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With the acceleration of the process of global integration, China's international exchanges and cooperation with other countries have been further increased. The personnel exchange has led to the frequent occurrence of imported schistosomiasis from abroad, which seriously endangers people's health. This paper reviews the prevalence and transmission risks of oversea imported schistosomiasis, providing the reference for the entry and exit health quarantine and prevention and control of schistosomiasis in China.[

This paper reviewed the prevention and control of schistosomiasis in the Yangtze River Basin in three stages, centered on the measures and achievements. It pointed out the key work of prevention and control which are infectious source control and effective surveillance at present stage. It will be beneficial to schistosomiasis control in China.[

Background: Nemonoxacin, a novel nonfluorinated quinolone, has broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, including activity against antibiotic-resistant strains, and was developed for treating community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). This report provides an integrated safety summary of oral nemonoxacin from two phase II and one phase III clinical studies. Methods: Patients with mild CAP were randomized for treatment with nemonoxacin 500 mg (NEMO-500MG), nemonoxacin 750 mg (NEMO-750MG), or levofloxacin 500 mg (LEVO), orally, once daily, for 7–10 days. Hematological, gastrointestinal, and hepatic disorders; electrocardiography abnormalities; and reported quinolone-associated clinical concerns were included in this analysis. Results: A total of 520, 155, and 320 subjects were assigned to receive NEMO-500MG, NEMO-750MG, and LEVO, respectively. The incidence of adverse events (AEs) was the highest (54.8%) in the NEMO-750MG group (NEMO-500MG, 36.9%; NEMO-750MG, 54.8%; LEVO, 39.7%) and that of drug-related AEs was comparable between the three groups (NEMO-500MG, 22.9%; NEMO-750MG, 31.0%; LEVO, 22.5%). The majority (>80%) of the patients showed mild drug-related AEs and the distribution based on severity was similar between the groups. The most commonly reported drug-related AEs included neutropenia (NEMO-500MG, 2.5%; NEMO-750MG, 8.4%; LEVO, 4.4%), nausea (NEMO-500MG, 2.5%; NEMO-750MG, 7.1%; LEVO, 2.5%), leukopenia (NEMO-500MG, 2.3%; NEMO-750MG, 4.5%; LEVO, 3.1%), and increased alanine aminotransferase level (NEMO-500MG, 4.4%; NEMO-750MG, 0%; LEVO, 2.5%). Conclusion: Nemonoxacin was well tolerated and no clinically significant safety concerns were identified, suggesting that it possesses a desirable safety and tolerability profile similar to that of levofloxacin, and may be a suitable alternative to fluoroquinolones for treating patients with CAP. Keywords: Community-acquired pneumonia, Fluoroquinolone, Levofloxacin, Nemonoxacin, Safety

Schistosomiasis is one of a few endemic and infectious diseases, which are controlled by the specific prevention and control institutions in China. Through the review of historical data, this paper describes the construction, continuation and changes of schistosomiasis prevention and control institutions in different historical periods and systems, and analyzes and evaluates its historical function, contribution and status.[

To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of comprehensive schistosomiasis control measures with focus on total removal of cattle and sheep in Juanshan District, Yueyang City.The schistosome infection status of human, cattle, sheep andThe prevalence of schistosome infection in residents in the pilot villages decreased from 3.44% in 2006 to 0 in 2016. The annual costs of schistosomiasis prevention and control were 4 708 500 yuan from 2006 to 2008, 5 094 700 yuan from 2009 to 2012 and 9 522 700 yuan from 2013 to 2016. The cost-effectiveness analysis showed that the average annual cost of reduction in the residents'infection rate by 1% were 79 500 yuan from 2006 to 2008, 101 200 yuan from 2009 to 2012, and 95 200 yuan from 2013 to 2016, respectively.The comprehensive schistosomiasis control strategy with focus on cattle and sheep removal in Junshan District is cost effective which could be extended to other lake and marshland schistosomiasis endemic areas.

