[Clinicopathological characteristics and molecular alterations of primary cardiac leiomyosarcoma: report of five cases]

Objective: To investigate the clinical, pathologic and radiologic features and molecular alterations in patients with primary cardiac leiomyosarcoma (PCLMS). Methods: Five cases of PCLMS were collected in Beijing Anzhen Hospital from January 2016 to December 2020. The clinical, pathologic and radiologic data, and molecular alterations were analyzed, and the patients were followed up. Results: All five patients were female, and had no history of leiomyosarcoma in other parts of the body. The age of patients ranged from 37 to 62 years (median 47 years). The main clinical symptoms were chest pain and dyspnea, one also presented with palpitation and lower limb weakness and one with dizziness. Two tumors were located in the left atrium, two in the right atrium, and one in the right ventricle, and they maximal diameter ranged from 2.5 to 14.0 cm (mean 6.2 cm). The neoplasms presented as medium-echo masses with a broad base in the echocardiography, and as a low-density, solid mass when detected by contrast-enhanced CT. Histologically, two tumors were well-differentiated and three were moderately and poorly differentiated, and two included extensive, loose myxoid stroma. Immunohistochemical staining showed that PCLMS was positive for SMA, desmin, MDM2, and epidermal growth factor receptor. Fluorescence in situ hybridization showed ALK gene rearrangement in two cases, and COL1A1-PDGFB fusion in three cases. All cases received surgical excision and two cases received chemotherapy. Three patients died within 0-11 months (mean survival of 7.7 months) and two patients were alive. Conclusions: PCLMS is a malignant tumor with a high recurrence rate and poor prognosis. These cases may provide useful information to improve the diagnosis and management of PCLMS.

[Application of deep learning neural network in pathological image classification of non-inflammatory aortic membrane degeneration]

Objective: To investigate the value of deep learning in classifying non-inflammatory aortic membrane degeneration. Methods: Eighty-nine cases of non-inflammatory aortic media degeneration diagnosed from January to June 2018 were collected at Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, China and scanned into digital sections. 1 627 hematoxylin and eosin stained photomicrographs were extracted. Combined with the ResNet18-based deep convolution neural network model, 4-category classification of pathological images were performed to diagnose the non-inflammatory aortic lesion. Results: The prediction model of artificial intelligence assisted diagnosis had the best accuracy, sensitivity and precision in identifying lesions with smooth muscle cell nuclei loss, which were 99.39%, 98.36% and 98.36%, respectively. The classification accuracy of elastic fiber fragmentation and/or loss lesions was 98.08%, while that of intralamellar mucoid extracellular matrix accumulation lesions was 96.93%. The overall accuracy of the classification model was 96.32%, and the area under the curve was 0.982. Conclusions: The accuracy of deep learning neural network model in the 4-category classification of non-inflammatory aortic lesionsis confirmed based on digital photomicrographs. This method can effectively improve the diagnostic efficiency of pathologists.

[Role of TNF-α in vascular remodeling in rats with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension]

Objective: To analyze the relationship between TNF-α and pulmonary vascular remodeling in order to explore the pathogenesis of CTEPH. Methods: Autologous blood clots were repeatedly injected into the left jugular vein of rats to establish the CTEPH model. Then mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP), histopathology, the plasma level of TNF-α, and the expressions of mRNA and protein of TNF-α in pulmonary artery were measured. Results: In the experiment group, the mPAP and vessel wall area/total area (WA/TA) ratio gradually increased as emblism extended, and increased significantly compared with the sham operation group. The plasma TNF-α concentration in the experimental group increased significantly (P<0.05). The TNF-α proteins expressed in pulmonary artery in the 1-week, 2-week, and 4-week subgroups of experimental group increased significantly compared with the sham operation group (1.62±0.08 vs 0.85±0.12, P<0.05; 1.85±0.08 vs 0.89±0.13, P<0.05; 1.37±0.12 vs 0.91±0.15, P<0.05, respectively). Immunohistochemical results showed that TNF-α expression was higher in pulmonary artery endothelial cells of the experimental group compared with the sham operation group. The expression of pulmonary artery TNF-α protein was positively related with mPAP (r=0.605, P<0.01), and with WA/TA (r=0.629, P<0.01). The expression of serum TNF-α was positively related with that of pulmonary artery TNF-α protein (r=0.721, P<0.01). Conclusion: A rat model of CTEPH can be established by repeatedly introducing autologous blood clots into the pulmonary artery with injecting TXA. Thrombosis induced higher expression of TNF-α in pulmonary arterial endothelial cells, and released into the blood. TNF-α may play an important role in the development of CTEPH, especially by contributing to vascular remodeling and PH.

A two year family based behaviour treatment for obese children

BACKGROUND

Childhood obesity has become a nutritional problem in China since the 1990s.

AIMS

A family based behavioural treatment was developed and tested, to see if its use was feasible in China and to evaluate its impact on obese schoolchildren.

METHODS

In a single school in Beijing, 33 obese children were randomly assigned to a treatment group and 35 to a control group. The treatment group participated in a family based behavioural treatment programme for two years. Height and weight were measured every six months for all participants. Blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels were measured at baseline and after two years of programme implementation.

RESULTS

Body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) was significantly reduced in the treatment group (from 26.6 (1.7) to 24.0 (0.9), 95% CI 2.06 to 3.18) but not in the control group (from 26.1 (1.5) to 26.0 (1.6)). Total cholesterol decreased 5.5% and triglycerides 9.7% in the treatment group. There was a significant correlation between change in BMI and change in triglycerides. There were no significant changes in plasma lipids in the controls. Blood pressure values also decreased significantly in the treatment, but not the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

A family based behavioural intervention was feasible to use in treating obesity in schoolchildren in Beijing, China. After two years of implementation, it successfully decreased the degree of obesity, reduced levels of blood pressure, and decreased serum lipids in treatment; there were no significant changes among control children.