Hydrostatic pulmonary edema is as an abnormal in-crease in extravascular water secondary to elevatedpressure in the pulmonary circulation, due to conges-tive heart failure or intravascular volume overload.Diagnosis of...Hydrostatic pulmonary edema is as an abnormal in-crease in extravascular water secondary to elevatedpressure in the pulmonary circulation, due to conges-tive heart failure or intravascular volume overload.Diagnosis of hydrostatic pulmonary edema is usuallybased on clinical signs associated to conventional ra-diography findings. Interpretation of radiologic signsof cardiogenic pulmonary edema are often question-able and subject. For a bedside prompt evaluation,lung ultrasound(LUS) may assess pulmonary conges-tion through the evaluation of vertical reverberationartifacts, known as B-lines. These artifacts are relatedto multiple minimal acoustic interfaces between smallwater-rich structures and alveolar air, as it happens incase of thickened interlobular septa due to increase of extravascular lung water. The number, diffusion and in-tensity of B lines correlates with both the radiologic andinvasive estimate of extravascular lung water. The inte-gration of conventional chest radiograph with LUS canbe very helpful to obtain the correct diagnosis. Com-puted tomography(CT) is of limited use in the work upof cardiogenic pulmonary edema, due to its high cost,little use in the emergencies and radiation exposure.However, a deep knowledge of CT signs of pulmonaryedema is crucial when other similar pulmonary condi-tions may occasionally be in the differential diagnosis.展开更多
Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of 18FDG-PET/CT in staging procedure, the pattern of failure and survival in patients with small-cell lung cancer limited disease (LD-SCLC) undergoing chem...Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of 18FDG-PET/CT in staging procedure, the pattern of failure and survival in patients with small-cell lung cancer limited disease (LD-SCLC) undergoing chemo-radiotherapy. Methods: A total of 79 LD-SCLC patients were treated with a combination of chemotherapy and chest radiotherapy. Radiotherapy of the tumour and the pathological lymph nodes was performed either as 45 Gy twice-daily or 46 - 50 Gy once-daily. 18Fluro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18FDG)-PET/CT was performed in 35 patients as part of the staging procedure. Results: With a median follow-up time of 17 months 6% developed isolated loco-regional failures while 57% developed distant metastases. No isolated regional failures were seen. Median overall survival was 22 months. Patients staged with a 18FDG-PET/CT had a significantly lower incidence of distant failures and a significantly improved overall survival compared with patients only staged with a CT scan (p = 0.03) (median overall survival of 34 versus 17 months, respectively). Conclusion: The pattern of failure showed a high risk of distant metastases but a low incidence of isolated loco-regional failures. Patients staged with an 18FDG-PET/CT had a significantly lower incidence of distant failures and better overall survival, indicating that 18FDG-PET could be beneficial in patients with LD-SCLC before deciding on treatment regimen.展开更多
BACKGROUND The extensive availability of ultrasound(US)technology has increased its use for point-of-care applications in many health care settings.During anaesthesia and surgery,acute respiratory failure or pulmonary...BACKGROUND The extensive availability of ultrasound(US)technology has increased its use for point-of-care applications in many health care settings.During anaesthesia and surgery,acute respiratory failure or pulmonary oedema are common lifethreatening events that,if not recognized and treated appropriately,result in a high mortality rate.CASE SUMMARY We report a patient under anaesthesia whose lung US examination showed multiple vertical artefacts(B-lines)in the lung tissue,indicating pulmonary oedema.The respiratory state improved with the resolution of the pulmonary oedema after our treatment.CONCLUSION We believe that US of the lungs may be a useful tool for dynamic respiratory monitoring at the bedside during anaesthesia.展开更多
Objective A new technique of transthoracic lung ultrasonography(TLS) has emerged and demonstrated promising results in acute heart failure diagnosis at an early stage. However, the diagnostic value of ultrasound lung ...Objective A new technique of transthoracic lung ultrasonography(TLS) has emerged and demonstrated promising results in acute heart failure diagnosis at an early stage. However, the diagnostic value of ultrasound lung comets(ULCs) for acute heart failure(AHF) performed in busy emergency department(ED) is uncertain. The present meta-analysis aimed to assess the diagnostic efficiency of ULCs in AHF. Methods We conducted a search on online journal databases to collect the data on TLS performed for diagnosing AHF published up to the end of July 2017. The sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio(PLR), negative likelihood ratio(NLR), and summary receiver operating characteristic(SROC) curve were calculated. The post-test probability of AHF was calculated by using Bayes analysis. Results We enrolled a total of 15 studies involving 3,309 patients. The value of sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR, DOR, area under the SROC curve, and Q* index was 85%, 91%, 8.94, 0.14, 67.24, 0.9587, and 0.9026, respectively. We detected significant heterogeneity among included studies, and therefore, all these results were analyzed under the random-effect model. We also explored possible sources of heterogeneity among the studies by using meta-regression analysis. Results suggest that the time interval between patient’s admission to bedside TLS examination was closely related to TLS accuracy. Conclusion This meta-analysis demonstrated that detecting ULCs is a convenient bedside tool and has high accuracy for early AHF diagnosis in ED. TLS could be recommended to be applied for early diagnosis of AHF in ED.展开更多