Advanced schistosomiasis is the most serious clinical type of schistosomiasis. Its diagnosis and treatment are related to many special departments, such as gastroenterology, general surgery, neurology, endocrinology, radiology, traditional Chinese medicine, blood purification, endoscopy, intervention, and ICU. It is necessary to apply a multidisciplinary treatment (MDT) mode. However, the mode has no universal standard and guide in practice. It is very important for the implementation of MDT mode of advanced schistosomiasis to form a treatment expert team, formulate the formal working procedures, and standardize the treatment schedules. The standardized implementation of MDT mode will be important to provide a more effective clinical decision on advanced schistosomiasis.［摘要］ 晚期血吸虫病是血吸虫病中最严重的临床类型, 其诊疗涉及消化内科、普通外科、神经内科、内分泌科、中医科、 血液净化、内镜、介入、影像科、ICU等诸多专科, 因此采用多学科综合治疗 (MDT) 模式非常必要。然而, 这种模式尚无一致的方案和规范, 成立MDT专家工作小组, 制定工作制度, 规范工作流程等对晚期血吸虫病开展MDT有十分重要的临床 价值。MDT的规范化实施将为晚期血吸虫病的临床决策提供重要保障。.

To understand the current distribution and characteristics of advanced schistosomiasis patients who accepted medical assistance in Hunan Province in 2015, so as to provide the evidence for perfecting the policy and measures of the medical assistance to advanced schistosomiasis patients.The patients who had been diagnosed as advanced schistosomiasis were verified and confirmed according to the standard of the medical assistance to advanced schistosomiasis patients in Hunan Province in 2015. The epidemiological survey was conducted to investigate the demographic characteristics, history of diagnosis and treatment, and medical assistance to these persons.There were 3 850 advanced schistosomiasis patients who accepted the medical assistance in Hunan Province in 2015, and among them, 2 664 patients were male (69.19%), and 1 186 were female (30.81%). Most of them (92.82%) came from the main schistosomiasis endemic areas, such as Yueyang, Changde and Yiyang. There were 2 369 cases of ascites (61.53%), 1 466 cases of splenomegaly (38.08%), 15 cases of colon proliferation and dwarf (0.39%). The mean age of advanced schistosomiasis patients who accepted the medical assistance was (62.94 ± 11.67) years old, with 64.31% of them being more than 60 years old. The age of initial diagnosis of advanced schistosomiasis was (53.85 ± 21.32) years old, and it was concentrated in 40-60 years old (68.57%). The mean duration of advanced schistosomiasis was (9.58 ± 10.06) years, and it was mainly distributed in 10 years (75.95%). The mean duration from initial diagnosis of schistosomiasis to advanced schistosomiasis was (22.33 ± 14.20) years. The priority of the medical assistance to advanced schistosomiasis patients was given to the county hospitals (76.57%); and the effective rate of assistance was 94.46%. Totally 86.57% of the patients with advanced schistosomiasis got the medical insurance (rural cooperative medical care, urban medical care, etc.).The burden of the medical assistance to advanced schistosomiasis patients is still heavy because of many patients and low cure rate in Hunan Province. The ascites patients and high age patients should be the important objects of the medical assistance.

The medical assistance to advanced schistosomiasis patients established by the Chinese government is a major public facility for patients with advanced schistosomiasis. Since the medical assistance to advance schistosomiasis patients in Hunan Province started ten years ago, a set of mature and operable programs with whole program management and related technologies has been developed. The author investigated the data on medical assistance to advanced schistosomiasis patients in Hunan Province during the last 10 years (from 2006 to 2015) retrospectively, and found that the program had high therapeutic effect and high satisfaction degree of both patients and the society. In order to improve the management of the medical assistance to advanced schistosomiasis patients and share our experiences of the whole program management and related technologies with the colleagues of other provinces, this paper mainly illustrates the experiences of the program, as well as the existing problems and related strategies.

