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Although malignant endobronchial mass (MEM) has poor prognosis, cryotherapy is reportedly a palliative treatment. Clinical data on postcryotherapy MEM patients in a university-affiliated hospital between 2007 and 2011 were evaluated. Survival curve with or without postcryotherapy chemotherapy and performance status (PS) improvement of these subjects were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. There were 59 patients (42 males), with median age of 64 years (range, 51–76, and median performance status of 2 (interquartile range [IQR], 2-3). Postcryotherapy complications included minor bleeding (n=12) and need for multiple procedures (n=10), while outcomes were relief of symptoms (n=51), improved PS (n=45), and ability to receive chemotherapy (n=40). The survival of patients with chemotherapy postcryotherapy was longer than that of patients without such chemotherapy (median, 534 versus 106 days; log-rank test, P=0.007; hazard ratio, 0.25; 95% confidence interval, 0.10–0.69). The survival of patients with PS improvement postcryotherapy was longer than that of patients without PS improvement (median, 406 versus 106 days; log-rank test, P=0.02; hazard ratio, 0.28; 95% confidence interval, 0.10–0.81). Cryotherapy is a feasible treatment for MEM. With better PS after cryotherapy, further chemotherapy becomes possible for patients to improve survival when MEM caused dyspnea and poor PS.

Study Objectives. The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation between serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and other clinical tools including high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) in patients with stable non-CF bronchiectasis. Design. A within-subject correlational study of a group of patients with stable non-CF bronchiectasis, who were recruited from our outpatient clinic, was done over a two-year period. Measurements. Sixty-nine stable non-CF bronchiectasis patients were evaluated in terms of hs-CRP, 6-minute walk test, pulmonary function tests, and HRCT. Results. Circulating hs-CRP levels were significantly correlated with HRCT scores (n=69, r=0.473, P

Objectives. Chemotherapy as first-/second-line treatment in different epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation lung adenocarcinoma remains controversial. Methods. Consecutive patients were collected between 2009 and 2012. Patients were divided into two groups (1st-line chemotherapy: n = 56 and 2nd-line chemotherapy: n = 55). Their outcomes profiles were analyzed. Results. The overall survival (OS) of all patients (390 versus 662 days, p < 0.0001), as well as both progression-free survival (PFS, 151 versus 252 days, p = 0.0001) and OS (308 versus 704 days, p = 0.0001) of patients with L858R mutation (n = 63), who received 2nd-line chemotherapy, was significantly poor. By univariate and multivariate analysis, 2nd-line chemotherapy, and L858R mutation were significantly related to poor PFS and OS. Conclusion. In advanced lung adenocarcinoma, L858R mutation and 2nd-line chemotherapy caused a poor outcome. It is a consideration to choice of 1st-line chemotherapy in these subjects. A prospective design is warranted to confirm this finding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Mutations in the SCN1A gene have been identified in epilepsy patients with widely variable phenotypes and modes of inheritance and in asymptomatic carriers. This raises challenges in evaluating the pathogenicity of SCN1A mutations. We systematically reviewed all SCN1A mutations and established a database containing information on functional alterations. In total, 1,257 mutations have been identified, of which 81.8% were not recurrent. There was a negative correlation between phenotype severity and missense mutation frequency. Further analyses suggested close relationships among genotype, functional alteration, and phenotype. Missense mutations located in different sodium channel regions were associated with distinct functional changes. Missense mutations in the pore region were characterized by the complete loss of function, similar to haploinsufficiency. Mutations with severe phenotypes were more frequently located in the pore region, suggesting that functional alterations are critical in evaluating pathogenicity and can be applied to patient management. A negative correlation was found between phenotype severity and familial incidence, and incomplete penetrance was associated with missense and splice site mutations, but not truncations or genomic rearrangements, suggesting clinical genetic counseling applications. Mosaic mutations with a load of 12.5-25.0% were potentially pathogenic with low penetrance, suggesting the need for future studies on less pathogenic genomic variations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]