Massive pulmonary embolism in a patient with nephrotic syndrome and single lung

Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis - We present a novel case of a patient with nephrotic syndrome and previous left pneumonectomy who had a massive pulmonary embolism of his remnant right...     

重组结核杆菌融合蛋白(EC)用于诊断结核分枝杆菌感染的有效性和安全性系统评价

目的: 系统评价重组结核杆菌融合蛋白(EC)相较于结核菌素纯蛋白衍生物(TB-PPD)用于诊断结核分枝杆菌(Mycobacterium tuberculosis,MTB)感染的有效性和安全性。方法: 检索临床指南数据库、生物医学文献数据库、卫生行政部门和行业协会官方网站及不良反应监测官方网站,检索时间均自建库截止到2022年2月。英文检索词:Recombinant Mycobacterium tuberculosis fusion protein、CFP10/ESAT6;中文检索词:重组结核分枝杆菌融合蛋白、重组结核杆菌融合蛋白、宜卡、CFP10/ESAT6。收集重组结核杆菌融合蛋白(EC)和结核菌素纯蛋白衍生物(TB-PPD)诊断MTB感染有效性和安全性的指南、共识、团体标准、系统评价和原始研究等。由2名研究者独立筛选文献、提取资料并评价纳入研究的偏倚风险,根据异质性大小采用Meta分析或描述性分析。结果: 纳入指南2部、专家共识3篇、团体标准2部,均指出重组结核杆菌融合蛋白(EC)和结核菌素纯蛋白衍生物(TB-PPD)可用于诊断MTB感染和结核病辅助诊断。纳入系统评价1篇,结果显示,重组结核杆菌融合蛋白(EC)皮肤试验共招募参与者887名,其敏感度为86.06%(95%CI:82.39%~89.07%)。纳入原始研究4篇,均为随机对照试验,有效性Meta分析结果显示,不区分人群,重组结核杆菌融合蛋白(EC)和结核菌素纯蛋白衍生物(TB-PPD)的敏感度(89.3% vs. 90.4%)和阴性似然比(0.177 vs. 0.220)的差异无统计学意义,重组结核杆菌融合蛋白(EC)的特异度(85.5% vs. 47.3%)、诊断比值比(42.238 vs. 8.040)、阳性似然比(6.048 vs. 1.710)、阳性预测值(66.0% vs. 35.1%)、阴性预测值(96.2% vs. 94.0%)优于结核菌素纯蛋白衍生物(TB-PPD),差异有统计学意义。安全性结果显示,重组结核杆菌融合蛋白(EC)和结核菌素纯蛋白衍生物(TB-PPD)不良事件均为局部瘙痒和疼痛,均未发生严重不良事件。结论: 重组结核杆菌融合蛋白(EC)可用于MTB感染诊断、辅助结核病诊断,相较于结核菌素纯蛋白衍生物(TB-PPD),其有效性表现更优。     

Methotrexate use does not increase the prevalence of hepatic steatosis: a real-world retrospective nested case-control study

Clinical Rheumatology - We aimed to determine whether methotrexate (MTX) treatment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) leads to the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL). Data were...     

高清胃镜下早期胃癌筛检策略的单中心前瞻性研究

目的　验证高清胃镜下早期胃癌筛检策略的效能。方法　前瞻性纳入2018年12月—2019年1月在解放军总医院第七医学中心行胃镜检查的849例年龄≥35岁的患者。在胃镜检查时,从未感染过幽门螺杆菌者对任何可疑病灶活检;溃疡型病灶于溃疡边缘活检;萎缩区域外,贲门部对白光下呈红色的病灶活检,非贲门部对具有清晰边界或白光下呈白色的病灶活检;萎缩区域内,隆起型病灶中具有清晰边界或顶部有不规则凹陷者活检,平坦/凹陷型病灶中边界不规则或窄带光下呈赭色者活检。此外,可对不符合上述策略但认为有必要活检的任何病灶进行活检。其后根据活检或手术病理,对胃癌高危患者进行胃镜随访,分析该策略对胃部早期肿瘤性病变的检出及漏诊情况,明确该策略的敏感度和阳性预测值。结果　共对548例患者的781处病灶进行了活检。在符合上述策略的327处病灶中,诊断上皮肿瘤性病灶16处（4.9%,16/327）,其中高级别肿瘤10处（3.1%,10/327）;而在不符合上述策略的454处病灶中,诊断上皮肿瘤性病灶仅1处（0.2%,1/454）,无高级别肿瘤。该筛检策略对胃上皮肿瘤性病灶和高级别肿瘤的阳性预测值均高于不符合策略而取活检者（4.9%比0.2%,χ2=19.49,P<0.001;3.1%比0,P<0.001）。共有146例（17.2%,146/849）患者接受胃镜随访,随访中发现2处黏膜内高级别肿瘤,符合筛检策略。该筛检策略在初次胃镜检查中检出了84.2%（16/19）的上皮肿瘤性病灶和83.3%（10/12）的高级别肿瘤。结论　高清胃镜下早期胃癌筛检策略可以高效地检出早期胃癌。     

一种野战卫生装备维修作业平台的研制

目的 :研制一种检修作业平台,实现野战卫生装备的快速检测与维修。方法 :以装配的某型野战卫生装备维修车为机体进行优化设计,引入维修PDCA循环模型,利用计算机技术自动分析装备的可维修性。结果:该平台可以自动优化选择维修方案,自动控制作业环境,装载布局合理。结论:该平台操作简单、方便实用,能够完成多种野战卫生装备的快速抢修和检测。     

Safety of endoscopic endonasal biopsy for the pituitary stalk-hypothalamic lesions

Purpose

The indications for and the optimal biopsy approach in pituitary stalk-hypothalamic (PsH) lesions are controversial. Biopsies through an endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA) for PsH lesions have often been considered to cause the infundibulo-tuberal syndrome. The purpose of this study was to analyze the surgical and endocrinological safety of EEA biopsies for PsH lesions.

