Nutritional status of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and anti-tuberculosis treatment effect / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: Objective To investigate the nutritional status of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and its effects on conventional anti-tuberculosis treatment, so as to provide a basis for improving the efficacy of conventional treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis. Methods The relevant data of 168 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis admitted to Suining Central Hospital from April 2020 to April 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Nutritional status of the patients before treatment was investigated using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) score, and the influencing factors of nutritional status before treatment were analyzed. Therapeutic effects of anti-tuberculosis drugs in the non-nutritional risk group and the nutritional risk group were comparatively analyzed. Results Among the 168 patients, 64 were assessed as having good nutritional status before treatment, 59 had the risk of malnutrition and 45 were malnourished according to the MNA score. Univariate analysis and linear regression analysis showed that age, underlying diseases, and clinical symptoms were factors affecting the MNA score before treatment (t=3.173, 3.718, 2.018, P all<0.05); whereas gender and education level were not factors affecting MNA score before treatment (t=0.065, 0.059, P all>0.05). According to the MNA score before treatment, the patients were dividedinto a non-nutritional risk group (MNA score > 23.5) and a nutritional risk group (MNA score ≤23.5). The negative conversion rate of sputum bacteria, effective rate of focal absorption in the non-nutritional risk group were 92.19% (59/64)and90.63% (58/64) , respectively, which were significantly higher than corresponding 79.85% (82/104)and76.92% (80/104) in the nutritional risk group. The drug resistance rate, adverse reaction rate, and average treatment cost of the no nutritional risk group and nutritional risk group were 7.81% (5/64) and 21.15% (12/104), 15.63% (10/64) and 31.73% (33/104), (0.62±0.13) million yuan and (0.89±0.26) million yuan, respectively, with significant differences (χ2=5.228, 5.071, 7.685, 5.396, 7.728, P all<0.05). Conclusions Patients with pulmonary tuberculosis exhibit poor nutritional status before treatment. The patients’nutritional status is easily affected by age, underlying diseases, and clinical symptoms, thereby affecting the effect of anti-tuberculosis treatment. Therefore, early nutritional intervention for tuberculosis patients should be recommended in order to prevent malnutrition and enhance the effectiveness of anti-tuberculosis treatment.

Expert consensus workshop report: Guidelines for thermal ablation of thyroid tumors (2019 edition)

As a treatment option for cancer, thermal ablation has satisfactory effects on many types of solid tumors (such as liver and renal cancers). However, its clinical applications for the treatment of thyroid nodules and metastatic cervical lymph nodes are still under debate both in China and abroad. In 2015, the “Zhejiang Expert consensus on thermal ablation for thyroid benign nodules, microcarcinoma, and metastatic cervical lymph nodes (2015 edition),” was released by the Thyroid Cancer Committee of Zhejiang Anti-Cancer Association, China. To further standardize the application of thermal ablation for thyroid tumors, the Thyroid Tumor Ablation Experts Group of Chinese Medical Doctor Association has organized many seminars and finally produced a consensus to formulate the “Expert consensus workshop report: Guidelines for thermal ablation of thyroid tumors (2019 edition).”

Diagnostic accuracy of contrast-enhanced ultrasound for detecting bland thrombus from inferior vena cava tumor thrombus in patients with renal cell carcinoma

ABSTRACT Purpose: To evaluate the role of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in differentiating bland thrombus from tumor thrombus of the inferior vena cava (IVC) in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively investigated 30 consecutive patients who underwent robot-assisted radical nephrectomy with IVC thrombectomy and had pathologically confirmed RCC. All patients underwent US and CEUS examination. Two off-line readers observed and recorded thrombus imaging information and enhancement patterns. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value and negative predictive value for bland thrombus were assessed. Results: Of the 30 patients, no adverse events occurred during administration of the contrast agent. Early enhancement of the mass within the IVC lumen on CEUS was an indicator of tumor thrombus. Bland thrombus showed no intraluminal flow on CEUS. There were eight (26.7%) patients with bland thrombus, including three level II, two level III, and three level IV. There were three cases with cephalic bland thrombus and five cases with caudal bland thrombus. Three caudal bland thrombi extended to the iliac vein and underwent surgical IVC interruption. Based on no intraluminal flow, for bland thrombus, CEUS had 87.5% sensitivity, 100% specificity, 96.7% accuracy, 100% positive predictive value and 95.6% negative predictive value. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates the potential of CEUS in the differentiation of bland and tumor thrombus of the IVC in patients with RCC. Since CEUS is an effective, inexpensive, and non-invasive method, it could be a reliable tool in the evaluation of IVC thrombus in patients with RCC.

Repeatability of the "flash-replenishment" method in contrast-enhanced ultrasound for the quantitative assessment of hepatic microvascular perfusion

This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and repeatability of the flash-replenishment method in contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) perfusion imaging and assess quantitatively microvascular perfusion in the liver. Twenty healthy New Zealand rabbits were submitted to CEUS perfusion imaging with continuous intravenous infusion. Using flash-replenishment kinetics, the dynamic process of depletion and refilling of microbubble contrast agent was recorded. The hepatic microvascular perfusion parameters were calculated, including region of interest, peak intensity (PI), area under the curve (AUC), and hepatic artery to vein transit time (HA-HVTT). A consistency test was performed for multiple measurements by the same operator and blind measurements by two different operators. The hepatic perfusion imaging of 3×108 bubbles/min had minimal error and the best imaging effect and repeatability. The variability of the perfusion parameter measured at 3 cm depth under the liver capsule was at a minimum with coefficient of variation of 3.9%. The interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of measurements taken by the same operator was 0.985, (95% confidence interval, CI=0.927-0.998). Measurements taken by two operators had good consistency and reliability, with the ICC of 0.948 (95%CI=0.853-0.982). The PI and AUC of liver parenchyma after reperfusion were lower than before blocking; and HA-HVTT was significantly longer than before blocking (P<0.05). The flash-replenishment method in CEUS perfusion imaging showed good stability and repeatability, which provide a valuable experimental basis for the quantitative assessment of hepatic microvascular perfusion in clinical practice.