Objective:To investigate the clinical features, imaging characteristics, surgical strategies, and therapeutic outcomes of otitis media complicated with inflammatory response of local meninges.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 8 patients with chronic suppurative otitis media complicated with inflammatory response of local meninges, treated by the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, PLA General Hospital from 2019 to 2023. Appropriate surgical strategies were selected based on the patient′s clinical manifestations, imaging characteristics, extent of lesions, and facial nerve function. Follow-up was performed postoperatively to assess the therapeutic outcomes.Results:Among the eight patients, there were six males and two females, with an average age of (55.9±12.6) years old. The primary clinical manifestations included otorrhea, hearing loss, facial paralysis, earache, headache, and fever. All patients had a history of chronic suppurative otitis media and tympanic membrane perforation, with varying degrees and types of hearing loss. Seven patients presented with peripheral facial palsy preoperatively, with the House-Brackmann (H-B) grading scale as follows: 4 cases (4/7) in grade Ⅳ, 1 case (1/7) in grade Ⅴ, and 2 cases (2/7) in grade Ⅵ. The mean duration of otorrhea and/or hearing loss was (24.68±12.18) years, while, the average duration of severe headache, aggravated otorrhea and facial paralysis was (2.73±3.92) months. Preoperative high-resolution CT scan of the temporal bone revealed soft tissue shadow in the middle ear and mastoid process, with partial defects in the mastoid cortex. Cranial MRI T1WI showed high signal in the meninges on the affected side, with contrast-enhanced MRI indicating localized meningeal thickening. Four patients (4/8) had diabetes mellitus, and 2 patients (2/8) had a history of middle ear/mastoid surgery. All patients underwent surgical treatment, including thorough removal of lesions, adequate drainage, and facial nerve decompression. Tympanoplasty and hearing reconstruction were performed when conditions permitted. Specifically, 5 patients underwent intact canal wall radical mastoidectomy with facial nerve decompression and tympanoplasty, 2 patients underwent canal wall down mastoidectomy with facial nerve exploration decompression, and 1 patient underwent modified radical mastoidectomy. Postoperatively, patients experienced significant relief and gradual disappearance of ear and head pain. The postoperative H-B grading scale of facial nerve function was as follows: 4 cases in grade Ⅰ (4/8, including 1 case without preoperatively facial palsy), 2 cases (2/8) in grade Ⅱ, and 2 cases (2/8) in grade Ⅲ. Postoperative cranial MRI showed a significant reduction in localized meningeal thickening on the affected side.Conclusions:Patients with long-term chronic suppurative otitis media and/or cholesteatoma who suddenly presented with headache, fever, aggravated otorrhea, and facial paralysis should be suspected of having inflammatory response of local meninges. High-resolution CT of temporal bone and cranial MRI provide crucial diagnostic information. Early surgical exploration and thorough lesion removal are effective treatment methods.

Objective:To investigate the clinical features, imaging characteristics, surgical strategies, and therapeutic outcomes of otitis media complicated with inflammatory response of local meninges.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 8 patients with chronic suppurative otitis media complicated with inflammatory response of local meninges, treated by the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, PLA General Hospital from 2019 to 2023. Appropriate surgical strategies were selected based on the patient′s clinical manifestations, imaging characteristics, extent of lesions, and facial nerve function. Follow-up was performed postoperatively to assess the therapeutic outcomes.Results:Among the eight patients, there were six males and two females, with an average age of (55.9±12.6) years old. The primary clinical manifestations included otorrhea, hearing loss, facial paralysis, earache, headache, and fever. All patients had a history of chronic suppurative otitis media and tympanic membrane perforation, with varying degrees and types of hearing loss. Seven patients presented with peripheral facial palsy preoperatively, with the House-Brackmann (H-B) grading scale as follows: 4 cases (4/7) in grade Ⅳ, 1 case (1/7) in grade Ⅴ, and 2 cases (2/7) in grade Ⅵ. The mean duration of otorrhea and/or hearing loss was (24.68±12.18) years, while, the average duration of severe headache, aggravated otorrhea and facial paralysis was (2.73±3.92) months. Preoperative high-resolution CT scan of the temporal bone revealed soft tissue shadow in the middle ear and mastoid process, with partial defects in the mastoid cortex. Cranial MRI T1WI showed high signal in the meninges on the affected side, with contrast-enhanced MRI indicating localized meningeal thickening. Four patients (4/8) had diabetes mellitus, and 2 patients (2/8) had a history of middle ear/mastoid surgery. All patients underwent surgical treatment, including thorough removal of lesions, adequate drainage, and facial nerve decompression. Tympanoplasty and hearing reconstruction were performed when conditions permitted. Specifically, 5 patients underwent intact canal wall radical mastoidectomy with facial nerve decompression and tympanoplasty, 2 patients underwent canal wall down mastoidectomy with facial nerve exploration decompression, and 1 patient underwent modified radical mastoidectomy. Postoperatively, patients experienced significant relief and gradual disappearance of ear and head pain. The postoperative H-B grading scale of facial nerve function was as follows: 4 cases in grade Ⅰ (4/8, including 1 case without preoperatively facial palsy), 2 cases (2/8) in grade Ⅱ, and 2 cases (2/8) in grade Ⅲ. Postoperative cranial MRI showed a significant reduction in localized meningeal thickening on the affected side.Conclusions:Patients with long-term chronic suppurative otitis media and/or cholesteatoma who suddenly presented with headache, fever, aggravated otorrhea, and facial paralysis should be suspected of having inflammatory response of local meninges. High-resolution CT of temporal bone and cranial MRI provide crucial diagnostic information. Early surgical exploration and thorough lesion removal are effective treatment methods.

