Factors influencing the mental health status of support nurses and their workload during the COVID-19 epidemic.

OBJECTIVES: The authors used the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) and general health questionnaire to analyze the factors influencing the mental health status and the workload of support nurses during the COVID-19 epidemic. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The authors conducted a cross-sectional survey of 349 support nurses in April-October 2022. Using QuestionStar, a powerful online survey tool, the authors administered surveys to the participants, collected data on the mental health status and workload of support nurses, and analyzed the influencing factors based on the collected data. RESULTS: A total of 316 questionnaires were successfully collected, with an effective rate of 98.75%. The proportion of support nurses with mental health problems was 25% and the value of the NASA-TLX questionnaire was: M±SD 68.91±7.28 pts. Multi-factor analysis revealed that the number of children, family support, and nursing support location were the influencing factors of mental health status, while the multivariate analysis revealed that the presence of symptoms, nursing support location, support work type, and total 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) score were the influencing factors of the workload of support nurses. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to their counterparts in the plains, nurses working in isolated plateau regions who were caring for children and lacked family support, were more likely to have mental health issues. There was a positive correlation between the changes in GHQ-12 and NASA-TLX scores of the study participants. Compared to their counterparts in the plains and the tropical regions, nurses working in plateau regions had a heavier workload. As part of the follow-up measures to prevent and treat patients impacted by the COVID-19 epidemic, it is important to improve the mental health evaluation, consultation, and treatment of the support nurses to guarantee the high quality of the first-line support work. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2023;36(6)761-72.

Application of real-time PCR-based multicolor melting curve with automatic analysis system in pregestational and prenatal thalassemia diagnoses.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the value of the real-time PCR-based multicolor melting curve analysis (MMCA) with an automatic analysis system used in a mass thalassemia screening and prenatal diagnosis program. METHODS: A total of 18,912 peripheral blood samples from 9456 couples and 1150 prenatal samples were detected by MMCA assay. All prenatal samples were also tested by a conventional method. Samples with unknown melting peaks, unusual peak height ratios between a wild allele and a mutant allele, or a discordant phenotype-genotype match were further studied by using multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) or Sanger sequencing. All MMCA results were automatically analyzed and manually checked. The consistency between MMCA assay and conventional methods among prenatal samples was investigated. RESULTS: Except for initiation codon (T > G) (HBB:c.2T > G), all genotypes of thalassemia inside the scope of conventional methods were detected by MMCA assay. Additionally, 27 carriers with 10 rare HBB variants, 13 with α fusion gene, 1 with a rare deletion in α globin gene, and 1 with rare HBA variant were detected by using MMCA assay. CONCLUSION: MMCA can be an alternative approach used in routine thalassemia carrier screening and prenatal diagnosis for its high throughput, sufficient stability, low cost, and easy operation.

Chlorin e6-modified iron oxide nanoparticles for photothermal-photodynamic ablation of glioblastoma cells.

Introduction: The effective treatment of glioblastoma still remains a great challenge. We herein report the development of chlorin e6 (Ce6)-conjugated iron oxide (Fe3O4-Ce6) nanoparticles for ablation of glioblastoma cells via combining photothermal therapy (PTT) with photodynamic therapy (PDT). Methods: Ce6 was conjugated to the synthesized Fe3O4 nanoparticles to form Fe3O4-Ce6 nanoparticles displaying the optical property of Ce6. Results and discussion: Under 808 nm laser irradiation, Fe3O4-Ce6 nanoparticles generated heat and the temperature increase did not have obvious changes after five cycles of laser irradiation, suggesting their good photothermal effect and photothermal stability. In addition, 660 nm laser irradiation of Fe3O4-Ce6 nanoparticles produced singlet oxygen (1O2) to mediate PDT. The Fe3O4-Ce6 nanoparticles without laser irradiation showed a low cytotoxicity, but they would obviously kill C6 cancer cells after laser irradiation via the combinational effect of PTT and PDT. Fe3O4-Ce6 nanoparticles thus could be used as a nanotherapeutic agent for combinational ablation of glioblastoma cells.

Real-world evidence of osimertinib in Chinese patients with EGFR T790M-positive non-small cell lung cancer: a subgroup analysis from ASTRIS study.

