Anomalous Origin of the Left Coronary Artery from the Pulmonary Artery: Diagnoses and Surgical Results in 12 Pediatric Patients

Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) is a rare congenital condition. It responds well to early diagnosis and treatment, but otherwise the prognosis is poor. We present our case series of 12 patients (mean age, 2 ± 2.58 yr; age range, 2 mo–8 yr), emphasizing the diagnostic process and discussing our surgical results. The diagnosis of ALCAPA should be suspected in infants who have dilated cardiomyopathy with electrocardiographic changes that suggest ischemia, and in older children who have isolated mitral regurgitation. When clinical suspicion is high, the results of 2-dimensional echocardiography combined with color-flow Doppler studies in expert hands can establish the diagnosis, thus avoiding angiography in critically ill infants. The treatment of choice in our patients was transfer and reimplantation of the left coronary artery onto the ascending aorta. There were 2 deaths: both were infants in extremis who underwent emergency surgery. An older child with severe ventricular dysfunction was given mechanical ventricular assistance and then heart transplantation. As of this report, all 10 survivors remained well and asymptomatic.     

LEEP刀与微波治疗慢性宫颈炎患者的临床效果对比

目的 对比LEEP刀与微波治疗慢性宫颈炎的临床效果.方法 随机选取2013年10月—2015年4月期间,到该院就诊的70例慢性宫颈炎患者为研究对象,在取得患者同意的前提下,随机将患者均分为对照组(采用微波治疗)和观察组(采用LEEP刀治疗),两组患者的人数均为35例,观察并比较两组患者的手术情况、治疗效果等指标. 结果 ①观察组患者的手术时间、阴道流液时间、术中出血量均优于对照组,两组差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);②观察组患者的治疗总有效率为97.14%(34/35),对照组为82.86%(29/35),两组差异有统计学意义(P<0.05).结论 在慢性宫颈炎的治疗中,与传统微波治疗相比,LEEP刀治疗的效果更佳,值得临床推广.     

Measuring disease activity and response to treatment in rheumatoid arthritis

Introduction: Effective treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) requires suppression of the underlying inflammation. Measurement of such inflammation, the disease activity, is mandatory to target treatment and maximize outcomes. However, this is not as straightforward as it may seem.

Areas covered: The many tools developed to measure disease activity in RA, from composite scores and patient-reported outcomes, to laboratory markers and imaging are discussed, with a focus on their utility in guiding therapy and assessing response. The complex issues in measuring disease activity in RA, whether in clinical trials or normal clinical practice, and in the context of national guidelines and recommendations, available time, and resources are considered.

Expert commentary: The key to effective management of RA is the rapid suppression of inflammation, ideally to remission, with maintenance of such remission. The aim is to prevent disability and maximize quality of life. Central to this is the ability to determine disease activity (potentially open to suppression) as opposed to damage (irreversible). A variety of measures are currently available, allowing better assessment of response to treatment. In the future, the development of predictive biomarkers allowing targeting of drugs may revolutionize this field and render the tools of today redundant.     

Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Involving Parents During Painful Interventions for Their Preterm Infants

ObjectiveTo systematically review the literature related to the effectiveness of parents’ active involvement during painful interventions for their preterm infants.Data SourcesWe performed a systematic search of PubMed, EMBASE/Ovid, CINAHL, Livivio, and PsycInfo using the keywords “preterm infants,” “pain,” and “parents.”Study SelectionArticles were eligible for inclusion if they were published between 2000 and 2021 and reported randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in which preterm infants underwent painful interventions, and parents were present and actively involved in pain-reducing measures.Data ExtractionWe used the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) checklist for RCTs for data extraction. We assessed methodologic quality using critical appraisal for RCTs according to the Joanna Briggs Institute.Data SynthesisIn total, 22 articles met the inclusion criteria. These articles reported 19 studies focused on kangaroo/skin-to-skin care, one focused on breastfeeding, and two focused on facilitated tucking. The methods used to evaluate pain in the infant varied substantially. Overall, kangaroo/skin-to-skin care and facilitated tucking resulted in clinically and statistically significant decreases in pain. For breastfeeding, effectiveness was linked to a more mature sucking pattern of the preterm infant.ConclusionThe current evidence suggests that involving parents in pain-reducing measures during painful interventions for their preterm infants is beneficial. However, more research is needed for the different methods of involving parents in pain-reducing measures.     

疏肝健脾法治疗腹泻型肠易激综合征1例

肠易激综合征（IBS）是一种常见的功能性疾病，中医病名为"肠郁"。郭朋教授根据IBS生理、病理特点，以疏肝健脾法调和肝脾，辨证施治，取得良好疗效。文章从病因病机、辨证论治及经典案例介绍等几个方面对郭教授治疗IBS经验进行系统阐述，以期为中医药治疗IBS提供理论和方法学参考。     

脉络学说营卫理论指导心律失常辨证论治

经脉包括经(气)络和血(脉)络,清代周学海《读医随笔》将气络末端称为"气之细络",脉络末端称为"血之细络"。心之气络涵盖心脏起搏与传导系统等广泛调控机制,心之脉络涵盖冠状动脉循环系统,心之气络与脉络相互协调,营卫相偕而行,共同维持心脏正常功能。各种致病因素导致营卫异常而发为心律失常,基于脉络学说营卫理论"损其心者,调其营卫"(《难经·十四难》)治疗原则指导心律失常辨证论治,同时充分结合现代致病因素和致病特点,分别选用调节卫气营血之方药,标本兼治,以期为临床诊疗提供有益借鉴。     

子宫内膜功能亢进性疾病的“异病同治”诊治研究思路＊

笔者根据现代临床子宫内膜的病理演变过程结合中医“异病同治”理念，提出“子宫内膜功能亢进性疾病”概念，涵盖5种常见的子宫内膜疾病：无排卵性异常子宫出血（Abnormal Uterine Bleeding Ovulatory dysfunction，AUB-O），子宫内膜息肉（Endometrial Polyp，EP），子宫内膜异位症（Endometriosis，EMs），子宫腺肌病（Adenomyosis，AM），子宫内膜癌（Endometrial Carcinoma，EC）。基于文献的汇总，分析得到此类疾病的子宫内膜病理演变与中医病因病机的关联性，为寻找关键通路、创新性治疗此类疾病提供了重要的参考方向，对深化中医妇科学常见疾病的共性病因病机提供了理论依据和探索思路。