The aim of this study was to explore the associations and differences in influencing factors between alcoholic liver disease (ALD) coupled with Helicobacter pylori infection and atherosclerosis and to determine whether there is a “double hit phenomenon” in atherosclerosis patients with ALD and H. pylori infections. Included cases (n = 160) were categorized into 4 groups: 41 cases of ALD coupled with H. pylori infections (group A), 35 cases of H. pylori infections without ALD (group B), 37 cases of ALD without H. pylori infections (group C), and 47 normal control cases (group D). CIMT was significantly greater in group A than in groups B and D (P = 0.005 and P = 0.001, respectively). The GLM univariate analysis found that CIMT was significantly greater in group A than in groups B, C and D (P = 0.018, P = 0.001 and P = 0.009, respectively). We found that BMI and ALT, AST and ApoB levels were independent predictors of CIMT (P = 0.000, P = 0.000, P = 0.012 and P = 0.014, respectively). ALD coupled with H. pylori infection may result in significant CIMT thickening, but H. pylori infection without ALD and ALD without H. pylori infection does not, suggesting that a “double hit phenomenon” occurs. Additionally, BMI, and ALT, AST and ApoB levels were independent risk factors for increased CIMT.

Nemonoxacin, a novel nonfluorinated quinolone, exhibits potent in vitro and in vivo activities against community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) pathogens, including multidrug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae . Patients with mild to moderate CAP ( n = 265) were randomized to receive oral nemonoxacin (750 mg or 500 mg) or levofloxacin (500 mg) once daily for 7 days. Clinical responses were determined at the test-of-cure visit in intent-to-treat (ITT), clinical per protocol (PPc), evaluable-ITT, and evaluable-PPc populations. The clinical cure rates for 750 mg nemonoxacin, 500 mg nemonoxacin, and levofloxacin were 89.9%, 87.0%, and 91.1%, respectively, in the evaluable-ITT population; 91.7%, 87.7%, and 90.3%, respectively, in the evaluable-PPc population; 82.6%, 75.3%, and 80.0%, respectively, in the ITT population; and 83.5%, 78.0%, and 82.3%, respectively, in the PPc population. Noninferiority to levofloxacin was demonstrated in both the 750-mg and 500-mg nemonoxacin groups for the evaluable-ITT and evaluable-PPc populations, and also in the 750 mg nemonoxacin group for the ITT and PPc populations. Overall bacteriological success rates were high for all treatment groups in the evaluable-bacteriological ITT population (90.2% in the 750 mg nemonoxacin group, 84.8% in the 500 mg nemonoxacin group, and 92.0% in the levofloxacin group). All three treatments were well tolerated, and no drug-related serious adverse events were observed. Overall, oral nemonoxacin (both 750 mg and 500 mg) administered for 7 days resulted in high clinical and bacteriological success rates in CAP patients. Further, good tolerability and excellent activity against common causative pathogens were demonstrated. Nemonoxacin (750 mg and 500 mg) once daily is as effective and safe as levofloxacin (500 mg) once daily for the treatment of CAP.

Background/Purpose Patients on prolonged mechanical ventilation in Taiwan are stepped down to a respiratory care ward (RCW) for further respiratory care. Only a few patients in the RCW can ultimately be weaned and discharged. In this study, we tried to determine factors that predict mortality and readmission of these patients in the post-discharge period. Methods Between May 1, 2004 and October 31, 2006, clinical data were retrospectively analyzed for eligible patients in a RCW. Patients who were successfully weaned from mechanical ventilation were enrolled in this study. Results A total of 243 patients were eligible for evaluation, and 67 patients were successfully weaned and discharged. By Kaplan-Meier curve, 36 (67.1%) patients were readmitted within 3 months after discharge, and among these, 23 (63.9%) had mechanical ventilation reinstituted at the time of first readmission. The most common cause of readmission was airway infection (80.5%). Overall mortality and readmission rates at 1 year after weaned discharge were 32.9% and 88.2%, respectively. By multivariate analysis, patients with neurologic causes of ventilator dependency were less likely to be readmitted (hazard ratio = 0.36; p =0.034), and neoplastic diseases (hazard ratio = 4.66; p =0.031) were independently associated with mortality. Conclusion Underlying comorbidities and causes of ventilator dependency are important predictors of mortality and readmission among patients after weaned discharge from a RCW.

Genetic mutation has served as the biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). However, intra-tumor heterogeneity may interfere with personalized treatment strategies based on mutation analysis. This study aimed to characterize somatic mutation profiling of GBM. We collected 33 samples from 7 patients with the primary GBM associated with different Choline (Cho) to N-acetylaspartate (NAA) index (CNI) through the frameless proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) guided biopsies and investigated multiple somatic mutations profi ling using the AmpliSeq cancer hotspot panel V2. We identifi ed 53 missense or nonsense mutations in 27 genes including some novel mutations such as APC and IDH2. The mutations in EGFR, TP53, PTEN, PIK3CA genes were presented with different frequency and the majority of the mutated gene was only shared by 1-2 samples from one patient. Moreover, we found the association of CNI with histological grade, but there was no signifi cant change of CNI in the presence of TP53, EGFR and PTEN mutations. These data suggest that gene mutations constitute a heterogeneous marker for primary GBM which may be independent of intra-tumor morphological phenotypes of GBM; therefore, gene mutation markers could not be determined from a small number of needle biopsies or only confi ned to the high-grade region.

The relationships among inflammation, oxidative balance, and the severity of alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD) remain unknown. The aim of this study is to explore the relationships among tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and the severity of AFLD. From January 2012 to December 2013, 162 participants were enrolled in this study and divided into 4 groups: 44 cases of mild AFLD (group A), 55 cases of moderate-to-severe AFLD (group B), 44 cases of alcohol consumption without AFLD (group C), and 20 cases of no alcohol consumption without AFLD (group D). A cross-sectional study was conducted by detecting the serum levels of TNF-α, HSP70, MDA, and SOD by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The median serum levels of TNF-α and HSP70 among the 4 groups were statistically significant (P = 0.000 and 0.001, respectively). The median serum levels of TNF-α in groups A and B were significantly lower than in group C (P = 0.002 and 0.000, respectively), and the median serum level of TNF-α in group B was significantly lower than in group D (P = 0.023). In addition, the median serum level of HSP70 in group B was significantly lower than in groups A and C (P = 0.002 and 0.000, respectively), and the median serum level of HSP70 in group C was significantly higher than in group D (P = 0.044). However, the median serum level of MDA in group B was significantly lower than only group C (P = 0.008). Chronic alcohol ingestion without AFLD may result in a significant increase in the circulation of certain inflammatory markers; the severity of AFLD is associated with circulating inflammatory markers, and moderate-to-severe AFLD may result in a more significant reduction of these markers. However, moderate-to-severe AFLD may also result in a significant downregulation of oxidative stress products.

Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the impact of previous antibiotic exposure and the influence of time interval since exposure on the evolution of antibiotic-resistant infections. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 167 mechanically ventilated patients with nosocomial infections over a 3-year period, with focus on infections in the bloodstream, urinary tract, lower respiratory tract, and surgical sites. Results Of 167 patients, 62% were confirmed as antibiotic resistant. The most common isolated pathogen was extended-spectrum β-lactamase Enterobacteriaceae (43.9%), followed by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (22.8%), and carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (17.5%). Multivariate analysis revealed that the association between resistance and the time interval increased within 10 days (odds ratio [OR], 2.45; P = .133) and peaked at 11 to 20 days (OR, 7.17; P = .012). The data were categorized into 2 groups: when the time interval was more than 20 days, there was a 23.9% reduction in resistance rate compared with when the time interval was 20 days or less (OR, 0.36; P = .002). Conclusions Although antibiotic exposure increased resistance rate in nosocomial infections, this association decreased as time interval increased. Antibiotic stewardship should consider the significance of time interval while investigating the evolution of subsequent antibiotic-resistant infections.

