Surgical treatment of four segment lumbar spondylolysis: A case report

BACKGROUNDFour-level lumbar spondylolysis is extremely rare. So far, only 1 case has been reported in the literature. CASE SUMMARYA 19-year-old man presented with severe back pain irresponsive to conservative therapies for 2 years. Lumbar radiographs and two-dimensional computed tomography scan showed four segment lumbar spondylolysis on both sides of L2-L5. Lumbar magnetic resonance imaging showed normal signal in all lumbar discs. Because daily activities were severely limited, surgery was recommended for the case. The patient underwent four-level bilateral isthmic repair at L2-L5. During surgery, L2-L5 isthmi were curetted bilaterally, freshened, and then grafted with autologous iliac bone that was bridged and compressed with a pedicular screw connected to a sub-laminar hook by a short rod. The symptoms of back pain almost disappeared. He has been followed-up for 96 mo, and his symptoms have never recurred. Fusion was found in all repaired isthmi 14 mo after surgery according to evaluation of lumbar radiography and computed tomography scan.CONCLUSIONWe report here 1 case of four-level lumbar spondylolysis that was treated successfully with direct isthmic repair.     

Oncentra近距离计划系统和MIM系统间DVH参数差异的分析

目的对近距离治疗计划的剂量参数在Oncentra治疗计划系统与MIM系统间产生的差异进行分析和研究。方法选取本院的43例妇科肿瘤患者近距离治疗计划,按照临床要求所有病例的靶区D₉₀达到处方剂量。评估参数包括:靶区体积和D₉₀,处方剂量总体积,靶区内的处方剂量体积以及危及器官包括:直肠,膀胱,小肠的D_0.01cc,D_1cc,D_2cc。结果计划系统中的靶区体积和处方剂量值均明显小于MIM系统中相应的值(P<0.05),两系统显示出的处方体积相差不大。MIM系统中的靶区D₉₀(676.74±54.82)cGy小于处方剂量,危及器官的受量则正好相反,即计划系统比MIM系统中相应的参数要小,其中直肠和膀胱的D_0.01cc,D_1cc,D_2c,小肠的D_0.01cc,D_2cc的在两系统显示的值的差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论不同系统间传输相同的剂量和轮廓文件,DVH参数存在一定的差异,其主要原因是在不同系统对已勾画的各种器官轮廓计算体积存在算法上的不同。基于此,建议近距离计划在CT扫描时,尽量小的层厚可以消除或减少这种差异。     

Apelin-13 inhibits apoptosis and excessive autophagy in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury

Apelin-13 is a novel endogenous ligand for an angiotensin-like orphan G-protein coupled receptor, and it may be neuroprotective against cerebral ischemia injury. However, the precise mechanisms of the effects of apelin-13 remain to be elucidated. To investigate the effects of apelin-13 on apoptosis and autophagy in models of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, a rat model was established by middle cerebral artery occlusion. Apelin-13(50 μg/kg) was injected into the right ventricle as a treatment. In addition, an SH-SY5 Y cell model was established by oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion, with cells first cultured in sugar-free medium with 95% N2 and 5% CO2 for 4 hours and then cultured in a normal environment with sugar-containing medium for 5 hours. This SH-SY5 Y cell model was treated with 10–7 M apelin-13 for 5 hours. Results showed that apelin-13 protected against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. Apelin-13 treatment alleviated neuronal apoptosis by increasing the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax and significantly decreasing cleaved caspase-3 expression. In addition, apelin-13 significantly inhibited excessive autophagy by regulating the expression of LC3 B, p62, and Beclin1. Furthermore, the expression of Bcl-2 and the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase(PI3 K)/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR) pathway was markedly increased. Both LY294002(20 μM) and rapamycin(500 nM), which are inhibitors of the PI3 K/Akt/mTOR pathway, significantly attenuated the inhibition of autophagy and apoptosis caused by apelin-13. In conclusion, the findings of the present study suggest that Bcl-2 upregulation and mTOR signaling pathway activation lead to the inhibition of apoptosis and excessive autophagy. These effects are involved in apelin-13-induced neuroprotection against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, both in vivo and in vitro. The study was approved by the Animal Ethical and Welfare Committee of Jining Medical University, China(approval No. 2018-JS-001) in February 2018.     

