Identification of pathological characteristics in pulmonary tuberculosis using polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography

The low detection rate of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in clinical practice leads to a high rate of missed diagnosis for pulmonary tuberculosis(PTB).As a noninvasive,high-resolution,real-time imaging technology,polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography(PS-OCT)may be feasible for the rapid identification of pathological feature.This study aimed to explore the feasibility of using PS-OCT to identify pathological features of PTB.In the experiments,PTB samples containing some surrounding lung tissues were imaged using PS-OCT.It is demonstrated that PS-OCT images showed good consistency with the corresponding pathological images and were able to identify PTB-related characteristic pathological regions.We think PS-OCT can serve as an effective supplement for the diagnosis of PTB,enabling rapid and accurate diagnosis,and aiding in the understanding of the pathological characteristics and pathophysiological processes of PTB.

Triple-path feature transform network for ring-array photoacoustic tomography image reconstruction

Photoacoustic imaging(PAI)is a noninvasive emerging imaging method based on the photoacoustic effect,which provides necessary assistance for medical diagnosis.It has the characteristics of large imaging depth and high contrast.However,limited by the equipment cost and reconstruction time requirements,the existing PAI systems distributed with annular array transducers are difficult to take into account both the image quality and the imaging speed.In this paper,a triple-path feature transform network(TFT-Net)for ring-array photoacoustic tomography is proposed to enhance the imaging quality from limited-view and sparse measurement data.Specifically,the network combines the raw photoacoustic pressure signals and conventional linear reconstruction images as input data,and takes the photoacoustic physical model as a prior information to guide the reconstruction process.In addition,to enhance the ability of extracting signal features,the residual block and squeeze and excitation block are introduced into the TFT-Net.For further efficient reconstruction,the final output of photoacoustic signals uses‘filter-then-upsample’operation with a pixel-shuffle multiplexer and a max out module.Experiment results on simulated and in-vivo data demonstrate that the constructed TFT-Net can restore the target boundary clearly,reduce background noise,and realize fast and high-quality photoacoustic image reconstruction of limited view with sparse sampling.

Mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor amplification correlates with adverse pathological features and poor clinical outcome in colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer(CRC)is the third most common cancer and the second most common cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide.Mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor(MET)gene participates in multiple tumor biology and shows clinical potential for pharmacological manipulation in tumor treatment.MET amplification has been reported in CRC,but data are very limited.Investigating pathological values of MET in CRC may provide new therapeutic and genetic screening options in future clinical practice.AIM To determine the pathological significance of MET amplification in CRC and to propose a feasible screening strategy.METHODS A number of 205 newly diagnosed CRC patients undergoing surgical resection without any preoperative therapy at Shenzhen Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences were recruited.All patients were without RAS/RAF mutation or microsatellite instability-high.MET amplification and c-MET protein expression were analyzed using fluorescence in situ hybridization(FISH)and immunohistochemistry(IHC),respectively.Correlations between MET aberration and pathological features were detected using the chi-squared test.Progression free survival(PFS)during the two-year follow-up was detected using the Kaplan-Meier method and log rank test.The results of MET FISH and IHC were com pared using one-way ANOVA.RESULTS Polysomy-induced MET amplification was observed in 14.4%of cases,and focal MET amplification was not detected.Polysomy-induced MET amplification was associated with a higher frequency of lymph node metastasis(LNM)(P<0.001)and higher tumor budding grade(P=0.02).In the survival analysis,significant difference was detected between patients with amplified-and non-amplified MET in a two-year follow-up after the first diagnosis(P=0.001).C-MET scores of 0,1+,2+,and 3+were observed in 1.4%,24.9%,54.7%,and 19.0%of tumors,respectively.C-MET overexpression correlated with higher frequency of LNM(P=0.002),but no significant difference of PFS was detected between patients with different protein levels.In terms of concordance between MET FISH and IHC results,MET copy number showed no difference in c-MET IHC 0/1+(3.35±0.18),2+(3.29±0.11)and 3+(3.58±0.22)cohorts,and the MET-to-CEP7 ratio showed no difference in three groups(1.09±0.02,1.10±0.01,and 1.09±0.03).CONCLUSION In CRC,focal MET amplification was a rare event.Polysomy-induced MET amplification correlated with adverse pathological characteristics and poor prognosis.IHC was a poor screening tool for MET amplification.