Epidemiological evidence has shown two polymorphisms (namely RS#1800468G>A and RS#1800471G>C) of transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) gene may be involved in the cancer development. However, their role in the carcinogenic process of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) has been less well elaborated. We conducted a hospital-based case-control study including 391 ESCC cases and 508 controls without any evidence of tumors to evaluate the association between these two polymorphisms and ESCC risk and prognosis for Zhuangese population by means of polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS)-PCR techniques. We found that individuals with the genotypes with RS#1800471 C allele (namely RS#1800471-GC or -CC) had an increased risk of ESCC than those without above genotypes (namely RS#1800471-GG, adjusted odds ratio 3.26 and 5.65, respectively). Further stratification analysis showed that this polymorphism was correlated with tumor histological grades and TNM (tumor, node, and metastasis) stage, and modified the serum levels of TGF-β1. Additionally, RS#1800471 polymorphism affected ESCC prognosis (hazard ratio, 3.40), especially under high serum levels of TGF-β1 conditions. However, RS#1800468 polymorphism was not significantly related to ESCC risk. These findings indicated that TGF-β1 RS#1800471G>C polymorphism may be a genetic modifier for developing ESCC in Zhuangese population.

To investigate whether the PJ interval in the patients with pre-excitation syndrome can be shortened by pathway conduction, and to explore the clinical implications of the prolonged PJ interval.143 patients with single pathway, who experienced successful radiofrequency (RF) ablation, were divided into two groups: Group A (n = 132) with normal atrioventricular and ventricular conduction (sub-divided into 10 subsets further according to the location of the pathway) and Group B (n = 11) with first degree atrioventricular block or with bundle branch block. The ECG images with and without pathway conduction were analyzed.(1) The PJ interval in the patients with right posterior pathway or with right septal pathway was shortened significantly after the RF [(226 +/- 18) ms vs (236 +/- 19) ms and (221 +/- 18) ms vs (238 +/- 31) ms respectively, both P0.05 ]; (2) The PJ interval in Group B was shortened to different extents. The PJ interval values in 4 patients with first degree atrioventricular block were shortened, but still beyond normal extent. The PJ interval values in 4 patients with bundle branch block were shortened to normal extent.If the pre-excitation syndrome patients have normal atrioventricular conduction the PJ interval is normal or the PJ interval may be shortened. If the patients have prolonged atrioventricular conduction, the PJ interval may be shortened by the pathway prograde conduction. PJ interval prolongation indicates atrioventricular conduction delay or ventricular conduction block, but bundle branch block cannot be excluded when the PJ interval is normal.

