[Recognition of abnormal changes in echocardiographic videos by an artificial intelligence assisted diagnosis model based on 3D CNN]

Objective: To investigate the diagnostic efficiency and clinical application value of an artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis model based on a three-dimensional convolutional neural network (3D CNN) on echocardiographic videos of patients with hypertensive heart disease, chronic renal failure (CRF) and hypothyroidism with cardiac involvement. Methods: This study is a retrospective study. The patients with hypertensive heart disease, CRF and hypothyroidism with cardiac involvement, who admitted in Henan Provincial People's Hospital from April 2019 to October 2021, were enrolled. Patients were divided into hypertension group, CRF group, and hypothyroidism group. Additionally, a simple random sampling method was used to select control healthy individuals, who underwent physical examination at the same period. The echocardiographic video data of enrolled participants were analyzed. The video data in each group was divided into a training set and an independent testing set in a ratio of 5 to 1. The temporal and spatial characteristics of videos were extracted using an inflated 3D convolutional network (I3D). The artificial intelligence assisted diagnosis model was trained and tested. There was no case overlapped between the training and validation sets. A model was established according to cases or videos based on video data from 3 different views (single apical four chamber (A4C) view, single parasternal left ventricular long-axis (PLAX) view and all views). The statistical analysis of diagnostic performance was completed to calculate sensitivity, specificity and area under the ROC curve (AUC). The time required for the artificial intelligence and ultrasound physicians to process cases was compared. Results: A total of 730 subjects aged (41.9±12.7) years were enrolled, including 362 males (49.6%), and 17 703 videos were collected. There were 212 cases in the hypertensive group, 210 cases in the CRF group, 105 cases in the hypothyroidism group, and 203 cases in the normal control group. The diagnostic performance of the model predicted by cases based on single PLAX view and all views data was excellent: (1) in the hypertensive group, the sensitivity, specificity and AUC of models based on all views data were 97%, 89% and 0.93, respectively, while those of models based on a single PLAX view were 94%, 95%, and 0.94, respectively; (2) in the CRF group, the sensitivity, specificity and AUC of models based on all views data were 97%, 95% and 0.96, respectively, while those of models based on a single PLAX view were 97%, 89%, and 0.93, respectively; (3) in the hypothyroidism group, the sensitivity, specificity and AUC of models based on all views data were 64%, 100% and 0.82, respectively, while those of models based on a single PLAX view were 82%, 89%, and 0.86, respectively. The time required for the 3D CNN model to measure and analyze the echocardiographic videos of each subject was significantly shorter than that for the ultrasound physicians ((23.96±6.65)s vs. (958.25±266.17)s, P<0.001). Conclusions: The artificial intelligence assisted diagnosis model based on 3D CNN can extract the dynamic temporal and spatial characteristics of echocardiographic videos jointly, and quickly and efficiently identify hypertensive heart disease and cardiac changes caused by CRF and hypothyroidism.

[Real-world study on the efficacy and prognostic predictive biomarker of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer treated with programmed death-1/programmed death ligand 1 inhibitors]

Objective: To describe the actual efficacy of programmed death-1 (PD-1)/ programmed-death ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and explore potential prognostic predictive biomarkers. Methods: Patients with metastatic NSCLC who were treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors at Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from January 2016 to December 2019, either as monotherapy or in combination with other agents, were consecutively enrolled into this study. We retrospectively collected the data of demographics, clinical information and pathologic assessment to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and conduct the survival analysis. Major endpoint of our study is progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary endpoints include objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR) and overall survival (OS). Results: The ORR of 174 patients who underwent PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor was 28.7%, and the DCR was 79.3%. Immune-related adverse events (irAEs) occurred in 23 patients (13.2%). Brain metastasis, line of treatment, and treatment patterns were associated with the ORR of metastatic NSCLC patients who underwent immunotherapy (P<0.05). After a median follow-up duration of 18.8 months, the median PFS was 10.5 months (ranged from 1.5 to 40.8 months) while the median OS was not reached. The 2-year survival rate was estimated to be 63.0%. The pathologic type was related with the PFS of metastatic NSCLC patients who underwent immunotherapy (P=0.028). Sex, age, brain metastasis and autoimmune diseases were associated with OS (P<0.05). Analysis of the receptor characteristic curve (ROC) of neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) predicting ORR of immunotherapy in metastatic NSCLC showed that the areas under the curve of NLR before immunotherapy (NLR(C0)), NLR after one cycle of immunotherapy (NLR(C1)) and ΔNLR were 0.600, 0.706 and 0.628, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that NLR(C1) was an independent factor of the ORR of metastatic NSCLC patients who underwent immunotherapy (OR=0.161, 95% CI: 0.062-0.422), and the efficacy of combination therapy was better than that of single agent (OR=0.395, 95% CI: 0.174-0.896). The immunotherapy efficacy in patients without brain metastasis was better than those with metastasis (OR=0.291, 95% CI: 0.095-0.887). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that NLR(C1) was an independent influencing factor of PFS of metastatic NSCLC patients after immunotherapy (HR=0.480, 95% CI: 0.303-0.759). Sex (HR=0.399, 95% CI: 0.161-0.991, P=0.048), age (HR=0.356, 95% CI: 0.170-0.745, P=0.006) were independent influencing factors of OS of metastatic NSCLC patients after immunotherapy. Conclusions: PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors are proved to be efficacious and have tolerable toxicities for patients with metastatic NSCLC. Patients at advanced age could still benefit from immunotherapy. Brain metastasis is related to compromised response. Earlier application of immunotherapy in combination with other modalities enhances the efficacy without elevating risk of irAEs. NLR(C1) is an early predictor of clinical outcome. The OS of patients younger than 75 years may be improved when treated with immunotherapy.

[Quantitative evaluation of global left ventricular myocardial work in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis by pressure-strain loop]

Objective: To quantitatively evaluate myocardial work in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis by using left ventricular pressure-strain loop. Methods: 70 cases with hepatitis B cirrhosis who were hospitalized in Henan Provincial People's Hospital from March to December 2020 were selected as the study group. Patients were divided into three subgroups according to the Child-Pugh score of liver cirrhosis (Child-Pugh class A, B, and C groups: 25, 25, and 20 patients, respectively). At the same time, 25 healthy volunteers were included as the control group. Global longitudinal strain (GLS), global myocardial work index (GWI), global work efficiency (GWE), global constructive work (GCW), and global wasted work (GWW) were obtained by applying pressure-strain loops. The differences were analyzed and compared among the four groups parameters. Results: Compared with the control group, the Child-Pugh class A group had decreased GLS, while Child-Pugh class B and C had decreased GLS, GWI, GWE, GCW, and increased GWW, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Compared with Child-Pugh class A group, Child-Pugh class B group had decreased GLS, GWE, and increased GWW, while Child-Pugh class C group had decreased GLS,GWI, GWE, GCW, and increased GWW, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Compared with Child-Pugh class B group, Child-Pugh class C group had decreased GLS, GWI, GWE, GCW, and increased GWW, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: The pressure-strain loop can detect early myocardial dysfunction, and has a certain value in the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis evaluation of myocardial function changes in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis.

[Clinicopathological features of congenital hemangioma: a study of 40 cases]

Objective: To investigate the clinical and pathologic features, diagnosis and differential diagnosis of congenital hemangioma (CH). Methods: Forty cases of CH were diagnosed from January 2017 to December 2020 in Henan Provincial People's Hospital. The clinical and pathological and immunohistochemical data were analyzed, with review of literature. Results: There were 24 male and 16 female patients. The lesions were located in the head, neck (11 cases), limbs (14 cases), and trunk (15 cases). The clinical manifestations were congenital painless plaques or masses, the larger ones protruded on the skin surface, mostly dusky purple or bright red, with surrounding white halos. Under low magnification, the tumor was lobular and well demarcated, composed of neo-microvascular lumen of different sizes. The vascular endothelial cells were cuboidal or hobnail in appearance, forming stellar drainage vessels within the lobules. Extra-medullary hematopoiesis was seen in one case of rapidly involuting CH; there were different number of tortuous and dilated vascular lumen between the lobular structures, and some non-involuting CH cases were vascular malformations, which were devoid of lobulated structures. Immunohistochemistry showed that endothelial cells were strongly positive for CD31, CD34 and ERG, while D2-40 and GLUT-1 were negative. Conclusions: CH is a benign congenital vascular tumor with characteristic lobulated growth and abnormal blood vessels in the stroma. Pathological diagnosis often needs to be differentiated from infantile hemangioma, pyogenic granuloma, kaposiform hemangioendothelioma and vascular malformation.

