Research progress of choroidal vascular index in diabetic retinopathy / 中华眼底病杂志

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the main cause of blindness in diabetic patients. Early diagnosis and intervention are essential to improve the quality of life of patients with DR. Choroidal vascularity index (CVI) is the ratio of choroidal luminal area to total area, which can reflect the structure and blood flow of the choroid, and has been used to evaluate the choroidal condition in various eye diseases. CVI has shown great potential in the prediction, early intervention, disease assessment, and prognosis of DR. The relationship between CVI and photoreceptors needs more research, and CVI may be used as a predictive indicator of photoreceptor health and visual prognosis. In addition, the study of CVI at different layers of the choroid is limited by the accuracy of stratification and the repeatability of measurement. Artificial intelligence and other technologies may provide solutions for this. In the future, through more comprehensive study and the help of artificial intelligence, the value of CVI will be further enriched, which is of great significance for the elucidation of the pathogenesis of DR and serving the clinic.

Discussion on quality control in clinical trials of interventional valvular medical devices / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#With the rapid development of the field of interventional therapy of cardiac valve, the innovative researches of interventional therapy of cardiac valve products have become the focus of global research. At present, there is a serious shortage of interventional valvular medical devices on the market in China, and large-scale interventional valve products are undergoing early human trials or confirmatory clinical trials. The effective quality control of clinical trials is of great significance to ensure that clinical trial data can be used to support the marketing of device products. By analyzing the problems in clinical trials quality control of interventional valvular medical devices in our hospital, and combining the characteristics of device products and diseases, we explore the key points of quality control and provide reference for the implementation and completion of high-quality clinical trials.

Clinical observation of Wutou-Chishizhi decoction combined with conventional medicine for treatment for ischemic cardiomyopathy and heart failure / 国际中医中药杂志

Objective To explore clinical efficacy and safety of Wutou-Chishizhi decoction combined with conventional medicinefor treatment for ischemic cardiomyopathy and heart failure. Methods A total of 103 patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy and heart failure were divided into control group (n=51) and treatment group (n=52). Patients of control group were treated with conventional medicine, while treatment groupwere treated Wutou-Chishizhi decoction combined with conventional medicine. The two groups were treated for 28 days. Clinical curative effect was evaluated after treatment. The score of quality of life of the two groups were compared. The LVEDD, LVESD, LVEF, VEGF, hs-CRP, BNP and cTNⅠ of the two groups were compared. The adverse reactions of the two groups during the treatment were compared. Results Total effective rate of the treatment group was 94.23％(49/52), which was significantly higher than the control group 76.47％ (39/51), and the difference was statistically significant (χ2=6.527, P=0.011). After treatment, the LVEDD (50.25 ± 6.82 mm vs. 57.12 ± 7.33mm, t=4.926) and LVESD (44.13 ± 3.63 mm vs. 46.20 ± 4.05 mm, t=2.733) in the treatment group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). The LVEF (45.57％ ± 7.30％ vs. 41.14％ ± 6.22％, t=3.312) in the treatment group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the VEGF in the treatment group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). And the hs-CRP (2.11 ± 0.41 mg/L vs. 3.05 ± 0.63 mg/L, t=8.992), BNP (82.02 ± 21.13 pg/L vs. 122.35 ± 30.52 pg/L, t=7.810) and cTNⅠ (0.25 ± 0.08 μg/L vs. 0.37 ± 0.10 μg/L, t=6.732) in the treatment group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). There were no serious adverse reactions of the two groups during treatment. Conclusions The Wutou-Chishizhi decoction combined with conventional medicine for treatment of ischemic cardiomyopathy and heart failure has a good efficacy and low adverse reactions, can improve the cardiac function and quality of life, reduce the serum hs-CRP, BNP and cTNⅠ levels, improve the serum VEGF level, and it was worthy clinical application.

Molecular and phylogenetic analysis of Anaplasma spp. in sheep and goats from six provinces of China

Members of the genus Anaplasma are important emerging tick-borne pathogens in both humans and animals in tropical and subtropical areas. Here, we investigated the presence of Anaplasma spp. in 621 sheep and 710 goats from six provinces of China. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing were conducted to determine the prevalence of Anaplasma (A.) phagocytophilum, A. ovis and A. bovis targeting the 16S ribosomal RNA or the major surface protein 4 gene. PCR revealed Anaplasma in 39.0% (240/621) of sheep and 45.5% (323/710) of goats. The most frequently detected species was A. ovis (88/621, 14.2% for sheep; 129/710, 18.2% for goats), followed by A. bovis (60/621, 9.7% for sheep; 74/710, 10.4% for goats) and A. phagocytophilum (33/621, 5.3% for sheep; 15/710, 2.1% for goats). Additionally, eight sheep and 20 goats were found to be infected with three pathogens simultaneously. DNA sequencing confirmed the presence of these three Anaplasma species in the investigated areas, and phylogenetic analysis indicated that there was geographic segregation to a certain extent, as well as a relationship between the host and cluster of A. ovis. The results of the present study provide valuable data that helps understand the epidemiology of anaplasmosis in ruminants from China.

Analysis of prognostic factors in patients with stageⅠB2-ⅡA2 uterine cervical cancer treated with a combintion of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery / 中国癌症杂志

Background and purpose:The aim of this study was to analyze the prognostic factors in uterine adenocarcinoma and adenosquamous carcinoma treated with a combination of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and surgery.Methods:Clinicopathologic data from 50 patients with stageⅠB2-ⅡA2 uterine cervical cancer were collected from the First Afifliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College between Apr. 2005 and Oct. 2011. All patients underwent neoajuvant chemoradiotherapy, followed by radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection. Before surgery, an intravenous chemotherapy was given. A particular vaginal brachytherapy was given to those with tumor diameter≥6 cm. The survival and recurrence in patients were analyzed retrospectively to investigate the prognostic factors. Results:In 50 patients withⅠB2-ⅡA2 uterine adenocarcinoma and adenosquamous carcinoma, 15 died during the follow-up period. The 2-year and 5-year progression-free survival rates were 80.12% and 72.24%, respectively, and median progression-free survival was 68 months. The 2-year and 5-year overall survival rates were 95.38% and 73.56%, respectively, and median overall survival was 80 months. Univariate analysis revealed that pelvic lymph node metastasis, cervical stromal invasion, parametrial infiltration, tumor diameter reduction 0.05). Multivariate Cox proportional analysis revealed that pelvic lymph node metastasis and tumor diameter reduction after radiation and chemotherapy were the independent prognostic factors in patients with cervical cancer. Conclusion:The combination of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery improves the resectable rate of patients withⅠB2-ⅡA2 uterine adenocarcinoma and adenosquamous carcinoma. Pelvic lymph node metastasis and tumor diameter reduction after radiation and chemotherapy are the independent prognostic factors in patients with cervical cancer.