INTRODUCTION: Pleural infections are a significant cause of mortality. Intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy (IPFT) utilising alteplase and dornase is a treatment option for patients unsuitable for surgery. The optimal dose of alteplase is unknown, and factors affecting treatment success in an Asian population are unclear. We sought to determine the factors affecting treatment success in Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore and evaluate the efficacy of lower doses of IPFT. METHOD: A retrospective analysis of patients with pleural infections treated with IPFT between July 2016 and November 2023 was performed. Treatment success was defined as survival without surgery at 3 months. Data, including patient demographics; comorbidities; RAPID (renal, age, purulence, infection source and dietary factor) scores; and radiological characteristics, were extracted from medical records and analysed. Linear mixed effects model and logistic regression were performed to determine factors affecting treatment success. RESULTS: A total of 131 cases were analysed. Of these, 51 (38.9%) reported positive pleural fluid culture, and the most common organism was Streptoccocus anginosus. Mean age was 65 years (standard deviation [SD] 15.5). Mean time from chest tube insertion to first dose of IPFT was 10.2 days (SD 11.5). Median starting dose of alteplase was 5 mg. Treatment success was reported in 112 cases (85.5%). There were no significant differences between the alteplase dose and radiological clearance. Patient age (odds ratio [OR] 0.94, confidence interval [CI] 0.89-0.98) and interval between chest tube insertion to first dose (OR 0.95, CI 0.91-0.99) were statistically significant variables for the treatment success. CONCLUSION Lower starting doses of alteplase remain effective in the treatment of pleural infection. Early IPFT may result in better outcomes.
Humans ; Tissue Plasminogen Activator/therapeutic use* ; Retrospective Studies ; Aged ; Fibrinolytic Agents/therapeutic use* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Thrombolytic Therapy/methods* ; Treatment Outcome ; Singapore ; Pleural Effusion/drug therapy* ; Pleural Diseases/drug therapy* ; Cohort Studies ; Chest Tubes ; Deoxyribonuclease I ; Recombinant Proteins

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of nano-cerium oxide on the early development of zebrafish embryos. METHODS: The well-developed zebrafish embryos were randomly divided into the control group and the 50, 100, 200, 400 and 800 mg/L dose groups, with 40 embryos in each group. The dose groups were treated with nano-cerium oxide at the corresponding mass concentration for 5 days. The control group received no treatment. The death and malformation of embryos were observed. The heart rate of zebrafish embryos was recorded using confocol microscope. The protein expression of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3(LC3) and cleaved Caspase-3 and were observed by Western blot technology. RESULTS: The death and embryonic malformation rate of zebrafish embryos increased with the increase of doses, showing statistical significance(P<0.01). The heart rate of the 800 mg/L dose group was decreased compared with the control group [(77±8) vs(93±4) beats/min, P<0.01]. There was no statistical significant difference in LC3-Ⅱ protein expression in each groups(P>0.05). The cleaved Caspase-3 protein expression increased in all dose groups compared with the control group(P<0.05). The cleaved Caspase-3 protein expression in the 200 mg/L dose group was higher than that in the 50 mg/L dose group(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The nano-cerium oxide may induce cell apoptosis, causing toxic effect in early development of zebrafish embryos.