Objective To explore the diagnosis and treatment of airway involvement in relapsing polychondritis. Methods The clinical data of two patients with relapsing polychondritis with airway involvement were reported and the relative literatures were reviewed. Results The two patients were both old males, with clinical manifestations of cough, dyspnea, and fever. They were misdiagnosed in a other hospital. The pulmonary function tests showed obstructive ventilatory impairemnt. On inspiratory CT, tracheal / tracheobronchial wall thickening and airway stenosis, with or without tracheal cartilage calcification were common findings. The tracheal cartilages thickeness and membranous wall were normal. On expiratory CT scans, functional abnormalities were identified such as tracheobronchomalacia. The patients were relieved by medication of corticosteroids or with immunodepressant. Conclusions The relapsing polychondritis with airway involvement is easy to be misdiagnosed. Chest CT examination is a valuable method for diagnosis of relapsing polychondritis. Corticosteroids and immunodepressant can improve the outcome.
Objective To evaluate the correlation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-Cadherin) in serum with the severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and explore their clinical value in OSA. Methods A total of 90 patients with OSA admitted to the Sleep Monitoring Center of the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from April 2023 to June 2024 were prospectively selected. Based on the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), the patients were divided into a mild group (5 - 15 times/hour, n=30), a moderate group (>15 - 30 times/hour, n=28), and a severe group (>30 times/hour, n=32). Thirty healthy individuals who underwent physical examinations during the same period were included as a control group. The levels of serum VEGF and soluble VE-Cadherin (sVE) in all subjects were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The differences in serum VEGF and sVE levels among the groups were compared, and the correlations between serum VEGF and sVE levels and sleep parameters were explored. The moderate and severe OSA patients were given 3 months of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment, and the changes in sleep parameters and serum VEGF and sVE levels before and after treatment were compared. Results The levels of serum VEGF and sVE in the OSA patients increased with the severity of the disease; the levels of serum VEGF and sVE in the moderate and severe OSA groups were significantly higher than those in the healthy control group and the mild OSA group (P<0.05). The levels of serum VEGF and sVE in the severe OSA group were significantly higher than those in the moderate OSA group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the expression levels of serum VEGF or sVE between the mild OSA group and the healthy control group (P>0.05). The sensitivity and specificity of serum VEGF in diagnosing OSA were 65.6% and 93.3%, respectively, with an area under curve (AUC) value of 0.845. The sensitivity and specificity of serum VE-Cadherin in diagnosing OSA were 64.4% and 96.7%, respectively, with an AUC value of 0.835. After 3 months of CPAP treatment, AHI, longest apnea time, serum VEGF and sVE levels in the moderate and severe OSA groups decreased significantly, mean arterial oxygen saturation and lowest arterial oxygen saturation increased significantly (P<0.05). Conclusions The levels of VEGF and VE-Cadherin in serum of OSA patients are significantly elevated and positively correlated with the severity of OSA. Monitoring the changes in the levels of VEGF and VE-Cadherin in serum of OSA patients is helpful for evaluating the therapeutic effect of CPAP.
Objective To investigate the safety and effectiveness of a self-made bronchoscopic catheter ( an improved artificial airway) in bronchoscopic interventional therapy.Methods 126 patients planning to receive bronchoscope between October 2012 and February 2013 were divided into A, B and C groups. Three groups received inhalation of 2% lidocaine 5mL for surface anesthesia, and the venous channel was build up. Then the patients in group A ( n = 45) were treated with conventional bronchoscope. The patients in group B ( n =40) were treated with painless bronchoscope ( received intravenous injection with midazolam0. 06 mg/kg and fentanyl 1μg/kg before operation) . The patients in group C ( n = 41) were treated with painless bronchoscope through improved artificial airway ( after anesthesia similar to group B, the improved artificial airway was implanted through the mouth guided by bronchoscope, then the bronchoscopy was performed through artificial airway) . Blood pressure, respiration rate, heart rate and the pulse oxygen saturation were measured by multi-parameter ECG monitor before and during the operation, and the differences were compared among three groups. Body movement, transient respiratory depression during the operation, and postoperative feelings and reactions after operation were also observed. Meanwhile, the convenience of operation by physicians was evaluated. Results The blood pressure fluctuations in group C and group A had no significant difference ( P gt;0. 05) . Heart rate of three groups was somewhat increased,but there was no significant difference between group C and group A ( P gt; 0. 05) . Body movement and postoperative pain memory in group B and group C were better than those in group A ( P lt; 0. 05) .Respiratory depression of three groups had no significant difference ( P gt; 0. 05) . The operative convenience and the comfort of physicians in group C were better than those in group A and group B ( P lt; 0. 05) .Conclusions Operation safety of bronchoscopic interventional treatment with improved artificial airway is similar to the conventional procedure, but the reaction of the intra-operation and postoperative painful memories are significantly superior to conventional bronchoscopy. The convenience of operation and comfort of physicians are much better than the conventional bronchoscopy. It can be concluded that the improved artificial airways is worthy of clinical application.