Relationship between autophagy and perineural invasion, clinicopathological features, and prognosis in pancreatic cancer

AIM To investigate the relationship between autophagy and perineural invasion(PNI), clinical features, and prognosis in patients with pancreatic cancer. METHODS Clinical and pathological data were retrospectively collected from 109 patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who underwent radical resection at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2011 to August 2016. Expression levels of the autophagy-related protein microtubuleassociated protein 1 A/1 B-light chain 3(LC3) and PNI marker ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase(UCH) in pancreatic cancer tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry. The correlations among LC3 expression, PNI, and clinical pathological features in pancreatic cancer were analyzed. The patients were followed for further survival analysis. RESULTS In 109 cases of pancreatic cancer, 68.8%(75/109) had evidence of PNI and 61.5%(67/109) had high LC3 expression. PNI was associated with lymph node metastasis, pancreatitis, and CA19-9 levels(P < 0.05). LC3 expression was related to lymph node metastasis(P < 0.05) and was positively correlated with neural invasion(P < 0.05, r = 0.227). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that LC3 expression, lymph node metastasis, pancreatitis, and CA19-9 level were factors that influenced neural invasion, whereas only neural invasion itself was an independent factor for high LC3 expression. Univariate analysis showed that LC3 expression, neural invasion, and CA19-9 level were related to the overall survival of pancreatic cancer patients(P < 0.05). Multivariate COX regression analysis indicated that PNI and LC3 expression were independent risk factors for poor prognosis in pancreatic cancer(P < 0.05). CONCLUSION PNI in patients with pancreatic cancer is positively related to autophagy. Neural invasion and LC3 expression are independent risk factors for pancreatic cancer with a poor prognosis.

Clinical and computed tomography features of adult abdominopelvic desmoplastic small round cell tumor

To investigate the clinical and computed tomography(CT)features of desmoplastic small round cell tumor(DSRCT),we retrospectively analyzed the clinical presentations,treatment and outcome,as well as CT manifestations of four cases of DSRCT confirmed by surgery and pathology.The CT manifestations of DSRCT were as follows:(1)multiple soft-tissue masses or diffuse peritoneal thickening in the abdomen and pelvis,with the dominant mass usually located in the pelvic cavity;(2)masses without an apparent organbased primary site;(3)mild to moderate homogeneous or heterogeneous enhancement in solid area on enhanced CT;and(4)secondary manifestations,such as ascites,hepatic metastases,lymphadenopathy,hydronephrosis and hydroureter.The prognosis and overall survival rates were generally poor.Commonly used treatment strategies including aggressive tumor resection,polychemotherapy,and radiotherapy,showed various therapeutic effects.CT of DSRCT shows characteristic features that are helpful in diagnosis.Early discovery and complete resection,coupled with postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy,are important for prognosis of DSRCT.Whole abdominopelvic rather than locoregional radiotherapy is more effective for unresectable DSRCT.

Diagnostic ability of multi-detector spiral computed tomography for pathological lymph node metastasis of advanced gastric cancer

BACKGROUND The reliability of preoperative nodal diagnosis of advanced gastric cancer by multi-detector spiral computed tomography(MDCT)is still unclear.AIM To examine the diagnostic ability of MDCT more precisely by using data on intranodal pathological metastatic patterns.METHODS A total of 108 patients with advanced gastric cancer who underwent MDCT and curative gastrectomy at Kanazawa Medical University Hospital were enrolled in this study.The nodal sizes measured on computed tomography(CT)images were compared with the pathology results.A receiver-operating characteristic curve was constructed,from which the critical value(CV)was calculated by using the data of the first 69 patients retrospectively.By using the CV,sensitivity and specificity were calculated with prospectively collected data from 39 consecutive patients.This enabled a more precise one-to-one correspondence of lymph nodes between CT and pathological examination by using the size data of lymph node mapping.The intranodal pathological metastatic patterns were classified into the following four types:Small nodular,peripheral,large nodular,and diffuse.RESULTS Although all the cases were clinically suspected as having metastasis,81 had lymph node metastasis and 27 had no metastasis.The number of dissected,detected on CT,and metastatic nodes were,4241,897,and 801,respectively.The CV obtained from the receiver-operating characteristic was 7.6 mm for the long axis.The sensitivity was 91.4%and the specificity was 47.3%in the prospective phase.The large nodular and diffuse metastases were easy to diagnose becausemetastatic nodes with a large axis often exhibit these forms.CONCLUSION The ability of MDCT to contribute to a nodal diagnosis of advanced gastric cancer was examined prospectively with precise size data from node mapping,using a CV of 7.6 mm for the long axis that was calculated from the retrospectively collected data.The sensitivity was as high as 91%,and would be improved when referring to the enhanced patterns.However,its specificity was as low as 47%,because most of metastatic nodes in gastric cancer being small in size.The small nodular or peripheral type metastatic nodes were often small and considered difficult to diagnose.

