Role of complement system in the pathogenesis and development of COVID-19 / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection. Systemic inflammatory response is one of the crucial pathogenic mechanisms. As a key component of the innate immune system, the complement system can quickly provoke an inflammatory reaction against infectious pathogens, serving as a defense mechanism of the body. Studies have showed that the inflammatory storm caused by over-activation of the complement plays a critical role in the development of COVID-19, and blocking or regulating the complement cascade has a certain therapeutic effect on patients with COVID-19. In this review, the roles of the complement system in the pathogenesis and development of COVID-19 were summarized.

Clinical study on the efficacy and safety of percutaneous endoscopic anterior cervical discectomy in the treatment of cervical disc herniation.

PURPOSE: To compare the clinical efficacy of anterior percutaneous endoscopic cervical discectomy (APECD) and anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF) in the treatment of cervical disc herniation. METHODS: A total of 115 cases of cervical disc herniation treated in our hospital from May 2016 to August 2018 were selected. The subjects were divided into APECD and ACDF groups. The operation time, intra-operative blood loss, and hospital stay of the two groups were recorded and compared, and the clinical symptoms were recorded at one week, one year, and two years after the operation. The neck and upper limb visual analog scale (VAS) score, Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score, cervical range of motion (ROM), post-operative cervical lordosis angle and adjacent vertebral body height were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: All 115 patients underwent successful operations. The intra-operative blood loss and operation time in the APECD group were significantly less than those in the ACDF group (P < 0.05). There were no oesophago-tracheal sheaths, carotid artery sheaths, cervical sympathetic trunks, vertebral artery injuries, or dural tears in the two groups. The JOA and VAS scores of the two groups significantly improved from pre- to post-operatively, but there were no significant differences between the two groups at the last follow-up (P > 0.05). The post-operative radiological results showed that the herniated cervical intervertebral disc was removed completely. One year after the operation, the cervical lordosis angle increased significantly in both groups (P < 0.05). However, ROM decreased significantly in the ACDF group (P < 0.05), and there was no significant change in ROM in the APECD group (P > 0.05). The cervical lordosis angle did not significantly differ between the two groups at the last follow-up (P > 0.05), but there was a significant difference in ROM between the two groups at the last follow-up (P < 0.05). In the ACDF group, the height of the adjacent vertebral body increased 1 year after the operation (P < 0.05). In the APECD group, the height of the adjacent vertebral body decreased one year after the operation, but the value was not significantly different from the pre-operative value (P > 0.05). There was a significant difference in the height of the adjacent vertebral body between the two groups at the last follow-up (P < 0.05). The incidence of post-operative complications did not significantly differ between the two groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: APECD is a minimally invasive treatment that is safe and effective. The medium- and short-term effects of APECD and ACDF in the treatment of cervical disc herniation are similar. In addition, APECD is superior to ACDF in the operation time, intra-operative blood loss, and ROM. However, prospective, multicenter studies with longer follow-up periods need to be conducted, and the recurrence rate and intervertebral height loss need to be studied.

Trans-interlamina percutaneous endoscopic cervical discectomy for symptomatic cervical spondylotic radiculopathy using the new Delta system.

To describe the rationale and surgical technique and compare the clinical effect of posterior percutaneous endoscopic cervical discectomy (PPECD) using the Delta system versus that of conventional PPECD (key-hole) surgery for the treatment of symptomatic cervical spondylotic radiculopathy (CSR). A retrospective analysis was performed on 106 single-segment CSR patients between February 2016 and February 2017, 50 of whom underwent conventional PPECD (key-hole), and 56 underwent PPECD using the Delta system. The operative time, intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative complications and postoperative hospital stay were recorded, and the clinical effect was evaluated by the indicators of the Neck Disability Index (NDI), arm-visual analog scale (arm-VAS), neck-VAS, EQ-5D and MacNab classification at the last follow-up. All patients underwent the operation successfully, and 106 patients were followed up. The operative time of the Delta group was 60.47 ± 0.71 min, while the operative time of the key-hole group was 75.46 ± 0.41 min. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of blood loss and hospital stay (P > 0.05). The VAS, NDI and EQ-5D scores of the neck and upper limbs in the two groups were significantly better than those before surgery at 1 week after surgery and at the last follow-up (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference between the two groups at the last follow-up (P > 0.05). At the last follow-up, there was no significant difference between the two surgical methods when evaluated using the modified MacNab criteria. The imaging results showed that the herniated disc was removed completely and the nerve root was decompressed. The complication rate in the Delta group (3/56, 5.35%) was significantly lower than that in the conventional key-hole group (5/50, 10.0%). PPECD using the Delta system for CSR may be a feasible and promising alternative surgical plan. Compared with the traditional key-hole method, this surgical system can not only provide the surgeon with a larger surgical field of vision but also reduces the operation time and complication rates.

"U" route transforaminal percutaneous endoscopic thoracic discectomy as a new treatment for thoracic spinal stenosis.

