Breastfeeding,schooling, and income: Insights from the Indonesian Family Life Survey

Recent research has highlighted associations of breastfeeding with IQ, schooling, and income, but uncertainty about such links remains. The Indonesian Family Life Survey, representative of 83% of the Indonesian population, provides data on breastfeeding, parents' years of schooling, wealth, and other family characteristics in 1993–1994, as well as schooling and income in 2014–2015 for 5,421 children of those families. Using linear regressions and controlling for village or neighbourhood, as well as propensity score matching, we analysed breastfeeding associations for boys and girls separately, when regularly fed foods/beverages other than breast milk is significantly associated with years of schooling in 2014–2015 for girls, but not for boys, after controlling for the village or neighbourhood of residence in 1993–1994. For girls, ages 1 to 1.9, 2 to 2.9, 3 to 3.9, and >4 months, relative to ages <1 month, are associated with an additional 0.41 to 0.46 years of schooling, with p values of 0.086, 0.071, 0.043, and 0.026, respectively. No comparable estimate for boys attains statistical significance. Using propensity score matching yields similar results. Associations with annual income in 2014–2015 are not statistically significant, either for all children, or for either sex. Our finding suggests that delaying regular feeding of foods/beverages other than breast milk beyond 1 month may help girls' schooling but has no observable association with annual income, perhaps because of lower labour force participation by women. Also, the inclusion of controls for village or neighbourhood of residence reduces confounding.     

A Severe Case of Reye's Syndrome with Multiorgan Dysfunction after Epstein-Barr Virus Infection

A 20-month-old male infant with multiorgan dysfunction after Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection developed Reye's syndrome. He also suffered from acute liver failure, life-threatening cerebral edema, severe disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), and myocardial involvement. EBV infection aggravated the progress of Reye's syndrome, leading to death despite full supportive and symptomatic therapy. This critical case suggested that pediatricians should pay attention to multiorgan involvement of severe EBV infection.     

PI3K inhibitors in trastuzumab-resistant HER2-positive breast cancer cells with PI3K pathway alterations

The activation of the PI3K signaling pathway resulting from genetic alterations induces carcinogenesis and resistance to anticancer therapies. Breast cancer is a major malignancy that is associated with dysregulation of the PI3K signaling pathway. PIK3CA mutations and PTEN loss occur in every subtype of breast cancer. PI3K inhibitors are being evaluated in breast cancer after the success of an alpha isoform-specific PI3K inhibitor in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive/HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer. Some preclinical data indicate the potential for PI3K/mTOR targeting in combination with trastuzumab for HER2-positive breast cancer with or without expression of the estrogen receptor. However, the role of this therapy in HER2-positive breast cancer with PIK3CA mutations and/or PTEN loss remains unclear. We examined three HER2-positive, ER-negative breast cancer cell lines to determine the efficacy of a novel alpha isoform-specific PI3K inhibitor in combination with trastuzumab. The results indicated that this combination was effective in PIK3CA-mutant or PTEN-deficient breast cancer cells by inducing apoptosis and inhibiting the expression of downstream proteins. PTEN loss by siRNA modulation in parental HER2-positive cancer cells with PI3K signaling pathway alterations could not confer resistance to alpelisib or GDC-0077 plus trastuzumab. We selected the CK-MB-1 cell line without alterations in the PI3K pathway to demonstrate that PI3K inhibitors plus trastuzumab represented a biomarker-specific treatment. In vivo effects of alpelisib plus trastuzumab were tested and confirmed in a mouse model, showing the combination strategy offered the best opportunity to achieve tumor volume reduction. With known safety profiles, this cytotoxic chemotherapy-free regimen warrants further attention as a biomarker-driven strategy for treating HER2-positive breast cancer.     

Different classes of antibiotics exhibit disparate negative impacts on the therapeutic efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients

It has been reported that antibiotics (ATBs) have adverse effect on the efficacy of treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in cancer patients. Since different classes of ATBs have different antibacterial spectrum, we aimed to study whether all ATBs had similar or different negative effects on the clinical outcomes of ICIs in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients with advanced NSCLC who received ICIs were included in this retrospective study and grouped by the class of ATBs they had used around the ICIs treatment time. The overall survival (OS) and the progression free survival (PFS) of patients among these groups were compared using Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model. A total of 148 eligible patients were enrolled, and 80 patients used ATBs. The results indicated that quinolones had no significant negative consequence on the clinical outcomes, while β-lactams significantly shortened the OS and PFS of patients. Furthermore, patients exposed to the combination of β-lactams and quinolones suffered the worst OS and PFS. Moreover, the subgroup analysis of β-lactams revealed that only penicillins, but not carbapenems and cephalosporins, markedly reduced both OS and PFS. In addition to the class of ATBs used, the time frame of ATBs used also affected the clinical outcomes of ICIs therapy. Patients receiving ATBs within 60 days prior to and 30 days after the initiation of ICI treatment had significantly shorter OS and PFS compared with those who did not use ATBs. This study demonstrated that different classes of ATBs had disparate negative impacts on the clinical outcomes, and the use of β-lactams, especially penicillins, should be avoided in advanced NSCLC patients who are receiving or scheduled to receive ICIs within 60 days.     