Clinical and Pathological Features of Riedel's Thyroiditis

Objective To evaluate the clinical and pathological features of Riedel's thyroiditis(RT),and current diagnostic and treatment methods for that disease.Methods Five RT cases identified by surgery and pathological examinations at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from 1985 to 2009 were analyzed and compared with the cases reported in the literature in terms of clinical and pathological features.Immunohistochemical staining of kappa and lambda light chains was carried out for RT tissues from all the five patients.Results All the five cases were females,aged 45-55 years.Elevation of serum thyroid autoantibodies was found in only one patient,who had longer disease duration than the others.Pathological examination revealed invasive fibrosclerosis of the thyroid follicles,thyroid capsule,and the surrounding tissues.In RT tissues,the number of cells containing lambda chains was a little higher than those containing kappa chains.Conclusions RT is a rare disease which might be more common in middle-aged females than in other populations.Pathological features include the destruction of thyroid follicle,extension into surrounding tissues by inflammatory cells and fibrous tissues.Immunohistochemical staining of kappa and lambda chains could help diagnose RT.

Clinical and pathological features and risk factors for primary breast cancer patients

BACKGROUND Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women all around the world.According to the latest statistics in 2018,there were more than 2.08 million new breast cancer cases all around the world and more than 620000 deaths;the proportion of breast cancer deaths in women with cancer is 15%.By studying age,clinicopathological characteristics and molecular classification,age at menarche,age at birth,number of births,number of miscarriages,lactation time,surgical history of benign breast lesions,history of gynecological diseases,and other factors,we retrospectively summarized and compared the disease history of patients with primary breast cancer and patients with benign thyroid tumors admitted to our hospital in the past 10 years to explore the clinicopathological characteristics and risk factors for primary breast cancer.AIM To investigate the clinical and pathological features and risk factors for primary breast cancer treated at our center in order to provide a reference for the prevention and treatment of breast cancer in the Zhuhai-Macao region.METHODS Through a retrospective case-control study,149 patients with primary breast cancer diagnosed and treated at Zhuhai Hospital of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2013 to March 2020 were included as a case group,and 165 patients with benign breast tumors diagnosed and treated from January 2019 to March 2020 were included as a control group.The data collected included age,age at menarche,age at first birth,number of births,number of miscarriages,lactation time,history of surgery for benign breast lesions,history of familial malignant tumors,history of gynecological diseases,history of thyroid diseases,and the tumor characteristics of the patients in the case group including pathological diagnosis,pathological type,tumor size,lymph node metastasis,distant metastasis,stage,and molecular classification,among others.In the case group,the chi-square test was used to analyze the clinical and pathological features of patients in three age groups(<40,40-59,and≥60 years).A multifactor logistic regression analysis was used to analyze correlations between the two groups.RESULTS Among 149 patients with primary breast cancer,the average age was 48.20±12.06 years,and the proportion of patients at 40-59 years old was the highest,accounting for 61.8%of cases.The molecular type was mainly luminal B type,accounting for 69.2%of cases,and at the time of diagnosis,the tumor stage was mainly stage I/II,accounting for 62.4%of cases.There were no statistically significant differences in the distributions of tumor location,pathological type,tumor size,lymph node metastasis,stage,or molecular classification among the three age groups(<40,40-59,and≥60 years)(P≥0.05).The differences in the distribution of distant metastasis among the three age groups(<40,40-59,and≥60 years)were statistically significant(P<0.01).The differences in lactation time,history of familial malignant tumors,history of gynecological diseases,and history of thyroid diseases between the two groups were not statistically significant(P≥0.05).The differences in age at disease diagnosis,age at menarche,and history of surgery for benign breast lesions were statistically significant(P<0.01).The difference in age at first birth was also statistically significant(P<0.05).CONCLUSION The highest incidence of breast cancer in the Zhuhai-Macao region is present among women aged 40-59 years.There is a larger proportion of stage I/II patients,and the luminal B type is the most common molecular subtype.Distant metastasis occurs mainly in the≥60-year-old group at the first diagnosis;increased age,late age at menarche,and late age at first birth may be risk factors for primary breast cancer,and a history of surgery for benign breast lesions may be a protective factor for primary breast cancer.