PURPOSES: To describe the rationale, surgical technique, and short-term follow-up results of a new minimally invasive treatment for thoracic spinal stenosis (TSS) caused by herniation, ossification of the ligamentum flavum (OLF), and/or ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) with a "U" route transforaminal percutaneous endoscopic thoracic discectomy (PETD). METHODS: Fourteen patients, including seven males and seven females, underwent "U" route PETD. Myelopathy was caused by OLF in 14 patients, OPLL in one, combined OLF-OPLL in ten, and intervertebral disc herniation (IDH) in five. Decompression was performed in one segment in 12 patients, and in two segments in two patients. The Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) scores, visual analog scale (VAS) scores, and complications were documented. RESULTS: The JOA scores improved from 4.64 ± 2.31 pre-operatively to 7.07 ± 1.59 one day post-operatively and 11.79 ± 1.85 at final follow-up. The difference between pre-operation and post-operation was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Moreover, the VAS score was 6.07 ± 2.06 points pre-operatively, decreasing to 3.00 ± 1.24 points at one day post-operatively, and 1.14 ± 0.86 points at last follow-up (P < 0.05). Dural tear was observed in two cases during the intervention. No patient had transient worsening of pre-operative paralysis. CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective analysis shows that "U" route PETD for decompression may be a feasible alternative to treat thoracic spinal stenosis.

TAFRO syndrome: a case report with literature review / 中华风湿病学杂志

Objective To better understand the clinical features and the diagnosis of TAFRO syndrome.Methods The clinical data of a patient were analyzed and the related literatures were reviewed.Results A 51-year-old male characterized by fever,edema of the legs,serous cavity effusion,throm-bocyto-penia,and renal dysfunction;Kidney biopsy suggested a diagnosis of endocapillary proliferative glomerulon-ephritis and thrombotic microangiopathy.The pathology of lymph node biopsy supported the diagnosis of Castleman disease.After administering with glucocorticoids and supportive platelet transfusion,the clinical symptoms relieved.Conclusion Symptoms of patients with TAFRO syndrome are variable.The diagnosis relies on history and pathological examination.Currently,glucocorticoids can be used as first line therapy.TAFRO syndrome should be thoroughly investigated for differentiating with other diseases.

Effects of alpha lipoic acid on diabetic retinopathy and serum levels of serum asymmetric dimethylarginine and oxidative stress / 中国医师杂志

Objective To investigate the effects of alpha lipoic acid on patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR),explore the possible mechanisms,and provide experimental evidence for the treatment of DR with lipoic acid.Methods Totally 75 DR patients were randomly divided into control group and treatment group.Patients in control group received the standard hypoglycemic treatment,antihypertensive therapy,and other comprehensive treatment.Patients from the treatment group were treated with alpha lipoic acid 600 mg + 250 ml 0.9％ sodium chloride injection additionally,avoiding light intravenous therapy,for a total of 4 weeks.Before and after treatment,fundus fluorescein angiography and visual inspection were detected in two groups.In addition,serum level of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) were detected with high performance liquid chromatography,serum lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde (MDA) content and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were detected to reflect the in vivo oxidative stress before and after treatment in two groups.Results Compared to the control group,visual acuity was improved significantly (P ＜ 0.05),and total efficiency of ocular lesions-improved was increased significantly (84.21％ vs 40.54％,x2 =15.28,P ＜ 0.01).Serum levels of endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase ADMA [(0.32 ±0.13) μmol/L vs (0.51 ± 0.26) μmol/L,P ＜ 0.05] and MDA [(3.22 ± 0.90) nmol/L vs (5.13 ± 0.42) nmol/ml,P ＜ 0.05] were significantly decreased,while SOD levels [(72.68 ± 1.31) U/ml vs (53.16 ± 1.54) U/ml,P ＜0.05] were significantly increased in DR patients after alpha lipoic acid treatment.Conclusions Alpha lipoic acid had some therapeutic effects for DR patients,which mainly lied in the improvement of visual acuity and eye disease,might be related to the decrease of oxidative stress and serum level of endogenous nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor ADMA.

Application of magnetic compression anastomosis in one-stage repair of the intestinal leakage / 中华消化外科杂志

Objective To explore a new method for one-stage repair of the intestinal leakage based on the principle of magnetic compression anastomosis. Methods Twenty-four dogs were randomly divided into experimental group (n = 12) and control group (n = 12) according to random number table. The model of upper and multiple intestinal leakages was established by making transverse incisions of 1 cm in length on the jejunum wall about 50 cm and 100 cm away from the Treitz ligament. Forty-eight hours later, two NdFeB magnetic rings with the magnetic flux of 2500 G were put into the intestine from the leak sites. The leak sites were pressed between the two rings. The ventages in the control group were sutured. The condition of the dogs was observed after the repair of the leakage. The excreting time was recorded, and the leakage pressures of the anastomotic stoma were detected.The positions of the magnetic rings in the experimental group were detected by X ray. Tissues of the anastomotic stoma were processed by hematoxylin eosin and Masson staining. All data were analyzed using the two-sample t test. Results Severe abdominal infection occurred 48 hours after the establishment of the model. All the intestinal leakages in the experimental group were successfully repaired and the dogs survived for a long time. The magnetic rings were excreted six or seven days after the repair. Eight dogs of the control group survived. The leakage pressure of the anastomotic stoma seven days after the repair was (134 ±23)mm Hg (1 mm Hg =0. 133 kPa) in the experimental group and (91 ± 18)mm Hg in the control group, respectively, with a significant difference between the two groups (t = 3.225, P ＜ 0.05). The leakage pressure of the anastomotic stoma 14 days after the repair was (281 ±7)mm Hg in the experimental group and (271 ±21) mm Hg in the control group, respectively, with no significant difference between the two groups (t =0. 988, P ＞ 0.05). Histological observation showed that after the magnetic compression anastomosis, the intestinal muscle and mucosa recovered well, inflammatory reaction was slight and less collagen fiber and scar was formed. Conclusions Application of magnetic ring with the magnetic flux of 2500 G in one-stage repair of the intestinal leakage in the state of severe abdominal infection is safe and reliable.