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Introduction: Pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma (PSC) is an extremely rare biphasic tumor characterized by a mixture of malignant epithelial and mesenchymal cells. Owing to the rarity, as well as the lack of typical manifestations and imaging signs, the rate of misdiagnosis is high. Herein, we present a case of PSC misdiagnosed as pleural mesothelioma in a 59-year-old man. Patient concerns: A 59-year-old man presented with recurrent coughing, fever, and chest pain. Diagnosis: Chest computed tomography showed 2 large and dense masses involving the inferior lobes of right lung, along with slight irregular pleural thickening and a small amount of effusion. Interventions: Chest computed tomography-guided tumor biopsy was performed. PSC was confirmed based on histopathology and immunohistochemistry. The patient refused treatment due to economic reasons. Outcomes: The patient developed adrenal, multiple lung and brain metastasis. The overall survival time was 11 months. Conclusions: PSC, despite its rarity, should be considered in the differential diagnosis of lung cancer. Besides, biopsy, histopathology, and specific immunohistochemical staining of larger tissue specimens can be contributing to the accurate diagnosis of PSC.

The objective is to investigate the time to initial sputum culture conversion (SCC) and its predictors among multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) patients in Hangzhou, China. A retrospective cohort study was conducted among patients who initiated MDR-TB treatment from 2011 to 2015 in Hangzhou, China. Successful achievement of initial SCC was defined as 2 consecutive negative cultures taken at least 30 days apart after initiation of treatment of MDR-TB. Successful treatment outcomes included being cured and completing treatment, while poor treatment outcomes included treatment failure, loss to follow-up, and death. Time to initial SCC was analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method, and Cox proportional hazards regression was used to identify predictors of SCC. Among 384 patients enrolled with MDR-TB, 359 (93.5%) successfully achieved initial SCC after a median of 85 days (interquartile range, 40–112 days). A higher rate of SCC was observed in participants with successful treatment outcomes than those with poor treatment outcomes (P

Treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is challenging. More research is needed to understand treatment outcomes and associated factors. A retrospective cohort study was conducted to assess trends and predictors of treatment success among 398 MDR-TB and extensively drug resistant TB patients who started treatment in 2011 to 2015 in Hangzhou, China. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristic data were obtained from the national reporting database. Chi-square test for trend was used to evaluate changes in treatment success rates over the study years, and Cox regression analysis was used to identify predictors for poor treatment outcomes. The treatment success rate was 76% (301/398) for all participants, 77% (298/387) for MDR-TB cases and 27% (3/11) for extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis -TB cases. Treatment success increased significantly from 66% among patients who started treatment in 2011 to 85% in 2015 (P

This study objected to evaluate the accuracy of the gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-to-platelet ratio (GPR), aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI), red cell distribution width (RDW), and fibrosis-4 index (FIB4) index, compared with liver biopsy (LB), in predicting the severity of inflammation in drug-induced liver injury (DILI) patients.We evaluated patients with DILI who were followed at the First Hospital of Jilin University and underwent LB. Accuracy of each method was analyzed using ROC analysis. Classifications of liver inflammation included G0-4.One hundred fifty six DILI patients were included with LB and complete medical records. 62.8% (98), 39.1% (61), and 16.7% (26) were classified as ≥G2, ≥G3, or G4, respectively. The AUROCs, by degree of inflammation, were: ≥G2: GPR: 0.654, RDW: 0.635, APRI: 0.728, and FIB4: 0.739; ≥G3: GPR: 0.623, RDW: 0.703, APRI: 0.777, and FIB4: 0.781; and G4: GPR: 0.556, RDW: 0.647, APRI: 0.729, and FIB4: 0.714. To predict ≥G2 inflammation, there were no differences between the AUROCs for GPR, RDW, APRI, and FIB4. To predict ≥G3 inflammation, the AUROCs for FIB4 and APRI were higher than that for GPR (0.781 vs 0.623, P

