Medicine
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The outbreak of novel coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), which causes the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is the most important current health problem. The number of patients is increasing worldwide. Pneumonia is the most life-threatening complication of the disease. Prolonged viral shedding in hematological patients with COVID-19 has been demonstrated; however, data on COVID-19 patients receiving anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody therapy are limited. Accordingly, focusing on humoral immunity, herein, we present 4 COVID-19 patients who were on anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody treatment and had prolonged pneumonia. ⋯ It is suggested that further investigations should be performed to understand the underlying pathophysiology.
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Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is one of the infectious diseases pandemic in the word. Traditional Chinese herbal medicine, as an alternative and complementary therapy of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), has been put into the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS over 30 years due to its good therapeutic effects and high safety, while there is a lack of evidence-based medicine support. The purpose of this study is to explore the efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese herbal medicine combined with HAART for HIV/AIDS patients. ⋯ INPLASY2021110082.
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Coronary heart disease (CHD) angina pectoris is a clinical syndrome in which episodic chest pain or chest discomfort is the main manifestation of temporary ischemia and hypoxia of the myocardium due to coronary atherosclerosis and coronary artery functional changes (spasm). A large amount of clinical evidence confirms that acupuncture combined with Chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of CHD and angina pectoris can relieve the symptoms of angina pectoris and improve the performance of electrocardiograph ischemia; It still has obvious therapeutic effects in regulating the levels of cardiovascular regulatory peptides ET and cGRP. To better evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture combined with Chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of CHD and angina pectoris, we designed a systematic evaluation program to provide a reliable scientific basis for the future use of this method. ⋯ Acupuncture combined with Chinese herbal medicine can effectively relieve the clinical symptoms of CHD and angina pectoris and improve the performance of electrocardiograph. At the same time, it can reduce the cardiovascular regulatory peptide ET and increase the level of cGRP in the patient's plasma, thus confirming its effectiveness and safety.
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Cooled-radiofrequency (CRFA) is a newer technique and may have some theoretical advantages over traditional radiofrequency ablation (TRFA). In this study, we aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of CRFA for the treatment of lumbar facet joint-mediated pain. In this retrospective study, we evaluated 185 CRFA performed on 105 patients. ⋯ Our subgroup analysis comparing the younger (<50) and older (≥50) age groups showed superior pain relief with CRFA in the older (≥50) age group, both in the 1st (4-8 weeks) and 2nd (>2-6 months) FU time points (63.4% and 58.4% reduction in NRS, respectively). Cooled-radiofrequency ablation is an effective and safe procedure for the treatment of chronic lumbar facet joint related pain. The duration of pain relief was comparable to traditional radiofrequency ablation as reported in the literature.
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Previous reports indicated that a decrease in intra-operative cardiac output and mean arterial pressure occurs due to thoracic cage deformities when patients with scoliosis are placed in the prone position. The aims of this study were to investigate the occurrence of hypotension during posterior spinal fusion in adolescent patients with scoliosis, and the association between hypotension, surgical procedures, changes of thoracic cage morphology. This retrospective, single-center, case-control study included 106 patients who underwent surgeries for spinal deformity at our institute between June 2014 and March 2020. ⋯ The T-C and T-B groups had greater sternum deviation parameters than the L-C group, both before and after surgery. All parameters associated with sagittal depth and sternum deviation decreased significantly after surgery in the T-C and the T-B groups. In corrective surgery for constructive thoracic scoliosis, the corrective procedures requiring the application of compression force in the forward direction should be closely monitored in view of their possible influence on circulatory conditions.