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.     

同型半胱氨酸、维生素D、C、E、B12及叶酸与胃癌关系的研究进展北大核心

胃癌作为临床最常见的肿瘤之一,常因确诊疾病较晚而影响治疗效果,胃镜活检后的病理虽然作为确诊的金标准,但是由于此方式过程痛苦,操作复杂,费用较高,且具有侵入性,可能会导致患者拒绝操作而难普及于临床,因此积极找寻胃癌有效的监测指标十分必要。近年来,很多学者研究维生素与胃癌的相关关系,并试图通过摄取某些维生素降低胃癌发生率,延缓病情及改善预后,也有通过检测血清中维生素的水平给早期胃癌的诊断提供帮助。本文就同型半胱氨酸、维生素D、维生素C、维生素E、维生素B12及叶酸在胃癌中的作用机制,及其在血清中水平与胃癌关系的相关研究进展进行简要综述,为临床胃癌诊疗提供新思路。     

Disparity in Utilization of Multiagent Therapy for Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia in the United States

BackgroundDespite high rate of cure in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) in clinical trials, outcomes in real-world practice are dismal. We utilized National Cancer Database (NCDB) to explore utilization of multiagent therapy in APL and identify any disparities in treatment in real-world practices.Patients and MethodsNCDB categorizes use of systemic chemotherapy into single agent versus multiagent therapy. Some patients received hormonal therapy, immunotherapy, and unknown therapy; details of these treatments could not be ascertained. We therefore used multiple logistic regression analysis to evaluate effects of covariates on the probability of multiagent therapy use in 6678 patients.ResultsCompared to patients >60 years, patients aged 0 to 18 years (hazard ratio[HR] 3.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.8-5.5, P< .0001), 19 to 40 years (HR 1.6, 95% CI 1.03-2.54, P= .03), and 41 to 60 years (HR 1.6, 95% CI 1.3-1.9, P< .0001) were more likely to receive multiagent therapy. Patients with Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) of 0 (HR 1.6, 95% CI 1.2-2.3, P= .001) and CCI of 1 (HR 1.4, 95% CI 1.0-1.9, P= .04) had a higher likelihood of receiving multiagent therapy than patients with CCI ≥ 3. Patients treated at academic cancer centers, compared to those treated at community cancer center (HR 0.5, 95% CI 0.3-0.7, P= .001), comprehensive community cancer center (HR 0.7, 95% CI 0.6-0.8, P< .0001), and integrated network cancer center (HR 0.8, 95% CI 0.6-0.9, P= .02) were more likely to be treated with multiagent therapy. Compared to the patients with private insurance, those with Medicaid had increased likelihood (HR 1.2, 95% CI 1.0-1.4, P= .04) whereas uninsured patients had a lower likelihood of receiving multiagent therapy (HR 0.6, 95% CI 0.5-0.8, P= .0005).ConclusionTo our knowledge, this study is the first and the largest scale analysis of treatment practices in APL in real-world practices. Our findings highlight significant disparities in treatment of APL based on age, insurance, and health-system factors.     

Hepatitis B virus infection reactivation in patients under immunosuppressive therapies: Pathogenesis,screening, prevention and treatment

With a 5.3% of the global population involved, hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major public health challenge requiring an urgent response. After a possible acute phase, the natural history of HBV infection can progress in chronicity. Patients with overt or occult HBV infection can undergo HBV reactivation (HBVr) in course of immunosuppressive treatments that, apart from oncological and hem-atological diseases, are also used in rheumatologic, gastrointestinal, neurological and dermatological settings, as well as to treat severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. The risk of HBV reactivation is related to the immune status of the patient and the baseline HBV infection condition. The aim of the present paper is to investigate the risk of HBVr in those not oncological settings in order to suggest strategies for preventing and treating this occurrence. The main studies about HBVr for patients with occult hepatitis B infection and chronic HBV infection affected by non-oncologic diseases eligible for immunosuppressive treatment have been analyzed. The occurrence of this challenging event can be reduced screening the population eligible for immunosuppressant to assess the best strategies according to any virological status. Further prospective studies are needed to increase data on the risk of HBVr related to newer immunomodulant agents employed in non-oncological setting.     

