Xiangyi Kong

Overview of the health care system in Hong Kong and its referential significance to mainland China

Abstract Hong Kongs health system was established within the framework of a perfect market‐oriented economic matrix, where there are wide‐ranging social security and medical service systems. There are many differences in the economic foundations, social systems, and ideologies between Hong Kong and mainland China, therefore, it would probably be entirely impossible to copy Hong Kongs health care system mode. However, under the framework of one country, two systems, the referential significance of relevant concepts of Hong Kongs medical service system to mainland China cannot be ignored, and merits further study.

A meta-analysis: Do prophylactic antiepileptic drugs in patients with brain tumors decrease the incidence of seizures?

BACKGROUND Seizures are a potentially devastating complication of brain tumors. Several studies in the past have attempted to demonstrate that prophylactic antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in patients with brain tumors can decrease the incidence of seizures. However, it is currently unclear whether AEDs should be routinely administered to patients with brain tumors who have never had a seizure. OBJECTIVE A meta-analysis of randomized trials was conducted to estimate the effectiveness of seizure prophylaxis in people with brain tumors. METHODS A range of electronic databases were searched (1966-2014): MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library Database, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science and the Chinese Biomedical Database (CBM) without language restrictions. Two independent reviewers assessed trials for eligibility and quality, and meta-analysis was performed using the STATA 12.0 software. Integrated Odd Ratio (OR) with its corresponding 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was calculated. RESULTS Six RCTs were included with a total of 547 patients with brain tumors. The meta-analysis results revealed that patients with brain tumors who received prophylactic antiepileptic interventions did not have significantly lower epilepsy incidence than those in controlled groups (OR=0.939, 95%CI=0.609-1.448, z=0.29, P=0.775). Sensitivity analysis suggested the statistical results were robust. No publication bias was detected in this meta-analysis (P>0.05). CONCLUSION Although some past studies indicated AEDs can be used in patients with brain tumors to relieve epilepsy, present integrated evidences cannot show in unequivocal terms that brain tumor patients can benefit from seizure prophylaxis.

Pituicytoma Coexisting With Corticotroph Hyperplasia: Literature Review With One Case Report.

AbstractPituicytoma is a rare, low-grade glial neoplasm that arises in the neurohypophysis or infundibulum and usually presents as pituitary gland enlargement. They are often misdiagnosed as pituitary adenomas. Causes have varied for high serum adrenocorticotropic hormone level reported in a few patients with pituicytoma.We report a rare case of pituicytoma accompanied by corticotroph hyperplasia—a challenging diagnosis guided by clinical presentations, radiological signs, and biopsy.We present a case of pituicytoma with corticotroph hyperplasia in a 46-year-old woman with typical Cushing syndrome. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a lesion in the sellar area with equal T1 and T2 signals and marked homogeneous enhancement. We present detailed analysis of the patients disease course and review pertinent literature. Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report and any accompanying images. A copy of the written consent is available for review by the Editor of this journal. Because of this, there is no need to conduct special ethic review and the ethical approval is not necessary.The patient underwent a surgical exploration and tumor resection through a trans-sphenoidal approach. Pathologic results revealed pituicytoma and corticotroph hyperplasia. As adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisol levels did not decrease to normal, the patient received radiotherapy and recovered uneventfully. No recurrence was found over 8 years of follow-up.Pituicytoma is a rare type of sellar tumor. Pituicytomas in patients with Cushing syndrome are rarer still. To our knowledge, this is the first report of Cushing syndrome caused by corticotroph hyperplasia in a pituicytoma patient.

Probiotics' Preventive Effect on Pediatric Food Allergy: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

OBJECTIVE To investigate the preventive effect of probiotics on pediatric food allergy. METHODS From MEDLINE bibliographical database, we searched and reviewed all randomized controlled trials on the preventive effects of probiotics on pediatric food allergies up to September 2013 and excluded the studies that do not meet inclusion criteria and extracted the data. Meta-analysis for the results of homogenous studies was performed using RevMan 5.0 and the co-effect was pooled by using fixed-effects model of relative risk (RR) ratios. RESULTS Ten trials published between 2007 and 2012 including 2701 cases were included. Meta-analysis based on included data showed that the preventive effect of prenatal and postnatal probiotic supplementation on food allergies was not significant with the RR=0.88 (95% CI: 0.76-1.03). CONCLUSION Present evidences cannot show in unequivocal terms that prenatal and postnatal probiotic supplementation will prevent food allergic diseases.

