Emergency endoscopic variceal band ligation in a COVID-19 patient presented with hematemesis while on mechanical ventilation

COVID-19, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), is now a global pandemic with serious health consequences. Currently, many strict control measures are applied in health care settings, including endoscopy units, in order to limit virus spread. Several recommendations called to limit endoscopic procedures to emergent endoscopies; however, several uncertainties still exist concerning patient safety, protective measures, and infection control methods in emergency endoscopic settings. In this case report, we present a case of successful endoscopic band ligation for bleeding esophageal varices in man with COVID-19 disease who presented with an acute attack of hematemesis while on mechanical ventilation (MV). Esophago-gastroduodenoscopy was performed in the ICU room after preparing the setting, and revealed large, risky esophageal varices. Endoscopic band ligation was done with successful control of bleeding. Third-level measures of medical protection were applied for the participating medical personnel, and patient monitoring was maintained all through the procedure. After the procedure, the bleeding stopped, and the patient was vitally stable and conscious. We conclude that emergency endoscopic interventions could be performed safely with appropriate arrangements in patients with confirmed COVID-19 on MV.     

Post-operative delay in return of function following guided growth tension plating and use of corrective physical therapy

Purpose

Guided growth has long been used to treat growth deformities, but the Eight-Plate^® system has recently become more widely used by pediatric orthopaedists. Because the current literature lacks evaluation of functional status in the immediate post-operative period, we investigated functional status following use of the Eight-Plate^® system.

Methods

We evaluated post-operative delay in return of function following treatment with the Eight-Plate^® system at two weeks after surgery. Fifty-one consecutive patients with a growth deformity were treated with the Eight-Plate^® system. Patients were comprised of 32 male and 19 female patients with an average age of 11 years (range 2–17.9 years).

Results

Among study participants, 19 patients (37.3 %) had post-operative delay of function. The rate of delayed function for patients 10 years of age or younger and 11 years of age or older was respectively 11.8 and 50 % (P = 0.002). Six of the 19 patients were treated with four or more plates, of which five patients (83.3 %) developed delayed return of function. The rate of delayed function in patients with at least one femoral plate compared to no femoral plate was respectively 45 and 9.1 % (P = 0.006). Bilateral operations were associated with a 66.7 % rate of delayed function compared to 25 % with unilateral operations (P = 0.004). When patients with delay of function were treated with physical therapy, 12 of 13 patients (92.3 %) had complete resolution of their symptoms.

Conclusion

Statistical significance demonstrated that patients at the greatest risk were 11 years of age or older, with four or more plates, with femoral plates, or with bilateral operations. Patients with delayed function were readily corrected by physical therapy.     

内科胸腔镜窄带成像技术联合冷冻活检对不明原因胸腔积液的诊断价值

目的 探讨内科胸腔镜窄带成像技术（NBI）联合胸膜冷冻活检对不明原因胸腔积液的诊断价值。方法 选择113例不明原因胸腔积液患者,应用内科胸腔镜对胸膜病变进行检查,检查过程中,先通过内科胸腔镜白光观察胸膜表面情况,再切换至NBI模式对胸膜表面进行观察,分析不同病变在内科胸腔镜白光及NBI下的形态表现,并在白光及NBI下分别对胸膜表面怀疑病变的部位进行常规钳夹活检及冷冻活检,对比两组患者活检标本诊断准确率、敏感度、特异度及取材直径的情况,同时分析不同活检方式的安全性及并发症情况。结果 NBI联合冷冻活检组的胸膜疾病诊断敏感度、特异度及准确率均高于白光联合冷冻活检组,两组比较,差异均具有统计学意义（P=0.047、P=0.024和P=0.015）;NBI联合钳夹活检组的胸膜疾病诊断敏感度和准确率高于白光联合钳夹活检组,两组敏感度比较,差异有统计学意义（P=0.033）,两组准确率比较,差异无统计学意义（P=0.079）。NBI联合钳夹活检组特异度明显低于白光联合钳夹活检组,差异有统计学意义（P=0.041）。通过NBI对胸膜表面血管情况进行分析,病变血管≥2根的冷冻活检灵敏度、特异度及准确率...     

内镜下橡皮圈套扎术与经典外科手术吻合器痔上黏膜环切钉合术治疗痔疮的临床疗效

目的 对比研究内镜下橡皮圈套扎术(ERBL)与经典外科手术吻合器痔上黏膜环切钉合术(PPH)治疗痔疮的临床疗效。方法 选取2018年1月-2020年1月在淮安市第二人民医院消化内科及胃肠外科住院,分别行ERBL及PPH的Ⅱ度和Ⅲ度痔疮患者各40例。观察组为ERBL手术患者,对照组为PPH手术患者,比较两组患者的手术时间、术中出血量、术后住院天数、术后早期和晚期并发症以及治疗效果。同时比较ERBL组套扎环数量与套扎早期和晚期并发症的相关性。结果 ERBL组手术时间及术后住院时间明显短于PPH组,术中出血量明显少于PPH组,差异有统计学意义(均P=0.000);ERBL组术后早期并发症中疼痛及里急后重的发生率明显低于PPH组(P=0.004和P=0.044);两组患者治疗总有效率比较,差异无统计学意义(χ²=0.26,P=0.608)。不同套扎环数量与ERBL术后早期及晚期并发症的发生无明显相关性(P> 0.05)。结论 ERBL及PPH治疗痔疮的总有效率相仿,但EBRL组手术时间及术后住院天数明显短于PPH组,术中出血量明显少于PPH组,且不同套扎环数量对ER...     