To study the changes of serum interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-8 (IL-8) and immunoglobulin (IgG, IgA, IgM) in patients with esophageal cancer, and to probe the relationship between the levels of IL-2, IL-8, IgG, IgA and IgM and the progress of cancer.The serum levels of IL-2 and IL-8 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for 72 case of primary esophageal cancer, 68 advanced esophageal cancer and 120 healthy controls, and the level of immunoglobulin (IgG, IgA, IgM) in patients with esophageal cancer was dynamically observed.The IL-2 level in patients with early esophageal cancer [(1.69 +/- 0.53) ng/ml] or late esophageal cancer [(1.11 +/- 0.60) ng/ml] was lower than the control group [(2.78 +/- 0.51) ng/ml] (P0.01), the late esophageal cancer group was lower than early esophageal cancer group (P0.05). The level of IL-8 in patients with early esophageal cancer [(85.48 +/- 6.14) ng/L] or late esophageal cancer [(121.41 +/- 6.22) ng/L] was much higher than the control group [(54.48 +/- 12.20) ng/L] (P0.01), the late esophageal cancer group was much higher than early esophageal cancer group (P0.01); There was correlation between the levels of IL-2 and IL-8 and the worsen-extent of the tumour in patients with early esophageal cancer or late esophageal cancer. But the level of IgG [(12.23 +/- 2.50) g/L], IgM [(1.60 +/- 0.80) g/L] in the patients with esophageal cancer compared with the level of IgG [(11.65 +/- 3.70) g/L], IgM [(1.46 +/- 0.71) g/L] in the health control group have no significant difference (P0.05), the level of IgA [(3.50 +/- 1.10) g/L] in patients with esophageal cancer Compared with the control group [(1.88 +/- 1.08) g/L] has significant difference (P0.01), and along with the worsen-extent of the tumor in patients the level of IgA has the increased tendency.The IL-8 might accelerate the pathogenesis of esophageal cancer, and the IL-2 might restrain. The positive correlation between the level of IgA and the patients with esophageal cancer is observed in this study; the immune maladjustment of IL-2, IL-8 and IgA might be correlative to esophageal cancer, and the IL-2, IL-8 and IgA levels might be an available index for the severity of esophageal cancer, Which may be of some help for clinic practitioners to judge the progress, curative effect and prognosis of the cancer.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is multifactorial, and the genetic background may be a crucial etiologic factor. Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a multifunctional cytokine that induces interferon (IFN)-gamma secretion and plays an important role in antitumor immunity. Variations in the DNA sequence in the IL-18 gene promoter may lead to altered IL-18 production and/or activity, and so this can modulate an individual's susceptibility to ESCC. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the relationship of IL-18 gene promoter -137 G/C and -607 C/A polymorphisms and their haplotypes with the risk of ESCC in a Chinese population.Two hundred and thirty five patients with ESCC and 250 age- and sex-matched controls, using sequence specific primers-polymerase chain reaction (PCR-SSP).Two polymorphisms, -137 G/C and -607 C/A were in strong linkage disequilibrium (LD). There were significantly differences in the genotype and allele distribution of -137 G/C polymorphism of the IL-18 gene among cases and controls. The -137 GC and CC genotypes were associated with a significantly increased risk of ESCC as compared with the -137 GG genotypes (OR = 1.91, 95% CI, 1.29-2.82, p = 0.001 and OR = 2.95, 95% CI, 1.23-7.04, p = 0.012, respectively). Consistent with the results of the genotyping analyses, the -137 C/ -607 A haplotype was associated with a significantly increased risk of ESCC as compared with the -137G/-607 C haplotype (OR = 1.61; 95% CI, 1.16-2.23; p = 0.004).This study shows for the first time an association between IL-18 gene promoter -137 G/C polymorphism may contribute represent a genetic risk factor for ESCC in a Chinese population.

Inflammation has recently proven to be associated with the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and inflammatory genes are good candidates for the risk of developing atherosclerosis. The early phase of atherosclerosis involves the recruitment of inflammatory cells from the circulation and their transendothelial migration. This process is mainly mediated by cellular adhesion molecules. The adhesion molecule P-selectin may play a role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Polymorphism of P-selectin gene, which may affect the production level of the adhesion molecule, has been associated with a number of atherosclerotic disease. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the relationship of P-selectin gene polymorphisms and ischemic stroke in a Chinese population. We analyzed single nucleotide polymorphisms of P-selectin gene −2,123 G/C, −1,969 G/A, −1,817 T/C and Thr715Pro in three hundred and five patients with ischemic stroke and 280 age and sex matched controls, using polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and DNA sequencing method. There were no significant differences in the genotype, allele and haplotype frequencies of P-selectin gene polymorphisms between the group of patients with ischemic stroke and the control group. Furthermore, there was no significant association of genotype, allele and haplotype at any of the polymorphism in relation to any subtype of ischemic stroke. We did not observe an association between P-selectin gene polymorphisms and ischemic stroke or any subtype of ischemic stroke. However, further studies are needed to explore the complex interaction between environmental factors and P-selectin gene polymorphisms in the risk of ischemic stroke, particularly in ethnically different populations.