PURPOSE: ASTRIS study aimed the largest to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of second- or higher-line osimertinib in patients with advanced/metastatic epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) T790M mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the real-world setting. Here we report the results of Chinese patients in ASTRIS study. METHODS: Adults with EGFR T790M-positive advanced NSCLC pretreated with EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI), having a WHO performance status score of 0-2 and asymptomatic, stable central nervous system (CNS) metastases were included. All patients received once-daily osimertinib 80 mg orally. The outcomes included investigator-assessed clinical response, progression-free survival (PFS), time-to-treatment discontinuation (TTD), and safety. RESULTS: A total of 1350 patients were included. Response rate was 55.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.53-0.58). The median PFS and the median TTD were 11.7 months (95% CI 11.1-12.5) and 13.9 months (95% CI 13.1-15.2), respectively. Overall, 389 patients (28.8%) had at least one protocol-specified adverse event (AE); AEs of interstitial lung diseases/pneumonitis-like events and QT prolongation were reported in 3 (0.2%) and 59 (4.4%) patients, respectively. CONCLUSION: Osimertinib was effective in Chinese patients with T790M-positive NSCLC who had progressed after first- or second-generation EGFR-TKI in real-word setting and the results were consistent with ASTRIS study overall population and AURA studies. No new safety signals or events were identified. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: NCT02474355.

Impact of a novel prognostic model on allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation outcomes in patients with CMML.

Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) is a clonal hematopoietic stem cell malignancy, and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is the only curable treatment. The outcomes after transplant are influenced by both disease characteristics and patient comorbidities. To develop a novel prognostic model to predict the post-transplant survival of CMML patients, we identified risk factors by applying univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression to a derivation cohort. In multivariable analysis, advanced age (hazard ratio [HR] 3.583), leukocyte count (HR 3.499), anemia (HR 3.439), bone marrow blast cell count (HR 2.095), and no chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD; HR 4.799) were independently associated with worse survival. A novel prognostic model termed ABLAG (Age, Blast, Leukocyte, Anemia, cGVHD) was developed and the points were assigned according to the regression equation. The patients were categorized into low risk (0-1), intermediate risk (2, 3), and high risk (4-6) three groups and the 3-year overall survival (OS) were 93.3% (95%CI, 61%-99%), 78.9% (95%CI, 60%-90%), and 51.6% (95%CI, 32%-68%; p < .001), respectively. In internal and external validation cohort, the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of the ABLAG model were 0.829 (95% CI, 0.776-0.902) and 0.749 (95% CI, 0.684-0.854). Compared with existing models designed for the nontransplant setting, calibration plots, and decision curve analysis showed that the ABLAG model revealed a high consistency between predicted and observed outcomes and patients could benefit from this model. In conclusion, combining disease and patient characteristic, the ABLAG model provides better survival stratification for CMML patients receiving allo-HSCT.

False positive detection of serum cryptococcal antigens due to insufficient sample dilution: A case series.

At present, with the development of technology, the detection of cryptococcal antigen (CRAG) plays an increasingly important role in the diagnosis of cryptococcosis. However, the three major CRAG detection technologies, latex agglutination test (LA), lateral flow assay (LFA) and Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay, have certain limitations. Although these techniques do not often lead to false-positive results, once this result occurs in a particular group of patients (such as human immunodeficiency virus patients), it might lead to severe consequences. CASE SUMMARY: In the three cases we reported, we found that insufficient dilution of the samples may lead to false-positive results in the detection of cryptococcal capsule antigen, which has never been reported before. CONCLUSION: Therefore, once the test results are inconsistent with the clinical symptoms, it is necessary to reexamine the samples carefully. Especially for LFA and LA, the samples can be fully diluted or segmented diluted to avoid false-positive results. It is certain that in the diagnosis, fluid and tissue culture should also be improved, combined with imaging, ink staining, and other methods to improve the accuracy of the diagnosis further.

High accuracy of single-molecule real-time sequencing in detecting a rare α-globin fusion gene in carrier screening population.

INTRODUCTION: The α-globin fusion gene between the HBA2 and HBAP1 genes becomes clinically important in thalassemia screening because this fusion gene can cause severe hemoglobin (Hb) H disease when combining with α0 -thalassemia (α0 -thal). Due to its uncommon rearrangement in the α gene cluster without dosage changes, this fusion gene is undetectable by common molecular testing approaches used for α-thal diagnosis. METHODS: In this study, we used the single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing technique to detect this fusion gene in 23 carriers identified by next-generation sequencing (NGS) among 16,504 screened individuals. Five primers for α and ß thalassemia were utilized. RESULTS: According to the NGS results, the 23 carriers include 14 pure heterozygotes, eight compound heterozygotes with common α-thal alleles, and one homozygote. By using SMRT, the fusion mutant was successfully detected in all 23 carriers. Furthermore, SMRT corrected the diagnosis in two "pure" heterozygotes: one was compound heterozygote with anti-3.7 triplication, and the other was homozygote. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that SMRT is a superior method compared to NGS in detecting the α fusion gene, attributing to its efficient, accurate, and one-step properties.

