Abstract Introduction: nutritional status and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) have been found to be associated with prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE). Objectives: to evaluate the association between nutritional status and PLR in patients with HCC undergoing TACE. Methods: a total of 152 HCC patients received TACE were enrolled. The nutritional status was evaluated by Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA). Patients with PG-SGA A and PG-SGA (B or C) were classified as the well-nourished and malnourished groups. Results: according to the PG-SGA, 130 (85.5 %) patients were malnourished. The median PLR was significantly different between well-nourished and malnourished groups (p = 0.008). A positive correlation was found between PLR and PG-SGA score (r = -0.265, p = 0.001). The optimal PLR cutoff value was 102.165 to predict malnutrition, with a sensitivity of 65.4 %, specificity of 72.7 %, and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.677 (95 % confidence interval (CI): 0.550-0.804; p = 0.008). A logistic stepwise regression model showed that the PLR was associated with nutritional status in Model 1 without adjustment, as well as if adjusted by age, sex, type of TACE (c-TACE/DEB-TACE) and Child–Pugh stage (odds ratio, 0.190; 95 % CI: 0.062-0.582; p = 0.004). Conclusions: nutritional status measured by PG-SGA was significantly associated with PLR in patients with HCC undergoing TACE.

Resumen Introducción: se ha encontrado que el estado nutricional y el índice plaquetas-linfocitos (PLR) se asocian con el pronóstico en pacientes con carcinoma hepatocelular (CHC) sometidos a quimioembolización transarterial (TACE). Objetivos: evaluar la asociación entre el estado nutricional y la PLR en pacientes con CHC sometidos a TACE. Métodos: se evaluaron 152 pacientes con CHC que recibieron TACE. El estado nutricional fue evaluado por Evaluación Global Subjetiva Generada por el Paciente (PG-SGA). Los pacientes con PG-SGA A y PG-SGA (B o C) se clasificaron como los grupos bien nutridos y desnutridos. Resultados: según la PG-SGA, 130 (85,5 %) pacientes estaban desnutridos. La mediana de PLR fue significativamente diferente entre los grupos bien nutridos y desnutridos (p = 0,008). Se encontró una correlación positiva entre PLR y la puntuación PG-SGA (r = -0,265, p = 0,001). El valor de corte óptimo de PLR fue de 102,165 para predecir la malnutrición, con una sensibilidad del 65,4 %, una especificidad del 72,7 % y un área bajo la curva (AUC) de 0,677 (intervalo de confianza [IC] del 95 %: 0,550-0,804; p = 0,008). Un modelo de regresión logística escalonada mostró que el PLR se asoció con el estado nutricional en el Modelo 1 sin ajuste, así como cuando se ajustó por edad, sexo, tipo de TACE (c-TACE/DEB-TACE) y etapa Child-Pugh (odds ratio, 0,190; IC 95 %: 0,062-0,582; p = 0,004). Conclusiones: el estado nutricional medido por PG-SGA se asoció significativamente con PLR en pacientes con CHC sometidos a TACE.

Abstract Background stewart-treves syndrome (STS) is an angiosarcoma associated with chronic lymphedema. Objectives This article analyses the characteristics of twenty-two patients and proposes active intervention in lymphedema and the early diagnosis of STS. Methods Twenty-two patients with STS were diagnosed at the centre over an 11-year period. Clinical manifestations, a series of conventional analyses, and histopathology were used to study these cases retrospectively. Results The age range of 22 patients with STS was 15 to 78 years. The main clinical manifestations included multiple skin and subcutaneous nodules and scattered red or purplish-red rashes in the lymphoedematous limbs. These patients often showed clinical symptoms such as lymphedema, weakness, emaciation, pain, mass, lymphadenopathy and so on. The positive rates of ultrasonography, MRI and radionuclide imaging were 66.7% (6/9), 92.3% (12/13) and 18.2% (2/11), respectively. The main points regarding active intervention in lymphedema and early diagnosis of STS were summarized. Study limitations Since this was a retrospective study, the main points summarized by the author need to be further quantified in clinical work to guide the diagnosis of this kind of disease more conveniently. In addition, further clinical trials are needed to evaluate the role of lymphedema in the occurrence and development of malignant tumors. Conclusions STS can appear in lymphoedematous tissue many years after lymphedema onset. To avoid delays in the diagnosis and therapy of STS, physicians should actively look for signs or symptoms of malignant lymphedema during the follow-up period and promptly manage patients developing problems.

