Medicine
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Observational Study
Association between HBs Ag quantification and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients treated with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate or entecavir.
This study evaluated the clinical implications of hepatitis B surface antigen quantification (qHBs Ag) in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients treated with entecavir (ETV) or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and identified the association between qHBs Ag and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in these patients. Between January 2007 and December 2018, the qHBs Ag and clinical data of 183 CHB patients who initially received ETV (n = 45, 24.6%) or TDF (n = 138, 75.4%) were analyzed. The mean follow-up period of the 183 CHB patients was 45.3 months, of which 59 (32.2%) patients showed a reduction in qHBs Ag by >50% after 1 year of antiviral treatment (ETV or TDF). ⋯ Multivariate analysis showed that a >50% reduction of qHBs Ag (hazard ratio 0.085, P = .018) and the presence of cirrhosis (hazard ratio 3.32, P = .016) were independent factors predicting the development of HCC. Patients whose qHBs Ag value decreased >50% at 1 year after antiviral treatment for CHB showed a significant decrease in HCC or decompensated cirrhosis events. A reduction in qHBs Ag could be used as a predictive factor of HCC development or critical complications in CHB patients treated with TDF or ETV.
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Although the transfemoral approach is the gold standard for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), it is not feasible in a considerable number of patients. We report a case of successful transsubclavian TAVR (TS-TAVR) in a patient with severe aortic stenosis (AS) who was ineligible for transfemoral TAVR because she was a kidney transplant recipient. ⋯ Because kidney transplant recipients with severe AS are considered poor candidates for transfemoral TAVR, TS-TAVR is a suitable alternative to consider.
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Participation in volunteer activity has positive effects on health among elderly. Few studies have investigated the association between volunteer activity and depression among Chinese elderly. This study aimed to examine the association between volunteer activity and depression among the elderly in China regarding rural-urban differences. ⋯ After adjustment for all covariates, our results revealed that almost daily participation in formal volunteer activities was negatively associated with depression among urban elderly (B = -2.69, SE = 1.05, P = .010); almost daily caring for a sick or disabled adult was positively associated with depression among both urban and rural elderly (urban:B = 3.13, SE = 1.54, P = .043; rural:B = 2.56, SE = 1.18, P = .031). These findings suggested that there was a negative association between formal volunteer activity and depression among urban elderly, while there was a positive association between caring for a sick or disabled adult and depression among both urban and rural elderly. The government should take effective measures to encourage the elderly to participate in formal volunteer activities to prevent them from depression.
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Synchronous double primary malignancies of lymphoma and thyroid cancer are rare. In this retrospective study, we investigated the pathology, clinical characteristics, and treatment outcomes of patients with synchronous lymphoma and thyroid cancer. Of the 1156 newly diagnosed lymphoma patients treated in our hospital between January 1, 2016 and February 1, 2021, 8 cases had lymphoma complicated with thyroid cancer. ⋯ Histologically, B-cell lymphomas and papillary thyroid cancer subtypes are more common. Attention should be paid to the presence of thyroid nodules in the diagnosis of lymphoma. Biopsy or ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration of the suspicious thyroid nodule should be performed to exclude thyroid malignancy.
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Observational Study
MYL2 as a potential predictive biomarker for rhabdomyosarcoma.
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a common malignant soft tissue sarcoma, which is the third most common soft tissue sarcoma after malignant fibrohistoma and liposarcoma. The discovery of potential postbiomarkers could lead to early and more effective treatment measures to reduce the mortality of RMS. The discovery of biomarker is expected to be the direction of targeted therapy, providing a new direction for the precise treatment of RMS. ⋯ RMS patients with low expression level of MYL2 had poorer overall survival times than those with high expression levels (P < .05). In summary, lower expression of MYL2 was 1 prediction for poor prognosis of RMS. MYL2 is hope to be the target of therapy, which leads to more effective treatment and reduces the mortality rate of RMS.