Objective To establish the reference intervals for test indicators of thyroid function,namely thyroid stimulating hormone(TSH),free thyroxine(FT4),and free triiodothyronine(FT3),in the children aged 0 to 15 years old in Nanning,China.Methods A total of 1 289 healthy children aged 0 to 15 years old who attended the Guangxi International Zhuang Medicine Hospital Affiliated with Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine from October 2018 to August 2023 were selected.The concentrations in serum TSH,FT4,and FT3 were measured by chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay(CMIA).According to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)EP28-A3c guideline,the nonparametric percentile method was used to establish the reference intervals for TSH,FT4,and FT3 in the children aged 0 to 15 years old in Nanning area.Results The established reference intervals were as follows:TSH(male):0 to＜1 month:0.88-7.81 μIU/mL,1 month to 15 years:0.59-5.06 μIU/mL;TSH(female):0 to＜1 month:0.93-8.42μIU/mL,1 month to 15 years:0.60-4.30 μIU/mL.FT4(male):0 to＜1 month:0.99-1.92 pg/mL,1 month to 15 years:0.86-1.33 pg/mL;FT4(female):0 to＜1 month:1.05-2.06 pg/mL,1 month to 15 years:0.85-1.37 pg/mL;FT3:0 to＜1 month:2.16-4.24 pmol/L,1 month to＜11 years:2.75-4.49 pmol/L,11 to 15 years:2.45-4.34 pmol/L.Significant differences were observed among different gender and age groups for TSH,FT4,and FT3 levels(P＜0.05).Conclusion This study successfully established the refer-ence intervals of TSH,FT4,and FT3 in the children aged 0 to 15 years old in Nanning area,which were significantly different among various gender and age groups.

Objective:To explore the therapeutic characteristics of population with gout achieving treat-to-target (T2T) indicators through real-world research and evaluate their safety.Methods:A total of 3 287 patients diagnosed with gout by rheumatologists in 21 first-class tertiary hospitals in 10 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in China from January 2015 to December 2021 were included in this polycentric cross-sectional study. The database included patients′ general information, disease characteristics, and clinical application of traditional Chinese and Western medicine treatment measures. SPSS and Excel software were used for data analysis. Frequency analysis, cluster analysis, and factor analysis were used to summarize the characteristics and rules of treatment measures for patients with gout who achieved the target after treatment. The occurrence of adverse events (AE) was recorded during treatment.Results:After treatment, 691 visits (7%) achieved the serum urate (SUA) target, and the most frequent use of urate-lowering therapy (ULT) was febuxostat, followed by benzbromarone. The most common treatment options were following: GroupⅠ: traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) decoction-TCM external treatment-physical exercise-proprietary Chinese medicine; GroupⅡ: ferulic acid-nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs); Group Ⅲ: allopurinol-sodium bicarbonate-benzbromarone; Group Ⅳ: glucocorticoid-colchicine; Group Ⅴ: febuxostat. A total of 5 898 visits (60%) chieved manifestations of joint pain VAS scores target, and the most frequently used drug to control joint symptoms was NSAIDs. The frequency of use of drugs to control joint symptoms were 2 118 times (usage rate reached 35.9%), while the frequency of ULT were 2 504 times (usage rate reached 42.5%), which was higher than the joint symptom control drug. The most common treatment options were following: Group Ⅰ: proprietary Chinese medicine-TCM decoction-TCM external treatment-physical exercise; Group Ⅱ: NSAIDs-colchicine hormones; Group Ⅲ: allopurinol, Group Ⅳ: benzbromarone; Group Ⅴ: febuxostat. A total of 59 adverse events occurred during treatment.Conclusion:The proportions of gout patients who reach target serum urate level & good control of joint symptoms are both very low, and ULT and anti-inflammatory prescription patterns are very different from international guidelines, so it is necessary to strengthen the standardized management of gout patients. At the same time, life intervention measures account for a certain proportion of the treatment plans for the T2T population, and further exploration is needed.

The biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD) effectively prevented the progression of rheumatic diseases, improved the prognosis of patients, and promoted the innovation of the treatment pattern of rheumatic diseases. However, these drugs also have potential risks of inducing infection, malignant tumors, and immunogenicity of drugs, which should be paid attention to. At present, there are few relevant researches in China. This article introduces the research status of the above potential risks of biological DMARD in recent years, and puts forward some suggestions, hoping to contribute to the domestic related research and clinical safe drug use.

The biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD) effectively prevented the progression of rheumatic diseases, improved the prognosis of patients, and promoted the innovation of the treatment pattern of rheumatic diseases. However, these drugs also have potential risks of inducing infection, malignant tumors, and immunogenicity of drugs, which should be paid attention to. At present, there are few relevant researches in China. This article introduces the research status of the above potential risks of biological DMARD in recent years, and puts forward some suggestions, hoping to contribute to the domestic related research and clinical safe drug use.

Objective:In general, patients with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are considered to show an aggressive disease course. However, the relationship between the two subgroups in disease severity is controversial. Our study is aimed to compare the clinical characteristics and prognosis of double-seropositive and seronegative RA in China through a real-world large scale study.Methods:RA patients who met the 1987 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria or the 2010 ACR/European Anti-Rheumatism Alliance RA classification criteria, and who attended the 10 hospitals across the country from September 2015 to January 2020, were enrolled. According to the serological status, patients were divided into 4 subgroups [rheumatoid factor (RF)(-) anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibody (-), RF(+), RF(+) anti-CCP antibody(+), anti-CCP antibody(+)] and compared the disease characteristics and treatment response. One-way analysis of variance was used for measurement data that conformed to normal distribution, Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for measurement data that did not conform to normal distribution; paired t test was used for comparison before and after treatment within the group if the data was normally distributed else paired rank sum test was used; χ2 test was used for count data. Results:① A total of 2 461 patients were included, including 1 813 RF(+) anti-CCP antibody(+) patients (73.67%), 129 RF(+) patients (5.24%), 245 RF(-) anti-CCP antibody(-) patients (9.96%), 74 anti-CCP antibody(+) patients (11.13%). ② Regardless of the CCP status, RF(+) patients had an early age of onset [RF(-) anti-CCP antibody(-) (51±14) years old, anti-CCP antibody(+) (50±15) years old, RF(+) anti-CCP antibody(+) (48±14) years old, RF(+)(48±13) years old, F=3.003, P=0.029], longer disease duration [RF(-) anti-CCP antibody(-) 50 (20, 126) months, anti-CCP antibody(+) 60(24, 150) months, RF(+) anti-CCP antibody(+) 89(35, 179) months, RF(+) 83(25, 160) months, H=22.001, P<0.01], more joint swelling counts (SJC) [RF(-) anti-CCP antibody(-) 2(0, 6), Anti-CCP antibody(+) 2(0, 5), RF(+) anti-CCP antibody(+) 2(0, 7), RF(+) 2(0, 6), H=8.939, P=0.03] and tender joint counts (TJC) [RF(-) anti-CCP antibody(-) 3(0, 8), anti-CCP antibody(+) 2(0, 6), RF(+) anti-CCP antibody(+) 3(1, 9), RF(+) 2(0, 8), H=11.341, P=0.01] and the morning stiff time was longer [RF(-) anti-CCP antibody(-) 30(0, 60) min, anti-CCP antibody(+) 20(0, 60) min, RF(+) anti-CCP antibody(+) 30(10, 60) min, RF(+) 30(10, 60) min, H=13.32, P<0.01]; ESR [RF(-) anti-CCP antibody(-) 17(9, 38) mm/1 h, anti-CCP antibody(+) 20(10, 35) mm/1 h, RF(+) anti-CCP antibody(+) 26(14, 45) mm/1 h, RF(+) 28(14, 50) mm/1 h, H=37.084, P<0.01] and CRP [RF(-) anti-CCP antibody(-) 2.3 (0.8, 15.9) mm/L, Anti-CCP antibody(+) 2.7(0.7, 12.1) mm/L, RF(+) anti-CCP antibody(+) 5.2(1.3, 17.2) mm/L, RF (+) 5.2(0.9, 16.2) mm/L, H=22.141, P<0.01] of the RF(+)patients were significantly higher than RF(-) patients, and RF(+) patients had higher disease severity(DAS28-ESR) [RF(-) anti-CCP antibody(-) (4.0±1.8), anti-CCP antibody(+) (3.8±1.6), RF(+) anti-CCP antibody(+) (4.3±1.8), RF(+) (4.1±1.7), F=7.269, P<0.01]. ③ The RF(+) anti-CCP antibody(+) patients were divided into 4 subgroups, and it was found that RF-H anti-CCP antibody-L patients had higher disease severity [RF-H anti-CCP antibody-H 4.3(2.9, 5.6), RF-L anti-CCP antibody-L 4.5(3.0, 5.7), RF-H anti-CCP antibody-L 4.9(3.1, 6.2), RF-L anti-CCP antibody-H 2.8(1.8, 3.9), H=20.374, P<0.01]. ④ After 3-month follow up, the clinical characteristics of the four groups were improved, but there was no significant difference in the improvement of the four groups, indicating that the RF and anti-CCP antibody status did not affect the remission within 3 months. Conclusion:Among RA patients, the disease activity of RA patients is closely related to RF and the RF(+) patients have more severe disease than RF(-) patients. Patients with higher RF titer also have more severe disease than that of patients with low RF titer. After 3 months of medication treatment, the antibody status does not affect the disease remission rate.

