Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is the most common vasculitis in elderly, with ischemic and constitutional symptoms caused by vascular involvement and systemic inflammation. Early initiation of therapy results in prompt remission, while patients may still experience flares or severe complications during glucocorticoid tapering. This study was to identify the characteristics of Chinese GCA patients with different prognosis.Ninety-one patients diagnosed with GCA in Peking Union Medical College Hospital in the last 20 years were followed up. Those who were lost to follow up or were followed up for less than 1 year were excluded. According to the prognosis, patients were divided into the group of favourable prognosis (patients who sustained disease remission for over 1 year) and unfavorable prognosis (patients who had relapses or severe complications). Clinical data at disease onset and after treatment were collected and analysed between the 2 groups.Thirty-seven patients with favourable prognosis and 40 patients with unfavourable prognosis were admitted into the study. Fever as an onset symptom was less common in favourable group (P=.016). As for presentations of GCA, fever, tenderness and abnormal pulsation of temporal artery and jaw claudication were less frequently observed in patients with favourable prognosis (P=.029, .049, .043, respectively). At onset, medium-size arteries were affected more in unfavorable prognosis group (P = .048), and involvement of branches below the aortic arch were more common in favorable prognosis group (P = .034). Erythrocyte sedimentation rate in group of favourable prognosis were significantly lower after treatment (P = .041). Compared with healthy subjects, GCA patients had increased monocytes and decreased lymphocytes at disease onset (P < .01). Monocyte counts were higher in patients with favourable prognosis at disease onset (P = .043), while no significant differences were seen between the 2 groups after treatment. Lymphocyte counts were lower in patients with unfavourable prognosis (P = .014) after treatment.Complete blood count may reflect the disease status of GCA. Little change in monocyte during treatment and lower lymphocytes after treatment may serve as potential predictors of unfavourable clinical prognosis.

Different antivascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) monotherapy regimens and photodynamic therapy (PDT) combined with anti-VEGF therapy are available for patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). However, the comparative efficacy and safety of different anti-VEGF monotherapy regimens and combined therapy with PDT and anti-VEGF remains unknown. The aim of our study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of anti-VEGF monotherapies and combined therapy in patients with PCV.

Multiple intravitreal pharmacotherapies including different anti-vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF), intravitreal steroids, and combined therapy with anti-VEGF and steroids are available for patients with macular edema secondary to retinal vein occlusion (RVO). However, the recommendation of multiple therapies remains unknown. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of multiple intravitreal pharmacotherapies in patients with macular edema secondary to RVO.

Psychological stress was an important mental health problem among the general population and warrant research to inform strategies for effective prevention. iMBIs provide a possibility to offer easily accessible, efficacious, convenient, and low-cost interventions on a wide scale. However, the efficacy of iMBIs in the general population remains unclear. The aim of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the effects of iMBIs for stress reduction in the general population.

Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been reported to be efficacious in treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, the value of the control effect of MBIs on ADHD core symptoms remains controversial. To clarify the literature on the control effect of MBIs on the symptoms of ADHD and guide future researches, an effect-size analysis was conducted.

Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of health complications and death among human with immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. When TB develops during pregnancy or the early postpartum period, it is associated with negative maternal, pregnancy, and fetus and infant outcome, including premature birth, low birth weight, and congenital or neonatal TB infection or disease. The objective of this systematic review is to investigate the effective and safe of isoniazid for preventing TB for HIV-infected pregnant women in counties with high prevalence of TB.

B7 negative costimulatory molecules are a group of molecules associated with the occurrence, development, and therapy of cancers. Here, we aimed to determine the clinical significance of PD-L1, B7-H3, and B7-H4 and their expression in CD8 and CD68 positive cells at different stages of gastric carcinogenesis.We detected PD-L1, B7-H3, B7-H4, CD8, and CD68 expression in samples by immunohistochemical staining of 62 chronic superficial gastritis (CSG) samples, 72 chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) samples, 68 low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (LIN) samples, 65 high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HIN) samples obtained from gastroscopic biopsies and 50 gastric adenocarcinoma (GA) samples obtained from surgical resections. Then we statistically analyzed the expression differences and correlations.Our results indicated that B7 and CD68 expression on infiltrating immune cells was associated with disease progression. However, infiltration of CD8+ cells decreased with disease progression. B7-H3 expression was markedly enhanced at neoplasia and GA stages. B7-H3 in tumor cells was negatively correlated with CD8-expressing cells. Conversely, B7-H3 expression in tumor-infiltrating immune cells was positively correlated with CD68-expressing cells. B7-H4 expression was found in the cell membrane at the stages of gastritis and low-grade neoplasia and was gradually expressed in the cytoplasm at high-grade neoplasia and GA stages. High B7-H4 expression in infiltrating immune cells was also significantly associated with lower CD8-positive and higher CD68-positive cell densities.Increased B7 protein expression by infiltrating immune cells was associated with disease progression, and specifically, the level of B7-H3 expression and localization of B7-H4 expression differed significantly among different stages of gastric carcinogenesis.

The effectiveness of folic acid supplementation in stroke risk has been investigated, however, the available results are inconclusive and conflicting. The purpose of this systemic review and meta-analysis was to assess the effect of folic acid in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD).