Int J Med Sci
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Aim: Tolvaptan, an oral vasopressin-2 antagonist, sometimes improves hepatic edema including ascites in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. In this study, we examined the effectiveness and survival advantage in patients with the long-term administration of tolvaptan. Methods: A total of 115 patients with refractory ascites who were treated with tolvaptan were retrospectively analyzed based on their clinical records. ⋯ Child-Pugh (classification C), HCC complication, and serum sodium levels (≥133 mEq/L) were determined as independent prognostic factors impacting overall survival (OS). Although there were no significant differences in OS between tolvaptan responders and non-responders, the responders without re-exacerbation within 3 months showed significantly longer OS than those with re-exacerbation within 3 months. Conclusion: A persistent therapeutic response, but not early response to tolvaptan, was associated with favorable survival of decompensated cirrhotic patients.
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Observational Study
Geniposide inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma cells by inactivating the HCP5/miR-27b-3p/MET axis.
Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is commonly treated with R-CHOP, but ~30 to 50% of the patients are poorly responsive to this strategy. Geniposide, an extract from the Gardenia jasminoides Ellis, plays antitumor roles in human gastric cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, and oral squamous carcinoma. However, the effects of geniposide treatment on DLBCL cells, as well as its underlying mechanism, are still unknown. ⋯ HCP5 knockdown reduced MET protein expression, which was subsequently rescued by miR-27b-3p silencing in DLBCL cells. Importantly, the restoration of MET partially reversed the geniposide-induced proliferation inhibition and apoptosis of DLBCL cells. In conclusion, geniposide inhibits the proliferation and induces the apoptosis of DLBCL cells at least partially by regulating the HCP5/miR-27b-3p/MET axis, indicating a potential strategy for DLBCL treatment.
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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune inflammatory disease, in which the immune system attacks joint tissue. Interleukin (IL)-6 is a key proinflammatory cytokine in RA progression. Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), a platelet-derived lysophospholipid mediator, reportedly regulates osteoimmunology. ⋯ PI3K, MEK, ERK and NF-κB inhibitors and their small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) reduced S1P-promoted IL-6 expression. S1P also facilitated PI3K, MEK/ERK and NF-κB signaling cascades. Our results indicate that S1P promotes the expression of IL-6 in osteoblasts via the PI3K, MEK/ERK and NF-κB signaling pathways.
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Background: The number of asymptomatic infected patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019) is rampaging around the world but limited information aimed on risk factors of asymptomatic infections. The purpose of this study is to investigate the risk factors of symptoms onset and clinical features in asymptomatic COVID-19 infected patients. Methods: A retrospective study was performed in 70 asymptomatic COVID-2019 infected patients confirmed by nucleic acid tests in Hunan province, China between 28 January 2020 and 18 February, 2020. ⋯ Cox regression analysis showed that smoking history (P=0.028, hazard ratio=4.49, 95% CI 1.18-17.08) and existence of pulmonary disease (P=0.038, hazard ratio=7.09, 95% CI 1.12-44.90) were risk factors of the onset of symptoms in asymptomatic carries. Conclusion: The initially asymptomatic patients can develop mild symptoms and have a good prognosis. History of smoking and pulmonary disease was prone to illness onset in asymptomatic patients, and it is necessary to be highly vigilant to those patients.
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Rationale: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is one of the major reasons for ventilation and intubation management of COVID-19 patients but there is no noninvasive imaging monitoring protocol for ARDS. In this study, we aimed to develop a noninvasive ARDS monitoring protocol based on traditional quantitative and radiomics approaches from chest CT. Methods: Patients diagnosed with COVID-19 from Jan 20, 2020 to Mar 31, 2020 were enrolled in this study. ⋯ Conclusions: It is feasible to monitor ARDS from CT images using radiomics or traditional quantitative analysis in COVID-19. The radiomics model seems to be the most practical one for possible clinical use. Multi-center validation with a larger number of samples is recommended in the future.