Objective To investigate the clinical outcomes of subxiphoid video-assisted thoracoscopic thymectomy for myasthenia gravis. Methods The clinical data of the 85 patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic thymectomy for myasthenia gravis in Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Huashan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University between January 2014 and July 2016 were studied. Subxiphoid approach video-assisted thoracoscopic thymectomy (SXVT) and through traditional unilateral approach video-assisted thymectomy (TVAT) were compared. The clinical outcomes of SXVT and TVAT were compared. Results There was no surgical death and no statistical difference between the two groups in drainage time, postoperative volume of drainage, postoperative hospital stay and bleeding volume during operation (P>0.05). However, the acute chest pain after surgery, as well as the postoperative chest pain, and operative time were less in the the SXVT group than that in the TVAT group (P<0.05). Conclusion SXVT for myasthenia gravis is safe and executable. It can alleviate intercostal neuralgia and abnormal chest wall feeling. And it should be considered in the treatment of myasthenia gravis.
ObjectiveTo investigate whether treatment of rivaroxaban, an approved oral direct coagulation factor Xa inhibitor, attenuates functional changes in LPS -induced acute lung injury (ALI) mouse.MethodsC57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into PBS group, N-LPS group, L-LPS group, and H-LPS group. In the C57BL/6 mice being fed chow containing 0.2 mg/g or 0.4 mg/g rivaroxaban for 10 days (L-LPS group and H-LPS group), plasma concentration and coagulation indices were measured. Next, the role of rivaroxaban in ALI by using mice fed by rivaroxaban was studied in a murine ALI model induced by direct intratracheal injection lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Lung injury by histopathological scoring, micro computed tomography, pulmonary edema, inflammatory cell recruitment and activity of inflammatory cytokines in lung tissue or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were assessed. Western blot and immunohistochemistry were performed to examine expression of multiple proteins, including myeloperoxidase, protease-activatedreceptor 2 (PAR-2) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB).ResultsThe increased plasma concentration of rivaroxaban and the prolonged prothrombin time were displayed in the mice with rivaroxaban treatment. Rivaroxaban treatment groups showed significant reductions in neutrophil sequestration and preservation of the lung tissue architecture compared to the LPS positive control (P<0.05). Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels, in addition to total protein and Evans blue concentration were all significantly reduced in BALF from the mice treated with the chow containing rivaroxaban. Administration of rivaroxaban ameliorated ALI with concomitant reductions in the expression of PAR-2 and proinflammatory cytokines. LPS-induced PAR-2 increase and NF-κB activation were also suppressed by rivaroxaban in lung tissues. Furthermore, rivaroxaban inhibited the phosphorylation levels of P65 in ALI.ConclusionsThe results demonstrate that rivaroxaban effectively attenuates LPS-induced inflammatory responses by noncoagulative pathway in ALI. The beneficial effects are associated with the decreased phosphorylation of NF-κB pathways and the reduced expression of PAR-2.