Objective To evaluate the clinical application value of Xpert detection system of Clostridium difficile (C.difficile).Methods A total of 43 stool specimens from the patients with diarrhea were collected,and C.difficile in stool specimens were detected by the Xpert detection system,the toxigenic culture method,and the toxin detection method which detected the toxin of C.difficile by VⅥDAS automatic analyzer after anaerobic culture,respectively.The analytic performance of Xpert detection system was evaluted based on the toxigenic culture method as the gold standard.Meanwhile,the consistency of the results from different detection methods was compared.The ribotype 027 strain (ATCC BAA-1870) simulating the stool specimen was further used to verify the Xpert detection system.Results Based on the gold standard of the toxigenic culture method,the sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value and negative predictive value of the Xpert detection system were 90.9％,93.8％,83.3％ and 96.8％,respectively.The Kappa values for the consistency between the Xpert detection system and the toxigenic culture method or the toxin detection method were 0.822 (P ＜ 0.05) and 0.419 (P ＜ 0.05),respectively.Moreover,the ribotype 027 strain simulating the stool specimen was verified by the Xpert detection system successfully.Conclusion The Xpert detection system may rapidly and accurately detect the C.difficile in stool specimens,especially the ribotype 027 strain with high toxicity.

To observe the effects of ultrasound-guided stellate ganglion block (SGB) on cerebral oxygen metabolism and postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) of elderly patients, we collected 80 elderly patients undergoing selective coronary artery bypass graft under cardiopulmonary bypass. The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) was applied to test the cognitive function. The SjvO2, Da-jvO2 and CEO2 were used for the analysis of the cerebral oxygen metabolism. We found that POCD was related to disequilibrium of cerebral oxygen metabolism. Ultrasound-guided SGB before surgery reduced the incidence of POCD because of the improvement of cerebral oxygen metabolism.
Aged ; Autonomic Nerve Block ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Cognition Disorders ; prevention & control ; Coronary Artery Bypass ; Humans ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Oxygen Consumption ; Postoperative Complications ; Stellate Ganglion ; diagnostic imaging ; Ultrasonography

Objective To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of occupational noise induced deafness (ONID) in Nantong area and analyze the risk factors. Methods A total of 421 workers in hydropower industry who underwent physical examination in the outpatient clinic of Nantong Center for Disease Control and Prevention from January 2017 to December 2021 were selected as the research subjects.168 workers without ONID were divided into control group, and 253 workers diagnosed with ONID were divided into ONID group. The expression levels of serum cortisol, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the two groups were compared and analyzed. Results There were more males than females in both groups (P<0.05). With the increase of working age, the detection rate of ONID also increased significantly (P<0.05). The hearing thresholds of left and right ears in workers of different workplaces in the ONID group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05), and the hearing thresholds of workers in water wheel room and water machine operation duty room were higher (P<0.05). The expression levels of cortisol, IL-6 and TNF-α in the serum of ONID patients were significantly higher than those in the control group. Multivariate analysis showed that workplace, serum cortisol, IL-6 and TNF-α were the main influencing factors for ONID. Conclusion Workplace, serum cortisol, IL-6 and TNF-α are all risk factors for ONID. Appropriate measures should be taken to strengthen the prevention and treatment of noise-induced hearing loss according to the influencing factors.

