Objective To study the mechanisms of levofloxacin,thymopentin combined with decoction of four noble drugs for treatment of patients with severe pulmonary tuberculosis and offer a new therapeutic strategy for treatment of the disease.Methods A total of 100 patients with severe pulmonary tuberculosis admitted to Qinghai Fourth People's Hospital from November 2013 to January 2016 were enrolled,and they were divided into a research group (50 patients) and a control group (50 patients) by random number table.The patients in two groups were treated with 2HRZE/4HR standardized therapy program.The patients in the research group were additionally treated with levofloxacin (0.5 g orally taken,1 times a day),thymopentin (1 mg intravenous injection,once a day) combined with decoction of four noble drugs (ginseng 9 g,poria 9 g,atractylodes 9 g,and licorice 6 g,all the above ingredients were immersed in 400 mL water and boiled to 100 mL,one dose orally taken daily and it was equally divided into 2 parts,one part taken in the morning and the remaining part taken in the evening).Four months after treatment,the changes of indexes of immune functions [total lymphocyte count (LY),CD4+,CD8+,and CD4+/CD8+ ratio],blood coagulation indexes [prothrombin time (PT),activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT),thrombin time (TT),D-dimer,and plasma fibrinogen (Fib)],pulmonary function indexes [forced vital capacity (FVC),peak expiratory flow rate (PEF),forced expiratory maximum volume in 1 second (FEV1),and mean maximum expiratory flow (MMEF)] and blood gas analysis indexes [arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2),arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2),pulse oxygen saturation (SpO2),and oxygenation index (PaO2/FiO2)] and the therapeutic effects were observed in the two groups.Results After treatment,the CD8+,TT,PT,Fib,D-Dimer and PaCO2 of two groups were decreased significantly than those before treatment (all P ＜ 0.05);while the LY,CD4+,CD4+/CD8+ ratio,FEV1,FVC,PEF,MMEF,APTT,PaO2,SpO2 and PaO2/FiO2 of two groups were all increased significantly than those before treatment (all P ＜ 0.05).The changes of the study group were more obvious than those of the control group [LY (109/L):1.79 ± 0.19 vs.1.45 ± 0.16,CD4+:0.40 ± 0.03 vs.0.33 ± 0.03,CD8+:0.20 ± 0.01 vs.0.23 ± 0.02,CD4+/CD8+ ratio:2.10 ± 0.23 vs.1.67 ± 0.20,FEV1:0.269 ± 0.004 vs.0.198 ± 0.003,FVC:(3.78 ± 0.41)％ vs.(3.14 ± 0.39)％,PEF (L/s):3.68 ± 0.26 vs.3.05 ± 0.23,MMEF (L/s):0.96 ± 0.06 vs.0.74 ± 0.05,PaO2 (mmHg,1 mmHg =0.133 kPa):95.11 ± 7.68 vs.85.23 ± 7.01,PaCO2 (mmHg):31.76± 3.26 vs.46.28±4.36,SpO2:0.96±0.08 vs.0.91 ±0.07,PaO2/FiO2 (mmHg):310.58± 11.12 vs.285.01 ± 10.76,TT (s):15.64± 1.25 vs.18.82 ± 1.54,PT (s):12.69 ± 1.01 vs.14.28 ± 1.21,APTT (s):29.01 ± 2.02 vs.25.21 ± 1.80,Fib (mg/L):233.46 ± 15.61 vs.286.27 ± 18.14,D-Dimer (μg/L):210.88 ± 14.13 vs.256.39 ± 16.47,all P ＜ 0.05].After combined treatment,the sputum negative conversion rate [94％ (47/50) vs.60％ (30/50)],the total efficiency [88％ (44/50) vs.64％ (32/50)] and the focus absorption rate [86％ (43/50) vs.60％ (30/50)] of research group were significantly higher than those of the control group (all P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions The combination of levofloxacin,thymopentin and decoction of four noble drugs on the bases of 2HRZE/4HR standardized therapy for treatment of patients with severe pulmonayr tuberculosis can help to regulate acid-base balance,improve the hypoxia condition and lung function,elevate the immune function and increase the blood circulation in the body to improve clinical efficacy.

OBJECTIVETo observe the difference in the therapeutic effects on infantile herpetic angina among the treatments with western medication, acupuncture and the combined therapy of acupuncture and western medication.

METHODSOne hundred and twenty children of herpetic angina were randomized into a western medication group, an acupuncture group and a combined therapy group, 40 cases in each one. Besides the basic treatment with symptomatic support, in the western medication group, ribavirin granules were prescribed for oral administration, 10 mg/kga day, three times a day, for 3 days. In the acupuncture group, acupuncture was applied at Fengchi (GB 20), Hegu (LI 4), Quchi (LI 11), Xiaguan (ST 7), Jiache (ST 6), Dicang (ST 4), Shaoshang (LU 11) and Shangyang (LI 1), once a day, for 3 days. In the combined therapy group, the treatments as the western medication group and the acupuncture group were used, in which, the oral administration with ribavirin granules and acupuncture were adopted for 3 days. The clinical therapeutic effects were compared after treatment and the follow-up visit was conducted since the 4th day at the end of treatment to compare the antifebrile time, herpes relieving time and the use frequency of ibuprofen oral liquid in the children among the three groups.

