ObjectiveTo summarize the diagnosis and treatment progress of combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC-CCA) in recent years, in order to provide a reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment decision-making. MethodThe recent literature related to the diagnosis and treatment of cHCC-CCA was reviewed. ResultsThere was no specific guideline or consensus on the diagnosis and management of cHCC-CCA. The diagnosis of the cHCC-CCA was challenging by imaging alone, and the tumor markers such as alpha fetoprotein and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 were of particular value in clinical diagnosis, but it was ultimately relied on the pathological examination results. For the patients with early cHCC-CCA, the radical surgery was recommended to undergo if possible, but there was some controversy regarding the efficacy of liver transplantation and the mode of recurrence and metastasis. For the patients with advanced cHCC-CCA, the systemic therapy was being explored further, and some retrospective analyses of small samples suggested that the gemcitabine and platinum-containing chemotherapy regimens might be beneficial. With the better success of immunotherapy and targeted therapies in hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma, it might provide some experiences for treatment selection of cHCC-CCA. ConclusionscHCC-CCA has a lower incidence rate and stronger heterogeneity. Its diagnosis mainly relies on surgical pathology, and treatment strategy is lack of high-level evidence-based medical evidence and rigorously designed clinical studies are still needed to explore its efficacy and safety in the future.
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a systemic inflammatory disease with limited treatment options. Irisin is a novel actin protein produced by skeletal muscle movement and exerts anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and antioxidant effects by participating in multiple signaling pathways. In recent years, the protective effect of irisin on AKI has attracted much attention, and its regulatory mechanism involves a complex network of signaling pathways, which can reduce oxidative stress, inhibit apoptosis, inhibit inflammation, and inhibit ferroptosis under pathological conditions. This pathway alleviates kidney injury by enhancing the metabolic reprogramming of tubular cells while attenuating fibrosis. Irisin is expected to be a new treatment option for AKI.
ObjectiveTo analyze the clinical features and prognosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.MethodsA total of 379 confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted to Public Health Clinical Center of Chengdu from January 16 to November 30, 2020 were divided into two groups including an elderly group (42 patients, ≥60 years) and a non-elderly group (337 patients, <60 years) by age. The epidemiology, clinical features, laboratory tests, treatment and prognosis of the two groups were compared.ResultsAmong the 379 patients, 286 (75.5%) were males and 93 (24.5%) were females, aged from 2 months to 87 years, with an average age of 41.2 years. The average age of the elderly group was 69.5 years, and 61.9% of them were females. They were imported from Wuhan or local secondary patients (73.8%), mainly common or critical type (88.1%). While, the average age of the non-elderly group was 37.8 years, and males were more common (80.1%). There were mostly from foreign input (75.7%), mainly mild or ordinary type (95.0%). A total of 179 patients (47.2%) had one or more underlying diseases. Hypertension (15 patients, 35.7%) and diabetes (11 patients, 26.2%) were more common in the elderly group, while non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (132 patients, 39.2%) was more frequent in the non-elderly group. The most common clinical manifestations were fever (138 patients, 36.4%) and cough (129 patients, 34.0%). Fever, cough, dyspnea, and fatigue were more common in the elderly group than those in the non-elderly group (P<0.05). Compared with the non-elderly group, the elderly group had lower total lymphocyte count, CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell count, higher level of myocardial injury or inflammation markers (P<0.05). Abnormal echocardiography in 139 patients (36.7%) was mainly caused by decreased left ventricular diastolic function (22.7%) and heart valve regurgitation (14.0%), and the rate in the elderly group was significantly higher than that in the non-elderly group (85.7% vs. 30.6%, P<0.05). After treatment, 3 patients in the elderly group died, and the others were cured and discharged. The hospitalization duration of the elderly group was longer than that of the non-elderly group (22.1 d vs. 18.8 d, P=0.033).ConclusionsElderly COVID-19 patients are mainly imported from Wuhan or secondary to the local population, mainly common or critical type, often associated with basic diseases such as hypertension or diabetes. While, non-elderly COVID-19 patients are mainly imported from abroad, mainly mild or common type, often associated with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. After treatment, most of the patients have a good prognosis.