Objective:To investigate the predictive value of platelet reactivity for early neurological deterioration (END) in patients with acute ischemic stroke.Methods:Patients with acute ischemic stroke within 48 h of onset admitted to the Department of Neurology, the Affiliated Haikou Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University from January 2017 to March 2019 were enrolled prospectively. Aspirin was taken on the day of admission, and the platelet aggregation rate was detected using a PL-11 Platelet Function Analyzer 7 d after taking it. END was defined as the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NHISS) score at any time point within 7 d after admission increased by ≥2 or the motor function item score increased by ≥1 from baseline. The demographics, baseline data, imaging examination and laboratory findings of patients in the END and non-END groups were compared. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent risk factors for END. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the predictive value of platelet aggregation rate for END. Results:A total of 230 patients were included in the study. They aged 63.24±9.75 years, 126 were females (51.4%). The median baseline NIHSS score was 6 (interquartile range, 4-10). The median time from onset to admission was 15 h (interquartile range, 9-28 h). There were 54 patients (23.5%) in the END group and 176 (76.5%) in the non-END group. There were significant differences in arachidonic acid-induced maximum platelet aggregation ratio (MAR-AA), epinephrine-induced maximum platelet aggregation ratio (MAR-EPI) and collagen-induced maximum platelet aggregation ratio (MAR-COL) between the END group and the non-END group (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that MAR-AA (odd ratio [ OR] 1.165, 95% confidence interval [ CI] 1.091-1.243; P<0.001) and MAR-EPI ( OR 1.035, 95% CI 1.006-1.067; P=0.023) were the independent risk factors for END in patients with acute ischemic stroke. ROC curve analysis showed that MAR-AA had good predictive value for END, and the area under the curve was 0.775 (95% CI 0.707-0.843; P<0.001). The optimal cut-off value was 21.80%. The sensitivity and specificity of MAR-AA for predicting END were 72.2% and 77.3%, respectively. Conclusions:The platelet function measured by PL-11 is closely related to the risk of END in patients with acute ischemic stroke. It has a better predictive value for END.

Background::Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) can detect lesions hidden in inflammatory regions and find necrosis or areas of severe fibrosis within the lesion. This retrospective study aimed to compare the diagnostic accuracy of solid pancreatic lesions using percutaneous ultrasound (US)-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) with or without CEUS assessment.Methods::Clinical, imaging, and pathologic data of 181 patients from January 2014 to December 2018 in Pecking Union Medical College Hospital, with solid pancreatic masses who underwent percutaneous US-FNA and ThinPrep cytologic test were retrospectively evaluated. Patients were divided into CEUS and US groups according to whether CEUS was performed before the biopsy. According to FNA cytology diagnoses, we combined non-diagnostic, neoplastic, and negative cases into a negative category. The positive category included malignant, suspicious, and atypical cases. The final diagnosis was confirmed by pathology or clinical and radiological follow-up for at least 12 months. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of US-FNA were evaluated between the two groups.Results::This study enrolled 107 male and 74 female patients (average age: 60 years). There were 58 cases in the US group and 123 cases in the CEUS group. No statistically significant differences in age, gender, or lesion size were found between the two groups. The diagnostic accuracy of the CEUS group was 95.1% (117/123), which was higher than the 86.2% (50/58) observed in the US group ( P = 0.036). The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of the CEUS group were increased by 7.5%, 16.7%, 3.4%, and 18.8%, respectively, compared with the US group. However, the differences of the two groups were not statistically significant. Conclusions::Compared with the conventional US, the use of CEUS could improve the biopsy accuracy and avoid the need for a repeat biopsy, especially for some complicated FNA cases.

Objective     To explore the effect of standardized use of antibiotics on clinical indicators after thoracic surgery, such as pulmonary infection rate, incision infection rate, average length of hospital stay and total hospitalization cost. Methods     We selected 468 patients (an observation group) who were hospitalized and received thoracic surgery from August to October 2011, 3 months after the implementation of the preventive antibiotics use protocol for thoracic surgery in West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and selected 343 patients (a control group) in the same period of the previous year (from August to October 2010). There were 326 males and 142 females with a mean age of 52.0±15.5 years in the observation group, and 251 males and 92 females with a mean age of 51.4±15.9 years in the control group. The level of antibiotic use, medication time, antibiotics cost, postoperative incision infection, incidence of pulmonary infection, postoperative hospital stay and total hospitalization cost were compared between the two groups. Results     Compared with the control group, the time for preventive use of antibiotics was significantly shorter in the observation group (3.6±2.4 d vs. 6.1±3.1 d, P=0.020) and the total cost of antibiotic use significantly reduced (1 230.0±2 151.0 yuan vs. 2 252.0±1 764.0 yuan, P<0.001). There was no significant difference between the two groups in hospitalization cost (36 345.0±13 320.0 yuan vs. 35 821.0±11 991.0 yuan, P=0.566), postoperative hospital stay (10.6±8.4 d vs. 10.7±5.3 d, P=0.390), the incidence of postoperative wound infection or postoperative pulmonary infection (1.5% vs. 2.3%, P=0.430; 19.2% vs. 22.2%, P=0.330). Conclusion     The standardized use of antibiotics in thoracic surgery does not cause   postoperative pulmonary infection and incision infection, and has no negative impact on clinical indicators. Significantly reducing the level of antibiotics use may have a positive effect on reducing medication time, in-hospital infection and the incidence of drug-resistant strains.

Objective    To explore the safety and effectiveness of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) pneumonectomy for bronchiectasis. Methods    The clinical data of 164 patients undergoing VATS pneumonectomy or open thoracotomy for bronchiectasis in our hospital from March 2002 to July 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into two groups according to different surgical methods: a thoracotomy group (122 patients, 63 males, 59 females) and a thoracoscopic surgery group (42 patients, 15 males, 27 females). Surgical and follow-up indicators were compared between the two groups. Results    There was no difference between the two groups in the blood loss, operation time, perioperative mortality or complication. However patients undergoing VATS had shorter length of postoperative stay than those undergoing thoracotomy (6.9±2.6 d vs. 8.1±3.1 d, P=0.030). In the thoracoscopic surgery group, 3 patients were lost to follow-up and in the thoracotomy group, 5 patients were lost to follow-up. In a median follow-up of 51 months (ranging from 2 to 116 months), 36 patients (92.3%) fully recovered with no sputum or haemoptysis and 3 (7.7%) partially recovered with a reduced sputum or haemoptysis in the thoracoscopic surgery group; 105 (89.7%) fully recovered with no sputum or haemoptysis, 10 (8.5%) partially recovered with a reduced sputum or haemoptysis while 2 (1.7%) without any improvement in the thoracotomy group with no statistical difference (P=0.700). Conclusion    VATS pneumonectomy for bronchiectasis is equivalent to thoracotomy in terms of safety and effectiveness, and can be used as an alternative surgical procedure for the treatment of bronchiectasis.