[Sleep-disordered breathing in patients with chronic heart failure before and after heart transplantation]

Objective: To explore the characteristics of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in chronic heart failure patients waiting for heart transplantation and the changes of SDB after transplantation. Methods: From September 2018 to December 2019, 34 patients with chronic heart failure were prospectively enrolled into this study, who were hospitalized for waiting for heart transplantation in the departments of cardiovascular medicine and cardiovascular surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University. All of them received portable sleep physiological monitoring. The characteristics of their SDB were analyzed before and after heart transplantation. Results: Of the 34 patients waiting for heart transplantation, 22 had central sleep apnea, 4 had obstructive sleep apnea and 8 had no SDB. The cycle length of Cheyne-Stokes respiration was negatively correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction. After heart transplantation, 15 patients received repeat sleep physiological monitoring and their results showed that the SDB was significantly improved, with the elimination of Cheyne-Stokes respiration. Conclusions: Patients waiting for heart transplantation had a high prevalence of SDB, with Cheyne-Stokes respiration with central sleep apnea as the main type. However, heart transplantation may eliminate the Cheyne-Stokes respiration in patients with chronic heart failure.

[Comparison of long-term efficacy between watch and wait strategy and total mesorectal excision in locally advanced rectal cancer patients with clinical complete response after neoadjuvant therapy]

Objective: To compare long-term efficacy between watch and wait (W&W) strategy and total mesorectal excision (TME) in patients who were diagnosed with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) and attained clinical complete response (cCR) after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT). Methods: A retrospective cohort study was carried out. A total of 238 patients with stage II-III LARC exhibiting cCR after nCRT in Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center from September 16, 2010 to January 9, 2018 were enrolled. Patients who were diagnosed with other malignant tumor within 5 years, did not receive regular follow-up in our center for more than 1 year and had no complete examination items after nCRT were excluded. Of 238 patients, 151 were male and 87 were female with a median age of 57 (27-83) years old. According to TNM stage, 61 cases were cII, 177 cases were cIII. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) was performed in 20 patients. CCRT plus induction/consolidated chemotherapy was performed in 218 patients. Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) was applied to radiotherapy. The median radiation dose was 50 Gy/25 Fr for both the primary tumor and clinical target volumes, and the total dose was 45.0 to 50.6 Gy for 227 patients. In 27 patients, single-agent fluorouracil or capecitabine was used as concurrent chemotherapy. But in the other 211 patients, a combined regimen of oxaliplatin and fluorouracil or capecitabine was used. After nCRT, 59 and 179 patients received W&W (W&W group) and TME 6-12 weeks later (TME group), respectively. After the ending of treatment, patient was interviewed one time every 3 months and after 3 years, one time every six months. Overall survival (OS) rate, distant-metastasis-free survival (DMFS) rate, and local-recurrence-free survival (LRFS) rate were compared between two groups. The salvage treatment and sphincter preservation rate were analyzed. The survival curve was drawn with Kaplan-Meier method and evaluated by log-rank method. Results: In the cases treated with TME, the median interval from nCRT to surgery was 59 days. The postoperative pCR rate was 63.1%(113/179). The median follow-up time of the whole cohort was 41.8 (12.0-99.0) months. The 3-year and 5-year OS rates were 98.4% and 96.5%; the 3-year and 5-year LRFS rates were 96.5% and 96.5%; the 3- and 5-year DMFS rates were 91.0% and 87.9%, respectively. The 3-year OS rates in the W&W group and the TME group were 100% and 97.9%; the 5-year OS rates in W&W group and the TME group were 90.6% and 97.9% (P=0.339); The 3-year local recurrence rate (LRR) in the W&W group was 12.9% (7 cases recurred within 2 years), which was significanthy higher then that in the TME group (0.6%, P=0.003). Salvage surgery was successful in 5/6 cases. After salvage surgery, LRFS rate was not significantly different between the two groups (P=0.137). The 3-year DMFS rate in the W&W group and the TME group were 88.4% and 81.1%, whose difference was not significant (P=0.593). Recurrence with simultaneous metastasis was seen in 3/7 cases of the W&W group. The sphincter was preserved in 89.8% (53/59) of patients in the W&W group, which was significantly higher than 73.7% (132/179) in the TME group (P<0.001). When distance of tumor from the anal verge was ≤ 5 cm, the sphincter preservation rate (SPR) in the W&W group was 88.0% (44/50), which was significantly higher than the 54.4% (56/103) in the TME group (P<0.001). Conclusions: W&W is safe and feasible for patients with LARC and cCR after nCRT. The results should be verified by further clinical trials.

