Objective To analyze the value of serum microRNAs (miR-218, miR-329, and miR-567) in predicting the clinical efficacy of programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitor combined with synchronous chemotherapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods A total of 160 patients with NSCLC treated with PD-1 inhibitor combined with synchronous chemotherapy in Taiyuan Hospital, Peking University First Hospital between January 2021 and January 2023 were prospectively selected as the study objects by convenience sampling, and the serum levels of miR-218, miR-329, and miR-567 and the clinical efficacy of the patients were collected. According to the clinical efficacy, the patients were divided into remission group (partial remission and complete remission) and non-remission group (stable disease and disease progression). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the predictive value of serum miR-218, miR-329 and miR-567 levels in the clinical efficacy of PD-1 inhibitor combined with synchronous chemotherapy in patients with NSCLC. Results Of the 160 patients, 34 (21.2%) had disease progression, 85 (53.1%) had stable disease, 39 (24.4%) had partial remission, and 2 (1.2%) had complete remission. They were divided into remission group (41 cases) and non-remission group (119 cases). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that high levels of serum miR-218, miR-329, and miR-567 could promote the clinical efficacy of PD-1 inhibitor combined with synchronous chemotherapy in patients with NSCLC (all P<0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that, for predicting the clinical efficacy of PD-1 inhibitor combined with synchronous chemotherapy in patients with NSCLC according to the cut-off value of the joint prediction probability of serum miR-218, miR-329, and miR-567, the area under the ROC curve was 0.938 [95% confidence interval (0.855, 0.964)], and the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 82.9%, 92.4%, 79.1%, and 94.0%, respectively. Conclusion The combined detection of serum miR-218, miR-329 and miR-567 levels has a high predictive value for the therapeutic effect of PD-1 inhibitor combined with synchronous chemotherapy in patients with NSCLC.
Objective To assess value and limitations of non-invasive methods in assessing liver fibrosis．Methods By summarized current situation and advancement of serum fibrotic markers, ultrasound, CT and MRI in assessing liver fibrosis, we investigated their value and limitations. Results In addition to diagnosis, non-invasive methods of assessing liver fibrosis assess severity of liver fibrosis. For liver fibrosis, however, non-invasive methods can not monitor effectively reaction to therapy and progression. Conclusion Non-invasive methods play important roles in diagnosis and assessing severity of liver fibrosis, and reduce the need of liver biopsy.
Objective To investigate the risk factors of high peritoneal transport characteristics in patients with end-stage renal disease undergoing initial continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. Method The clinical data of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients who underwent initial peritoneal dialysis and catheterization in the Department of Nephrology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University from January 2011 to December 2017 and completed the peritoneal equilibration test were collected retrospectively. According to the ratio of dialysate to plasma ratio for creatinine at 4 hour [D/Pcr (4h)] in the standard peritoneal equilibration test, the patients were divided into 4 groups (low transport, low average transport, high average transport and high transport). Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the related factors of D/Pcr (4h). The risk factors of high peritoneal transport characteristics were analyzed by ordered multi classification logistic regression. Results A total of 647 patients were included. The average age of the patients was (45.85±14.03) years, and the average D/Pcr (4h) was 0.67±0.12. Among them, there were 89 cases (13.76%) in the high transport group, 280 cases (43.28%) in the high average transport group, 234 cases (36.17%) in the low average transport group and 44 cases (6.80%) in the low transport group. Diabetic patients with D/Pcr (4h) were higher than those without diabetes mellitus (0.72±0.12 vs. 0.66±0.12; t=?4.005, P<0.001). Correlation analysis showed that age and 24-h urine volume were positively correlated with D/Pcr (4h); serum albumin, triglyceride, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, hemoglobin, serum uric acid and creatinine were negatively correlated with D/Pcr (4h); body surface area (BSA), high sensitivity C-reactive protein, ferritin, cholesterol, sodium, intact parathyroid hormone and estimated giomerular filtration rate had no correlation with D/Pcr (4h). Regression analysis showed that serum albumin [odds ratio (OR)=0.842, 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.809, 0.877), P<0.001], serum uric acid [OR=0.996, 95%CI (0.994, 0.998), P<0.001], magnesium [OR=0.389, 95%CI (0.156, 0.965), P=0.042], BSA [OR=3.916, 95%CI (1.121, 13.680), P=0.032] were correlated with the incidence of peritoneal high transport characteristics. Conclusion Low serum albumin, high BSA, low magnesium and low serum uric acid were independent risk factors for high transport characteristics in initial PD patients.
