Ci ji yi xue za zhi = Tzu-chi medical journal最新文献

We present a case of a 22-year-old female with gross hematuria for 1 month. A 9.5-cm tumor was found at her left kidney. On suspicion of a renal cancer, she received left nephrectomy. Histologically, it was a hypercellular tumor with undifferentiated anaplastic neoplastic cells in fascicular sheets intermixed with chondroid nodules. The differential diagnoses included anaplastic sarcoma of the kidney (ASK), anaplastic Wilms tumor, mesenchymal chondrosarcoma, sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma, clear cell sarcoma of the kidney, rhabdoid tumor of the kidney, congenital mesoblastic nephroma, and synovial sarcoma. Based on the results of the work-up and literature review, ASK was diagnosed. The postoperative recovery was uneventful, and the patient began adjuvant chemotherapy (Ifosfamide [1800 mg/m²] and Epirubicin [60 mg/m²]) 5 weeks after the operation. Herein, we present this case to share the experience on an extremely rare entity.

Objective: Naringenin, a flavonoid found in citrus fruits, has notably diverse pharmacological properties. In the present study, we investigated the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of naringenin.

Materials and methods: The antinociceptive effects were evaluated using hot-plate, acetic acid-induced writhing, and tail-flick assays in mice and rats. The anti-inflammatory effects were examined by a carrageenan-induced paw edema test in rats.

Results: Naringenin (100 or 200 mg/kg, oral administration) significantly delayed the reaction time of mice to thermal stimulation generated by a hot plate and a tail-flick unit and reduced the acetic acid-induced writhing response in mice. In addition, naringenin significantly decreased paw edema induced by carrageenan in rats, showing its anti-inflammatory effect.

Conclusion: Our results show that naringenin has therapeutic potential with antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties and can further be exploited for the development of drugs for pain and inflammatory-related diseases.

Objective: Opioid use disorder is a prevalent addiction problem that can be treated with buprenorphine, but dependence, diversion, and abuse of buprenorphine occur. Although including naloxone reduces these problems, the combination formulation is not available worldwide. The administration of the medication under supervision may also be useful in decreasing unintended uses of the medication. The objective is to assess the influence of a single, physician-administered dose of buprenorphine on withdrawal craving and suicidal ideation in opioid-dependent patients over a period of 4 days of abstinence from opioids.

Materials and methods: Sixty-one men who used heroin, opium, or prescription opioids and met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Five Edition criteria for opioid use disorder were randomized to receive a single, sublingual dose of buprenorphine (16 mg, 32 mg, or placebo; n's = 20, 20, and 21 per group). The study was carried out in an inpatient psychiatric ward, with appropriate precautions and monitoring of cardiovascular and respiratory measures. Buprenorphine was administered when the patients were in moderate opioid withdrawal, exhibiting four to five symptoms. Self-reports of craving (The Opioid Craving Scale) and suicidal ideation (Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation) were taken at baseline and on each of the 4 days after treatment.

Results: The group did not differ significantly on demographic features, and all of the patients completed the 4-day study. Craving was reduced from baseline during the observation period in each of the three groups, demonstrating a significant effect of treatment (P < 0.0005), and the dose-by-time interaction (P < 0.0005). Both 32 mg and 16 mg groups differed significantly from the placebo group. No significant differences were observed between the 32 and 16 mg groups, suggesting that the maximal effect on craving reduction was achieved with the 16-mg dose. Suicidal ideation was decreased from baseline during the observation period in each of the three groups, demonstrating a significant effect of treatment (P < 0.0005), and the dose-by-time interaction (P < 0.017).The 32 mg group differed significantly from the placebo group. No significant differences were observed between the 16 and placebo groups, suggesting that the maximal effect on suicidal ideation reduction was achieved with the 32 mg dose.

Conclusions: A single high dose of 16 mg or 32 mg buprenorphine reduces opioid craving, but a single high dose of only 32 mg buprenorphine reduces suicidal ideation.

Objective: Heart rate variability (HRV) analysis using electrocardiographic R-R intervals (RRIs) in either a time or a frequency domain is a useful tool for assessing cardiac autonomic dysfunction in clinical research. For convenience, pulse-pulse intervals (PPIs) acquired by photoplethysmography have been used to assess HRV. However, the compatibility of PPI with RRI is controversial.

Materials and methods: In this study, we investigated the compatibility of PPI with RRI in five groups of participants, including nonoverweight young individuals with a body mass index (BMI) <24 kg/m² (Group 1, n = 20, aged 18-40 years), overweight young individuals with a BMI ≥24 kg/m² (Group 2, n = 13, aged 21-38 years), nonoverweight upper middle-aged individuals with a BMI <24 kg/m² (Group 3, n = 21, aged 45-89 years), overweight upper middle-aged individuals with a BMI ≥24 kg/m² (Group 4, n = 14, aged 43-74 years), and diabetic patients with a BMI ≥24 kg/m² (Group 5, n = 19, aged 35-74 years). We then used cross-approximate entropy (CAE) to assess the compatibility between RRI and PPI and analyzed HRV in the time and frequency domains derived from PPR and RRI with traditional methods.

Results: The CAE values in Group 1 were significantly lower than those in Group 2 (1.68 ± 0.16 vs. 1.78 ± 0.15, P = 0.041), Group 3 (1.68 ± 0.16 vs. 2.05 ± 0.27, P < 0.001), Group 4 (1.68 ± 0.16 vs. 1.87 ± 0.23, P = 0.023), and Group 5 (1.68 ± 0.16 vs. 2.09 ± 0.23, P < 0.001). There were no significant differences in HRV acquired by PPI and RRI, except for proportion of pairs of adjacent NN intervals differing by more than 50 ms in the entire recording in Group 1. All HRVs derived from PPI were different from those acquired from RRI in the other groups.

Conclusion: PPI may be an alternative parameter for effectively assessing cardiac autonomic function in nonoverweight healthy individuals. It should be used carefully in overweight, elderly, or diabetic individuals.

Objective: In this retrospective cohort study, we aimed to determine the characteristics and outcomes of patients in the emergency department (ED) and wards who required emergency tracheal intubation by the difficult airway response team (DART).

Materials and methods: All patients between 18 and 80 years old receiving emergency tracheal intubation by the DART at a single tertiary referral hospital from January 2014 to December 2016 were reviewed and divided into ward and ED groups. Patient characteristics, comorbidities, indications for intubation, airway maintenance technique, and survival-to-discharge rates were analyzed and compared.

Results: Totally, 192 patients (ward, n = 135; ED, n = 57) were eligible for the current study. Compared with the ward group, patients in the ED group were younger (58.9 ± 13 vs. 51.5 ± 15.6 years, P = 0.001), male-predominant (71.1% vs. 87.7%, P = 0.014), and had a higher incidence of trauma (6.7% vs. 22.8%, P = 0.001). The most common indications for tracheal intubation were respiratory distress (52.6%) and cardiac arrest (17.8%) in the ward group, and respiratory distress (31.6%) and airway protection (28.1%) in the ED group. Patients in the ED group received more fiberoptic intubations (42.1% vs. 17.8%, P = 0.039) and had a higher survival-to-discharge rate (87.7% vs. 44.4%, P < 0.001) than those in the ward group.

Conclusions: Better recognition of differences in patient characteristics and indications for intubation in different units of the hospital may enable the DART to customize specialized equipment to improve efficiency and implement appropriate strategies for airway rescue to improve patient outcomes.

Objective: Ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, hepatorenal syndrome, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, and esophageal variceal bleeding are major complications associated with cirrhosis. The presence of these complications indicates poor hepatic reserve. This study aimed to identify the effects of poor hepatic reserve on mortality in cirrhotic patients with bacterial infections.

Patients and methods: The Taiwan National Health Insurance Database was used to identify 43,042 cirrhotic patients with bacterial infections hospitalized between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2013, after propensity score matching analysis. Of these, 21,521 cirrhotic patients had major cirrhotic-related complications and were considered to have poor hepatic reserve.

Results: Mortality rates at 30 and 90 days were 24.2% and 39.5% in the poor hepatic reserve group and 12.8% and 21.7% in the good hepatic reserve group, respectively (P < 0.001 for each group). The cirrhotic patients with poor hepatic reserve (hazard ratio [HR], 2.10; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.03-2.18; P < 0.001) had significantly increased mortality at 90 days. The mortality HRs in patients with one, two, and three or more complications compared to patients without complications were 1.92 (95% CI = 1.85-1.99, P < 0.001), 2.61 (95% CI = 2.47-2.77, P < 0.001), and 3.81 (95% CI = 3.18-4.57, P < 0.001), respectively.

Conclusion: In cirrhotic patients with bacterial infections, poor hepatic reserve is associated with a poor prognosis. The presence of three or more cirrhotic-related complications increases mortality almost four folds.

Objective: Emergency air medical services (EAMS) share a common helicopter system for prehospital care and transfer in several countries. In Penghu, two systems are involved in EAMS: the helicopter and C130 systems. Given their features and limitations, patients using the two systems have significantly different characteristics.

Materials and methods: To clearly understand the disease patterns and dynamic changes in transferred patients, we studied 1228 patients transported from Penghu to Taiwan between January 2009 and December 2017.

Results: Our findings show that the helicopter group had more acute diseases, while the C130 system group had more chronic diseases. Cardiovascular disease was the most common diagnosis (328 patients, 26.71%), followed by cerebrovascular disease (263 patients, 21.41%) and gastrointestinal disease (221 patients, 17.99%). Following interventions to support local medicine by Tri-Service General Hospital and the establishment of a cardiac catheterization laboratory, the annual number of transported patients decreased, especially those with cardiovascular diseases. The disease pattern also shifted from acute to chronic disease.

Conclusion: Current data indicate that the local medical system is developing the ability to manage chronic diseases and care problems. This article analyzes dynamic changes in the disease patterns of transferred patients in both EAMS groups, providing a strong foundation for developing local medical systems.

Objective: We have demonstrated that phenylephrine (PE) activates the capsaicin-sensitive nerves, and then activates capsaicin-sensitive nerves to release an unknown substance that facilitates the release of norepinephrine (NE) from adrenergic nerves. Subsequently, NE stimulates β-ARs in the detrusor muscle in mice, leading to neurogenic relaxation of the urinary bladder (UB).

Materials and methods: We examined if there existed sensory-motor dysfunction in UB of aging mice. To investigate the change of PE-induced detrusor relaxation in aging male-C57BL/6 mice (12- vs. 24-month-old mice), UB strips from mice were isolated, cut into strips, and mounted in the organ bath.

Results: The UB strip contractility responding to various agents was estimated using tissue bath wire myography. Acetylcholine (ACh) and KCl-induced UB strips contraction was not significantly different between 24- and 12-month mice. NE-induced UB strips relaxation was significantly lower in 24-month than 12-month mice. Denuded bladder strips showed similar decreased relaxation response to NE. This NE-induced relaxation was inhibited by silodosin and lidocaine. PE did not induce contraction in UB strips of aging mice. In contrast, PE-induced relaxation was weaker in 24-month than 12-month mice.

Conclusion: Our results suggested that the PE-induced relaxation was age related. Aging seemed to lead the sensory-motor dysfunction. More animal and human studies are required to prove this concept and its clinical usefulness in the future.