Rushsellers0270

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 20 insertion (

ex20ins) is a common mutation in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). NPS-2143 Patients with

ex20ins generally respond poor to EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs).

ex20ins are often co-occurring with

amplification. However, the impact of

amplification on the survival of patients with

ex20ins mutations has not been determined.

This is an observational longitudinal cohort study. A prospectively managed database included consecutive treatment-naïve adult patients with advanced NSCLC and

ex20ins confirmed by next-generation sequencing (NGS) at Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital between November 2017 and February 2019. The participants were enrolled from the database and extracted their clinical characteristics, treatment and clinical outcomes. NGS was used to establish whether

amplification was present in tumor tissue. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were compared between

amplification and non-

ification group than in the

amplification group (110

. 31 days, P=0.030).

There is a tendency that

amplification might be a poor predictor in

ex20ins-positive NSCLC patients treated with EGFR-TKIs.

There is a tendency that EGFR amplification might be a poor predictor in EGFR ex20ins-positive NSCLC patients treated with EGFR-TKIs.

Coronary artery aneurysm (CAA) and coronary artery ectasia (CAE) may be two different types of coronary artery dilatation with unknown etiology. This study aimed to compare the differences between CAA and CAE and to investigate their pathogenesis and the necessity of antiplatelet therapy.

One hundred patients each with confirmed CAA, CAE, and normal coronary artery (NCA) from September 2017 to July 2019 were included. All patients completed examinations of the ankle-brachial index (ABI), pulse wave rate, and carotid ultrasonography; and were tested for routine blood, lipid, and immune parameters. Blood samples were collected 1 week after the withdrawal of antiplatelet drugs, and vascular inflammatory indexes, platelet activation indexes, thromboelastography, and the platelet aggregation rate were measured. Analysis of variance and the chi-square or Fisher exact test were used for statistical analysis.

The perinuclear anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA), endothelial-1, matrix metalloproteinase-9,ificantly higher in CAE than in NCA.

CAE was closely related to inflammation, whereas CAA was closely related to atherosclerosis. Platelet activation was present in both diseases; therefore, antiplatelet therapy is recommended.

CAE was closely related to inflammation, whereas CAA was closely related to atherosclerosis. Platelet activation was present in both diseases; therefore, antiplatelet therapy is recommended.

Pneumothorax refers to the abnormal presence of air in the thoracic cavity. Pulmonary emphysema (PE) is often detected during computed tomography (CT), one of the radiological investigations used to diagnose pneumothorax and devise treatment plans in former or current smokers who present with pneumothorax. However, there are few reports that describe the recurrence rate and risk factors associated with recurrence in patients with PE and pneumothorax.

This study retrospectively cross-sectional analyzed the medical records of 164 patients diagnosed with their first episode of secondary spontaneous pneumothorax and admitted to a tertiary care hospital, between March 2013 and February 2019. The CT scans of 98 patients revealed PE, and 49 patients of those underwent pulmonary function tests (PFTs) after the resolution of pneumothorax. Risk factors for recurrence were analyzed using Cox proportional hazard regression.

All the subjects were male and former or current smokers, with a median age of 72 years. Thiicting the recurrence of pneumothorax.

Primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) is a common disease among young patients, particularly men. While the most common thoracoscopic approach is triportal, the transareolar approach is rare. In this study, we prospectively investigated the feasibility of thoracoscopic pulmonary bullectomy using a transareolar approach for treatment of PSP.

Ten patients with PSP who underwent thoracoscopic transareolar pulmonary bullectomy were prospectively enrolled in this study between September 2017 and March 2018. For all 10 patients, we evaluated the perioperative outcomes, postoperative complications, recurrence, wound-related pain, and cosmetic satisfaction regarding the surgical wound.

The mean patient age was 18.9±4.2 years; three patients were affected on the right side and seven patients were affected on the left side. Bullae and blebs were localized at the apex of the affected lung in all patients. All procedures were completed using a transareolar approach without additional ports or conversion to thoracoent of PSP.

Our study assessed the reliability of non-gated, non-contrast chest computed tomography (NCCT) (with high pitch, wide coverage, and fast gantry rotation time, reconstructed at various slice thicknesses), compared with the electrocardiography (ECG)-gated calcium scoring cardiac computed tomography (CaCT), for quantifying coronary artery calcification (CAC).

Patients aged ≥50 years who required clinical NCCT were prospectively enrolled. All CT scans were performed with 256-detector rows; z-axis coverage, 8 cm; pitch, 1.5; and gantry rotation time, 280 ms (table feed, 42.86 cm/s). NCCT was followed by ECG-gated CaCT. The NCCT images were reconstructed at 0.625-, 1.25-, and 2.5-mm slice intervals. The CAC score was calculated on four sets of CT images with a commercially available software using the Agatston method. The CAC scores were divided into four standard Agatston scoring categories (Agatston scores 0, 1-100, 101-400, and >400). The inter-observer and inter-technique agreements were evaluated for thgated CaCT, and 1.25-mm slice thickness NCCT images are more reliable than other NCCT images.

Prognostic factors have yet to be established for patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD). We aimed to clarify whether the Charlson Comorbidity Index score (CCIS) could help predict disease prognosis in patients with ILD.

Among ILD patients treated between April 2013 and April 2017, we retrospectively assessed the relationship between baseline clinical parameters including age, sex, CCIS, ILD diagnosis, pulmonary function test results, and 3-year ILD-related events including cause-specific death and first acute exacerbation (AE).

We assessed 180 patients (mean age, 74 years), all of whom underwent pulmonary function testing including percentage predicted diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (%D

). Underlying pathologies included idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in 57 cases, idiopathic nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (iNSIP) and collagen vascular disease-related interstitial pneumonia in 117 cases, and chronic hypersensitivity pneumonia (CHP) in 6 cases. A composite scoring system comprising IPF diagnosis, CCIS, and %D

provided a favorable C-index (0.