Objective To investigate the availability and usefulness of echocardiography in piglet of experimental carotid-jugular shunting pulmonary hypertension.Methods Fifty-one 1-month-old piglets were randomly divided into surgical shunt group(CA-JV,n =45) and sham group(n =6).In shunt group,left CA-JV shunt was esteblished by end-to-side vascular anastomosis from left carotid artery to jugular vein.Piglets in sham group received a sham operation.Periodic hemodynamic evaluation of the carotidjugular shunt and heart were performed by ultrasound examination post-surgery.Tricuspid regurgitation and pulmonary regurgitation were monitored for evaluating pulmonary systolic pressure and mean pressure.Results In CA-JV group,32 piglets survived to end point of experiment and 27 maintained a persistent shunting (success rate 60％).Tricuspid regurgitation and pulmonary regurgitation occurred increasingly and pulmonary pressure had risen gradually since 4 months post-surgery (P ＜ 0.05).Those were coincided with the results of right catheterization and pulmonary pathology.Conclusions Ultrasound can monitor experimental carotid-jugular shunting pulmonary hypertension that shows practical value for further study in the mechanism and treatment of pulmonary hypertension due to increased pulmonary blood flow.

OBJECTIVETo explore the clinical significance of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) in the development of chronic hepatitis B (CHB).

METHODSA total of 182 patients with untreated CHB and 50 healthy individuals (controls) participated in the study. Correlation analysis was performed to determine the association of serum hs-CRP with the age,sex,medical history,serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA, liver function parameters,liver stiffness measure (LSM) and hepatic fibrosis; in addition, correlation analysis was carried out for the associations of degree of liver damage with grade of hepatic fibrosis, LSM and the serum levels of hs-CRP.

RESULTSCHB patients showed significantly higher serum hs-CRP levels than healthy controls (2.38 ± 2.79 vs.0.78 ± 1.07; t =2.495, P < 0.05). Serum hs-CRP levels were significantly correlated with HBV DNA (r = 0.159), liver function parameters (total bilirubin, r = 0.271; alanine aminotransferase, r = 0.298; aspartate aminotransferase, r = 0.389), and LSM, r = 0.562) (all P < 0.05). The correlations with liver function (r = 0.340), LSM (r = 0.292) and hepatic fibrosis grade were positive (r = 0.434) (all P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSerum hs-CRP levels in CHB patients can reflect degree of liver damage and of liver fibrosis.

Alanine Transaminase ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; C-Reactive Protein ; Hepatitis B virus ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis

Objective:To analyze the clinical phenotype of adult patients with epidemic encephalitis B (encephalitis B) in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and to explore the influence of related factors of the development of encephalitis B.Methods:The medical records of confirmed patients with encephalitis B admitted to the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University from August to November 2018 were collected, and the general data of patients and the results of laboratory indexes such as blood routine examination and cerebrospinal fluid routine examination were analyzed. Logistic regression analysis and survival curve were used to evaluate the risk factors of the development of encephalitis B.Results:Totally 97 patients with encephalitis B were included, 32 of them died, with a case fatality rate of 32.99%. There were 63 males and 34 females, and the age of onset was (59.13 ± 14.70) years old. There were statistically significant differences in case distribution rate between different sexes and ages (χ 2 = 97.00, 291.00, P < 0.001). The most common clinical type was extremely severe (43 cases), followed by mild (27 cases), severe (15 cases) and ordinary (12 cases). The results of laboratory tests showed that the number of neutrophils, lymphocytes and monocytes in the blood of patients increased; and the white blood cells number in cerebrospinal fluid increased significantly, while neutrophils ratio increased slightly. There were significant differences in cerebrospinal fluid glucose level and neutrophil ratio among patients with different clinical types of encephalitis B ( H = 4.21, 2.74, P < 0.05). There were statistically significant differences in death, hypertension, cerebrovascular diseases, and pulmonary infection among patients with different clinical types of encephalitis B (χ 2 = 34.22, 16.97, 9.91, 15.59, P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that hypertension [ OR (95% CI) = 5.544 (1.450-21.191)] and pulmonary infection [ OR (95% CI) = 6.490 (1.887-22.325)] were risk factors for the development of encephalitis B patients ( P = 0.012, 0.003). Pulmonary infection was the influencing factor for the death of encephalitis B patients (χ 2 = 18.88, P < 0.001). The survival curve showed that the survival status of encephalitis B patients with cerebrovascular disease and pulmonary infection was significantly worse than that of patients without comorbidity or complications (χ 2 = 6.45, 20.33 , P < 0.05). Conclusions:The majority of encephalitis B patients in this outbreak are the elderly people, and the patient's nervous system has inflammatory reaction. Complicated pulmonary infection is an important factor for the aggravation and death of encephalitis B patients.