Identification of oral squamous cell carcinoma in optical coherence tomography images based on texture features

Surgical excision is an effective treatment for oral squamous cell carcinoma(OSCC),but exact intraoperative differentiation OSCC from the normal tissue is the first premise.As a noninvasive imaging technique,optical coherence tomography(OCT)has the nearly same resolution as the histopathological examination,whose images contain rich information to assist surgeons to make clinical decisions.We extracted kinds of texture features from OCT images obtained by a home-made swept-source OCT system in this paper,and studied the identification of OSCC based on different combinations of texture features and machine learning classifiers.It was demonstrated that different combinations had different accuracies,among which the combination of texture features,gray level co-occurrence matrix(GLCM),Laws'texture measnres(LM),and center symmetric auto-correlation(CSAC),and SVM as the classifier,had the optimal comprehensive identification effect,whose accuracy was 94.1%.It was proven that it is feasible to distinguish OSCC based on texture features in OCT images,and it has great potential in helping surgeons make rapid and accurate decisions in oral clinical practice.

Clinical and pathological features of Devic’s neuromyelitis optica and multiple sclerosis in Chinese patients

BACKGROUND：Devic＇s neuromyelitis optica （DNMO） and multiple sclerosis in Asian populations have been considered to be the same disease. However, there is an increasing number of studies suggesting that DNMO and multiple sclerosis are different diseases.OBJECTIVE：Little information is available regarding comparisons of DNMO patients between China and other countries, as well as clinical manifestations of Chinese patients with DNMO and multiple sclerosis. The present study performed a multi-center, pathological, retrospective analysis.DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING：A retrospective analysis of clinical data from seven patients with DNMO diagnosed between 1957 and 1998.PARTICIPANTS：Data from Chinese DNMO patients was provided by the Shanghai Second Medical University, Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences and the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University in China.METHODS：Clinical and pathological data from Chinese patients with DNMO were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical characteristics of DNMO were compared between Chinese and Caucasian patients. In addition, clinical and pathological differences between DNMO and multiple sclerosis Chinese patients were compared.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES：Clinical and pathological features of Chinese patients with DNMO.RESULTS：All seven Chinese patients with DNMO exhibited abrupt onset of vision disturbance, with a disease course of 3 clays to 9 years. DNMO recurred in two of the patients. Demyelinating lesions were observed in all patients, with necrotic lesions and gitter cells in five patients, collagenous hyperplasia in one patient, and perivascular inflammatory cell infiltration in six patients. Comparison between Chinese and Caucasian DNMO patients revealed no significant differences in age at onset, clinical onset, duration, or interval between optic neuritis and myelitis. Compared with Chinese multiple sclerosis patients, Chinese DNMO patients presented with fewer recurrences, higher occurrence of necrosis, perivascular inflammatory cell infiltration and gitter cells, and a lower occurrence of collagenous hyperplasia.CONCLUSION：There was no difference in DNMO clinical features between Chinese and Caucasian patients. However, the clinical and pathological features of DNMO were different compared with multiple sclerosis in Chinese patients. Results suggested that the characteristics of DNMO in Chinese patients were significantly different than multiple sclerosis.