Prompt treatment in tumor-associated encephalopathy may prolong survival. We describe a 69-year-old male patient who was presented with fulminant hepatic failure, secondary to small-cell lung carcinoma with rapidly pr...Prompt treatment in tumor-associated encephalopathy may prolong survival. We describe a 69-year-old male patient who was presented with fulminant hepatic failure, secondary to small-cell lung carcinoma with rapidly progressing encephalopathy. Both symptoms remitted following chemotherapy, suggesting swift diagnosis and administration of chemotherapy to be effective in treatment of fulminant hepatic failure and encephalopathy.展开更多
Reproducibility of clinical output is important when investigating therapeutic efficacy in pre-clinical animal studies.Due to its physiological relevance,a swine myocardial infarction(MI)model has been widely used to ...Reproducibility of clinical output is important when investigating therapeutic efficacy in pre-clinical animal studies.Due to its physiological relevance,a swine myocardial infarction(MI)model has been widely used to evaluate the effectiveness of stem cells or tissue-engineered constructs for ischemic heart diseases.Several methods are used to induce MI in the swine model.However,it is difficult,using these approaches,to obtain a similar level of functional outcomes from a group of animals due to interpersonal variation,leading to increased experimental cost.Hence,in order to minimize human intervention,we developed an approach to use a customized occluder that has dimensional similarities with that of the coronary artery of animals in the case of the swine model.We carried out angiography to measure the diameter of the middle left anterior descending artery of each individual animal to fabricate the customized occluder using a 3D-printing system.The fabricated occluder contained a central hole smaller than that of the targeted middle left anterior descending artery to mimic an atherosclerotic coronary artery that has an approximately 20%blocked condition.Interestingly,the 3D-printed occluder can provide continuous blood flow through the central pore,indicating a high survival rate(88%)of up to 28 days post-operation.This method showed the possibility of creating consistent myocardial infarction induction as compared to the conventional representative closed-chest method(50%survival rate),thus highlighting how our method can have a profound effect on accelerating reliable experiments for developing new therapeutic approaches to ischemic heart diseases.展开更多
BACKGROUND Patients discharged after hospitalization for acute heart failure(AHF) are frequently readmitted due to an incomplete decongestion, which is difficult to assess clinically. Recently, it has been shown that ...BACKGROUND Patients discharged after hospitalization for acute heart failure(AHF) are frequently readmitted due to an incomplete decongestion, which is difficult to assess clinically. Recently, it has been shown that the use of a highly sensitive,non-invasive device measuring lung impedance(LI) reduces hospitalizations for heart failure(HF); it has also been shown that this device reduces the cardiovascular and all-cause mortality of stable HF patients when used in longterm out-patient follow-ups. The aim of these case series is to demonstrate the potential additive role of non-invasive home LI monitoring in the early postdischarge period.CASE SUMMARY We present a case series of three patients who had performed daily LI measurements at home using the edema guard monitor(EGM) during 30 d after an episode of AHF. All patients had a history of chronic ischemic HF with a reduced ejection fraction and were hospitalized for 6–17 d. LI measurements were successfully made at home by patients with the help of their caregivers. The patients were carefully followed up by HF specialists who reacted to the values of LI measurements, blood pressure, heart rate and clinical symptoms. LI reduction was a more frequent trigger to medication adjustments compared to changes in symptoms or vital signs. Besides, LI dynamics closely tracked the use and dose of diuretics.CONCLUSION Our case series suggests non-invasive home LI monitoring with EGM to be a reliable and potentially useful tool for the early detection of congestion or dehydration and thus for the further successful stabilization of a HF patient after a worsening episode.展开更多
Background:No convenient,inexpensive,and non-invasive screening tools exist to identify pulmonary hypertension(PH)-left heart disease(LHD)patients during the early stages of the disease course.This study investigated ...Background:No convenient,inexpensive,and non-invasive screening tools exist to identify pulmonary hypertension(PH)-left heart disease(LHD)patients during the early stages of the disease course.This study investigated whether different methods of lung ultrasound(LUS)could be used for the initial investigation of PH-LHD.Methods:This was a single-center prospective observational study which was performed in the Zigong Fourth People’s Hospital.We consecutively enrolled patients with heart failure(HF)admitted to the emergency intensive care unit from January 2018 to May 2020.Transthoracic echocardiography and LUS were performed within 24 h before discharge.We used the Spearman coefficient for correlation analysis between ultrasound scores and pulmonary arterial systolic pressure(PASP).Bland-Altman plots were generated to inspect possible bias,and receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were calculated to assess the relationship between ultrasound scores and an intermediate and high echocardiographic probability of PH-LHD.Results:Seventy-one patients were enrolled in this study,with an overall median age of 79(interquartile range:71.5–84.0)years.Among the 71 patients,36(50.7%)cases were male,and 26(36.6%)had an intermediate and high echocardiographic probability of PH.All four LUS scores in patients with an intermediate and high probability of PH were significantly higher than in patients with a low probability of PH(P<0.05).The correlation coefficient(r)between different LUS scoring methods and PASP was moderate for the 6-zone(r=0.455,P<0.001),8-zone(r=0.385,P=0.001),12-zone(r=0.587,P<0.001),and 28-zone(r=0.535,P<0.001)methods.In Bland-Altman plots,each of the four LUS scoring methods had a good agreement with PASP(P<0.001).The 8-zone and 12-zone methods showed moderately accurate discriminative values in differentiating patients with an intermediate and high echocardiographic probability of PH(P<0.05).展开更多