Objective To summarize the common causes and types of circuit failure after vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) implantation,and analyze the available methods of resolving these problems.Methods Three patients with postoperative circuit fault in the 97 patients performed VNS implantation for drug refractory epilepsy in our hospital from October 2011 to January 2014,and three patients with postoperative circuit fault performed surgery in other hospitals at the same period were chosen in this study.The causes of circuit failure of these 6 patients were identified by performing system diagnostics and X-ray evaluation.A revision surgery may be necessary if a broken or damaged lead was suspected.Results In these 6 patients of device failure,two patients were due to the disconnection of the lead from the pulse generator;the lead impedance became normal after re-inserting the existing lead connector pins into the pulse generator following proper lead insertion techniques.Four patients performed lead revision surgery to replace or remove the existing lead;in 3 of them,the helices and associated scar tissues were removed from the vagus nerve under the microscope,and a new set of electrodes was placed;in one of them,the lead was transected as much as possible and the distal portion of the lead was severed at the neck following the removal of pulse generator.There were no complications such as hoarse voice,dyspnea,slow rhythm,subcutaneous hematoma or infection after the revision surgery.Five patients were followed up,indicating the devices work normally.Four patients had obvious improvement,and one patient had no significant improvement after the revision surgery.Conclusions The high lead impedance is the main manifestation of circuit failure after vagus nerve stimulator implantation.Surgical exploration is an effective method to identify and resolve these problems.

Objective To explore the insula sensory features and analyze its electrophysiological characteristics based on stereo-electroencephalograph (SEEG).Methods The clinical data of 16 drug-refractory epilepsy patients,admitted to our hospital from December 2013 to June 2016,were retrospectively analyzed.All patients were implanted with SEEG electrodes;totally,34 electrodes (257 contacts) located in insular lobe.Micro current stimulation was performed every adjacent two contacts to get the sensory mapping and the stimulus threshold of the insula.Results Of all the 257 contacts,160 presented clinical symptoms (positive contacts);there were 149 contacts with sensory manifestations,of which 72 were on the left side and 77 on the right.Sensory symptoms of insula mainly included both somatic sensation and visceral sensation.The threshold of somatosensory was (4.9±2.9) mA,and the threshold of visceral sensation was (6.0±2.9) mA,without significant difference (P＞0.05).No significant difference was noted between the left insula sensory ([6.2±3.1] mA) and the right insula sensory ([5.7±2.8] mA,P＞0.05).It showed sensation abnormal of larynx,lingua,face and limb when the middle and posterior short gyrus,as well as anterior and posterior long gurus,respectively,were stimulated;insula sensory showed anatomy distribution,with different stimulated sensitivities.The sensory function showed parallel distribution with the insular gyrus from the middle short gyrus to posterior long gurus,as laryngeal-lingual-facial (nasal and lips)-limb sensation,and the thresholds of the five insular gurus were (6.0±3.1) mA,(4.7±1.5) mA,(8.0±2.9) mA,(5.1±2.4) mA and (4.5±2.6) mA,respectively,with statistically significant differences (P＜0.05).Conclusions The sensitivity of somatic sensation and visceral sensation of the insula monitored by SEEG is similar,as well as the left and right side.The sensory threshold and sensory fan-shaped distribution play important roles in conforming insular symptoms and location for clinician.

Objective To study the effect of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) on the expression of multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP1) in brains of rats with drug refractory epilepsy.Methods Rat models based on the lithium-pilocarpine epileptic rats were induced with sodium phenobarbital (PB).Then,the rats were randomly divided into three groups:VNS group (n=7),sham-VNS group (n=6) and control group (n=6); VNS through stimulation device was given to the rats in the VNS group,stimulation device without VNS was given to the rats in the sham-VNS group,and rats in the control group were only given conventional feeding.Behavioral changes and number of seizures were recorded by continuous video monitoring during the whole process.And the amount of MRP1 over-expression in each group was detected following a four-week VNS.Results (1) The seizure frequency in VNS group (2.6±1.0 per week) was significantly decreased as compared with that in sham-VNS group (5.3±1.1 per week) or control group (5.2±1.3 per week) after a four-week VNS (P＜0.05).(2) The MRP1 expression in VNS group had significantly statistical differences as compared with that in the sham-VNS group and control group (the absorbance values:9120±1496,19556±1462 and 20231±1710,P＜0.05).Conclusion VNS can effectively decrease the seizures frequency through reducing the MRP1 over-expression.

