[Value of plasma SEPTIN9 methylation detection for diagnosis and predicting radiosensitivity of esophageal carcinoma]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the value of plasma mSEPT9 detection in the diagnosis and prediction of radiosensitivity of esophageal carcinoma.

METHODS

This study was conducted in 72 patients with esophageal cancer who received radical radiotherapy in the Department of Radiotherapy of First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College between January, 2019 and December, 2020.Plasma mSEPT9 of the patients were examined with PCR before and after radiotherapy, with 20 healthy subjects from the physical examination center as the controls.The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to assess the value of mSEPT9 in diagnosis of esophageal cancer, and the correlation between mSEPT9 and clinicopathological characteristics of the patients was analyzed.According to their response to radiotherapy, the patients were divided into radiosensitive group and insensitive group, and their plasma mSEPT9 levels were compared before radiotherapy.All the patients were observed for dynamic changes of mSEPT9 levels after radiotherapy to analyze the association of mSEPT9 variation with radiosensitivity of the tumors.

RESULTS

The sensitivity and specificity of mSEPT9 for the diagnosis of esophageal carcinoma were 62.5% and 100%, respectively, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.813.Plasma mSEPT9 level was correlated with lymph node metastasis and clinical stages of esophageal carcinoma (P < 0.05), but not with gender, age, invasion site, tumor length, degree of differentiation, or depth of invasion (P > 0.05).The radiosensitive patients had a significantly lower positivity rate for mSEPT9 than the insensitive patients before radiotherapy(53.06% vs 82.61%, P=0.016).In the 72 patients, the positivity rate for mSEPT9 decreased significantly after radiotherapy (30.56% vs 62.5%, P < 0.001); the positivity rate was significantly lowered after radiotherapy in the radiosensitive group (14.29% vs 53.06%, P < 0.001), but the reduction was not significant in the insensitive group (65.22% vs 82.61%, P=0.125).

CONCLUSION

Detection of plasma mSEPT9 level is helpful for diagnosis and prediction of radiosensitivity of esophageal carcinoma.

Properties of a New Group of Cosmic Nuclei: Results from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on Sodium, Aluminum, and Nitrogen

We report the properties of sodium (Na) and aluminum (Al) cosmic rays in the rigidity range 2.15 GV to 3.0 TV based on 0.46 million sodium and 0.51 million aluminum nuclei collected by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer experiment on the International Space Station. We found that Na and Al, together with nitrogen (N), belong to a distinct cosmic ray group. In this group, we observe that, similar to the N flux, both the Na flux and Al flux are well described by the sums of a primary cosmic ray component (proportional to the silicon flux) and a secondary cosmic ray component (proportional to the fluorine flux). The fraction of the primary component increases with rigidity for the N, Na, and Al fluxes and becomes dominant at the highest rigidities. The Na/Si and Al/Si abundance ratios at the source, 0.036±0.003 for Na/Si and 0.103±0.004 for Al/Si, are determined independent of cosmic ray propagation.

[Diagnostic performance of a novel Mycobacterium Tuberculosis specific T-Cell based assay for tuberculosis]

Objective: To evaluate the diagnosic performance of a novel Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) specific T-cell based assay for tuberculosis, which targets the mRNA detection of interferon gamma-induced protein 10 (IP-10). Methods: Suspected tuberculosis patients were prospectively and consecutively recruited in Beijing Chest Hospital between March 2018 and November 2019, and individuals with lower risk of MTB infection were also recruited. IP-10.TB and T-SPOT.TB assays were simulataneously performed on peripheral blood samples. The diagnostic performance of IP-10.TB and T-SPOT.TB were analyzed using the receiver operating characteristic curve. Accordance of IP-10.TB and T-SPOT.TB was analyzed by Cohen's kappa test, while the correlation between the expression level of IP-10 mRNA in IP-10.TB test and the number of SFCs in T-SPOT.TB test were analyzed by Pearson correlation test. Results: A total of 235 patients with tuberculosis, 110 patients with other diseases and 153 individuals with lower risk of MTB infection were included in the final analysis. No significant difference was detected in the rate of indeterminate results between IP-10.TB assay (3/498, 0.60%) and T-SPOT.TB assay (6/498, 1.21%). The total sensitivity and specificity of IP-10.TB assay were 91.3% (95%CI 86.8%-94.6%) and 81.1% (95%CI 75.8%-85.7%). The specificity of IP-10.TB in individuals with lower risk of MTB infection was 98.0% (95%CI 94.4%-99.6%). The total sensitivity and specificity of T-SPOT.TB assay were 93.0% (95%CI 88.9%-96.0%) and 83.8% (95%CI 78.7%-88.1%). The specificity of T-SPOT.TB in individuals with lower risk of MTB infection was 100% (95%CI 97.6%-100.0%). No significant differences were detected in sensitivity and specificity between IP-10.TB and T-SPOT.TB assays (P>0.05). The positive coincidence rate of these 2 methods was 91.0% (95%CI 87.5%-94.5%), and the negative coincidence rate was 88.9% (95%CI 84.9%-92.9%) and the total coincidence rate was 90.0% (95%CI 87.3%-92.6%). The Cohen's kappa value was 0.80 (95%CI 0.75-0.85, P<0.001) between IP-10.TB and T-SPOT.TB assays. Conclusion: These results showed that the diagnostic performance of IP-10.TB was consistent with that in T-SPOT.TB, and this test could be a novel adjunctive tool for the diagnosis of tuberculosis.