Assessing diaphragm function status is vital for diagnosing and treating acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(AECOPD).Diaphrag-matic ultrasound has become increasingly important due to its non-i...Assessing diaphragm function status is vital for diagnosing and treating acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(AECOPD).Diaphrag-matic ultrasound has become increasingly important due to its non-invasive nature,absence of radiation exposure,widespread availability,prompt results,high accuracy,and repeatability at the bedside.The diaphragm is a crucial respiratory muscle.Decline or dysfunction of the diaphragm can lead to dyspnea and even respiratory failure in AECOPD patients.In this editorial,we comment on an article,retrospectively analyzed ninety-four acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients who received mechanical ventilation from January 2022 to December 2023.The study found that the diaphragm thickening fraction,an index from diaphragm ultrasound,can better predict the outcome of non-invasive ventilation in patients with AECOPD.The value of non-invasive ventilation in treating respiratory failure caused by AECOPD has been widely acknowledged.Diaphragmatic dysfunction diagnosed with ultrasound is asso-ciated with prolonged mechanical ventilation and weaning times and higher mortality.展开更多
BACKGROUND According to the population statistics in 2023,there were 110000 people aged over 100 years in China,and the experience of using Paxlovid(nirmatrelvir/ritonavir)for centenarians is particularly valuable.Thi...BACKGROUND According to the population statistics in 2023,there were 110000 people aged over 100 years in China,and the experience of using Paxlovid(nirmatrelvir/ritonavir)for centenarians is particularly valuable.This article reports our experience of using Paxlovid in a centenarian with the novel coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)infection.CASE SUMMARY A 103-year-old female with mild COVID-19 and renal insufficiency was given sufficient Paxlovid for 2 days and a half dose for 3 days.During treatment,the patient was complicated with lung infection and heart failure,and nucleic acid remained positive.After expert consultation,a full dose of Paxlovid was given again on the 9th day of admission for 2 days and a half dose for 3 days.Meanwhile,anti-heart failure and antibiotics were administered;the heart failure and pulmonary infection were improved.Finally,on the 33^(th) day of admission,nucleic acid turned negative,body temperature returned to normal,cough and sputum,fatigue,poor appetite and other symptoms basically improved.The patient was given Paxlovid via nasal feeding for 2 courses without deterioration of liver and kidney function,diarrhea,nausea and vomiting,myalgia,chest tightness and other side effects,and was discharged from hospital with good recovery.CONCLUSION This case suggests that Paxlovid can be used cautiously in centenarians with renal insufficiency and two courses of treatment can be considered in patients with persistent positive nucleic acid.展开更多
Background and objectives:Lung cancer(LC)is the leading cause of cancer death.Patients treated with chemotherapy are at risk of developing chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia(FN),a potentially life-threatening co...Background and objectives:Lung cancer(LC)is the leading cause of cancer death.Patients treated with chemotherapy are at risk of developing chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia(FN),a potentially life-threatening complication.The aims of this study were(1)to characterize FN admissions of patients with LC in a pulmonology department,and(2)to determine associations between patient profiles,first-line antibiotic failure(FLAF)and mortality.Methods:Retrospective observational case-series,based on the analysis of medical records of LC patients that required hospitalization due to chemotherapy-induced FN.Results:A total of 42 cases of FN were revised,corresponding to 36 patients,of which 86.1%were male,with a mean age of 66.71±9.83 years.Most patients had a performance status(PS)equal or less than 1,and metastatic disease was present in 40.5%(n=17).Respiratory tract infections accounted for 42.9%(n=18)of FN cases,and multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was the most isolated agent.The mortality rate was 16.7%(n=7),and the FLAF was 26.2%(n=11).Mortality was associated with a PS≥2(P=0.011),infection by a Gram-negative agent(P=0.001)and severe anemia(P=0.048).FLAF was associated with longer hospitalizations(P=0.020),PS≥2(P=0.049),respiratory infections(P=0.024),and infection by a Gram-negative(P=0.003)or multidrug-resistant agent(P=0.014).Conclusions:Lower PS,severe anemia,and infections by Gram-negative or multi-resistant agents seem to be associated with worse outcomes in FN patients.展开更多