Background: Amniotic band syndrome (ABS) is a congenital malformation that results in abnormalities in many parts of the body. Most surgical treatments for ABS used multi-stage Z-plasties. The purpose of this study was to assess the clinical results of one-stage circular incision techniques for limb ring constriction due to amniotic band syndrome. Methods: We reviewed 27 patients with limb ring constriction in ABS from 2010 to 2020. The mean ages of the patients were 11.7 months (range, 0–72 months). The complete circular incision release the ABS. All patients’ operations were used one-stage circular incision surgical techniques, including patients with multiple bands. All the patients were followed up with a period ranges from 2 years to 10 years. Patient-reported visual analog scale (VAS) scar ranking on a scale of 0 (minimum satisfaction) to 10 (maximum satisfaction) were used to evaluate esthetic outcomes. Results: After our surgery, all the limbs, toes, and fingers were rescued, and the lymphedema reduced remarkably. The VAS scores (mean ± SD) for patient satisfaction were 7.55 ± 1.89. The surgical treatment of amniotic band syndrome in a one-stage circular incision is safe and effective. Conclusion: The one-stage circular incision surgical techniques have many advantages, including reduced surgical invasiveness, scar formation, and the cost of treatment. Level of Evidence: Level IV—retrospective case series.

Background Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is an important factor leading to adult death and disability globally. For AIS patients who meet certain conditions, recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) intravenous thrombolysis is an important method recommended by national guidelines to achieve vascular recanalization. However, complications such as hemorrhagic transformation and vascular reocclusion after thrombolysis are still unsolved problems in clinical. Several systematic reviews of clinical randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in the past have shown that Chinese herbal injections (CHIs) can improve the neurological function of patients, increase the tolerance of ischemic tissues to hypoxia, and inhibit platelet aggregation. Therefore, this study conducted a meta-analysis of AIS treatment with intravenous thrombolysis alone and compared it with the combined application of CHIs. To evaluate whether CHIs have a synergistic effect on thrombolytic therapy and provide a basis for clinical application. Methods The following databases will be searched until September 2020: ①English databases: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase; ②Chinese databases: CNKI, Wanfang database, Weipu database, SinoMed. RCTs will be included to compare the efficacy of thrombolysis combined with CHIs and thrombolysis alone in the treatment of AIS. Data extraction and risk of bias assessments will be carried out by 2 verifiers independently. The risk of bias will be evaluated through the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Review Manager software 5.3 will be used for statistical analysis. Results This study will provide comprehensive evidence for the treatment of AIS by CHIs combined with intravenous thrombolysis from multiple aspects. Conclusion The conclusion of the meta-analysis will provide a basis for judging whether CHIs combined with intravenous thrombolysis is an effective measure for the treatment of AIS. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval is not needed because this study will be based on data that already published. We will publish the findings of this study in a peer-reviewed journal and related conferences. Prospero registration number CRD42020215546.

The efficacy and safety of bivalirudin in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has always been a hot topic in perioperative antithrombotic therapy, but there are still some controversies. So studies are needed to provide more evidence, especially the real world study which includes patients excluded from previous RCT studys. Our study aimed to investigate these information and analyze the independent predictors of postoperative adverse events.A retrospective study enrolled 1416 patients underwent PCI in Tianjin Chest Hospital from May 2016 to October 2017. The incidence of stent-thrombosis and net clinical adverse events, including all-cause death, myocardial infarction, stroke, urgent target-vessel revascularization and bleeding, were followed up for 30 days and 1 year. Logistic regression and COX regression were respectively used to analyze independent predictors of bleeding events within 30-days, and independent predictors of Major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) in patients with stent implantation within 1-year.Seven hundred six patients were treated with bivalirudin while 710 with unfractionated heparin (UFH). The proportions of diabetes, hypertension, anemia, myocardial-infarction history, PCI history, moderate-to-severe renal-impairment, gastrointestinal-bleeding history in the bivalirudin group were significantly higher (P 25 kg/m2, KILLIP ≥2, ejection fraction (EF) 25 kg/m2, anemia, KILLIP ≥2, EF

