Prospective characterization of incident hepatic steatosis in pediatric and adolescent patients after total pancreatectomy with islet autotransplantation

BackgroundHepatic steatosis has been described as a common finding in adults following total pancreatectomy with islet autotransplantation (TPIAT) but it is unknown if this occurs in children and adolescents.ObjectivesTo define the frequency of post-TPIAT hepatic steatosis in a sample of children and adolescents and to identify clinical predictors of incident steatosis post-TPIAT.MethodsIn this prospective study, consecutive participants at least 1-month post-TPIAT underwent a liver MRI with proton density fat fraction (PDFF) and blood draw at our pediatric academic medical center between April 2021 and January 2022. Comparison clinical pre-TPIAT liver MRI or ultrasound and insulin use and graft function data were extracted from the medical record. T-tests were used for the comparison of means across continuous variables between participants with and without post-TPIAT steatosis.ResultsA total of 20 participants (mean: 13 ± 4 years; 12 female) were evaluated. Mean liver PDFF at research MRI was 7.4 ± 6.2% (range: 2–25%). Seven participants (35%) had categorical hepatic steatosis (PDFF>5%) post-TPIAT, five of whom had pre-TPIAT steatosis, reflecting a 13% (2/15; 95% CI: 2–40%) incidence of post-TPIAT steatosis. Participant characteristics were not significantly different between subgroups with and without post-TPIAT steatosis. Mean PDFF at research MRI was not different between graft function subgroups (7.5% optimal/good vs. 7.3% marginal/failure; p = .96).ConclusionOur study shows a moderate prevalence but low incidence of hepatic steatosis in a small sample of children and adolescents post-TPIAT. This study raises questions about a causal relationship between TPIAT and hepatic steatosis.     

康莱特注射液联合紫杉醇治疗晚期恶性胸腺瘤的疗效观察

目的:比较康莱特注射液联合紫杉醇及紫杉醇单纯化疗治疗晚期恶性胸腺瘤的不良反应和疗效。方法:2013年8月至2017年12月，经病理学和免疫组化确诊为恶性胸腺瘤并在我院肿瘤中心进行姑息性化疗的患者68例。康莱特注射液联合化疗为观察组（37例）；单纯化疗为对照组（31例）。28天为一周期，共化疗4周期。结果:两组患者均无人发生过敏反应。观察组可有效减轻患者化疗不良反应:恶性、呕吐、四肢麻木、关节肌肉酸痛和白细胞下降(P＜0.05)，可以有效减轻患者胸闷症状和全身疼痛(P＜0.05)，在肿瘤控制方面，康莱特联合化疗的疗效较单纯化疗稍好，但均未见有统计学差异(P＞0.05)。结论:康莱特注射液联合紫杉醇治疗晚期胸腺瘤，具有减轻患者疼痛、减轻化疗不良反应，从而提高患者化疗依从性的作用，值得临床进一步推广和研究。     

注射用盐酸柔红霉素的质量评价

目的 按照国家计划抽验要求，评价国内不同企业生产的注射用盐酸柔红霉素的质量。方法 按国家标准检验与探索性研究相结合，对抽验样品进行检验，对检验结果进行统计分析。结果 共抽取样品17批次，按国家标准检验合格率100.0%。探索性研究对主要杂质的来源与结构进行了研究；建立溶液的澄清度检查方法；对包材相容性及稳定性进行了考察。结论 目前国内注射用盐酸柔红霉素总体质量较好；现行标准有待进一步提高，建议现行标准修订有关物质检查方法，增加特定杂质的控制，增加溶液的澄清度检查；建议企业优化生产工艺，以提高产品质量。     

Assessment of oral ciprofloxacin impaired gut barrier integrity on gut bacteria in mice

Gut bacteria and gut barrier plays important roles in body homeostasis. Ciprofloxacin (CPFX) is widely used to treat bacterial infections. However, whether high dosage of CPFX has side effects on gut barrier integrity is still unclear. Our results indicated that the High CPFX treatment (1 mg/ml) caused weight loss, nervousness, anorexia, and increased apoptosis cells in gut, but less influence was observed in the Low CPFX group (0.2 mg/ml). Meanwhile, the High CPFX treatment impaired tight junction molecules Ocln/ZO-1 level and down-regulated antibacterial genes expression (reg3γ, pla2g2α and defb1). Further, the High CPFX treatment increased pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β in intestinal tract, decreased IL-17A of duodenum but increased IL-17A of colon at day 37. In addition, the gut bacterial diversity and richness behaved significantly loss regarding CPFX treatment, especially in the High CPFX group during the experiment. Indole exhibited sharply decline in both Low and High CPFX groups at day 7, and the High CPFX mice needed longer time on restoring indole level. Meanwhile, CPFX treatment strongly decreased the concentrations of butyric acid and valeric acid at day 1. Correlation analysis indicated that the linked patterns between the key bacteria (families Bacteroidales_S247, Ruminococcaceae and Desulfovibrionaceae) and metabolites (indole and butyric acid) were disturbed via the CPFX treatment. In conclusion, the High CPFX treatment impaired the gut barrier with the evidence of reduced expression of tight junction proteins, increased apoptosis cells and inflammatory cells, decreased the bacterial diversity and composition, which suggesting a proper antibiotic-dosage use should be carefully considered in disease treatment.     

