Our study investigated the correlation between sarcopenia and clinical outcomes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with lenvatinib. We retrospectively evaluated 40 consecutive patients with unresectable HCC receiving lenvatinib between November 2018 and May 2020 at the First Hospital of Jilin University. Skeletal muscle mass was measured before treatment initiation. Prognostic significance was assessed with univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were evaluated for patients with and without sarcopenia. Sarcopenia was present in 23/40 patients (57.5%). After a median follow-up of 9.2 months, patients with sarcopenia had significantly worse OS and PFS compared with those without sarcopenia (OS: 8.4 months [m] vs 14.7 m, P = .02; PFS: 4.2 m vs 9.0 m, P = .04). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models identified presence of sarcopenia as an independent risk factor for shorter OS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.257; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.083-0.794; P = .02). In subgroup analysis, sarcopenia was associated with worse survival than non-sarcopenic patients, irrespective of age, Barcelona clinic liver cancer stage, or albumin-bilirubin grade. Our results show sarcopenia may be a predictor of poor prognosis in patients with HCC receiving lenvatinib. Management of sarcopenia is a vital factor for improving survival outcomes in patients with HCC.
Abstract Glioblastomas (GBMs) are the most prevalent and devastating primary intracranial malignancies and have extensive heterogeneity. Notch1 signaling is a more complex process in the development of numerous cell and tissue types, including gliomagenesis and progression, and is upregulated in glioma-initiating cells. However, the contradictory expression of Notch1 among lower grade gliomas and GBMs confounds our understanding of GBM biology and has made identifying effective therapies difficult. In this study, we validated that Notch1 and NF-κB(p65) are highly expressed in the classical and proneural subtypes of GBM using the data set from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA). DAPT and shRNA targeting Notch1 decreased NF-κB(p65) expression, suppressed cell proliferation, and induced apoptosis of GBM cells in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, we illustrated that the intracellular Notch could bind with NF-κB(p65) in GBM cells. These findings suggest that the cross-talk between Notch1 signaling and NF-κB(p65) could contribute to the proliferation and apoptosis of glioma, and this discovery could help drive the design of more effective therapies in Notch1-targeted clinical trials.
Background The study aimed to explore the short-term clinical efficacy of bikini incision and traditional incision in total hip replacement via the direct anterior approach. Methods The study enrolled 94 patients who underwent total hip replacement using the direct anterior approach between March 2018 and April 2020. They were assigned to the study group and the control group with 47 patients in each group using the random number table method. They received traditional incision and bikini incision, respectively. The operative time, intraoperative estimated blood loss, postoperative pain, length of hospital stay, incision healing, postoperative Harris score, and occurrences of complications were compared between the two groups. Results There was no statistically significant difference in operative time, incision length, and intraoperative estimated blood loss between the two groups ( P > 0.05). The length of hospital stay was shorter in the study group than that of the control group, and the difference was statistically significant ( P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in pain severity between the two groups ( P > 0.05). No incision infection occurred in either group. The study group had small scar areas and scar scores than the control group ( P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in Harris scores between the two groups at three and six months postoperatively ( P > 0.05). The rate of lateral femoral cutaneous nerve injury was lower in the study group than that of the control group, and the difference was statistically significant ( P < 0.05). Conclusion Bikini incision in total hip replacement via the direct anterior approach can shorten the length of hospital stay, promote incision healing, lower the incidence of complications, improve the prognosis, and promote recovery of patients, and it is worthy of being promoted for wide clinical use.
The patient, a 48-year-old man, was admitted due to “chest pain for 20 days” and “presence of anterior superior mediastinal mass”. He suffered from chest pain 20 days ago, which became severer when coughing. However, no tenderness or heart palpitations were noted. Chest CT at the local hospital showed a roundish hypodense lesion at the anterior superior mediastinum. Further abdominal ultrasound in a medical university-affiliated hospital showed no other abnormality. He then visited our hospital for further management. His general conditions were acceptable. The chest pain persisted, which became severer when coughing. He also had chest tightness and mildly irritating dry cough. However, he had no fever, night sweats, heart palpitations, or precordial discomfort. His mental status, physical performance, appetite, and sleep were normal, and the body weight did not obviously change. Urination and defecation were normal.
The goal of this study is to observe changes in HBcAg-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), natural killer (NK) and natural killer T (NKT) cells from peripheral blood and to relate such changes on viral clearance and liver injury in patients with acute hepatitis B (AHB). Dynamic profiles on the frequency of HLA-A0201-restricted HBcAg18-27 pentamer complex (MHC-Pentamer)-specific CTLs and lymphocyte subsets in AHB patients were analyzed in addition to liver function tests, HBV serological markers, and HBV DNA levels. ELISPOT was used to detect interferon-gamma (INF-γ) secretion in specific CTLs stimulated with known T cell epitope peptides associated with HBV surface protein, polymerase, and core protein. HBV-specific CTL frequencies in AHB patients were much higher than in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) (p < 0.05). HBeAg and HBV DNA disappeared earlier in AHB patients with a high frequency of HBV-specific CTLs compared with those with a low frequency of HBV-specific CTLs (p = 0.001 and 0.024, respectively). INF-γ spots of effector cells stimulated by Pol575-583, Env348-357, or Core18-27 epitope peptides were significantly greater in AHB patients than in CHB patients (p < 0.01). CD3+CD8+ T cell numbers in AHB patients was more than observed in the healthy control group from the first to the fourth week after admission (p = 0.008 and 0.01, respectively); the number of CD3+CD8+ T cells and frequency of HBcAg18-27-specific CTLs in AHB patients reached peak levels at the second week after admission. NK and NKT cell numbers were negatively correlated with the frequency of HBcAg-specific CTLs (r = -0.266, p = 0.05). Patients with AHB possess a higher frequency of HBcAg-specific CTLs than CHB patients. The frequency of specific CTLs in AHB patients is correlated with HBeAg clearance indicating that HBV-specific CTLs play an important role in viral clearance and the self-limited process of the disease. Furthermore, NK and NKT cells are likely involved in the early, non-specific immune response to clear the virus.
'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(23.036 .093 25.536)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(45.87 1.273 16.18)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(69.945 .996 12.078)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(20.66 -19.689 31.932)'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)