Comparison of locoregional failure-free survival between the combined chemo-radiotherapy and radiotherapy groups.

<p>Footnote: RT, radiotherapy; CRT, standard chemo-radiotherapy.</p

Flowchart of patients.

<p>Footnote: NPC, Nasopharyngeal carcinoma; RT, Radiotherapy; CRT, Chemoradiotherapy; CT, Chemotherapy.</p

Distribution of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma according to their age (database from our department, 1992–2003).

<p>Distribution of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma according to their age (database from our department, 1992–2003).</p

A Matched Cohort Study of Standard Chemo-Radiotherapy versus Radiotherapy Alone in Elderly Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients

<div><p>The impact of standard chemo-radiotherapy (CRT) as preferred therapy for elderly patients (age≥60 years) with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains unclear. Therefore, a strict matched cohort study was conducted to compare the survival and treatment toxicity of standard chemo-radiotherapy in the elderly NPC patients with those of radiotherapy (RT) alone. From 1998 to 2003, total 498 newly diagnosed elderly non-metastatic NPC patients were abstracted and classified into two groups by the treatments they received. For each patient in the CRT group, a matched pair in RT group was identified by matching for gender, age, histological type, T and N classifications, RT dose to primary tumor and neck nodes, and days of radiotherapy. Treatment tolerability and toxicity were clarified, and treatment outcomes were calculated and compared between the two groups. Two groups were well balanced in clinical characteristics because of the strict matching conditions. Totally 87 pairs can be assessed according to the criteria. The 5-year OS, CSS, FFS, and LR-FFS for CRT and RT groups were 62% versus 40% (<i>P</i>=0.013), 67% versus 47% (<i>P</i>=0.018), 65% versus 53% (log-rank: <i>P</i>=0.064, Breslow: <i>P</i>=0.048), and 88% versus 72%, (<i>P</i>=0.019), respectively. There was no significant difference in 5-year D-FFS between the two groups (75% vs. 73%, <i>P</i>=0.456). The CRT group experienced significantly more Grade ≥3 acute mucositis (46.0% vs. 28.7%, <i>P</i>= 0.019). We concluded that standard chemo-radiotherapy can achieve a reasonable local and regional control in elderly NPC patients with acceptable and reversible acute toxicity. However, distant metastasis remains the dominant failure pattern. When the elderly NPC patients are in good performance status following a complete evaluation of overall functional status and comorbidity conditions, standard chemo-radiotherapy is worthy of recommendation.</p></div

Additional file 2: of Induction Chemotherapy Followed by Radiotherapy versus Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy in elderly patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma: finding from a propensity-matched analysis

List of elderly patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma in our study. (XLSX 49 kb

T cell subsets and immunoglobulin G levels are associated with the infection status of systemic lupus erythematosus patients

<div><p>Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, autoimmune disorder that affects nearly all organs and tissues. As knowledge about the mechanism of SLE has increased, some immunosuppressive agents have become routinely used in clinical care, and infections have become one of the direct causes of mortality in SLE patients. To identify the risk factors indicative of infection in SLE patients, a case control study of our hospital's medical records between 2011 and 2013 was performed. We reviewed the records of 117 SLE patients with infection and 61 SLE patients without infection. Changes in the levels of T cell subsets, immunoglobulin G (IgG), complement C3, complement C4, globulin, and anti-double-stranded DNA (anti-ds-DNA) were detected. CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ T cell levels were significantly lower and CD8+ T cell levels were significantly greater in SLE patients with infection than in SLE patients without infection. Additionally, the concentrations of IgG in SLE patients with infection were significantly lower than those in SLE patients without infection. However, complement C3, complement C4, globulin, and anti-ds-DNA levels were not significantly different in SLE patients with and without infection. Therefore, clinical testing for T cell subsets and IgG is potentially useful for identifying the presence of infection in SLE patients and for distinguishing a lupus flare from an acute infection.</p></div

Multivariate regression output: 2009 H1N1 antibody against gender, age, and seasonal influenza antibodies (log transformed scale).

<p>Multivariate regression output: 2009 H1N1 antibody against gender, age, and seasonal influenza antibodies (log transformed scale).</p

The total number of ILI cases in each month of 2009 in Shenzhen.

<p>In 2009, the peak of ILIs occurred in July 2009, sharply declined afterwards and formed a new wave in November. This may partially explain the significant drop in the three seasonal influenza antibody titer levels in September compared to March.</p

Cross Sectional Survey of Influenza Antibodies before and during the 2009 Pandemic in Shenzhen, China

<div><p>Much information is available for the 2009 H1N1 influenza immunity response, but little is known about the antibody change in seasonal influenza before and during the novel influenza A pandemic. In this study, we conducted a cross-sectional serological survey of 4 types of major seasonal influenza in March and September 2009 on a full range of age groups, to investigate seasonal influenza immunity response before and during the outbreak of the sH1N1 influenza in Shenzhen – the largest migration city in China. We found that the 0–5 age group had an increased antibody level for all types of seasonal influenza during the pandemic compared to the pre-outbreak level, in contrast with almost all other age groups, in which the antibody level decreased. Also, distinct from the antibodies of A/H3N2, B/Yamagata and B/Victoria that decreased significantly during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, the antibody of A/H1N1 showed no statistical difference from the pre-outbreak level. The results suggest that the antibodies against the 2009 sH1N1 cross-reacted with seasonal H1N1. Moreover, the 0–5 age group was under attack by both seasonal and 2009 H1N1 influenza during the pandemic, hence vaccination merely against a new strain of flu might not be enough to protect the youngest group.</p> </div

Change of B/Yamagata Antibody Titer Level Between March and September by Age Group (mean titer value in log2 scale).

<p>Except for the 0–5 age group, all other age groups showed significantly decreased antibody levels of B/Y during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic compared to before the pandemic, using t-test.</p