Comparison of clinical diagnostic value of spiral CT with different dose in patients with early-stage peripheral lung cancer.

PURPOSE: To compare the clinical diagnostic value of spiral CT scan with different dose in patients with early-stage peripheral lung cancer. METHODS: A total of 163 cases of patients with early-stage peripheral lung cancer who came to People's Hospital of Rizhao for treatment from June 2014 to January 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 78 cases of patients who received low-dose CT scanning were the low-dose group, another 84 cases of patients who received routine dose CT scanning were the routine dose group. Multislice helical CT (MSCT) scanning was performed in both groups, with tube voltage of 120 kV. Tube current was 25 m A in the low-dose group and 250 m A in the routine dose group. In addition, a total of 80 patients with lobar pneumonia were added as the control group of diagnostic sensitivity, specificity and accuracy. Pathological diagnosis was taken as the gold standard to compare the diagnostic sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the two groups. RESULTS: The image quality, nodules and signs of the two groups were compared, and the results of radiation dose of the two groups were compared. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the low-dose group were 82.05%, 87.50% and 84.81%, respectively. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the routine dose group were 85.71%, 86.25% and 85.97%, respectively. The diagnostic value of the two groups was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). However, the radiation dose in the low-dose group was significantly lower than that in the routine group. CONCLUSION: Low-dose MSCT scanning can meet the clinical requirements for imaging diagnosis of peripheral lung cancer, and can reduce the radiation dose of patients.

Is differential expression of p16INK4a based on the classification of uterine smooth muscle tumors associated with a different prognosis? A meta-analysis.

We conducted a meta-analysis to examine p16INK4a expression in uterine smooth muscle tumors (USMTs). Although the prognostic value of tumor suppressor p16INK4a has been elucidated in a variety of cancers and precancerous lesions, its role in USMTs is not well established. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase for publication son p16INK4a expression in USMTs. Strict inclusion and exclusion criteria were imposed. Risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were calculated to assess the strength of association. Publication bias was estimated using funnel plots and the Egger's regression test. Twelve eligible studies comprising 661 patients were included. Compared with leiomyoma (LM), the figures for the strength of association were as follows: LM variants (RR = 1.53, 95%CI = 1.03-2.27, P = 0.036, random effect); leiomyosarcoma (LMS) (RR = 3.20, 95%CI = 1.68-6.12, P < 0.001, random effect); and smooth muscle tumors of uncertain malignant potential (STUMP) (RR = 2.90, 95%CI = 1.17-7.21, P = 0.022, random effect). p16INK4a expression was significantly higher in LMS than in LM variants (RR = 3.74, 95%CI = 1.96-7.13, P < 0.001, random effect) or STUMP (RR = 1.67, 95%CI = 1.26-2.23, P < 0.001, fixed effect). There was a significant correlation between overexpressed p16INK4a and recurrence rates of USMTs (RR = 1.85, 95%CI = 1.11-3.10, P = 0.019, fixed effect). p16INK4a over expression is a potential biomarker for diagnosing problematic USMTs and it might indicate a worse prognosis. However, there is currently insufficient evidence to assess the prognostic value of p16INK4a in USMTs.

Association between the WRAP53 gene rs2287499 C>G polymorphism and cancer risk: A meta-analysis.

The TP53 5'-untranslated region flanking the gene WRAP53 (also known as WDR79 and TCAB1) has been hypothesized to be associated with cancer risk due to its critical function in regulating p53 levels. In this review, we analyzed the association between the WRAP53 gene rs2287499 C>G polymorphism and risk of cancer using five case-control studies, comprising seven datasets. All analyses were performed using RevMan software. In the overall analysis, no significant association between rs2287499 and risk of cancer was found. We then conducted subgroup tests, stratifying the data by cancer type, ethnicity, sample source, and quality score. Only the brain and breast cancer subgroups returned significant results, but with conflicting implications. Our concerns regarding this are discussed in detail. In conclusion, the rs2287499 polymorphism may be associated with risk of cancer. Further studies taking into consideration a broader range of cancer types and different ethnicities are warranted.

Correlation between hepatitis B virus DNA levels and diagnostic tests for HBsAg, HBeAg, and PreS1-Ag in chronic hepatitis B.