Objective To quantitatively evaluate left ventricular ( LV ) systolic function in bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) using layer-specific strain ( LSS) . Methods Thirty BAV patients were divided into normal function (NF) group (10 cases) and non-normal function (N-NF) group (20 cases) based on aortic valvular lesion types ,and 20 healthy volunteers were taken as control group . Longitudinal strain( LS) and circumferential strain (CS) of three-layer myocardium and full thickness myocardium were assessed using layer-specific speckletracking imaging ,available by GE Vivid E9 and EchoPac workstation . Results There was no significant difference in left ventricular ejection fraction( LVEF) among the N-NF group ,NF group and control group ( P > 0 .05) ,all of them within the normal range[(63 .3 ± 7 .1)％ ,(64 .6 ± 6 .2)％ , ( 65 .3 ± 3 .9)％ ] . It showed a gradient decrease from the endocardium to the epicardium in both control and BAV group . LS of endocardium ( LSendo) and LS of epicardium ( LSepi) in N-NF group and NF group were significantly reduced compared with those in control group ( P <0 .05) [ LSendo :( -21 .19 ± 3 .12)％vs ( -23 .06 ± 2 .07 )％ vs ( -25 .53 ± 2 .51 )％ ;LSepi:( -16 .08 ± 2 .68 )％ vs ( -18 .85 ± 2 .12 )％ vs ( -20 .72 ± 2 .28)％ ] . Compared with control group ,there was no significant difference in NF group in CS of the three-layer myocardial and full-thickness myocardium as well as the LS of the whole medial myocardial layers and full-thickness ( P > 0 .05 ) . Compared with NF group [ CS :( -19 .57 ± 2 .9 )％ vs ( -13 .43 ± 2 .19)％ vs ( -20 .03 ± 3 .04)％ ;LS :( -21 .38 ± 2 .05)％ vs ( -18 .85 ± 2 .12)％ vs ( -21 .09 ± 2 .03)％ ] and control group[CS :( -21 .63 ± 3 .01)％ vs ( -14 .34 ± 2 .55)％ vs ( -21 .48 ± 2 .16)％ ;LS :( -22 .18 ± 2 .30 )％ vs ( -20 .72 ± 2 .28 )％ vs ( -22 .89 ± 2 .30 )％ ] , CS [ ( -16 .78 ± 3 .65 )％ vs ( -11 .40 ± 3 .78 )％ vs ( -15 .83 ± 2 .61 )％ ] and LS [ ( -18 .34 ± 2 .85 )％ vs ( -16 .08 ± 2 .68 )％ vs ( -18 .51 ± 2 .86)％ ] of middle myocardium ,epicardial myocardium and full-thickness myocardium in N-NF group were decreased significantly ( P < 0 .05) . Conclusions It is essential to maintain normal valvular function to prevent the progress of myocardial deterioration . LSendo and LSepi can be used to sensitively identify early left ventricular systolic dysfunction in BAV patients with normal LVEF .

Objective:To study the remote multi-disciplinary team (MDT) model in diagnosis and treatment of plague, in order to provide scientific basis for clinical treatment of plague.Methods:A retrospective analysis was made on the diagnosis and treatment process of a case of bubonic plague, a sudden imported Class A infectious disease, which was secondary to septicemic plague, involving a remote MDT team consisting of the Infectious Diseases Department, Intensive Care Unit, Respiratory and Critical Care Department, Cardiology Department, Pharmacy Department, and Nosocomial Infection Department of the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University.Results:The patient was a middle-aged female who was engaged in herding work on the grassland. The first symptom was a sudden pain in the left lower abdomen for three days, accompanied by chest tightness and shortness of breath. After hospitalization, blood culture indicated Yersinia, abdominal CT indicated left lower abdominal lymph node enlargement, and lymph node puncture fluid was positive for Yersinia pestis nucleic acid. Combined with clinical symptoms and signs, the patient was diagnosed as bubonic plague secondary to septicemic plague, and was isolated for treatment. After remote MDT consultation, comprehensive treatment was given, including anti-infection treatment of streptomycin and ciprofloxacin, short-term application of hormones, nutritional support, and local application of chloramphenicol ointment, etc. Secondary acute pancreatitis occurred during the course of the disease, which improved after symptomatic treatment. Finally, after 20 days of treatment, MDT expert group assessed that it met the discharge criteria. No abnormalities were found in follow-up visits outside the hospital. Conclusion:The remote MDT is effective in the treatment of bubonic plague secondary to septicemic plague, which is worth popularizing.