The treatment role of flexible bronchoscopy (FOB) for pediatric refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (RMPP) has been well documented. Besides, the application indication of FOB is also studied in patients with general MPP (GMPP), especially in those with large pulmonary lesions. This study was designed to examine the diagnostic value of bronchoscopic features for RMPP. The FOB and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) were adopted for pediatric patients who showed clinical and radiograph indications. On the basis of the final diagnosis on discharge, patients were divided into general and refractory MPP groups. The clinical, laboratory, and bronchoscopic imaging features were retrospectively investigated between these 2 groups. From June 2012 to May 2014, a total of 62 RMPP and 101 GMPP patients were treated with therapeutic bronchoscopy. The comparison analysis showed that the CRP, HBDH, LDH were significantly different between RMPP and GMPP groups (all P

Objectives: Invasive micropapillary carcinoma of the breast (IMPC) constitutes a unique and aggressive subtype of breast cancer. We aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of the Jagged1 (a ligand of the Notch pathway) expression, and infiltration density of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in patients with IMPC. Methods: Jagged1 expression and CD163+, CD68+ macrophage infiltration were evaluated by immunohistochemistry in 222 tumor samples, and the clinical significance was analyzed. mRNA level of Jagged1 was analyzed by real time PCR in tumor tissues. Results: The IMPC patients showed larger tumor size, more lymphatic invasion, higher expression levels of estrogen receptor (ER), increased Ki67 index, higher Jagged1 protein level, and denser infiltration of CD163+ macrophages compared to patients with invasive breast ductal carcinoma. In the IMPC cohort, positive Jagged1 expression was related to aggressive features including large tumor size, lymphatic invasion, and Ki67 overexpression. Statistical significance was found between CD163+ macrophage infiltration and Jagged1 expression levels. Cox regression analysis revealed that ER negativity, positive Jagged1 expression, and a high degree of CD163+ macrophage infiltration were independent prognostic factors for disease-free survival, and positive Jagged1 expression was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival. The level of Jagged1 mRNA was higher in tumor tissues of patients with IMPC. Conclusion: Jagged1, by modulating TAMs infiltration, is associated with a less favorable prognosis for patients with IMPC. Our results have important implications for therapies targeting Jagged1-Notch signaling and re-educating TAMs polarization for patients with IMPC.

We investigated associations between inflammatory marker levels and hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related compensated liver cirrhosis risk in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection in China. We used a case-control design and data from the records of 110 Chinese patients with CHC and cirrhosis for the study; 458 CHC patients who did not have a diagnosis of cirrhosis were matched to the case group by age and sex characteristics. We also investigated fatty liver disease risk factors. The group of patients with CHC infection and cirrhosis had lower platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) values (60.63 [44.09, 89.31]) compared with the control group patients (80.24 [57.85, 111.08]). The results indicated that the group of patients with cirrhosis had higher 4-factor fibrosis index and aspartate aminotransferase (AST)-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) values compared with the group of patients with CHC-only (1.66 [0.98, 2.60] vs 0.71 [0.45, 1.17], respectively; P < .001 and 2.12 [0.97, 4.25] vs 0.99 [0.51, 2.01], respectively; P < .001). Compared with the control group, the AST/alanine aminotransferase ratio (AAR) values in the group of patients with cirrhosis were significantly higher (P < .001). Logistic regression analysis that included model adjustment for demographic characteristics and other factors that could affect cirrhosis risk revealed that greater 1/PLR values were associated with an increased odds of having cirrhosis (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.991 [0.985-0.996]); APRI and AAR values were also independent predictors of the presence of compensated cirrhosis. We found that compared with the patients with CHC-only, the triglyceride, cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in the patients with both CHC and fatty liver disease were significantly higher. The multivariate analysis of the risk of fatty liver development in patients with CHC infection found that cholesterol level was a statistically significant risk factor (AOR [95% CI] 1.380 [1.089-1.750], P = .008). Increased 1/PLR, APRI, and AAR values were associated with increased risks for development of cirrhosis in this population of Chinese patients with CHC infection. Higher cholesterol levels increased the risk of development of fatty liver disease in patients with CHC.

