ObjectivesTo compare the survival outcomes between hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatic angiosarcoma, and to develop and validate a nomogram predicting the outcome of hepatic angiosarcoma.MethodsThe Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database was electronically searched to collect the data of hepatic angiosarcoma patients and hepatocellular carcinoma patients from 2004 to 2016. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to match the two groups by the ratio of 1:3. Cox regression analysis was used to compare the survival outcomes between hepatic angiosarcoma and HCC. In the angiosarcoma group, population was divided into training set and validation set by 6:4. Nomograms were built for the prediction of half- and one- year survival, and validated by concordance index (C-index) and calibration plots.ResultsA total of 210 histologically confirmed hepatic angiosarcoma patients and 630 hepatocellular carcinoma patients were included. The overall survival of HCC was significantly longer than angiosarcoma (3-year survival: 18.4% vs. 6.7%, median survival: 5 months vs. 1 month, P<0.001), and the nomogram achieved good accuracy with an internal C-index of 0.751 and an external C-index of 0.737.ConclusionsThe overall survival of HCC is significantly longer than angiosarcoma. The proposed nomograms can assist to predict survival probability in patients with hepatic angiosarcoma. Due to limitation of the data of included patients, more high-quality studies are required to verify above conclusions.
Objective To Assess the efficacy of using lung ultrasound to guide alveolar recruitment maneuver in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Methods Sixty patients with ARDS were randomly divided into two groups, ie, maximal oxygenation group (n=30) and lung ultrasound group (n=30). All the patients had artificial airway and needed mechanical ventilation. The patients in the two groups accepted recruitment maneuver guided by maximal oxygenation or lung ultrasound respectively. During the course of recruitment maneuver, the arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2), positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP), central venous pressure (CVP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), cardiac output (CO), and extravascular lung water index (EVLWI) were recorded and compared between both groups. Results The PaO2 in lung ultrasound group was higher than that in maximal oxygenation group (P=0.04). The PEEP was higher in lung ultrasound group but without significant difference (P=0.910). There was no significant difference of the other outcomes (CVP, MAP, CO, EVLWI) between the two groups (all P>0.05). Conclusion Lung ultrasound is an effective means that has good repeatability and security for guiding recruitment maneuver in patients with ARDS.
Objective To investigate the correlation between the initial arterial blood lactic acid and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) Ⅱ score in trauma patients and its value in prognosis. Methods From August 1st 2015 to July 31st 2016, the clinical data of trauma patients treated in Department of Emergency were analyzed retrospectively. All patients were divided into survival group and death group by observing 28-day prognosis. We compared the relationship between the initial blood lactate level and APACHEⅡ score, and analyzed the relationship between the above indexes and the prognosis of the patients. Results A total of 743 patients were enrolled, with692 in survival group and 51 in death group.The APACHEⅡ score and initial blood lactate level in the survival group [(9.93±4.62) points, (2.02±1.44) mmol/L] were significantly lower than those in the death group [(22.84±7.26) points, (4.60±3.69) mmol/L] with significant differences (t=18.20, 9.77; P<0.01). The APACHEⅡ score and the mortality rate of patients with lactic acid level >4 mmol/L were significantly higher than those of patients with lactic acid of 2-4 mmol/L and <2 mmol/L; the differences were significant (P<0.05). The blood lactate and mortality in patients with APACHEⅡ score >20 were significantly higher than those in the patients with ≤10 and 11-20; the differences were significant (P<0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between initial blood lactate level and APACHEⅡ score (r=0.426, P<0.01). Conclusions The initial blood lactate level and APACHEⅡ score of trauma patients are correlated with the severity of injury and mortality. Both of the increase of initial blood lactic acid level and APACHEⅡ score suggest the risk of death in trauma patients.
