ObjectiveTo summarize current widely-used therapies for cutaneous neurofibroma (cNF) and related research progress. MethodsBased on extensive investigation of domestic and foreign research, the existing treatment of cNF, including the indications, effectiveness and trials of targeted drugs were reviewed. ResultscNF is a hallmark feature of neurofibromatosis type 1 and has a dramatic negative impact on patient appearance and quality of life. At present, there is no standard management of cNF. Invasive treatment is a commonly-used treatment. Surgical removal gives excellent cosmetic results, but it is difficult for multiple tumors; CO2 laser ablation, laser photocoagulation, electro-drying, and radiofrequency ablation are effective in treating lots of cNF at one time. Although fast and effective, these therapies can lead to depigmentation, hyperpigmentation, or extensive scarring. There is no targeted drug approval for cNF, and a series of studies have been carried out on the Ras-MEK pathway, Ras-mTOR pathway, receptor tyrosine kinase, et al. ConclusionThe treatment of cNF has developed rapidly in recent years and has broad prospects, but the individualization and precision of the treatment still needs further clinical research.
ObjectiveTo examine the characteristics of Rhodococcus equi (R. equi) infection for better awareness of this disease.MethodsThe clinical data of a patient with pulmonary abscess caused by R. equi after renal transplantation were reported. We also reviewed the reports of infections caused by R. equi.ResultsThe clinical manifestations and laboratory examination of the patient were consistent with the characteristics of R. equi infection. The growth of R. equi was found in sputum and blood culture. The follow-up data showed that the treatment was effective. Literature search identified 23 similar patients. In all the 24 patients (containing this one), the time of infection after renal transplantation ranged from 4 months to 11 years. There were 21 patients with cumulative pulmonary infection, and 10 patients had a clear epidemiological history of direct or indirect contact with horses. Eighteen patients improved after regular antibacterial treatment or surgical treatment.ConclusionsOpportunistic infections caused by R. equi mainly affect transplant recipients and other patients with lower immunity. Infections caused by R. equi may affect many organ systems with various manifestations. The optimal therapy is not established due to the rarity of this infection. Clinicians should select antibiotic agents rationally based on antimicrobial susceptibility testing and treatment response of patients.
World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies (WFAS) standard Norms for Formulation and Evaluation of the Clinical Practice Guidelines of Acupuncture and Moxibustion (Hereinafter referred to as Norms) is the first methodological specification for the development of guidelines of acupuncture and moxibustion (Acup-Mox) issued by an international academic organization. The Norms stipulates the principles, procedures, review process and requirements of the development of WFAS guidelines of Acup-Mox. It also proposes the development method, evaluation method, and reporting standards of WFAS guidelines of Acup-Mox. This article introduces the development process of the Norms and provides an interpretation of the methodological supplementary requirements for key links such as "formulation of clinical questions", "evidence retrieval, evaluation and synthesis", and "consensus decision-making", as well as the "framework and contents of recommendation" to provide relevant references for users in learning and using the Guidelines.
