I125 irradiation stent for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein thrombosis: A meta-analysis

PurposeA meta-analysis aimed to systematically evaluate the safety and efficiency of I¹²⁵ irradiation stent placement for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) combined with portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT).Materials and methodsThe Cochrane library, PubMed/Medline, EMBASE, CNKI, Wanfang Data and CQVIP were systematically screened out from the earliest to December 2019. The qualities of all included studies were assessed. The primary endpoints were the 6-month, 12-month stent cumulative patency rate and 6-month, 12-month, 24-month overall survival rate while the secondary endpoints were the objective response rate of PVTT, main portal venous pressure changes and treatment-related adverse events. Our meta-analysis was conducted using Stata 12.0 software.ResultsTotally seven studies with 1018 patients were included in the final analysis, in which 602 patients received TACE and I¹²⁵ irradiation stent placement, and 416 patients in control group underwent TACE and stent placement without endovascular brachytherapy (EVBT). Meta-analysis showed that the I¹²⁵ irradiation stent improved the cumulative stent patency rates in 6 months [OR = 1.65, 95% CI (1.32–2.05), P < 0.001] and 12 months [OR = 2.55, 95% CI (1.90–3.42), P < 0.001] and the survival rates in 6 months [OR = 1.77, 95% CI (1.41–2.22), P < 0.001], 12 months [OR = 3.14, 95% CI (2.24–4.40), P < 0.001] and 24 months [OR = 7.39, 95% CI (3.55–15.41), P < 0.001]. However, there was no difference in the objective response rate of PVTT [OR = 1.13, 95% CI (0.87–1.48), P = 0.365], main portal venous pressure and the occurrence adverse event [OR = 0.88, CI = 0.72–1.08, P = 0.212] between two groups.ConclusionI¹²⁵ irradiation stent seems to be more effective in treating hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein tumor thrombosis. The usage of portal vein stent combined endovascular brachytherapy has the potential to act as an alternative therapy for HCC with PVTT. On account of the limitation of studies included, more studies with high-level evidence, such as RCTs, are requisite to support the above promising results.     

A Novel Method for Three-Dimensional Analysis of Endoscopic Spatial Relationships of Pterygopalatine Fossa Structures and Associated Regions

Background: The spatial orientation rules of the important skull base structures are essential for performing endoscopic surgery. However, there is no satisfactory three-dimensional (3-D) anatomy study available to the surgeon at present. The aims of this study are to construct a new method to learn the spatial orientation of anatomical features under endoscopy and to help the surgeon establish a 3-D image of skull base structures in his mind. Methods: A modified MicronTracker navigation system was used to measure the pitch angle, direction angle and distance from the reference points to various anatomical landmarks of the pterygopalatine fossa and related structures (PPFRS) at the skull base in 10 fresh cadavers (20 sides). Results: The location data of the positions of the major landmarks were acquired and a digital model of the anatomical structures of the PPFRS was built, which can be moved, whirled or demonstrated easily. Conclusion: It is practical to measure the positions of the anatomical structures of the PPFRS with a modified binocular vision-based MicronTracker navigation system. It is a valuable exploration tool to help the surgeon establish the orientation of surgical landmarks in his mind by the 3-D parameters and model.     

Isolation and characterization of islet stellate cells in rat

The central role of PSCs in pancreatic fibrogenesis is well established. However, the mechanism responsible for the islet fibrosis presenting in the late stage of T2DM has not been fully elucidated. This study was designed to determine whether the endocrine pancreatic islets contain cells resembling PSCs. PSCs were isolated from pancreas using standard explants techniques. A similar method was used to acquire ISCs. Adherent ISCs with a stellate, angular morphology migrated from the edge of cultured islets within 48 h of primary culture. ISCs contained fewer lipid droplets than equivalent PSCs, and their rapid disappearance accompanied by the increased expression of α-SMA suggested that ISCs were more rapidly activated than PSCs in vitro. They expressed α-SMA, vimentin, GFAP and were positive for ECM components col-I, col-III and FN, all of which are characteristics of classical PSCs. However, ISCs differed from PSCs by having reduced rates of proliferation and migration in vitro. Our in vitro study shows that isolated islets contain a population of stellate cells which are phenotypically similar but not identical to PSCs. In view of the established role of PSCs in pancreatic fibrosis, we suggest that these may contribute to islet fibrosis in T2DM.     

