[Value of four-dimensional echocardiography combined with speckle tracking technique on the assessment of right heart function and prognosis in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension].

Objective: To investigate the value of four-dimensional echocardiography combined with speckle tracking technique on the assessment of right heart function and prognosis in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Methods: In this prospective study, 51 patients with PAH diagnosed by right heart catheterization in east hospital and south hospital of Renji hospital affiliated to school of medicine of Shanghai Jiaotong University from September 2015 to July 2017 were enrolled as PAH group from July to November 2017. Meanwhile, 26 healthy volunteers with age and sex matched with pulmonary hypertension patients were recruited as control group. The patients were aged (45.8±15.5) years old in PAH group, and there were 6 males and 45 females. The healthy volunteers were aged (45.4±14.6) years old in control group, and there were 4 males and 22 females. Two-dimensional and four-dimensional echocardiographic images were obtained to measure the structure and function of the right heart. The myocardial strain of each ventricle and atrium was measured by sparkle tracking. The patients in PAH group were followed up from July 2017 to August 2018 to observe the endpoint events including all-cause death, re-hospitalization, and clinical deterioration. Results: There were significant differences in two-dimensional echocardiographic parameters(including tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), right ventricular area change fraction (FAC), and right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP)), speckle tracking parameters (including global longitudinal systolic peak strain of left ventricle (LVGLS), global longitudinal systolic peak strain of right ventricle (RVGLS),left atrial reservoir function(LASr), left atrial conduit function (LASc), left atrial pump function (LASp), right atrial reservoir function (RASr), right atrial conduit function (RASc), and right atrial pump function (RASp)), and four-dimensional echocardiographic parameters(including right ventricular end diastolic volume (RVEDV) , right ventricular end systolic volume(RVESV), right ventricular stroke volume(RVSV), right ventricular freewall longitudinal strain(RVLSf), interventricular septum longitudinal strain(IVSLS), right ventricular ejection fraction(RVEF)) between control group and PAH group (all P<0.01 or 0.05).Spearman correlation analysis showed that RVEF was correlated with 6-minute walking distance (r=0.540, P<0.001), B-type natriuretic peptide (r=-0.545,P<0.001), New York Heart Association (NYHA) cardiac function classification(r=-0.583, P<0.001), TAPSE(r=0.595, P<0.001), LVGLS (r=-0.461, P=0.001) ,LASc (r=0.453, P=0.002) ,RASc (r=0.532, P<0.001) ,RVESV (r=-0.418, P=0.004) , RVSV (r=0.351, P=0.017) , and IVSLS (r=-0.450, P=0.002) . Pearson correlation analysis also showed that RVEF was correlated with FAC(r=0.579, P<0.001),RVSP (r=-0.442, P=0.002) ,RVGLS (r=-0.521, P<0.001) , LASr (r=0.483, P=0.001) , RASr (r=0.617, P<0.001) , RASp (r=0.513, P<0.001) , and RVLSf (r=-0.592, P<0.001) .After a follow-up of (10.4±2.7) months, there were 4 all-cause deaths, 5 re-hospitalizations and 5 clinical deterioration. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that increased RVEF was independent protective factor for end-point events in PAH patients (HR=0.702, P=0.043), and increased RVSP was independent risk factor for end-point events in PAH patients (HR=1.083, P=0.017). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that RVEF and RVSP could be used to predict the end-point events in PAH patients. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.835(P=0.001) and 0.820(P=0.001), respectively. Conclusions: RVEF measured by four-dimensional echocardiography is correlated with right ventricular function parameters measured by two-dimensional echocardiography and can be used to estimate the prognosis of PAH patients. The right atrial and left atrial function assessed by speckle tracking can also reflect the right ventricular function to a certain extent.