Stereotactic body radiation therapy(SBRT) is the treatment of choice for medically inoperable patients with early stage non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC). A literature search primarily based on PubMed electronic datab...Stereotactic body radiation therapy(SBRT) is the treatment of choice for medically inoperable patients with early stage non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC). A literature search primarily based on PubMed electronic databases was completed in July 2018. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were determined prior to the search, and only prospective clinical trials were included. Nineteen trials from 2005 to 2018 met the inclusion criteria, reporting the outcomes of 1434 patients with central and peripheral early stage NSCLC. Patient eligibility,prescription dose and delivery, and follow up duration varied widely. Threeyears overall survival ranged from 43% to 95% with loco-regional control of up to 98% at 3 years. Up to 33% of patients failed distantly after SBRT at 3 years. SBRT was generally well tolerated with 10%-30% grade 3-4 toxicities and a few treatment-related deaths. No differences in outcomes were observed between conventionally fractionated radiation therapy and SBRT, central and peripheral lung tumors, or inoperable and operable patients. SBRT remains a reasonable treatment option for medically inoperable and select operable patients with early stage NSCLC. SBRT has shown excellent local and regional control with toxicity rates equivalent to surgery. Decreasing fractionation schedules have been consistently shown to be both safe and effective. Distant failure is common, and chemotherapy may be considered for select patients. However, the survival benefit of additional interventions, such as chemotherapy, for early stage NSCLC treated with SBRT remains unclear.展开更多
Background: Acute lung injury(ALI) is a major component of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome(MODS) following pulmonary and systemic infection. Alveolar macrophages(AMφ) are at the center of ALI pathogenesis. Emergi...Background: Acute lung injury(ALI) is a major component of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome(MODS) following pulmonary and systemic infection. Alveolar macrophages(AMφ) are at the center of ALI pathogenesis. Emerging evidence has shown that cell-cell interactions in the lungs play an important regulatory role in the development of acute lung inflammation. However, the underneath mechanisms remain poorly addressed. In this study, we explore a novel function of lung epithelial cells(LEPCs) in regulating the release of exosomes from AMφ following LPS stimulation.Methods: For the in vivo experiments, C57 BL/6 wildtype(WT) mice were treated with lipopolysaccharide(LPS)(2 mg/kg) in 0.2 ml of saline via intratracheal aerosol administration. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was collected at 0–24 h after LPS treatment, and exosomes derived from AMφ were measured. For the in vitro studies, LEPCs and bone marrowderived Mφ(BMDM) were isolated from WT or TLR4-/-mice and were then cocultured in the Transwell? system. After coculture for 0–24 h, the BMDM and supernatant were harvested for the measurement of exosomes and cytokines.Results: We demonstrate that LPS induces macrophages(Mφ) to release exosomes, which are then internalized by neighboring Mφ to promote TNF-α expression. The secreted interleukin(IL)-25 from LEPCs downregulates Rab27 a and Rab27 b expression in Mφ, resulting in suppressed exosome release and thereby attenuating exosome-induced TNF-α expression and secretion.Conclusion: These findings reveal a previously unidentified crosstalk pathway between LEPCs and Mφ that negatively regulates the inflammatory responses of Mφ to LPS. Modulating IL-25 signaling and targeting exosome release may present a new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of ALI.展开更多
AIM: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the TECA-I bioartificial liver support system (BALSS) in treating canines with acute liver failure (ALF). METHODS: Ten canines with ALF induced by 80% liver resection receiv...AIM: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the TECA-I bioartificial liver support system (BALSS) in treating canines with acute liver failure (ALF). METHODS: Ten canines with ALF induced by 80% liver resection received BALSS treatment (BALSS group). Blood was perfused through a hollow fiber tube containing 1X10(10) porcine hepatocytes.Four canines with ALF were treated with BALSS without porcine hepatocytes (control group), and five canines with ALF received drug treatment (drug group). Each treatment lasted 6 hours. RESULTS: BALSS treatment yielded beneficial effects for partial liver resection induced ALF canines with survival and decreased plasma ammonia, ALT, AST and BIL. There was an obvious decrease in PT level and increase in PA level, and there were no changes in the count of lymphocytes, immunoglobulins (IgA, IgG and IgM) and complement (C3 and C4) levels after BALSS treatment. In contrast, for the canines with ALF in non-hepatocyte BALSS group (control group) and drug group, there were no significant changes in ammonia, ALT, AST, BIL, PT and PA levels. ALF canines in BALSS group, control group and drug group lived respectively an average time of 108.0h +/- 12.0h, 24.0h +/- 6.0h and 20.4h +/- 6.4h,and three canines with ALF survived in BALSS group. CONCLUSION: TECA-I BALSS is efficacious and safe for ALF canines induced by partial liver resection.展开更多
BACKGROUND Crizotinib-induce hepatotoxicity is rare and non-specific, and severe hepatotoxicity can develop into fatal liver failure. Herein, we report a case of fatal crizotinib-induced liver failure in a 37-year-old...BACKGROUND Crizotinib-induce hepatotoxicity is rare and non-specific, and severe hepatotoxicity can develop into fatal liver failure. Herein, we report a case of fatal crizotinib-induced liver failure in a 37-year-old Asian patient.CASE SUMMARY The patient complained of dyspnea and upper abdominal pain for a week in August 2017. He was diagnosed with anaplastic lymphoma kinase-rearranged lung adenocarcinoma combined with multiple distant metastases. Crizotinib was initiated as a first-line treatment at a dosage of 250 mg twice daily. No adverse effects were seen until day 46. On day 55, he was admitted to the hospital with elevated liver enzymes aspartate aminotransferase(AST)(402 IU/L), alanine aminotransferase(ALT)(215 IU/L) and total bilirubin(145 μmol/L) and was diagnosed with crizotinib-induced fulminant liver failure. Despite crizotinib discontinuation and intensive supportive therapy, the level of AST(1075 IU/L),ALT(240 IU/L) and total bilirubin(233 μmol/L) continued to rapidly increase,and he died on day 60.CONCLUSION Physicians should be aware of the potential fatal adverse effects of crizotinib.展开更多