[The value of myocardial work in detecting the reduction of left ventricular global systolic function in acute myocardial infarction patients with preserved ejection fraction]

Objective: To investigate the diagnosis value of myocardial work (MW) in evaluating left ventricular global systolic function among acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients with preserved ejection fraction (LVEF). Methods: This study was a diagnostic trial in a prospective case-control design. AMI patients with preserved LVEF were enrolled as AMI(LVEF>50%) group and age and sex-matched healthy individuals undergoing healthy checkup in our hospital were collected as control group. Two-dimensional dynamic images, including standard apical two-chamber, long-axis and four-chamber views in 3 consecutive cardiac cycles were acquired. General clinical data, routine echocardiography and myocardial work parameters were obtained from all subjects. The indices were compared between the two groups. Intra-observer and inter-observer repeatability of myocardial work parameters were evaluated by intra-group correlation coefficient (ICC). Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the diagnostic value of global constructive work (GCW), global wasted work (GWW), global work efficiency (GWE) and global work index (GWI) on the reduction of left ventricular global systolic function in AMI(LVEF>50%) group. Results: There were 30 patients in AMI(LVEF>50%) group, the age was (67.3±9.7)years, and 14 cases were female(46.7%). Thirty participants were included in the control group, the age was (68.1±8.6)years, and 12 cases were female (40.0%). Compared with the control group, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD), left ventricular end-systolic diameter (LVESD), interventricular septum thickness (IVSD), left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV), peak early diastolic velocity of mitral orifice/tissue Doppler velocity of posterior mitral annulus (E/e), left ventricular mass (LVM), left ventricular mass index (LVMI) were significantly higher, while E and e values were significantly lower in AMI (LVEF>50%) group (all P<0.05). Compared with the control group, GCW ((1 145.9±440.1)mmHg% (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa) vs. (1 425.7±355.4)mmHg%), GWE ((80.9±9.5)% vs. (87.3±5.5)%), GWI ((1 001.3±416.2)mmHg% vs. (1 247.6±341.7)mmHg%) and the absolute value of long axis integral strain (GLS) ((8.5±3.4)% vs. (11.4±3.7)%) were significantly lower, while peak strain dispersion(PSD)((101.3±66.4)ms vs. (74.7±31.9)ms) was significantly higher in AMI(LVEF>50%) group (P all<0 05). There was no significant difference in GWW((177.2±71.1)mmHg% vs. (155.7±64.6)mmHg%) between the two groups (P>0.05). The reproducibility of GCW, GWW, GWE and GWI within and between observers were satisfactory (all ICC>0.75). ROC curve analysis showed that all four parameters, GCW, GWW, GWE, and GWI, could be used for the diagnosis of reduced left ventricular systolic function in patients with AMI (LVEF>50%), and their areas under the ROC curve were 0.896,0.929,0.808,0.862. Conclusion: Myocardial work assessment is valuable on diagnosing left ventricular global systolic function reduction in AMI patients with preserved LVEF.

[Expression and significance of TGF-β1, p38MAPK and BMP-7 protein in liver specimens of patients with alveolar hepatic echinococcosis]

OBJECTIVE

To detect the expression of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), p38MAPK and bone morphogenetic protein-7 (BMP-7) protein in the liver specimens of patients with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis, and to investigate the potential role of TGF-β1, p38MAPK and BMP-7 protein in hepatic fibrosis caused by hepatic alveolar echinococcosis.

METHODS

A total of 20 patients with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis were enrolled as study subjects, and hepatic specimens were sampled from the sites within 0.5 cm (Group A) and 0.5 to 1.5 cm from hepatic alveolar echinococcosis lesions (Group B), while normal liver specimens sampled from the sites 2 cm and greater from hepatic alveolar echinococcosis lesions served as controls (Group C). The fibrosis of liver specimens was pathological examined using HE and Masson staining, and the expression of TGF-β1, p38MAPK and BMP-7 protein was quantified in liver tissues using Western blotting. The associations of TGF-β1, p38MAPK and BMP-7 protein expression with hepatic fibrosis were assessed.

RESULTS

HE staining showed the malaligned structure of hepatocytes and destruction of the structure of hepatic lobules at various degrees in liver specimens in groups A and B, with hepatocyte degeneration, atrophy and necrosis, hyperplasia of fibrous tissues and eosinophilic granulocyte infiltration seen, while no abnormal pathological alterations of liver tissues, normal hepatocyte structure and morphology and uniform size, no malaligned structure of hepatocytes, clear structure of hepatic lobules, no or mild hepatocyte degeneration or necrosis, and no eosinophilic granulocyte infiltration were seen in Group C. Masson staining showed that there was hyperplasia of multiple fibrous connective tissues in the liver portal areas in groups A and B, with fibrosis seen in hepatic lobules, while no obvious pathological changes were seen in Group C. There were significant differences seen in TGF-β1 (P < 0.001), p38MAPK (P < 0.01) and BMP-7 protein (P < 0.05) expression in liver tissues in groups A, B and C, and higher TGF-β1, p38MAPK and BMP-7 protein expression was quantified in groups A and B than in Group C (all P values < 0.05), while greater TGF-β1, p38MAPK and BMP-7 protein expression was detected in Group B than in Group C (all P values < 0.05). The expression of TGF-β1, p38MAPK and BMP-7 protein correlated positively with the severity of hepatic fibrosis (r = 0.866, 0.702 and 0.801, all P values < 0.05), and there were significant differences in TGF-β1 (F = 72.580, P < 0.01), p38MAPK (χ² = 31.705, P < 0.01) and BMP-7 protein expression (χ² = 48.388, P < 0.01) among liver tissues with different degrees of fibrosis. The TGF-β1 protein expression correlated positively with p38MAPK and BMP-7 protein expression (r = 0.607 and 0.702, both P values < 0.001), and the BMP-7 protein expression also correlated positively with p38MAPK protein expression (r = 0.456, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The interaction among TGF-β1, p38MAPK and BMP-7 jointly participates in the development of hepatic fibrosis induced hepatic alveolar echinococcosis.

[Prevalence of soil - borne nematode infections among residents living in urban/town areas of China in 2015]

OBJECTIVE

To understand the prevalence of soil-borne nematode infections among residents living in urban/town areas of China, so as to provide insights into the control and elimination of soil-borne nematodiasis.

METHODS

A total of 5 epidemic areas were classified in China according to the prevalence of human Clonorchis sinensis infections captured from the 2014-2015 national survey on major human parasitic diseases in China, and the total sample size was estimated according to the binomial distribution and Poisson's distribution. Then, the total sample size was allocated proportionally to each province (autonomous region, municipality) of China based on the percentage of residents living in urban and town areas, and the number of survey sites in each province (autonomous region, municipality) was proportionally assigned according to the percentages of residents living in urban and town areas. Then, stratified sampling was performed at county, township and community levels according to the number of sampling sites in each province (autonomous region, municipality), and the survey site (community) was defined as the smallest sampling unit. All permanent residents in the survey sites were selected as the study subjects, and their stool samples were collected for identification and counting of parasite egg using a Kato-Katz technique. The prevalence and intensity of each parasite species were calculated.

RESULTS

From 2014 to 2015, among the 133 231 residents detected in 31 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) of China, the overall prevalence of soil-borne nematode infections was 1.23% (1 636/133 231), and the prevalence rates of hookworm, Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura infections were 0.77% (1 032/133 231), 0.32% (426/133 231) and 0.17% (224/133 231), respectively. The highest prevalence of soil-borne nematode infections was seen in Jiangxi (4.03%, 82/2 034) and Chongqing (4.03%, 524/13 012), followed by in Hainan (3.47%, 72/2 075). The prevalence of soilborne nematode infections was 1.07% (662/62 139) in men and 1.37% (974/71 092) in women, and the greatest prevalence was found in residents at ages of 65 to 70 years (2.56%, 219/8 569). With regard to occupations and education levels, herdsmen (2.47%, 2/81) and illiterate residents (3.33%, 226/6 795) were found to have the highest prevalence of soil-borne nematode infections, respectively. In addition, mild infections were predominantly identified in hookworm-, A. lumbricoides- and T. trichiura-infected individuals (all > 90%).

CONCLUSIONS

The overall prevalence of soil-borne nematodiasis remains low in urban and town areas of China; however, human infections are widespread. According to the epidemiological features, health education combined with deworming are recommended to reduce the prevalence of soil-borne nematode infections among residents living in urban and town areas of China.

[Effect of ultrasound contrast agent targeting gelatin on uptake of mouse ascites hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines with high lymphatic metastasis]

Objective: To analyze the effect of ultrasound contrast agent targeting gelatin on uptake of high lymphatic metastasis cell lines of mouse hepatocellular carcinoma with peritoneal effusion. Methods: The modified double emulsifying solvent evaporation method was used to construct the macromolecule contrast agent PLGA-Cooh. The carbodiimide was used to connect the monoclonal antibody of gelatin with the contrast agent PLGA-Cooh, and the targeted ultrasound contrast agent Gsn-PLGA was established. The particle size and Zeta potential of the targeted ultrasound contrast agent were measured by laser particle size analyzer. The surface binding of the contrast agent to the gelatin monoclonal antibody was evaluated by immunofluorescence. Hca-F cells with high lymphatic metastasis were cultured in mice with peritoneal effusion hepatocellular carcinoma. Target-seeking ability in vitro was evaluated by in vitro uptake test, and the imaging effect of the contrast agent in vitro was evaluated by in vitro developing test. Results: The contrast agent is white powder with good water solubility. The average particle size and surface potential were (569.68±6.96) nm and (-10.95±2.43) mV, respectively. The fluorescent antibody binding rate of non-targeted and targeted ultrasound contrast agent labeled with DiI were 0.84% and 95.89%, respectively. The results showed that the targeted ultrasound contrast agent Gsn-PLGA had a better of developing effect in vitro. Hca-F cells with high expression of gelsolin protein had stronger uptake ability of targeted ultrasound contrast agent and stronger green fluorescence in vitro than those with low expression of gelsolin protein (P<0.05). Moreover, targeted ultrasound contrast agent Gsn-PLGA had stronger targeting to the gelsolin protein. The echo of the targeted ultrasound contrast agent Gsn-PLGA was uniform and fine, without attenuating echo of the back. Simultaneously, the development effect was more obvious with the increase of contrast agent concentration (P<0.05). Conclusion: Ultrasound contrast agent Gsn-PLGA targeting gelatin can bind Hca-F cells with high expression of gelatin and display a good imaging effect in vitro.

