Clinical value of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography in the characterization of focal liver lesions:a prospective multicenter trial

BACKGROUND: Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) is increasingly accepted in clinical settings for diagnostic imaging of focal liver lesions (FLLs). This study aimed to assess the efficacy of CEUS in the characterization of FLLs in comparison with final diagnosis based on gold standard assessment. METHODS: The study was approved by the local ethics committee and participating patients provided written informed consent. A total of 148 patients with 164 FLLs were studied. Unenhanced ultrasonography (US) and CEUS were performed using fundamental and harmonic imaging, respectively. Contrast enhancement was assessed during the arterial, portal and late vascular phases after intravenous administration of contrast (SonoVue (R), Bracco, Italy). Sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic accuracy of US and CEUS were compared in identifying the lesion as benign, malignant or indeterminate and its actual tumor type. Final diagnosis was established by biopsy (129/164), MR imaging (11/164) or medical history (24/164). RESULTS: When compared to the gold standard, the number of indeterminate diagnoses was reduced from 56.7% (93/164) as assessed by fundamental imaging to 6.1% (10/164) after SonoVue (R) enhanced US examination. Sensitivity and specificity improved from 49% and 25% at baseline US to 93% and 75% with CEUS, respectively (P<0.01). Diagnostic accuracy of CEUS was 88% in contrast to 41% of baseline US. CONCLUSION: SonoVue (R) enhanced US improves the characterization of FLLs and may limit the need for further investigations.

Safety and efficacy of polymer-free paclitaxel-eluting microporous stent in real-world practice： 1-year follow-up of the SERY-I registry

Background Polymer coating on coronary stents induces vascular inflammatory response, reduces re-endothelialization, and affects long-term outcome after percutaneous coronary intervention （PCI）. The SERY-1 registry aimed to determine whether a novel polymer-free paclitaxel-eluting microporous Yinyi stent could improve 1-year outcome after index procedure in real-world clinical practice. Methods Clinical and angiographic data and follow-up outcome were collected in 1045 patients who underwent PCI with implantation of 〉1 Yinyi stents between June 2008 and August 2009 at 27 medical centers. The primary endpoint was the cumulative rate of composite major adverse cardiac events （MACE） and the secondary endpoint was the incidence of stent thrombosis at 1 year. Results Overall, 1376 lesions were treated successfully with 1713 Yinyi stents, and 1019 （98.7%） patients received dual antiplatelet therapy for at least 12 months. During 1-year follow-up, 8 patients （0.78%） had cardiac death, 6 （0.58%） suffered non-fatal myocardial infarction, and 46 （4.46%） underwent repeat PCI due to recurrence of angina, resulting in 1-year MACE-free survival of 94.09%. Stent thrombosis occurred in 10 （0.97%） patients, and the rate of Academic Research Consortium （ARC） definite or probable stent thrombosis was 0.78%. Conclusions Polymer-free paclitaxel-eluting microporous Yinyi stent is effective and safe for interventional treatment of coronary artery disease in real-world clinical practice, without recourse to carrier polymer. Potential long-term clinical advantages of this stent deserve further investigation.

Correlation between the methylation of SULF2 and WRN promoter and chemosensitivity to irinotecan in gastric cancer

Objective To explore the relationship betweenSULF2 and WRN promoter methylation and chemosensitivity to irinotecan,and also the clinicopathological features in patients with gastric cancer.Methods The chemosensitivity to irinotecan was tested by MTT assay.

SRSF2 mutation in patients with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia

Objective To investigate SRSF2 mutations in patients with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia(CMML)and the clinical characteristics of patients with SRSF2mutants.Methods In this study,the frequency of SRSF2mutation in a cohort of 20 patients with CMML was detected by polymerase chain reaction(PCR)followed by

The impact of low T3 syndrome on the prognosis of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma

Objective To examine the relationship between low T3 syndrome(LT3S)and the prognosis of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma(NDMM)patients.Methods A retrospective examination of 211 NDMM patients treated at the Department of Hematology,Jiangsu Provincial People's Hospital from July 2009 to December 2020 was performed,and all patients received thyroid function testing to determine if they had LT3S.

Analysis of clinical features and prognosis of anti-glomerular basement membrane antibody positive patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies

Objective To investigate the characteristics and outcome of glomerulonephritis in patients with both antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody and anti-glomerular basement membrane antibody.Methods The sera of 23 antiGBM glomerulonephritis patients were collected and were tested for ANCA respectively.Characteristics and outcome of patients with coexisting anti-GBM antibody