Hip Displacement in Cerebral Palsy: The Role of Surveillance

IntroductionHip displacement is common in cerebral palsy (CP) and is related to the severity of neurological and functional impairment. It is a silent, but progressive disease, and can result in significant morbidity and decreased quality of life, if left untreated. The pathophysiology of hip displacement in CP is a combination of hip flexor-adductor muscle spasticity, abductor muscle weakness, and delayed weight-bearing, resulting in proximal femoral deformities and progressive acetabular dysplasia. Due to a lack of symptoms in the early stages of hip displacement, the diagnosis is easily missed. Awareness of this condition and regular surveillance by clinical examination and serial radiographs of the hips are the key to early diagnosis and treatment.Hip surveillance programmesSeveral population-based studies from around the world have demonstrated that universal hip surveillance in children with CP allows early detection of hip displacement and appropriate early intervention, with a resultant decrease in painful dislocations. Global hip surveillance models are based upon the patients’ age, functional level determined by the Gross Motor Function Classification system (GMFCS), gait classification, standardized clinical exam, and radiographic indices such as the migration percentage (MP), as critical indicators of progressive hip displacement.ConclusionDespite 25 years of evidence showing the efficacy of established hip surveillance programmes, there is poor awareness among healthcare professionals in India about the importance of regular hip surveillance in children with CP. There is a need for professional organizations to develop evidence-based guidelines for hip surveillance which are relevant to the Indian context.     

Efficacy and safety of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) created using covered stents of different diameters: A systematic review and meta-analysis

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to make a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the stent diameter (8 mm vs. 10 mm) that conveys better safety and clinical efficacy for transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS).Materials and methodsFour databases were used to identify clinical trials published from inception until March 2020. Data were extracted to estimate and compare one-year and three-year overall survivals, hepatic encephalopathy, variceal rebleeding, and shunt dysfunction rates between patients with 8 mm covered stents and those with 10 mm covered stents.ResultsFive eligible studies were selected, which included 489 patients (316 men, 173 women). The 8 mm covered stent group had higher efficacy regarding one-year or three-year overall survival (odds ratio [OR], 2.88; P = 0.003) and (OR, 1.81; P = 0.04) and lower hepatic encephalopathy (OR, 0.69; P = 0.04) compared with 10 mm covered stent group. There were no significant differences in variceal rebleeding rate (OR 0.80; P = 0.67). However, shunt dysfunction was lower in 10 mm covered stent group (OR, 2.26; P = 0.003).ConclusionsOur results suggest that the use of 8 mm covered stents should be preferred to that of 10 mm covered stents for TIPS placement when portal pressure is frequently monitored.     

缺氧诱导因子-1α参与肝纤维化形成机制研究进展

目的 肝纤维化是一种由于反复肝损伤而导致肝组织细胞外基质过多沉积导致的疾病。缺氧损伤为肝损伤的一部分,缺氧诱导因子-1α(HIF-1α)是响应缺氧应激的关键转录因子,在肝纤维化组织和活化的肝星状细胞(HSC)表达显著增加。目前,通过对大量HIF-1α依赖性基因和信号通路的研究,确认这些基因及其通路的变化参与肝纤维化发展过程,并可能在肝纤维化发生发展过程中起关键作用。本文综述了HIF-1α相关的信号通路参与肝纤维化发展的相关机制,并对上游影响HIF-1α合成和降解的相关信号通路进行了阐述,为其作为新型治疗靶点的可能潜力提供依据。     