Study on the lateral pterygoid muscle status after artificial temporomandibular joint replacement

The purpose of this study was to explore the status of the lateral pterygoid muscle (LPM) after detachment in artificial temporomandibular joint replacement (TJR) surgery. Patient clinical and computed tomography imaging data were collected before and after unilateral artificial TJR with LPM detachment. The volume of the LPM on the operated and unoperated sides was measured before and after surgery (at 1, 3, 6, 12 months) using ProPlan CMF 3.0 software. The volumes of the LPM on both sides, the patient's mandibular movements, quality of life (QoL), and pain and diet scores (visual analogue scales) were evaluated and compared at the different follow-up stages. Ten patients were included in the study. After surgery, the volume of the operated LPM was significantly reduced to 60.78% at 3 months (P=0.007), and gradually stabilized to 51.58% at 6 months (P=0.025) and 54.68% at 1 year postoperative (P=0.002). There were no significant LPM volume changes on the unoperated side (P=0.67). Lateral movement of the operated joint was significantly reduced (P=0.021) and correlated with the LPM volume change after surgical detachment (P=0.042). The LPM shrank after detachment in the artificial TJR surgery and the muscle detachment affected the movement of the replaced joint.

[Evaluation of the safety and efficacy of transcatheter aortic valve replacement with domestic prostheses for patients with severely stenotic bicuspid aortic valve]

Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with domestic prostheses in patients with severely stenotic bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). Methods: This study was a prospective single-center non-randomized controlled study. Patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis (AS), who underwent TAVR with domestic prostheses at the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University from January 2016 to April 2020 were consecutively included in our study. Patients were divided into BAV group and tricuspid aortic valve (TAV) group according to the aortic valve morphology. Baseline characteristics, procedural outcomes were compared between the two groups, and the primary endpoint was one-month all-cause mortality. Results: A total of 100 patients aged (69.8±8.9) years were enrolled, including 71 (71%) males. There were 51 cases in BAV group and 49 cases in TAV group. Compared with TAV group, patient in the BAV group was younger ((67.1±8.6) years vs. (72.7±8.4) years, P=0.002) and had larger ascending aortic diameter at proximal part ((39.7±5.7) mm vs. (36.0±4.2) mm, P<0.001), lower Society of Thoracic Surgeons-Predicted Risk of Mortality (STS-PROM) score (3.1 (1.9, 5.4) % vs. 5.9 (2.6, 12.3) %, P=0.002). In BAV group and TAV group, the incidence of 2nd prosthesis implantation was 15.7% (8/51) and 18.4% (9/49) (P=0.721), the incidence of moderate or severe paravalvular regurgitation was 2.0% (1/51) and 0 (P=1.000), the rate of device success was 82.4% (42/51) and 81.6% (40/49) (P=0.925), respectively. One-month all-cause mortality was 2.0% (1/51) and 10.2% (5/49) (P=0.108), respectively. Echocardiography showed that postprocedural mean pressure gradient (PGmean) was higher in the BAV group (13.0 (10.0, 16.0) mmHg vs. 9.0 (7.0, 14.0) mmHg, P=0.003) (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa), but the PGmean decrease post procedure as compared with that before TAVR was similar between the two groups ((36.7±16.6) mmHg vs. (36.2±17.5) mmHg, P=0.893). Conclusion: Favorable safety and efficacy are evidenced in patients with severely stenotic BAV undergoing TAVR with domestic prostheses.