[Clinical study of the effect of combined orthodontic and restoration treatment for introverted deep overbite patients with severe wear].

PURPOSE: To investigate the effectiveness of combined orthodontic and restoration treatment for introverted deep overbite patients with severe wear. METHODS: A total of 86 introverted deep overbite patients with severe wear admitted to Cangzhou People's Hospital from December 2020 to June 2022 were collected and divided into the control group and the experimental group by gender, age, degree of wear and tear, with 43 cases in each group. The control group received orthodontic treatment, while the experimental group received combined orthodontic and restoration treatment. The gingival index (GI), periodontal index(PI), smile index, temporomandibular joint space [anterior space, superior space, posterior space and In (P/A)], tooth function (chewing function, pronunciation function, dental occlusal function) and chewing efficiency of 2 groups before and after treatment were compared. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 22.0 software package. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the orthodontic treatment time of the experimental group patients was significantly reduced(P＜0.05). Before treatment, there was no significant difference in GI, PI, smile index, buccal gap rate, temporomandibular joint space, swallowing function and chewing efficiency between 2 groups(P＞0.05). After treatment, compared with the control group, the GI, PI, anterior space were significantly reduced(P＜0.05); the smile index, posterior space and In (P/A), chewing function, pronunciation function, tooth occlusion and chewing efficiency significantly increased (P＜0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Both orthodontic treatment and combined orthodontic and restoration treatment can be used to treat introverted deep overbite patients with severe wear. However, combination of orthodontic and restoration treatment has significant advantages.

Application of continuous nursing care based on hierarchical diagnosis and treatment mode in Stage II cardiac rehabilitation of patients after percutaneous coronary intervention.

Objective: To explore the effect of applying continuous nursing care based on hierarchical diagnosis and treatment in Stage II cardiac rehabilitation of patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and provide a theoretical basis for clinical nursing intervention. Methods: Patients in PCI postoperative II cardiac rehabilitation were selected and randomly divided into the experimental group (community group), the experimental group (rehabilitation group), and the control group. Patients in the control group received the routine cardiac rehabilitation management scheme, while those in the experimental groups received continuous nursing protocol based on the hierarchical diagnosis and treatment mode. All patients were compared for the cardiac rehabilitation evaluation indexes at discharge and 6 months after discharge. Results: Compared with the control group, the left ventricular ejection fraction, 6-minute walking distance test, medication compliance, and quality of life were all improved in the two experimental groups, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). The improvement in the rehabilitation group was more significant than in the community group. There were more patients with high cardiac rehabilitation compliance in the rehabilitation group than in the community group, with the difference being statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Continuous nursing care rehabilitation based on the hierarchical diagnosis and treatment mode can improve the cardiac function of patients after PCI, enhance their quality of life, and improve their rehabilitation and medication compliance, facilitating their cardiac rehabilitation.

Tislelizumab-related enteritis successfully treated with adalimumab: A case report.

BACKGROUND: With programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitors becoming the standard treatment for lung cancer, PD-1-related adverse reactions and treatment have gradually become prominent. CASE SUMMARY: First reported case of tislelizumab-related enteritis successfully treated with adalimumab 40mg every 2 wk for 3 times in an advanced lung cancer patient who received first-line tislelizumab/pemetrexed/carboplatin for 4 cycles. The patient continued receiving the treatment of pemetrexed/carboplatin after symptoms, abdominal computed tomography and colonoscopy improved, significant diarrhea was not occurred. CONCLUSION: Adalimumab can be an effective treatment option for patients with PD-1 antibody related enteritis if they do not respond well to glucocorticoid treatment.

Detection of rare thalassemia mutations using long-read single-molecule real-time sequencing.