Methods

A total of 39 consecutive patients who underwent an EEA biopsy between June 2011 and August 2020 in a single institute were retrospectively analyzed. The ophthalmological and endocrinological outcomes were assessed before and after surgery.

Results

PsH lesions were confirmed to be diverse pathological diagnoses, ranging from lymphocytic hypophysitis to diffuse midline glioma, and the most common pathologic diagnosis was a germinoma (18 patients, 46.2%). No patients developed visual deterioration after the biopsy. In patients without preoperative panhypopituitarism, 13 out of 28 patients (46.4%) developed new anterior pituitary hormonal deficiencies after the biopsy. When the tissue was collected from the stalk, the endocrinological deterioration rate was 100% (6 of 6 patients), while the rate was 31.8% (7 of 22 patients) when tissue could be harvested from an extra-stalk lesion. The rate of newly developed permanent diabetes insipidus after surgery was 40.9% (9 of 22 patients). The median surgery time was 125 min, and there was no postoperative CSF leakage or infections noted.

Conclusions

An EEA biopsy for PsH lesions is a safe and efficient surgical method unless the tissue is collected from the stalk.

     

Autoimmune cholangitis in a patient with thymoma

Autoimmune cholangitis is characterized biochemically by chronic cholestasis and histopathologically by chronic non-suppurative destructive cholangitis. It is associated with positive antinuclear antibody test and negative antimitochondrial antibody test results. Recently, we experienced a case of a 35-year-old woman with autoimmune cholangitis associated with thymoma who presented with pruritis, jaundice, chronic fatigue and anterior chest discomfort. Her laboratory examinations revealed marked increases in levels of serum alkaline phosphatase and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase. In serological tests, antinuclear antibody was found, but antimitochondrial antibody was not. Liver biopsy findings were compatible with chronic non-suppurative destructive cholangitis. On computed tomography (CT) of the chest, a large anterior mediastinal mass was found. The mass was totally resected and the patient was treated with ursodeoxy cholic acid. Thereafter, her clinical symptoms improved and liver functions completely returned to the normal range. We describe here an uncommon association of autoimmune cholangitis with thymoma, which has not been reported previously in the English-written literature.     

NRAMP1 genetic polymorphisms as a risk factor of tuberculous pleurisy.

SETTING: Nrampl encoded by the NRAMP1 gene influences the phagolysosomal function of alveolar macrophage against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Genetic polymorphisms of NRAMP1 affect innate host resistance through the defective production and function of Nrampl. OBJECTIVE: To investigate this relationship, the NRAMP1 polymorphisms in patients with tuberculous pleurisy were determined. DESIGN: Pleural biopsy proven 56 patients were designated to the pleurisy group and 45 healthy adults were designated to the healthy control group. Three NRAMP1 polymorphisms such as single nucleotide change in intron 4(469 + 14G/C, INT4), a non-conservative single-base substitution at codon 543(D543N) and TGTG deletion in the 3' untranslated region (1729 + 55del4, 3'UTR) were determined. RESULTS: The frequencies of mutant genotypes of INT4 and 3'UTR were significantly high in the pleurisy group (P = 0.01, P = 0.02), but the frequencies of D543N were not significantly different between the two groups. Odds ratios (OR), which are a comparison of the wild with the mutant genotype, were 8.02 (95%CI 2.42 approximately 26.57) for INT4 and 5.73 (95%CI 1.14 approximately 28.92) for 3'UTR which were statistically significant. In the combined analysis of the INT4 and 3'UTR, the ORs were 6.00 (95%CI 1.46 approximately 24.64) for GC/++ genotype and 14.00 (95%CI 1.61 approximately 121.75) for GC/+del when compared with GG/++; these differences were statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The NRAMP1 genetic polymorphisms, especially INT4 and 3'UTR, were closely related to tuberculous pleurisy.     

Connexins regulate calcium signaling by controlling ATP release

Forced expression of gap junction proteins, connexins, enables gap junction-deficient cell lines to propagate intercellular calcium waves. Here, we show that ATP secretion from the poorly coupled cell lines, C6 glioma, HeLa, and U373 glioblastoma, is potentiated 5- to 15-fold by connexin expression. ATP release required purinergic receptor-activated intracellular Ca²⁺ mobilization and was inhibited by Cl⁻ channel blockers. Calcium wave propagation also was reduced by purinergic receptor antagonists and by Cl⁻ channel blockers but insensitive to gap junction inhibitors. These observations suggest that cell-to-cell signaling associated with connexin expression results from enhanced ATP release and not, as previously believed, from an increase in intercellular coupling.