Extraovarian Brenner tumor in the uterus: a case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND

Extraovarian Brenner tumors (EOBTs) are extremely rare and can be observed incidentally in both female and male patients, raising concerns regarding the origin of Brenner tumors.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 53-year-old postmenopausal woman presented with a nodular lesion in the left side of the corpus uteri, which was found at a routine health check. Macroscopically, the lesion appeared as a solid nodule with a yellowish-gray cut surface, approximately 6 cm in greatest diameter. Microscopically, the lesion consisted of well-defined epithelial nests and spindled stromal cells. Parenchymal cells expressed CK7, GATA3, CK5/6, 34βE12, and p63. A single layer of cavity-lined cells with umbrella-like shape showed apical Uroplakin III positivity. Stromal cells were positive for SMA, ER, and PR. The final diagnosis was EOBT and the patient was followed for 2 months with no recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

We report here the third case of EOBTs in the uterus. The combination of morphologic and immunohistochemical results supported the involvement of urothelial metaplasia in the development of EOBTs. The similarities between EOBTs and Walthard nests made Müllerian epithelium an attractive candidate as the cellular origin. Changes of tissue structure or sex hormones imbalance may lead to the translocation of Müllerian remnants to distant organs, explaining the pathogenesis of EOBTs.

[National surveillance on Enterobius vermicularis infections among children at ages of 3 to 9 years in China from 2016 to 2018]

OBJECTIVE

To understand the epidemic status of Enterobius vermicularis infections among children aged 3 to 9 years in China, so as to provide scientific basis for the formulation of the prevention and control strategies for enterobiasis.

METHODS

The national surveillance of enterobiasis was performed in 736 national surveillance sites (counties) from 30 provinces (municipalities/autonomous regions) in China from 2016 to 2018. All surveillance sites were classified into parts according to the geographical directions, including the eastern, western, southern, northern and middle parts, and a township was randomly selected from each part. Then, an administrative village was randomly selected from the township, and 200 permanent residents at ages of over 3 years living in the administrative village were randomly selected using the cluster sampling method. A total of 1 000 residents were examined in each surveillance site. E. vermicularis infections were detected among children at ages of 3 to 9 years using the modified Kato-Katz technique and the adhesive cellophane-tape perianal swab method, and the prevalence of infections was calculated and compared.

RESULTS

The prevalence of E. vermicularis infections was 2.50%, 2.84% and 2.46% among children at ages of 3 to 9 years in the 736 surveillance sites from 30 provinces (municipalities/autonomous regions) in China from 2016 to 2018, and there was no gender-specific prevalence of E. vermicularis infections (P > 0.05). Enterobiasis was main prevalent in the southern and southwestern part of China (Jiangxi, Guangxi, Guangdong, Sichuan, Fujian, Chongqing and Hainan), with 5.00% prevalence and greater, and the highest prevalence was seen in Jiangxi and Guangxi for successive 3 years. In addition, the prevalence of E. vermicularis infections was higher in children with the Han ethnicity than in those with the minority ethnicity, and a high prevalence was found in children at ages of 4 to 7 years, and a low prevalence seen in children at ages of 3, 8 and 9 years.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalences of E. vermicularis infections have not changed much among children at ages of 3 to 9 years in China from 2016 to 2018, and high prevalence is seen in southern and southwestern China, which should be given a high priority.

[Establishment of an evaluation system for the field assessment of the Kato-Katz technique in detection of soil-transmitted nematodiasis]

OBJECTIVE

To establish an evaluation system for the field assessment of the Kato-Katz technique in detecting soiltransmitted nematodes, so as to provide insights into the field application of the Kato-Katz technique.

METHODS

The initial evaluation indicators were determined through literature search, brainstorming and expert consultation. The evaluation indicatorswere improved and the weight of each indicator was decided through three rounds of expert consultation by using the Delphimethod. In addition, the expert authority coefficient and the coordination coefficient of each indicator were calculated at eachround of expert consultations.

RESULTS

The recovery rates of the questionnaire were 100.00%, 100.00% and 89.29% at the firstto the third round of the expert consultations, respectively, and the expert authority coefficients were all more than 0.85 at eachround. The final evaluation system included 4 first-level indicators and 15 second-level indicators. In the first-level indicators, "detecting effect" and "funds investment" had the mean weighted value of 4.53 and 4.49, which were relatively higher than that of"person-time investment" and "operability" (both 4.34). Among the second-level indicators under each first-level indicator, thefour most significant indicators included "ability of personnel in egg discrimination", "cooperation of village cadres and doctors","Person-time on testing" and "organizational start-up cost", with the mean weighted values of 4.74, 4.43, 4.39 and 4.17, respectively. The coordination coefficients were 0.39 to 0.65, 0.28 to 0.58 and 0.45 to 0.65 at the first to the third round of the expertconsultations, respectively, and there were significant differences in the coordination coefficients at all three rounds of the consultations (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

An evaluation system for the field assessment of the Kato-Katz technique in detecting soiltransmitted nematodes is successfully established, among which "ability of personnel in egg discrimination" and "cooperation ofvillage cadres and doctors" have the greatest mean weighted values of the significance.

[Present situation and progress of comprehensive treatments for hepatic alveolar echinococcosis]

Alveolar echinococcosis is a parasitic zoonosis that severely damages human health. Currently, radical surgical resection is the first choice for hepatic alveolar echinococcosis. For the advanced hepatic echinococcosis patients with refractory radical resection, the palliative surgery combined with chemotherapy, liver transplantation, drug therapy, and radiofrequency microwave ablation may provide comprehensive tools. This article reviews the current situation and progress of comprehensive treatments for hepatic alveolar echinococcosis.

[Analysis of induction efficacy and prognostic factors in FLT3-ITD positive acute myeloid leukemia in the real world]

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and prognostic factors of induction therapy in FLT3-ITD(+) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in the real world data. Methods: From January 2013 to December 2016, 114 de novo patients with FLT3-ITD(+)AML were enrolled in this study. Out of 114 cases, 75 were male, and 39 were female. The median age was 42 years old (ranged from 14 to 72 years old) . The chemotherapy regimens were used for induction therapy and all cases were followed up. The treatment response was evaluated by MICM and the comparison of the ratio were analyzed by chi-square test and the survival was estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify independent prognostic factors. Results: There were 52 FLT3-ITD(+)AML patients with favorable prognosis genes (46 cases with NPM1, 5 cases with RUNX1-RUNX1T1, 1 case with CEBPA double mutation) and 62 patients with other types of FLT3-ITD(+)AML at diagnosis. All patients completed at least one cycle of induction therapy and the clinical curative effect was evaluated, complete remission (CR) rate was 50.0% (57/114) in one cycle and total CR rate was 72.5% (74/104) in two cycles. The CR rate of the FLT3-ITD(+) AML patients with favorable prognosis genes was 67.3% (35/52) in one cycle and 83.3% (40/48) in two cycles; for the other types FLT3-ITD(+)AML patients, the CR rate was 35.5% (22/62) in one cycle and 64.8% (35/54) in two cycles. There was a significant difference in CR rate between the FLT3-ITD(+)AML patients with and without favorable prognosis genes (P<0.05) . This indicates that the FLT3-ITD(+)AML patients with favorable prognosis gene had relatively good therapeutic effect. Among other types of FLT3-ITD(+)AML patients who did not achieve remission from one cycle of chemotherapy, 9 patients were given sorafenib plus chemotherapy and 6 cases (66.7%) achieved CR; 23 patients were given conventional chemotherapy and 7 cases (30.4%) achieved CR. There was a significant difference between sorafenib plus chemotherapy and conventional chemotherapy groups (χ(2)=4.47, P<0.05) and this indicates that sorafenib plus chemotherapy can significantly improve the CR rate of FLT3-ITD(+)AML patients. Comparing overall survival (OS) and disease free survival (DFS) , there was no significant difference between sorafenib plus chemotherapy and conventional chemotherapy groups (P values were 0.641 and 0.517, respectively) . Conclusion: The overall prognosis of FLT3-ITD(+)AML patients is poor, and the stratification therapeutic efficacy of FLT3-ITD(+)AML without favorable prognosis gene can be improved by sorafenib combined with chemotherapy.

Effects of perfluorooctane on the retina as a short-term and small amounts remnant in rabbits

AIM

To investigate changes in the rabbit retina after short-term and small amounts tamponade of perfluorooctane (PFO).

METHODS

New Zealand rabbits were used, and 48 eyes were randomly and evenly assigned into four different groups. The PFO groups received a residue of 0.1 mL of PFO for ophthalmic surgery or 0.1 mL of F-Octane at the end of surgery; eyes from the pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) group were filled with balanced salt solution and those having not received surgical intervention served as controls. Eyes were collected at 1, 4 and 12wk and studied.

RESULTS

Under a microscope, nuclear counts of the inner nuclear layer (INL) and outer nuclear layer (ONL) did not differ among the four groups at all time points; however, slight disarrangement of the ONL and occasional vacuolization of the INL were found in the inferior retina only at 12wk in two PFO groups. Four of the groups had similar results of Caspase-3 and TNF-α staining at all time points. Alternatively, IL-8 was increased in PFOa and PPV control groups at 4wk and in all three PPV groups at 12wk; also, the apoptotic index (%) was similarly increased in all three PPV groups at 4 and 12wk.

CONCLUSION

Both PFOs are well tolerated in rabbit eyes for up to 12wk, which suggests that they can be used safely as intraoperative tools or for short-term and small amounts tamponade after surgery.