Gap- polymerase chain reaction (PCR), reverse dot-blot assay (RDB), real-time PCR based multicolor melting curve analysis (MMCA assay), multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) and Sanger sequencing are conventional methods to diagnose thalassemia but all of them have limitations. In this study, we applied single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing following multiplex long-range PCR to uncover rare mutations in nine patients and their family members. The patients with different results between Gap-PCR and MMCA assay or with phenotype not matching genotype were included. Using SMRT sequencing, we first identified the carriers with αααanti3.7/HKαα, -α762bpα/αα (chr16:172,648-173,409), ααfusion/αQSα (in a trans configuration), two cases with novel gene rearrangements and another case with a novel 341 bp insertion in α-globin gene cluster, respectively. One carrier with --SEA/αααanti4.2, and two carriers with the coexistence of globin variant and an α-globin gene duplication were also found. Most importantly, we could determine two defects in α-globin gene cluster being a cis or trans configuration in a single test. Our results showed that SMRT has great advantages in detection of α-globin gene triplications, rare deletions and determination of a cis or trans configuration. SMRT is a comprehensive and one-step method for thalassemia screening and diagnosis, especially for detection of rare thalassemia mutations.

A Combination of Serum Biomarkers in Elderly Patients with Sarcopenia: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: The pathogenesis of sarcopenia in the elderly has not yet been fully understood. This study aimed to explore the relationship between sarcopenia and several serum biomarkers in elderly population. METHODS: It was an observational cross-sectional study of data collected from 70 patients. According to the criteria of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS), subjects were divided into the sarcopenia group and nonsarcopenic group. We compared age, body mass index (BMI), biochemical indexes, smoking status, underlying disease, muscle mass, handgrip strength (HS), gait speed (GS), skinfold thickness, muscle thickness, and IL-6, IL-10, IL-17A, and TNF-α levels between these groups. RESULTS: Of the 70 subjects, 35 patients were diagnosed with sarcopenia. The number of men was higher than that of women in both groups. The patients with sarcopenia were older and had lower BMI and muscle thickness but higher SARC-F questionnaire scores. However, the difference in smoking status and skinfold thickness between these two groups were not statistically significant. Higher IL-6, IL-17A, and TNF-α levels were observed in participants with sarcopenia (P < 0.05). Patients with sarcopenia had a lower IL-10 level. Positive associations were present between the severity of sarcopenia and IL-6, IL-17A, and TNF-α levels, while there was an inverse correlation between the presence of sarcopenia and IL-10 level. CONCLUSIONS: Our research found that in sarcopenic elderly subjects, the serum levels of several biomarkers, such as IL-6, IL-17A, and TNF-α, were higher than those in nonsarcopenic elderly persons. Further studies are needed to explore the possible molecular mechanisms and discover new therapeutic targets.

Three-year follow-up and patient-reported outcomes from CheckMate 078: Nivolumab versus docetaxel in a predominantly Chinese patient population with previously treated advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVES: In the phase 3 CheckMate 078 study, nivolumab prolonged overall survival (OS) and showed a favorable safety profile versus docetaxel in a predominantly Chinese patient population with previously treated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC). However, long-term efficacy, safety, and health-related quality of life findings with second-line nivolumab are very limited in Asian patients with previously treated aNSCLC. Here, we report updated clinical data and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) from the phase 3 CheckMate 078 trial with a 3-year minimum follow-up. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with aNSCLC and disease progression after platinum-doublet chemotherapy were randomized 2:1 to nivolumab (3 mg/kg every 2 weeks) or docetaxel (75 mg/m2 every 3 weeks) until progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint was OS; secondary endpoints included objective response rate, progression-free survival, safety, and disease-related symptom deterioration assessed using the Lung Cancer Symptom Scale (LCSS) by Week 12. Additional PRO assessments were exploratory endpoints. RESULTS: At ≥ 37.3 months follow-up, 3-year OS rates were 19% with nivolumab and 12% with docetaxel; 30% and 0% of responders remained in response for ≥ 3 years, respectively. Incidence of treatment-related adverse events occurring after 2 years was lower than during the first 2 years. No new treatment-related deaths were reported. By Week 12 of treatment, rates of disease-related symptom deterioration were 32% with nivolumab and 47% with docetaxel. Completion rates for PRO questionnaires were ≥ 80% in both arms. Clinically meaningful and sustained improvements in LCSS Average Symptom Burden Index scores and delayed time to first symptom deterioration were observed with nivolumab against docetaxel. CONCLUSIONS: At 3 years, nivolumab continued to demonstrate survival benefit versus docetaxel, exhibiting improvements in disease-related symptoms and overall health status in a predominantly Chinese patient population with previously treated aNSCLC. No new safety signals were observed. These findings are similar to the global population.