小细胞肺癌患者外周血辅助性T细胞的表达情况及临床意义

目的研究小细胞肺癌(SCLC)患者外周血中辅助性T细胞1(Th1)、Th2、Th17及调节性T淋巴细胞(Treg)的表达情况,探讨其在SCLC进展中的作用。方法选择2016年1月至2018年4月本院收治的44例住院的SCLC患者(SCLC组)及24名健康者(对照组)作为研究对象。采用流式细胞法检测两组研究对象外周血中Th1、Th2、Th17及Treg细胞的表达情况,应用微量样本多指标流式蛋白定量技术(CBA)检测血清中的细胞因子IFN-γ、IL-17及IL-10的表达情况。结果SCLC组患者的外周血中Th1细胞、Th1/Th2、IFN-γ表达水平显著低于对照组,差异具有统计学意义(P<0.01)。SCLC组患者的外周血中Th2、Treg、Th17、Treg/Th17、IL-17、IL-10表达水平显著高于对照组,差异具有统计学意义(P<0.01)。结论SCLC患者外周血中Th1/Th2的降低、Treg/Th17的升高可能与SCLC的致病机理及预后密切相关,该结论将为SCLC的治疗提供新的思路。     

Motor dysfunction in mild cognitive impairment as tested by kinematic analysis and transcranial magnetic stimulation

ObjectivePrevious studies have demonstrated voluntary movement alterations as well as motor cortex excitability and plasticity changes in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). To investigate the pathophysiology of movement abnormalities in MCI, we tested possible relationships between movement abnormalities and primary motor cortex alterations in patients.MethodsFourteen amnestic MCI (aMCI) patients and 16 healthy controls were studied. Cognitive assessment was performed using clinical scales. Finger tapping was recorded by a motion analysis system. Transcranial magnetic stimulation was used to test the input/output curve of motor evoked potentials, intracortical inhibition, and short-latency afferent inhibition. Primary motor cortex plasticity was probed by theta burst stimulation. We investigated correlations between movement abnormalities, clinical scores, and cortical neurophysiological parameters.ResultsMCI patients showed less rhythmic movement but no other movement abnormalities. Cortical excitability measures were normal in patients, whereas plasticity was reduced. Movement rhythm abnormalities correlated with frontal dysfunction scores.ConclusionOur study in MCI patients demonstrated abnormal voluntary movement and plasticity changes, with no correlation between the two. Altered rhythm correlated with frontal dysfunction.SignificanceOur results contribute to the understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms of motor impairment in MCI.     

Diffusion-weighted MRI and PET/CT reproducibility in epithelial ovarian cancers during neoadjuvant chemotherapy

PurposeTo investigate the reproducibility of diffusion-weighted (DW) MRI and ¹⁸F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (¹⁸F-FDG)-Positron emission tomography/CT (PET/CT) in monitoring response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in epithelial ovarian cancer.Materials and methodsTen women (median age, 67 years; range: 41.8–77.3 years) with stage IIIC-IV epithelial ovarian cancers were included in this prospective trial (NCT02792959) between 2014 and 2016. All underwent initial laparoscopic staging, four cycles of carboplatine-paclitaxel-based chemotherapy and interval debulking surgery. PET/CT and DW-MRI were performed at baseline (C0), after one cycle (C1) and before surgery (C4). Two nuclear physicians and two radiologists assessed five anatomic sites for the presence of ≥ 1 lesion. Target lesions in each site were defined and their apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), maximal standardized uptake value (SUV-max), SUV-mean, SUL-peak, metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) were monitored (i.e., 10 patients × 5 sites × 3 time-points). Their relative early and late changes were calculated. Intra/inter-observer reproducibilities of qualitative and quantitative analysis were estimated with Kappa and intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs).ResultsFor both modalities, inter- and intra-observer agreement percentages were excellent for initial staging but declined later for DW-MRI, leading to lower Kappa values for inter- and intra-observer variability (0.949 and 1 at C0, vs. 0.633 and 0.643 at C4, respectively) while Kappa values remained > 0.8 for PET/CT. Inter- and intra-observer ICCs were > 0.75 for SUV-max, SUL-peak, SUV-mean and their change regardless the time-point. ADC showed lower ICCs (range: 0.013–0.811). ANOVA found significant influences of the evaluation time, the measurement used (ADC, SUV-max, SUV-mean, SUV-max, SUL-peak, MTV or TLG) and their interaction on ICC values (P = 0.0023, P< 0.0001 and P =0.0028, respectively).ConclusionWhile both modalities demonstrated high reproducibility at baseline, only SUV-max, SUL-peak, SUV-mean and their changes maintained high reproducibility during chemotherapy.