Dying is the Most Grown-Up Thing We Ever Do: But Do Health Care Professionals Prevent Us from Taking It Seriously?

This paper takes a somewhat slant perspective on flourishing and care in the context of suffering, death and dying, arguing that care in this context consists principally of ‘acts of work and courage that enable flourishing’. Starting with the perception that individuals, society and health care professionals have become dulled to death and the process of dying in Western advanced health systems, it suggests that for flourishing to occur, both of these aspects of life need to be faced more directly. The last days of life need to be ‘undulled’. Reflections upon the experiences of the author as carer and daughter in the face of her mother’s experience of death are used as basis for making suggestions about how care systems and professionals might better assist people in dealing with ‘the most grown up thing’ humans ever do, which is to die.     

狼疮抗凝物检测在静脉血栓栓塞症中的应用进展

狼疮抗凝物是发生静脉血栓栓塞症的危险因素之一,在静脉血栓栓塞症患者中检测狼疮抗凝物,对治疗方案抉择和疗效预后判断等方面具有重要意义。目前尚无相关文献对狼疮抗凝物检测在静脉血栓栓塞症中的应用进展进行分析总结,为加深对此类患者的认识,更好地帮助临床医生对此类患者进行合理的诊治和管理,现就有关流行病学、检测注意事项及检测结果在静脉血栓栓塞症中的价值和相关治疗进行综述。     

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for thoracic empyema in patients on maintenance hemodialysis

Thoracic empyema in uremic patients on maintenance hemodialysis is a challenging situation. The clinical characteristics are rarely reported, and the surgical outcomes remain unclear. We report our experience with video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in these patients during 10-year period of time. Between 2005 and 2015, we retrospectively reviewed the clinical characteristics, bacteriological studies, and thoracoscopic surgical results of 23 empyema patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis. The mean patient age was 67.1 ± 12.9 years. All patients had additional preexisting systemic diseases. The mean duration of hemodialysis was 34.7 ± 25.8 months. The infections causing empyema were pneumonia in 11 (47.8%), blood stream infection in 8 (34.8%), and uremic pleuritis in 4 (17.4%). Among the 22 identified microorganisms, the most common pathogen was methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (31.8%). After thoracoscopic surgery, 8 patients (34.8%) required additional procedures for complications, including 2 patients who required repeated thoracoscopy for hemothorax and 6 (26.1%) patients who required open drainage for residual empyema. The mean hospital stay was 62.4 days, and 6 patients (26.1%) died in the hospital. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that maintenance hemodialysis longer than 5 years was a significant factor associated with in-hospital mortality (odds ratio: 14.8, 95% confidence interval 1.5–151.6; p < 0.0001). While surgical management of thoracic empyema in uremic patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis is associated with high rates of complication and mortality, thoracoscopic surgery is feasible, especially for patients undergoing hemodialysis for less than 5 years.     

扶正消瘤颗粒对原发性肝癌血清中VEGF、HIF-1α表达的影响及临床意义＊

目的 探讨扶正消瘤颗粒对原发性肝癌血清中血管内皮生长因子（Vascular endothelial growth factor，VEGF）和缺氧诱导因子-1α（Hypoxia inducible factor-1α，HIF-1α）表达的影响及临床意义。方法 选择符合纳入标准的原发性肝癌患者66例，按1∶1随机分试验组和对照组。观察治疗过程中两组VEGF、HIF-1α水平的变化及对患者临床疗效指标的影响。结果 （1）在性别、年龄、合并乙型肝炎、Child-Pugh分级、AFP值、临床分期方面，试验组和对照组差异无统计学意义（P > 0.05）。（2）肝癌患者在治疗各时间节点的VEGF和HIF-1α表达水平呈线性正相关（r = 0.829，P < 0.001）。（3）VEGF浓度在经导管动脉化疗栓塞术（Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization，TACE）后3月降至术前水平（P > 0.05），HIF-1α在TACE后3月仍高于术前（P < 0.05）。（4）扶正消瘤颗粒可降低HIF-1α水平，下调VEGF的表达。（5）扶正消瘤颗粒可减少TACE序贯RFA治疗后的不良反应，提高患者的生活质量（P < 0.05）。（6）血清中VEGF水平与生活质量无明显相关性（P > 0.05，r = 0.251），HIF-1α水平与生活质量存在正相关性（P < 0.05，r = 0.450）。结论 扶正消瘤颗粒可明显改善TACE序贯RFA治疗后患者生活质量，降低HIF-1α水平，下调VEGF的表达，抑制肿瘤血管生成。     

基于VOSviewer的2019新型冠状病毒病中医临床诊疗可视化分析＊

目的 通过对公开发表在网络和数据库的有关中医药治疗2019新型冠状病毒肺炎（corona virus disease 2019，COVID-19）的文献进行方、药、证的可视化分析，客观全面的对COVID-19的中医药治疗进行探讨，为现代中医临床诊疗提供参考。方法 本文选用运用文献计量学方法和VOSviewer可视化软件对纳入文献中的用药情况进行数据拆分、整理和分析。结果 本研究高质量数据的主要期刊来源是核心期刊《中医杂志》；新冠临床用方以解表清热剂、开窍补益剂、辟秽祛湿剂为主；临床用药以解表药、清热解毒药、化湿祛痰药以及补益药为主；临床治病思路以六经辨证、三焦辨证和卫气营血辨证理论为指导；临床常见证型为湿、热、寒、毒相关证型；重视新冠前期预防以及后期恢复调养；治疗过程用药考究，注重养阴与祛邪并进。结论 新冠的中医临床诊治考病全面，并注重养阴与祛邪并进，可为官方制定治疗方案提供参考。