[Effect of bevacizumab in treatment of children with optic pathway glioma].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of bevacizumab in the treatment of children with optic pathway glioma (OPG). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 30 children with OPG who underwent chemotherapy. According to whether bevacizumab was used, they were divided into conventional chemotherapy (carboplatin, vincristine and etoposide) group with 12 children and combined chemotherapy (bevacizumab, carboplatin, vincristine and etoposide) group with 18 children. The children were followed up to 6 months after chemotherapy, and the two groups were compared in terms of visual acuity and tumor size before and after chemotherapy and adverse reactions during chemotherapy. RESULTS: The combined chemotherapy group had a significantly higher proportion of children achieving tumor regression than the conventional chemotherapy group (P<0.05), while there were no significant differences between the two groups in the proportion of children with improved visual acuity or adverse reactions (P>0.05). No chemotherapy-related death was observed in either group. CONCLUSIONS: Bevacizumab combined with conventional chemotherapy can effectively reduce tumor size. Compared with conventional chemotherapy, such combination does not increase adverse reactions and can thus become a new direction for the treatment of OPG in children.

[Risk factors for recurrence within 2 years in children with medulloblastoma].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the risk factors for recurrence of medulloblastoma (MB) within 2 years and their influence on progression-free survival (PFS). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 123 children with MB who were admitted from January to December, 2017. According to the presence or absence of recurrence, they were divided into recurrence group with 30 children and non-recurrence group with 93 children. The risk factors for recurrence within 2 years were analyzed, and PFS was compared between the children with different risk factors. RESULTS: Large-cell/anaplastic type and M stage were risk factors for MB recurrence within 2 years. The risk of recurrence in the children with M+ MB was 3.525 times that in those with M0 MB, and the risk of recurrence in the children with large-cell/anaplastic MB was 3.358 times that in those with classic MB (P<0.05). The survival analysis showed that the median PFS time was 20 months in the children with M+ MB, and the 20-month PFS rate was 50% ±â€…11% in the children with M+ MB and 81% ±â€…5% in those with M0 MB (P<0.05). The 20-month PFS rate was 80% ±â€…5% in the children with classic MB, 65% ±â€…10% in those with desmoplastic/nodular MB, 86% ±â€…13% in those with MB with extensible nodularity, and 36% ±â€…20% in those with large-cell/anaplastic MB (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Recurrence is an important influencing factor for the prognosis of MB, and M+ stage and large-cell/anaplastic MB are risk factors for recurrence. Children with such risk factors tend to have a low PFS rate.

The protective effects of Bacillus licheniformis preparation on gastrointestinal disorders and inflammation induced by radiotherapy in pediatric patients with central nervous system tumor.

PURPOSE: we studied the effect of Bacillus licheniformis preparation (ZCS) on CNST (central nervous system tumor) patients undergoing the gastrointestinal symptoms and inflammation induced by radiotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 160 CNST patients with craniospinal irradiation (CSI) treatment were divided into experiment and control group. The experiment group patients took one capsule per time of ZCS and three times a day until the end of radiotherapy, starting one day before radiotherapy. While the patients in control group were administrated placebo without any probiotics. Serum from one day before radiotherapy and the first day after radiotherapy were collected to measure the ET, CRP, TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6. RESULTS: More than 70% CNST pediatric patients suffered from different degrees of gastrointestinal symptoms after radiotherapy, including mouth ulcer, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea. And there was an obviously increased of serum ET, TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6 and CRP after RT. Importantly, a markedly decreased of ET, CRP and inflammatory cytokines were detected in the experiment group comparing to the control group after radiotherapy, as well as the relief of the gastrointestinal symptoms. However, improvement of probiotics (or ZCS) of the survival rate of CNST children and the recurrence of tumor are not observed in this study. CONCLUSIONS: Prophylactically administrated ZCS during radiotherapy for CNST patients can relieve RT-related gastrointestinal symptoms and inflammatory reaction.

[Identification and genetic characteristics on the bacteria isolate from a case of human Brucellosis in Guizhou province].

OBJECTIVE: A suspected Brucella (B.) strain(GZZA), isolated from a case of anti-Brucella antibody positive patient was identified and its' genetic characteristics was analyzed, to provide etiologic basis for the confirmation of patient in Guizhou province. METHODS: Conventional methods and polymerase chain reaction(PCR)were used to identify the bacteria strain, with genetic characteristics analyzed by MLVA-16. RESULTS: The bacteria strain was identified as B. melitensis biovar 3 under the conventional and PCR methods. Results from the MLVA-16 analysis indicated that the bacteria strain was closely clustered with B. melitensis biovar 3, and differences of repeated numbers at VNTR loci bruce42, bruce04, bruce09 and bruce16 were also displayed. CONCLUSION: Both traditional and molecular methods to identify one bacteria strain isolated from the human patient as B. melitensis biovar 3 and the genetic characteristics of the strain was closely related to that of B. melitensis biovar 3. Differences of repeated numbers at part of VNTR loci were also showed. The results of this study provided etiologic evidences for the confirmation of Brucella infection of the patient, also providing scientific basis for the control and prevention of Brucellosis in Guizhou province.