文摘Hydrostatic pulmonary edema is as an abnormal in-crease in extravascular water secondary to elevatedpressure in the pulmonary circulation, due to conges-tive heart failure or intravascular volume overload.Diagnosis of hydrostatic pulmonary edema is usuallybased on clinical signs associated to conventional ra-diography findings. Interpretation of radiologic signsof cardiogenic pulmonary edema are often question-able and subject. For a bedside prompt evaluation,lung ultrasound(LUS) may assess pulmonary conges-tion through the evaluation of vertical reverberationartifacts, known as B-lines. These artifacts are relatedto multiple minimal acoustic interfaces between smallwater-rich structures and alveolar air, as it happens incase of thickened interlobular septa due to increase of extravascular lung water. The number, diffusion and in-tensity of B lines correlates with both the radiologic andinvasive estimate of extravascular lung water. The inte-gration of conventional chest radiograph with LUS canbe very helpful to obtain the correct diagnosis. Com-puted tomography(CT) is of limited use in the work upof cardiogenic pulmonary edema, due to its high cost,little use in the emergencies and radiation exposure.However, a deep knowledge of CT signs of pulmonaryedema is crucial when other similar pulmonary condi-tions may occasionally be in the differential diagnosis.
文摘Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of 18FDG-PET/CT in staging procedure, the pattern of failure and survival in patients with small-cell lung cancer limited disease (LD-SCLC) undergoing chemo-radiotherapy. Methods: A total of 79 LD-SCLC patients were treated with a combination of chemotherapy and chest radiotherapy. Radiotherapy of the tumour and the pathological lymph nodes was performed either as 45 Gy twice-daily or 46 - 50 Gy once-daily. 18Fluro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18FDG)-PET/CT was performed in 35 patients as part of the staging procedure. Results: With a median follow-up time of 17 months 6% developed isolated loco-regional failures while 57% developed distant metastases. No isolated regional failures were seen. Median overall survival was 22 months. Patients staged with a 18FDG-PET/CT had a significantly lower incidence of distant failures and a significantly improved overall survival compared with patients only staged with a CT scan (p = 0.03) (median overall survival of 34 versus 17 months, respectively). Conclusion: The pattern of failure showed a high risk of distant metastases but a low incidence of isolated loco-regional failures. Patients staged with an 18FDG-PET/CT had a significantly lower incidence of distant failures and better overall survival, indicating that 18FDG-PET could be beneficial in patients with LD-SCLC before deciding on treatment regimen.
文摘BACKGROUND The extensive availability of ultrasound(US)technology has increased its use for point-of-care applications in many health care settings.During anaesthesia and surgery,acute respiratory failure or pulmonary oedema are common lifethreatening events that,if not recognized and treated appropriately,result in a high mortality rate.CASE SUMMARY We report a patient under anaesthesia whose lung US examination showed multiple vertical artefacts(B-lines)in the lung tissue,indicating pulmonary oedema.The respiratory state improved with the resolution of the pulmonary oedema after our treatment.CONCLUSION We believe that US of the lungs may be a useful tool for dynamic respiratory monitoring at the bedside during anaesthesia.
基金supported by the capital characteristic clinic project of China [Z151100004015071]National Natural Science Foundation of China [51573211]ruiyi emergency medical research fund of China [R2017013]
文摘Objective A new technique of transthoracic lung ultrasonography(TLS) has emerged and demonstrated promising results in acute heart failure diagnosis at an early stage. However, the diagnostic value of ultrasound lung comets(ULCs) for acute heart failure(AHF) performed in busy emergency department(ED) is uncertain. The present meta-analysis aimed to assess the diagnostic efficiency of ULCs in AHF. Methods We conducted a search on online journal databases to collect the data on TLS performed for diagnosing AHF published up to the end of July 2017. The sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio(PLR), negative likelihood ratio(NLR), and summary receiver operating characteristic(SROC) curve were calculated. The post-test probability of AHF was calculated by using Bayes analysis. Results We enrolled a total of 15 studies involving 3,309 patients. The value of sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR, DOR, area under the SROC curve, and Q* index was 85%, 91%, 8.94, 0.14, 67.24, 0.9587, and 0.9026, respectively. We detected significant heterogeneity among included studies, and therefore, all these results were analyzed under the random-effect model. We also explored possible sources of heterogeneity among the studies by using meta-regression analysis. Results suggest that the time interval between patient’s admission to bedside TLS examination was closely related to TLS accuracy. Conclusion This meta-analysis demonstrated that detecting ULCs is a convenient bedside tool and has high accuracy for early AHF diagnosis in ED. TLS could be recommended to be applied for early diagnosis of AHF in ED.
