胆总管结石内镜逆行胰胆管造影术后行胆道支架置入和鼻胆管引流并发症的比较

目的探讨胆总管结石患者采用内镜逆行胰胆管造影术（ERCP）取石后同期开展胆道支架置入术或开展经内镜鼻胆管引流术（ENBD），对于防范并发症的价值。 方法按照前瞻性研究原则，选择2017年4月至2019年1月新疆医科大学第一附属医院收治的338例胆总管结石患者，随机分为支架组（170例）与引流组（168例）。两组患者均行ERCP治疗，其中引流组术后同期开展ENBD，支架组患者术后开展胆道支架置入术，对比两组患者腹痛评分、并发症发生情况及预后。 结果两组患者术后均未合并严重出血、穿孔或病死，结石完全清除率差异无统计学意义。与支架组相比，引流组术中胰腺管插管次数，术后4 h血淀粉酶水平、高淀粉酶血症、急性胰腺炎以及并发症总发生率更高，差异有统计学意义（P<0.05），术后24、48、72 h不同时点腹痛测评分值居更高水平（P<0.05）。 结论对于胆总管结石行ERCP治疗的患者，术后予以ENBD、胆道支架置入术的结石完全清除效果对比无明显差异，但胆道支架置入术更能降低术后并发症风险、缓解腹痛症状，患者获益更多。     

Post-viral atopic airway disease: pathogenesis and potential avenues for intervention

Introduction: In early childhood, wheezing due to lower respiratory tract illness is often associated with infection by commonly known respiratory viruses such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human rhinovirus (RV). How respiratory viral infections lead to wheeze and/or asthma is an area of active research.

Areas covered: This review provides an updated summary of the published information on the development of post-viral induced atopy and asthma and the mechanisms involved. We focus on the contribution of animal models in identifying pathways that may contribute to atopy and asthma following respiratory virus infection, different polymorphisms that have been associated with asthma development, and current options for disease management and potential future interventions.

Expert commentary: Currently there are no prophylactic therapies that prevent infants infected with respiratory viruses from developing asthma or atopy. Neither are there curative therapies for patients with asthma. Therefore, a better understanding of genetic factors and other associated biomarkers in respiratory viral induced pathogenesis is important for developing effective personalized therapies.     

Full‐term newborn infant with blistering skin lesions—Caution regarding use of pain medications

Multiple opioids are known to trigger mast cell degranulation. We report the case of a neonate with blistering skin lesions at birth who died of multi‐organ failure after administration of morphine. Given the excessive histamine release and potential complications associated with morphine administration, alternative opioids and adjuvants should be considered in infants presenting with evidence of bullous or infiltrative skin lesions until mastocytosis is ruled out.     

Red blood cell exchange to avoid intubating a COVID-19 positive patient with sickle cell disease?

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to claim lives across the globe, insufficient data exists regarding the optimal treatment. It is well known that patients 55 years of age or older and patients with certain chronic diseases are at higher risk of severe illness, including acute respiratory distress syndrome and death. A potentially fatal pulmonary complication of sickle cell disease, acute chest syndrome, can be precipitated by acute infections, including respiratory viruses. We report the case of a patient with sickle cell disease (HbSC) who developed COVID-19 pneumonia and acute chest syndrome who was treated with emergent red blood cell exchange in order to avoid endotracheal intubation.     

Stability and Effect of Parkinsonian State on Deep Brain Stimulation Cortical Evoked Potentials

ObjectivesTo characterize and compare the stability of cortical potentials evoked by deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) across the naïve, parkinsonian, and pharmacologically treated parkinsonian states. To advance cortical potentials as possible biomarkers for DBS programming.Materials and MethodsSerial electrocorticographic (ECoG) recordings were made more than nine months from a single non-human primate instrumented with bilateral ECoG grids spanning anterior parietal to prefrontal cortex. Cortical evoked potentials (CEPs) were generated through time-lock averaging of the ECoG recordings to DBS pulses delivered unilaterally in the STN region using a chronically implanted, six-contact, scaled DBS lead. Recordings were made across the naïve followed by mild and moderate parkinsonian conditions achieved by staged injections of the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) neurotoxin. In addition to characterizing the spatial distribution and stability of the response within each state, changes in the amplitude and latency of CEP components as well as in the frequency content were examined in relation to parkinsonian severity and dopamine replacement.ResultsIn the naïve state, the STN DBS CEP presented as a multiphase response maximal over M1 cortex, with components attributable to physiological activity distinguishable from stimulus artifact as early as 0.45–0.75 msec poststimulation. When delivered using therapeutically effective parameters in the parkinsonian state, the CEP was highly stable across multiple recording sessions within each behavioral state. Across states, significant differences were present with respect to both the latency and amplitude of individual response components, with greater differences present for longer-latency components (all p < 0.05). Power spectral density analysis revealed a high-beta peak within the evoked response, with significant changes in power between disease states across multiple frequency bands.ConclusionsOur findings underscore the spatiotemporal specificity and relative stability of the DBS-CEP associated with different disease states and with therapeutic benefit. DBS-CEP may be a viable biomarker for therapeutic programming.