Long-term outcomes of esophageal and gastric cancer patients with cardiovascular and metabolic diseases: A two-center propensity score-matched cohort study.

Background and Objectives: An increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases (CVMDs) among patients with cancer suggests a potential link between CVMD and cancer. The impact of CVMD on the survival time of patients with esophageal and gastric cancer remains unknown. We aimed to determine the incidence of CVMD and its impact on the longterm outcomes in esophageal and gastric cancer patients. Methods: A total of 2074 cancer patients were enrolled from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2017 in two hospitals, including 1205 cases of esophageal cancer and 869 cases of gastric cancer, who were followed up for a median of 79.8 and 79.3 months, respectively. Survival time was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method before and after propensity score matching. Results: The incidence of CVMD in patients with esophageal and gastric cancer was 34.1% (411/1205) and 34.3% (298/869), respectively. The effects of hypertension, diabetes, and stroke on the long-term survival of esophageal and gastric cancer patients were not significant (all P > 0.05). The survival time was significantly longer in esophageal cancer patients without ischemic heart disease than in patients with ischemic heart disease, both before matching (36.5 vs. 29.1 months, P = 0.027) and after matching (37.4 vs. 27.9 months, P = 0.011). The survival time in gastric cancer patients without ischemic heart disease was significantly longer than in patients with ischemic heart disease, both before (28.4 vs.17.5 months, P = 0.032) and after matching (29.5 vs.17.5 months, P = 0.02). Conclusion: The survival time of esophageal and gastric cancer patients with ischemic heart disease was significantly reduced compared to that of esophageal and gastric cancer patients without ischemic heart disease.

Distinct Role of Surface Hydroxyls in Single-Atom Pt1/CeO2 Catalyst for Room-Temperature Formaldehyde Oxidation: Acid-Base Versus Redox.

The development of highly efficient catalysts for room-temperature formaldehyde (HCHO) oxidation is of great interest for indoor air purification. In this work, it was found that the single-atom Pt1/CeO2 catalyst exhibits a remarkable activity with complete removal of HCHO even at 288 K. Combining density functional theory calculations and in situ DRIFTS experiments, it was revealed that the active OlatticeH site generated on CeO2 in the vicinity of Pt2+ via steam treatment plays a key role in the oxidation of HCHO to formate and its further oxidation to CO2. Such involvement of hydroxyls is fundamentally different from that of cofeeding water which dissociates on metal oxide and catalyzes the acid-base-related chemistry. This study provides an important implication for the design and synthesis of supported Pt catalysts with atom efficiency for a very important practical application-room-temperature HCHO oxidation.

Efficacy of stem cells therapy for Crohn's fistula: a meta-analysis and systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Fistulas have puzzled us all the time and stem cell therapy for it is still in its infancy. We conducted a meta-analysis and systematic review to evaluate the efficacy of stem cells and its potential mechanisms in the management of Crohn's fistula. METHODS: Electronic databases were searched comprehensively for studies reporting the efficacy and safety of stem cells in patients with any form of Crohn's fistula. A random-effects model was used, and all outcomes were calculated by SPSS 24.0. RESULTS: Twenty-nine articles with 1252 patients were included. It showed that stem cell group had a higher rate of fistula healing compared to placebo group in patients of Crohn's fistula (61.75% vs 40.46%, OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.19 to 4.11, P < 0.05). 3 × 107 cells/mL stem cell (SC) group had an advantage in fistula healing rate with 71.0% compared to other doses group of stem cells (RR 1.3, 95% CI 0.76 to 2.22). And the healing rates of patients with perianal and transsphincteric fistulas (77.95%, 76.41%) were higher than those with rectovaginal fistulas. It was an amazing phenomenon that CDAI and PDAI scores occurred an obviously transient rise with the use of stem cells after 1 month (both of P < 0.05), while they returned to the baseline level by giving stem cells 3 months later. Furthermore, the incidence rate of treatment-related adverse events in the stem cell group was significantly lower than in the placebo group (RR 0.58, 95% CI 0.30 to 1.14). CONCLUSIONS: Our study has highlighted that stem cells was a promising method in the treatment of Crohn's fistula based on its higher efficacy and lower incidence of adverse events, especially ADSCs and Cx601. While it also needs more clinical and pre-clinical studies to strengthen evidences in the future.

The Value of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has challenged the traditional management of ulcerative colitis (UC) in recent years, while it remained controversial. We aimed to provide a systematic protocol of FMT treatment on UC. METHODS: Studies reporting on FMT treatment in UC patients were performed. A fixed-effect model was used to assess the efficacy of FMT. RESULTS: Eighteen studies were enrolled (n = 446). A pooled proportion of patients who received FMT had a significant efficacy compared to the placebo group (odds ratio (OR): 2.73, P = 0.002) with a low risk of heterogeneity (P = 0.59, I2 = 0%). The Mayo score decreased to 5 points in a state of mild-moderate activity after FMT treatment, and the optimal range of the Mayo score baseline was 6-9 for FMT administration. Then, the baseline of the Shannon diversity index (SDI) had a negative correlation with the clinical response rate (R = -0.992, P = 0.08) or remission rate (R = -0.998, P = 0.036), and the optimal diversity of bacteria was at 7 days to one month. Moreover, the colonoscopy delivery and unrelated fecal donor had slight superiorities of FMT treatment. CONCLUSION: FMT treatment had a higher efficacy and shorter time-point of early assessment of effectiveness on UC patients compared to traditional therapies. And the optimal FMT delivery and donor were colonoscopy delivery and unrelated donor in clinical practice.

Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation for Liver Cell Failure: A New Direction and Option.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Mesenchymal stem cell transplantation (MSCT) became available with liver failure (LF), while the advantages of MSCs remain controversial. We aimed to assess clinical advantages of MSCT in patients with LF. METHODS: Clinical researches reporting MSCT in LF patients were searched and included. RESULTS: Nine articles (n = 476) related with LF patients were enrolled. After MSCT, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) baseline decreased largely at half a month (P < 0.05); total bilirubin (TBIL) baseline declined to a certain stable level of 78.57 µmol/L at 2 and 3 months (P < 0.05). Notably, the decreased value (D value) of Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score (MELD) of acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) group was higher than that of chronic liver failure (CLF) group (14.93 ± 1.24 versus 4.6 ± 5.66, P < 0.05). Moreover, MELD baseline of ≥20 group was a higher D value of MELD than MELD baseline of <20 group with a significant statistical difference after MSCT (P = 0.003). CONCLUSION: The early assessment of the efficacy of MSCT could be based on variations of ALT at half a month and TBIL at 2 and 3 months. And it had beneficial effects for patients with LF, especially in ACLF based on the D value of MELD.