Stage 1 acute kidney injury is independently associated with infection following cardiac surgery

ObjectivesSevere acute kidney injury (AKI) is a known risk factor for infection and mortality. However, whether stage 1 AKI is a risk factor for infection has not been evaluated in adults. We hypothesized that stage 1 AKI following cardiac surgery would independently associate with infection and mortality.MethodsIn this retrospective propensity score–matched study, we evaluated 1620 adult patients who underwent nonemergent cardiac surgery at the University of Colorado Hospital from 2011 to 2017. Patients who developed stage 1 AKI by Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes creatinine criteria within 72 hours of surgery were matched to patients who did not develop AKI. The primary outcome was an infection, defined as a new surgical-site infection, positive blood or urine culture, or development of pneumonia. Secondary outcomes included in-hospital mortality, stroke, and intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital length of stay (LOS).ResultsStage 1 AKI occurred in 293 patients (18.3%). Infection occurred in 20.9% of patients with stage 1 AKI compared with 8.1% in the no-AKI group (P < .001). In propensity-score matched analysis, stage 1 AKI independently associated with increased infection (odds ratio [OR]; 2.24, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.37-3.17), ICU LOS (OR, 2.38; 95% CI, 1.71–3.31), and hospital LOS (OR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.17-1.45).ConclusionsStage 1 AKI is independently associated with postoperative infection, ICU LOS, and hospital LOS. Treatment strategies focused on prevention, early recognition, and optimal medical management of AKI may decrease significant postoperative morbidity.     

Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide Immunoregulatory Role at the Periapex: Associative and Mechanistic Evidences from Human and Experimental Periapical Lesions

IntroductionThe balance between the host proinflammatory immune response and the counteracting anti-inflammatory and reparative responses supposedly determine the outcome of periapical lesions. In this scenario, the vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) may exert a protective role because of its prominent immunoregulatory capacity. In this study, we investigated (in a cause-and-effect manner) the potential involvement of VIP in the development of human and experimental periapical lesions.MethodsPeriapical granulomas (n = 124) and control samples (n = 48) were comparatively assessed for VIP and multiple immunologic/activity marker expression through real-time polymerase chain reaction. Experimental periapical lesions (C57Bl/6 wild-type mice) were evaluated regarding endogenous VIP expression correlation with lesion development and the effect of recombinant VIP therapy in lesion outcome. CCR4KO and IL4KO strains and anti-glucocorticoid-induced TNFR-related protein inhibition were used to test the involvement of Treg and Th2 cells in VIP-mediated effects.ResultsVIP expression was more prevalent in periapical granulomas than in controls, presenting a positive association with immunoregulatory factors and an inverse association/correlation with proinflammatory mediators and the receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand/osteoprotegerin ratio. Endogenous VIP expression up-regulation was temporally associated with lesion immunoregulation and a decline of bone loss. VIP therapy in mice prompted the arrest of lesion development, being associated with an anti-inflammatory and proreparative response that limits the proinflammatory, Th1, Th17, and osteoclastogenic response in the periapex. The VIP protective effect was dependent of Treg migration and activity and independent of interleukin 4.ConclusionsOur results show that VIP overexpression in human and experimental periapical lesions is associated with lesion inactivity and that VIP therapy results in the attenuation of experimental lesion progression associated with the immunosuppressive response involving Treg cells.     

Association Between Clinical Tumor Burden and Efficacy of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Monotherapy for Advanced Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer

BackgroundProgrammed cell death 1 (PD-1) inhibitors have become a standard treatment, albeit not completely effective, for patients with advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Previous studies of advanced melanoma have revealed that the tumor burden predicted the response to PD-1 inhibitors, although this relationship has remained unclear for NSCLC.Patients and MethodsThe present single-center retrospective study evaluated 163 patients with advanced NSCLC who had received PD-1/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor monotherapy from December 2015 to December 2018. The clinical tumor burden was estimated using the baseline sum of the target lesions’ longest diameters (BSLDs), measured according to the Response Evaluation Criteria for Solid Tumors, and the baseline number of metastatic lesions (BNMLs).ResultsThe optimal cutoff values for predicting progression-free survival (PFS) were 5 for the BNMLs and 76 mm for the BSLDs, using the minimum P value method. The low-BNML group included 73 patients (44.8%). The median PFS was 12.2 months in the low-BNML group and 2.8 months in the high-BNML group (hazard ratio, 0.51; P = .0005). The low-BSLD group included 92 patients (56.4%). The median PFS was 9.6 months in the low-BSLD group and 3.4 months in the high-BSLD group (hazard ratio, 0.52; P = .0006). Multivariable analysis revealed that low-BSLD, low-BNML, nonsquamous histologic type and a PD-L1 tumor proportion score of ≥ 50% were independently associated with prolonged PFS.ConclusionsPD-L1 expression and the clinical tumor burden can predict the efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor monotherapy for NSCLC.     

急性心肌梗死急诊介入治疗的临床评价

目的探讨急诊经皮冠状动脉介入治疗术(PCI)对ST段抬高型急性心肌梗死(STAMI)的治疗价值。方法STAMI46例,在发病12h内行急诊冠状动脉造影及直接冠脉支架置入术(DS)或预扩张后支架置入术(PS),观察术中心律失常发生情况,术后TIMI分级、心电图,出院前左室射血分数(LVEF)和住院期间主要不良心脏事件(MACE)等。结果DS组与PS组各项指标无差异,44例达TIMI3级,成功率达95.7%,ST段回落率67.4%,平均LVEF(49.4±9.46)%,术中心律失常发生率21.7%,无MACE发生。结论对于发病12h的STAMI患者,行急诊PCI,可开通梗塞相关动脉(IRA),改善心肌再灌注和近期预后。     

劳累性心绞痛患者冠脉病变和抑郁障碍相关性分析

目的比较劳累性心绞痛患者抑郁障碍与冠状动脉粥样硬化程度的相关性，以进一步明确两者之间关系。方法将146名劳累性心绞痛患者根据汉密尔顿抑郁量表评分分为无抑郁症状组、可疑抑郁症状组、明确抑郁症状组。比较三组冠脉Gensini积分。结果3组之间Germini积分值存在统计学差异（P〈0．05）。HAMD量表评分与Gensimi评分成正相关（r=0．244，P〈0.01）。结论劳累性心绞痛患者冠脉粥样硬化程度与抑郁障碍程度成正相关，抑郁障碍对冠脉粥样硬化的发展可产生不良影响。     

铜代谢异常相关疾病研究

铜是人类和动物重要的必需微量元素，参与体内蛋白质、氨基酸、核酸等营养物质的代谢，铜代谢异常会造成多种疾病。本文主要综述铜在糖尿病、动脉粥样硬化、冠心病、高脂血症、骨质疏松等的发生发展以及治疗方面的作用。     

扩散加权成像在鉴别颅内环形强化病灶的价值

目的讨论扩散加权成像(DWI)和表观扩散系数(ADC)在鉴别颅内环形强化病灶性质的价值。资料与方法应用1.5TMR对16例胶质瘤、6例转移瘤、4例脑脓肿进行常规MR及DWI成像和ADC测量,分析其影像学表现。结果4例脑脓肿在DWI上呈高信号,16例胶质瘤和6例转移瘤呈低信号,脓肿腔平均ADC值为0.44×10-3cm2/s,脑肿瘤坏死囊变区平均ADC值为1.82×10-3cm2/s(P<0.01)。结论DWI和ADC值可以用来鉴别脑脓肿及坏死囊变的肿瘤病灶。