BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: For the present study, we investigated the factors that influence the quality of standardized treatment for patients with post-cardiac arrest syndrome (PCAS) to improve the quality of PCAS treatment. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We collected data on patients with cardiac arrest (CA) who were admitted to the intensive care units (ICUs) of 11 hospitals-Class II Grade A or above-in Suzhou from January to October 2013. Indexes of standardized treatment were observed within 72 hrs of CA. We analyzed monitoring techniques, monitoring frequency, ICU human and material resources, and intensivists' knowledge of PCAS treatment to explore how those factors affected the management of patients with PCAS. RESULTS: The bed/nurse ratio and the frequency with which core temperature was recorded correlated closely with the implementation of therapeutic hypothermia (TH) within 6 hrs of CA. The bed/doctor ratio and intensivists' knowledge about PCAS correlated closely with high-quality blood glucose control within 6 hrs of CA. Furthermore, the frequency with which core temperature was recorded was an independent factor influencing the quality of TH implementation, and the number times blood gas was analyzed was an independent factor influencing how well partial pressure of carbon dioxide was kept within the normal range in the 6 hrs after CA. CONCLUSION: The frequency of core temperature measurements and the number of times blood gas is analyzed are the most important factors influencing the quality of standardized treatment for patients with PCAS.
Blood Glucose ; Carbon Dioxide ; Heart Arrest ; Humans ; Hypothermia, Induced ; Intensive Care Units ; Partial Pressure ; Passive Cutaneous Anaphylaxis ; Reference Values

Objective To compare the clinical efficacy and safety of isotretinoin erythromycin gel, a gel containing isotretinoin (0.05%) and erythromycin (2%), versus adapalene gel in the treatment of mild to moderate acne vulgaris. Methods A multicenter, randomized, open, parallel-controlled clinical study was conducted. A total of 192 patients with mild to moderate (Grade Ⅰ -Ⅲ ) acne vulgaris were enrolled in this study according to the grading criteria for acne severity in guidelines for the treatment of acne in China. Efficacy analysis was carried out in 169 patients and safety analysis in 190 patients. The patients were classified into trial group (n = 86) and control group (n = 83 ) to be treated with isotretinoin erythromycin gel or adapalene gel once a night for 6 weeks. Patients were evaluated at the baseline, on week 2, 4 and 6 during the treatment for the count of comedones (both open and closed), inflammatory papules and pustules, severity of acne and local or general adverse effects. Results After the start of treatment, the response rate gradually increased and severity of acne decreased in both groups. On week 6, the total response rate was 51.16% in the trial group and 40.96% in the control group (P ＞ 0.05), while a greater reduction in the count of pustules and inflammatory lesions was observed on week 4 and 6 in the trial group with a lower severity grade of acne compared with the control group (P ＜ 0.05 or 0.01 ). Adverse reactions were similar in both groups and manifested as tolerable local irritation. Conclusions The efficacy of isotretinoin erythromycin gel is similar to that of adapalene gel in the treatment of mild to moderate acne vulgaris, however, isotretinoin erythromycin gel seems superior to adapalene gel in reducing inflammatory lesions and rapidly improving severity of acne vulgaris.

Objective To evaluate the effects of therapeutic hypothermia on both neurological status and survival rate in patients after cardiac arrest.Methods The data were searched from MEDLINE,PubMed,EMBASE,Cochrane Library,Wanfang database,CNKI and CBM.The randomized and controlled trials were selected for evaluating the main outcomes of neurological status and survival rate in patients after cardiac arrest.Meta-analysis was carried out by using Review Manger 5.0 software.The results were expressed in risk ratio (RR) for dichotomous outcomes data with 95％ confidence intervals (CI),and P ＜ 0.05 was considered to be significant.Results Eight randomized controlled clinical trials with a total of 1 512 patients met our inclusion criteria.The overall risk ratio of favorable neurological status was 1.34 (95％ CI:1.01-1.78,P ＜0.05) and of survival rate was 1.09 (95％ CI:0.98-1.20,P ＞0.05) with therapeutic hypothermia compared with controls,however,when the applications of conventional cooling trials were analyzed,the risk ratio was 1.51 (95％ CI:1.22-1.87,P ＜0.01) and 1.36 (95％CI:1.13 -1.63,P ＜ 0.01),respectively.Conclusions Patients treated with therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest had more favorable neurological status compared with the controls.There was no benefit of therapeutic hypothermia to survival rate identified.Compare with conventional cooling methods,the therapeutic hypothermia could improve neurological status and survival rate in patients after cardiac arrest.

