The Jugular Foramen Schwannomas: Review of the Large Surgical Series

Objective

Jugular foramen schwannomas are uncommon pathological conditions. This article is constituted for screening these tumors in a wide perspective.

Materials

One-hundred-and-ninty-nine patients published in 19 articles between 1984 to 2007 years was collected from Medline/Index Medicus.

Results

The series consist of 83 male and 98 female. The mean age of 199 operated patients was 40.4 years. The lesion located on the right side in 32 patients and on the left side in 60 patients. The most common presenting clinical symptoms were hearing loss, tinnitus, disphagia, ataxia, and hoarseness. Complete tumor removal was achieved in 159 patients. In fourteen patients tumor reappeared unexpectedly. The tumor was thought to originate from the glossopharyngeal nerve in forty seven cases; vagal nerve in twenty six cases; and cranial accessory nerve in eleven cases. The most common postoperative complications were lower cranial nerve palsy and facial nerve palsy. Cerebrospinal fluid leakage, meningitis, aspiration pneumonia and mastoiditis were seen as other complications.

Conclusion

This review shows that jugular foramen schwannomas still have prominently high morbidity and those complications caused by postoperative lower cranial nerve injury are life threat.     

金藤清痹颗粒治疗急性痛风性关节炎的作用机制研究

目的 应用网络药理学分析金藤清痹颗粒治疗急性痛风性关节炎（acute gouty arthritis，AGA）的作用机制，并建立AGA大鼠模型进行验证。方法 在清热解毒、活血止痛治法指导下，通过TCMSP数据库搜集金藤清痹颗粒的活性成分及靶点，利用GeneCards、NCBI数据库等搜集AGA相关靶点，与金藤清痹颗粒作用靶点整合后，构建共有靶点蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用（protein-protein interaction，PPI）网络和“金藤清痹颗粒-中药-活性成分-靶点-AGA”网络，并进行基因本体（gene ontology，GO）功能及京都基因与基因组百科全书（Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes，KEGG）通路富集分析。雄性SD大鼠随机分为空白组、模型组、秋水仙碱（0.3 mg/kg）组和金藤清痹颗粒低、中、高剂量（1.05、2.10、4.20 g/kg）组，每组6只，踝关节注射单钠尿酸盐（monosodium urate，MSU）晶体建立AGA大鼠模型。采用游标卡尺测量大鼠踝关节直径，计算踝关节肿胀度；采用全自动生化仪检测血清尿酸（serum uric acid，SUA）、C反应蛋白（C-reactive protein，CRP）水平；采用苏木素-伊红（HE）染色观察踝关节组织病理变化；采用qRT-PCR、ELISA和Western blotting检测踝关节组织及血清中关键靶点和信号通路的表达。结果 共检索到金藤清痹颗粒110种活性成分、212个作用靶点，272个AGA治疗靶点，共有靶点29个，关键靶点有白细胞介素-1β（interleukin-1β，IL-1β）、肿瘤坏死因子（tumor necrosis factor，TNF）及IL-6，涉及TNF信号通路、IL-17信号通路和NOD样受体信号通路等。大鼠踝关节注射MSU晶体后明显肿胀（P<0.01），SUA及CRP显著升高（P<0.05、0.01），滑膜组织增生明显、结构紊乱，有大量炎症细胞浸润，NOD样受体热蛋白结构域相关蛋白3（NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain associated protein 3，NLRP3）、NIMA相关蛋白激酶7（NIMA-related kinases 7，NEK7）、凋亡相关斑点样蛋白（apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD，ASC）、半胱氨酸天冬氨酸蛋白酶-1（cystein-asparate protease-1，Caspase-1）、消皮素D（gasdermin D，GSDMD）、IL-18、IL-1β、IL-6及TNF-α表达水平明显升高（P<0.01）；秋水仙碱或金藤清痹颗粒治疗后，有效缓解踝关节肿胀（P<0.05、0.01），SUA及CRP均显著降低（P<0.05、0.01），关节滑膜增生、炎症细胞浸润均得到改善，同时显著抑制IL-1β、TNF-α及IL-6等靶点和NOD样受体信号通路的表达（P<0.05、0.01）。结论 金藤清痹颗粒对AGA大鼠具有明显的保护作用，其机制可能与抑制NOD样受体信号通路的异常激活，降低炎症因子水平，改善关节滑膜增生、炎症细胞浸润有关。     

