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Background and aim: To improve the diagnostic rate of gastric lymphoma by analyzing clinical and endoscopic features of patients with gastric lymphoma and suspected gastric lymphoma. Methods: Clinical and endoscopic records of 35 patients with gastric lymphoma (positive group) and 133 patients with suspected gastric lymphoma but subsequent non-malignant pathology (negative group) were analyzed retrospectively. Data from another 99 gastric lymphoma patients with malignant pathology but nonspecific endoscopy (endoscopy non-suspect group) were analyzed. Results: Abdominal pain was the predominant symptom reported in both the positive and negative lymphoma groups, representing 60.0 and 52.5%, respectively. No significant differences in age, sex and clinical manifestations in subjects from the two groups were found. In the positive group, 54.3% were ulcerative; 34.3%, infiltrative; 8.5%, polypoid; and 2.9%, granulonodular. In the negative group, 52.6% were infiltrative; 42.1%, ulcerative; 4.5%, granulonodular; and 0.75%, polypoid. The endoscopic results varied between the two groups (p < 0.05). In the non-suspect group, 66.7% were ulcerative; 17.2%, infiltrative; 14.1%, polypoid; and 2.0%, granulonodular. With regards to histology, diffuse large B cell lymphoma was the most common subtype. The sensitivity of endoscopy was 60% for detecting malignancy and 21% for gastric lymphoma. Conclusion: The present study suggests that gastric lymphoma and suspected gastric lymphoma have similar clinical features. Gastric lymphoma presented mainly as macroscopic ulcerative lesions, whereas suspected gastric lymphoma appeared mainly as infiltrative lesions. Although the diagnostic rate of gastric lymphoma was relatively low (21%), it can be identified by endoscopy (60%). To improve diagnosis, repetitive endoscopic biopsies should be performed and novel endoscopic techniques developed in the future.

Background and aim: A simeprevir (SMV)-based regimen has shown promising results in treating chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. This meta-analysis aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of simeprevir for treating HCV genotype 1 infection. Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched, along with the reference lists of retrieved articles. The meta-analysis only included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared the efficacy and safety of addition of SMV to peginterferon (PegIFN) and ribavirin (RBV) (triple regimen) with PegIFN/RBV alone (dual regimen) in treating chronic HCV genotype 1 infection. Results: A total of seven RCTs involving 2,301 patients were included. The triple regimen had a higher pooled sustained virologic response (SVR) rate [odds ratio (OR) = 4.57; 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.34-6.27; p < 0.001)] and lower pooled relapse rate [relative risk (RR) = 0.41; 95% CI: 0.33-0.50; p < 0.001] than the dual regimen had. The pooled incidence of adverse events (AEs) was comparable between the two regimens (RR = 1.01; 95% CI: 0.99-1.03; p = 0.339), whereas the incidence of serious AEs in the triple regimen was lower (RR = 0.7; 95% CI: 0.50-0.98; p < 0.05). Conclusions: The meta-analysis demonstrates that the addition of SMV to pegIFN and RBV is effective and well-tolerated in treating chronic HCV genotype 1 infection, with a low incidence of AEs.

Through rapid urbanization, Beijing is entering into the advanced stage of industrialization and urbanization, while it, like many other cities, is faced with issues of low-quality urbanization and citizenization. Under the influences of both urbanization and suburbanization, the sprawling rural-urban fringe area becomes a tough issue to resolve. The reconstruction of 50 key villages in Beijing's rural-urban fringe area that was started in 2010 has initially changed the citizenization-land requisition coupling model through recombining land use right, household registration, and social security to make farmers become new-type citizens with land use right. The practice in Beijing reveals that the fringe issues are caused by the new and old dual structures which are formed as a result of the urban-rural dual land system, and that the path to new urbanization in China is to separate citizenization from land requisition, so as to achieve the transformation towards a proactive urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]