OBJECTIVE: To explore whether hydrocortisone can improve the prognosis of patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia (sCAP) by Meta-analysis. METHODS: Randomized controlled trial (RCT) on hydrocortisone in the treatment of sCAP were extracted from the database including PubMed, Cochrane library, Web of Science, and Embase, and the search time was up to April 29, 2023. The patients in the standard treatment group received standard treatment such as antibiotics and supportive care, while those in the hydrocortisone group received hydrocortisone treatment on the basis of standard treatment. Meta-analysis was used to compare the mortality, duration of mechanical ventilation, mechanical ventilation rate and incidence of adverse reactions (hyperglycemia, gastrointestinal bleeding, secondary infection) between the two groups. The risk of literature bias was assessed. The studies that might have publication bias were corrected by the subtraction and complementation method. At the same time, trial sequential analysis (TSA) was conducted. RESULTS: A total of 5 RCTs involving 1 031 patients were finally enrolled, including 494 patients in the standard treatment group and 537 patients in the hydrocortisone group. Among the 5 studies, the research site of 2 studies was in the mixed ward. Considering the inclusion characteristics of the study population, there was doubt whether its research object was sCAP patients, which might have a certain impact on the results and introduce potential bias. Meta-analysis showed that the mortality in the hydrocortisone group was significantly lower than that in the standard treatment group [6.0% vs. 14.0%; odds ratio (OR) = 0.38, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 0.25-0.59, P < 0.01; I² = 9%]. The studies that were asymmetric were corrected by the reduction and supplementation method. Even after filling the missing studies, hydrocortisone could still reduce the death risk of the patient (OR = 0.49, 95%CI was 0.32-0.73, P < 0.01; I² = 31%). TSA showed that the average mortality of the standard treatment group was about 14.0%, and that of the hydrocortisone group was about 6.0%, with a relative risk reduction (RRR) = 57%. The calculated sample size was 699 cases, and the actual sample size was 1 031 cases. The actual sample size exceeded the required sample size, and the Z-curve crossed the O'Brien-Fleming boundary and the curve corresponding to P = 0.05, it meant that hydrocortisone could effectively reduce the mortality of sCAP. Compared with the standard treatment group, no statistical difference in the duration of mechanical ventilation was found in the hydrocortisone group [mean difference (MD) = -3.26, 95%CI was -6.72-0.21, P = 0.07; I² = 0%], but the 8-day mechanical ventilation rate was significantly lowered (19.5% vs. 55.4%; OR = 0.24, 95%CI was 0.12-0.45, P < 0.01; I² = 0%), and also no significantly difference was found in the incidence of hyperglycemia (54.3% vs. 44.6%, OR = 1.26, 95%CI was 0.56-2.84, P = 0.58; I² = 61%), gastrointestinal bleeding (2.5% vs. 3.6%; OR = 0.70, 95%CI was 0.34-1.46, P = 0.34; I² = 0%) and secondary infection (9.2% vs. 11.5%; OR = 0.46, 95%CI was 0.06-3.35, P = 0.45; I² = 53%). CONCLUSION Hydrocortisone can reduce the mortality rate of sCAP patients, decrease their need for mechanical ventilation, and does not increase the risk of hyperglycemia, gastrointestinal bleeding, or secondary infections.
Humans ; Hydrocortisone/therapeutic use* ; Community-Acquired Infections/drug therapy* ; Pneumonia/drug therapy* ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Respiration, Artificial ; Community-Acquired Pneumonia

Objectives:Fluid resuscitation is an important treatment for sepsis. However, the optimal choice of fluid is still controversial. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Sodium Bicarbonate Ringer’s Solution on the outcome of patients with sepsis.Methods:This was a single-center, prospective, randomized controlled clinical study, From July 2021 to June 2023, adult patients with Sepsis who met the diagnostic criteria of Sepsis 3.0 admitted to the Department of Critical Care Medicine of Jiangdu People's Hospital of Yangzhou were randomly assigned to the sodium bicarbonate ringer’s solution group or the normal saline group according to the random number table. Patients received either sodium bicarbonate ringer’s solution or normal saline as fluid for resuscitation and maintenance therapy. Clinicians determined the amount and rate of infusion based on volume assessment. The 30-day mortality, the degradation of endothelial glycocalyx degradation products at multiple time points, the mortality in intensive care unit (ICU), the incidence of major adverse renal events (MAKE30) within 30 days, and other clinical outcomes were compared between the two groups. Enzyme-Linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine the concentration of endothelial glycocalyx coating degradation products in peripheral blood. The count data were analyzed by χ 2 test, and the measurement data were analyzed by independent sample t test. Results:A total of 67 patients who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled during the study (32 patients in the sodium bicarbonate ringer’s solution group and 35 patients in the normal saline group). There were no significant differences in baseline data such as age, gender, underlying diseases, and SOFA score at enrollment between the two groups ( P>0.05).The 30-day mortality (28.1% vs. 40.0%), ICU mortality (15.6% vs. 20.0%) and MAKE30 (31.2% vs. 42.9%) in the sodium bicarbonate ringer’s solution group were lower than those in the normal saline group, but the differences were not statistically significant ( P>0.05). The levels of SCD-1(1317.3±206.9) pg/mL, HA (75.1±24.9) ng/mL and HS (75.6±13.8) ng/mL in the sodium bicarbonate ringer’s solution group were significantly lower than those in the normal saline group [(1514.6±264.9) pg/mL, (96.5±25.4) ng/mL, (85.8±15.8) ng/mL] on the third day (all P<0.05). Conclusion:Although the use of sodium bicarbonate ringer’s solution for resuscitation in sepsis patients cannot significantly reduce the 30-day mortality rate, but significantly reduce the degradation of polysaccharide coating, decrease the occurrence of hyperchloremia and acidosis.

Objective To explore the selection strategy of diagnostic and therapeutic regimens and assess the efficacy for postoperative infection following internal fixation of patellar fractures. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 12 patients with postoperative infection after internal fixation of patellar fractures. Results A total of 6 patients underwent complete removal of the internal fixation devices during debridement and were subsequently fixed with knee braces, while the other 6 had their original internal fixation devices removed and replaced with Kirschner wire fixation. Three patients developed septic arthritis and underwent knee arthroscopic lavage treatment. All 12 patients underwent bacterial culture and metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) testing, and the key pathogenic bacteria were successfully identified by mNGS. All wounds achieved primary healing within 2 weeks after closure. At the final follow-up, all patients exhibited good fracture healing, with Böstman patellar fracture function scores ranging from 24 to 29 (mean score of 26.58), and the outcomes were evaluated as excellent in 7 cases and good in 5, resulting in an excellent and good rate of 100.0%. Conclusion For patients with early and delayed postoperative infections following internal fixation of patellar fractures, removal of the internal fixation devices can help reduce the risk of infection recurrence. For patients with concurrent septic arthritis, early diagnosis and timely implementation of arthroscopic joint debridement and irrigation and drainage are crucial.

The clinical data of 50 children with tracheal bronchus, 35 males and 15 females with a mean age of 1.3 months (9 days to 10 years), diagnosed by bronchoscopy in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University from July 2017 to September 2021 were collected, including gender, age, symptoms, signs, bronchoscopy manifestations, imaging manifestations, associated diseases, and outcomes. There were 26 cases (52%) of severe pneumonia, 14 cases (28%) of recurrent wheezing, 8 cases (16%) of recurrent cough, and 2 cases (4%) of foreign bodies. The clinical symptoms were cough in 45 cases (90%), phlegm in 37 cases (74%), asthma in 28 cases (56%), and fever in 25 cases (50%). The physical signs were wet rale in 33 cases (66%), dry rale in 24 cases (48%), shortness of breath in 23 cases (46%), and triple concave sign in 21 cases (42%). The site of occurrence of tracheal bronchi was the right wall of the lower segment of the trachea. All 50 patients underwent complete pulmonary imaging examinations, but the presence of tracheal bronchus was reported in only 3 cases (6%). There were 24 cases (48%) with other types of tracheal malformations, including 9 cases (18%) of single malacia, 6 cases (12%) of single tracheal stenosis, 1 case (2%) of external tracheal compression, and 8 cases (16%) of multiple tracheal malformations. There were other underlying diseases in 27 cases (54%), congenital heart disease was the most common (17 cases, 34%), followed by premature infants (9 cases, 18%). In addition, there were 3 cases (6%) of chromosomal diseases, esophageal atresia, tracheoesophageal fistula, and polydactyly. All children were discharged after anti-infection and bronchoscopy alveolar lavage. It is suggested that tracheobronchial malformation can cause infection, as well as other tracheal deformities such as tracheal softening and stenosis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation of hemoglobin (Hb) level with prognosis of elderly patients diagnosed as sepsis. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Information on the cases of elderly patients with sepsis in the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-IV (MIMIC-IV), including basic information, blood pressure, routine blood test results [the Hb level of a patient was defined as his/her maximum Hb level from 6 hours before admission to intensive care unit (ICU) and 24 hours after admission to ICU], blood biochemical indexes, coagulation function, vital signs, severity score and outcome indicators were extracted. The curves of Hb level vs. 28-day mortality risk were developed by using the restricted cubic spline model based on the Cox regression analysis. The patients were divided into four groups (Hb < 100 g/L, 100 g/L ≤ Hb < 130 g/L, 130 g/L ≤ Hb < 150 g/L, Hb ≥ 150 g/L groups) based on these curves. The outcome indicators of patients in each group were analyzed, and the 28-day Kaplan-Meier survival curve was drawn. Logistic regression model and Cox regression model were used to analyze the relationship between Hb level and 28-day mortality risk in different groups. RESULTS: A total of 7 473 elderly patients with sepsis were included. There was a "U" curve relationship between Hb levels within 24 hours after ICU admission and the risk of 28-day mortality in patients with sepsis. The patients with 100 g/L ≤ Hb < 130 g/L had a lower risk of 28-day mortality. When Hb level was less than 100 g/L, the risk of death decreased gradually with the increase of Hb level. When Hb level was ≥ 130 g/L, the risk of death gradually increased with the increase of Hb level. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that the mortality risks of patients with Hb < 100 g/L [odds ratio (OR) = 1.44, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 1.23-1.70, P < 0.001] and Hb ≥ 150 g/L (OR = 1.77, 95%CI was 1.26-2.49, P = 0.001) increased significantly in the model involving all confounding factors; the mortality risks of patients with 130 g/L ≤ Hb < 150 g/L increased, while the difference was not statistically significant (OR = 1.21, 95%CI was 0.99-1.48, P = 0.057). The multivariate Cox regression analysis suggested that the mortality risks of patients with Hb < 100 g/L [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.27, 95%CI was 1.12-1.44, P < 0.001] and Hb ≥ 150 g/L (HR = 1.49, 95%CI was 1.16-1.93, P = 0.002) increased significantly in the model involving all confounding factors; the mortality risks of patients with 130 g/L ≤ Hb < 150 g/L increased, while the difference was not statistically significant (HR = 1.17, 95%CI was 0.99-1.37, P = 0.053). Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed that the 28-day survival rate of elderly septic patients in 100 g/L ≤ Hb < 130 g/L group was significantly higher than that in Hb < 100 g/L, 130 g/L ≤ Hb < 150 g/L and Hb ≥ 150 g/L groups (85.26% vs. 77.33%, 79.81%, 74.33%; Log-Rank test: χ² = 71.850, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Elderly patients with sepsis exhibited low mortality risk if their 100 g/L ≤ Hb < 130 g/L within 24 hours after admission to ICU, and both higher and lower Hb levels led to increased mortality risks.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Sepsis/diagnosis* ; Critical Care ; Intensive Care Units ; Prognosis ; Hemoglobins ; ROC Curve

Objective:To analyze the clinical efficacy and safety of endoluminal treatment of complex renal artery aneurysm (RAA).Methods:The clinical data and follow-up results of 19 patients with complex RAA admitted to Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine from November 2014 to September 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Two patients were treated with simple spring coil embolization into the aneurysmal artery, 14 patients were treated with simple spring coil embolization of the aneurysmal cavity, and 3 patients were treated with stent-assisted + spring coil embolization technique. Based on the location of the aneurysm, RAA were classified into type Ⅰ, Ⅱ, and Ⅲ. 7 patients with type Ⅰ, 10 patients with type Ⅱ, and 2 patients with type Ⅲ were studied. Variance analysis was used to compare the differences in glomerular filtration rate(GFR) of the affected side when the tumor was located at different locations, and Pearson was used to analyze the correlation between the number of coils implanted and the size of the tumor and GFR.Results:Ten of the 19 patients who were underwent successful endoluminal intervention. The average size of the patients′ aneurysms was (20.89±6.65) mm, and the average number of spring coils implanted was 8.22±3.08. The preoperative and postoperative serum creatinine were in the normal range, and no RAA tumor enlargement or recurrence was found during the follow-up period. The postoperative GFR was abnormal in patients with type Ⅰ, type Ⅱ, and type Ⅲ renal aneurysms, and the mean GFR value differed among the three types of patients( P=0.003). There was a negative correlation between the postoperative GFR values of the affected kidney and the number of spring coils implanted ( P=0.047), and no significant relationship between GFR and aneurysm size. Conclusion:The endovascular technique is an effective and safe means of treating complex RAA.

Objective:To investigate the morphological characteristics of coracoid process in different stages of temporomandibular joint osteoarthrosis (TMJOA), and to provide theoretical data for clinical and anatomic study.Methods:A total of 290 patients who were diagnosed with TMJOA in the Department of Temporomandibular Joint, Kunming Medical University School and Hospital of Stomatology from January 2015 to February 2021 were collected, including 69 males and 221 females, with age of (35.1±13.7) years (16-69 years old), 64 cases of unilateral lesions (64 sides), and 226 cases of bilateral lesions (452 sides). According to the TMJOA X-ray staging standard put forward by Ma Xuchen in 2005, the affected joints were divided into stage Ⅰ (227 sides), stage Ⅱ (38 sides), stage Ⅲ (164 sides) and stage Ⅳ (87 sides). Twenty-six patients without clinical and imaging manifestations of temporomandibular disorders in the Department of Radiology, Kunming Medical University School and Hospital of Stomatology from October 2020 to June 2021 were selected as the control group, including 8 males and 18 females. The age was (34.3±13.9) years (17-60 years). The dicom data of each group were imported into Simplant Pro 11.04 software to measure the height of coracoid process, anteversion angle and the ratio of coracoid vertex to mandibular corner to condylar vertex to mandibular angle. R 3.6.1 was used to analyze the difference of the morphological characteristics of coracoid process between in the affected side of TMJOA and in the both sides of the control group, in the healthy side and the affected side of unilateral patients and in different stages of TMJOA.Results:The height of the coracoid process [(16.26±2.81) mm], the ratio of the coracoid process vertex-mandibular angle point and the condyle vertex-mandibular angle point distance [0.96(0.92,1.01)] on the affected side of TMJOA were significantly higher