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BACKGROUND & AIMS: Bu Gu Zhi (BGZ) is a Chinese herb consumed mainly for osteoporosis treatment. Only small case series of BGZ-induced liver injury (BGZILI) have been reported. We describe the clinicopathological features and clinical course of BGZILI.METHODS: Patients diagnosed with drug-induced liver injury (DILI) at Beijing Friendship Hospital from 2005 to 2017 were reviewed. Clinical and follow-up data were analysed.RESULTS: Of the 547 DILI patients, 40 cases (7.3%) were attributed to BGZILI. About 34/40 (85.0%) patients were females with a median age of 63 (range, 54-70) years. The median latency period was 45 (range, 29-90) days. Patients commonly presented with loss of appetite (57.5%), dark urine (57.5%) and fatigue (55.0%). The median level of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase at BGZILI onset was 673.5 and 423.0 U/L respectively. Total bilirubin (TB) and direct bilirubin (DB) were 59.0 and 39.4 µmol/L respectively. The biochemical liver injury pattern was hepatocellular (92.5%), cholestatic (5.0%) and mixed (2.5%). They were categorized into 'mild' (N = 23, 57.5%), 'moderate' (6, 15.0%) or 'severe' (11, 27.5%) according to severity assessment by DILI network. The main histological injury pattern in 9/40 patients with liver biopsy was acute hepatitis with/without cholestasis. Median duration of follow-up was 26.3 months with recovery in 37 patients within 6 months. No patients died or required transplantation.CONCLUSIONS: BGZ-induced liver injury manifested more often as a hepatocellular injury pattern with mild to moderate hepatocellular damage. Most patients recovered after cessation of BGZ within 6 months, and none developed end-stage liver disease or died.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) expression in breast cancer tissue and its association with patients' clinical pathology characteristics and prognosis. Materials and Methods: Eight-eight cases with confirmed diagnosis of breast cancer who received operation from January 2010 to February 2016 were included in this study. The SPARC expression in cancer tissue was examined by immunohistochemical method. The SPARC expression status, clinical pathology characteristics, and prognosis of included patients were recorded and evaluated. Results: SPARC protein was mainly expressed in cytoplasm and stroma of tumor tissue with dark brown and purple stain. The SPARC protein-positive expression rate was 69.3% (61/88) in cancer tissue. The positive expression of SPARC in breast tissues was not significantly correlated with age, menstruation status, tumor, node, and metastasis stage, tumor size, progesterone level, and HER-2 status (P > 0.05). However, SPARC protein-positive expression was correlated with tumor differentiation (P < 0.05), estrogen receptor expression (P < 0.05), and lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). The 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) was 60.8% and 71.2% for SPARC-positive and -negative groups with no statistical difference (P > 0.05); there was no statistical difference of disease progression risk between the SPARC-positive and -negative groups (hazard ratio = 1.78, 95% confidence interval: 0.80–3.57, P > 0.05). However, SPARC-positive and -negative patients have shown a trend of DFS difference. Conclusion: SPARC is closely related to the development of breast cancer and can be used as a tumor marker for breast cancer recurrence.

Objective: To evaluate clinico-pathological features and prognostic valuses of Endometrial stromal sarcomas (ESS) through comparison of the two grade groups (low- and high-grade disease). Methodology: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 27 patients who were diagnosed with ESS at a single institute between March 1988 and November 2009. Our retrospective chart review was approved by our local institutional Review Board (IRB). Results: The median age of the patients was 44.0 years, the median follow-up period was 101.0 months and the 10-year survival rate was 74.2%. The median uterine weight was 215.0 gm. Twenty-three (70.4%) and four patients (29.6%) had low- and high-grade disease, respectively. As primary treatment, twenty-four (70.4%) and three patients (11.1%) underwent type I hysterectomy and type III hysterectomy, respectively. Total six cases were recurred and two cases of the six-recurred patients were distant metastasis (lung) and four cases were died of the disease. Univariate analysis revealed that the histologic grade and the uterine tumor weight were significantly related with longer disease-free survival (p=0.025 and 0.043 respectively). Conclusion: ESSs with high-grade or larger tumor size have to be carefully and sufficiently managed, because of its rarity and aggressive behavior. To determine the proper adjuvant treatment of ESS with high risks, further clinical data should be collected and studied.

Aim: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a type of malignancy that is associated with a malignant alteration of normal hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow. The aim of this study was to study the demographics and pathological subtypes of AML, evaluate the response and outcome to different treatment modalities. Methods: This was a retrospective study of adult patients diagnosed with AML at King Abdulaziz Medical City - Riyadh, between 2006 and 2013. Data were retrieved from patients′ files, electronic medical files and laboratory information system. Results: 91 patients were included in the study with a male dominance. M1 was the most common French-American-British subtype with 23 (32%) cases. Patients with intermediate-risk AML were the most common subgroup with 41 (48%) cases followed by high and low-risk subgroups, 29 (33%) and 16 (19%), respectively. 74 patients were treated with intensive chemotherapy, and 17 were on palliative chemotherapy or best supportive treatment. Remission rate was found to be 84% in patients who received induction chemotherapy while 41% of them relapsed. 93% of low-risk patients underwent complete remission (CR) compared to intermediate and high-risk patients (79% and 87% respectively), but it was not statistically significant (P = 0.4). The median follow-up was 19 months, with overall survival (OS) of 46% for all groups. The low-risk patients had the highest OS 57% compared to intermediate and high risk (52% and 36%, respectively), but it was not statistically significant (P = 0.3). 18 patients had been treated with allogeneic stem cell transplant and at a median follow-up of 17 months posttransplant the OS was 72%. Conclusion: This study shows M1 subtype to be the most common of AML in this population. In addition, the CR was better with similar survival rate as compared to other local and internationally published experiences. These results, albeit with its limitations, need to be confirmed in a prospective clinical trial or national disease registry.