Properties of Heavy Secondary Fluorine Cosmic Rays: Results from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer

Precise knowledge of the charge and rigidity dependence of the secondary cosmic ray fluxes and the secondary-to-primary flux ratios is essential in the understanding of cosmic ray propagation. We report the properties of heavy secondary cosmic ray fluorine F in the rigidity R range 2.15 GV to 2.9 TV based on 0.29 million events collected by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer experiment on the International Space Station. The fluorine spectrum deviates from a single power law above 200 GV. The heavier secondary-to-primary F/Si flux ratio rigidity dependence is distinctly different from the lighter B/O (or B/C) rigidity dependence. In particular, above 10 GV, the F/Si/B/O ratio can be described by a power law R^{δ} with δ=0.052±0.007. This shows that the propagation properties of heavy cosmic rays, from F to Si, are different from those of light cosmic rays, from He to O, and that the secondary cosmic rays have two classes.

[A comparative study of breast cancer mass screening and opportunistic screening in Chinese women]

Objective: To compare the population characteristics, the positive rate of screening, the detection rate of breast cancer, early diagnosis rate and the cost between the mass screening group and opportunistic screening group of breast cancer. Methods: This study is a prospective multicenter cohort study conducted from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2016. The participants were enrolled for mass screening or opportunistic screening of breast cancer. After completing the questionnaire, all the participants received breast physical examination and breast ultrasound examination every year for 3 rounds by year. The participants' characteristics and screening results of the two groups were compared by χ² test, Fisher exact test or Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Results: A total of 20 080 subjects were enrolled. In the mass screening group, 9 434 (100%), 8 111 (85.98%) and 3 940 (41.76%) cases completed the 3 rounds of screening, and 10 646 (100%), 6 209 (58.32%) and 2 988 (28.07%) cases in the opportunistic screening group, respectively. In the opportunistic screening group, the proportions of less than 3 months lactation (1 275/9 796 vs. 1 061/8 860, χ²=4.597, P=0.032), non-fertility (850/10 646 vs. 574/9 434, χ²=27.400, P<0.01), abortion history (6 384/10 646 vs. 5 062/9 434, χ²=81.232, P<0.01), postmenopausal (2 776/10 646 vs. 2 217/9 434, χ²=17.757, P<0.01), long-term oral contraceptives(>6 months) (171/10 646 vs. 77/9 434, χ²=25.593, P<0.01) and family history of breast cancer in first-degree relatives (464/10 646 vs. 236/9 434, χ²=51.257, P<0.01) were significantly higher than those in mass screening group. The positive rate of screening (514/10 646 vs. 128/9 434, χ²=194.736, P<0.01), the detection rate of breast cancer (158/10 646 vs. 13/9 434, χ²=107.374, P<0.01), and positive rate of biopsy (158/452 vs. 13/87, χ²=13.491, P<0.01) in the opportunistic screening group were significantly higher than those of the mass screening group. The early diagnosis rate of the mass screening group was significantly higher than the opportunistic screening group (10/12 vs. 66/141, χ²=5.902, P=0.015). The average cost for detecting each breast cancer case of the mass screening group was 215 038 CNY, which was 13.6 times of the opportunistic screening group (15 799 CNY/case). In the opportunistic screening group, the positive rate of biopsy in primary hospitals was significantly lower than that in large-volume hospitals (79/267 vs. 79/185, χ²=8.267, P=0.004), but there was no significant difference in the mass screening group (6/37 vs. 7/50, χ²=0.082, P=0.774). Conclusions: Breast cancer screening can improve early detection rate. Compared with the mass screening mode, the opportunistic screening mode has the advantages of higher proportion of high-risk factors, higher positive rate of screening, higher detection rate of breast cancer, higher positive rate of biopsy, and lower cost of screening. However, the early diagnosis rate of breast cancer of opportunistic screening is lower than that of mass screening. The positive rate of opportunistic screening in primary hospitals is lower than that of large-volume hospitals. The two screening modes have their own advantages and should be chosen according to local conditions of different regions in China.