Pathological Features of Gastric Cancer in Zhuanghe High-risk Area in China during 1992-2005

Objective： To investigate the pathological features and chronological changes of 1003 cases with gastric cancer in Zhuanghe high-risk area during 1992-2005 and the relationship between the changes and etiology factors in order to make a clue for gastric cancer prevention. Methods： A total of 1003 gastric cancer specimens resected surgically between 1992-2005 in Zhuanghe Center Hospital were studied. The specimens were fixed in formalin and diagnosed by routine pathology. Results： The incidence of patients with gastric cancer was highest at age of 60-69, the next high was at age of 50-59 and it was significantly higher in male than in female （P〈0.001）, the ratio was 3.0：1. During the past 14 years, there were 159 （15.9%） EGC, 195 （19.4%） moderate and 649 （64.7%） advanced gastric cancer detected. In macroscopical features, type Ⅲ remained dominant in EGC, the next was mixed type in EGC. In advanced gastric cancer the Borrmann＇s type Ⅲ remained the dominant, the next was type Ⅱ. For nodal metastasis, positive cases were decreasing and negative were increasing in EGC, moreover negative cases were higher than positive ones each year. There was no obvious trend in advanced cancer but positive cases were higher than negative ones each year. In histological features, papillary, moderately and poorly differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma remained downtrend, mucus adenocarcinoma and undifferentiation cancer remained uptrend year after year. The radio of intestinal to diffuse type decreased from 0.78 to 0.62 during the past 14 years. Conclusion： There were significant chorological trends of pathological characteristic of gastric cancer in Zhuanghe high-risk area during the past 14 years.

Endoscopic classification and pathological features of primary intestinal lymphangiectasia

BACKGROUND The appearance of the intestinal mucosa during endoscopy varies among patients with primary intestinal lymphangiectasia(PIL).AIM To classify the endoscopic features of the intestinal mucosa in PIL under endoscopy,combine the patients’imaging and pathological characteristics of the patients,and explain their causes.METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the endoscopic images of 123 patients with PIL who were treated at the hospital between January 1,2007 and December 31,2018.We compared and analyzed all endoscopic images,classified them into four types according to the endoscopic features of the intestinal mucosa,and analyzed the post-lymphographic computed tomography(PLCT)and pathological characteristics of each type.RESULTS According to the endoscopic features of PIL in 123 patients observed during endoscopy,they were classified into four types:nodular-type,granular-type,vesicular-type,and edematous-type.PLCT showed diffuse thickening of the small intestinal wall,and no contrast agent was seen in the small intestinal wall and mesentery in the patients with nodular and granular types.Contrast agent was scattered in the small intestinal wall and mesentery in the patients with vesicular and edematous types.Analysis of the small intestinal mucosal pathology revealed that nodular-type and granulartype lymphangiectasia involved the small intestine mucosa in four layers,whereas ectasia of the vesicular-and edematous-type lymphatic vessels largely involved the lamina propria mucosae,submucosae,and muscular layers.CONCLUSION Endoscopic classification,combined with the patients’clinical manifestations and pathological examination results,is significant and very useful to clinicians when scoping patients with suspected PIL.

Pulmonary lymphoma: computed tomography features with pathologic correlation

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the CT and pathology features of pulmonary lymphoma and to improve the understanding of this disease. Methods: The CT findings of 23 cases with pulmonary lymphoma were retrospectively analyzed and correlated with histopathology. Results: Of the 23 cases with pulmonary lymphoma, there were Hodgkin lymphoma (5 cases) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (18 cases). Multiple lesions were assessed in 16 cases and single lesion in 7 cases. The imaging findings were classified into 3 types: lobar and segmental involvement type (9/23 cases, 39.13%), nodular or mass-like involvement type (8/23 cases, 34.78%) and mixed type (6/23 cases, 26.09%). Air bronchogram sign (14/23 cases, 60.8%), CT angiogram sign (12/23 cases, 52.17%), ground glass opacity nodules (3/23 cases, 13.04%) and lesion across pulmonary lobes (4/23,17.39%) were the characteristic features of pulmonary lymphoma. Conclusion: Relative characteristic CT features of pulmonary lymphoma could be revealed, which shows clinical significance in the diagnosis of the disease.