[A screening system for anti-metastatic small-molecule compounds based on perinucleolar compartment prevalence in liver cancer cells]

Objective: To establish a screening system for anti-metastatic small-molecule compounds based on perinucleolar compartment (PNC) prevalence in liver cancer cells and to investigate its validity. Methods: Polypyrimidine tract-binding protein (PTB) monoclonal antibody was used to measure the PNC prevalence in HepG2, HepG2M, and Huh7 cells, and wound healing assay and transwell assay were used to analyze the migration and invasion abilities of hepatoma cells. HepG2M cells were used as the model for the screening of anti-metastatic small-molecule compounds, and after the treatment with the compounds A1, A4, and E696, qPCR was used to measure the expression of metastasis-related miRNAs (miR-141 and miR-200c). A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of data between multiple groups. Results: PTB immunofluorescence assay showed that HepG2M cells had the highest PNC prevalence, followed by Huh7 and HepG2 cells, and PNC prevalence was positively correlated with the metastasis and invasion abilities of hepatoma cells. The PNC prevalence of HepG2M cells was reduced to 22.88% ±4.61% by A1, 14.22% ± 3.05% by A4, and 26.12% ± 4.94% by E696. Wound healing assay showed that the 48-hour scratch ratio increased from 17.70% ± 3.34% to 64.50% ± 2.65%, 83.40% ± 5.10%, and 57.20% ± 3.06% (F = 171.1, P < 0.01), respectively. Transwell assay showed that the number of invasive cells was reduced from 264.33 ± 30.50 to 104.33 ± 13.50, 58.00 ± 11.00, and 111.33 ± 19.50 (F = 59.87, P < 0.01), respectively. The anti-metastatic effect of these three compounds was positively correlated with their ability to destroy PNC. A4 upregulated the expression of miR-141 and miR-200c in a dose-dependent manner, and after HepG2M cells were treated with A4 at a concentration of 5 μM, 10 μM, or 20 μM, the level of miR-141 was increased to 3.61 ± 0.78, 8.12 ± 1.15, and 18.24 ± 2.44 folds (F = 88.01, P < 0.01), respectively, and that of miR-200c was increased to 2.82 ± 0.43, 4.82 ± 0.89, and 10.74 ± 1.22 folds (F = 87.94, P < 0.01), respectively. Conclusion: The screening system for anti-metastatic small-molecule compounds based on PNC prevalence can provide an effective technical platform for research and development of anti-metastatic drugs for liver cancer.

[Establishment and role of national clonorchiasis surveillance system in China]

Clonorchiasis is one key food-borne parasitic disease in China. Owing to several years'efforts and preparation, the national clonorchiasis surveillance system in China has been established preliminarily since 2016. In this article, the necessity to establish the national clonorchiasis surveillance system is explained. Then, the structure, content and corresponding methods of the surveillance system are briefly introduced. Key points in the surveillance are summarized and the development of surveillance in future is discussed. Furthermore, the contribution of clonorchiasis surveillance in China to the world is also analyzed.

[Age-related clinical characteristics and prognosis in non-senile adults with acute myeloid leukemia]

目的

探讨非老年成人初发急性髓系白血病（AML）患者年龄相关的临床特征、早期治疗反应和预后。

方法

回顾性分析2008年1月至2017年12月收治的18~65岁初发AML（非急性早幼粒细胞白血病）连续病例，分析不同年龄组患者初诊时疾病特征、早期治疗反应、复发和生存，以及相关影响因素。

结果

共收集1 097例患者，男性591例（53.9%），中位年龄42岁。随着年龄的增长，患者WBC显著下降（P=0.003)，PLT显著上升（P=0.034），骨髓原始细胞比例显著下降（P=0.021）。SWOG危险度在各年龄组的分布差异无统计学意义（P=0.063）。NPM1阳性伴FLT3-ITD阴性的患者比例随年龄增长显著上升（P<0.001)。多因素分析显示，在总人群中，年龄增加是获得形态学无白血病状态（MLFS）（P=0.053）、完全缓解（CR）（P=0.004）和总生存（OS）（P=0.070）的不利影响因素，但在接受标准诱导治疗的患者中，年龄增加仅与CR相关（P=0.075），而与MLFS和OS无关。

结论

非老年初发AML患者的临床、细胞遗传学和分子学特征随年龄变化而不同。在接受标准诱导治疗的患者中，年龄增加与获得MLFS和OS均无显著相关性。

[Prognostic significance of blood count at the time of achieving morphologic leukemia-free state in adults with acute myeloid leukemia]

目的

探讨首次获骨髓无白血病状态时血细胞恢复程度[包括完全缓解（CR，ANC≥1.0× 10⁹/L和PLT≥100×10⁹/L）、PLT未恢复（CRp）、ANC和PLT均未恢复（CRi）]对初治成人急性髓系白血病（AML）患者预后的影响。

方法

回顾2008年1月至2016年2月北京大学人民医院收治的获得骨髓无白血病状态后持续化疗AML（非急性早幼粒细胞白血病）连续病例，分析诊断时疾病特征、诱导化疗方案、首次诱导化疗反应以及骨髓无白血病状态时血细胞计数与预后的关系。

结果

352例患者，男179例（50.9%），中位年龄44（17~65）岁。按美国西南肿瘤组（SWOG）标准分组：低危87例（24.7%），中危171例（48.6%），高危46例（13.1%），未知48例（13.6%）。单体核型16例（4.5%），FLT3-ITD突变阳性41例（11.6%）。首次获骨髓无白血病状态时血细胞恢复程度：CR 299例（84.9%），CRp 26例（7.4%），CRi 27例（7.7%）。存活患者中位随访16（2~94）个月，30个月累积复发（CIR）、无病生存（DFS）和总生存（OS）率分别为47.5%、46.0%和58.6%。多因素分析显示，骨髓无白血病状态时血细胞恢复不良是影响患者CIR、DFS和OS的共同不利因素（HR=1.4，95% CI 1.0~1.9，P=0.037；HR=1.5，95% CI 1.1~2.0，P= 0.003；HR=1.5，95% CI 1.1~2.0，P=0.017）。此外，SWOG分组危险度高和FLT3-ITD突变阳性是影响患者CIR、DFS和OS的共同不利因素；确诊时外周血原始细胞比例高是影响患者DFS的不利因素；年龄大和确诊时骨髓原始细胞比例高是影响患者OS的不利因素。

结论

持续化疗的成人AML患者，首次获骨髓无白血病状态时血细胞恢复程度是影响预后的独立因素。

[Efficacy and safety of decitabine in combination with G-CSF, low-dose cytarabine and aclarubicin in MDS-EB and AML-MRC]

Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of decitabine in combination with lower-dose CAG regimen (G-CSF, cytarabine and aclarubicin; D-CAG regimen) in the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes with excess blasts (MDS-EB) and acute myeloid leukemia with myelodysplasia-related changes (AML-MRC), compared to standard CAG regimen. Methods: A total of 42 patients with newly diagnosed MDS-EB and AML-MRC from May 2011 to March 2017 were included in the retrospective study. 21 cases were initially treated with G-CSF for priming, in combination with cytarabine of 10 mg/m(2) q12h for 14 days and aclarubicin of 20 mg/d for 4 days (CAG regimen) and the other 21 cases were initially treated with decitabine of 20 mg/m(2) for 5 days and lower-dose CAG regimen (cytarabine of 10 mg/m(2) q12h for 7 days, aclarubicin of 10 mg/d for 4 days, and G-CSF for priming (D-CAG regimen). After two cycles of induction chemotherapy, the patients who obtained complete remission(CR) received consolidation chemotherapy or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Results: Among a total of 42 patients, the median age was 52.5 years (18-65 years) and 64.3% of them were male. Baseline characteristics of patients between D-CAG group and CAG group showed no significant differences. The CR for patients in D-CAG group was 81.0% (17/21), compared to 52.4% (11/21) in CAG group after 2 cycles of therapy (χ(2)=3.857, P=0.050). The overall response rate (ORR) for patients in D-CAG group and CAG group was 85.7% (18/21) and 76.2% (15/21) respectively, without significant difference (χ(2)=1.273, P=0.259). By December 2017, the median follow-up of D-CAG group and CAG group was 13(6-32) months and 15(2-36) months respectively. Finally, 10 patients in D-CAG group and 7 patients in CAG group received HSCT respectively. Except patients receiving HSCT, the median leukemia-free survival (LFS) time for patients in D-CAG group and CAG group was 18.0 (95%CI 6.6-29.4) months and 11.0 (95%CI 0-23.9) months respectively. Probabilities of 12 months LFS for D-CAG group and CAG group were (63.6±14.5)% and (50.0±13.4)% respectively, without difference (χ(2)=0.049, P=0.824). Except patients receiving HSCT, there were 2 deaths in D-CAG group and 7 deaths in CAG group respectively. The cumulative probabilities of 12 months OS for non-HSCT patients in D-CAG group and CAG group were (90.9±8.7)% and (61.5±13.5)% respectively, without significant difference (χ(2)=1.840, P=0.175). The incidences of side effects between D-CAG group and CAG group did not show significant differences (P=0.479), and the main side effects included cytopenias, pneumonia, infections of skin and soft tissues, neutropenic patients with fever, liver dysfunction. Conclusion: The decitabine in combination with lower-dose CAG regimen improved CR for patients with MDS-EB and AML-MRC, and was a promising choice.

