Neuroelectrophysiological indexes and clinical characteristics of patients with peroneal muscular atrophy: Retrospective analysis of 24 cases

BACKGROUND: Peroneal muscular atrophy (PMA) is characterized by insidious onset, gradually progressive course of disease, very mild disability degree and easily subjecting to missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis. Nerve conductive velocity is helpful in the diagnosis of atypical cases. OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively analyze the characteristics of clinical manifestation, electromyogram (EMG), motor and sensory nerve conduction velocity of patients with PMA. DESIGN: Retrospective case analysis. SETTING: Department of Neurology, Guangzhou First People's Hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-four patients with PMA, including 16 males and 8 females, aged 5-68 years old, admitted to Guangzhou First People's Hospital between March 1996 and January 2006 were recruited. Informed consents were obtained from all the patients. METHODS: All the patients subjected to EMG and detection of nerve conduction velocity at distal end of four extremities with a Keypoint evoked potential/ EMG instrument (Denmark). Sensory and motor conduction velocity, EMG changes of upper and lower extremities were observed, and relationship of neuroelectrophysiological characteristics and clinical symptoms was analyzed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Changes in sensory and motor conduction velocity, EMG and clinical manifestations of 24 patients. RESULTS: ① All the patients suffered from insidious onset and gradually progressive course of PMA. Muscular atrophy of lower extremity was found in 14 patients, and that of upper extremity in 5 patients. ②Routine nerve conduction study showed that sensory and motor conduction velocity were stepped down, especially in 16 patients with typeⅠPMA (demyelinating pattern, nerve conduction velocity below normal level 50%). Motor nerve conduction velocity of median nerve, ulnar nerve, common peroneal nerve and tibial nerve averaged 34.8 m/s, 37.2 m/s, 16.5 m/s and 17.4 m/s, respectively; Sensory nerve conduction velocity of median nerve, ulnar nerve and sural nerve averaged 27.9%, 24.6 m/s and 3.1 m/s, respectively. Slowing conduction velocity and muscular strength involvement were disproportionate, i.e. myasthenia was relatively lessened, sensory and motor conduction velocities were greatly decreased. Nerve conduction velocity in distal end of two lower extremities was not detected in 8 patients, but who could still walk. CONCLUSION: ①PMA of patients is characterized by insidious onset and gradually progressive course of disease. Clinical symptom is the base to diagnose PMA. ②Neuroelectrophysiological study is a simple and easy-to-operate means with good reproducibility in diagnosing PMA. Patients with abnormal myasthenia in lower extremity can be detected in the early stage.

Macrometastasis at selective lymph node biopsy:A practical goingfor-the-one clinical scoring system to personalize decision making

BACKGROUND Axillary sentinel lymph node biopsy(SLNB)is standard treatment for patients with clinically and pathological negative lymph nodes.However,the role of completion axillary lymph node dissection(cALND)following positive sentinel lymph node biopsy(SLNB)is debated.AIM To identify a subgroup of women with high axillary tumor burden undergoing SLNB in whom cALND can be safely omitted in order to reduce the risk of longterm complications and create a Preoperative Clinical Risk Index(PCRI)that helps us in our clinical practice to optimize the selection of these patients.METHODS Patients with positive SLNB who underwent a cALND were included in this study.Univariate and multivariate analysis of prognostic and predictive factors were used to create a PCRI for safely omitting cALND.RESULTS From May 2007 to April 2014,we performed 1140 SLN biopsies,of which 125 were positive for tumor and justified to practice a posterior cALND.Pathologic findings at SLNB were micrometastases(mic)in 29 cases(23.4%)and macrometastasis(MAC)in 95 cases(76.6%).On univariate analysis of the 95 patients with MAC,statistically significant factors included:age,grade,phenotype,histology,lymphovascular invasion,lymph-node tumor size,and number of positive SLN.On multivariate analysis,only lymph-node tumor size(≤20 mm)and number of positive SLN(>1)retained significance.A numerical tool was created giving each of the parameters a value to predict preoperatively which patients would not benefit from cALND.Patients with a PCRI≤15 has low probability(<10%)of having additional lymph node involvement,a PRCI between 15-17.6 has a probability of 43%,and the probability increases to 69%in patients with a PCRI>17.6.CONCLUSION The PCRI seems to be a useful tool to prospectively estimate the risk of nodal involvement after positive SLN and to identify those patients who could omit cALND.Further prospective studies are necessary to validate PCRI clinical generalization.

The clinical study of solute removal index(SRI) as an index to quantitate the adequcacy of hemodialysis

The clinical study of solute removal index (SRI) was performed in 20 stable maintenance hemodialysis patients in order to find a proper hemodialydsis dosage and improve the life quality of the patients.Plasma BUN levels were tested pre-hemodialysis and 0, 1 hr post-hemodialysis. Urea generation rate (G)、protein catabolic rate(PCR)、solute removal amount(R)、SRI were calculated by double pools urea kinetic model . The result showed that urea rebound rate was 18.5±3.35 % 1 hr after hemodialysis,R was 13.82±5.48 g, G was 4.85±1.39 g, PCR was 0.94±0.29 g/kg.d, SRI was 71.33±6.8% respectively, which indicated that SRI was a better index to quantitate the adequacy of hemodialysis.

Immune checkpoint inhibitor-associated arthritis in advanced pulmonary adenocarcinoma:A case report

BACKGROUND With the wide application of immune checkpoint inhibitors(ICIs)in cancer treatment,immune-related adverse events occur frequently,involving almost all organs and systems.The incidence of ICI-associated arthritis(IA)is unknown.In most cases,IA is not serious and non-lethal.Higher checkpoint inhibitor arthritis disease activity may be associated with cancer progression.Here,we report a severe case of IA with high arthritis disease activity in advanced pulmonary adenocarcinoma,causing permanent withdrawal of pembrolizumab,but the patient remained in complete remission(CR)20 mo after the development of IA.CASE SUMMARY An 81-year-old smoking man was admitted to our hospital because of left chest pain for 9 mo.He was finally diagnosed with advanced pulmonary adenocarcinoma,with programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 expression of 70%.The patient responded to pembrolizumab treatment and achieved CR,but IA occurred after the 5th cycle of pembrolizumab administration.Although non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs were prescribed,arthralgia and joint swelling occurred.The symptoms of arthritis were further aggravated when immunotherapy was given again after short-term withdrawal.Clinical Disease Activity Index(CDAI)score,a traditional measure of arthritis activity,was 43.Intravenous methylprednisolone was prescribed at 20 mg/d and then tapered over the subsequent 4 wk.The symptoms of arthritis steadily improved and completely resolved 4 mo after withdrawal of pembrolizumab.A recent follow-up in June 2022 revealed satisfactory clinical recovery of arthritis and the patient remained in CR.CONCLUSION This case report highlights that early recognition of IA and appropriate treatment are critical to improving the outcome of both ICI-arthritis and lung cancer.

Study on the Relationship between Blood Stasis Syndrome and Clinical Pathology in 227 Patients with Primary Glomerular Disease

To investigate the relationship between the severity of Chinese medicine(CM) bloodstasis syndrome(BSS) with clinical features and renal lesion indexes of the primary glomerular disease. Methods:An epidemiological survey was conducted to collect the data of 227 patients diagnosed as chronic primary glomerular diseases,and their severity of BSS were scored three days before renal biopsies were performed.The following clinical indexes were analyzed:age,course of glomerular diseases,24-h urine protein ration(Up...