Perioperative and long-term outcome of thymectomy for myasthenia gravis: comparison of surgical approaches and prognostic analysis / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Thymectomy is an established treatment for myasthenia gravis (MG), and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) thymectomy has become an acceptable surgical procedure. This study aimed to compare the results of VATS thymectomy and open thymectomy and to identify the prognostic factors after thymectomy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical data of 187 consecutive thymectomies performed between July 2000 and December 2009 were retrospectively reviewed; 75 open thymectomies and 112 VATS thymectomies. Clinical efficacy and variables influencing outcome were assessed by Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The operative blood loss in the VATS group was significantly less than that in the open group ((62.14 ± 55.43) ml vs. (137.87 ± 165.25) ml, P < 0.05). The postoperative crisis rate increased with the severity of preoperative MG and the prescription dose of anticholinesterase. Complete follow-up information of patients more than 12 months after the thymectomy was obtained on 151 cases, 89 cases from the VATS group and 62 cases from the open group, with a mean follow-up period of 59.3 months, range from 12 to 117 months. Complete stable remission (CSR) was the end point for evaluation of the treatment results. The overall five-year CSR rate was 57.5%. Two good prognostic factors were identified; preoperative prescription of anticholinesterase alone (P = 0.035) and non-thymomatous MG (P = 0.003). The five-year CSR rate of the ocular type of MG reached a high level of 67.4%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Thymectomy can achieve good long-term CSR in MG, and VATS is an ideal alternative method. High-dose prescription of anticholinesterase and the advanced stage by Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) classification have higher risks of postoperative crisis. Preoperative prescription of anticholinesterase alone and non-thymomatous MG are good prognostic factors. Thymectomy should also be considered for the ocular type of MG.</p>

Complete video-assisted thoracoscopic anatomic segmentectomy for pulmonary diseases: the early experiences / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the safety and feasibility of video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) anatomic segmentectomy for pulmonary diseases.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Between November 2009 and July 2011, 20 patients received consecutive VATS anatomic segmentectomy by single surgical group. There were 3 male and 17 female, aging from 32 to 81 years with a mean of 53 years. The patients included 12 cases of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (5 cases of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma, 6 cases of adenocarcinoma, and 1 case of squamous cell carcinoma), 7 cases of benign diseases (3 cases of bronchiectasis, 2 cases of inflammatory pseudotumor, 1 case of tuberculosis, and 1 case of sclerosing hemangioma) and 1 case of metastasis tumor. The locations of resected segments included 1 anterior segment, 3 posterior segments, 4 apical segments, and 2 superior segments in the right side; and 5 lingular segments, 3 trisegments, and 2 superior segments in the left side. Simultaneously, 3 patients with bronchiectasis underwent segmentectomy and lobectomy, 1 of 6 patients with adenocarcinoma underwent lingulectomy and thymectomy. The pathological TNM stages of 12 NSCLC patients were 9 cases of T1aN0M0, 1 case of T1bN0M0 and 2 cases of T2aN0M0.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of these 20 patients, the median operative time was 155 minutes (range, 120 to 235 minutes), the median blood loss was 50 ml (range, 10 to 600 ml), the median drainage duration was 3 d (range, 1 to 6 d), and the median hospital stay was 6 d (range, 3 to 9 d). One patient who had undergone lingulectomy had a 600 ml intraoperative bleeding from lingular artery, and the bleeding was controlled by suturing the rupture under VATS. Bloody sputum occurred in 2 patients, prolonged air leak occurred in one patient for 5 days, and one patient developed subcutaneous emphysema that spontaneously resolved. No mortality was observed for 30 days after the surgery.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>VATS anatomic segmentectomy is a feasible and safe technique with acceptable operative time, less blood loss, fewer complications, and shorter hospital stay.</p>

Challenges for rear hospital care of Wenchuan earthquake casualties: experience from West China Hospital / 中华创伤杂志(英文版)

To review the challenges and countermeasures in the hospital care for Wenchuan earthquake casualties and draw lessons for the protective response in the future. Medical records and laboratory findings of the victims admitted in West China Hospital (WCH) were retrospectively analyzed. Related data were compared between beforemath and aftermath of the earthquake and between WCH and frontier county hospitals. One thousand and thirty-one earthquake survivors were hospitalized, 1 358 victims underwent surgery and 142 victims were transferred to intensive care unit. The incidence of infection, crush syndrome and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) was 39.6%, 20.7% and 2.3% respectively. Wound classification showed that the incidence of extremity damage was 72%, while the incidence of chest trauma, abdominal trauma and brain trauma was less than 10% respectively. Isolating rates of environmental pathogens were increased in the aftermath of earthquake, and the spectrum of the pathogens and related antibiotic sensitivities were quite different from those in the beforemath of earthquake. The social economic and population conditions in the earthquake-stricken areas affected the composition of the victims and the geographic features restricted the efficiency of rescue. Trauma-induced MODS, crush syndrome and severe infections all constituted the dilemma for the hospital care, to resolve whether the multidiscipline team work was proved to be an optimizing choice. For a more effective disaster protective response in the future, the study on rescue plan and the ladder therapies for massive casualties should be potentiated.

Expression of Fas ligand protein in human non-small cell lung cancer and its clinical significance / 第三军医大学学报

Objective　To explore the expression of Fas ligan d (FasL) protein in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its clinic al significance. Methods　Expression of FasL protein was detecte d by immunohistochemical method in 32 resected tumors of NSCLC. Results 　FasL protein was detected in all of these 32 resected tumors with variant pos itive expression levels ranging from 3.0% to 98.7% ［mean (62.0±32.0)%］. T here wa s significant difference between the tumors of different pathological types no s ignificant difference was found between the tumors of different differentiation nor among the tumors of different pTNM stages (P>0.05). Conclusion　 The results indicated that NSCLC can counterattack the immune cells of t he body and may be the molecular basis for the easily metastasis of adenocarcino ma to in the early stage.

Expression of Fas ligand protein in human non-small cell lung cancer and its clinical significance / 第三军医大学学报

Objective　To explore the expression of Fas ligan d (FasL) protein in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its clinic al significance. Methods　Expression of FasL protein was detecte d by immunohistochemical method in 32 resected tumors of NSCLC. Results 　FasL protein was detected in all of these 32 resected tumors with variant pos itive expression levels ranging from 3.0% to 98.7% ［mean (62.0±32.0)%］. T here wa s significant difference between the tumors of different pathological types no s ignificant difference was found between the tumors of different differentiation nor among the tumors of different pTNM stages (P>0.05). Conclusion　 The results indicated that NSCLC can counterattack the immune cells of t he body and may be the molecular basis for the easily metastasis of adenocarcino ma to in the early stage.