Objective:To compare the clinical efficacy and safety of conventional transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) with drug-eluting bead transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (DEB-TACE) in treatment of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.Methods:The data of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent hepatic artery chemoembolization at General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University from July 2019 to April 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Of 282 patients who were enrolled, there were 233 males and 49 females, aged (55.9±10.0) years. The groups were divided into the conventional TACE group ( n=179) and the DEB-TACE group ( n=103) based on the treatments. The efficacy of the two groups was compared according to the modified response evaluation criteria in solid tumors. Postoperative adverse effects and liver function between the two groups were compared. Results:The differences in comparing the preoperative and postoperative liver function indexes between the two groups were not statistically significant. Patients who died and were lost to follow-up at 6 months after surgery were excluded and 240 patients were excluded in the efficacy analysis, with 148 patients in the conventional TACE group and 92 patients in the DEB-TACE group. At 6 months after treatment in the conventional TACE group, there were 64 patients (43.2%) with complete remission, 18 patients (12.2%) with partial remission, 27 patients (18.2%) with stable disease, and 39 patients (26.4%) with disease progression. In the DEB-TACE group, the corresponding figures were 38 patients (41.3%), 17 patients (18.5%), 26 patients (28.3%), and 11 patients (12.0%), respectively. The efficacy of DEB-TACE was better than conventional TACE with statistically significant differences between the 2 groups (χ 2=8.96, P=0.030). The incidence of postoperative embolic syndrome was 53.1% (95/179) in the conventional TACE group, which was significantly higher than the 34.0% (35/103) in the DEB-TACE group (χ 2=7.34, P=0.007). Conclusion:The efficacy and safety of DEB-TACE for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma were superior to those of the conventional TACE group.

Objective:Clinical characteristics and diagnosis and treatment process was reported and analyzed of a patient with brucellosis complicated with thyroid abscess, providing reference for the clinical diagnosis of brucellosis complicated with thyroid abscess.Methods:Clinical medical records of a patient with brucellosis complicated with thyroid abscess who was treated at the General Surgery Department of Yanchi County People's Hospital in Wuzhong City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in November 2021 were collected. The clinical manifestations, blood routine, brucella antibodies, thyroid function, bacterial culture, thyroid ultrasound and other examination results, as well as the diagnosis and treatment process, were comprehensively analyzed. Results:The patient was a male, 61 years old, who presented with a neck mass without typical clinical manifestations of brucellosis. Thyroid ultrasound revealed a space occupying lesion, and the preliminary diagnosis was thyroid cystadenoma. Thyroid right lobe and isthmus resection surgery was performed. During the operation, it was found that some of the thyroid glands were tightly adhered to the cervical blood vessels, so the resection surgery was changed to abscess drainage, and the drainage fluid was purulent and bloody. The bacterial culture result of thyroid purulent fluid (intraoperative puncture fluid and postoperative drainage fluid) was brucella lamblia, and the serum brucella test tube agglutination test titer was 1 ∶ 400 (+++). The patient improved and was discharged after local drainage and anti brucella treatment. Follow up for 4 months showed no abnormalities. Conclusions:Brucellosis which begins with a local infection of the thyroid gland is extremely rare, with no characteristic clinical manifestations, and is prone to misdiagnosis. Timely correction of the surgical plan during the treatment process avoids the removal of the patient's thyroid, which has a certain clinical reference value.

OBJECTIVEThe aim of this study was to explore the diagnostic value of liver stiffness measurement combined with serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein detection in HBV-related cirrhosis patients complicated with primary liver cancer.

METHODSA total of 156 previously untreated chronic hepatitis B-related cirrhosis patients and 50 healthy subjects were included in this study. The 156 patients were divided into two groups: those with primary liver cancer (67 cases) and without liver cancer (89 cases). The 50 healthy subjects were considered as normal control group. Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) was conducted and serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) level was assayed in all the 156 patients and 50 normal individuals, and their measurement values were statistically compared and analyzed.

RESULTSThe LSM value was (39.72±29.05) kPa in the liver cancer patients, significantly higher than the (27.81±18.46) kPa in the cirrhosis alone patients and (4.25±0.74) kPa in the healthy controls (P<0.01 for both). Serum hs-CRP levels in the liver cancer patients was 5.81mg/L, significantly higher than 1.78 mg/L in the cirrhosis alone patients and 0.38mg/L in healthy controls, (P<0.01 for both). The higher the grade of LSM values was, the positive rate of CRP was higher in the cirrhosis patients complicated with primary liver cancer. In patients with LSM values ≥27.6 kPa, the serum CRP positive rate was 64.2% in patients with primary liver cancer, significantly higher than the 38.0% in patients with cirrhosis alone (P<0.01). In the 67 HBV-related cirrhosis patients complicated primary liver cancer, the LSM value and serum hs-CRP level in AFP-positive patients were (48.95±28.59) kPa and 4.91 mg/L, respectively, higher than those in the AFP-negative patients (28.64±26.83) kPa and 4.16 mg/L, but with a non-significant difference (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONLiver stiffness measurement combined with serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein detection may have potential diagnostic implications as a marker of primary liver cancer occurrence in patients with HBV-related cirrhosis.

Biomarkers ; C-Reactive Protein ; metabolism ; Elasticity Imaging Techniques ; Fibrosis ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; complications ; metabolism ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; etiology ; metabolism ; virology ; Liver Neoplasms