Objective Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease, which mainly involves joints across the body, resulting in joint stiffness and loss of daily activity. Recent evidence suggests that numerous self-reacting T cells, including Th1 and Th17, infiltrate the synovium in RA patients, accompanied by functionally-compromised Treg. Iguratimod, a new small molecule with anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects, has shown curative effects in animal models of arthritis. In this study, we aimed to test the clinical effects of Iguratimodˊs on RA patients and its role in immunoregulation. Methods We examined the clinical effects of iguratimod on RA patients in a random controlled clinical trials and analyzed its effects on Th1, Th17 and Treg as well as their associated cytokines and transcription factors by flow cytometry and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Then t-test, chi-square test and rank sum test were used to conduct statistical analysis. Results Our results revealed that iguratimod therapy provided significantly greater clinical benefit [ACR20, ACR50, ACR70 reached 50%, 20%, 15% respectively in iguratimod treatment group, Z=-2.216,P=0.027] than placebo group with the reduction of Th1 and Th17 but increment of Treg after iguratimod treatment [Th1: week 0 (26.5 ±8.0)%, week 24 (14.2 ±7.3)%, P<0.01; Th17:week 0 (1.7±0.7)%, week 24 (1.3±0.4)%, P<0.05;Treg:week 0 (6.8±1.6)%, week 24 (8.9±2.9)%, P<0.05], which was statistically significant. Conclusion Our results provide theoretical and clinical based evidence for the impact of iguratimod on immunomodulation of RA.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic value and limits of transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) in pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP). METHODS: The complete hospital data from Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, between June, 2006 and December, 2012, were analyzed retrospectively in 25 patients with PAP (who were diagnosed pathologically by TBLB or not by TBLB) and in 4 patients with other disease (who were misdiagnosed by TBLB). RESULTS: Among the 25 patients with PAP, 14 patients were confirmed by TBLB in the fi rst time [TBLB positive rate in the first time was 56% (14/25)]; 6 patients who were misdiagnosed by TBLB in the fi rst time were confirmed by TBLB in the second time [the positive rate in the second time was 24% (6/25)]. Th e total positive rate was 80% (20/25). Th e total negative rate was 20% (5/25). Five patients with PAP, who showed negative results in TBLB analysis, were confirmed by the typical CT as well as the whole lung lavage. In addition, 4 patients with other diseases were misdiagnosed as PAP by TBLB. CONCLUSION TBLB is a very good diagnosis method. But the negative results in the first time cannot exclude PAP. TBLB should be repeated if conditions allow. If clinical manifestation and CT results are typical, it can be used for diagnosis of PAP combined with the positive results from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid check. However, for non-typical cases, it needs TBLB pathological diagnosis.
Biopsy ; Diagnostic Errors ; Humans ; Lung ; pathology ; Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVE: To explore CT findings and pathologic basis of crazy paving pattern caused by pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. METHODS: Twenty-four patients who were diagnosed pathologically as pulmonary alveolar proteinosis by transbronchial lung biopsy and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from June 2006 to May 2012 were included in this retrospective study. All patients underwent a 64-slice CT of the lungs. RESULTS: CT findings: crazy paving pattern was observed on CT imaging of all 24 patients. In 23 patients, crazy paving pattern displayed strip-shaped opacities with smooth edges, and there was a clear boundary between the pathological and normal lung tissues. The reticular opacities were connected with peripheral blood vessels and the branches were formed, and their diameters decreased slightly. Microscopically, hemangiectasis were seen in 17 patients. CONCLUSION Crazy paving pattern caused by pulmonary alveolar proteinosis displayed clear edges, and smooth reticular opacities, most of which were due to hemangiectasis of interlobular, interacinar and interalveolar septa. These findings of CT are helpful for the specific diagnosis of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis.
Biopsy ; Humans ; Lung ; pathology ; Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis ; pathology ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed