Objective To investigate the efficacy of cerebrovascular function therapy(CVFT) and hemiplegic limbs transcutancous electrical nerve stimulator(TENS) in the treatment of acute cerebral infarction.Method Total 60 cases of acute cerebral infarction were randomly divided into the treated group and the control group(30 cases in each group).The patients of the treated group had been treated with CVTF and Tens-21 on the basis of routine medical treatment within 3 days of onset.The control group only received routine medical treatment.The National Institute of NIHSS and Barthel Indices were summed up in pretreatment and 21 days after treatment.Results Differences of NIHSS or Barthel Indices between the two groups showed statistically significance after treatment.Conclusion CVTF and TENS treatment as early as possible after acute cerebral infarction can promote rehabilitation of function.
Objective: An easily manipulated and flexible radiologic image distribution environment was developed with the help of Java technology.Method: This approach involves a Web server that allows the query and retrieval of images stored in a Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine(DICOM)archive.The images can be viewed inside a Web browser with use of a small Java program known as the Applet Viewer,which is executed inside the browser.Results: A radiologic image distribution environment was developed with the help of Java technology,images retrieved from DICOM archive can be viewed and manipulated in the Web browser through the Internet,Specialist from different hospitals can communicate with each others on line.Conclusion: The system offers several advantages over more traditional picture archiving and communicat-ion systems(PACS):It is easy to install and maintain,is platform independent,allows images to be manipulated and displayed efficiently,and is easy to integrate with existing systems that are already making use of Web technologies.The system can easily be used from outside the hospital if a security policy is in place.The simplicity and flexibility of Internet technologies makes them highly preferable to the more complex PACS workstations.
e15016 Background: Although regorafenib and fruquintinib have been recommended as the third-line treatment for patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), the median survival time of mCRC is still only for 4-8 months and the low response rate and unpleasant side effects limit their use in Chinese patients. Apatinib, an oral VEGFR-2 inhibitor, has been approved as a third line treatment in metastatic gastric cancer. In addition, apatinib has demonstrated good safety, tolerability, and efficacy in the treatment of advanced solid tumors. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of apatinib combined with S-1 in the treatment of refractory mCRC. Methods: In this prospective, open-label, single-arm, multicenter, phase II study, patients after failure of second-line chemotherapy were enrolled and took apatinib (250mg, daily) combined with S-1 (standard dose). The primary endpoint was progression free survival (PFS) and the second endpoint was response rate and overall survival time. Results: From December 2017, 22 patients (14 male) with a median age of 56y (range: 34-71 y) were enrolled and eligible for evaluation of the PFS, response rate and safety. The median PFS was 105d (95% CI: 79.01-130.98). two patients (9%) achieved partial response, 15 (68.18%) achieved stable disease, and 5 (22.72%) were progressive disease. The objective response rate and the disease control rate were 9% and 77.27%, respectively. Median overall survival was not reached. The common adverse effects were abnormal liver function (7/22; 31.81%), leukopenia (5/22; 22.72%) and thrombocytopenia (4/22; 18.18%). The incidence for grade 3-4 side effect was very low. One patient experienced grade 3 proteinuria and there were no toxic deaths. Conclusions: This preliminary result indicated that apatinib combined with S-1 may extend the PFS in mCRC, with well-tolerated toxicities, making it a promising therapeutic target for mCRC treatment. Clinical trial information: NCT03397199 .
The purpose of this research is to identify the bowel symptoms and self-care strategies for rectal cancer survivors during the recovery process following low anterior resection surgery. A total of 100 participants were investigated under the structured interview guide based on the dimensions of "symptom management theory". 92% of participants reported changes in bowel habits, the most common being the frequent bowel movements and narrower stools, which we named it finger-shaped consistency stools. The 6 most frequently reported bowel symptoms were excessive flatus (93%), clustering (86%), urgency (77%), straining (62%), bowel frequency (57%) and anal pendant expansion (53%). Periodic bowel movements occurred in 19% participants. For a group of 79 participants at 6 to 24 months post-operation, 86.1% reported a significant improvement of bowel symptoms. Among 68 participants of this subgroup with significant improvements, 70.5% participants reported the length of time it took was at least 6 months. Self-care strategies adopted by participants included diet, bowel medications, practice management and exercise. It is necessary to educate patients on the symptoms experienced following low anterior resection surgery. Through the process of trial and error, participants have acquired self-care strategies. Healthcare professionals should learn knowledge of such strategies and help them build effective interventions.
73 Background: Ahead-G201 is an ongoing open-label, multicenter, post-marketing Phase IV trial assessing safety and efficacy of apatinib in 2000+ patients (pts) with chemotherapy-refractory advanced or metastatic adenocarcinoma of stomach or gastroesophageal junction. Proteinuria (PTN), hypertension (HTN) and hand-foot-skin reaction (HFSR) are common adverse events (AEs) related to anti-angiogenesis drugs. Methods: As of 2017/7/10, 1037 and 820 pts were evaluable for safety and survival. Clinical outcomes were compared between pts with and without PTN / PTN / HFSR using Kaplan–Meier methods and multivariate Cox regression model. Results: 200 (19.3%), 194 (18.8%) and 115 (11.1%) pts had PTN, HTN and HFSR, respectively. Similar mean daily dosage was found between pts with and without PTN, HTN or HFSR (from 520.6 to 551.0 mg/day). Pts developed PTN / HTN / HFSR had longer median medication durations (57 vs. 33 / 55 vs. 35 / 65 vs. 36 days; p<0.001). However, there was no significant difference in tumor response and progression free survival (PFS) between pts with and without PTN/HTN/HFSR (Table). Only pts had HFSR showed significantly longer overall survival (OS) (8.38 vs. 5.95 months; p=0.0003). After adjusted for baseline and treatment characteristics, presence of HFSR was found to be independently associated with prolonged OS (HR: 1.82 [95%CI, 1.25–2.66]). Conclusions: Occurrence of HFSR is an independent predictor of better OS. Prior analysis based on Phase II and III indicated the relationship between HTN and prolonged OS, which needs to be further analyzed. Clinical trial information: NCT02426034. [Table: see text]
Background: Traditional intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) planning for cervical cancer is time-consuming and require iterative repeated optimization. In this study, we focused on leveraging multi-criteria optimization (MCO) to reduce the impact of small bowel high-dose indices on other optimization targets, thereby providing a rapid approach to individualized IMRT for cervical cancer patients. Methods: Our research involved a cohort of 25 cervical cancer patients who underwent IMRT radiotherapy. The patient inclusion criteria were as follows: (I) histopathological confirmation of cervical cancer, (II) underwent IMRT radiation therapy, and (III) a prescribed dose of 180 cGy/28 fractions for the patient. All plans were replanned by an experienced dosimetrist without the MCO (W-IMRT). On the basis of the W-IMRT plan, the individualized IMRT (I-IMRT) plan was generated under the priority trade-off of reducing the D2cc (D2cc is the minimal dose to the 2 cm3 of the small bowel receiving the maximal dose) index of the small bowel using the MCO method, maintaining target coverage and protecting other organs at risk (OARs) as much as possible. Statistical analysis was performed using the Wilcoxon signature rank test. Results: When the MCO method was applied to the IMRT plan, the high dose index decreased in the overlapping area between the small bowel and the planning treatment volume (PTV) (P<0.001, respectively). The D2cc index of the small bowel decreased to below 5,200 cGy in all I-IMRT plans. On the other hand, in PTV, the I-IMRT plan achieved a better homogeneity index (HI) compared to the W-IMRT plan. Significant dose reductions were also observed in the bladder (Dmean 144.8 cGy and V40 1.45%) (P<0.001, respectively), rectum (Dmean 43.9 cGy and V40 2.7%) (P<0.001, respectively) and bilateral femur heads (Dmean 150 cGy) (P<0.001, respectively). Conclusions: Dosimetric differences suggest that the I-IMRT plan using the MCO method provides better protection of other OARs and equivalently in PTV coverage, while lowering the high-dose index in the small bowel as much as possible for patients with cervical cancer, thus providing a rapid approach to achieving individualized IMRT for cervical cancer patients.
Background and Objectives: An accurate delineation of the primary clinical target volume (CTVp) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) significantly affects the outcomes of radiotherapy. However, when basing the CTVp on the primary gross tumor volume, there are no consistent guidelines for the size of the margin. We compared preoperative 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT images and large slices of resected pathological ESCC specimens for evidence and prediction of subclinical lesions. We also investigated associations between the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), metabolic tumor volumes (MTVs), and lesions to improve estimates of the CTVp. Methods:55 patients underwent FDG PET/CT before surgery, and the SUVmax and MTVs were determined. To ensure that the in situ distances between the primary and secondary tumors were preserved, the esophageal specimens collected during radical surgery were processed to minimize shrinkage, and subclinical lesions were characterized by pathological examination. A 2-dimensional logistic regression model was used to assess the associations between clinicopathological features and microscopic spread of the lesions. Results: Subclinical lesions in pathological specimens were characterized as direct invasion, multicentric occurrence lesions, intra-mural metastasis, vascular invasion, and perineural invasion in 56.4, 40.0, 30.9, 21.8, and 18.2% of patients, respectively. The mean distances of the subclinical lesions from the primary tumor were 0.79 ± 1.28 cm and 0.87 ± 1.00 cm in the cranial and caudal directions, respectively. Together the SUVmax and MTV values could predict the presence of subclinical lesions that were not detectable in PET/CT images. Conclusions: To cover 94.5% of ESCC subclinical lesions in the CTVp, a 3-cm margin along the cranial-caudal axis should be added to the primary gross tumor volume as defined by FDG-PET/CT, as well as a cutoff SUVmax value of 2.5. Although preoperative FDG PET/CT images may not reveal lesions directly, the SUVmax and MTV measurements together could predict their presence.
PURPOSE This phase 3 trial aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of capecitabine or capecitabine plus oxaliplatin (XELOX) with those of fluorouracil plus cisplatin (PF) in definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy (DCRT) for inoperable locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). METHODS Patients were randomly assigned to receive two cycles of capecitabine, XELOX, or PF along with concurrent intensity-modulated radiation therapy. Patients in each arm were again randomly assigned to receive two cycles of consolidation chemotherapy or not. The primary end points were 2-year overall survival (OS) rate and incidence of grade ≥3 adverse events (AEs). RESULTS A total of 246 patients were randomly assigned into the capecitabine (n = 80), XELOX (n = 85), and PF (n = 81) arms. In capecitabine, XELOX, and PF arms, the 2-year OS rate was 75%, 66.7%, and 70.9% (capecitabine v PF: hazard ratio [HR], 0.91 [95% CI, 0.61 to 1.35]; nominal P = .637; XELOX v PF: 0.86 [95% CI, 0.58 to 1.27]; P = .444); the median OS was 40.9 (95% CI, 34.4 to 49.9), 41.9 (95% CI, 28.6 to 52.1), and 35.4 (95% CI, 30.4 to 45.4) months. The incidence of grade ≥3 AEs during the entire treatment was 28.8%, 36.5%, and 45.7%, respectively. Comparing the consolidation chemotherapy with the nonconsolidation chemotherapy groups, the median OS was 41.9 (95% CI, 34.6 to 52.8) versus 36.9 (95% CI, 28.5 to 44) months (HR, 0.71 [95% CI, 0.52 to 0.99]; nominal P = .0403). CONCLUSION Capecitabine or XELOX did not significantly improve the 2-year OS rate over PF in DCRT for inoperable locally advanced ESCC. Capecitabine showed a lower incidence of grade ≥3 AEs than PF did.
The output and particle size distribution of several series of aqueous solutions were measured to define quantitatively the practical limits of the solution properties acceptable for aerosol production by the aeroneb micropump nebulizer. Aerosol output measurements were made gravimetrically and the particle size distributions were obtained by laser diffractometry. Solution properties were obtained from the literature by interpolation of the best-fit curve of the property plotted as a function of composition. For nonionic solutes, addition of sodium chloride dramatically increased the output rate and also decreased the droplet size at low solute concentrations. Increasing viscosity also caused a significant decrease in output. Cesium chloride displayed increased output rate with concentration due to the rising density. Based on calculations with the number of apertures and oscillatory frequency, low output rates appeared to be a consequence of apertures failing to produce a droplet with each oscillation. Overall, ionic strength, density, surface tension, and viscosity affected the output rate in a manner that can be now empirically predicted.
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