Objective To investigate the therapeutic effect of dexamethasone on children with severe community acquired pneumonia ( CAP) . Methods 120 children with severe CAP admitted from January 2009 to June 2011 were recruited in the study. The patients were randomly divided into a dexamethasone group ( n = 62) and a control group ( n = 58) . The patients in the dexamethasone group received additional dexamethasone intravenous injection for 3 days ( 0. 2-0. 4 mg· kg- 1 · d- 1 , qd) on the basic treatment of the control group. Length of hospital stay, serum C reactive protein ( CRP) concentration on 4th day after admission, overall efficacy, mortality, incidence of adverse events during treatment were compared between the two groups. Results Median length hospital stay was 8 days in the dexamethasone group compared with 9 days in the control group without significant difference ( P gt;0. 05) . The serumCRP concentration on 4th day was lower in the dexamethasone group than that in the control group [ ( 23. 4 ±5. 6) mmol /L vs. ( 41. 3 ±6. 2) mmol /L, P lt;0. 05] . The overall efficacy was higher in the dexamethasone group than that in the control group ( 88. 7% vs. 74. 1% , P lt; 0. 05) . The in-hospital mortality and incidence of severe adverse events were not significantly different between the two groups ( P gt; 0. 05) . Conclusions Dexamethasone treatment is associated with a significant attenuation in systematic inflammatory response, but does not decrease mortality in hospitalized children with severe CAP.
ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical, imaging features, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of pulmonary lymphomatoid granulomatosis (PLG).MethodsA case of PLG confirmed by autopsy and pathology was reported, and the related literature was reviewed.ResultsA 44-year-old male patient presented with cough, expectoration and shortness of breath as the main symptoms. The imaging findings of lung CT were diffuse vascular nodular and patchy changes in the lungs, especially in the lower lung. Clinical symptoms were not relieved with anti-infection and symptomatic treatment. The patient's condition gradually exacerbated and finally died. The autopsy revealed PLG with pathological grade Ⅲ. The infiltration of lymphocytes centered with blood vessel and necrosis were observed under light microscope. EBER in situ hybridization was positive. Totally 28 Chinese articles and 34 foreign articles were screened out. Literature review suggested that PLG usually occurred in middle-aged men and was associated with EBV infection. It is frequent with immunodepression. Its clinical symptoms were atypical. The main imaging manifestations were multiple nodules and masses more frequent along the bronchovascular bundle. A diagnosis of PLG depended on pathological histology, immunohistochemistry and EBER in situ hybridization. Surgery was the main treatment for local lesions. The patients of grade I and Ⅱ with rapid progress and all grade Ⅲ were usually treated with RCHOP regimen combined with chemotherapy. The prognosis was correlated with grading. Grade Ⅲ was aggressive and the prognosis was poor.ConclusionsPLG is an atypical pulmonary lymphoproliferative disorder. It can be seen in many immunosuppressive diseases. The CT imaging features of PLG have certain characteristics, but the final diagnosis should be combined with pathological diagnosis. Some patients can be relieved by treatment, and patients with grade Ⅲ have poor prognosis.
Cardiac rehabilitation can safely and effectively improve the quality of patient's life and reduce readmission rate and mortality after cardiac surgery. Early cardiac rehabilitation after cardiac surgery is an indispensable part of cardiac rehabilitation. It can speed up the recovery of patient's exercise endurance, prevention of postoperative complications, shorten the time of returning to the family, increase the confidence of sustained rehabilitation, and lay foundation and set rehabilitation targets for the later stage of cardiac rehabilitation. This paper reviews the development history of early cardiac rehabilitation after cardiac surgery, and summarizes the current status, problems and outlook of rehabilitation management in China.