Objective To analyze the influencing factors of short-term curative effect and long-term survival time of patients with tumor-induced malignant central airway obstruction (MCAO) after airway stent implantation. Methods A total of 120 patients with tumor-induced MCAO who underwent airway stent implantation in the hospital from January 2017 to June 2019 were enrolled. According to the cause of stenosis, the patients were divided into two groups: external pressure stenosis group (n=72) and non-external pressure stenosis group (n=48). The general data such as types and staging of tumor, differentiation degree, sites of airway obstruction, obstruction degree and preoperative level of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Before and at 7d after stent implantation, partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2), partial pressure of arterial carbon dioxide (PaCO2) and saturation of arterial blood oxygen (SaO2) were detected. Before and at 1 month after stent implantation, diameter at airway obstruction segment, degree of airway obstruction and forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) were detected. Dyspnea index (DI) and scores of Karnofsky performance status (KPS) were evaluated. The survival status at 1 year after surgery was followed up. The survival at 1 year after surgery was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier. The influencing factors of survival after stent implantation were analyzed by COX proportional hazard regression analysis. Results After stent implantation, PaO2, SaO2, diameter at airway obstruction segment, FEV1 and KPS score were significantly increased (P<0.05), while PaCO2, degree of airway obstruction and DI were significantly decreased in external pressure stenosis group and non-external pressure stenosis group (P<0.05). After stent implantation, the KPS score was significantly higher in external pressure stenosis group than that in non-external pressure stenosis group, and the shortness of breath index was significantly lower than that in non-external pressure stenosis group (P<0.05). The survival rate of patients with external pressure stenosis group was 29.17%, and the median survival time was 7.35 months, the survival rate and median survival time in non-external pressure stenosis group was 22.92%, and the median survival time was 6.10 months, and there was no significant difference between the two groups (log-rank χ2=1.542, P=0.214). COX proportional hazard regression analysis showed that tumor staging at stage IV (OR=2.056, P=0.020), preoperative KPS score lower than 50 points (OR=2.002, P=0.027) and no postoperative chemoradiotherapy (OR=4.292, P=0.039) were independent influencing factors of 1-year survival time after stent implantation in MCAO patients. Conclusions The clinical curative effect of airway stent implantation is good on patients with tumor-induced MCAO. Tumor staging at stage IV, preoperative KPS score lower than 50 points and no postoperative chemoradiotherapy are risk factors that affect survival time.
Objective To compare the humidification effect of the MR410 humidification system and MR850 humidification system in the process of mechanical ventilation. Methods Sixty-nine patients underwent mechanical ventilation were recruited and randomly assigned to a MR850 group and a MR410 group. The temperature and relative humidity at sites where tracheal intubation or incision, the absolute humidity, the sticky degree of sputum in initial three days after admission were measured. Meanwhile the number of ventilator alarms related to sputum clogging and pipeline water, incidence of ventilator associated pneumonia, duration of mechanical ventilation, and mortality were recorded. Results In the MR850 group,the temperature of inhaled gas was ( 36. 97 ±1. 57) ℃, relative humidity was ( 98. 35 ±1. 32) % , absolute humidity was ( 43. 66 ±1. 15) mg H2O/L, which were more closer to the optimal inhaled gas for human body.The MR850 humidification system was superior to the MR410 humidification system with thinner airway secretions, less pipeline water, fewer ventilator alarms, and shorter duration of mechanical ventilation. There was no significant difference in mortality between two groups. Conclusions Compared with MR410 humidification system, MR850 humidification system is more able to provide better artificial airway humidification and better clinical effect.