Objective To study the acute effect of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) on status epilepticus (SE) in rats.Methods Forty-eight male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 groups:Group A (VNS preconditioning group),accepted VNS at 2 h before pilocarpine injection,Group B (VNS treatment group),accepted VNS immediately after pilocarpine injection,Group C (negative control group),implanted with electrode without stimulation,and Group D (SE model group),without electrode implantation (n=1 2).Lithium-pilocarpine was used to kindle the rats to establish SE models.Stimulation parameters used in the procedure of VNS were as follows:frequency,30 Hz; pulse width,0.5 ms; current,1 mA; and duty cycle,on-30 s,off-30 s.Behavior changes were observed and caspase-3 expression in dentate gyrus was detected 72 h after pilocarpine injection.Results (1) The seizure frequencies of grade Ⅳ and Ⅴ (Racine grading) in group A and B were significantly fewer than those in group C and D (P＜0.05); the seizure frequency of grade Ⅴ in group A was significantly fewer than that of group B (P＜0.05); SE latency in group A was significantly longer than that in other groups (P＜0.05).(2) Expressions of caspase-3 in the dentate gyrus of group A and B were significantly lower than those of group C and D (absorbancy values being 5854.7±856.5,6244.8±806.0,11957.0±1948.1 and 11543.2±1734.7,P＜0.05).Conclusion VNS has an acute seizure-suppressing effect on SE in rats and it can also reduce neuronal apoptosis induced by SE in hipocampus.

Background: Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is the most common complication of acute herpes zoster. The treatment of PHN remains a challenge for clinical pain management. Despite the effectiveness of anticonvulsants, antidepressants, and lidocaine patches in reducing PHN, many patients still face intractable pain disorders.In this randomized controlled study, we evaluated whether hydromorphone through intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV PCA) was effective in relieving PHN. Methods: Patients with PHN were randomly divided into two groups, one group received oral pregabalin with IV normal saline, another group received oral pregabalin with additional IV PCA hydromorphone for two weeks. Efficacy was evaluated at 1, 4, and 12 weeks after the end of the treatments. Results: Two hundred and one patients were followed up for 12 weeks. After treatment, numerical rating scale (NRS) score of patients in the hydromorphone group was significantly lower than that of the control group, and the difference of NRS scores between the two groups was statistically significant at 4 and 12 weeks after treatment. The frequency of breakthrough pain in the hydromorphone group was significantly lower than that in the control group 1 and 4 weeks after treatment.After treatment, the quality of sleep in the hydromorphone group was significantly improved compared with the control group. The most common adverse reactions in the hydromorphone group were dizziness and nausea, with no significant respiratory depression. Conclusions IV PCA hydromorphone combined with oral pregabalin provides superior pain relief in patients with PHN, which is worthy of clinical application and promotion.

Background: Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is the most common complication of acute herpes zoster. The treatment of PHN remains a challenge for clinical pain management. Despite the effectiveness of anticonvulsants, antidepressants, and lidocaine patches in reducing PHN, many patients still face intractable pain disorders.In this randomized controlled study, we evaluated whether hydromorphone through intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV PCA) was effective in relieving PHN. Methods: Patients with PHN were randomly divided into two groups, one group received oral pregabalin with IV normal saline, another group received oral pregabalin with additional IV PCA hydromorphone for two weeks. Efficacy was evaluated at 1, 4, and 12 weeks after the end of the treatments. Results: Two hundred and one patients were followed up for 12 weeks. After treatment, numerical rating scale (NRS) score of patients in the hydromorphone group was significantly lower than that of the control group, and the difference of NRS scores between the two groups was statistically significant at 4 and 12 weeks after treatment. The frequency of breakthrough pain in the hydromorphone group was significantly lower than that in the control group 1 and 4 weeks after treatment.After treatment, the quality of sleep in the hydromorphone group was significantly improved compared with the control group. The most common adverse reactions in the hydromorphone group were dizziness and nausea, with no significant respiratory depression. Conclusions IV PCA hydromorphone combined with oral pregabalin provides superior pain relief in patients with PHN, which is worthy of clinical application and promotion.