Cardioprotective effects of sinomenine in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury in a rat model

BackgroundIschemia reperfusion (I/R) play an imperative role in the expansion of cardiovascular disease. Sinomenine (SM) has been exhibited to possess antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antiviral and anticarcinogenic properties. The aim of the study was scrutinized the cardioprotective effect of SM against I/R injury in rat.MethodsRat were randomly divided into normal control (NC), I/R control and I/R + SM (5, 10 and 20 mg/kg), respectively. Ventricular arrhythmias, body weight and heart weight were estimated. Antioxidant, inflammatory cytokines, inflammatory mediators and plasmin system indicator were accessed.ResultsPre-treated SM group rats exhibited the reduction in the duration and incidence of ventricular fibrillation, ventricular ectopic beat (VEB) and ventricular tachycardia along with suppression of arrhythmia score during the ischemia (30 and 120 min). SM treated rats significantly (P < 0.001) altered the level of antioxidant parameters. SM treatment significantly (P < 0.001) repressed the level of creatine kinase MB (CK-MB), creatine kinase (CK) and troponin I (Tnl). SM treated rats significantly (P < 0.001) repressed the tissue factor (TF), thromboxane B2 (TXB2), plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) and plasma fibrinogen (Fbg) and inflammatory cytokines and inflammatory mediators.ConclusionOur result clearly indicated that SM plays anti-arrhythmia effect in I/R injury in the rats via alteration of oxidative stress and inflammatory reaction.     

Sickle cell nephropathy: A review of novel biomarkers and their potential roles in early detection of renal involvement

Whether the underlying mutations are homozygous, heterozygous, or co-inherited with other hemoglobinopathies, sickle cell disease is known to afflict the kidneys, leading to the clinical entity known as sickle cell nephropathy (SCN). Although common, SCN remains diagnostically elusive. Conventional studies performed in the context of renal disorders often fail to detect early stage SCN. This makes the quest for early diagnosis and treatment more challenging, and it increases the burden of chronic kidney disease-related morbidity among patients. Novel diagnostic tools have been employed to overcome this limitation. In this study, we discuss various biomarkers of SCN, including those employed in clinical practice and others recently identified in experimental settings, such as markers of vascular injury, endothelial dysfunction, tubulo-glomerular damage, and oxidative stress. These include kidney injury molecule-1, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, N-acetyl-B-D-glucosaminidase, ceruloplasmin, orosomucoid, nephrin, and cation channels, among others. Furthermore, we explore the potential of novel biomarkers for refining diagnostic and therapeutic approaches and describe some obstacles that still need to be overcome. We highlight the importance of a collaborative approach to standardize the use of promising new biomarkers. Finally, we outline the limitations of conventional markers of renal damage as extensions of the pathogenic process occurring at the level of the organ and its functional subunits, with a discussion of the expected pattern of clinical and biochemical progression among patients with SCN.     

Glycaemic control for patients with severe acute brain injury: Protocol for a systematic review

Background

Hyperglycaemia is common in patients with acute brain injury admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU). Many studies have found associations between development of hyperglycaemia and increased mortality in hospitalised patients. However, the optimal target for blood glucose control is unknown. We want to conduct a systematic review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis to explore the beneficial and harmful effects of restrictive versus liberal glucose control on patient outcomes in adults with severe acute brain injury.

Methods

We will systematically search medical databases including CENTRAL, Embase, MEDLINE and trial registries. We will search the following websites for ongoing or unpublished trials: http://www.controlled-trials.com/ , http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ , www.eudraCT.com , http://centerwatch.com/ , The Cochrane Library's CENTRAL, PubMed, EMBASE, Science Citation Index Expanded and CINAHL. Two authors will independently review and select trials and extract data. We will include randomised trials comparing levels of glucose control in our analyses and observational studies will be included to address potential harms. The primary outcomes are defined as all-cause mortality, functional outcome and health-related quality of life. Secondary outcomes include serious adverse events including hypoglycaemia, length of ICU stay and duration of mechanical ventilation, and explorative outcomes including intracranial pressure and infection. Trial Sequential Analysis will be used to investigate the risk of type I error due to repetitive testing and to further explore imprecision. Quality of trials will be evaluated using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool, and quality of evidence will be assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach.

Discussion

The results of the systematic review will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publication. With the review, we hope to inform future randomised clinical trials and improve clinical practice.     

Impact of COVID-19 and malaria coinfection on clinical outcomes: a retrospective cohort study

ObjectivesDespite the possibility of concurrent infection with COVID-19 and malaria, little is known about the clinical course of coinfected patients. We analysed the clinical outcomes of patients with concurrent COVID-19 and malaria infection.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study that assessed prospectively collected data of all patients who were admitted between May and December 2020 to the Universal COVID-19 treatment center (UCTC), Khartoum, Sudan. UCTC compiled demographic, clinical, laboratory (including testing for malaria), and outcome data in all patients with confirmed COVID-19 hospitalized at that clinic. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality during the hospital stay. We built proportional hazard Cox models with malaria status as the main exposure and stepwise adjustment for age, sex, cardiovascular comorbidities, diabetes, and hypertension.ResultsWe included 591 patients with confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis who were also tested for malaria. Mean (SD) age was 58 (16.2) years, 446/591 (75.5%) were males. Malaria was diagnosed in 270/591 (45.7%) patients. Most malaria patients were infected by Plasmodium falciparum (140/270; 51.9%), while 121/270 (44.8%) were coinfected with Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. Median follow-up was 29 days. Crude mortality rates were 10.71 and 5.87 per 1000 person-days for patients with and without concurrent malaria, respectively. In the fully adjusted Cox model, patients with concurrent malaria and COVID-19 had a greater mortality risk (hazard ratio 1.43, 95% confidence interval 1.21-1.69).DiscussionCoinfection with COVID-19 and malaria is associated with increased all-cause in-hospital mortality compared to monoinfection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).     

腹部超声联合阴道灌注0.9%氯化钠诊断幼女阴道异物的临床价值

目的 分析腹部超声联合阴道灌注0.9%氯化钠对幼女阴道异物的诊断价值。方法 回顾性分析2018年1月—2021年12月就诊于赣州市妇幼保健院妇科的102例疑似阴道异物幼女临床资料。患儿均接受经腹部超声、阴道灌注0.9%氯化钠检查。以宫腔镜诊治结果作为金标准，分析经腹部超声单独检测或腹部超声联合阴道灌注0.9%氯化钠诊断阴道异物的准确性、有效性。结果 宫腔镜结果显示，患儿中阴道炎有21例（20.59%），阴道异物有81例（79.42%），其中棉絮状物、谷物、头发丝等线状物最为常见；单独诊断、联合诊断出阴道异物分别有69例和79例，与宫腔镜诊断结果的K值分别为0.689和0.897。将宫腔镜诊断结果作为金标准，单独诊断、联合诊断阴道异物的敏感性分别为0.765（95% CI：0.594，0.816）、0.951（95% CI：0.826，0.995），特异性分别为0.667（95% CI：0.563，0.786）、0.905（95% CI：0.795，0.972），准确度分别为0.745（95% CI：0.586，0.813）、0.941（95% CI：0.817，0.984），单独诊断、联合诊断的敏感性、特异性、准确度可信区间无重叠，说明有统计学意义。结论 阴道灌注0.9%氯化钠可增强幼女阴道异物在超声下的显影，提升诊断准确性、有效性，且操作简单、损伤小，起到清洁阴道作用。     

湘西州7～15岁苗族学生皮褶厚度及体成分分析

目的 了解湘西州7～15岁苗族学生皮褶厚度及体成分发育特点,为增强少数民族学生体质提供参考。方法 2019年10—11月分层整群随机抽取湘西州7～15岁苗族学生1 064名,测量身高、体重和肱三头肌皮褶(TS)、肩胛下皮褶(SS)、腹部皮褶(AS)厚度。根据长岭和Brozek公式估算体成分。结果 随着年龄的增长,苗族学生皮褶均逐渐增厚,男生13岁、女生12岁后增幅明显;各年龄组女生TS、SS与AS均厚于男生,8岁(t=2.659、2.392、2.264)、11岁(t=3.317、3.251、3.179)、13岁(t=5.196、3.943、4.651)、14岁(t=5.941、4.630、3.228)和15岁(t=4.822、4.292、3.210)年龄组比较差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);体脂率、脂肪质量及其指数均值女生高于男生,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05或<0.01);男女生瘦体质量及其指数年龄变化曲线逐渐上升并出现2次交叉;除男生体脂率外,体成分各指标与皮褶厚度均与年龄呈显著正相关(P<0.01);与8个族群比较,苗族男生肱三头肌皮褶厚度(9.22 mm)与内蒙达斡尔族、肩胛下皮褶厚度(7.33 mm)与怒江怒族较为接近,女生肱三头肌皮褶厚度(11.98 mm)与内蒙达斡尔族、肩胛下皮褶厚度(9.35 mm)与广东瑶族较为接近。结论 湘西州苗族农村学生皮褶厚度及体成分发育符合生长发育一般规律,皮下脂肪含量相对较少,并存在性别和年龄差异。     

几何不确定性鲁棒优化在肝癌立体定向放疗中的应用

目的:分析基于几何不确定性的鲁棒优化计划对肝癌立体定向放疗（SBRT）剂量分布的影响。方法:选取12例肝癌SBRT患者，对每例制作3个调强计划:①基于PTV（ITV-PTV 5 mm）的常规优化（PTV-Based Plan）；②基于ITV非均匀几何不确定性（本中心计算的不确定性值:进出方向7 mm，左右和前后方向4 mm）的鲁棒优化（Robust Planactual）；③基于ITV均匀5 mm几何不确定性的鲁棒优化（Robust Plan5 mm）。所有计划都以95%的PTV满足处方剂量作为目标，以等中心均匀偏移4、5、7 mm计算扰动剂量评估鲁棒性。结果:计划①②③的均匀性指数（HI）分别为0.083±0.027、0.099±0.035、0.096±0.026，不具有统计学意义；计划①②③的适形性指数（CI）分别为0.98±0.02、1.02±0.05、1.00±0.04，计划②③相对于计划①的CI具有统计学意义。计划③的正常肝组织平均受量和V2500相对于计划①②分别下降了4.1%、2.5%和5.4%、3.0%，且具有统计学意义（P=0.034、P=0.021和P=0.004、P=0.004），计划②相对于计划①的正常肝组织平均受量和V2500不具有统计学意义（P=0.308和P=0.182），但下降了1.6%和2.5%。对于其鲁棒性，计划②③的5 mm-D99%、5 mm-D98%、5 mm-D95%的剂量-体积直方图带宽（DVHBW）差值相对于计划①更小，随着摆位不确定度的增大，其DVHBW差值越大。结论:在肝脏SBRT治疗中，采用鲁棒优化能够提高靶区剂量分布质量，即使在摆位不确定度有所增加的情况下，仍可以保证ITV的剂量覆盖同时不增加正常组织的照射剂量。