The cytokine interleukin-8 (IL-8) may play a role in the pathogenesis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) through the modulation of tumor immune response or enhanced angiogenesis. Polymorphism of IL-8 gene, which may affect the production level of cytokine, has been inversely associated with a number of cancers. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the relationship of IL-8 gene polymorphisms and NPC in a Chinese population. We analyzed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of IL-8 gene − 845 T/C, − 738 T/A, − 353 A/T, − 251 A/T and + 678 T/C in 280 patients with NPC and 290 age and sex matched controls, using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific primers method (PCR-SSP). There were significant differences in the genotype and allele distribution of − 251 A/T polymorphism of the IL-8 gene among cases and controls. The − 251 AA and AT genotypes were associated with a significantly increased risk of NPC as compared with the − 251 TT genotypes (OR = 1.820, 95% CI, 1.120–2.959, P = 0.015 and OR = 1.590, 95% CI, 1.104–2.290, P = 0.013, respectively). Haplotype analysis revealed that the homozygosity of the AAT haplotype (defined by SNPs at positions − 353, − 251 and + 678) of IL-8 gene conveys the highest risk for NPC compared with the homozygosity for the TTC haplotype (OR = 1.396; 95% CI, 1.064–1.831; P = 0.016). The − 251 A/T polymorphism of IL-8 and its haplotype are associated with NPC in a Chinese population. Our data suggests that IL-8 gene may play a role in the development of NPC.

To study the relationship between interleukin-6 (IL-6) gene promoter-572 C/G and -634 C/G polymorphism and coronary heart disease (CHD) and the influence of IL-6 gene polymorphism on plasma lipid and lipoprotein levels.Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used for the detection of IL-6 genotype in 165 patients with CHD and 170 healthy persons. The plasma lipid and lipoprotein levels were measured by routine method.Plasma total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) of the patients with CHD were significantly higher than those of the controls (all P0.05). The distributions of IL-6 gene -634 C/G polymorphism were not different between CHD group and control group (P0.05), but the IL-6 gene-572 C/G polymorphism was significantly different between them (P0.05). The relative risk of CHD of C allele was 1.652 times to the G allele [odds ratio (OR)=1.652, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.137-2.401]. The level of plasma lipid in G allele carriers was significantly higher than non-carriers (P0.05).IL-6 gene -572 C/G polymorphism is associated with CHD, and G allele is an important genetic marker. IL-6 gene polymorphism may affect CHD through elevation of plasma lipid and lipoprotein levels.

To assess the value of color Doppler ultrasound in distinguishing minimal pleural effusion from pleural thickening, a prospective analysis was done on the ultrasonographic findings in 51 patients. Real-time, gray-scale, and color Doppler chest ultrasound examinations were carried out by different sonographers who had no clinical information concerning the patients. The sonographer evaluated the images for internal echogenicity of the effusion, pleural lesions that change shape with respiration, and movable septa and echo-densities in pleural space in conventional gray-scale as well as color signal in color Doppler ultrasound. Of the 35 patients with true effusion, 33 had positive color signal (sensitivity 94.3%, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 89 to 98.6%); in 16 patients without effusion, none had color signal (specificity 100%, 95% CI 83 to 100%). Although real-time, gray-scale ultrasound is also sensitive for detecting minimal effusion (sensitivity 100%, 95% CI 92 to 100%), it is less specific (specificity 68.7%, 95% CI 46 to 91.5%). Five of 16 examinations showing fluid-like lesions were found to be deceptive. With relatively high sensitivity and specificity, this method proved to be a useful diagnostic aid to real-time, gray-scale ultrasound for diagnosis of minimal or loculated effusion.

BACKGROUND--Conservative treatment of malignant pericardial effusion by intrapericardial instillation of a sclerosing agent may be an alternative to surgery. METHODS--Twenty patients with malignant pericardial effusion were treated by ultrasound guided pericardiocentesis and the intrapericardial instillation of mitomycin C. RESULTS--Mitomycin C was effective in controlling the pericardial effusion in 70% of patients without causing side effects, except for pericardial constriction seven months later in one subject. CONCLUSIONS--Ultrasound guided intrapericardial instillation of mitomycin C is a suitable alternative in the management of malignant pericardial effusion.