Objective To investigate the relationships between circulating tumor cells (CTCs), circulating tumor endothelial cells (CTECs) and treatment methods in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) at different stages of treatment. Methods The data of NPC patients at different treatment periods in West China Hospital of Sichuan University from March 2016 to November 2019 were retrospectively collected. The patients received CTCs test and part of those patients received CTECs test, by subtraction enrichment-immunostaining-fluorescence in situ hybridization. The relationships of CTCs and CTECs with radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and the correlations between CTCs and CTECs in NPC patients were analyzed. Results A total of 191 patients were included. Among them, there were 66 cases before initial treatment, 38 cases after induction chemotherapy, and 87 cases after concurrent chemoradiotherapy. A total of 127 patients received CTECs test, including 41 cases before initial treatment, 29 cases after induction chemotherapy, and 57 cases after concurrent chemoradiotherapy. The positive rates of CTCs were 89.4%, 81.6% and 69.0% respectively in the three stages of treatment, and the difference was statistically significant only between the pre-treatment group and the post-concurrent chemoradiotherapy group (P=0.003). The number of CTCs in the post-concurrent chemoradiotherapy group was lower than that in the pre-treatment group and the post-induction chemotherapy group (P<0.001, P=0.002). The number of triploid CTCs in the post-concurrent chemoradiotherapy group was significantly different from that in the pre-treatment group and the post-induction chemotherapy group (P=0.009, P=0.013). The number of tetraploid CTCs in the post-concurrent chemoradiotherapy group was significantly different from that in the post-induction chemotherapy group (P=0.007). The number of polyploidy (pentaploid or > 5 copies of chromosome 8) CTCs in the post-concurrent chemoradiotherapy group was significantly different from that in the pre-treatment group (P<0.001). The positive rates of CTECs were 70.7%, 82.8% and 64.9% respectively in the three stages of treatment, and the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). The number of CTECs in the post-concurrent chemoradiotherapy group was only lower than that in the post-induction chemotherapy group (P=0.009). There was no significant difference in the number of triploid or tetraploid CTECs among the three groups (P=0.265, P=0.088). The number of polyploid CTECs was statistically different only between the post-concurrent chemoradiotherapy group and the post-induction chemotherapy group (P=0.007). Spearman correlation analysis showed that there was a significant positive correlation between CTCs and CTECs (rs=0.437, P<0.001). Conclusions Concurrent chemoradiotherapy plays a decisive role in reducing the number of CTCs in the blood of NPC patients, while induction chemotherapy does not appear to directly cause changes in the number of CTCs. In NPC patients, different types of CTCs have different responses to different treatments. There is a significant positive correlation between CTECs level and CTCs level in NPC.
Objective To explore the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment plan of pulmonary lymphomatoid granulomatosis in order to deepen the understanding of this disease. MethodsA case of pulmonary lymphomatoid granulomatosis complicated with tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection was reported. Literature reviews were searched in PubMed database with "pulmonary, lung, lymphomatoid granulomatosis" as the key words, and in China Knowledge Network and Wanfang database with "lung, lymphomatoid granulomatosis" as the key words. The search time was from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2021. ResultsThe patient was diagnosed as pulmonary tuberculosis at the beginning of the disease, and the lesion was obviously absorbed and improved after regular anti-tuberculosis treatment. Six months after anti-tuberculosis treatment, chest CT examination showed multiple new circular nodules in both lungs. Intensive anti-tuberculosis treatment did not improve, further lung biopsy, pathology revealed lymphomatoid granulomatosis, grade 2; During the period, HIV infection was proven, and the patient underwent anti-viral infection and re-examination of chest CT lung lesions significantly improved absorption. Literature reviews found 47 same patients, therefore totally 48 patients were analyzed, in which this former case was included. Among the 48 patients, 26 were male (54.2%) and 22 were female (45.8%), with a median age of 60 years old (4 to 87 years old). The most common symptoms were cough, fever and shortness of breath, some of them may be accompanied with fatigue, weight loss, night sweats and loss of appetite. 20.9% of the patients had rashes, mainly manifested as erythema or papules. 39.6% of the patients were accompanied by immune system related diseases or immunosuppressants; The most common manifestations of chest CT were multiple nodules or masses involving both lungs. The main way of diagnosis was surgical lung biopsy, or CT-guided lung puncture biopsy. The positive rate of bronchoscopy biopsy was low. The pathological grade was mainly grade 3 (56.3%). The treatment plan was mainly R-CHOP, with an effective rate of 71.4%. For patients considered drug-induced disease, it was necessary to stop using induced drugs first, and then combined chemotherapy if there was no improvement. For HIV-infected patients, highly active antiretroviral therapy should be given first, if there was no improvement, then took combined chemotherapy; Of the 48 patients, 41 patients had clear follow-up results with a median follow-up time of 12 months, of which 14 patients were dead (34.1%), and the others got better in different degrees. Conclusions Pulmonary lymphomatoid granulomatosis is a rare disease. Clinicians should improve their understanding of it in order to identify the disease early, and choose the appropriate treatment scheme to improve its prognosis.