Objective To investigate the effects of insulin-like growth factor 1（IGF-1） and ethanol (EtOH) on the changes in the osteoblast proliferation and the osteoblast function under the normal serum concentration and serum starvationMethodsThe osteoblasts harvested from the SD rat calvaria were incubated in the following six conditions according to the supplements in DMEM: the F15group：15% newborn calf serum (NCS)； the F15/EtOH group：100 mmol/L of EtOH added to 15% NCS； the F2 group：2% NCS； the F2/EtOH group：100 mmol/L of EtOH added to 2% NCS；the F2/IGF-1 group：25ng/ml of IGF-1 added to 2% NCS；the F2/IGF-1/EtOH group：100 mmol/L EtOH added to 25 ng/ml IGF-1 and 2% NCS. The osteoblasts were analyzed by the MTTassay, alkaline phosphatase（ALP） activity, and RTPCR at 24, 48, 72 and 96h ours after the culture. Results The absorbance (A), the ALP activity, and the expression of BGP mRNA (the proliferation and function indicators of the osteoblasts) were significantly decreased in the F15/EtOH group at all the time points when compared with those in the F15the group (P＜ 0.05); the above 3 indicators were significantly decreased in the F2 groupwhen compared with those in the F15 group (P＜0.05); they were significantly decreased in the F2/EtOH group when compared with those in the F2 group (P＜0.05); however, the indicators in the F2/IGF-1 group were significantly increased when compared with those in the F2 group (P＜0.05); the A value in the F2/IGF-1/EtOH group was not significantly decreased when compared with that in the F2/IGF-1 group, with an exception of the A value at 24 hours (P＞0.05); however, ALP and BGP mRNA were significantly decreased (P＜0.05). All the indicators were significantly increased when compared with those in the F2/EtOH group (P＜0.05) Conclusion Ethanol can inhibit the osteoblast proliferation and the osteoblast function, and can increase the inhibition when the osteoblasts were cultured under the serum starvation. This may be one of the mechanisms for alcoholic bone disease. IGF-1 can prevent the inhibition of the osteoblasts under the serum starvation and counteract the ethanolinduced proliferation inhibition; therefore, IGF-1 is an alternaive therapeutic intervention for alcoholic bone disease.
Objective To determine the influence of combinative assessment of transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) and serum amyloid A protein (SAA) on the assessment of preoperative staging selection of operative procedures in the middle and lower rectal cancer. Methods Prospectively enrolled 130 patients, who diagnosed definitely as middle and lower rectal cancer at West China Hospital of Sichuan University from June 2008 to February 2009 were randomly assigned into two groups with 65 participants, respectively. In one group named TRUS combined SAA group, both TRUS and SAA combinative assessment were made for the preoperative evaluation. In another group named TRUS group, only the preoperative TRUS was made. The preoperative staging and predicted operative procedures were compared with postoperative pathologic staging and practical operation program, respectively.Results Of 118 patients with rectal cancer were actually included into TRUS combined SAA group (n=59) and TRUS group (n=59). The baselines of characteristics of two groups were basically identical. For TRUS combined SAA group， the accuracies of preoperative T and N staging were 79.7% (47/59) and 77.8% (42/54) respectively; For TRUS group the corresponding rates were 86.4% (51/59) and 57.7% (30/52), respectively. There was no statistically significant difference of the accuracy of preoperative T staging （P=0.609） while preoperative N staging had statistical difference (P=0.027) between two groups. There was a statistically significant difference of the accuracy of prediction to operative procedures in two groups 〔96.6% (57/59) vs. 83.1% (49/59), P=0.015〕. The preoperative T staging was related to the selection of operative procedures (P=0.037) when analyzing the relationship between the operative procedures and the multiple clinicopathological factors in middle and lower rectal cancer. ConclusionCombinative assessment of TRUS and SAA could improve the accuracy of preoperative staging in middle and lower rectal cancer, thus provide higher predictive coincidence rate to operative procedures for surgeon.
ObjectivesTo systematically review the association between serum leptin level and hepatitis C virus.MethodPubMed, EMbase, Web of Science, CNKI, CBM, VIP and WanFang Data databases were electronically searched to collect case-control studies on the association between serum leptin level and hepatitis C virus from 2007 to July, 2017. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of included studies. Then, meta-analysis was performed by using RevMan 5.3 software.ResultsA total of 11 studies including 1 115 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis showed the serum leptin level was higher in hepatitis C patients than in healthy people (SMD=0.68, 95%CI 0.44 to 0.91, P<0.000 01). The results of subgroup analysis showed that, in hepatitis C patients whose serum leptin levels detected by RIA and European population, serum leptin levels were higher. Women had higher serum leptin levels than men in hepatitis C virus patients (P<0.000 01).ConclusionThe serum leptin level is associated with hepatitis C virus and the serum leptin levels of women are higher than those in men. Due to limited quantity and quality of the included studies, more high quality studies are required to verify above conclusions.
Objective To systematically evaluate the correlation between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] level and mortality risk in adult with sepsis. Methods We searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, and Chongqing VIP databases for studies on the correlation between serum 25(OH)D and mortality risk in adults with sepsis. The search period was from the establishment of databases to December 2023. Meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.4 software. Results A total of 9 studies were included, with a total of 2267 patients. The meta-analysis results showed that sepsis patients with low serum 25(OH)D levels (<30 ng/mL), insufficient levels (20-30 ng/mL), and deficient levels (<20 ng/mL) had a higher mortality risk compared to those with normal levels (relative risk=1.96, 1.62, 2.21, P<0.05). Subgroup analysis based on different sepsis diagnostic criteria, regions, and research types also showed that sepsis patients with lower serum 25(OH)D levels (<30 ng/mL) had a higher mortality risk compared to those with normal levels (P<0.05). Conclusions Adult sepsis patients with low serum 25(OH)D levels have a higher mortality risk than those with normal levels.