than those in the control group [(15.31±3.03) mm; 0.95(0.89, 0.99)] ( t=2.18, P=0.033; Z=2.87, P=0.004). There was no significant difference between the ante-version angle and the control group ( t=-1.37, P=0.176). The ratio of the distance between the apex of the coracoid process and the apex of the mandibular angle to the apex of the condyle and the angle of the mandible in the affected side of unilateral patients was significantly greater than that in the healthy side ( t=-3.46, P=0.001). There was no significant difference in coracoid height, coracoid anteversion angle and the healthy side ( t=-1.85, P=0.069; t=-0.06, P=0.955) in different periods. The intra-group analysis showed that there was no significant difference in the height of the coracoid process in different stages ( F=0.37, P=0.774). There was no significant difference in the ante-version angle of the coracoid process: stage Ⅰ, stage Ⅱ, and stage Ⅲ ( P>0.008), but all were significantly smaller than stage Ⅳ ( PⅠ-Ⅳ<0.001, PⅡ-Ⅳ=0.009, PⅢ-Ⅳ<0.001). The ratio of the distance between coracoid apex-mandibular angle and condyle apex-mandibular angle: there was no significant difference in stage Ⅰ, stage Ⅱ, and stage Ⅲ ( P>0.008), and stage Ⅰ and stage Ⅲ were significantly smaller than stage Ⅳ ( P<0.001). Conclusions:The coracoid height and the ratio of the coracoid apex-mandibular angle to the condyle apex-mandibular angle distance on the TMJOA side were significantly greater than those without temporomandibular joint disorders. The bone deposition was mainly concentrated in the upper and posterior part of the condyle. TMJOA had a certain correlation with the height of the coracoid process.

A 65-year-old male patient, who had a history of chronic lymphocytic leukemia for 3 years, presented with erythematous swelling of the right cheek for 20 days and scattered papules on the back and upper extremities for 10 days. Twenty days prior to the presentation, the patient was hospitalized for disseminated herpes zoster. Skin examination showed diffuse dark red swollen plaques in the facial area under the right eyelid as well as on the right auricle and external acoustic meatus, with a sense of infiltration on palpation; scattered brown crusts were left behind at the sites of healed herpes zoster lesions, and scattered depressed scars were observed among these crusts; scattered infiltrative, mung bean- to soybean-sized, light red papules with a smooth surface were seen on the back of the neck, back and upper limbs. Histopathological examination of the facial skin lesions revealed nodular infiltration of epithelioid cells, lymphocytes and many multinucleated giant cells in the dermis and subcutaneous adipose tissue; immunohistochemical staining showed positive staining for CD68, CD20, CD79a, CD3, CD2, CD10, CD5 and Bcl-2, scattered positive staining for Ki-67, and negative staining for CD23, cyclin D1, Bcl-6, multiple myeloma oncogene 1, CD21, CD35 and myeloperoxidase. The patient was diagnosed with Wolf′s isotopic response manifesting as granulomatous inflammation after disseminated herpes zoster. The patient was treated with intravenous drips of methylprednisolone at a dose of 40 mg/d, and the skin lesions were gradually improved and subsided. No recurrence was observed during 4 years of follow-up.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of drug-coated balloon (DCB) with paclitaxel in the treatment of femoropopliteal arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO).Methods:From Dec 2016 to Dec 2018, clinical data of femoropopliteal artery disease patients treated with paclitaxel DCB in Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University were retrospectively analyzed.Results:A total of 83 patients (95 lower limbs) underwent DCB therapy. Including 50 chronic total occlusion (CTO) lesions (52.6%) with mean lesion length of (18.35±10.61) cm. Twenty-four lesions (25.3%) were moderately or severely calcified. Bail-out stent implantation was performed in 29.5% cases. The mean follow-up time was 17.5 months. Twelve months after intervention, the all-cause mortality rate was 6.0%, the major amputation rate was 4.3%, the primary patency rate was 60.6%, the primary assisted patency rate was 72.4%, the secondary patency rate was 83.4%, and the freedom rate from clinically-driven target lesion revascularization(F-TLR) was 77.0%. Moderate to severe calcification was an independent risk factor for the primary patency of DCB therapy.Conclusion:DCB is a safe and effective endovascular therapy for femoropopliteal artery disease.