文摘Prompt treatment in tumor-associated encephalopathy may prolong survival. We describe a 69-year-old male patient who was presented with fulminant hepatic failure, secondary to small-cell lung carcinoma with rapidly progressing encephalopathy. Both symptoms remitted following chemotherapy, suggesting swift diagnosis and administration of chemotherapy to be effective in treatment of fulminant hepatic failure and encephalopathy.
基金supported by the Bio&Medical Technology Development Program and Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation(NRF),funded by the Korean government(MSIT)(No.2018M3A9E2024584)the Ministry of Trade,Industry and Energy(MOTIE)and Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology(KIAT)through the International Cooperative R&D program(No.P0011282).
文摘Reproducibility of clinical output is important when investigating therapeutic efficacy in pre-clinical animal studies.Due to its physiological relevance,a swine myocardial infarction(MI)model has been widely used to evaluate the effectiveness of stem cells or tissue-engineered constructs for ischemic heart diseases.Several methods are used to induce MI in the swine model.However,it is difficult,using these approaches,to obtain a similar level of functional outcomes from a group of animals due to interpersonal variation,leading to increased experimental cost.Hence,in order to minimize human intervention,we developed an approach to use a customized occluder that has dimensional similarities with that of the coronary artery of animals in the case of the swine model.We carried out angiography to measure the diameter of the middle left anterior descending artery of each individual animal to fabricate the customized occluder using a 3D-printing system.The fabricated occluder contained a central hole smaller than that of the targeted middle left anterior descending artery to mimic an atherosclerotic coronary artery that has an approximately 20%blocked condition.Interestingly,the 3D-printed occluder can provide continuous blood flow through the central pore,indicating a high survival rate(88%)of up to 28 days post-operation.This method showed the possibility of creating consistent myocardial infarction induction as compared to the conventional representative closed-chest method(50%survival rate),thus highlighting how our method can have a profound effect on accelerating reliable experiments for developing new therapeutic approaches to ischemic heart diseases.
基金Supported by the NordForsk "Nordic Programme on Health and Welfare",No.76015
文摘BACKGROUND Patients discharged after hospitalization for acute heart failure(AHF) are frequently readmitted due to an incomplete decongestion, which is difficult to assess clinically. Recently, it has been shown that the use of a highly sensitive,non-invasive device measuring lung impedance(LI) reduces hospitalizations for heart failure(HF); it has also been shown that this device reduces the cardiovascular and all-cause mortality of stable HF patients when used in longterm out-patient follow-ups. The aim of these case series is to demonstrate the potential additive role of non-invasive home LI monitoring in the early postdischarge period.CASE SUMMARY We present a case series of three patients who had performed daily LI measurements at home using the edema guard monitor(EGM) during 30 d after an episode of AHF. All patients had a history of chronic ischemic HF with a reduced ejection fraction and were hospitalized for 6–17 d. LI measurements were successfully made at home by patients with the help of their caregivers. The patients were carefully followed up by HF specialists who reacted to the values of LI measurements, blood pressure, heart rate and clinical symptoms. LI reduction was a more frequent trigger to medication adjustments compared to changes in symptoms or vital signs. Besides, LI dynamics closely tracked the use and dose of diuretics.CONCLUSION Our case series suggests non-invasive home LI monitoring with EGM to be a reliable and potentially useful tool for the early detection of congestion or dehydration and thus for the further successful stabilization of a HF patient after a worsening episode.
基金supported by the Scientific Project of Zigong Fourth People’s Hospital(202102)the Open Foundation of Artificial Intelligence Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province(2020RYY03)the Health and Family Planning Commission of Sichuan Province(17PJ136).
文摘Background:No convenient,inexpensive,and non-invasive screening tools exist to identify pulmonary hypertension(PH)-left heart disease(LHD)patients during the early stages of the disease course.This study investigated whether different methods of lung ultrasound(LUS)could be used for the initial investigation of PH-LHD.Methods:This was a single-center prospective observational study which was performed in the Zigong Fourth People’s Hospital.We consecutively enrolled patients with heart failure(HF)admitted to the emergency intensive care unit from January 2018 to May 2020.Transthoracic echocardiography and LUS were performed within 24 h before discharge.We used the Spearman coefficient for correlation analysis between ultrasound scores and pulmonary arterial systolic pressure(PASP).Bland-Altman plots were generated to inspect possible bias,and receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were calculated to assess the relationship between ultrasound scores and an intermediate and high echocardiographic probability of PH-LHD.Results:Seventy-one patients were enrolled in this study,with an overall median age of 79(interquartile range:71.5–84.0)years.Among the 71 patients,36(50.7%)cases were male,and 26(36.6%)had an intermediate and high echocardiographic probability of PH.All four LUS scores in patients with an intermediate and high probability of PH were significantly higher than in patients with a low probability of PH(P<0.05).The correlation coefficient(r)between different LUS scoring methods and PASP was moderate for the 6-zone(r=0.455,P<0.001),8-zone(r=0.385,P=0.001),12-zone(r=0.587,P<0.001),and 28-zone(r=0.535,P<0.001)methods.In Bland-Altman plots,each of the four LUS scoring methods had a good agreement with PASP(P<0.001).The 8-zone and 12-zone methods showed moderately accurate discriminative values in differentiating patients with an intermediate and high echocardiographic probability of PH(P<0.05).