Factors affecting compliance to intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy in Indian patients with retinal vein occlusion,age-related macular degeneration,and diabetic macular edema

Purpose:To evaluate the rate of compliance and the reasons for loss to follow-up in Indian patients with diabetic macular edema (DME), age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and retinal vein occlusion (RVO) being treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy.Methods:This was a retrospective single-center study. Patients with DME, AMD, or RVO were eligible if they initiated anti-VEGF therapy between January 2013 and December 2017. Patients'' data were obtained from hospital electronic records, including the number of injections received, visits, details of follow-up, missed appointments, and reasons for loss to follow-up (>365 days).Results:A total of 648 patients were eligible for the study, of which 334 (51.54%) patients were lost to follow-up. Overall, 343 (64.96%) were males and the overall mean (SD) age was 66.40 (7.44) years. A total of 376 (58.0%) patients had a history of diabetes and 364 (56.2%) patients had a history of hypertension. Further, 127 (38.0), 112 (33.5), and 95 (28.4) had DME, AMD, and RVO, respectively and were lost to follow-up. The most commonly reported reason for loss to follow-up was “non-affordability” (n = 120; 41.1%) followed by “no improvement in vision” (n = 83; 28.4%). “No improvement in vision” (42.2%) and “non-affordability” (37.5%) were higher among patients with DME. No association was found in gender- and treatment-wise distribution of reasons for loss to follow-up.Conclusion:The results showed that around half of the patients with DME, AMD, and RVO were lost to follow-up to intravitreal anti-VEGF therapy, and the most common factors were “non-affordability” and “no improvement in vision.”     

Matrine,oxymatrine, and compound Kushen injection from the roots of Sophora flavescens: an overview of their anticancer activities

In the present review, we updated current information on the chemistry, contents, and anticancer properties of matrine (MT), oxymatrine (OMT), and compound Kushen injection (CKI). The anticancer properties were focused on lung, breast, and liver cancer cells because they are most susceptible. Sources of information were from Google, Google Scholar, PubMed, PubMed Central, Science Direct, PubChem, J-Stage, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). Reference was also made on botanical websites, such as Flora of China and World Flora Online. MT and OMT are dominant quinolizidine alkaloids from the roots of Sophora flavescens (Kushen) of the family Fabaceae. Against lung, breast, and liver cancer cells, MT and OMT inhibit cell proliferation; induce cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and autophagy; restrict angiogenesis; and inhibit cell metastasis, invasion, and migration. The processes involve various molecular targets and signaling pathways. CKI is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) composed of root extracts of S. flavescens and Smilax glabra (Baituling) of the family Smilacaceae. With MT and OMT as major components, CKI has been approved for the treatment of cancer in China more than 20 years ago. In recent years, systematic reviews and meta-analysis have been undertaken to evaluate the anticancer effects of CKI. When CKI is used alone and in combination with chemotherapy of western medicine, there is much to be learned concerning their interactions besides their individual and integrated efficacy. Some perspectives of MT, OMT, and CKI are discussed, and their suggestions for future research are provided.     

Complete recovery of filler-induced visual loss following subcutaneous hyaluronidase injection

The rise in popularity of hyaluronic acid (HA) dermal filler injection has caused an exceptional increase in the number of cases of reported irreversible blindness. Here, we reported a case of ischemic optic neuropathy and ophthalmoplegia following subcutaneous HA filler injection with complete visual recovery. A 31-year-old Chinese woman presented with sudden onset of right monocular visual impairment associated with diplopia. Patient had received a hyaluronic acid-containing ?ller injection for nasal dorsum augmentation twelve hours prior to presentation. Visual acuity of the right eye was counting finger. A right relative afferent pupillary defect was demonstrated with ophthalmoplegia. Humphrey visual field test disclosed a right inferior altitudinal field defect with impairment of colour vision. Computed tomography of the orbit revealed mild enlargement of the right medial and inferior recti muscles. Our patient showed a tremendous improvement of vision after a subcutaneous hyaluronidase injection with complete visual recovery within 2 weeks.