Therapeutic plasma exchange in pediatric patients with acute demyelinating syndromes of the central nervous system: A single-center experience

BackgroundTherapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is an extracorporeal treatment that can be used in adult and pediatric patients with acute demyelinating syndromes of the central nervous system. In this study, the efficacy and safety of TPE was evaluated in 10 pediatric patients who underwent TPE that were unresponsive to corticosteroid treatment.MethodsRecords of 10 pediatric patients who underwent TPE in our pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) between May 2017 and June 2020 were used. Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), Gait Scale (GS), and Visual Outcome Scale (VOS) were applied to the patients before and after TPE.ResultsOf the 10 patients who underwent TPE, five were diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), three with transverse myelitis (TM), and two with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM). The median age of the patients was 13.3 years (IQR 8-15), and the median day from symptom onset to onset of TPE was 12.5 days (IQR 7-28). A total of 104 TPE sessions were performed successfully. While no complications were encountered in three patients during the sessions, the most common complication was hypofibrinogenemia. The decrease in EDSS and GS scores was found to be consistent with the clinical response of the patients. There was no statistically significant decrease in the VOS.ConclusionsWith this study, we can say that TPE is a feasible, effective, and safe treatment modality in children with acute demyelinating syndromes of the central nervous system.     

乙肝相关性肝癌临床病理学特征与高敏C反应蛋白和溶血磷脂酸表达的相关性

目的探讨乙肝相关性肝癌临床病理学特征与溶血磷脂酸(LPA)和高敏C反应蛋白(hs-CRP)表达的相关性。方法选取2019年1月至2020年1月间河南省驻马店市中心医院收治的198例乙肝相关性肝癌患者作为乙肝组,198例酒精相关性肝癌患者作为酒精组。两组患者都进行血清hs-CRP和LPA表达检测,调查患者的病理学特征并进行相关性分析。结果乙肝组患者血清hs-CRP和LPA含量均高于酒精组,差异均有统计学意义(均P <0.05)。两组患者血清ALP、AFP、ALT、AST和GGT含量比较,差异均无统计学意义(P> 0.05)。乙肝组不同临床分期和组织学分化患者的血清hs-CRP和LPA含量比较,差异均有统计学意义(均P <0.05)。乙肝组患者的临床分期和组织学分化与血清hs-CRP和LPA表达均存在相关性,差异均有统计学意义(均P <0.05)。患者的临床分期和组织学分化均为影响hs-CRP和LPA表达的重要因素,差异均有统计学意义(均P <0.05)。结论相对于酒精相关性肝癌,乙肝相关性肝癌的血清hs-CRP和LPA呈现高表达,与患者的临床病理学特征存在相关性。     

Intrapartum fetal surveillance: a physiological approach

Continuous utero-placental circulation, and patent umbilical blood vessels ensure an uninterrupted transfer of oxygen and nutrients to the fetus as well as clearance of metabolic waste products. The onset of labour characterized by progressive and strong uterine contractions poses a threat to fetal oxygenation as a result of collapsing the spiral arterioles traversing the myometrium to supply the placental bed, and repetitive compression of the blood vessels within the umbilical cord. Human fetuses are equipped with compensatory mechanisms to cope with transient interruptions of blood supply during labour. The ability to compensate may be blunted in cases of poor fetal reserves, increased metabolic demand (macrosomia or maternal fever), and due to non-hypoxic pathways (e.g. chorioamniontis or fetal hypovolumia-hypotension syndrome). Intrapartum fetal surveillance involves prompt recognition of the features that signal the onset of fetal decompensation on the cardiotocograph (CTG) to ensure a timely intervention to avoid hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) or perinatal deaths. This article summarises a ‘physiological approach’ to the interpretation of the CTG which, in places, conflicts with other current UK guidance.     

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.