[Prognostic significance of early assessment of minimal residual disease in acute myeloid leukemia with mutated NPM1 patients]

目的

探讨NPM1突变阳性急性髓系白血病（AML）患者化疗后早期微小残留病（MRD）水平与预后的关系。

方法

回顾性分析137例初治成人伴NPM1基因主要突变（A、B、D突变）AML患者的治疗结果，以及化疗后早期时间点MRD（NPM1突变转录本）水平对预后的影响。

结果

在137例患者中，男67例（48.9%），中位年龄49（16~67）岁，染色体正常核型107例（78.1%），FLT3-ITD突变阳性57例（41.6%），初诊时NPM1基因突变转录本中位水平84.1%（4.1%~509.9%）。在134例可评估的患者中，115例（85.8%）最终获完全缓解（CR）。多因素分析显示，WBC<100×10⁹/L（OR=0.3，95% CI 0.1~0.9，P=0.027）和初始诱导治疗为“IA10”方案（OR=0.3，95% CI 0.1~0.8，P=0.015）是获得CR的有利因素。在108例可评估的CR患者中，存活患者中位随访24（2~91）个月，3年无病生存（DFS）和总生存（OS）率分别为48.0%和63.9%。多因素分析显示，FLT3-ITD突变阳性（HR=3.2，95% CI 1.6~6.7，P=0.002）、巩固治疗2个疗程后MRD高水平（NPM1突变转录本水平较治疗前下降<3个对数级，HR=23.2，95% CI 7.0~76.6，P<0.001）、未接受异基因造血干细胞移植（allo-HSCT）（HR=2.6，95% CI 1.0~6.6，P=0.045）是影响患者DFS的不利因素；MRD在首次获得CR时高水平（NPM1突变转录本水平下降<2个对数级，HR=2.5，95% CI 1.0~6.1，P=0.040）和巩固治疗2个疗程后高水平（HR=4.5，95% CI 2.0~10.3，P<0.001）是影响患者OS的不利因素。进一步分析78例接受化疗（或自体移植）的CR患者，3年DFS和OS率分别为39.7%和59.1%，FLT3-ITD突变阳性和巩固治疗2个疗程后MRD高水平是独立影响患者DFS（HR=3.5，95% CI 1.6~7.6，P=0.002和HR=8.9，95% CI 3.8~20.7，P<0.001）和OS（HR=2.7，95% CI 1.1~6.9，P=0.036和HR=3.1，95% CI 1.2~8.0，P=0.021）的共同不利因素，此外，首次获得CR时MRD高水平（HR=3.1，95% CI 1.2~8.0，P=0.022）也是影响患者OS的不利因素。

结论

在NPM1突变阳性AML患者中，伴有FLT3-ITD突变和化疗后早期MRD高水平预示不良预后。

[Outcomes of adult patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia received idarubicin plus cytarabine regimen as induction chemotherapy]

Objective: To explore outcomes in adult with de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML) received IA10 (10 mg/m(2) d1-3 idarubicin plus cytarabine 100 mg/m(2) d1-7) regimen as induction chemotherapy. Methods: From January 2008 to February 2016, data of consecutive newly-diagnosed AML (non-M(3)) adults treated with IA10 who achieved morphologic leukemia-free state (MLFS) but not accepted allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) were assessed retrospectively. Results: A total of 198 patients were included in this study with 96 (48.5%) male and a median age of 42 years old (range, 18-62 years old). Using the SWOG cytogenetic classification, 45 (22.7%), 104 (52.5%), 24 (12.1%) and 25 (12.6%) patients belonged to favorable, intermediate, unfavorable and unknown categories, respectively. 6 (3.0%) patients had monosomal karyotype, and 28 (14.1%) positive FLT3-ITD mutation. A complete remission (CR, defined as MLFS with ANC ≥ 1×10(9)/L and PLT ≥ 100×10(9)/L) achieved in 168 (84.8%) patients, a CRp (defined as MLFS with incomplete PLT recovery) in 16 (8.1%) and a CRi (defined as MLFS with incomplete ANC and PLT recovery) in 14 (7.1%). With a median follow-up period of 15 months (range, 1 to 70 months) in survivors, the probabilities of cumulative incident of relapse (CIR), disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates at 2-year were 45.2%, 46.9% and 62.9%, respectively; the median durations of relapse, DFS and OS were 34, 20 and 37 months respectively. At the time of achieving first MLFS, multivariate analyses showed that positive FLT3-ITD mutation and CRi were common adverse factors affecting CIR, DFS and OS; unfavorable-risk of SWOG criteria was an adverse factor affecting CIR and DFS; monosomal karyotype was associated with shorter OS. After first consolidation therapy, FLT3-ITD mutation positive and unfavorable-risk of SWOG criteria had negatively impact on CIR, DFS and OS; peripheral blasts ≥ 0.50 and positive MRD (defined as RQ-PCR WT1 mRNA ≥ 0.6% or any level of abnormal blast population detected by flow cytometry) after first consolidation therapy were common adverse factors affecting CIR and DFS; CRi was an adverse factor affecting DFS and OS. Conclusions: In adult with de novo AML received IA10 regimen as induction regimen, unfavorable molecular markers or cytogenetics at diagnosis and CRi independently predicted poor outcome. In addition, a higher percentage of peripheral blasts, monosomal karyotype and positive MRD after first consolidation therapy had negatively impact on outcomes.

[Clinical features and early treatment effects in intermediate risk and poor risk acute myeloid leukemia with EVI1 positive]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the clinical biological characteristics of EVI1 positive acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and its effect on early chemotherapy.

METHODS

The clinical and biological cha-racteristics of 33 AML patients with EVI1 positive were retrospectively analyzed in 361 AML patients who were diagnosed and treated in our institute from March 2015 to July 2016, and the clinical and biological features, and rates of the induced remission were compared between the intermediate risk and poor risk with EVI1 positive AML, moreover, the influential factors on complete remission (CR) were analyzed. The expression of EVI1/ABL was tested in 32 healthy donors to confirm the abnormal threshold of EVI1 expression.

RESULTS

The definition of EVI1 positive was that the quantitative expression of EVI1/ABL was more than 8.0%. The 33 AML patients with EVI1 positive were found in 361 newly diagnosed AML patients, in which the female and male patients were 17 and 16 respectively, the median age was 45 (18-67) years, with a median follow-up of 6.6 (0.7-13.2) months. Intermediate karyotype was found in 17 patients(including 9 patients with normal karyotypes,1 patient with +8);unfavorable karyotype was found in 14 patients [including 7 patients with -7/7q^-,4 patients with t (v;11q23),3 patients with inv(3)/t(3;3), and 2 patients without mitotic figures]. The rate of CR in the first induction chemotherapy was 42.4%, and the rate of total CR was 60.6%. According to the NCCN, 16 intermediate risk patients and poor risk patients were divided, without favorable risk patients. The rate of CR in the first induction chemotherapy were 68.8% and 17.6% (P=0.005) in the intermediate risk and poor risk respectively, that of total CR were 81.3% and 41.2%(P=0.032), and the rates of relapse were 7.7% and 14.3%.Univariable analysis revealed that unfavorable karyotype could affect the rate of CR in the first reduction chemotherapy and that of total CR (P=0.004, 0.029). The poor risk patients had higher mortality (41.2% vs. 6.3%, P=0.039) and lower overall survival (OS)(P=0.012).

CONCLUSION

EVI1 may be not an independent prognostic factor for the AML patients considering the appea-rance in the intermediate and poor risk patients. It predicts poor outcome in the EVI1 positive AML patients who have unfavorable karyocytes, such as -7/7q^-, t(v;11q23), and inv(3)/t(3;3), and also a low rate of both CR in the first induction chemotherapy and total CR. It also has a low rate of long-term survival and high mortality in the AML patients with EVI1 positive, who may benefit from allogeneic bone marrow transplantation as soon as possible.

[Factors associated with early treatment response in adults with acute myeloid leukemia]

Objective: To explore the factors influencing early treatment responses in adult with de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML) . Methods: Data of consecutive newly-diagnosed AML (non-acute promyelocytic leukemia) adults were analyzed retrospectively. To assess the impact of clinical characteristics at diagnosis and induction regimen on achieving morphologic leukemia-free state (MLFS) , blood counts and minimal residual leukemia (MRD, positive MRD defined as RQ-PCR WT1 mRNA ≥0.6% and/or any level of abnormal blast population detected by flow cytometry) at the time of achieving MLFS. Results: 739 patients were included in this study. 406 (54.9%) patients were male, with a median age of 42 years (range, 18-65 years) . In the 721 evaluable patients, MLFS was achieved in 477 (66.2%) patients after the first induction regimen and 592 (82.1%) within two cycles. A total of 634 patients (87.9%) achieved MLFS, including 534 (84.2%) achieving a complete remission (CR, defined as MLFS with ANC ≥ 1×10(9)/L and PLT ≥ 100×10(9)/L) , 100 (15.8%) achieving a CRi (defined as MLFS with incomplete ANC or PLT recovery) , respectively. 260 (45.9%) patients of 566 (89.3%) who detected MRD at the time of achieving MLFS had positive MRD. Multivariate analyses showed that female gender, favorable-risk of SWOG criteria, IA10 and HAA/HAD as induction regimen were factors associated with achieving early MLFS. In addition, low bone marrow blasts, HGB ≥ 80 g/L, PLT counts<30×10(9)/L and mutated NPM1 without FLT3-ITD were factors associated with achieving MLFS after the first induction regimen; Negative FLT3-ITD mutation was factor associated with achieving MLFS within two cycles. PLT counts ≥30×10(9)/L and IA10, IA8 or HAA/HAD as induction chemotherapy were factors associated with achieving CR. Female gender, favorable-risk of SWOG criteria, FLT3-ITD mutation negative, mutated NPM1 without FLT3-ITD were factors associated with negative MRD. Conclusions: Female gender, favorable molecular markers or cytogenetics, and standard-dose induction regimen were key factors associated with higher probability of early and deep responses in adults with AML.