Background: The clinical application has widespread disagreement on the different regimens of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) in the treatment of locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). We conducted a network meta-analysis (NMA) to evaluate the efficacy of the different NCT regimens in the treatment of NPC. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed using PubMed, Embase, and Cochran Library. Totally, 31 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (n = 4062) met study selection criteria and were incorporated in this NMA study. Results: Our study showed that certain NCT regimens improved the prognosis of patients, and found out the relative best solution for each endpoint, such as paclitaxel, carboplatin, and gemcitabine for 1-year overall survival (OS) rate, cisplatin, calcium folinate, and 5-fluorouracil for 2-year OS rate, vinorelbine and cisplatin (NP) for 3-year OS rate, cyclophosphamide, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil for 5-year OS rate, NP for complete remission rate, cisplatin and gemcitabine for overall remission rate of the primary tumor. In addition, for certain grade 3 and above toxicity, the results of the NMA reflected certain NCT regimens can reduce toxicity of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) to a minimum, such as NP for anemia, mucositis, and thrombocytopenia, paclitaxel, epirubicin, and cisplatin for neutropenia and skin toxicity. Conclusion: Our NMA showed that certain cisplatin-based NCT regimens improved the prognosis of patients with NPC and reduced the toxicity of CRT. However, in view of survival rate and response rate, the best NCT regimen is not entirely consistent. Therefore, which NCT regimen will benefit most patients will need further explored.

We investigated the possible link between liver cirrhosis and gallstone risk in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients in China. To analyze the association between liver cirrhosis and gallstone development, we compared outcomes of 133 Chinese CHC patients with gallstones and an age-, sex-, and hepatitis C virus RNA level-matched control group of 431 CHC patients without gallstones. We found that liver cirrhosis was more prevalent in gallstone patients (40.6%) than in the control group (24.4%). Logistic regression analyses adjusting for demographic features and other gallstone risk factors revealed that liver cirrhosis increased the risk of gallstone development 2-fold (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 2.122; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.408–3.198). Moreover, multivariate analyses comparing the risk of gallstone development in liver cirrhosis patients with decompensated or compensated liver cirrhosis yielded an estimated AOR (95% CI) of 2.869 (1.277–6.450) in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis. Gallstone risk also increased significantly with older age (>60 years) (AOR: 2.019; 95% CI: 1.017–4.009). Liver cirrhosis significantly correlates with increased risk of gallstone development in CHC patients in China. Decompensated liver cirrhosis and older age further heighten this risk in patients diagnosed with hepatitis C-related cirrhosis.

We investigated the link between diabetes mellitus (DM) and hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk in treatment-naïve chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients in China. To examine the association between DM and HCC, we conducted a case–control study of 300 Chinese CHC patients with HCC, compared to an age- and sex-matched control group of 517 CHC patients not diagnosed with HCC. We found that DM was more prevalent in the HCC patient group (18.7%) than in the CHC-only patient group (10.8%). We conducted logistic regression analyses adjusting for demographics features and other HCC risk factors and found that DM increased the risk of HCC development nearly 2-fold [adjusted odds ratio (AOR), 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.80 (1.17–2.75)]. Meanwhile, the proportion of HCC patients and CHC-only patients with liver cirrhosis were 79.3% and 46.2%, respectively, yielding an AOR of 4.62 (95% CI, 3.31–6.46). Multivariate analyses comparing the risk of HCV-related HCC development in DM patients with and without liver cirrhosis revealed that the estimated AOR (95% CI) for those with liver cirrhosis was 5.60 (2.25–13.96). However, the HCC risk decreased significantly with a later age of diabetes onset (AOR [95% CI], 0.94 [0.89–0.99]). DM was associated with an increased risk for HCC development in treatment-naïve CHC patients in China. Furthermore, liver cirrhosis and an early DM diagnoses further increased the risks of HCC development in patients diagnosed with both CHC and DM.