To investigate the value of plasma placental growth factor (PlGF) in percutaneous coronary angioplasty and stent implantation. Methods From May 2006 to March 2007, 61 patients (53 males and 8 females, mean age61 years) and 28 normal controls were included. All patients present with acute chest pain and underwent coronary angiography, the lesion severity of coronary arteries was assessed by Gensini coronary scoring system. Of them, 26 patients having serious coronary lesion underwent (percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, PTCA) and stent implantation. Cardiovascular events were recorded after 30 days. Plasma PlGF was determined by ELISA. Results According to the angiography, the patients could be divided into CAD group (n=45) and Non- CAD group (n=16). Plasma PlGF level in CAD group was significantly higher than that in Non-CAD group and control group [(10.70 ± 0.49) ng/L vs (4.53 ± 0.64) ng/L vs (3.64 ± 0.36) ng/L, P lt; 0.001)], and there was no significant difference between the non-CAD group and control group (P gt; 0.05). A significant positive correlation was found between Gensini coronary score and plasma PlGF level (r=0.918, P lt; 0.01). Moreover, patients with cardiovascular events had a higher PlGF level than those without cardiovascular events after PTCA and stent implantation [(13.98 ± 3.39) ng/L vs (7.25 ± 2.96) ng/L, P lt; 0.01)]. Conclusion PlGF level has diagnostic value in patients with acute chest pain. The measurement of plasma PlGF might be helpful for early diagnosis of coronary artery disease. Patients with higher plasma PlGF level may have more severe coronary lesion. PlGF may be one of predictors for cardiovascular events after PCI.
Objective To explore the possible anti-inflammatory mechanism of intensive insulin therapy （IIT） by studying the effect of IIT on the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, C-reactive protein （CRP） and APACHE Ⅱ score in biliary pyemia. Methods Twenty eight patients with biliary pyemia who were admitted by our department and given an operation within 24 h form Jan. 2005 to Dec. 2008 were randomly divided into two groups by using random number table numbers: one group treated with IIT （IIT group, n=14） and another group treated with routine insulin therapy （RIT group, n=14）. The inflammatory factors, such as TNF-α, IL-6 and CRP were detected dynamically and the APACHEⅡ score was calculated. ResultsThe level of CRP and APACHEⅡ score on day 5 and 7 and the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 on day 3, 5 and 7 after operation in IIT group were significantly lower than those in RIT group （P＜0.05, P＜0.0１）. Compared with preoperative levels, the IL-6 and APACHEⅡ score in IIT group commenced to decrease on day 3 after operation （P＜0.05）, that was earlier than control group. Conclusion The treatment with IIT can suppress the composition of TNF-α, IL-6 and CRP, protect impaired hepatic cells, and reduce APACHEⅡ score, the degree of systemic inflammation and incidence of MODS.
In phase II clinical trial of Compound Prescription of Huangyaozi (Dioscorea bulbifera L.), 7 cases out of 37 developed (18.92%) impairment of liver function. As a result, the ethic committee required researchers to report all data of safety of the drug and have all subjects rechecked about their liver function so as to provided reasonable evidence for the scientifical evaluation of the relationship between the drug and the adverse event and the succedent suspending of the clinical trial.
ObjectiveTo investigate the association between preoperative systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) and early allograft dysfunction (EAD) in liver transplant recipients. MethodsThe patients underwent liver transplantation who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria in the West China Hospital of Sichuan University from January 2015 to December 2019 were collected. The postoperative EAD was analyzed. The generalized propensity score weighting (GPSW) were used to balance the confounding factors affecting the occurrence of EAD. ResultsA total of 390 patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled in this study, 93 cases of EAD occurred, the incidence of EAD was 23.8%. The recipient’s model for endstage liver disease score and Child-Pugh grade, the donor’s body mass index, age, and graft weight, and the intraoperative cold ischemia time, liver transplantation time, intraoperative blood loss, total infusion, red blood cell transfusion, autologous blood reinfusion, fresh frozen plasma transfusion, concentrated platelet transfusion, total red blood cell and autologous blood transfusions were balanced by GPSW, then the overall mean correlation coefficient of the 14 covariables and SII decreased from 0.049 to 0.039, and each covariable reached the standard of less than 0.1. The binary logistic regression analysis based on GPSW showed that there was no significant association between SII and EAD (P=0.371). ConclusionFrom preliminary result of this study, it is not found that preoperative SII of liver transplantation patients is related to occurrence of postoperative EAD.