支气管哮喘防治全球创议(GINA)将哮喘的严重程度分为三度四级,其中三级和四级属于中度和重度哮喘。在整个哮喘人群当中,中重度哮喘大约只占1/3,但在临床上轻度哮喘患者很少就诊,中重度哮喘大约占就诊患者的2/3甚至更多。中重度哮喘患者由于症状明显,频繁就诊,因为哮喘控制不良,经常出现急性发作,需要住院治疗,虽然人数不是很多,但占用了大部分的医疗资源。无论是从提高哮喘防治的整体水平的角度,还是从减少哮喘疾病负担的角度,都应当将中重度哮喘作为哮喘长期管理的主要的目标人群。
目的:比较4种选药方案治疗复治后耐多药结核病的治疗疗效。方法:回顾性分析152例复治后耐多药结核病例,按治疗方案分为4组。Ⅰ组采用标准化疗方案HSRZE;Ⅱ组根据过去的治疗史组成个体化方案;Ⅲ组根据药敏试验组成个体化方案;Ⅳ组采用力克肺疾、左氧氟沙星、卷曲霉素、阿奇霉素、阿莫西林克拉维酸方案。结果:4组病灶吸收有效率分别为20.00%、47.37%、52.38%、81.48%;4组12个月疾菌阴转率分别为22.22%、57.89%、50.00%、81.48%。结论:对于所有复治肺结核患者均采用统一的标准复治方案有效率低,由力克肺疾、左氧氟沙星、卷曲霉素、阿奇霉素、阿莫西林克拉维酸联合组成的化疗方案是治疗复治后耐多药结核病的有效方案。
ObjectiveTo compare the clinical characteristics,high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) manifestations,pulmonary function results,serum autoantibodies and treatment modality of connective tissue diseases related interstitial lung diseases (CTD-ILDs) and idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (ⅡPs). MethodsPatients explicitly diagnosed with CTD-ILDs and ⅡPs were retrospectively selected from Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital between January 2004 and December 2012.The clinical features were abstracted,including age,gender,symptoms,signs,serum autoantibody results,HRCT findings,and treatment.Patient characteristics were compared between CTD-ILDs and ⅡPs using a Pearson's χ2 test for categorical variables,and a Student's t test for continuous variables. ResultsA total of 692 patients with complete data were included in this study,with 240 CTD-ILDs cases and 452 ⅡP cases.CTD-ILDs could exist in different types of CTDs,which were mainly shown in Sjogren's syndrome,rheumatoid arthritis,and dermatomyositis/polymyositis.Age,gender,connective tissue diseases related characteristics such as dry eyes,dry mouth,and arthralgia,and several autoantibodies such as ANA,SSA,SSB all showed significantly difference between CTD-ILDs and ⅡPs (P<0.05).However there were no significant differences in cough,dyspnea after exertion,velcro crackles on auscultation,or finger clubbing between two groups (P>0.05). The HRCT manifestations of CTD-ILDs were reticular opacities,patchy consolidation,band-like shadows,and pleural thickening.Pulmonary function tests commonly showed restrictive lung function and decreased diffusing capacity.The histopathologic findings of lung biopsies of CTD-ILDs were mostly chronic inflammatory cell infiltration,as well as hyperplasia of fibrous tissue and septal thickness.The finding of chronic inflammatory cell infiltration showed significant difference between CTD-ILDs and ⅡPs (P<0.05),while the HRCT manifestations,pulmonary function results or other histopathologic findings did not(P>0.05).The current treatment modality was corticosteroids plus immunosuppressants. ConclusionDespite the similarities,CTD-ILDs show distinct clinical,laboratory and imaging features from from ⅡPs in clinical practice.
ObjectiveTo summarize research progress of comprehensive treatment based on gene therapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy in recent years in order to improve understanding and treatment level of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC).MethodThe literatures about TNBC treatment in recent 5 years were reviewed and summarized.ResultsTNBC was more invasive than other types of breast cancer due to its lack of targeted receptors, and its recurrence and metastasis were earlier. The treatment plan was still mainly surgical treatment, supplemented by the chemotherapy and radiotherapy.ConclusionsAlthough recent studies of TNBC in surgical treatment, chemoradiotherapy, targeted therapy and other aspects have shown a good clinical application prospect, more evidences of clinical trials with large samples are still needed. With the deepening of molecular mechanism research, endocrine therapy and targeted drug therapy, including androgen-receptor-positive, have provided some new ideas for treatment of TNBC.