The efficacy of haemoperfusion combined with continuous venovenous haemodiafiltration in the treatment of severe viral encephalitis in children.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the efficacy of the integrated blood purification mode of early haemoperfusion (HP) combined with continuous venovenous haemodiafiltration (CVVHDF) in children with severe viral encephalitis, and evaluated the correlation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neopterin (NPT) levels with prognosis. METHODS: The records of children with viral encephalitis who received blood purification treatment in the authors' hospital from September 2019 to February 2022 were retrospectively analysed. According to the blood purification treatment mode, they were divided into the experimental group (HP + CVVHDF, 18 cases), control group A (CVVHDF only, 14 cases), and control group B (16 children with mild viral encephalitis who did not receive blood purification treatment). The correlation between the clinical features, severity of the disease and the extent of lesions on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the CSF NPT levels was analysed. RESULTS: The experimental group and control group A were comparable with respect to age, gender and hospital course (P > 0.05). There was no significant difference in speech and swallowing functions between the two groups after treatment (P > 0.05) and no significant difference in 7 and 14-day mortality (P > 0.05). The CSF NPT levels in the experimental group before treatment were significantly higher compared with control group B (P < 0.05). The extent of brain MRI lesions correlated positively with CSF NPT levels (P < 0.05). In the experimental group (14 cases), the serum NPT levels decreased after treatment, whereas the CSF NPT levels increased after treatment, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Dysphagia and motor dysfunction correlated positively with CSF NPT levels (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Early HP combined with CVVHDF in the treatment of severe viral encephalitis in children may be a better approach than CVVHDF only for improving prognosis. Higher CSF NPT levels indicated the likelihood of a more severe brain injury and a greater possibility of residual neurological dysfunction.

Immunopathogenesis of Colitis-Associated Cancer in an Animal Model.

Chronic inflammation, such as that seen in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), greatly increases the risk of developing colon cancer. Growing evidence supports a role for T cell-mediated immune response and release of various cytokines in the pathogenesis of colitis-associated cancer (CAC). In fact, CD4+ effector T cells promote chronic inflammation associated with IBD through release of proinflammatory cytokines, which leads to initiation and progression of colon cancer. Furthermore, CD8+ T cells reduce tumor growth through cancer immunosurveillance, which can also contribute to intestinal inflammation and thereby might promote tumor growth. In contrast, regulatory T cells (Tregs) release the immunosuppressive cytokines IL-10, TGF-ß and thus have protective effects in CAC. In addition, dendritic cells (DCs) are important components of antitumor immunity. Recently, a novel mouse model that was associated with repeated inflammation was established for investigating the immunopathogenesis of CAC. This review discusses the role of T cell-mediated immune response, and DCs and involved cytokines in the immunopathogenesis of CAC in an animal model, which may also provide future therapeutic targets in CAC.

Advances in Molecular Biomarkers for Gastric Cancer.

Gastric cancer (GC) is the second most frequent oncological cause of death, the fifth most common malignancy in the world, and accounts for 6.8% of all tumors. As an aggressive disease, GC is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, which is why it is a major cause of cancer-related death. In the last several decades, the incidence of GC has decreased, which should be credited to advances in diagnostic and therapeutic technologies including tumor-marker detection systems, imaging modalities, pathological methods, gastroscopy, and particularly surgical and pharmacologic interventions. Because they are economical, convenient, and noninvasive, the detection of conventional serum tumor biomarkers (e.g., CEA, CA19-9, and CA72-4) has been widely employed in the diagnosis and evaluation of GC. However, due to their poor specificity and sensitivity, these molecular markers cannot meet the demand of early GC detection. Hence, new and reliable tumor biomarkers are desperately needed. This review systematically summarizes the three most commonly used biomarkers of GC (e.g., CEA, CA19-9, and CA72-4) and addresses two categories of potential molecular biomarkers for the diagnosis of GC: microRNA and methylated DNA.