Objective Using a simple management strategy to investigate the etiologic spectrum of chronic cough in Chengdu city and its suburbs. Methods Chronic cough patients were randomly recruited fromthe outpatient clinic of Sichuan Provincial People ’s Hospital between July 2011 to May 2012. A conception of “Chronic Airway Inflammatory Cough Syndrome, CAICS”was established including several common causes of cough such as cough variant asthma ( CVA) , eosinophilic bronchitis ( EB) , atopic cough ( AC) , and atypical chronic bronchitis. Based on CAICS, a simplified suspected diagnosis procedure of chronic cough was conducted. Patients were empirically treated. Etiology and efficiency of chronic cough was analyzed. Results A total of 148 patients of chronic cough were recruited. The mean age was ( 43. 0 ±13. 0) years old. There were 72 male and 76 female patients with mean ages of ( 39. 7 ±10. 7) and ( 45. 0 ± 14. 2) years old respectively. The males were younger than the females ( P lt; 0. 05) . There was 96. 6% ( 143/148) of patients suspectedly diagnosed and 3.4% ( 5/148) patients were undiagnosed. The suspected causes of these chronic cough patients were as follows, ie. CAICS ( 57. 5% ) , upper airway cough syndrome ( UACS, 21. 5%) , gastroesophageal reflux cough ( GERC, 9. 1% ) , and others ( 8. 4% ) . A single possible cause was found in 95 patients ( 64.1% ) , two possible causes in 41 patients ( 27. 7% ) , and three possible causes in 3 patients( 2. 0% ) . 12.2% of chronic cough patients were combined with allergic rhinitis ( AR) . Among the diseases, CVA, CAICS and UACS were disposed to coexist with AR. The overall efficiency of empiric management strategy of chronic cough was 83. 7% .Conclusions The etiological spectrum of chronic cough in Chengdu acquired by this strategy was generally consistent with previous findings in China.The three most important causes of chronic cough in Chengdu were CAICS, UACS and GERC. This strategy was simple, effective, economic and feasible. It could be a primary management for chronic cough in some hospital.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of airway pressure release ventilation (APRV) on the hospital mortality of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) by using cumulative meta-analysis. MethodsThe PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, WanFang Data, CNKI, and VIP databases were electronically searched to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) related to the objective from inception to June 30, 2022. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of the included studies. A cumulative meta-analysis was then performed by using StataSE 12.0 software. ResultsA total of 9 RCTs involving 533 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that APRV could reduce the hospital mortality of patients with ARDS (RR=0.70, 95%CI 0.54 to 0.91, P<0.01) compared with traditional mechanical ventilation. ConclusionCurrent evidence shows that APRV can reduce the hospital mortality of patients with ARDS. Due to the limited quality and quantity of the included studies, more high quality studies are needed to verify the above conclusion.
Objective To identify the short ( lt;30 days) and intermediate ( 30 days to 6 months) benefits and risks of tracheobronchial stents in patients with malignant airway stenosis. Methods 55 cases with malignant airway disease who underwent tracheobronchial stents placement from January 2006 to May 2008 were followed up for 6 months. The efficacy rate, complication rate, reintervention rate, and survival were analyzed. Results There were 61 self-expanding metal stents placed in 55 patients with malignant disease, with no intraoperative mortality. The immediate efficacy rate was 100% , the short-term( lt;30 days) efficacy rate was 94. 5% , and the survival rate in 6 months was 32. 7% . The complications included tumor ingrowth, excessive granulation tissue, stent migration, and restenosis. A total of 14 cases of complicationswere observed, in which two occurred during the short-term period ( lt; 30 days ) and the remaining complications occurred after 30 days. Conclusions Tracheobronchial stents can improve symptoms immediately for the patients with unresectable malignant central airway obstruction with fairly safety. The benefit of airway stents is particularly seen in the short-termperiod and the complications occur mainly after 30 days.
ObjectiveTo investigate the protecting effect of rosiglitazone for lung in airway-instillation- lipopolysaccharides and smoke-induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) rat models.MethodsFifty male Wistar rats with the SPF standard were randomly divided into 5 groups (n=10). The rats were treated by airway-instillation-lipopolysaccharides and exposing to smoking to establish COPD rat models excepted normal group, and the treatment groups were received gavage rosiglitazone of 0.1 mg/kg, 0.15 mg/kg, and 0.2 mg/kg rosiglitazone daily for 30 days, and the normal group or model group was received gavage normal saline. All rats were sacrificed after 30 days' treatment, and the lung tissue section was stained by hematoxylin and eosin. The mean linear intercept (MLI) and mean alveolar numbers (MAN) were measured in all groups. In addition, the protein levels of p-Stat3 and p-NF-κB were detected by immunohistochemistry.ResultsCompared with normal group, the inflammation and emphysema were observed in the lung of rats in model group, and the symptoms of the group treated with rosiglitazone were lighter than normal group. The lungs of rats treated with highest dose of rosiglitazone (0.2 mg/kg) were evaluated with lowest pathology assessment score among three treatment groups, but there was no significant difference of MLI or MAN among three treatment groups. Compared with normal group, the protein levels of p-Stat3 and p-NF-κB were increased in the lung and tracheal epithelium and lymphoid tissue of rats in model group, while the protein levels of p-NF-κB were decreased in these tissues and the protein levels of p-Stat3 were decreased in the lymphoid tissue after treatment with rosiglitazone, but the protein levels of p-Stat3 were not changed in the lung and tracheal epithelium.ConclusionRosiglitazone has a protective effect on the COPD rat models by inhibiting NF-κB pathway to reduce the inflammation of the lung parenchyma.