In recent years, great progress has been made in the external treatment of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for cirrhotic ascites, including TCM umbilical compress therapy, TCM enema, acupuncture, moxibustion, and light therapy. The external treatment has similar effects as oral administration of TCM in relieving the clinical symptoms of cirrhotic ascites, and does not have gastrointestinal adverse reactions. This article reviews the research advances in external treatment of TCM for cirrhotic ascites, and the new research directions in the future are to establish an unified research protocol and expand the scope of application of external treatment of TCM.

We designed a locator for puncture under CT examination.Thirty-three patients of both sexesaged 16-76 yr weighing 46-80 kg undergoing bilateral thoracic or lumber sympathetic nerve block under CT examination were enrolled in this study.One side was punctured under the guidance of the locator,while the other side was punctured by conventional technique.The time consumed during puncture,CT scan adjusting time,the deviation of the needle from the targets and the incidence of puncture complications were recorded.The results showed that compared with the conventional technique,with the locator the time consumed during puncture was significantly shorter,the number of attempts and the deviation of the needle from the target were significantly reduced.The procedure was successfully performed on both side in all patients without serious complications such as hemothorax and pneumothorax.

To prepare the polyclonal antibody against the 3D polymerase of foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV), the 3D polymerase gene of this virus was amplified by PCR and doubly digested with BamH I and Nde I. Then, it were cloned into expression vector pET-30a(+) to obtain the recombinant plasmid pET-3D and this plasmid was transformed to E.coli BL21(DE3) with induction by IPTG.The target protein was identified and purified with SDS+PAGE, and the inclusion bodies were extracted. The purified target protein was used as antigen to immunize New Zealand rabbits to prepare the polyclonal antibody against 3D polymerase of FMDV, which was then characterized by indirect ELISA and Western blotting. As demonstrated by SDS-PAGE, the target protein with a molecular weight at 46 ku was expressed. The polyclonal antibody showed high affinity and obvious specificity and its titer was above 1:8 000. This polyclonal antibody may lay a foundation for the further studies on the biological functions and epitopes of the 3D polymerase of FMDV.

Objective:To characterize the clinical and epidemiological changes, treatments, and prognoses of primary esophageal small cell carcinoma (PESC). Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted using the clinical epidemiology data of 529 PESC patients se-lected from the clinical databases of 500,000 esophageal and gastric cardiac carcinomas of the Henan Key Laboratory for Esophageal Cancer Research (1992-2015). Among these patients, 241 cases were included in the survival analysis. The five-year survival rate was calculated using Kaplan-Meier analysis, and the differences in survival rates were compared using the Log-rank analysis model. Re-sults:All 529 PESC cases were analyzed, which accounted for 0.2%of esophageal cancers diagnosed in the same period. The incidence of PESC increased annually (R2=0.574). The survival rates for 1-, 2-, 3-, and 5-year of 241 PESC patients were 55%, 40%, 29%, and 9%, respectively, and the median survival time was 21.9 months. On the basis of the VALSG criteria of lung small cell carcinoma, a statisti-cal difference was observed in the overall survival rates for limited and extensive diseases (P=0.003), with the median survival time of 24.3 and 17.5 months, respectively. Furthermore, significant differences were observed on survival with various treatment modalities (P=0.004). The median survival time of PESC patients treated with combined surgery and radiochemotherapies (28.8 months) was lon-ger than those with either chemotherapy (17.8 months, P=0.015) or chemoradiotherapy (14.5 months, P=0.004). In limited disease pa-tients, the median survival time was longer in patients treated with surgery (27.7 months) than in those without surgery (16.2 months, P=0.007). Notably, the biopsy diagnosis before surgery for PESC was only 40.8%. Conclusion:PESC is a rare malignant carcinoma with increasing incidence. PESC presents poor prognosis, and the survival rate can be improved through combined therapies based on sur-gery. A high misdiagnosis rate for PESC is observed before surgery with biopsy.

