Mesenchymal neoplasms with NTRK and other kinase gene alterations

Kinase alterations are increasingly recognised as oncogenic drivers in mesenchymal tumours. Infantile fibrosarcoma and the related renal tumour, congenital mesoblastic nephroma, were among the first solid tumours shown to harbour recurrent tyrosine kinase fusions, with the canonical ETV6::NTRK3 fusion identified more than 20 years ago. Although targeted testing has long been used in diagnosis, the advent of more robust sequencing techniques has driven the discovery of kinase alterations in an array of mesenchymal tumours. As our ability to identify these genetic alterations has improved, as has our recognition and understanding of the tumours that harbour these alterations. Specifically, this study will focus upon mesenchymal tumours harbouring NTRK or other kinase alterations, including tumours with an infantile fibrosarcoma-like appearance, spindle cell tumours resembling lipofibromatosis or peripheral nerve sheath tumours and those occurring in adults with a fibrosarcoma-like appearance. As publications describing the histology of these tumours increase so, too, do the variety kinase alterations reported, now including NTRK1/2/3, RET, MET, RAF1, BRAF, ALK, EGFR and ABL1 fusions or alterations. To date, these tumours appear locally aggressive and rarely metastatic, without a clear link between traditional features used in histological grading (e.g. mitotic activity, necrosis) and outcome. However, most of these tumours are amenable to new targeted therapies, making their recognition of both diagnostic and therapeutic import. The goal of this study is to review the clinicopathological features of tumours with NTRK and other tyrosine kinase alterations, discuss the most common differential diagnoses and provide recommendations for molecular confirmation with associated treatment implications.     

浅论中医学对胰腺实体解剖的认知过程

中医学古籍中罕有关于“胰腺”的明确记载，缺乏直观、系统的理论论述。本文试图通过对各个时期具有代表性的医学典籍所记载内容的分析，结合现代解剖学相关理论，梳理中医学对胰腺实体解剖的认识过程。通过分析，笔者认为中医学对胰腺实体解剖的认识具有阶段性：①先秦两汉时期，存在胰腺实体解剖，但并非认为胰腺是脏器；②唐宋时期，胰腺实体解剖更加清晰，在医学上胰腺附属于脾，并非为独立的脏器；③明清时期，胰腺实体解剖明确，部分医家以独立脏器论之，出现“脾”、“胰”之争。中医学理论缺少对胰腺的单独论述，目前学界的主流观点多为“胰属脾”，线性归属以脾笼统代之略显单薄，不利于理论的丰富与发展。笔者认为胰腺藏象应独立于脾单独讨论，现代解剖学对胰腺命名同一，形态结构清楚，位置描述明确，可直接补充进中医学胰腺藏象（藏）理论中，为完善胰腺藏象理论搭建解剖学基础。     

Standardisierte Kontrastmittelsonographie (CEUS) in der klinischen Akut- und Notfallmedizin sowie Intensivmedizin (CEUS-Akut)

Die Anaesthesiologie -     

A Phase I Dose Escalation Study of the Safety,Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics of Ipilimumab in Chinese Patients with Select Advanced Solid Tumors

Lessons Learned

• The overall safety profiles of ipilimumab 3 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg administered every 3 weeks, were consistent between Chinese patients with solid tumors in the current study and patients from previous U.S. ipilimumab monotherapy studies. No new safety signals were identified.
• The mean systemic exposures to ipilimumab (assessed by first dose area under the curve during the dosing interval and maximum serum concentration) were numerically lower in the Chinese patient population than in U.S. patients for both 3 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg doses; however, the range of serum concentrations in the Chinese and U.S. populations overlapped (3 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg), suggesting that ipilimumab pharmacokinetics was ethnically insensitive in this study.