Value of α-fetoprotein in association with clinicopathological features of hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM:To explore the relationship between α-fetoprotein(AFP) and various clinicopathological variables and different staging system of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) thoroughly.METHODS:A retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients diagnosed with HCC between January 2008 and December 2009 in West China Hospital was enrolled in our study.The association of serum AFP values with the HCC clinicopathological features was analysed by univariate and multivariate analysis,such as status of hepatitis B virus(HBV) infection,tumor size,tumor number,vascular invasion and degree of tumor differentiation.Also,patients were divided into four groups at the time of enrollment according to different cutoff values for serum value of AFP(≤ 20 μg/L,21-400 μg/L,401-800 μg/L,and ≥ 801 μg/L),to compare the positive rate of patient among four groups stratified by various clinicopathological variables.And the correlation of different kinds of tumor staging systems,such as TNM,Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer(BCLC) staging classification and China staging,were compared with the serum concentration of AFP.RESULTS:A total of 2304 HCC patients were enrolled in this study totally;the mean serum level of AFP was 555.3 ± 546.6 μg/L.AFP levels were within the normal range(< 20 μg/L) in 27.4%(n = 631) of all the cases.81.4%(n = 1875) patients were infected with HBV,and those patients had much higher serum AFP level compared with non-HBV infection ones(573.9 ± 547.7 μg/L vs 398.4 ± 522.3 μg/L,P < 0.001).The AFP level in tumors ≥ 10 cm(808.4 ± 529.2 μg/L) was significantly higher(P < 0.001) than those with tumor size 5-10 cm(499.5 ± 536.4 μg/L) and with tumor size ≤ 5 cm(444.9 ± 514.2 μg/L).AFP levels increased significantly in patients with vascular invasion(694.1 ± 546.9 μg/L vs 502.1 ± 543.1 μg/L,P < 0.001).Patients with low tumor cell differentiation(559.2 ± 545.7 μg/L) had the significantly(P = 0.007) highest AFP level compared with high differentiation(207.3 ± 420.8 μg/L) and intermediate differentiation(527.9 ± 538.4 μg/L).In the multiple variables analysis,low tumor cell differentiation [OR 6.362,95%CI:2.891-15.382,P = 0.006] and tumor size(≥ 10 cm)(OR 5.215,95%CI:1.426-13.151,P = 0.012) were independent predictors of elevated AFP concentrations(AFP > 400 μg/L).Serum AFP levels differed significantly(P < 0.001) in the D stage of BCLC(625.7 ± 529.8 μg/L) compared with stage A(506.2 ± 537.4 μg/L) and B(590.1 ± 551.1 μg/L).CONCLUSION:HCC differentiation,size and vascular invasion have strong relationships with AFP,poor differentiation and HCC size ≥ 10 cm are independent predictors of elevated AFP.BCLC shows better relationship with

Relevance of EGFR gene mutation with pathological features and prognosis in patients with non-small-cell lung carcinoma

Objective:To study the relevance of EGFR gene mutation with pathological features and prognosis in patients with non-small-cell lung carcinoma.Methods:A total of 297 patients from July 2009 to May 2013 were chosen as objects.EGFR gene mutation were detected with fluorescence quantitative PCR.Relevance of EGFR gene mutation with clinical and pathological features was analyzed,and the prognosis of EGFR- mutant-patients and that of EGFR- wide type-patients was compared.Results:In 297 patients.136(45.79%) showed EGFR gene mutation.EGFR gene mutation had no significant relevance with age.gender,smoking history,family history of cancer and clinical stage(P>0.05);there was significant relevance between EGFR gene mutation and blood type,pathologic types,differentiation and diameter of cancer(P<0.05).The difference between prognosis of EGFR- mutant-patients and that of EGFR- wide type-patients was statistical significance(P<0.05).Conclusions:EGFR gene mutation has significant relevance with pathological features,the prognosis of EGFRmutant-paticnts is better than that of EGFR- wide type-patients.