Pathologic characteristics and prognosis of a rare advanced cervical cancer treated with radical surgery and radiotherapy.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prognosis of rare advanced.cervical carcinoma with post-radical-radiation surgery and to compare the clinic value between further surgery treatment group and non-surgery group after radical radiation therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2002 to July 2010 there were 68 patients with advanced stage cervical carcinoma retrospectively analysed in Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Jiangxi Province. All patients were confirmed by histopathology before treatment, and clinical staging was based on updated 2009 FIGO staging. All patients were Stage Ib2 (local advanced) and more severe. There were 36 patients (29 adenocarcinoma (AC), six adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC), and one undifferentiated carcinoma) classified into observation group that was treated with radical radiation therapy + surgery (total hysterectomy + bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy); other 32 patients (26 AC, five ASC, and one undifferentiated carcinoma) classified into control group that was treated with radical radiation therapy with no further surgery. The radical radiation therapy included external-beam radiation and intracavitary therapy, standard point A dose added up to 85 Gy (these doses are recommended for most patients based on summation of conventional external-beam fractionation and low-dose rate 40-70 cGy/h brachytherapy equivalents), and 45-55 Gy was given to point B. All of the patients were followed up. The average follow-up time was 65.6 months and the survival rate between two groups were compared and analyzed whether there was residual lesion, metastasis, lymph vascular space invasion (LVSI) in the observation group. RESULTS: In observation group there were 15 patients found positive. The positive rate was 41.7% (15/36), in which there nine cases with LVSI and residual foci, four cases with uterus invasion, and one case with only residual foci. Both of the two groups were followed up and the average follow-up time was 65.6 months (range 36-136). In observation group there were 25 cases that have survived until now and the average survival time was 66.6 months (range 36-136). Eleven patients died with an average survival time of 10.4 months (range 2-37). In control group there are 22 cases that survived until now (July 2013); the average survival time was 64.4 months (range 36-136). Ten patients died with an average survival time of 10.3 months (range 3-28). Three cases experienced serious complication in observation group and two cases in control group. There was no significant difference in survival time between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Due to low efficacy results, post-radical-radiation surgery is not a feasible treatment regimen for rare advanced cervical carcinoma.

[Clinical efficacy of recombinant activated factor â ¦ a for 16 hematonosis with moderate or severe bleeding].

Objective: To analyze the efficacy of recombinant activated factor Ⅶ a (rF Ⅶ a) on hematonosis with moderate or severe bleeding signs. Methods: Of total 16 cases with rF Ⅶ a treatment from May 2013 to May 2016, 8 cases received allogeneic hematopoietic stem cells transplantation (allo-HSCT) and the other were non-transplantation patients. In two groups, there was no significant difference on rF Ⅶ a usage and dosage. 15 patients with acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) after allo-HSCT were control group (without rF Ⅶ a) . Results: ①The total response rate was 75.0% (6/8) in non-transplantation group and 37.5% (3/8) in transplantation group, respectively. Median interval for hemorrhage stop was 38.5 hours in non-transplantation group and 63.0 hours in transplantation group. The median overall survival (OS) was 201.0 and 29.0 days for non-transplantation group and transplantation group, respectively, and the OS rate was 50.0% (4/8) and 25.0% (2/8) , respectively. The bleeding-related mortality rate was 50.0% (2/4) and 83.3% (5/6) , respectively. ②Of the 16 cases, 9 showed response to rF Ⅶ a treatment and the other 7 cases'bleeding signs did not alleviate. The median OS was 268.0 in 9 cases with response and 24.0 days in 7 cases without response, respectively. ③In patients with intestinal aGVHD complicated with intestinal hemorrhage, the median OS of observation group (n=6) and control group (n=15) were 25.5 days and 20.0 days, respectively. Conclusion: Patients with hematological diseases, especially patients after allo-HSCT, had high bleeding-related mortality, and rFⅦa therapy had a obvious hemostatic efficacy. The survival rate of patients with response was higher than that of cases without response. The causes of poor hemostasis efficacy of rF Ⅶ a therapy were associated with unsatisfactory control of complications in patients with intestinal bleeding after allo-HSCT.