Endovascular treatment for ruptured and unruptured vertebral artery dissecting aneurysms: a meta-analysis

Background Different endovascular modalities have been applied to the treatment of vertebral artery dissecting aneurysms, the most commonly used being internal trapping and stent-assisted coiling, although the ideal treatment remains controversial. Objective To perform a meta-analysis to study clinical outcomes of patients with vertebral artery dissecting aneurysms who were treated with internal trapping or stent-assisted coiling. Materials and methods We conducted a meta-analysis of eight retrospective studies that compared internal trapping with stent-assisted coiling for the treatment of vertebral artery dissecting aneurysms. The primary outcomes of this study were immediate occlusion, long-term occlusion, good outcome ratio, perioperative mortality, and angiographic recurrence. Subgroup analyses were conducted of patients with ruptured versus unruptured vertebral artery dissecting aneurysms. Results Eight studies comprising a total of 188 patients were included in the analysis. For ruptured cases, in comparison with stent-assisted coiling groups, the patients treated with trapping techniques had a higher rate of immediate postoperative occlusion (OR=0.165; 95% CI 0.067 to 0.405; p<0.01), although there was no significant difference in long-term occlusion (OR=1.059; 95% CI 0.033 to 34.121; p=0.974), good clinical outcome rates, recurrence rates, and perioperative mortality. For unruptured cases, patients in the trapping groups also had higher immediate occlusion rates than those who underwent stent-assisted coiling (OR=0.175; 95% CI 0.043 to 0.709; p=0.015), while rates of both recurrence and good clinical outcome were similar between the two groups. Conclusions Both internal trapping and stent-assisted coiling are technically feasible for ruptured vertebral artery dissecting aneurysms, with high rates of good long-term neurologic outcomes and low recurrence and mortality rates. For unruptured aneurysms, conservative treatment is recommended. When a posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) origin is involved, bypass surgery or vertebral artery-to-PICA stent placement plus coil embolization should be considered.

Schwannoma in Sellar Region Mimics Invasive Pituitary Macroadenoma: Literature Review With One Case Report.

AbstractIn central nervous system, schwannomas, as ubiquitous tumors, mostly originate from sensory nerves like auditory and trigeminal nerves. However, intrasellar schwannomas are extremely rare. They are often misdiagnosed as pituitary adenomas.We report a rare case of schwannoma in the sellar region—a challenging diagnosis guided by clinical presentations, radiological signs, and postoperative pathological test.We represent a 65-year-old woman who had suffered from headaches, hypothyroidism, and visual disturbance. Her MRI revealed an abnormal sellar region mixed-signal mass lesion with suprasellar, left parasellar, and sellar floor invasiveness. We present detailed analysis of the patients disease course and review relevant literatures. Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this article. A copy of the written consent is available for review by the editors of MEDICINE. Because this article does not involve any human or animal trials, there is no need to conduct special ethic review and the ethical approval is not necessary.When surgically treated, her specimen revealed a typical histopathology pattern of schwannoma. The patients symptoms improved a lot after surgery and he continues to be under observation.Despite its rarity, intrasellar schwannoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of sellar lesions that mimic pituitary adenomas.

Continuous dose-intense temozolomide and cisplatin in recurrent glioblastoma patients

Abstract In glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), both temozolomide (TMZ) and cisplatin are very active at various toxic levels. Previous studies demonstrated that cisplatin with the standard regimen of TMZ is active in patients suffering from recurrent GBM, generating a moderate level of toxicity. Also, continuous dose-intense TMZ is a helpful therapy for patients with recurrent GBM. We have conducted a research to evaluate the security and effectiveness of cisplatin with constant dose-intense TMZ for reduplicative GBM. The time to progression (TTP) and progression-free survival (PFS) at 6 months (PFS-6) was the major end point. Toxicity, overall survival, and response are the secondary end points. GBM patients who suffered from progression or relapse after surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy were qualified. Cisplatin 40, 30, and 30 mg were given on days 1, 2, and 3 before the corresponding TMZ doses, respectively. Without interruption, TMZ was given at a dose of 50 mg/m2 on everyday basis (dose-intense) until development or progression of unacceptable side effects. A cycle was defined as 28 days. Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology criteria were utilized to evaluate the response. Twenty-seven patients in total (median Karnofsky performance status—80, ranging from 60 to 100; average age—56 years, ranging from 24 to 78 years) were accrued in the research. PFS-12 was 11.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], −0.7% to 22.9%), and PFS-6 was 37% (95% CI, 18.8%–55.2%). Twenty-three weeks was the median TTP (95% CI, 17–29 weeks). In the 27 evaluative patients, 6 partial responses were observed with an overall response rate of 22.2% (95% CI, 6.5%–37.9%), while no complete response was obtained. Toxicity was mostly of grades 1 to 2 amongst 116 therapy cycles. Hematological and gastroenterological toxicities were the major limiting side effect found in the research. One patient has received leukopenia World Health Organization grade 4 at cycle 5 during her treatment. Eight percent of patients had grades 3 to 4 vomiting/nausea. As a valuable therapeutic option, the innovative cisplatin with continuous dose-intense regimen of TMZ incurs an acceptable level of toxicity and shows active performance in patients with recurrent GBM.