文摘Assessing diaphragm function status is vital for diagnosing and treating acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(AECOPD).Diaphrag-matic ultrasound has become increasingly important due to its non-invasive nature,absence of radiation exposure,widespread availability,prompt results,high accuracy,and repeatability at the bedside.The diaphragm is a crucial respiratory muscle.Decline or dysfunction of the diaphragm can lead to dyspnea and even respiratory failure in AECOPD patients.In this editorial,we comment on an article,retrospectively analyzed ninety-four acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients who received mechanical ventilation from January 2022 to December 2023.The study found that the diaphragm thickening fraction,an index from diaphragm ultrasound,can better predict the outcome of non-invasive ventilation in patients with AECOPD.The value of non-invasive ventilation in treating respiratory failure caused by AECOPD has been widely acknowledged.Diaphragmatic dysfunction diagnosed with ultrasound is asso-ciated with prolonged mechanical ventilation and weaning times and higher mortality.
文摘BACKGROUND According to the population statistics in 2023,there were 110000 people aged over 100 years in China,and the experience of using Paxlovid(nirmatrelvir/ritonavir)for centenarians is particularly valuable.This article reports our experience of using Paxlovid in a centenarian with the novel coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)infection.CASE SUMMARY A 103-year-old female with mild COVID-19 and renal insufficiency was given sufficient Paxlovid for 2 days and a half dose for 3 days.During treatment,the patient was complicated with lung infection and heart failure,and nucleic acid remained positive.After expert consultation,a full dose of Paxlovid was given again on the 9th day of admission for 2 days and a half dose for 3 days.Meanwhile,anti-heart failure and antibiotics were administered;the heart failure and pulmonary infection were improved.Finally,on the 33^(th) day of admission,nucleic acid turned negative,body temperature returned to normal,cough and sputum,fatigue,poor appetite and other symptoms basically improved.The patient was given Paxlovid via nasal feeding for 2 courses without deterioration of liver and kidney function,diarrhea,nausea and vomiting,myalgia,chest tightness and other side effects,and was discharged from hospital with good recovery.CONCLUSION This case suggests that Paxlovid can be used cautiously in centenarians with renal insufficiency and two courses of treatment can be considered in patients with persistent positive nucleic acid.
文摘Background and objectives:Lung cancer(LC)is the leading cause of cancer death.Patients treated with chemotherapy are at risk of developing chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia(FN),a potentially life-threatening complication.The aims of this study were(1)to characterize FN admissions of patients with LC in a pulmonology department,and(2)to determine associations between patient profiles,first-line antibiotic failure(FLAF)and mortality.Methods:Retrospective observational case-series,based on the analysis of medical records of LC patients that required hospitalization due to chemotherapy-induced FN.Results:A total of 42 cases of FN were revised,corresponding to 36 patients,of which 86.1%were male,with a mean age of 66.71±9.83 years.Most patients had a performance status(PS)equal or less than 1,and metastatic disease was present in 40.5%(n=17).Respiratory tract infections accounted for 42.9%(n=18)of FN cases,and multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was the most isolated agent.The mortality rate was 16.7%(n=7),and the FLAF was 26.2%(n=11).Mortality was associated with a PS≥2(P=0.011),infection by a Gram-negative agent(P=0.001)and severe anemia(P=0.048).FLAF was associated with longer hospitalizations(P=0.020),PS≥2(P=0.049),respiratory infections(P=0.024),and infection by a Gram-negative(P=0.003)or multidrug-resistant agent(P=0.014).Conclusions:Lower PS,severe anemia,and infections by Gram-negative or multi-resistant agents seem to be associated with worse outcomes in FN patients.
文摘Stereotactic body radiation therapy(SBRT) is the treatment of choice for medically inoperable patients with early stage non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC). A literature search primarily based on PubMed electronic databases was completed in July 2018. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were determined prior to the search, and only prospective clinical trials were included. Nineteen trials from 2005 to 2018 met the inclusion criteria, reporting the outcomes of 1434 patients with central and peripheral early stage NSCLC. Patient eligibility,prescription dose and delivery, and follow up duration varied widely. Threeyears overall survival ranged from 43% to 95% with loco-regional control of up to 98% at 3 years. Up to 33% of patients failed distantly after SBRT at 3 years. SBRT was generally well tolerated with 10%-30% grade 3-4 toxicities and a few treatment-related deaths. No differences in outcomes were observed between conventionally fractionated radiation therapy and SBRT, central and peripheral lung tumors, or inoperable and operable patients. SBRT remains a reasonable treatment option for medically inoperable and select operable patients with early stage NSCLC. SBRT has shown excellent local and regional control with toxicity rates equivalent to surgery. Decreasing fractionation schedules have been consistently shown to be both safe and effective. Distant failure is common, and chemotherapy may be considered for select patients. However, the survival benefit of additional interventions, such as chemotherapy, for early stage NSCLC treated with SBRT remains unclear.