癌性胸水细胞端粒酶活性的检测意义

目的：研究癌性胸水细胞端粒酶活性的检测意义。方法：采用端粒重复序列扩增－核酸杂交分析法检测癌性胸水细胞端粒酶活性，并将检测结果与细胞学诊断进行比较。结果：49例诊断明确的癌性胸水细胞样本中23例细胞学阳性胸水有20例端粒酶阳性，5例细胞学可疑胸水有4例端粒酶阳性，21例细胞学阴性有14例端粒酶阳性。细胞学诊断和端粒酶检测总阳性率分别为46．9％（23／49）和77．6％（38／49），二联合检测率为83．7％（41／49）。结论：胸水细胞端粒酶活性的检测有助于癌性胸水的诊断，弥补胸水细胞学诊断的不足。     

干扰素联合拉米夫定治疗YMDD变异株慢性乙型肝炎

新一代核苷类似物拉米夫定作为抗乙型肝炎病毒(HBV)感染的有效药品用于临床已取得了较好疗效，但因YMDD变异株的出现，又使部分慢性乙型肝炎(CHB)的治疗复杂化。目前尚无理想的抗YMDD变异病毒治疗方案，我们用干扰素联合拉米夫定治疗YMDD变异株CHB近两年，效果比较满意。     

Correlations between symptoms as assessed in traditional chinese medicine (TCM) and ACR20 efficacy response: a comparison study in 396 patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with TCM or Western medicine.

OBJECTIVE: This research was designed to explore the role of joint and nonarticular clinical manifestations traditionally evaluated in Chinese herbal medicine in predicting efficacy of treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. METHODS: Three hundred ninety-six patients were randomly divided to receive Western medicine (WM) therapy, 197 cases; and traditional Chinese herbal medicine (TCM), 199 cases. A complete physical examination and 18 clinical manifestations typically assessed in TCM were recorded before the randomization. The WM therapy included diclofenac extended action tablets, methotrexate, and sulfasalazine. The TCM therapy included Glucosidorum Tripterygll Totorum tablets and Yishen Juanbi tablets. The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) response criteria were used for efficacy evaluation. All data were analyzed using the SPSS11.5 statistical package. RESULTS: ACR20 and 50 responses with WM treatment were higher at 24 weeks than in the TCM group. In the WM group, 89% achieved ACR20 whereas 65.8% on TCM reached this response In the WM group, efficacy was negatively related to subjective symptoms of dizziness, and positively related to joint tenderness and thirst as recorded at entry. In contrast, in the TCM group the efficacy was positively related to joint tenderness and joint pain, and negatively related to the joint stiffness and more nocturia. CONCLUSION: Symptoms including those not directly related to joints and those inquired about in TCM may have influence on the efficacy of therapy, and might merit further study to ascertain if they can be helpful to guide specific therapy.     

Advances in nanotechnology-based delivery systems for EGFR tyrosine kinases inhibitors in cancer therapy

Oral tyrosine kinase inhibitors(TKIs) against epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR) family have been introduced into the clinic to treat human malignancies for decades. Despite superior properties of EGFR-TKIs as small molecule targeted drugs, their applications are still restricted due to their low solubility, capricious oral bioavailability, large requirement of daily dose, high binding tendency to plasma albumin and initial/acquired drug resistance. Nanotechnology is a promising tool to improve efficacy of these drugs. Through non-oral routes. Various nanotechnology-based delivery approaches have been developed for providing efficient delivery of EGFR-TKIs with a better pharmacokinetic profile and tissue-targeting ability. This review aims to indicate the advantage of nanocarriers for EGFR-TKIs delivery.     

2013－2019年浙江省湖州市急性胃肠炎病例GⅡ.P7-GⅡ.6型诺如病毒基因特征分析

  目的  分析2013 — 2019年浙江省湖州市急性胃肠炎病例诺如病毒基因特征,为疾病监测和防控提供参考。  方法  采用荧光定量反转录聚合酶链式反应（RT-PCR）方法对2013年12月、2014年4、12月、2019年3月发生的4起学校/托幼机构急性胃肠炎患者送检粪便标本进行诺如病毒核酸检测。 采用RT-PCR法对核酸阳性标本的多聚酶和衣壳蛋白部分区域进行扩增,并对扩增产物进行序列测定。 利用在线分型工具和系统进化分析对病原序列进行基因特征分析。  结果  共计28份标本中分别有5、4、2、5份为GⅡ型诺如病毒核酸阳性,阳性率为57.1%（16/28）。 4次疫情各有1份标本测序成功;在线分型和系统进化分支分析显示,4起疫情的病原均为GⅡ.P7-GⅡ.6重组型诺如病毒,但进化分支不同,其中2013年疫情标本检出GⅡ.P7-GⅡ.6c型;2014年2起疫情均为GⅡ.P7-GⅡ.6b型,2019年疫情中检出的GⅡ.P7-GⅡ.6a型。  结论  GⅡ.P7-GⅡ.6型重组型诺如病毒是引起湖州市2013 — 2019年4起急性胃肠炎暴发疫情的病原体,每年毒株存在一定基因进化分支的差异。 鉴于该病毒在全球范围内具有持续和广泛的流行能力,应进一步加强对该型别重组型诺如病毒的监测。