Objective To verify the association between admission serum phosphate level and short-term (<30 days) mortality of severe pneumonia patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) / respiratory intensive care unit (RICU). Methods Severe pneumonia patients admitted to the ICU/RICU of Quanzhou First Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University from November 2019 to September 2021 were included in the study. Serum phosphate was demonstrated as an independent risk factor for short-term mortality of severe pneumonia patients admitted to ICU/RICU by logical analysis and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve. The patients were further categorized by serum phosphate concentration to explore the relationship between serum phosphate level and short-term mortality. Results Comparison of baseline indicators at admission between the survival group (n=54) and the non survival group (n=46) revealed that there was significant difference in serum phosphate level [0.9 (0.8, 1.2) mmol/L vs. 1.2 (0.9, 1.5) mmol/L, P<0.05]. Logical analysis showed serum phosphate was an independent risk factor for short-term mortality. ROC curve showed that the prediction ability of serum phosphate was close to pneumonia severity index (PSI). After combining serum phosphate with PSI score, CURB65 score, and sequential organ failure score, the predictive ability of these scores for short-term mortality was improved. Compared with the normophosphatemia group, hyperphosphatemia was found be with significantly higher short-term mortality (85.7% vs. 47.3%, P<0.05), which is absent in hypophosphatemia (25.8%). Conclusions Serum phosphate at admission has a good predictive value on short-term mortality in severe pneumonia patients admitted to the ICU/RICU. Hyperphosphatemia at admission is associated with a higher risk of short-term death.
Objective To determine the influence and significance of combinative assessment of 64 multi-slice spiral computer tomography (MSCT) with serum amyloid A protein (SAA) or fibrinogen (FIB) on the selection of operative procedures of rectal cancer under the multidisciplinary team. Methods Prospectively enrolled 240 patients diagnosed definitely as rectal cancer at West China Hospital of Sichuan University from February to June 2009 were randomly assigned into two groups. In one group named MSCT+SAA group, both MSCT and SAA combinative assessment were made for the preoperative evaluation. In another group named MSCT+FIB group, both MSCT and FIB combinative assessment were made for preoperative evaluation. Furthermore, the preoperative staging and predicted operation procedures were compared with postoperative pathologic staging and practical operation procedures, respectively, and the relationship between the choice of operation procedures and clinicopathologic factors was analyzed. Results According to the criteria, 234 patients were actually included into MSCT+SAA group (n=118) and MSCT+FIB group (n=116). The baseline characteristics of two groups were statistically similar (Pgt;0.05). For MSCT+SAA group, the accuracies of preoperative staging T, N, M and TNM were 72.9%, 83.1%, 100% and 80.1%, respectively. For MSCT+FIB group, the accuracies of preoperative staging T, N, M and TNM were 68.1%, 75.0%, 100% and 74.1%, respectively, and there was not a statistically significant difference (Pgt;0.05). There was also not a statistically significant difference of the accuracy of prediction to operative procedures in two groups (99.6% vs. 96.6%, Pgt;0.05). The preoperative T staging (P＜0.001), N staging (P＜0.001), TNM staging (P＜0.001), serum level of SAA (P＜0.001), serum level of FIB (Plt;0.001) and distance of tumor to the dentate line (P＜0.05) were associated to the operative procedures. Conclusions Combinative assessment of MSCT and FIB could improve the accuracy of preoperative staging and operative procedures prediction, however, it may be not superior to MSCT plus SAA.
ObjectiveTo investigate the expression of SIR2-related enzyme 1 (SIRT1) in serum of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and its clinical significance.MethodsForty patients with acute exacerbation of COPD (acute-COPD group) and 30 patients with stable COPD (stable-COPD group) were selected as study groups. Twenty healthy subjects were recruited as a control group. Serum SIRT1, nuclear factor (NF) -κB, and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) -9 levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot.ResultsCompared with the control group, the FEV1%pred and FEV1/FVC were significantly decreased in the acute COPD patients and the stable COPD patients (P<0.05). Compared with the stable-COPD group, FEV1%pred and FEV1/FVC were significantly decreased in the acute-COPD group (P<0.05). Compared with control group, the serum SIRT1 in the stable-COPD group and the acute-COPD group were significantly decreased, while NF-κB and MMP-9 were significantly increased (P<0.05). Compared with the stable-COPD group, SIRT1 in the acute-COPD group was significantly decreased, while NF-κB and MMP-9 were significantly increased (P<0.05). SIRT1 were positively correlated with FEV1%pred (P<0.05) and FEV1/FVC (P<0.05) in the COPD patients by Pearson linear correlation analysis. SIRT1 was negatively correlated with NF-κB (P<0.05) and MMP-9 (P<0.05).ConclusionIn COPD patients, decreased levels of serum SIRT1 is associates with decreased lung function, which may be used as a potential biomarker of COPD.