Objective To analyze the diagnostic value of shear wave elastography (SWE) combined with vascular endothelial growth factor B (VEGF-B) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in early diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). Methods A total of 100 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) admitted to Mianyang Central Hospital between October 2020 and October 2023 were selected and divided into a T2DM with DPN group (n=31) and a T2DM without DPN group (n=69) based on the presence or absence of DPN. Additionally, 50 healthy individuals from the same hospital’s health examination center were included as a healthy control group. The basic clinical characteristics, mean elasticity (Emean) values of the left and right median and tibial nerves, serum VEGF-B, and HbA1c levels were compared among the three groups. The diagnostic efficacy of SWE, VEGF-B, and HbA1c for DPN was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and Pearson correlation analysis was performed to assess the relationships between median/tibial nerve Emean and VEGF-B/HbA1c. Results The Emean values of the left and right median nerves, Emean values of the left and right tibial nerves, serum VEGF-B, and HbA1c levels in the T2DM with DPN group were significantly higher than those in the T2DM without DPN group and the healthy control group (P<0.05). The Emean values of the left and right median and tibial nerves, Emean values of the left and right tibial nerves, and HbA1c level in the T2DM without DPN group were significantly higher than those in the healthy control group (P<0.05), while no significant difference was observed in serum VEGF-B level between the T2DM without DPN group and the healthy control group (P>0.05). The area under the ROC curve for the combined diagnosis of DPN using SWE, VEGF-B, and HbA1c was 0.859 [95% confidence interval (0.828, 0.955)]. The sensitivity of the combined diagnosis (93.72%) was significantly higher than that of individual diagnoses (78.82%, 75.39%, and 71.05%, respectively; P<0.05), while the specificity (88.64%) showed no significant difference compared to individual diagnoses (80.18%, 78.96%, and 82.88%, respectively; P>0.05). Positive correlations were observed between median/tibial nerve Emean and VEGF-B/HbA1c levels (r=0.428, 0.395, 0.416, and 0.416, respectively; P<0.05). Conclusions Elevated median/tibial nerve Emean, serum VEGF-B, and HbA1c levels are closely associated with DPN. The combination of SWE, VEGF-B, and HbA1c improves diagnostic sensitivity for DPN, demonstrating significant clinical value.
Objective To observe the prognosis of pregnant patients with renal failure who underwent blood purification. Methods Pregnant patients with renal failure undergoing blood purification (hemodialysis or hemofiltration) from January 2009 to February 2017 were included in this study. Clinical data and pregnancy outcome were collected retrospectively. Results A total of 42 patients were enrolled in this study, including 38 with acute renal failure, 3 with chronic progressed renal failure, and 1 with chronic renal failure. There were 5 patients (11.9%) with chronic kidney disease (CKD) before pregnancy, 3 (7.2%) with systemic lupus erythematosus, 24 (54.8%) with hypertension, 5 (11.9%) with acute pancreatitis, and 7 (14.3%) with acute liver failure. In perinatal period, 7 patients (16.7%) died, whose underlying diseases were acute pancreatitis in 2, lupus nephritis in 1, acute hepatic failure in 3, and pulmonary tuberculosis breakout in 1. There were 5 patients with twin pregnancy, and 37 patients with single pregnancy. In the 28 patients with natural pregnancy ending, the live birth rate was 82.1% (23/28), and the live birth rate of twin pregnancy was only 50% (5/10). Twenty-seven patients were followed up, in whom 10 were in end stage of renal disease (ESRD), which was correlated with hypertension (P=0.001), and 3 patients were in CKD 1–4. Renal diseases were completely recovered in 14 patients. New CKD were diagnosed in 8 patients, without any correlated factor. Conclusions For pregnant patients with renal failure undergoing hemodialysis or hemofiltration, the death risk and the dead birth rate are high. Patients with hypertension or pre-existed renal failure have higher risk for ESRD. Some patients are not completely recovered from acute renal failure, with CKD left.
ObjectiveTo study the clinical and pathological characteristics and imaging manifestations of pulmonary mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma.MethodsThe clinical and multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) imaging data of 17 patients with pathological proven pulmonary MALT lymphoma were reviewed retrospectively.ResultsThe MDCT manifestations were divided into 4 types: ① pneumonia/consolidation, ② mass/nodule type, ③ bronchovascular lymphatic type, ④ mixed type. The imaging features included air bronchiectasis in 13 cases and bronchiectasis in 9 cases. Multiple small pulmonary nodules were found in 11 cases, ground glass opacity in 9 cases, 4 cases of pleural effusion, pulmonary hilar and mediastinal lymph node enlargement in 3 cases. Among these 17 cases, 4 had extra-pulmonary involvement and 2 without obvious symptoms. The main clinical symptoms including cough, expectoration, dyspnea, fever, chest pain, hemoptysis, night sweats. The pathological manifestation is the infiltration of a large number of B lymphocytes and nuclear heterocells.ConclusionsThe clinical manifestations of pulmonary MALT lymphoma are not specific, but the progress is slow, and may be associated with autoimmune diseases. The main MDCT findings of pulmonary MALT lymphoma include consolidation, nodules or masses with air bronchogram. Lymph node enlargement is rare. Clinical diagnosis should also be based on pathological results.