OBJECTIVE: Heart failure is a progressive and debilitating disease. Intracoronary sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium-ATPase gene therapy may improve the function of cardiac muscle cells. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that intracoronary sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium-ATPase gene therapy can improve outcomes and reduce the number of recurrent and terminal events in advanced heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction. METHODS: A total of 768 heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction and New York Heart Association classification II to IV were included in this prospective cohort study. Patients either underwent intracoronary sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium-ATPase gene therapy (CA group, n=384) or received oral placebo (PA group; n=384). Data regarding recurrent and terminal event(s), treatment-emergent adverse effects, and outcome measures were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: After a follow-up period of 18 months, intracoronary sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium-ATPase gene therapy reduced the number of hospital admissions (p=0.001), ambulatory treatments (p=0.0004), and deaths (p=0.024). Additionally, intracoronary sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium-ATPase gene therapy improved the left ventricular ejection fraction (p<0.0001) and Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire score (p<0.0001). The number of recurrent and terminal events/patients were higher in the PA group than in the CA group after the follow-up period of 18 months (p=0.015). The effect of the intracoronary sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium-ATPase gene therapy was independent of the confounding variables. No new arrhythmias were reported in the CA group. CONCLUSIONS: Intracoronary sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium-ATPase gene therapy reduces the number of recurrent and terminal events and improves the clinical course of advanced heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction.

ABSTRACT To increase rice yield potential, field experiments were conducted in farmers’ paddies in 2011 and 2012 to evaluate the effects of different nitrogen applications on the yield and panicle components of three typical indica hybrid rice varieties in Sichuan Province. The number of grains per panicle resulting from late nitrogen application (LA) was 12 % greater than that obtained from traditional nitrogen application (TA); this increase was the main source of improvements in yield. The number of surviving and differentiated spikelets (NSS and NDiS) resulting from LA was significantly higher than that measured under TA, especially for the Fyou498 cultivar, where the NSS and NDiS increased by 15 % and 14 %, respectively. Compared with TA, the number of degenerated secondary branches and the percentage of degenerated secondary branches (NDeSB and PDeSB) were significantly reduced by 9 % and 11 %, respectively, by LA. This is the first study to demonstrate that an increase in NSS and a decrease in NDeSB lead to yield-improving effects attributable to LA. The grain yields of different varieties ranged from 9225.6 to 9408.7 kg ha−1, the PDeSB was as high as 31 %, and the number of surviving secondary branches (NSSB) was significantly and positively correlated with NSS. These data indicate that the yield of indica hybrid rice has considerable potential for being improved, and increasing NSSB is key to increasing NSS and improving the grain yield. These improvements should be pursued so as to increase the yield of hybrid rice to ensure both food security and sustainable agricultural development.

Our objective was to evaluate the association of rs12255372 in theTCF7L2 gene with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the world population. We carried out a survey of the literature about the effect of rs12255372 on genetic susceptibility to T2DM by consulting PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and Embase from 2006 to 2012, and then performed a meta-analysis of all the studies in order to evaluate the association between rs12255372 and T2DM. A total of 33 articles including 42 studies (with 34,076 cases and 36,192 controls) were confirmed to be eligible and were included in the final meta-analysis: 6 studies conducted on Europeans, 14 on Caucasians, 17 on Asians, 2 on Africans, and 3 on Americans. Overall, the effect size was as follows: for the variant allele T (OR = 1.387, 95%CI = 1.351-1.424), for the TT genotype (OR = 1.933, 95%CI = 1.815-2.057), for the GT genotype (OR = 1.363, 95%CI = 1.315-1.413), for the dominant model (OR = 1.425, 95%CI = 1.344-1.510), and for the recessive model (OR = 1.659, 95%CI = 1.563-1.761). In summary, by pooling all available qualified data from genetic studies on rs12255372 and T2DM, we have confirmed that rs12255372 is significantly associated with susceptibility to T2DM in the global population.