The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic value of the serum markers HBsAg and HBeAg and PreS1 protein (PreS1-Ag) in quantifying the levels of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). One thousand CHB patients were recruited from Beijing You'an Hospital between June and December 2012. Serum HBsAg and HBeAg levels were detected by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and fluorescence quantitative PCR were used to determine the level of PreS1-Ag and HBV DNA, respectively. We observed a low correlation between HBsAg and HBV DNA (r = 0.172, P < 0.001) expression; however, the correlation coefficient increased gradually with the increase in HBV DNA levels, and was more significant when HBV DNA log10 > 7 (r = 0.597, P < 0.001). Additionally, HBsAg and HBV DNA showed a significant positive correlation in the HBeAg+ group (r = 0.321, P < 0.001), whereas no correlation was observed in the HBeAg- group (r = -0.016, P = 0.825). HBV DNA expression was correlated with HBeAg (χ2 = 83.07, P < 0.001) and PreS1-Ag (χ2 = 36.01, P < 0.001). HBV DNA-positive rate was higher in HBeAg/PreS1-Ag++ patients (72.26%) than that in the single-positive groups (P < 0.001). Therefore, serum HBsAg is not a good marker for the prediction of HBV replication, and co-detection of HBeAg and PreS1-Ag, which can better predict HBV DNA replication, can be used as a reliable method for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of CHB.

Effect of ozone on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and related inflammatory cytokines in rats with diabetic retinopathy.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of ozone on inflammatory cytokines in diabetic retinopathy (DR) rats. Male rats (40) weighing 300-360 g were included in this study. Thirty rats were randomly divided into the model and ozone groups after DR was induced by streptozotocin. Ten rats served as the blank group. After the diabetic models were established for one month, the rats in the ozone group were treated with 50 mg/kg ozone coloclysis for one month (three times a week). After the rats were anesthetized by intraperitoneal injection, blood samples from the abdominal aorta were collected, and the supernatant was obtained by centrifugation. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and inflammatory cytokine content in the serum was detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The values of VEGF, intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1, interleukin-1 beta, tumor necrosis factor-a, and IL-6 were significantly different among the three groups (P < 0.05). The cytokine levels in the model group were higher than those in the blank group (P < 0.05). The level of each cytokine in the ozone group was higher than that in the blank group. Compared with the model group, the cytokine levels in the ozone group were significantly reduced (P < 0.05). Ozone had no effect on the blood glucose of diabetic rats. Treatment with ozone coloclysis may effectively reduce the secretion of VEGF and inflammatory cytokines in diabetic retinopathy rats.

Effect of different time phases of radionuclide hepatobiliary scintigraphy on the differential diagnosis of congenital biliary atresia.

To investigate the value and essentiality of 6- and 24-h delay hepatobiliary scintigraphy in the differential diagnosis of biliary atresia (BA), we retrospectively analyzed 197 infants (121 boys/76 girls; age range, 3-205 days; average age, 63.9 days) admitted to Jiangxi Children's Hospital for persistent jaundice (> 2 weeks), hepatosplenomegaly, and abnormal liver function. After receiving anti-inflammatory treatment and cholagogic pre-treatment for 7-10 days without a clear diagnosis, the children underwent 99mTc-labeled diethylacetanilide-iminodiacetic acid hepatobiliary scintigraphy. BA and infant hepatitis syndrome were diagnosed in 107 and 90 infants, respectively after laparoscopic cholangiography, surgical pathology, or 6-month clinical follow-up. The diagnostic efficiencies of hepatobiliary scintigraphy for BA were evaluated within 50 min and at 6 and 24 h. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves within 50 min, at 6 and 24 h were 0.696, 0.829 , and 0.779 , suggesting poor diagnostic value within 50 min, but improvement at 6 and 24 h. The compliance rate of 6- and 24-h imaging for BA diagnosis was 89.34% (176/197; paired chi-square test Kappa value, 0.77; P > 0.05), signifying high consistency. The diagnostic efficiency values of 6-/24-h imaging for BA diagnosis were sensitivity (90.65/89.72%), specificity (74.44/78.89%), accuracy (83.25/84.77%), positive and negative predictive values (80.83/83.48% and 87.01/86.59%), with no significant difference (P > 0.05). To provide optimal treatment in early BA, the- 6-h hepatobiliary scintigraphy had practical value, especially when combined with tomographic or dynamic imaging; 24-h delay imaging was deemed unnecessary because it was not significantly superior.