ObjectiveTo analyze the roles of three scoring systems, i.e. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) Ⅱ, Ranson’s criteria, and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), in predicting mortality in patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) admitted to intensive care unit (ICU), and explore the independent risk factors for mortality in SAP patients.MethodsThe electronic medical records of SAP patients who admitted to ICU of West China Hospital, Sichuan University between July 2014 and July 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Data of the first APACHE Ⅱ, Ranson’s criteria, SOFA score, duration of mechanical ventilation, the use of vasoactive drugs and renal replacement therapy, and outcomes were obtained. The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the value of APACHE Ⅱ score, Ranson’s criteria, and SOFA score in predicting the prognosis of SAP. Logistic regression models were created to analyze the independent effects of factors on mortality.ResultsA total of 290 SAP patients hospitalized in ICU were screened retrospectively, from whom 60 patients were excluded, and 230 patients including 162 males and 68 females aged (51.1±13.7) years were finally included. The ICU mortality of the 230 patients with SAP was 27.8% (64/230), with 166 patients in the survival group and 64 patients in the death group. The areas under ROC curves of APACHE Ⅱ, Ranson’s criteria, APACHE Ⅱ combined with Ranson’s criteria, and SOFA score in predicting mortality in SAP patients admitted to ICU were 0.769, 0.741, 0.802, and 0.625, respectively. The result showed that APACHE Ⅱcombined with Ranson’s criteria was superior to any single scoring system in predicting ICU death of SAP patients. The result of logistic regression analysis showed that APACHE Ⅱ score [odds ratio (OR)=1.841, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.022, 2.651), P=0.002], Ranson’s criteria [OR=1.542, 95%CI (1.152, 2.053), P=0.004], glycemic lability index [OR=1.321, 95%CI (1.021, 1.862), P=0.008], the use of vasoactive drugs [OR=15.572, 95%CI (6.073, 39.899), P<0.001], and renal replacement therapy [OR=4.463, 95%CI (1.901, 10.512), P=0.001] contributed independently to the risk of mortality.ConclusionsAPACHE Ⅱ combined with Ranson’s criteria is better than SOFA score in the prediction of mortality in SAP patients admitted to ICU. APACHE Ⅱ score, Ranson’s criteria, glycemic lability index, the use of vasoactive drugs and renal replacement therapy contribute independently to the risk of ICU mortality in patients with SAP.
Objective To compare and analyze the occurrence of acute and chronic pain after subxiphoid and transcostal thoracoscopic extended thymectomy. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed on 150 patients who underwent thoracoscopic extended thymectomy in our hospital from July 2020 to June 2022, among whome 30 patients received subxiphoid video-assisted thoracic surgery, and 120 patients received transcostal video-assisted thoracic surgery. The patients were matched by the propensity score matching method. Postoperative pain was evaluated by numeric rating scale (NRS). The intraoperative conditions and postoperative pain incidence were compared between the two groups. ResultsAfter matching, 60 patients were enrolled, 30 in each group, including 30 males and 30 females with an average age of 50.78±12.13 years. There was no difference in the general clinical data between the two groups (P>0.05), and no perioperative death. There were statistical differences in the intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage volume, postoperative catheter duration, postoperative hospital stay, postoperative pain on 1 d, 2 d, 3 d, 7 d, 3 months and 6 months after the surgery (P<0.05), but there was no statistical difference in the operation time or the postoperative 14 d NRS score (P>0.05). Further univariate and multivariate analyses for postoperative chronic pain showed that surgical method and postoperative 14 d NRS score were risk factors for chronic pain at the 3 months and 6 months after the surgery (P<0.05). Conclusion The subxiphoid thoracoscopic extended thymectomy has advantages over transcostal thoracoscopic surgery in the postoperative acute and chronic pain.
ObjectiveTo develop a score system to predict the probability of failure of monotherapy in epilepsy patients with initial treatment, and then provide pillars for early use of polytherapy.MethodsThis is a retrospective analysis of the clinical data of 189 patients with epilepsy treated in Department of Neurology, the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from January 2019 to July 2020. Patients were divided into monotherapy acceptable group and monotherapy poor effect group according to their drug treatment plan and drug efficacy. The influencing factors were screened out by single factor analysis and binary logistic regression analysis. And on the basis of this β value, a quantitative scoring table for predicting the unsatisfying treatment effect of monotherapy is developed. And the receiver operating curve (ROC curve) was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the scale.ResultsBased on a standard of 75% reduction in seizures during the observation period, 138 cases (73%) were effective with monotherapy plan, while 51 cases (23%) were unsatisfactory. Regression analysis showed that multiple forms of seizures, status epilepticus (t2), brain damage, and the number of seizures ≥ 7 times before treatment are independent risk factors for poor outcome of monotherapy. The resulting score sheet has a total score of 12 points; the area under the ROC curve is 0.779, and the critical score is 6 points (sensitivity: 0.314; specificity: 0.957). Patients with more than this score have a strong probability of poor response in monotherapy.ConclusionThis prediction model can effectively assess the risk of unsatisfactory therapeutic effect of monotherapy in epilepsy patients who are initially treated, and thus has reference function for the early selection of polytherapy.