Clinicopathological Features of Renal Amyloidosis: A Single-center Study on 47 Cases

The correlations between the clinicopathological features and the long-term outcomes of renal amyloidosis（RA） were analyzed with a view to develop strategies for improving diagnosis and prognosis of RA. We retrospectively reviewed the clinicopathological characteristics of 47 patients diagnosed with RA between 2004 and 2014 at the Wuhan Union Hospital. The data on the renal histology, clinical manifestations, and prognosis of RA patients were retrieved from the hospital records and characteristic patterns were identified. The histological changes in the kidneys were correlated with the clinical manifestations of RA. Additionally, most RA patients in this study had decreased serum levels of κ light chain and increased urine levels of κ and λ light chains as well as presence of M-protein in the urine and serum. Patients with early RA showed no specific pathognomonic symptoms. Bleeding associated with diagnostic renal biopsy was rare. We recommend that the routine work-up of patients aged over 40 years and presenting with non-diabetic nephropathy includes the non-invasive tests for the measurement of serum and urine levels of κ and λ light chains as well as protein electrophoresis tests for the presence of urinary and serum M-protein. Additionally, such patients should undergo renal biopsy screening with Cong-red staining to ensure early diagnosis of RA and improve their survival, since the risk of hemorrhage related to renal biopsy screening is low at early stages of RA.

Surgical Procedures,Pathological Features and Prognosis in Young Women with Breast Cancer in China--a Single Institute Experience

Objective:To compare the differences in surgical procedures,pathological features and prognosis between young and elderly women with breast cancer in China.Methods:A retrospective study compared the data of surgical procedures,pathological features and prognosis of 61 cases of young females(≤40 years)and 507 cases of elderly females(>40 years),treated in our department from August 2011 to July 2018.This data was analyzed using SPSS 23.0 program.Results:10.74% of total cases,in this period of time,involve young females.In terms of surgical procedures,24.59%of young patients underwent breast conserving surgery(8.48% elderly,respectively),and 13.11%underwent reconstruction surgery(1.18% elderly,respectively),with statistically significant differences existing between the two groups(P<0.05).Progesterone receptor(PR)expression in young women was significantly higher than in elderly females(P<0.05).There were no significant differences between the two groups in the proportion of invasive ductal carcinoma(IDC),axillary lymph node metastasis(ALNM),expression of estrogen receptor(ER),human epidermal growth factor receptor-2(HER-2)and Ki-67,but the lymphatic metastasis stage showed an increasing rate with younger age.No significant difference was found in 3-year disease-free survival(DFS)and overall survival(OS).Conclusion:The selection rate of breast conserving and reconstructive surgery in young women with breast cancer is significantly higher than that in elderly women.The younger the patient,the more frequently the PR positive expression,and the more likely ALNM to occur.The 3-year prognosis of the young and elderly patients is similar.

Application of optical coherence tomography angiography in assessment of posterior scleral reinforcement for pathologic myopia

AIM： To investigate the effect of posterior scleral reinforcement （PSR） on circulation of pathologic myopia eyes with posterior staphyloma by optical coherence tomography angiography （OCTA）.METHODS： The study included 30 pathologic myopia eyes with posterior staphyloma which underwent PSR （PSR group） for 6 to 18mo ago, and 30 age and myopia matched eyes without PSR surgery as control group. Macular, choriocapillaris and radial peripapillary capillary （RPC） flow density were measured by OCTA, and the measurements were compared between groups. RESULTS： OCTA found no significant differences in macular flow density between PSR and control groups. For the superficial flow, whole enface flow density （WED）, fovea density （FD）, and parafoveal density （PD） were 46.55%±5.19% vs 47.29%±4.12% （P=0.542）, 31.45%±6.35% vs 31.17%±4.48% （P=0.841）, and 48.82%±5.66% vs 49.21%±4.15% （P=0.756） in PSR and control groups, respectively. For the deep flow, WED, FD, and PD were 52.07%±5.78% vs 53.95%±4.62% （P=0.168）, 29.62%±6.55% vs 29.50%±6.38% （P=0.940）, and 56.93%±6.17% vs 58.15%±5.13% （P=0.407） in PSR and control groups, respectively. The choriocapillary flow density was 61.18±3.25% in PSR group vs 60.88%±2.56% in control group （P=0.692）. Also, OCTA found no significant differences in RPCs flow density between PSR and control groups. The optic disc WED, inside disc flow density and peripapillary flow density were 48.47%±4.77% vs 48.11%±4.57% （P=0.813）, 45.47%±11.44% vs 46.68%±9.02% （P=0.709）, 54.32%±5.29% vs 52.47%±6.62% （P=0.349） in PSR and control groups, respectively.CONCLUSION： OCTA provides a non-invasive and quantitative approach for monitoring macular and papillary blood flow in pathologic myopia. PSR can not improve but may maintain the circulation of pathologic myopia eyes with posterior staphyloma.

Prediction of microvascular invasion in solitary hepatocellular carcinoma≤5 cm based on computed tomography radiomics

BACKGROUND Liver cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors,and ranks as the fourth leading cause of cancer death worldwide.Microvascular invasion(MVI)is considered one of the most important factors for recurrence and poor prognosis of liver cancer.Thus,accurately identifying MVI before surgery is of great importance in making treatment strategies and predicting the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).Radiomics as an emerging field,aims to utilize artificial intelligence software to develop methods that may contribute to cancer diagnosis,treatment improvement and evaluation,and better prediction.AIM To investigate the predictive value of computed tomography radiomics for MVI in solitary HCC≤5 cm.METHODS A total of 185 HCC patients,including 122 MVI negative and 63 MVI positive patients,were retrospectively analyzed.All patients were randomly assigned to the training group(n=124)and validation group(n=61).A total of 1351 radiomic features were extracted based on three-dimensional images.The diagnostic performance of the radiomics model was verified in the validation group,and the Delong test was applied to compare the radiomics and MVIrelated imaging features(two-trait predictor of venous invasion and radiogenomic invasion).RESULTS A total of ten radiomics features were finally obtained after screening 1531 features.According to the weighting coefficient that corresponded to the features,the radiomics score(RS)calculation formula was obtained,and the RS score of each patient was calculated.The radiomics model exhibited a better correction and identification ability in the training and validation groups[area under the curve:0.72(95%confidence interval:0.58-0.86)and 0.74(95%confidence interval:0.66-0.83),respectively].Its prediction performance was significantly higher than that of the image features(P<0.05).CONCLUSION Computed tomography radiomics has certain predictive value for MVI in solitary HCC≤5 cm,and the predictive ability is higher than that of image features.

Enhancement parameters of contrast-enhanced computed tomography for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: Correlation with pathologic grading

BACKGROUND Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma(PDA)is a malignancy with a high mortality rate and short survival time.The conventional computed tomography(CT)has been worldwide used as a modality for diagnosis of PDA,as CT enhancement pattern has been thought to be related to tumor angiogenesis and pathologic grade of PDA.AIM To evaluate the relationship between the pathologic grade of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and the enhancement parameters of contrast-enhanced CT.METHODS In this retrospective study,42 patients(Age,mean±SD:62.43±11.42 years)with PDA who underwent surgery after preoperative CT were selected.Two radiologists evaluated the CT images and calculated the value of attenuation at the aorta in the arterial phase and the pancreatic phase(VAarterial and VApancreatic)and of the tumor(VTarterial and VTpancreatic)by finding out four regions of interest.Ratio between the tumor and the aorta enhancement on the arterial phase and the pancreatic phase(TARarterial and TARpancreatic)was figured out through dividing VT arterial by VAarterial and VTpancreatic by VApancreatic.Tumor-to-aortic enhancement fraction(TAF)was expressed as the ratio of the difference between attenuation of the tumor on arterial and parenchymal images to that between attenuation of the aorta on arterial and pancreatic images.The Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance and Mann-Whitney U test for statistical analysis were used.RESULTS Forty-two PDAs(23 men and 19 women)were divided into three groups:Welldifferentiated(n=13),moderately differentiated(n=21),and poorly differentiated(n=8).TAF differed significantly between the three groups(P=0.034)but TARarterial(P=0.164)and TARpancreatic(P=0.339)did not.The median value of TAF for poorly differentiated PDAs(0.1011;95%CI:0.01100-0.1796)was significantly higher than that for well-differentiated PDAs(0.1941;95%CI:0.1463-0.3194).CONCLUSION Calculation of TAF might be useful in predicting the pathologic grade of PDA.