Properties of Iron Primary Cosmic Rays: Results from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer

We report the observation of new properties of primary iron (Fe) cosmic rays in the rigidity range 2.65 GV to 3.0 TV with 0.62×10^{6} iron nuclei collected by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer experiment on the International Space Station. Above 80.5 GV the rigidity dependence of the cosmic ray Fe flux is identical to the rigidity dependence of the primary cosmic ray He, C, and O fluxes, with the Fe/O flux ratio being constant at 0.155±0.006. This shows that unexpectedly Fe and He, C, and O belong to the same class of primary cosmic rays which is different from the primary cosmic rays Ne, Mg, and Si class.

Influence of salt stress on C4 photosynthesis in Miscanthus sinensis Anderss

Miscanthus sinensis Anderss. is a good candidate for C₄ bioenergy crop development for marginal lands. As one of the characteristics of marginal lands, salinization is a major limitation to agricultural production. The present work aimed to investigate the possible factors involved in the tolerance of M. sinensis C₄ photosynthesis to salinity stress. Seedlings of two accessions (salt-tolerant 'JM0119' and salt-sensitive 'JM0099') were subjected to 0 mm NaCl (control) or 250 mm NaCl (salt stress treatment) for 2 weeks. The chlorophyll content, parameters of photosynthesis and chlorophyll a fluorescence, activity of C₄ enzymes and expression of C₄ genes were measured. The results showed that photosynthesis rate, transpiration rate, chlorophyll content, PSII operating efficiency, coefficient of photochemical quenching, activity of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) and pyruvate, orthophosphate dikinase (PPDK) and gene expression of PEPC and PPDK under salinity were higher after long-term salinity exposure in 'JM0119' than in 'JM0099', while activity of NADP-malate dehydrogenase (NADP-MDH) and NADP-malic enzyme (NADP-ME), together with expression of NADP-MDH and NADP-ME, were much higher in 'JM0099' than in 'JM0119'. In conclusion, the increased photosynthetic capacity under long-term salt stress in the salt-tolerant relative to the salt-sensitive M. sinensis accession was mainly associated with non-stomatal factors, such as reduced chlorophyll loss, higher PSII operating efficiency, enhanced activity of PEPC and PPDK and relatively lower activity of NADP-ME.

Morning Serum Cortisol as a Predictor for the HPA Axis Recovery in Cushing's Disease

BACKGROUND

The suppressed hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis after successful surgery for Cushing's disease (CD) will recover in almost all patients. We aimed to identify the predictive factors for HPA axis recovery in CD patients with postoperative remission. Design and Methods. This observational retrospective cross-sectional study enrolled 69 CD patients with postoperative remission in Huashan Hospital from 2015 to 2019. All subjects had a detailed clinical evaluation. The low-dose ACTH stimulation test (LDT) was conducted as the gold standard for assessing the HPA axis function.

RESULTS

Peak cortisol in LDT was found only to be positively correlative with morning serum cortisol (MSC) (ρ=0.451, p < 0.001). The MSC was higher (p < 0.001), and the median postoperative course was significantly longer (p=0.025) in the patients with the recovered HPA axis function compared with unrecovered patients. The AUC value of MSC for predicting the recovery of the HPA axis was 0.701, and the optimal cutoff was 6.25 μg/dl (sensitivity 85.19% and specificity 47.62%). Other useful cutoff values were 10.74 μg/dl (specificity 100%) and 4.18 μg/dl (sensitivity 100%). Besides, combined with the postoperative course, the AUC values were higher than MSC alone (0.935 vs. 0.701, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

MSC is a viable first-step diagnostic predictor for HPA axis recovery in CD patients with postoperative remission. For the patients with cortisol levels between 4.18 and 10.74 μg/dl, a confirmatory test should be conducted. When the MSC level was 10.74 μg/dl or greater, the replacement therapy could be discontinued.

[Progression of pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of diversion colitis]

Diversion colitis (DC) is a common non-specific inflammation of the malfunctioning bowel segment after diversion of feces. Although most patients develop DC during stoma, there are no obvious clinical symptoms, and a small number of patients show abdominal pain, mucus discharge and hematochezia. The erythema, diffuse particles and vascular texture blur are the most prominent endoscopic manifestations, and the lymphatic follicular hyperplasia is the most prominent pathological manifestations.Reconstruction of intestinal continuity is the best way to cure recanted colitis. In this review, we summarize and review the mechanism of occurrence, clinical features, diagnosis and treatment of DC, which will be helpful for the effective control and prevention of DC.