[Minimal residual disease level predicts outcomes in the non-favorable risk patients with acute myeloid leukemia]

Objective: To explore impact of minimal residual leukemia (MRD) on outcomes in the non-favorable risk adults with de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML) . Methods: From January 2008 to February 2016, data of consecutive newly-diagnosed non-favorable risk adults with AML (non-APL) according to SWOG criteria who achieved morphologic leukemia-free state (MLFS) and received continuous chemotherapy were assessed retrospectively. Results: 292 AML patients were enrolled, 150 (51.4%) were male. Median age was 46 years (range, 18-65 years) . Using the SWOG cytogenetic classification, 186 (63.7%) , 49 (16.8%) and 57 (19.5%) patients belonged to intermediate, unfavorable and unknown categories, respectively. With a median follow-up period of 15 months (range, 1 to 94 months) in survivors, the probabilities of cumulative rates of relapse (CIR) , disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) at 2-years were 51.6%, 42.6% and 60.0%, respectively. Multivariate analyses showed that MRD positive (defined as Q-PCR WT1 mRNA ≥0.6% or any level of abnormal blast population detected by flow cytometry) after achieving MLFS and PLT<100×10(9)/L were common adverse factors affecting CIR and DFS. In addition, positive FLT3-ITD mutation and CRp/CRi had negatively impact on CIR, DFS and OS. Monosomal karyotype was adverse factors affecting CIR and OS. Age ≥44 years and unfavorable-risk of SWOG criteria were associated with shorter DFS. Conclusions: MRD level after achieving MLFS had prognostic significance on outcomes in non-favorable adults with AML who received continuous chemotherapy after achieving MLFS.

Prediction of a new BeC monolayer with perfectly planar tetracoordinate carbons

Recently, there has been a growing interest in exploring planar hypercoordinate carbons in two-dimensional nanostructures. However, atomic monolayers with ideal planar hypercoordinate carbon are quite rare due to the challenge in stabilizing the exotic motifs. We predicted a global minimum two-dimensional BeC monolayer using the global particle-swarm optimization method. Each carbon binds peripheral four atoms in the same plane, forming a perfectly planar tetracoordinate carbon moiety. The cohesive energy, phonon-spectrum and mechanical stability criteria confirm the stability of monolayer BeC. In addition, the BeC monolayer has a large in-plane stiffness (145.54 N m^-1) and thermo-dynamical stability (up to 2000 K). Furthermore, BeC is an indirect semiconductor with a band gap of 1.01 eV and possesses exceptionally high carrier mobilities (∼10⁴ cm² V^-1 s^-1), rendering it suitable for application in electronics and photoelectronics.

[Effect of lamina papyracea ingression on orbito-ocular complications after functional endoscopic sinus surgery]

OBJECTIVE

To observe the effect of lamina papyracea ingression on orbito-ocular complications after functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS).

METHODS

Data of computed tomography (CT) and post-FESS complications were analysed in 483 patients undergoing FESS from October 2013 to November 2015. According to the condition of lamina papyracea, these patients were divided into lamina papyracea ingression group (ingression group) and normal group. All data were analyzed to observe the effect of lamina papyracea ingression on orbito-ocular complications.

RESULTS

The patients with lamina papyracea ingression were found to be 11.2 % (54/483). Of the 54 patients, 18 had grade-Ⅰlamina papyracea ingression, 25 had grade-Ⅱlamina papyracea ingression and 11 had grade-Ⅲ lamina papyracea ingression. The incidence of orbito-ocular complications in normal group was 2.6% (11/429) and the incidence of orbito-ocular complications in the ingression group was 16.7% (9/54). The difference was significant(χ(2)=20.61, P<0.01) CONCLUSION: Before FESS, the paranasal sinus CT should be carefully reviewed to find if there is lamina papyracea ingression, so as to avoid the orbito-ocular complications.

[Efficacy and safety of Sorafenib as monotherapy to FLT3-ITD positive acute myeloid leukemia]

Objective: To explore the efficacy and safety of Sorafenib as monotherapy to FLT3 positive acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Methods: From April 2014 to December 2015, fourteen AML patients with FLT3 positive, 7 males and 7 females with a median age of 42 (range: 14-81) years old, were enrolled in this study. Of the 14 cases, 4 were de novo cases, 9 refractory cases and 1 relapsed case, including 78.6% patients with severe complications and 57.1% patients with KPS score less than 60 [the median KPS score was 45 (20-70) ]. The administration of Sorafenib was 400 mg twice daily and Sorafenib was continued if tolerated. The treatment response was evaluated by MICM and the data were analyzed by paired samples t test before and after Sorafenib treatment. Results: The peripheral blood WBC count [4.2 (0.9-11.8) ×109/L vs 39.6 (2.3-209.5) ×109/L, P<0.001 ], the percentage of peripheral blast cell [0.07 (0-0.54) vs 0.53 (0-0.94), P<0.001] and the percentage of bone marrow blast cell [0.266 (0.020-0.880) vs 0.604 (0.180-0.900), P=0.003] were significantly decreased after Sorafenib monotherapy compared with before. The overall response rate was 57.1% (8/14), including 5 cases (35.7%) with complete remission (CR). Of 4 de novo cases, 2 achieved CR, 1 with PR, 1 with NR; 3 of 10 refractory and relapsed patients achieved CR and 2 cases achieved PR, 5 cases NR. The median duration of achieving molecular remission (FLT3-ITD negative) after Sorafenib was 46(33-72) days, and the median progression free survival (PFS) was 53 (28-175) days. Conclusion: Sorafenib shows activity in FLT3-ITD mutation positive AML patients. Sorafenib monotherapy could be used as a treatment option for elderly patients or patients with severe complications, and refractory and relapsed patients with not suitable for intensive chemotherapy.

[The prognostic significance of proportion of blasts in bone marrow on day 14 during induction chemotherapy in patients with adult Ph-negative acute lymphoblastic leukemia]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the prognostic significance of proportion of the blasts in bone marrow on day 14 (D14) during induction chemotherapy in patients with adult Ph-negative acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph (-) ALL).

METHODS

Newly diagnosed Ph (-) ALL patients with bone marrow morphology analysis on day 14 during induction chemotherapy were analyzed retrospectively. The proportion of the D14 blasts which had an impact on achieving a CR by the first induction chemotherapy and outcomes were determined by ROC curve.

RESULTS

166 ALL patients including 94 male and 72 female were analyzed. The median age was 32 years (range, 18-64 years). The CR rate by the first induction chemotherapy was 74.7% with a total CR rate as 93.3%. By ROC analysis, 7.5% of the D14 blasts had the best sensitivity and specificity. The patients with D14 blasts ≥7.5% had lower CR rates after the first and overall induction chemotherapy compared with those with D14 blasts <7.5% (42.7% vs 85.9%, P<0.001 and 75.9% vs 95.6%, P=0.001 respectively). The probabilities of 5-year disease free survival (DFS) and 5-year overall survival (OS) were higher in the patients with D14 blasts<7.5% than those with D14 blasts ≥7.5% (49.8% vs 29.6%, P=0.006 and 52.4% vs 32.6%, P=0.010 respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that higher WBC or central nervous system leukemia at diagnosis, D14 blasts ≥7.5%, no CR after the first induction chemotherapy and receiving consolidation and maintenance chemotherapy rather than transplant were associated with poor outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Higher proportion of D14 blasts in bone marrow during the first induction therapy indicated poor prognosis in adult Ph(-) ALL.

[Clinical characteristics of acute myeloid leukemia with t (16;21) (p11;q22):nine cases report and literature review]

目的

探讨t(16;21）（p11；q22）急性髓系白血病（AML）的生物学及临床特征、疗效及预后。

方法

回顾性分析2009年1月至2014年12月北京大学人民医院收治的9例初诊t(16;21）（p11；q22）AML患者临床资料，并汇总国外文献报道的42例患者，采用Kaplan-Meier法进行生存分析。

结果

9例t(16;21）（p11；q22) AML占同期AML患者的0.66%。9例患者中，男4例，女5例。FAB分型：M₁ 1例、M₂ 5例、M₄ 1例、M₅ 2例；其中3例在诊断时形态学可见空泡形成。免疫表型除表达髓系CD117、CD13、CD33及CD34外，均表达CD56。染色体G显带分析均可见t(16;21）（p11；q22），5例伴有复杂核型。所有患者均可检测到TLS/FUS-ERG融合基因。9例化疗后均获完全缓解（CR）。2例仅接受化疗的患者分别于诊断后5和16个月复发，并于10和27个月死亡。7例于缓解后接受异基因造血干细胞移植（allo-HSCT），中位生存21(11~46）个月。汇总文献报道的42例成人t(16;21）（p11;q22）AML患者，其中单纯化疗组27例，HSCT组15例，两组患者中位生存期分别为10(95% CI 1~17）个月及18(95% CI 2~76）个月，差异有统计学意义（P<0. 001）。

结论

t(16;21）（p11；q22) AML是一类少见的AML，其具有特殊的形态学及免疫表型特点，总体预后差，allo-HSCT治疗可改善其预后，推荐首次CR后行allo-HSCT治疗。

[Comparison of efficacy and prognostic factors in elderly acute myelogenous patients with MA or CAG induction chemotherapy regimen]

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the difference of efficacy and prognostic factors between MA and CAG induction chemotherapy in elderly acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) patients.