Objective To investigate the roles of cerebral metabolic rate for oxygen (CMRO2) monitoring in the evaluation of cerebral function after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) through transcranial doppler (TCD) and SjvO2. Methods In this prospective/retrospective analysis, we included 46 cases admitted to the general intensive care unit (GICU) of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from January 2012 to December 2014. Upon admission, TCD and SjvO2 were performed,and the patients' characteristics were recorded. Based on the CPC score upon GICU discharge, the patients were divided into two groups with satisfactory cerebral function and poor cerebral function, respectively. Then the clinical symptoms, cerebral blood flow (CBF), a-vDO2, SjvO2 and CMRO2 were analyzed, followed by investigating their correlation with the prognosis of cerebral function. The measurement data that were normally distributed were presented by mean ± standard deviation. Student's t test was utilized for the inter-group comparison. Correlation analysis was performed. ROC was plotted, followed by evaluating roles of each index in the specificity and sensitivity of nervous prognosis. Results No statistical differences were noted in the gender, age, initial monitoring indicators, ICU duration and initial GCS between the two groups (P>0.05). The CA-ROSC time and APACHE II score in the satisfactory cerebral function group were significantly shorter than those of the poor cerebral function group (P<0.05). The SjvO2 in the satisfactory cerebral function group was significantly lower than that of the poor function group (67.33±10.30 vs. 76.89±13.08, t=-3.579, P<0.05). The Vs and Vd as revealed by TCD in the satisfactory function group were higher than those of the poor function group, together with the CBF. Significant decrease was noted in the PI and RI in the satisfactory function group compared with that of the poor function group (P<0.05). Besides, the CMRO2 and a-vDO2 in the satisfactory function group showed significant increase compared with those of the poor function group (P<0.05). ROC indicated that CMRO2, CBF, a-vDO2 and SjvO2 could be utilized for the evaluation of cerebral function, among which CMRO2 showed the highest accuracy for the cerebral function prognosis. Conclusions CMRO2, CBF, a-vDO2 and SjvO2 were associated with cerebral function prognosis. CMRO2 was the most appropriate parameter to evaluate the oxygen metabolism in brain tissues, which could evaluate the prognosis of cerebral function.

Objective To study the clinical use of microwave scalpel in hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma without hepatic vascular inflow occlusion.Methods A retrospective study was conducted on the clinical data of 126 consecutive patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who were treated at the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from December 2015 to August 2018.The patients included 111 males and 15 females,with ages which ranged from 25 to 75 years.These patients were divided into two groups by the different surgical resection methods:the microwave scalpel hepatectomy (MSH) group which employed microwave scalpels to perform hepatectomy (n =42),and the ultrasound scalpel hepatectomy (USH) group which employed ultrasound scalpels (n =84).The perioperative conditions which included baseline data,amount of intraoperative bleeding,liver function after operation,and morbidity of postoperative complications were compared.Results There were no significant differences in the preoperative indexes which included tumor diameter,number of tumors,levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) between the 2 groups (all P ＞ 0.05).In the MSH group,the amount of intraoperative bleeding was 100.0 (100.0,200.0) ml,which was significantly lower than the 300.0 (100.0,400.0) ml in the USH group (P ＜ 0.05).Compared with the USH group,the levels of AST and ALT on postoperative day 1,3,7 after operation in the MSH group were significantly lower (all P ＜ 0.05),and the corresponding albumin levels were significantly higher than the USH group (P ＜0.05).The incidence of complications was 4.8％ (2/42) in the MSH group which was significantly lower than that of 20.2％ (17/84) in the USH group (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Microwave scalpel significantly reduced intraoperative bleeding and postoperative complications,and led to less liver functional injury.

Objective:To elucidate the factors influencing the differences in the survival rates of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients between the rural and urban regions in China. Methods:A total of 36,723 ESCC patients derived from the clinical data-bases containing 500,000 esophageal and gastric cardia carcinoma cases (1973-2015) of the Henan Key Laboratory for Esophageal Can-cer Research of the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhengzhou University, were analyzed. Of these patients, 33,625 were from the rural re-gions (91.6%), comprising 20,906 male patients with an average age of 58.98 ± 8.71 years and 12,719 females with an average age of 59.59 ± 8.53 years. The remaining 3,098 were from the urban regions and composed of 2,089 male patients with an average age of 60.84±9.10 years and 1,009 females with an average age of 62.46 ± 9.14 years. All the patients underwent radical esophagectomy, de-tailed histopathological diagnosis, and TNM staging. Chi square test, Kaplan-Meier, Log-rank, and Cox proportional hazards regression model were used to analyze the differences between ESCC patients from rural regions and those from urban regions and among the risk factors in prognosis. Results:Kaplan-Meier and Log-rank analysis results showed that the ESCC patients from the rural regions had significantly higher overall survival than the urban patients (χ2=12.971, P=0.000). Further analysis showed that rural patients≥50 years old and diagnosed with stage IIa and IIb (middle stage) ESCC had higher survival rates than urban patients in males and females (male:χ2=16.188, P<0.001;female:χ2=5.019, P=0.025). However, the survival rates of rural and urban patients with stage 0,Ⅰa,Ⅰb (early stage) and Ⅲa, Ⅲc, and Ⅳ (late stage) were similar (P>0.05). The results of Cox proportional hazards regression model analysis showed that age, gender, and TNM stages were independent risk factors for rural and urban ESCC patients. When the rural and urban ESCC patients were both considered, the Cox proportional hazards regression model analysis results showed that male ESCC patients≥50 years old, urban residence, and TNM stages were independent risk factors. Conclusion:Rural ESCC patients have significantly high-er overall survival than urban patients. Male, age of≥50 years old, urban residence, and TNM stages were independent risk factors for ESCC patient survival.