基于Brown高级护理实践的癌痛专科护士岗位构建

通过文献回顾总结当前国内疼痛专科护士发展及癌痛管理中的不足,在此基础上以Brown高级护理实践理论框架为理论指导,侧重于资格要求、癌痛评估以及出院后的随访对癌痛专科护士岗位构建进行设计,旨在更好地促进癌痛专科护理的开展,提升癌痛护理水平。     

SALAD‐BAAR: A numerical risk score for hospital admission or emergency department presentation in ambulatory patients with cardiovascular disease

BackgroundWhile many interventions to reduce hospital admissions and emergency department (ED) visits for patients with cardiovascular disease have been developed, identifying ambulatory cardiac patients at high risk for admission can be challenging.HypothesisA computational model based on readily accessible clinical data can identify patients at risk for admission.MethodsElectronic health record (EHR) data from a tertiary referral center were used to generate decision tree and logistic regression models. International Classification of Disease (ICD) codes, labs, admissions, medications, vital signs, and socioenvironmental variables were used to model risk for ED presentation or hospital admission within 90 days following a cardiology clinic visit. Model training and testing were performed with a 70:30 data split. The final model was then prospectively validated.ResultsA total of 9326 patients and 46 465 clinic visits were analyzed. A decision tree model using 75 patient characteristics achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.75 and a logistic regression model achieved an AUC of 0.73. A simplified 9‐feature model based on logistic regression odds ratios achieved an AUC of 0.72. A further simplified numerical score assigning 1 or 2 points to each variable achieved an AUC of 0.66, specificity of 0.75, and sensitivity of 0.58. Prospectively, this final model maintained its predictive performance (AUC 0.63–0.60).ConclusionNine patient characteristics from routine EHR data can be used to inform a highly specific model for hospital admission or ED presentation in cardiac patients. This model can be simplified to a risk score that is easily calculated and retains predictive performance.     

A Predictive Model for Reactive Tube Feeding in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Undergoing Definitive (Chemo) Radiotherapy

AimsCareful management of a patient's nutritional status during and after treatment for head and neck squamous cell cancers (HNSCC) is crucial for optimal outcomes. The aim of this study was to develop a model for stratifying a patient's risk of requiring reactive enteral feeding through a nasogastric tube during radiotherapy for HNSCC, based on clinical and treatment-related factors.Materials and methodsA cohort of consecutive patients treated with definitive (chemo)radiotherapy for HNSCC between January 2016 and January 2018 was identified in the institutional electronic database for retrospective analysis. Patients requiring enteral feeding pretreatment were excluded. Clinical and treatment data were obtained from prospectively recorded electronic clinical notes and planning software.ResultsBaseline patient characteristics and tumour-related parameters were captured for 225 patients. Based on the results of the univariate analysis and using a stepwise backwards selection process, clinical and dosimetric variables were selected to optimise a clinically predictive multivariate model, fitted using logistic regression. The parameters found to affect the probability, P, of requiring a nasogastric feeding tube for >4 weeks in our clinical multivariate model were: tumour site, tumour stage (early T0/1/2 stage versus advanced T3/T4 stage), chemotherapy drug (none versus any drug) and mean dose to the contralateral parotid gland. A scoring model using the regression coefficients of the selected variables in the clinical multivariate model achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.745 (95% confidence interval 0.678–0.812), indicating good discriminative performance. Internal validation of the model involved splitting the dataset 80:20 into training and test datasets 10 times and assessing differences in AUC of the model fitted to these.ConclusionsWe developed an easy-to-use prediction model based on both clinical and dosimetric parameters, which, once externally validated, can lead to more personalised treatment planning and inform clinical decision-making on the appropriateness of prophylactic versus reactive enteral feeding.     

结核病与糖尿病共病的治疗管理专家共识

结核病与糖尿病均是临床上的常见病和多发病,两者可合并存在,相互影响。活动性结核病作为感染因素可加重糖尿病病情,而糖尿病患者又是发生结核病的高危人群,结核病与糖尿病双重负担将成为重大的全球公共卫生问题。因此,需重视结核病与糖尿病共病的治疗管理。本共识重点介绍了结核病与糖尿病共病的危害、发病机制、双向筛查、临床特点、诊断、治疗和管理等内容。