Does Tenascin have Clinical Implications in Pathological Grade of Glioma Patients?: A Systematic Meta-Analysis.

AbstractTenascin (TN) is an extracellular oligomeric glycoprotein that participates in the adhesion of cells to extracellular matrixc (ECM). Studies have shown that the expression levels of TN are upregulated in a variety of cancers, including colon cancer, lung cancer, brain tumor, and breast cancer. However, the implications and utilities of TN in clinical grading and prognosis of glioma patients were seldom reported and the effects of its pathway are still unclear and controversial. Thus, it is essential to carry out a meta-analysis to draw a convincing conclusion.A literature search was carried out up to April 2015. Data was collected using a purpose-designed form including gliomas WHO grade, etc. Differences were expressed as odds ratios (ORs) or standard mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Galbr figure, Cochrans Q test, and I2 test were all performed to judge the heterogeneity between included studies. To examine the stability of the pooled results, a sensitivity analysis was performed. Potential publication bias was assessed by visual inspection of funnel plot. As this meta-analysis, as a systematic review, does not involve animal experiments or direct human trials, there is no need to conduct special ethic review and the ethical approval is not necessary.In this meta-analysis, 8 eligible studies involving 456 patients were incorporated. Six studies with dichotomous data revealed TN overexpression in glioma tissues and/or surrounding neoplastic vessels was closely associated with high WHO grade (III + IV) (odds ratio 3.398, 95% confidence interval 1.933, 5.974; P = 0.000); three continuous data studies showed there were close statistical associations between TN and WHO grade (SMD −2.114, 95% CI −2.580, −1.649; P = 0.000) too. Sensitivity analysis indicated a statistically robust result. No publication bias was revealed.Our meta-analysis suggests that TN expression is potentially associated with higher WHO grade of gliomas. More evidences on the basis of the evidence-based medicine are needed to prove it.

An uncommon case of lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma in cerebellopontine angle region: Case report with a literature review.

AbstractIn the central nervous system, cerebellopontine angle (CPA) lymphomas are rare; few cases have been reported. Lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (LPL) in the CPA is rarer still, and often misdiagnosed as acoustic neuroma.We report a rare case of CPA LPL—a challenging diagnosis guided by clinical presentations, radiological signs, and postoperative pathological test.A 43-year-old woman presented with headaches. Her magnetic resonance imaging revealed an abnormal homogeneously enhancing mass in the left CPA. We present detailed analysis of her disease and review relevant literature.When surgically treated, her specimen showed a typical LPL histopathology pattern. After surgery, the patients symptoms improved greatly, and she received chemotherapy.Despite its rarity, LPL should be considered in differential diagnoses of CPA lesions that mimic acoustic neuromas.

Sodium hyaluronate’s effect on xerophthalmia: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Abstract Background and aims: Several studies in the past have attempted to demonstrate the efficacy of sodium hyaluronate in the treatment of xerophthalmia. However, results have been conflicting and a definite conclusion has not yet been reached. In order to provide integrated evidence for the effectiveness of sodium hyaluronate and to judge the methodological value of relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in nearly thirty years, we conducted this meta-analysis. Methods: A range of electronic databases were searched: MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library Database, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science and the Chinese Biomedical Database (CBM) without language restrictions. Two independent reviewers assessed trials for eligibility and quality, and meta-analysis was performed using the STATA 12.0 software. An integrated odds ratio (OR) with its corresponding 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was calculated. Results: Six RCTs were included with a total of 839 xerophthalmia patients. The meta-analysis results revealed that patients with xerophthalmia who received the intervention of sodium hyaluronate eye drops didn’t have significantly higher remission rate of dry eye symptoms than those in controlled groups (OR = 1.811, 95% CI = 0.741–4.429, p = 0.193). Sensitivity analysis suggested that the statistical results were robust. No publication bias was detected in this meta-analysis (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Although sodium hyaluronate can be used to help relieve the symptoms of dry eyes, present evidence cannot show in unequivocal terms that patients with xerophthalmia can benefit more from the clinical application of sodium hyaluronate than other eye drops or therapies.