RESULTSAfter treatment, the total effective rate was 95.0% (39/40) in the combined therapy group, was 62.5% (25/40) in the western medication group and was 80.0% (32/40) in the acupuncture group. The result in the combined therapy group was better than those in the acupuncture group and the western medication group, indicating the significant differences (both<0.05). The antifebrile time and the herpetic relief time in the combined therapy group were earlier than those in the acupuncture group and the western medication group, indicating the significant differences (both<0.05). The use frequency of ibuprofen oral liquid in the combined therapy group was lower than those in the acupuncture group and the western medication group, indicating the significant difference (both<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe combined therapy with acupuncture and western medication relieve fever and herpes much more quickly and reduces the use frequency of ibuprofen oral liquid as compared with the simple use of acupuncture or western medication in the treatment of infantile herpetic angina, which achieve the much better therapeutic effects.

Objective To investigate the radiographic anatomical relationship between tibial plateau and distal femur and evaluate the impact of reset tibial plateau of various widths after reduction of the Schatzker Ⅳ-C tibial plateau fractures on postoperative outcomes.Methods We collected and reviewed the X-ray images of the normal knees of 207 standard neutrally-positioned adults(non-fracture group)and pre-and post-operative immediate anterior-posterior X-ray images of the knees of 60 patients with Schatzker Ⅳ-C fractures(fracture group)in our hospital from August 2012 to August 2022.We measured the proximal tibial joint width(TAW),distal femoral width(DFW),and distal femoral joint width(FAW)in both groups and calculated the TAW/DFW and TAW/FAW ratios.In the fracture group,the cases with TAW between FAW and DFW were assigned to the well-reduced group,while those with TAW outside this range between FAW and DFW to the poorly-reduced group.Both groups were assessed using the Hospital for Special Surgery knee score(HSS)one year after operation.Results In the non-fracture group,there were no significant differences in gender or affected side in terms of TAW/DFW and TAW/FAW ratios(P＞0.05),while in the fracture group,there were statistically significant differences in the TAW/DFW and TAW/FAW ratios compared to the non-fracture group(P＜0.05).There was a statistically signifi-cant difference in the one-year postoperative HSS scores between the well-reduced and poorly-reduced groups in the fracture group(P＜0.05).Conclusion The radiographic anatomical relationship between the tibial plateau and distal femur in normal adults is relatively constant,providing a radiological reference for resetting the tibial plateau to a satisfactory width during reduction of Schatzker Ⅳ-C fractures.TAW/DFW＞1 or TAW/FAW＜1 indicates a poor reduction of the fracture and predicts poor postoperative recovery of knee joint function.

Objective:To retrospectively analyze the gender differences in the clinical characteristics and perioperative outcomes of patients with type A aortic dissection in our institution.Methods:From January 2019 to January 2020, total 405 patients underwent surgical treatment for type A aortic dissection at Beijing Anzhen Hospital, including extensive aortic repair (total aortic arch replacement combined with stenting elephant trunk implantation) and limited aortic repair. In the entire cohort, male 295 cases, female 110 cases. All measures in this study were expressed as ± s or median(quartiles) and analyzed by Student t test for variables or non- parametric tests; count data were expressed as frequencies and percentages and analyzed by χ2 test and Fisher exact probability test. Independent risk factors were analyzed by logistic multivariate regression. Results:Females were older than males[(53.3 ± 12.4)years old vs. (47.1 ± 11.0)years old, P<0.001] and had significantly higher proportion of diabetes(9.1% vs. 4.1%, P=0.047) and previous cerebrovascular disease (11.8% vs. 5.8%, P=0.038). Females had a lower proportion of total aortic arch replacement combined with elephant trunk implantation (64.5% vs. 82.7%, P<0.001), while aortic cross-clamp time[168.0(144.8, 201.5) minutes vs. 190.0 (163.0, 217.0) minutes, P<0.001] and CPB time[99.0 (79.8, 118.0) min vs. 107.0 (91.0, 126.0) min, P=0.006] were significantly shorter than males. Females had significantly higher rates of pulmonary infection (14.5% vs. 5.8%, P=0.004) and stroke than males (15.5% vs. 8.1%, P=0.030). The difference in the proportion of postoperative deaths between female and male TAAD patients was not statistically significant (3.6% vs. 7.8%). Logistics multivariable regression analysis found that female was an independent risk factor for postoperative stroke ( OR=2.574, 95% CI: 1.198-5.531, P=0.015) and pulmonary infection ( OR=2.610, 95% CI: 1.180-5.772, P=0.018). Conclusion:Gender did not affect mortality after TAAD repair significantly, but females increased the risk of stroke and pulmonary infection after TAAD surgery.

Objective:To investigate the differences in outcomes of surgical strategies and prognosis of patients with acute type A aortic dissection(ATAAD) during the period of COVID-19 Omicron variant epidemic compared with the non-epidemic period.Methods:Clinical data were retrospectively collected from ATAAD patients during the COVID-19 Omicron variant epidemic(December 7, 2022 to January 10, 2023) and during the non-epidemic period(December 7, 2019 to January 10, 2020) to compare the differences in surgical strategies, perioperative mortality, and perioperative complication rates in ATAAD patients during the two different periods.Results:There were 14 patients in the COVID-19 infected group and 43 patients in the control group. Patients in the infected group had a shorter mean aortic clamp time[(89.71±16.27)min vs.(110.09±28.99)min, P<0.01], a significantly higher postoperative mortality rate relative to the control group(21.43% vs. 2.33%, P=0.02), a significantly longer length of stay in the ICU(3 days vs. 2 days, P=0.04) and the duration of intubation time(34 h vs. 14 h, P<0.01), and the incidence of adverse events, mainly cerebral infarction, was higher in infected group(28.57% vs. 6.98%, P=0.03). Conclusion:During the COVID-19 Omicron variant strain epidemic, our center preferred a more conservative surgical strategy in COVID-19 infected patients. Although the COVID-19 infection increased the postoperative mortality and complication rate of ATAAD, patients still achieve a more satisfactory outcome. Therefore, surgical treatment should be timely performed for ATAAD patients.