Adherence to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet reduces the risk of breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Despite increasing evidence for the association of adherence to the Dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH) diet with breast cancer risk, the results remain inconclusive. The purpose of the current systematic review was to summarize the evidence from previous observational studies and explore the potential association between DASH diet and breast cancer risk using meta-analysis. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using the databases of PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI and Wanfang Data to identify the relevant publications from inception up to July 2022. The pooled relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for the highest versus the lowest categories of DASH score in relation to breast cancer risk, using a random-effects model. The Cochran's Q test and I-squared (I 2) statistic were used to detect the sources of heterogeneity among the included studies. Results: Overall, eleven studies, involving 23,254 breast cancer cases and 449,273 participants, were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. Combining 16 effect sizes from 11 studies, a significant inverse association between adherence to the DASH diet and risk of breast cancer was observed (RR = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.70, 0.90, P < 0.0001). Stratified analysis showed a significant association between adherence to the DASH diet and risk of breast cancer in case-control studies (RR = 0.49; 95% CI: 0.27-0.89, P = 0.019), and a marginally significant association in prospective cohort studies (RR = 0.92; 95% CI: 0.86-0.98, P = 0.014), respectively. Besides, a more significant association between DASH score and reduced risk of breast cancer was observed in Asian countries (RR = 0.50; 95% CI: 0.31-0.81, P = 0.005) than in the United States (RR = 0.93; 95% CI: 0.89-0.99, P = 0.012). Similarly, when we conducted analyses separately by menopausal status, we found a significant inverse association between DASH diet and breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women (RR = 0.58; 95% CI: 0.39-0.87, P = 0.008). Conclusion: The results of this systematic review and meta-analysis indicate a significant inverse association between adherence to the DASH diet and risk of breast cancer. Further large prospective studies and randomized controlled trials are required to confirm our findings.

Diagnosis and treatment of primary pulmonary enteric adenocarcinoma: Report of Six cases.

BACKGROUND: Primary pulmonary enteric adenocarcinoma (PEAC) is a very rare subtype of invasive adenocarcinoma, and there have been no large studies on PEAC to date. Therefore, it is necessary to obtain much more information about the clinical and pathological features, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and treatment of PEAC. CASE SUMMARY: All clinical data of six patients with confirmed PEAC from 2013 to 2018 were collected, and data on diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and treatment of PEAC are discussed combined with all the associated literature. The mean age of six patients was 64.0 ± 5.6 (59-73) years old. Their clinical manifestations were heterogeneous, and during their disease course, there were no gastrointestinal symptoms. There was no evidence from colonoscopy or imaging studies to suggest digestive tract tumors or new metastases. The most commonly mutated gene was KRAS (50.0%), and the pathological features of the six cases were similar to those of colorectal cancer. CDX2 (83.3%) and CK7 (66.7%) had the highest positive rates upon immunohistochemical examination. In the associated literature, 252 cases were identified, and the most commonly mutated gene was KRAS (42.9%). Additionally, CDX2 (68.3%) and CK7 (85.8%) had the highest positive rates. Patients mainly received surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, immunotherapy was not included. CONCLUSION: Positive results for CDX2 and CK7 play an important role in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of PEAC, and immunotherapy or targeted therapy focused on KRAS needs to be further studied for the treatment of PEAC.

The Chinese Thoracic Oncology Group (CTONG) therapeutic option scoring system: a multiple-parameter framework to assess the value of lung cancer treatment options.