Genetic Structure Analysis of Y-Chromosome STR and SNP in Population of Wujiang Area, Suzhou City

Abstract

Objective To analyze the genetic phenotypes of Y-chromosome STR and SNP in Han male population of Wujiang area, Suzhou City and explore the genetic structure of population of Wujiang area for further examination of regional-specific Y-SNP genetic markers ancestor haplogroups. Methods Blood samples of 472 Wujiang area Han males were randomly collected and genotyped by Yfiler^TM Plus PCR Amplification Kit. The allele frequencies and haplotype frequencies of each locus were obtained using the direct calculation method. Y-SNP haplogroups of each sample were estimated using Y-Predictor software and verified through experiments by amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction （ARMS-PCR）. Results A total of 453 haplotypes were found in the 27 Y-STR genetic markers in 472 Han males of Wujiang area. The haplotype diversity （HD） was 0.997 696 93, among which, the highest gene diversity （GD） value was DYF387S1a/b （GD=0.953 1） and the lowest was DYS438 （GD=0.321 8）. Based on genotyping data of 27 Y-STRs and 472 samples, 132 haplogroups from C, D, N, O and Q, etc downstream Y-SNP haplogroups were estimated and then verified through experiments. Conclusion This study is based on Y-chromosome STR haplotypes, and predicts Y-SNP haplogroups by Y-Predictor software, then uses ARMS-PCR to verify. Y-SNP genetic markers were introduced to achieve precise analysis of the genetic structure of male families in population of three towns in Wujiang area.

Phase II study of pre-operative radiotherapy with capecitabine and oxaliplatin for rectal cancer and carcinoembryonic antigen as a predictor of pathological tumour response

This study investigated the efficacy and tolerability of pre-operative radiotherapy with concurrent capecitabine and oxaliplatin in patients with rectal cancer. Forty-seven patients with rectal adenocarcinoma (stages T3 - T4; node-positive) were enrolled and received radiotherapy (46 Gy in 23 fractions) in combination with capecitabine (1000 mg/m(2) twice daily on days 1 - 14 and 22 - 35) and oxaliplatin (130 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 22) (XELOX regimen). The main endpoints were safety and efficacy, as assessed by pathological complete response (pCR). All patients received pre-operative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) as planned. The most common severe toxicity was diarrhoea (12.8%); post-operative complications were rare (9.8%). The pCR rate was 20.9% in all patients and 34.8% in patients with normal pre-CRT serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA < or = 5 ng/ml) level, compared with 5.0% in the patients with elevated CEA (> 5 ng/ml). In conclusion, pre-operative radiotherapy with concurrent XELOX regimen in rectal cancer patients is feasible and effective. Serum CEA may be a suitable predictor of pCR.

[Clinical observation on nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with combined therapy of radiotherapy and ginseng polysaccharide injection]

OBJECTIVE

To observe the effect of radiotherapy (RT) combined with Ginseng polysaccharide (GSP) injection in treating nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and its influence on immune function.

METHODS

One hundred and thirty-one NPC patients were randomly divided into two groups, 64 cases in the RT-GSP group treated with RT-GSP and 67 in the control group treated with conventional therapy, to observe the local cancer remission rate, 1-year total survival rate, no tumor survival rate and no remote metastasis survival rate. Moreover, the changes of T-lymphocyte subsets, natural killer (NK) cell activity and lymphocyte activated killer (LAK) cell activity before and after treatment were observed.

RESULTS

Clinical examination conducted 3 months after treatment showed that the complete remission rete in the RT-GSP group was 96.6%, and in the control group 93.3%, the complete remission rate of cervical node metastatic tumor in the two groups was 85.7% and 78.0% respectively, and the NPC CT remission rate 60.3% and 51.7% respectively. Re-examination carried out 1 year after RT treatment showed that the total survival rate in the two groups was 100% and 96.5%, no tumor survival rate 84.4% and 74.6%, and no remote metastasis survival rate was 93.8% and 88.1% respectively. The activity of NK cell and LAK cell as well as T3, T4 value in peripheral blood increased significantly in the RT-GSP group (all P < 0.05) after treatment, while in the control group, activity of NK cell and LAK cell changed insignificantly after treatment, and T3, T4 value lowered significantly (P < 0.05). No toxic-adverse reaction of GSP was found.

CONCLUSION

GSP has certain improving immune function effect in NPC patients during RT, it could also eliminate the occurred adverse reaction to RT and the general condition of patients.