[Treatment of cerebral palsy with transplantation of human neural progenitor cells].

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical efficacy of transplantation of human neural progenitor cells (hNPCs) in the treatment of severe cerebral palsy (CP) in children. METHODS: Forty-five children with CP were voluntarily accepted transplantation of hNPCs. The cells obtained from the forebrain of 10 to 12-week-fetus were cultured and amplified into hNPCs. Then the hNPCs were injected into the cerebral ventricle of the patients with the supersonic guidance. RESULTS: Dyssomnia, irritability and muscular tension were improved in one patient 3 days after transplantation. The clinical improvements were observed in the majority of the patients 1 month after transplantation. The therapeutic effects slowed down 3 to 6 months after transplantation. One year after transplantation the gross and fine motor skills and the congnition ability in the transplantation group were considerably surpassed to those in the control group. No delayed severe complications were observed after transplantation. No tumorigenesis was noted 5 years after transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: The transplantation of hNPCs as a novel therapy is effective and safe for severe CP. Many investigations are needed to evaluate the effect of the therapy.

[Morphologic diagnosis and onset characteristics of acute leukemia: a retrospective analysis of 233 cases in 10 years].

The objective of this study was to evaluate the value of morphologic diagnosis for acute leukemia (AL), to explore the relation of morphologic diagnosis with immunology, cytogenetics and molecular biology diagnosis of AL and to analyze the onset characteristics of AL in 10 years. The samples of bone marrow and peripheral blood from 233 newly diagnosed cases of AL were collected during 2001-2011 years; the morphologic examination and immunologic, cytogenetic and molecular biologic examination (ICM) were carried out, the consistency of morphologic diagnosis with ICM diagnosis was compared, the onset characteristics of AL was analyzed. The results showed that: (1) the consistent rate of immunology, cytogenetics, molecular biology diagnosis with morphologic diagnosis was 84.3%. The order of consistent rat was AUL, M0 < M1 < HAL < M4 < M2 < M3 < M5 < ALL < M6, M7, AP; (2) Misdiagnosis always occurred among AUL, M0, M1, ALL and HAL or among M2a, M3v, M4 and M5. (3) In 233 cases, the highest ratio of blast was observed in M1 (92.5%), while the lowest ratio of blast was observed in M2 (49.5%). (4) AL occurred more frequently in males than that in female (147:86). (5) AL occurred in patients aged from 1 to 88 years. The median age was 41.5 for AUL, 40.8 for M0, 43.4 for M1, 46.3 for M2, 33.8 for M3, 42.6 for M4, 48.8 for M5, 77.3 for M6, 2.5 for M7, 65.0 for AP, 29.1 for ALL and 40.3 for HAL. (6) The number of patients in the later five years (139 cases) was significantly greater than that in the first five years (94 cases), especially the patients with M1, M2, M3, M4, and M5. It is concluded that morphologic diagnosis has important clinical value in the MICM diagnosis of AL. Attaching importance to the confusing cell morphology and onset characteristics of AL can improve the diagnostic accuracy.

[Treatment of an infant with severe neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy sequelae with transplantation of human neural stem cells into cerebral ventricle].

OBJECTIVE: Severe newborn hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) has a very high rate of disability and no effective treatment is available. The present study aimed to preliminarily evaluate the effects of human neural stem cell transplantation in treatment of severe neonatal HIE. METHODS: The patient was a 75-day old male infant with sequelae of severe HIE who had highly delayed development of intelligence and movement and myotonia. MRI showed multiple cerebromalacia and encephalatrophy. Cells obtained from the forebrain of an 11-week old fetus were cultured and amplified for 15 days. And then the human fetal neural stem cells were injected into cerebral ventricle of this infant. RESULTS: Twenty eight days after transplantation, remarkable improvement occurred not only in his myotonia but also in his intelligence and movement, which became similar to those of the normal infants of the same age. Positron emission tomography (PET) showed significantly increased radioactivity at temporal and occipital lobes which suggested that the cellular metabolism had increased greatly. CONCLUSION: The short-term effect of NSCs transplantation on the infant with severe HIE sequelae was significant. PET suggested that the implanted NSCs survived. Many more studies are needed to evaluate long-term effects of NSC transplantation in treatment of HIE.