METHODS

From April 2009 to September 2015, 103 consecutive hospitalized 60-plus-year-old AML patients were retrospectively analyzed. NPM1 positive FLT3-ITD negative accounted for 17 cases (16.7%). Sixty-five patients received MA regimen and thirty-eight patients received CAG regimen. MA group had higher WBC and FLT3-ITD positive mutations at diagnosis compared with CAG group (P=0.001, P=0.005; respectively). The median follow-up was 13 months for all patients and 17 months for the survivors.

RESULTS

Six patient (5.8%) died in early phase. Complete remission (CR) rate after the first cycle of induction chemotherapy was 51.5% (50/97). Overall CR rate was 70.1% (68/97). CR rate after the first cycle of induction chemotherapy and overall CR rate were indiscriminate between MA and CAG regimen. The time to neutrophil count recovery, the time to platelet count recovery and the number of platelet transfusions were indiscriminate between MA and CAG regimen. Among 68 CR patients, 23 patients relapsed at median 9 months, and cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) at 3 years was (52.5±10.1)%. Median overall survival (OS) was 20 months. OS rate at 3 years was 32.2%. Median disease-free survival (DFS) was 28 months. DFS rate at 3 years was 43.7%. CIR, DFS and OS at 3 years were indiscriminate between MA and CAG regimen. Multivariate analysis showed that less than 70 years of age (P=0.001), achieved CR (P<0.001), and NPM1 (+) FLT3-ITD(-) mutation (P=0.044) were the independent factors for increasing OS. NPM1(+) FLT3-ITD(-) mutation was the independent factor for increasing DFS (P=0.042). Patients were classified by three prognosis factors: <70 ages, CR, and NPM1(+)FLT3-ITD(-) mutation. Patients with no poor prognosis factors were classified as low risk (n=13), with one factor as medium risk (n=52) and with two and more factors as high risk (n=31). There were significant differences in OS rate and DFS rate at 3 years for 3 groups patients (60.5% vs 48.1% vs 0, P<0.001; 60.2% vs 39.4% vs 0, P=0.045; respectively). OS and DFS at 3 years for 3 groups' patients were indiscriminate between MA and CAG regimen.

CONCLUSIONS

There was indiscrimination of efficacy among MA and CAG induction chemotherapy in old AML patients. Less than 70 years of age, CR and NPM1(+)FLT3-ITD(-) mutation were the independent factors for better survival.

Complementary laboratory indices for predicting the disease status of patients with hepatitis B virus infection

To identify complementary laboratory indices for determining the disease status of patients with hepatitis B virus. Subjects were divided into six groups: hepatitis B virus carrier, mild chronic hepatitis B, moderate chronic hepatitis B, severe chronic hepatitis B, fulminant hepatitis B and healthy controls. Serum alanine aminotransferase, total bilirubin and direct bilirubin were measured by an automatic analyser. The levels of T-cell immunoglobulin domain and mucin-domain-containing molecule-3, macrophage inflammatory protein 2, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and inducible nitric oxide synthase were measured by ELISA. T-cell immunoglobulin domain, mucin-domain-containing molecule-3, macrophage inflammatory protein 2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase levels were significantly higher in patients with severe chronic hepatitis B compared with those in patients with mild and moderate chronic hepatitis B or fulminant hepatitis B (P < 0.05). When normal or abnormal alanine aminotransferase was present, significant differences between macrophage inflammatory protein 2 and T-cell immunoglobulin domain and mucin-domain-containing molecule-3 levels between patients with mild, moderate, severe chronic hepatitis B or fulminant hepatitis B were observed (P < 0.05). Our results suggest that T-cell immunoglobulin domain and mucin-domain-containing molecule-3 and macrophage inflammatory protein 2 could serve as alanine aminotransferase, direct bilirubin or total bilirubin complementary indices for determining the status of patients with hepatitis B.

Relaxin stimulates glycodelin mRNA and protein concentrations in human endometrial glandular epithelial cells

Human endometrium is the major organ that produces glycodelin A (GdA). The production of endometrial GdA causes a fluctuation of the peripheral glycodelin concentrations in women during the menstrual cycle and pregnancy. It has recently been reported that the rise of plasma concentrations of glycodelin is correlated with relaxin during the late luteal phase and early pregnancy. In addition, administration of relaxin increases glycodelin plasma concentrations, suggesting that relaxin induces GdA production in endometrium. To investigate whether relaxin regulates the GdA synthesis, human endometrial glandular epithelial cells were isolated and cultured with or without relaxin for up to 4 days. Western blot showed that GdA synthesized and secreted from epithelial glands had a major molecular weight of 28 kDa, i.e. the same as the GdA isolated from amniotic fluid. Cells incubated with relaxin consistently increased in GdA production rate (2-6-fold). The GdA mRNA concentrations increased 2-11-fold in cells incubated with relaxin for 2-4 days, as determined by solution hybridization/ribonuclease protection assay. The increase of the mRNA concentration indicates that relaxin activates GdA transcription.

Progestin, estrogen, and insulin-like growth factor-I stimulate the prolactin receptor mRNA in human endometrial stromal cells

OBJECTIVE

To identify the expression of the prolactin receptor (PRL-R) mRNA in human endometrial stromal and glandular epithelial cells in order to ascertain the autocrine/paracrine actions of PRL and to determine the effect of steroid hormones and growth factor on PRL-R mRNA during decidualization.

METHODS

Human endometrial stromal cells and glandular epithelial cells were isolated from tissue fragments by collagenase digestion and total RNA was isolated. Stromal cells were cultured with or without progesterone (P) or medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) for various periods of time. Prolactin receptor and its mRNA were determined by Western blot analysis and solution hybridization/ribonuclease protection assay. The effects of estrogen, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I, and PRL on PRL-R mRNA were also studied.

RESULTS

Both types of endometrial cells expressed PRL-R mRNA. Prolactin receptor mRNA content in glandular cells was consistently much less than that in stromal cells (1 versus 5-12). Progesterone or MPA stimulated the PRL-R mRNA expression two- to greater than ten-fold in the stromal cells of eight endometrial specimens. Stimulation by progestin was concentration dependent and required at least 1-2 days' incubation. A high level of PRL-R mRNA was maintained in stromal cells beyond 10 days' incubation with progestin. The stimulatory effect of progestin was inhibited by RU 486 and by cycloheximide, suggesting that progestin-receptor interaction and de novo protein synthesis mediate the up-regulation. In addition, estradiol and IGF-I stimulated PRL-R mRNA. Western blot analysis showed that progestin increased the PRL-R protein. A 90-kd band previously identified as PRL-R was ubiquitously distributed in the soluble and particulate fractions of the stromal cells.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated that PRL-R mRNA is expressed in both types of endometrial cells and that PRL-R mRNA and its protein are up-regulated by progestin, estrogen, and IGF-I during decidualization of endometrial stromal cells.

Regulation of progesterone receptor messenger ribonucleic acid by progestin in human endometrial stromal cells

Down-regulation of the progesterone receptor (PR) by its ligand has been demonstrated in breast cancer cell lines and in the rat uterus. However, in the stromal cells of endometrium, reduction of the PR level is not apparent in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of progestin on PR and PR mRNA in isolated human endometrial stromal cells. Western blot analysis showed that progesterone or medroxyprogesterone acetate increased the two isoforms, PR-A and PR-B, in stromal cells but reduced them in glandular epithelial cells. Progestin increased the PR-A and PR-B mRNA by 2- to > 10-fold in the stromal cells of 12 specimens measured by solution hybridization-ribonuclease protection assay. A time study showed that the increase in PR mRNA required at least a 2- to 3-day incubation with progestin and that the high mRNA levels were maintained or increased slightly beyond 10 days of progestin incubation. The stimulatory effect of progestin was inhibited by RU-486 and by cycloheximide, suggesting that the up-regulation requires ligand binding to PR and de novo protein synthesis. Progestin also increased the stability of PR mRNA in endometrial stromal cells. These results demonstrated for the first time that progestin exerts an up-regulation of PR by increasing the steady-state level of PR mRNA specifically in human endometrial stromal cells. The up-regulation of PR by progestin may be mediated in part by progestin-induced endometrial stromal cell factors such as estrogen and insulin-like growth factor-I, both of which stimulated the PR-A and PR-B mRNA in stromal cells.

Differentiation-dependent and cell-specific regulation of the hIGFBP-1 gene in human endometrium

We analyzed IGFBP-1 gene promoter activity by transient transfection during the progressive decidualization of human endometrial stromal cells. A time study over a 13-day culture period showed that the promoter activity increased exponentially to > 10(4) fold in cells treated with MPA and RLX correlating with the secretion rate and steady-state mRNA levels of the endogenous gene. Deletion analysis showed that two regions in the IGFBP-1 gene promoter are responsible for the activation of the IGFBP-1 gene. The basal promoter region between -1 and -300 bp contains multiple sections of functional elements homologous either to CRE, PRE, or CCAAT. The major difference of IGFBP-1 gene activation in endometrium and the hepatic system lies in the distal promoter region, between -2.6 and -3.4 kb, which mediates 95% of the total promoter activity derived from -3.3 kb to +68 bp. Functional and binding analysis in the distal promoter region showed that multiple Sp1 elements interacting with a novel Sp3 transcription factor activates the hIGFBP-1 gene promoter.

