Abstract Background: Male breast cancer is extremely rare and optimal treatments remain unclear. Most of research findings about breast cancer are derived from female patients and has not been rigorously investigated in male patients. The aim of article is to introduce the utility of indocyanine green (ICG) and blue dye mapping for sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy and to determine its clinical usefulness in male breast cancer. Case presentation: A total of 5 consecutive male breast cancer patients with clinical stage ranging from I to IIA in the Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province during March 2013 to May 2016 were included in the present study. All patients underwent SLN biopsy with ICG and blue dye. Planed surgical resection with axillary lymph node dissection was performed. Surgically excised sentinel nodes were subjected to conventional histopathology. All of 5 cases with male breast cancer were successfully identified SLNs. Among them, 4 cases were detected by blue dye and all cases were detected by indocyanine green. A total of 10 SLNs were retrieved with an average nodal count of 2 per patient. Metastases were present in 2 nodes within 1 patients. Conclusions: These results provide evidence that the SLN biopsy mapping with ICG and blue dye is accurate in predicting axillary lymph nodes metastases and has the potential to be a reliable criteria for staging of the axilla in patients with male breast cancer.
The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics, imaging features, differential diagnosis, treatment options, and prognosis for primary spinal epidural cavernous hemangiomas.Fourteen patients with pathologically diagnosed non-vertebral origin cavernous hemangiomas who had undergone surgery at Beijing Tiantan Hospital between 2003 and 2012 were identified in the hospital's database. The patients' clinical data, imaging characteristics, surgical treatment, and postoperative follow-up were analyzed retrospectively.There were 9 males and 5 females with an average age of 51.64 years. The primary epidural cavernous hemangiomas were located in the cervical spine (2 cases), cervicothoracic junction (2 cases), thoracic spine (8 cases), thoracolumbar junction (1 case), and lumbar spine (1 case). Hemorrhage was confirmed in 4 cases during surgery. Preoperatively 5 lesions were misdiagnosed as schwannoma, 1 was misdiagnosed as a meningioma, and 1 was misdiagnosed as an arachnoid cyst. Preoperative hemorrhages were identified in 2 cases. Three patients had recurrent cavernous hemangiomas. The initial presenting symptoms were local pain in 5 cases, radiculopathy in 6 cases, and myelopathy in 3 cases. Upon admission, 1 patient had radicular symptoms and 13 had myelopathic symptoms. The average symptom duration was 18 months. All patients underwent surgery; complete resection was achieved in 8 cases, subtotal resection in 4 cases, and partial resection in 2 cases. Postoperative follow-up was completed in 10 cases (average follow-up 34 months); 1 patient died, 5 patients showed clinical improvement, and 4 patients remained neurologically unchanged.Total surgical removal of spine epidural cavernous hemangiomas with a chronic course is the optimum treatment and carries a good prognosis. Secondary surgery for recurrent epidural cavernous hemangioma is technically more challenging. In patients with profound myelopathy from acute hemorrhage, even prompt surgical decompression can rarely reverse all symptoms.
To explore serial reconstruction strategy for severe cervical cicatrix deformity.A total of 24 cases, III or IV degree cervical contracture deformity, were treated in Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital from January 2006 to December 2011. There were 18 males and 6 females with an average age of 35.4 years. The etiologies included burns, chemical injuries and scalding. Three evaluation indices of mental cervical angle (MCA) including soft tissue MCA, osseous MCA and dynamic MCA were measured before treatment and during follow-ups. The first-stage treatment was comprised of cervical cicatrix resection, contracture release, lift of dual direction platysma flap, reconstruction of MCA and skin grafting. At Months 3-6, second-stage treatment was performed, including lower mandible scar resection, correction of lower lip eversion, lower mandible region reconstruction with free (para-) scapular skin flap. After two-stage treatment, the patients underwent periodical re-evaluations for gross appearance, function and measurement of MCA.Twenty-two patients completing two-stage reconstruction were followed up. Notable improvement of cervical mobilization and contour were achieved. Soft tissue MCA decreased from 130° ± 34° to 110° ± 24°, osseous MCA increased from 71° ± 23° to 95° ± 19° and dynamic MCA increased from 25° ± 18° to 80° ± 26°.The serial treatment strategy is effective. In comparisons with reconstruction with skin graft only or skin flap only, the strategy possesses many advantages.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of guanylyl cyclase C (GCC) in human gastric cancer (GC) tissues and assess the effect of GCC small interfering RNA (siRNA) on the proliferation and apoptosis of SGC‐7901. METHODS: The expression of GCC in 30 specimens and three human GC cell lines (SGC‐7901, AGS, NCI‐N87) were detected by RT‐PCR for messenger RNA (mRNA) by Western blot and immunofluorescence for proteins. Recombinant plasmids containing GCC siRNA and scrambled siRNA were constructed and transfected into SGC‐7901 cells, respectively. A cell counting kit‐8, flow cytometry (FCM) and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TDT)‐mediated dUTP‐biotin nick end‐labeling were used to evaluate cell viability, cell cycle distribution and apoptosis, followed by wound healing assay and cell adherent assay for cell motility and adherent, respectively. RESULTS: The expression of GCC was absent in paracancerous tissues, whereas the GCC mRNA and protein expressions were detected in 20/30 and 19/30 of GC specimens, respectively. Moreover, intestinal GC was statistically different from diffuse GC ( P < 0.05). The proliferation of SGC‐7901 cells was markedly inhibited by GCC siRNA‐3 ( P < 0.05) and cell morphological changes including volumetric reduction, karyopyknosis and karyorrhexis were observed. FCM showed that the cell count in the sub‐G0/G1 peak increased from 5.47% (48 h after transfection) to 5.63% (72 h after transfection). The wound healing assay and cell adherent assay revealed that GCC gene silencing decreased cell motility and adherent. CONCLUSION: The over‐expression of GCC has been detected in intestinal type GC. GCC siRNA can effectively inhibit the proliferation and invasion of SGC‐7901 cells and induce cell apoptosis. GCC might be a novel biomarker and therapeutic target for GC.
Background: Triptolide is an immunosuppressive fraction purified from a Chinese medicinal plant. In an effort to develop a new immunosuppressive strategy for vascularized composite allotransplantation, the authors investigated the effects of combined treatment with cyclosporin A and triptolide on the survival of rat groin flap allotransplants. Methods: Groin flap transplantation was performed from Brown Norway rats to Fischer 344 recipients, which were then treated with triptolide, cyclosporin A, or both. Flap biopsy specimens were harvested, stained, and submitted to histopathologic evaluation. Levels of CCR5, CCR7, CCL19, CCL21, and Foxp3 in spleen were examined by real-time polymerase chain reaction, and the percentage of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells was detected by flow cytometry. Results: The mean survival time for allografts in recipients receiving triptolide and cyclosporin A was 57 ± 7.7 days compared with 20.5 ± 2.3 days for cyclosporin A alone, 23.3 ± 3.6 days for triptolide alone, and 7.8 ± 0.8 days for no treatment. Histologic examination also showed that inflammatory cell infiltration was reduced in grafts with combination treatment. Down-regulation of CCR5, CCR7, and CCL19 in the combination treatment was accompanied by increased expression of Foxp3. Flow cytometric analysis also revealed that the percentage of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells in the combination treatment was higher than in the monotherapy groups. Conclusions: Combination therapy with triptolide and cyclosporin A substantially prolonged allograft survival, which means calcineurin inhibitor–related drug-toxicity may be alleviated and treatment cost reduced. This immunosuppressive effect is mediated by inhibition of dendritic cells maturation and the expansion of regulatory T cells.
OBJECTIVE To investigate the correlation of cytokeratin pan (CKP), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and microvessel density (MVD) to spiral CT manifestations of thymoma. METHODS Eighty-four thymoma patients were underwent spiral CT examination, and 40 of the patients also had enhanced CT examination. All the CT findings were carefully reviewed to analyze their correlation to the expressions of CKP, VEGF and MVD. RESULTS The enhancement on spiral CT images increased with the levels of VEGF expression and MVD counting (P<0.01). Significant correlations were observed between VEGF expression, MVD counting and such spiral CT findings as lobular contours, cusp-like or sawtooth-like margins and tumor invasions of the pleural membrane, pericardium and great vessels (P<0.05). CKP expression showed no obvious correlation to these findings by spiral CT. CONCLUSION Spiral CT can reflect the pathological characteristics of thymoma, and may serve as a noninvasive modality for preoperative evaluation of thymoma.
Pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with KMT2A rearrangements has a very different prognosis. Poor outcomes cannot be avoided even after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. In order to investigate the prognosis and efficacy, we conducted a retrospective analysis.We retrospectively analyzed a total of 32 children with KMT2A rearrangements AML treated in our hospital between January 2015 and February 2021.The proportion of patients with KMT2A-rearranged in the medium-risk group of overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) was 100%. No differences in OS, EFS and cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) were detected between the haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT) and full matched HSCT (P = 0.289, P = 0.303, P = 0.303). Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) was often detected in the haplo-HSCT cohort, while full matched HSCT had no obvious aGVHD, assessed as≤1 grade (P < 0.05). Patients in the medium-risk pediatric group could acquire 100% OS and EFS only after chemotherapy. There was no significant difference in OS, EFS and CIR between full matched HSCT and haploidentical transplantation in pediatric AML with KMT2A rearrangements, but full matched HSCT seemed to have a lower death rate. The severity of aGVHD in the full matched HSCT was less than that in the haploidentical transplantation group.The primary choice of donor can be HLA-matched sibling donors or matched unrelated donors for children with AML with KMT2A rearrangements, and the secondary choice can be haploid donors.
This study investigated the surgical method and therapeutic effect of retrograde island flap bridge transfer of the adjacent phalangeal artery combined with vascular pedicle tubular skin grafting to repair finger pulp defects. From June 2008 to May 2020, 21 fingers (19 patients) were repaired using this method. The postoperative flap survival rate and complications, and the clinical effect, were evaluated. All flaps survived, and all patients were followed-up for 12 to 46 months. The static two-point discrimination (2PD) was 7 to 11 mm, no apparent complications were observed in the donor area and the McIndoe cold intolerance symptom severity (CISS) scores indicated mild severity. The Michigan hand outcome questionnaire (MHQ) indicated that all patients were satisfied with their overall hand appearance and function. Results were excellent in 15 cases and good in 4 cases, according to the Dargan function evaluation (DFE). It is safe and effective to repair finger pulp defects with a retrograde island flap bridge transfer of the adjacent phalangeal artery combined with vascular pedicle tubular skin grafting. This skin flap has the advantages of simple severing, good texture and concealed donor area, which is convenient for early postoperative functional exercise of the finger.