构建区域医疗机构内训师培训体系的实践探索

为了更好地完成国家基本公共服务标准化试点项目,完善区域医疗机构内部人才培训标准化体系,广州医科大学附属第六医院以地市级三级甲等医院优势为依托,以第三方医院管理咨询公司为主要技术支持,与该区域卫生健康局建立长期合作关系,组建区域医疗机构全面质量管理内训师团队,实施标准化课程培训,构建和应用内训师形成性评价体系。逐步完善了区域医疗机构全面质量管理内训师培训标准化体系,培养了一支规模适当、结构合理、素质优良的内训师资队伍。     

Use of Ilizarov Device to Gain Early Range of Motion in the Treatment of Pediatric Talus Body Fractures: A Series of Four Cases and Literature Review

BackgroundTalus fractures are rare in children but can lead to severe outcomes if untreated. The Ilizarov external fixator has been used in the treatment of a variety of lower extremity pathologies. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical outcomes of talus body fractures treated with the Ilizarov external fixator.Case PresentationFour male pediatric patients (age range, 5–11 years) with talus body fractures who were treated by open reduction and internal fixation combined with Ilizarov external fixator between November 2015 and April 2016 were reviewed. Mean follow‐up period was 4 years (range, 4–5). Clinical outcome was evaluated using the clinical rating scale of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS). All four patients achieved good to excellent results at the last follow‐up. None of the patients developed avascular necrosis. One patient developed automatic fusion of tibiotalar joint.ConclusionUse of the Ilizarov external fixator to gain early range of motion is a valuable option for treatment of talus body fractures in children.     

Predictors of all‐cause mortality among patients hospitalized with influenza,respiratory syncytial virus,or SARS‐CoV‐2

BackgroundShared and divergent predictors of clinical severity across respiratory viruses may support clinical and community responses in the context of a novel respiratory pathogen.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study to identify predictors of 30‐day all‐cause mortality following hospitalization with influenza (N = 45,749; 2010‐09 to 2019‐05), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV; N = 24 345; 2010‐09 to 2019‐04), or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2; N = 8988; 2020‐03 to 2020‐12; pre‐vaccine) using population‐based health administrative data from Ontario, Canada. Multivariable modified Poisson regression was used to assess associations between potential predictors and mortality. We compared the direction, magnitude, and confidence intervals of risk ratios to identify shared and divergent predictors of mortality.ResultsA total of 3186 (7.0%), 697 (2.9%), and 1880 (20.9%) patients died within 30 days of hospital admission with influenza, RSV, and SARS‐CoV‐2, respectively. Shared predictors of increased mortality included older age, male sex, residence in a long‐term care home, and chronic kidney disease. Positive associations between age and mortality were largest for patients with SARS‐CoV‐2. Few comorbidities were associated with mortality among patients with SARS‐CoV‐2 as compared with those with influenza or RSV.ConclusionsOur findings may help identify patients at greatest risk of illness secondary to a respiratory virus, anticipate hospital resource needs, and prioritize local prevention and therapeutic strategies to communities with higher prevalence of risk factors.     

Primary retroperitoneal perirenal CIC rearrangement sarcoma: A case report

Primary retroperitoneal perirenal CIC rearrangement sarcoma is rare. The current case report presents a 69-year-old male patient with this pathology, including the clinical features, pathomorphology and immunohistochemistry, and CIC gene rupture detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Furthermore, the relevant literature was reviewed. Histologically, the tumor was composed of diffuse nests of small- to medium-sized juvenile round blue cells with hyperchromatic nuclei, prominent nucleoli and occasional mitotic signs. The tumor involved adipose tissue with no obvious hemorrhagic necrotic foci. Immunohistochemistry indicated scattered expression of CD99 in tumor cells. FISH examination suggested that the CIC gene was fragmented and translocated.     

Total body water/fat-free mass ratio as a valuable predictive parameter for mortality in maintenance hemodialysis patients

Hydration of fat-free mass (FFM), defined as the ratio of total body water (TBW) to FFM (TBW/FFM), is stable at 0.739 in adult mammals. However, an increase in the TBW/FFM ratio is common in hemodialysis (HD) patients. This study aimed to evaluate the determinants of TBW/FFM and investigate its predictive value for the prognosis of all-cause mortality in HD patients.We enrolled patients undergoing maintenance HD between July 2020 and May 2021. All patients were prospectively followed until death, HD dropout, or until the end of the study (November 1, 2021). A forward stepwise multivariable linear regression analyses was performed to test the independent relationship between TBW/FMM and other clinical variables. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to discriminate the TBW/FFM with respect to 180-day mortality.Of the 106 patients, 42 had elevated TBW/FFM levels. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the TBW/FFM ratio was significantly associated with extracellular water (ECW)/TBW (standardized regression coefficient [β = 1.131, P < .001], phase angle (PhA) [β = 0.453, P < .001], and sex (β = 0.440, P < .001). We calculated the ROC curve (AUC) of TBW/FFM, ECW, ECW/TBW, and intracellular water (ICW) to compare the discriminatory capacities of these parameters in predicting 180-day mortality. The AUC for TBW/FFM (AUC = 0.849; 95% CI, 0.745–0.953) exhibited better discriminatory potential than ECW (AUC = 0.562; 0.410–0.714), although it had a similar predictive potential as the ECW/TBW ratio (AUC = 0.831; 0.731–0.932). High TBW/FFM can be used as a valuable prognostic index for predicting all-cause mortality in patients on HD.