基金supported by the National Institute of Health Grant(R01-HL-079669 by JF and MAW)the National Institute of Health Grant(R56-HL-123882 by JF)+3 种基金the National Institute of Health Grant(R01HL076179–09 by PW and JF)the VA Merit Award(1I01BX002729 by JF)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(81470262 by JF)the National Institute of Health Grant(R01GM102146 by MJS)
文摘Background: Acute lung injury(ALI) is a major component of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome(MODS) following pulmonary and systemic infection. Alveolar macrophages(AMφ) are at the center of ALI pathogenesis. Emerging evidence has shown that cell-cell interactions in the lungs play an important regulatory role in the development of acute lung inflammation. However, the underneath mechanisms remain poorly addressed. In this study, we explore a novel function of lung epithelial cells(LEPCs) in regulating the release of exosomes from AMφ following LPS stimulation.Methods: For the in vivo experiments, C57 BL/6 wildtype(WT) mice were treated with lipopolysaccharide(LPS)(2 mg/kg) in 0.2 ml of saline via intratracheal aerosol administration. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was collected at 0–24 h after LPS treatment, and exosomes derived from AMφ were measured. For the in vitro studies, LEPCs and bone marrowderived Mφ(BMDM) were isolated from WT or TLR4-/-mice and were then cocultured in the Transwell? system. After coculture for 0–24 h, the BMDM and supernatant were harvested for the measurement of exosomes and cytokines.Results: We demonstrate that LPS induces macrophages(Mφ) to release exosomes, which are then internalized by neighboring Mφ to promote TNF-α expression. The secreted interleukin(IL)-25 from LEPCs downregulates Rab27 a and Rab27 b expression in Mφ, resulting in suppressed exosome release and thereby attenuating exosome-induced TNF-α expression and secretion.Conclusion: These findings reveal a previously unidentified crosstalk pathway between LEPCs and Mφ that negatively regulates the inflammatory responses of Mφ to LPS. Modulating IL-25 signaling and targeting exosome release may present a new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of ALI.
文摘AIM: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the TECA-I bioartificial liver support system (BALSS) in treating canines with acute liver failure (ALF). METHODS: Ten canines with ALF induced by 80% liver resection received BALSS treatment (BALSS group). Blood was perfused through a hollow fiber tube containing 1X10(10) porcine hepatocytes.Four canines with ALF were treated with BALSS without porcine hepatocytes (control group), and five canines with ALF received drug treatment (drug group). Each treatment lasted 6 hours. RESULTS: BALSS treatment yielded beneficial effects for partial liver resection induced ALF canines with survival and decreased plasma ammonia, ALT, AST and BIL. There was an obvious decrease in PT level and increase in PA level, and there were no changes in the count of lymphocytes, immunoglobulins (IgA, IgG and IgM) and complement (C3 and C4) levels after BALSS treatment. In contrast, for the canines with ALF in non-hepatocyte BALSS group (control group) and drug group, there were no significant changes in ammonia, ALT, AST, BIL, PT and PA levels. ALF canines in BALSS group, control group and drug group lived respectively an average time of 108.0h +/- 12.0h, 24.0h +/- 6.0h and 20.4h +/- 6.4h,and three canines with ALF survived in BALSS group. CONCLUSION: TECA-I BALSS is efficacious and safe for ALF canines induced by partial liver resection.
文摘BACKGROUND Crizotinib-induce hepatotoxicity is rare and non-specific, and severe hepatotoxicity can develop into fatal liver failure. Herein, we report a case of fatal crizotinib-induced liver failure in a 37-year-old Asian patient.CASE SUMMARY The patient complained of dyspnea and upper abdominal pain for a week in August 2017. He was diagnosed with anaplastic lymphoma kinase-rearranged lung adenocarcinoma combined with multiple distant metastases. Crizotinib was initiated as a first-line treatment at a dosage of 250 mg twice daily. No adverse effects were seen until day 46. On day 55, he was admitted to the hospital with elevated liver enzymes aspartate aminotransferase(AST)(402 IU/L), alanine aminotransferase(ALT)(215 IU/L) and total bilirubin(145 μmol/L) and was diagnosed with crizotinib-induced fulminant liver failure. Despite crizotinib discontinuation and intensive supportive therapy, the level of AST(1075 IU/L),ALT(240 IU/L) and total bilirubin(233 μmol/L) continued to rapidly increase,and he died on day 60.CONCLUSION Physicians should be aware of the potential fatal adverse effects of crizotinib.