The erroneous perception of a clinical sign: Cholestasis preceding sepsis mimicking hepatitis in an adolescent patient

Jaundice should be considered as a first clinical sign preceding severe invasive bacterial infection or sepsis in patients of all ages including childhood and adolescence. Early laboratory investigations and MR imaging studies for osteomyelitis or myositis are paramount to avoid progression to life‐threatening sepsis and significant morbidity and mortality.     

The effect of adjuvant radiotherapy on skin biophysical properties in patients with breast cancer at risk for breast lymphedema: A prospective study

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common type of cancer among women. Radiotherapy (RT) is one of the main and primary treatment options for BC, especially in breast-conserving surgery (BCS). BC patients who underwent RT experience a wide range of symptoms, in which breast oedema and irritation of the skin take the lion's share. Breast oedema/lymphedema, which is also a prominent side effect after RT should be well determined in earlier settings due to the chronicity of lymphedema. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the biophysical parameters of skin on the ipsilateral (IL) and contralateral (CL) sites via Tissue dielectric constant (TDC) and Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) methods in terms of oedema and skin barrier function (SBF). The following reference points before and after the RT were measured: (R1: Pectoralis muscle, R2: Upper breast, R3: Lower breast, R4: Lateral site of the thorax). A total of 24 BC patients (mean age and BMI: 52.78 ± 9.85 years and 28.42 ± 5.64 kg/m²) were evaluated. In the IL site, the SBF was not found significant in R1-R3, whereas significantly lower SBF was observed in R4 after RT (t = −3.361, p = 0.003). A significant increase in TDC was observed in R2 at the 5.0 mm depth (t = −2.500, p = 0.02). We suggest that a longer period of follow-up should be carefully carried out to track changes in terms of SBF and oedema in the irradiated breast. The increased need for early detection of changes associated with breast lymphedema can be achievable via noninvasive, safe, cheap, and easily repeatable devices.     

生物碱类天然药物抗痛风作用及作用机制的研究进展

痛风是由于机体嘌呤代谢异常和(或)尿酸排泄障碍所致的一组异质性疾病。生物碱是一类含有氮的有机化合物,广泛存在于植物中,用于痛风等多种疾病引起的炎症反应。通过查阅国内外最新相关文献报道,对生物碱抗痛风作用及作用机制的研究进展进行综述,以期为生物碱的进一步研究和临床应用提供科学依据和理论指导。     

Acute spinal cord ischemia in a patient with Situs Inversus Totalis

Situs inversus totalis (SIT) is a rare developmental abnormality where the organs throughout both the thoracic cavity and abdomen are a mirror image of normal anatomy, often occurring concomitantly with other genetic and developmental defects. Acute spinal cord ischemia is diagnosed based on the clinical presentation along with consistent imaging, but since clinical manifestations of acute spinal cord ischemia— rapidly progressive motor, sensory, and autonomic dysfunction—overlap with a wide spectrum of myelopathies, a thorough diagnostic workup with consideration of inflammatory, infectious, compressive and nutritional etiologies is required to establish the diagnosis. In this report, we present the case of an 18-year-old female patient who was admitted with acute onset of severe lower back pain, progressive weakness, paralysis, loss of sensation in both lower limbs and voiding difficulties. The diagnosis of acute spinal cord ischemia in a patient with situs inversus totalis was made. Our case highlights the spectrum of the pathological entities that can be associated with situs inversus totalis. Due to the lack of the classic signs and symptoms of sinus inversus, a diagnosis of situs inversus totalis with concomitant pathological conditions may require a more in-depth evaluation by complex imaging modalities to ensure a comprehensive assessment of the condition and its associated complications.