Efficacy and safety of stellate ganglion block in chronic ulcerative colitis

AIM To investigate the efficacy and safety of stellate ganglion block for the treatment of patients with chronic ulcerative colitis.METHODS A total of 120 randomly selected patients with chronic ulcerative colitis treated in Cangzhou Central Hospital from January 2014 to January 2016 were included in this study. These patients were divided into two groups: control group(n = 30), patients received oral sulfasalazine treatment; experimental group(n = 90), patients received stellate ganglion block treatment. Clinical symptoms and disease activity in these two groups were compared before and after treatment using endoscopy. Blood was collected from patients on day 0, 10, 20 and 30 after treatment. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to determine interleukin-8(IL-8) level. The changes in IL-8 level post-treatment in the two groups were compared using repeated measures analysis of variance.RESULTS After treatment, clinical symptoms and disease activity were shown to be alleviated by endoscopy in both the control and experimental groups. However, patients in the control group did not have obvious abdominal pain relief. In addition, the degree of pain relief in the experimental group was statistically better than that in the control group(P < 0.05). Ten days after treatment, IL-8 level was found to be significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant(P < 0.05). In addition, adverse events were significantly higher in the control group than in the experimental group, and the difference was statistically significant(χ~2 = 33.215, P = 0.000).CONCLUSION The application of stellate ganglion block effectively improves treatment efficacy in chronic ulcerative colitis, relieves clinical symptoms in patients, and reduces the level of inflammatory factors. Furthermore, this approach also had a positive impact on the disease to a certain extent.

Correlation between serum vitamin B12 level and peripheral neuropathy in atrophic gastritis

AIM To explore the correlation between serum vitamin B12 level and peripheral neuropathy in patients with chronic atrophic gastritis(CAG). METHODS A total of 593 patients diagnosed with chronic gastritis by gastroscopy and pathological examination fromSeptember 2013 to September 2016 were selected for this study. The age of these patients ranged within 18-to 75-years-old. Blood pressure, height and weight were measured in each patient, and the body mass index value was calculated. Furthermore, gastric acid, serum gastrin, serum vitamin and serum creatinine tests were performed, and peripheral nerve conduction velocity and Helicobacter pylori(H. pylori) were detected. In addition, the type of gastritis was determined by gastroscopy. The above factors were used as independent variables to analyze chronic gastritis with peripheral neuropathy and vitamin B12 deficiency risk factors, and to analyze the relationship between vitamin B12 levels and peripheral nerve conduction velocity. In addition, in the treatment of CAG on the basis of vitamin B12, patients with peripheral neuropathy were observed. RESULTS Age, H. pylori infection, CAG, vitamin B9 and vitamin B12 were risk factors for the occurrence of peripheral nerve degeneration.Furthermore,CAG and H. pylori infection were risk factors for chronic gastritis associated with vitamin B12 deficiency. Serum vitamin B12 level was positively correlated with sensory nerve conduction velocity in the tibial nerve(R = 0.463). After vitamin B12 supplementation, patients with peripheral neuropathy improved. CONCLUSION Serum vitamin B12 levels in patients with chronic gastritis significantly decreased, and the occurrence of peripheral neuropathy had a certain correlation. CAG and H. pylori infection are risk factors for vitamin B12 deficiency and peripheral neuropathy. When treating CAG, vitamin B12 supplementation can significantly reduce peripheral nervous system lesions. Therefore, the occurrence of peripheral neuropathy associated with vitamin B12 deficiency may be considered in patients with CAG. Furthermore, the timely supplementation of vitamin B12 during the clinical treatment of CAG can reduce or prevent peripheral nervous system lesions.