BackgroundThis phase I, open‐label study assessed ipilimumab safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK), immunogenicity, and antitumor activity in Chinese patients with unresectable, metastatic, recurrent malignant melanoma (MM) or nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).MethodsOf 39 patients enrolled, 25 received ipilimumab (11 patients received 3 mg/kg, and 14 patients received 10 mg/kg). Reasons for not receiving treatment were withdrawal of consent (3 patients), no longer meeting the criteria (10 patients), and one recorded as “other.” During the induction phase, patients received ipilimumab (3 mg/kg, i.v.), on day 1 of a 3‐week cycle, to a maximum of four doses or progressive disease (PD). During the maintenance phase at week 24, patients received ipilimumab (3 mg/kg, i.v.) on day 1 of a 12‐week cycle, to a maximum of 3 years or PD. Considering the co‐primary safety and PK endpoints, the successive dosing required nine patients with two or fewer dose‐limiting toxicities during the 42‐day observation period to proceed with a new cohort of nine patients at 10 mg/kg.ResultsIpilimumab safety and PK profiles were similar in Chinese and predominantly White populations. Ipilimumab was well tolerated. Most adverse events (AEs) were grades 1–2 and experienced by 11 patients treated with 3 mg/kg and 14 patients treated with 10 mg/kg. There were no new safety concerns. Incidence of anti‐ipilimumab antibodies was low (1 of 10 in the 3 mg/kg patients and 2 of 13 in the 10 mg/kg patients) and without safety implications. In the 3 mg/kg group, 8 of 11 patients had PD. In the 10 mg/kg group (all NPC, 0 MM patients), 11 of 14 patients had PD. Three patients had stable disease (one at 3 mg/kg and two at 10 mg/kg).ConclusionIpilimumab was well tolerated in Chinese patients, showing similar safety and PK to previous studies in predominantly White populations.     

Inhibition of autophagy enhances apoptosis induced by bortezomib in AML cells

Bortezomib is a novel proteasome inhibitor, which has been successfully used to treat mantle cell lymphoma and multiple myeloma. However, the direct effects of bortezomib on acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL) have not been fully investigated. In the present study, the WST-8 assay, western blotting, flow cytometry, monodansylcadaverine staining and transmission electron microscopy were performed. It was demonstrated that bortezomib treatment induced a time- and dose-dependent decrease in the viability of NB4 cells. Bortezomib treatment induced cell apoptosis in NB4 cells, as assessed by Annexin V/propidium iodide analysis, and the detection of cleaved caspase-3, cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, Bax and Bcl-2 expression. Furthermore, bortezomib treatment induced autophagy in NB4 cells, as indicated by autophagosome formation, p62 degradation, LC3-I to LC3-II conversion and formation of acidic autophagic vacuoles. Notably, autophagy induced by bortezomib was initiated prior to apoptosis. Inhibition of autophagy by knocking down Beclin-1 expression increased bortezomib-induced apoptosis in NB4 cells. Therefore, the present study revealed that the combination of bortezomib and autophagy inhibition may be a potential treatment strategy for APL.     

“三全育人”视角下思政教育机制实践与探索——“杏林成长导师”计划的构建

“三全育人”是高校思政教育工作的关键一环，也是中医药高校推动思政教育的重要内容。以“三全育人”为视角对北京中医药大学思想政治教育举措“杏林成长导师”计划路径、内容深入分析，运用统计分析和文献研究方法，剖析该计划对中医学专业大学生的学业、思想和实践等多个层面的现实成效，从而为“三全育人”理念在中医药院校制度建构中的应用提供新的视角与方法。     

PREDICT-GTN 1: Can we improve the FIGO scoring system in gestational trophoblastic neoplasia?

Gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) patients are treated according to the eight-variable International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) scoring system, that aims to predict first-line single-agent chemotherapy resistance. FIGO is imperfect with one-third of low-risk patients developing disease resistance to first-line single-agent chemotherapy. We aimed to generate simplified models that improve upon FIGO. Logistic regression (LR) and multilayer perceptron (MLP) modelling (n = 4191) generated six models (M1-6). M1, all eight FIGO variables (scored data); M2, all eight FIGO variables (scored and raw data); M3, nonimaging variables (scored data); M4, nonimaging variables (scored and raw data); M5, imaging variables (scored data); and M6, pretreatment hCG (raw data) + imaging variables (scored data). Performance was compared to FIGO using true and false positive rates, positive and negative predictive values, diagnostic odds ratio, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, Bland-Altman calibration plots, decision curve analysis and contingency tables. M1-6 were calibrated and outperformed FIGO on true positive rate and positive predictive value. Using LR and MLP, M1, M2 and M4 generated small improvements to the ROC curve and decision curve analysis. M3, M5 and M6 matched FIGO or performed less well. Compared to FIGO, most (excluding LR M4 and MLP M5) had significant discordance in patient classification (McNemar's test P < .05); 55-112 undertreated, 46-206 overtreated. Statistical modelling yielded only small gains over FIGO performance, arising through recategorisation of treatment-resistant patients, with a significant proportion of under/overtreatment as the available data have been used a priori to allocate primary chemotherapy. Streamlining FIGO should now be the focus.     

Pre-COVID-19 Social Determinants of Health Among Mexican Migrants in Los Angeles and New York City and Their Increased Vulnerability to Unfavorable Health Outcomes During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health - COVID-19 has disproportionally affected underrepresented minorities (URM) and low-income immigrants in the United States. The aim of the study is to...