The objective of this study was to compare the diagnostic value of galactomannan (GM) detection in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and serum samples from nonneutropenic patients with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) and determine the optimal BALF GM cutoff value for pulmonary aspergillosis. GM detection in BALF and serum samples was performed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 128 patients with clinically suspected nonneutropenic pulmonary aspergillosis between June 2014 and June 2016. On the basis of the clinical and pathological diagnoses, 8 patients were excluded because their diagnosis was uncertain. The remaining 120 patients were diagnosed with either IPA (n ϭ 37), community-acquired pneumonia (CAP; n ϭ 59), noninfectious diseases (n ϭ 19), or tuberculosis (n ϭ 5). At a cutoff optical density index (ODI) value of Ն0.5, the sensitivity of BALF GM detection was much higher than that of serum GM detection (75.68% versus 37.84%; P ϭ 0.001), but there was no significant difference between their specificities (80.72% versus 87.14%; P ϭ 0.286). At a cutoff value of Ն1.0, the sensitivity of BALF GM detection was still much higher than that of serum GM detection (64.86% versus 24.32%; P Ͻ 0.001), and their specificities were similar (90.36% versus 95.71%; P ϭ 0.202). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that when the BALF GM detection cutoff value was 0.7, its diagnostic value for pulmonary aspergillosis was optimized, and the sensitivity and specificity reached 72.97% and 89.16%, respectively. BALF GM detection was valuable for the diagnosis of IPA in nonneutropenic patients, and its diagnostic value was superior to that of serum GM detection. The optimal BALF GM cutoff value was 0.7.KEYWORDS invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, galactomannan antigen, nonneutropenic patients I nvasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is mainly caused by Aspergillus fumigatus. Aspergillus species can invade the tracheal bronchus and lung directly, resulting in airway colonization, lung inflammatory granuloma, and even more serious sequelae, such as necrotizing pneumonia, and they can also affect other organs through hematogenous spread. Previously, IPA was recognized as occurring mainly in patients with neutrophil deficiencies. Such patients generally have serious immunosuppressive conditions, such as malignant hematopathy, solid organ or hematopoietic stem cell transplants, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, or are receiving longterm immunosuppressive therapy (1-3). However, it has increasingly been found that

Natural killer (NK) cells have a vital role in killing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells; however, the mechanism underlying tumor-infiltrating NK (TINK)-cell dysfunction remains poorly understood. Using flow cytometry staining, we precisely characterized the frequency, phenotype and function of NK subsets distinguished by CD27 and CD11b in 30 patients with HCC in comparison to 30 healthy controls. Interestingly, we found a substantial proportion of liver-infiltrating CD11b−CD27− (DN) NK subsets in tumor tissue from HCC patients. Remarkably, these relatively expanded DN NK subsets exhibited an inactive and immature phenotype. By detecting the expression of CD107a and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) on NK subsets and NK cells, we demonstrated that DN NK subsets exhibited a poor cytotoxic capacity and deficient potential to produce IFN-γ in comparison to the other three subsets, which contributed to the dysfunction of TINK cells in HCC patients. In addition, we found that the presence of DN NK cells was closely associated with the clinical outcomes of HCC patients, as the frequency of DN NK cells among TINK cells was positively correlated with tumor stage and size. A large percentage of DN NK cells among TINK cells was an independent prognostic factor for lower survival in the 60-month follow-up period. In conclusion, a substantial proportion of CD11b−CD27−NK subsets among TINK cells accounts for NK-cell dysfunction in patients with HCC and is associated with tumor progression. Our study may provide a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of patients with HCC.

This study showed a significant association between PTX3 rs1840680 polymorphisms and the susceptibility of pulmonary aspergillosis in patients with COPD. Plasma PTX3 levels may be potentially used as indicators for the diagnosis of IPA in COPD patients.

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Background: Hundreds of studies have found that the microbiota contributes to the development of gastric cancer in the past two decades. This study aimed to access the research trends of microbiota and gastric cancer. Materials and Methods: Publications from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2019 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database and screened according to inclusion criteria. Different kinds of software, SPSS21.0, HistCite, VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and the online bibliometric analysis platform were used to evaluate and visualize the results. Results: A total of 196 publications were finally identified, and the annual number of publications showed an increasing trend. These publications were from 44 countries and the USA showed its dominant position in publication outputs, H-index, total citations, and international collaborations. The journal of Helicobacter was the most productive journal. Correa P and Peek RM published the most papers, and the most productive institution was Vanderbilt University. The keyword of "Helicobacter pylori" ranked first in research frontiers and appeared earlier, and the keyword of "microbiota" began to appear in the past 3 to 5 years. Conclusion:The annual number of publications would continue to grow. Besides the traditional Helicobacter pylori related researches, future research hotspots will focus on microbiota and its mechanism of action.

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Objective China is one of the countries with the heaviest burden of gastric cancer (GC) in the world. Understanding the epidemiological trends and patterns of GC in China can contribute to formulating effective prevention strategies. Methods The data on incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) of GC in China from 1990 to 2019 were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease Study (2019). The estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) was calculated to evaluate the temporal trends of disease burden of GC, and the package Nordpred in the R program was used to perform an age-period-cohort analysis to predict the numbers and rates of incidence and mortality in the next 25 years. Results The number of incident cases of GC increased from 317.34 thousand in 1990 to 612.82 thousand in 2019, while the age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) of GC decreased from 37.56 per 100,000 in 1990 to 30.64 per 100,000 in 2019, with an EAPC of −0.41 [95% confidence interval (95% CI): −0.77, −0.06]. Pronounced temporal trends in mortality and DALYs of GC were observed. In the next 25 years, the numbers of new GC cases and deaths are expected to increase to 738.79 thousand and 454.80 thousand, respectively, while the rates of incidence and deaths should steadily decrease. The deaths and DALYs attributable to smoking were different for males and females. Conclusions In China, despite the fact that the rates of GC have decreased during the past three decades, the numbers of new GC cases and deaths increased, and will continue to increase in the next 25 years. Additional strategies are needed to reduce the burden of GC, such as screening and early detection, novel treatments, and the prevention of risk factors.

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