Nomogram to predict overall survival and disease-specific survival with appendiceal mucinous adenocarcinoma.

To predict the survival of appendiceal mucinous adenocarcinoma (AMA) by prognostic nomogram.A total of 3234 patients with AMA were collected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from 1973 to 2015. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards (PH) regression analyses were used to generate independent prognostic factors. These variables were included in the nomogram to predict overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) at 1-, 3-, and 5- years. These data are validated both internally and externally. The consistency index (C-index) and calibration chart were used to estimate the accuracy of the nomogram.The study cohort was randomly divided into the training (n = 2155) and validation group (n = 1799). According to univariate and multivariate analyses, age at diagnosis, marital status, sex, histological differentiation, SEER extent of disease, number of local lymph nodes examined, whether they were positive, and surgical methods were independent prognostic factors for OS and DSS. These factors were incorporated into the nomogram. Internal validation in the training cohort showed that the C-index values for nomogram predictions of OS and DSS were 0.73 (95% CI 0.70-0.76) and 0.77 (95% CI 0.73-0.81), respectively. Similarly, the corresponding C-index values in the external validation cohort were 0.76 (95% CI 0.70-0.81) and 0.75 (95% CI 0.71-0.80). The Calibration plots revealed that the actual survival and nomogram prediction had a good consistency.Build a nomogram in the SEER database to predict OS and DSS in patients with AMA. It can provide accurate and personalised survival prediction for clinicians and patients.

[Clinicopathological and immunohistochemical features of pulmonary blastoma: analysis of 4 cases and review of the literature].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinicopathological and immunohistochemical features of pulmonary blastoma (PB). METHODS: Four patients with PB, 1 male and 3 females, with the onset age of 2 months approximately 80 years, underwent resection of the tumor and were followed up for 32 months at most. The clinical data were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: Pathology showed that the 4 cases all suffered from epithelial type PB. Under microscope, epithelial cells were atypical, mostly in mitogenic phase, and were lined up as many dense tubes. All of the patients underwent surgical resection and 3 - 5 cycles of chemotherapy and one had radiotherapy following surgery. The survival time was 5 - 32 months. One of the four patients died during follow-up due to metastasis 5 months after operation. The other patients still survived. Immunohistochemistry showed that cytokeratin and thyroid transcription factor-1 were positive, and vimentin, epithelial membrane antigen, and S-100 protein were negative in the tumor tissues; and a part of tumor cell presented positive Cg-A. CONCLUSION: PB is rare and presents different clinical features. It is difficult to determine the diagnosis before operation. The modular structures and expression of neuroendocrine markers are helpful in differentiating epithelial type PB from usual adenocarcinoma in immunohistochemical staining.

[Observation on therapeutic effect of scalp acupuncture combined with body acupuncture on stroke].

OBJECTIVE: To search for the best acupuncture and moxibustion treatment program for stroke. METHODS: One hundred and eighty-three cases of stroke were divided into a scalp-body acupuncture group of 62 cases, a scalp acupuncture group of 60 cases and a body acupuncture group of 61 cases. They were treated for 2 months and then their therapeutic effects were compared. RESULTS: In the scalp-body acupuncture group, 13 cases were basically cured, 32 cases improved obviously, 15 cases improved, 2 cases was ineffective, and corresponding figures in the scalp acupuncture group were 8, 21, 24, 7, and in the body acupuncture group were 11, 28, 19, 3, with a significant difference between the scalp-body acupuncture group and the scalp acupuncture group (P<0.05) , and with no significant differences between the scalp-body acupuncture group and body acupuncture group, and between the body acupuncture group and the scalp acupuncture group. CONCLUSION: Scalp acupuncture combined with body acupuncture has a better clinical therapeutic effect than that of simple scalp acupuncture for the patient of stroke.