BACKGROUND: Currently, there is no standard context that conforms to the Chinese national framework for evaluating medical decisions regarding the treatment of lung cancer. METHODS: This draft was formulated after a systematic review and a focus group discussion among 20 experts, who were senior physicians with extensive clinical experience from the Chinese Thoracic Oncology Group (CTONG) task force. Subsequently, a draft and a five-point Likert scale were sent to 300 CTONG working group members. These were modified according to feedback from a four-round modified Delphi approach. Hence, the first version of the 'Therapeutic option of lung cancer: CTONG scoring system' was formulated. Afterward, a corresponding questionnaire was designed to collect opinions on the weight allocation of various indicators. This was issued through the WeChat platform, "Oncology News" application and e-mails from October 23, 2020, to November 25, 2020. Participants from numerous occupations in cancer-related fields from various regions of China were included in the study. Overall and subgroup analyses regarding weight allocations were performed. The differences between participant-allocated and reference weights were considered to adjust the framework. RESULTS: The framework contained four aspects and six indicators, including efficacy [progression-free survival (PFS)/overall survival (OS) and subsequent treatment], safety [treatment-related severe adverse event (SAE), dose adjustment], quality of life (Qol), and compensation. The reference weights were 50%, 5%, 10%, 5%, 10%, and 20% for each indicator. By November 25, 2020, 1,043 valid questionnaires had been obtained. The majority of the questionnaires were completed by physicians (86.5%). Subgroup analysis among the various groups showed an overall consistent trend. Besides, significant differences between the participant-allocated and reference weights were found among PFS/OS (difference: -11.5%), compensation (difference: -10.1%), and subsequent treatment (difference: 9.7%) indicators. After discussion, the final weight allocations were set at 45%, 10%, 15%, 5%, 10%, and 15% for PFS/OS, subsequent treatment, treatment-related SAE, dose adjustment, Qol, and compensation, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The CTONG scoring system, as an objective evaluation model that involves multiple parameters, is a breakthrough method for evaluating the therapeutic value of lung cancer treatment options in China, which is worthy of further verification in future clinical practice.

Manifestation of severe pneumonia in anti-PL-7 antisynthetase syndrome and B cell lymphoma: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Antisynthetase syndrome (ASS) is characterized by the presence of antisynthetase antibodies coupled with clinical findings such as fever, polymyositis-dermatomyositis and interstitial lung disease. It is, however, rare to observe ASS association with B cell lymphoma presenting severe pneumonia as the first clinical manifestation. CASE SUMMARY: We evaluated a 59-year-old male patient who presented with cough with sputum, shortness of breath and fever for 13 d. A chest computed tomography radiograph revealed bilateral diffuse ground-glass infiltrates in both upper fields, left lingual lobe and right middle lobe. Initially, the patient was diagnosed with severe community-acquired pneumonia and respiratory failure. He was empirically treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics, without improvement. Further analysis showed an ASS panel with anti-PL7 antibodies. Besides, electromyography evaluation demonstrated a manifestation of myogenic damage, while deltoid muscle biopsy showed irregular muscle fiber bundles especially abnormal lymphocyte infiltration. In addition, bone marrow biopsy revealed high invasive B cell lymphoma. Thus, the patient was diagnosed with a relatively rare anti-PL7 antibody positive ASS associated with B cell lymphoma. CONCLUSION: This case highlights that rapidly progressive lung lesions and acute hypoxemic respiratory failure associated with heliotrope rash and extremely high lactate dehydrogenase level should be considered as the characteristics of non-infectious diseases, especially ASS and B cell lymphoma.

Bevacizumab plus erlotinib in Chinese patients with untreated, EGFR-mutated, advanced NSCLC (ARTEMIS-CTONG1509): A multicenter phase 3 study.

Dual inhibition of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathways may delay therapeutic resistance in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This phase 3 study investigated the efficacy and safety of an erlotinib plus bevacizumab regimen in untreated patients with advanced NSCLC. In total, 311 patients received bevacizumab plus erlotinib (n = 157) or erlotinib only (n = 154). Progression-free survival (PFS) was 17.9 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 15.2-19.9) for bevacizumab plus erlotinib and 11.2 months (95% CI, 9.7-13.8) for erlotinib only (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.55; 95% CI, 0.41-0.73; p < 0.001). A brain metastases subgroup treated with bevacizumab plus erlotinib also showed improved PFS (HR = 0.48; 95% CI, 0.27-0.84; p = 0.008). Grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse events occurred in 86 (54.8%) and 40 (26.1%) patients, respectively. Bevacizumab plus erlotinib significantly improved PFS in patients with untreated metastatic EGFR-mutated NSCLC, including those with brain metastases at baseline.

Hb Lepore-Hong Kong: First Report of a Novel δ/ß-Globin Gene Fusion in a Chinese Family.

We describe a new δ/ß fusion gene causing ß-thalassemia (ß-thal) trait and its formation mechanism. The proband was a 39-year-old woman who presented with persistent microcytic microcytosis without iron deficiency. Molecular diagnoses revealed a 뫧 configuration within a 54 bp region between the Cap site (+22) and codon 8, causing a deletion (NG_000007.3: g.63154_70565del). This results in a variant that has been named Hb Lepore-Hong Kong and shows a decreased ß-globin mRNA in carriers compared to that of normal subjects. It is assumed that combination of this variant with ß-thal may cause severe ß-thal syndrome.