged (40 to 49 years), group II older middle-aged (50 to 59 years), and group III oldest middle-aged (60 to 69 years). Self-reported physical activity level increased with age and was the highest in group III, followed by group II and I (P?<?0.05). On the contrary, physical activity measured by accelerometry decreased significantly with age from group I to III (P?<?0.05), and the same pertained to the measurements of musculoskeletal health (P?<?0.05). It was also shown that middle-aged adults mostly engaged in low and moderate intensity activities. The opposing trends of the self-reported and measured physical activity levels may suggest that middle-aged adults over-report their activity level as they age. They should be aware of the difference between their perceived and actual physical activity levels, and objective measures would be useful to prevent the decline in musculoskeletal health.

     

Nuts and legumes consumption and risk of colorectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

European Journal of Epidemiology - Several case–control and prospective cohort studies have examined the association between the consumption of nuts and legumes and the risk of colorectal...