RESUMO
Objective To investigate the effects of Fuzheng Quxie Prescription(mainly with the actions of supporting healthy qi and dispelling pathogens)combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy on tumor recurrence,serum thymidine kinase 1(TK1)level and immune function in patients with triple-negative breast cancer(TNBC).Methods Eighty patients with TNBC of qi and yin deficiency type were randomly divided into a combination group and a control group,with 40 patients in each group.The control group was treated with AC-T sequential chemotherapy(Doxorubicin combined with Cyclophosphamide plus sequential Docetaxel),and the combination group was treated with Fuzheng Quxie Prescription on the basis of treatment for the control group.One course of treatment covered 21 days,and the two groups were treated for 4 consecutive courses.The changes of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome scores,Karnofsky Performance Status(KPS)score,levels of tumor markers of carbohydrate antigen 125(CA125),carbohydrate antigen 153(CA153)and TK1,and T lymphocyte subset levels in the two groups were observed before and after the treatment.Moreover,the clinical efficacy and tumor metastasis and recurrence in the two groups were compared.Results(1)After 4 courses of treatment,the total effective rate of the combination group was 87.50%(35/40),and that of the control group was 67.50%(27/40),and the intergroup comparison(tested by chi-square test)showed that the efficacy of the combination group was significantly superior to that of the control group(P＜0.05).(2)After treatment,the TCM syndrome scores in the two groups were significantly decreased compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),and the KPS scores were significantly increased compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),and the decrease of TCM syndrome scores and the increase of KPS scores in the combination group were significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).(3)After treatment,the serum CA125,CA153 and TK1 levels of patients in the two groups were significantly decreased compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),and the decrease of serum CA125,CA153 and TK1 levels in the combination group was significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.01).(4)After treatment,the T lymphocyte subset CD3+,CD4+ levels and CD4+/CD8+ ratio in the two groups were significantly increased compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),and the CD8+ level was significantly decreased compared with that before treatment(P＜0.05).The post-treatment intergroup comparison showed that the increase of the T lymphocyte subset CD3+,CD4+ levels and CD4+/CD8+ ratio as well as the decrease of the CD8+ level in the combination group was all significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).(5)The one-year follow-up showed that the tumor recurrence rate and tumor metastasis rate in the combination group were 7.50%(3/40)and 12.50%(5/40)respectively,significantly lower than 25.00%(10/40)and 35.00%(14/40)in the control group,and the differences were statistically significant when comparing between the two groups(P＜0.05).Conclusion The combination of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with Fuzheng Quxie Prescription has a better therapeutic effect on TNBC patients with qi and yin deficiency syndrome,which can effectively improve the immune function of the patients,decrease the level of serum tumor markers,improve the quality of life of the patients,and reduce the incidence of tumor recurrence and metastasis.
RESUMO
Objective To provide reliable indicators for effective prevention and control of COVID-19, we examined the biochemical indicators as well as anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG antibodies in confirmed and suspected COVID-19 patients. Methods A total of 56 confirmed and suspected COVID-19 cases quarantined during January-March, 2020 in Gansu Provincial People′s Hospital and People′s Hospital of Xigu District, Gansu Province were included.Based on the results of nucleic acid testing and CT scan finding, they were divided into three groups: positive in both nucleic acid testing and CT scan finding; positive in nucleic acid testing but negative in CT scan finding; negative in both nucleic acid testing and CT scan finding.COVID-19 viral nucleic acid was detected and chest CT scan was performed.The following biochemical indicators were examined: total protein, albumin, total bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, γ-glutamyltranspeptidase, creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase.SPSS 22.0 statistical software was used to analyze the differences in the biochemical indicators among these three groups, as well as the temporal trend of IgM and IgG antibodies at different points of time. Results There were significant differences in the mean values of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and lactate dehydrogenase between these three groups (P < 0.05), whereas no significant difference in the mean value of total protein and albumin (P>0.05).ROC curve indicated that aspartate aminotransferase had the largest maximum area under the curve (AUC, 0.834), whereas alanine aminotransferase had the highest sensitivity (1.0) and total bilirubin had the highest specificity (0.927).Thus, aspartate transaminase provided the best prediction for the diagnosis of COVID-19, with sensitivity of 0.786, specificity of 0.854, and the maximum AUC of 0.834.In 12 of 16 confirmed COVID-19 patients tested IgG positive after 10 days of diagnosis, and 10 of 10 confirmed COVID-19 patients tested IgG positive after 14 days of diagnosis. Conclusion Aspartate aminotransferase may be the most useful indicator in the diagnosis of COVID-19.