Human cortical activity evoked by gaze shift observation: An intracranial EEG study

While is widely accepted that the posterior temporal region is activated during the observation of faces showing gaze shifts, it is still unclear whether its activity is stronger while observing direct or averted gaze. Furthermore, despite its assessed role in social cognition, studies describing an enhanced activity of the posterior temporal region during the observation of gaze aversion interpreted this activity in terms of spatial attention toward the target direction. This spatial attention interpretation is not easily reconcilable with the role of the posterior temporal region in social cognition, and an overarching view of its global cognitive function would be much more preferable. Here we used intracranial EEG to assess the precise spatial localization of the gaze shifts coding in the posterior temporal region, to assess its selectivity for direct versus averted gaze and to distinguish between a spatial‐attentional and a social interpretations of gaze aversion. We found stronger activation during gaze aversion than direct gaze and lateral side switch observation, the latter indicating that the crucial aspect of gaze aversion is the prior presence of the eye contact and its interruption, and not the gaze direction. These results suggest a more social‐oriented interpretation based on the view that among humans, gaze aversion signals a negative relational evaluation in social interaction. Hum Brain Mapp 35:1515–1528, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Beta‐band activity in auditory pathways reflects speech localization and recognition in bilateral cochlear implant users

In normal‐hearing listeners, localization of auditory speech involves stimulus processing in the postero‐dorsal pathway of the auditory system. In quiet environments, bilateral cochlear implant (CI) users show high speech recognition performance, but localization of auditory speech is poor, especially when discriminating stimuli from the same hemifield. Whether this difficulty relates to the inability of the auditory system to translate binaural electrical cues into neural signals, or to a functional reorganization of auditory cortical pathways following long periods of binaural deprivation is unknown. In this electroencephalography study, we examined the processing of auditory syllables in postlingually deaf adults with bilateral CIs and in normal‐hearing adults. Participants were instructed to either recognize (“recognition” task) or localize (“localization” task) the syllables. The analysis focused on event‐related potentials and oscillatory brain responses. N1 amplitudes in CI users were larger in the localization compared with recognition task, suggesting an enhanced stimulus processing effort in the localization task. Linear beamforming of oscillatory activity in CI users revealed stronger suppression of beta‐band activity after 200 ms in the postero‐dorsal auditory pathway for the localization compared with the recognition task. In normal‐hearing adults, effects for longer latency event‐related potentials were found, but no effects were observed for N1 amplitudes or beta‐band responses. Our study suggests that difficulties in speech localization in bilateral CI users are not reflected in a functional reorganization of cortical auditory pathways. New signal processing strategies of cochlear devices preserving unambiguous binaural cues may improve auditory localization performance in bilateral CI users. Hum Brain Mapp 35:3107–3121, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc .     

Frequency‐dependent neural activity in Parkinson's disease

The brainstem and basal ganglia are important in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PD). Reliable and sensitive detection of neural activity changes in these regions should be helpful in scientific and clinical research on PD. In this study, we used resting state functional MRI and amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) methods to examine spontaneous neural activity in 109 patients with PD. We examined activity in two frequency bands, slow‐4 (between 0.027 and 0.073 Hz) and slow‐5 (0.010–0.027 Hz). Patients had decreased ALFF in the striatum and increased ALFF in the midbrain, and changes were more significant in slow‐4. Additionally, changes in slow‐4 in both basal ganglia and midbrain correlated with the severity of the parkinsonism. The ALFF in the caudate nucleus positively correlated with the dose of levodopa, while the ALFF in the putamen negatively correlated with the disease duration in both slow‐4 and slow‐5 bands. In addition, the ALFF in the rostral supplementary motor area negatively correlated with bradykinesia subscale scores. Our findings show that with a large cohort of patients and distinguishing frequency bands, neural modulations in the brainstem and striatum in PD can be detected and may have clinical relevance. The physiological interpretation of these changes needs to be determined. Hum Brain Mapp 35:5815–5833, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

新型胶圈套扎器治疗混合痔100例临床疗效分析

为探讨新型胶圈套扎器治疗混合痔的临床疗效,将200例混合痔患者随机分为两组,各100例,治疗组采用新型胶圈套扎术治疗,对照组采用传统外剥内扎术治疗。观察两组手术时间,创口愈合时间,术后疼痛、出血、水肿等情况。结果显示,两组患者治愈率均达90％以上,无显著性差异,但在手术时间、术后疼痛、水肿、创口愈合时间等方面,治疗组优于对照组。结果表明,新型胶圈套扎术与外剥内扎术相比,操作简单,手术时间短,术后疼痛、水肿轻微,恢复较快,并发症少。     

前入路UHS无张力疝修补术临床研究

目的：研究Lichtenstein术式及前入路USH两种方法在无张力疝修补术患者中的临床效果及安全性。方法分析我院2012年4月~2013年4月收治的40例行无张力疝修补术患者,按照随机数字表法分为治疗组20例,给予Lichtenstein术式,对照组20例给予前入路USH。比较两组患者手术时间、术后排气时间、下床活动时间、恢复正常生活工作时间、住院时间以及术后并发症,随访1~2年,观察手术后复发率。结果（1）对照组手术时间显著低于治疗组,两组比较差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）,两组在术后排气时间、下床活动时间、恢复正常生活工作时间、住院时间方面比较（P＞0.05）。（2）对照组与治疗组并发症发生率分别30.0%（6/20）,25.0%（5/20）,两组比较（x2=0.125,P＞0.05）。（3）对照组与治疗组术后复发病率分别为20.0%（4/20）,0（0/20）,两组比较（x2=4.444,P＜0.05）。结论 Lichtenstein及USH两种方法在无张力疝修补术中各有优劣势,Lichtenstein可以减少手术时间,USH可以减少术后复发率,两种方法在并发症及手术各项指标方面比较无差异,可根据患者具体条件进行选择。