Correlation analysis between serum interleukin-6 and central nervous injury in septic patients / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the relationship between interleukin-6 (IL-6) production and central nervous injury in septic patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty-two septic patients without central nervous system diseases were examined for serum IL-6 and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) levels, and the serum NSE levels and APACHEII scores were compared between patients with low, moderate, and high serum IL-6 levels. The correlations between NSE, APACHEII and serum IL-6 were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In patients with low, moderate, and high serum IL-6 levels, the serum levels of NSE were 10.29∓4.05, 16.06∓5.84 and 23.97∓3.28 µg/L, respectively, showing a significant difference between the 3 groups (P<0.001). The APACHEII scores also differed significantly between the 3 groups (14.17∓4.67, 16.40∓4.84, and 24.00∓6.26, respectively, P=0.009). Correlation analysis showed significant positive correlations of IL-6 with NSE (r=0.788, P<0.001) and with APACHEII scores (r=0.733, P<0.001).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>In septic patients, serum IL-6 level is significantly correlated with the severity of sepsis and brain injury, and can be used as a marker to monitor brain injury in septic patients.</p>

Organ-protective effect of continuous renal replacement therapy in a patient with severe polymyositis and dermatomyositis / 南方医科大学学报

A patient with skin rash, skin denudation, anuria, general dropsy and dyspnea for unknown etiology underwent continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) for 3 consecutive days. The biochemical indexes were monitored during the therapy and biopsy was performed on the right thigh. Pathological examination of the biopsy sample established the diagnosis of polymyositis(PM) and dermatomyositis(DM). After the start of CRRT, the patient's heart, liver, kidney and lung injuries showed obvious improvement, and the urine volume (UV) increased and serum creatinine (Cr), urea, total bilirubin (TBIL), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels all decreased promptly. The patient showed progressive improvement of the physiological condition even after CRRT, and was discharged 10 days later. This case suggests the efficacy of CRRT in the management of severe PM/DM and its value as a good option for treatment of severe autoimmune disease, especially systemic inflammatory response syndrome.