Progestin and antiprogestin differentially regulate the expression of insulin-like growth factors (IGF-I and IGF-II) messenger ribonucleic acid in human endometrial stromal cells

Previous studies have shown that insulin-like growth factors (IGF-I and IGF-II) stimulate mitogenic activity in human endometrial stromal cells. In the present study, we have investigated the expression of IGF-I and -II mRNA to ascertain any autocrine growth-promoting effect in this system. Northern blot analysis revealed that endometrial stromal cells express multiple sizes of IGF-I and -II transcripts. The effect of progestin and antiprogestin was studied during decidualization of endometrial stromal cells in long-term culture. Solution hybridization and a ribonuclease protection assay of control cells revealed that the level of IGF-I mRNA was low, whereas IGF-II mRNA was always abundant. Medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) stimulated the expression of IGF-I mRNA > 4-fold in predecidualized cells during the first 10 days of culture. IGF-I mRNA decreased to basal level in prolonged culture when cells were decidualized. In contrast, MPA suppressed the IGF-II mRNA level by 60% in predecidualized cells, but IGF-II mRNA was highly expressed after 20 days of incubation with MPA (5-fold increase from Days 5-10 to Day 20 of culture). In progestin-pretreated cells, addition of the antiprogestin RU486 for 1-4 days reduced IGF-I mRNA by 50-90%. RU486 reversed the suppressive effect of MPA and increased IGF-II mRNA. This study indicates that progestin and antiprogestin differentially regulate IGF-I and IGF-II mRNA levels in human endometrial stromal cells.

Effect of progestin, antiprogestin, and relaxin on the accumulation of prolactin and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-1 messenger ribonucleic acid in human endometrial stromal cells

Prolactin (PRL) and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein (IGFBP-1) are two major secretory proteins of human endometrial/decidual cells. We have characterized the mRNA of PRL and IGFBP-1 and studied the effect of progestin, medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), anti-progestin (RU486), and relaxin (RLX) on the levels of these two mRNA transcripts in a long-term culture of human endometrial stromal cells. Northern blot analysis showed that the size of PRL mRNA was 1.15 kb and that of IGFBP-1 mRNA, 1.6 kb. Primer extension of endometrial/decidual IGFBP-1 mRNA showed two transcription initiation sites identical to those found in HepG2 human hepatoma cell line. The levels of mRNA in control samples remained low, approximately 2 pg PRL and approximately 5 pg IGFBP-1/microgram RNA at various times of culture. When stromal cells were treated with MPA for 28 days, PRL mRNA gradually increased 100-fold whereas IGFBP-1 mRNA exponentially increased approximately 1000-fold compared to control values and leveled after 25 days in culture. The timing of maximal stimulation was shortened by withdrawing MPA or by replacing MPA with RU486. After removal of MPA, levels of both mRNAs increased and each peaked after approximately 10 days, with PRL showing a 2-fold and IGFBP-1 a 20-fold increase compared to cells treated with MPA continuously. Replacing MPA by RU486 caused a rapid increase of PRL mRNA (2-3-fold) in 2-3 days followed by a gradual reduction to less than 20% of peak levels over the next 3 days. IGFBP-1 mRNA levels increased 30- and 100-fold in 1-2 days followed by a reduction to less than 20% of peak levels over the next 24 h. The reduction of mRNA levels by RU486 was reversed when cells were rechallenged with MPA. Relaxin alone caused a transient stimulation of PRL and IGFBP-1 mRNA. Maximal stimulation occurred between 10 and 20 days of culture and was 100-fold for PRL and 1000-fold for IGFBP-1 relative to control values. Cells treated with MPA and RLX in sequence had higher mRNA levels than cells treated with MPA continuously or cells subjected to MPA withdrawal. Maximal mRNA levels reached 0.4 ng PRL and approximately 8 ng IGFBP-1/microgram total RNA, approximately 0.04% and 0.8% of cellular RNA. The mRNA levels under various hormonal manipulations were similar to the previously published synthesis and secretion patterns of PRL and IGFBP-1 proteins in this system.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Progestin stimulates the biosynthesis of fibronectin and accumulation of fibronectin mRNA in human endometrial stromal cells

Fibronectin is a major component of decidual basement membrane. In the present study, we have investigated the effect of progestin on the synthesis and secretion of fibronectin in human endometrial stromal cells. Stromal cells were isolated during the menstrual cycle and cultured in RPMI-1640 with 2% fetal calf serum supplemented with progesterone or medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) in a long-term culture system. Indirect immunofluorescent staining showed that fibronectin was uniformly distributed in the intracellular and extracellular regions of stromal cells treated with MPA for 14 days. The biosynthesis and secretion of this protein and the accumulation of cellular fibronectin mRNA were studied after various culture periods. Cells were pulse-labelled with [35S]methionine to determine the amount of newly synthesized fibronectin secreted into the culture medium. A monoclonal antibody (Mab) identified human fibronectin on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), showing a predominant band (Mr 230-250 kDa) which migrated with authentic fibronectin run in parallel. In six endometrial specimens, the amount of radioactivity incorporated as [35S]fibronectin was increased by progestin. Maximal stimulation occurred after 6 days treatment with MPA. Culture beyond 16 days reduced the rate of synthesis and secretion to 40% of the maximum. The effect of progestin was dose dependent with 0.02, 0.2 and 1 microM progesterone, producing 2.0, 3.8 and 11-fold increases respectively, over the control. Medroxyprogesterone acetate was more effective than progesterone, the maximal response (10-fold increase) being achieved at 0.02 microM MPA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Regulation of insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-1 synthesis and secretion by progestin and relaxin in long term cultures of human endometrial stromal cells

The decidualized endometrium during the first trimester of pregnancy synthesizes and secretes a 32-kDa insulin-like growth factor-binding protein (termed hIGFBP-1) at high levels. IGFBP-1 is the major soluble protein product of this tissue and is principally localized to the differentiated endometrial stromal cell, the decidual cell. In the present study long term culture of stromal cells from the nonpregnant endometrium have been employed to elucidate the hormonal requirements for IGFBP-1 production. Immunoreactive IGFBP-1 was undetectable in control cultures. However, inclusion of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) induced rates of 0.35 +/- 0.09 microgram/0.1 mg cell DNA.day (mean +/- SEM; n = 5) after 20-30 days. In these cultures cells exhibited morphological changes consistent with decidual cell differentiation. In all cultures removal of MPA after exposure for 10-16 days, with or without subsequent inclusion of relaxin (RLX), increased production of IGFBP-1 450- to 4600-fold to rates of 150-710 micrograms/0.1 mg cell DNA.day or 26-131 micrograms/10(6) cells.day on days 24-26. The rates tended to be higher with the inclusion of RLX and were sustained in contrast to cultures without RLX, where rates fell by day 30. Individual cultures responded differently to RLX when added from the initiation of culture, with either a response similar to MPA alone or a cyclical change in production, achieving maximal rates of 190-290 micrograms/0.1 mg cell DNA.day. Cultures in which RLX alone induced high IGFBP-1 high production were obtained from endometrium during the progesterone-dominated luteal phase. In cultures exhibiting high rates of immunoreactive IGFBP-1 production, the protein represented their major secretory protein product. This was confirmed by [35S]methionine incorporation and the presence of IGFBP-1 as the predominant protein in serum-free culture medium. The immunoreactive IGFBP-1 isolated from culture medium was found to be identical, by a number of criteria, with IGFBP-1 derived from decidual tissue. These results were consistent with a primary role of progestin exposure, whether in vivo or in vitro, in converting endometrial stromal cells to cells potentially able to exhibit the high rates of IGFBP-1 production typical of the decidualized endometrium of pregnancy.

Differential effects of progestin and relaxin on the synthesis and secretion of immunoreactive prolactin in long term culture of human endometrial stromal cells

PRL secretion from human endometrium is a continuous process extending from the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle throughout the entire gestational stage. We have developed a long term primary cell culture system to elucidate the hormonal requirements for this sustained production of PRL. The effects of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), progesterone, and relaxin (RLX) on the production of immunoreactive PRL were investigated. MPA stimulated cell growth and PRL production rate during days 5-20 of culture. Progesterone was 20-40% less effective in stimulating PRL than MPA. Stimulation of PRL was continued 1-2 weeks after MPA withdrawal. Relaxin did not promote cell growth. However, it induced the PRL production which fluctuated during the long term culture. The maximal response to RLX was 2- to 3-fold higher or similar to that of MPA. Only five of nine endometrial specimens examined responded to RLX alone. The effect of MPA plus RLX was significantly greater than that of MPA or RLX alone. The highest production rate was shown in cells treated with MPA and then RLX in sequence. After a month of culture, the production rates (micrograms of PRL per 0.1 mg cell DNA/day) under various culture conditions (A, control; B, MPA; C, MPA for 10-15 days and no hormone afterward; D, both MPA and RLX; and E, MPA and RLX in sequence) were: A, about 0-0.01 (n = 12); B, 2.5 +/- 0.9 (n = 8); C, 4.8 +/- 2.5 (n = 8); D, 5.7 +/- 3.0 (n = 5); and E, 11 +/- 3.7 (n = 7); mean +/- SD; n, number of specimens). Endometrial stromal cells were incubated with [35S]methionine, and [35S]immunoreactive PRL and other secretory proteins were analyzed on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to characterize the size and isoforms of immunoreactive PRL. PRL was one of the five major secretory proteins (23-25K, 32K, 42K, 78K, and 150K daltons, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under reducing condition) induced by MPA and RLX in endometrial stromal cells. More than 90% of immunoreactive PRL was secreted into the medium. The apparent mol wt of immunoreactive PRL were 21K, 23K (the predominant size), and 25K daltons. Results obtained from the incorporation of [14C]glucosamine into immunoreactive PRL indicated that both 23K and 25K PRL contained glycosylated PRL. A 45K-dalton glycosylated immunoreactive PRL was also present in the culture medium.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)