Clinical features of different stage subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord.

Subacute combined degeneration (SCD), caused by vitamin B12 disorders, leads to severe degeneration of the spinal cord. Thus, it is significant to make timely diagnosis and treatment options of SCD. The objectives were to summarize clinical features of different sate SCD. Clinical data of 42 SCD patients of spinal cord were retrospectively analyzed, which were classified into early stage, middle stage and late stage SCD. Among the patients, 9 were classified into early stage, 22 into middle stage, and 11 into late stage SCD. Total cholesterol and hemoglobin levels were relatively higher in late stage SCD. In contrast, mean corpusular volume (MCV) level was higher in early stage SCD. There were typical abnormalities only in 8 patients on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and a dynamia was a common neurological abnormality in all patients. Importantly, the differences in abnormal findings in anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) testing, visual acuity and fundus testing were statistically significant in different stage SCD (P < .05). There were correlation between most variances with SCD stage. Strikingly, there existed close relationship between enhanced levels of blood glucose (r = -0.289, P = .066), glycated hemoglobin (GHB) (r = -0.288, P = .068) and homocysteine (r = -0.563, P = .000), abnormal visual findings (r = 0.309, P = .049) and megaloblastic anemia (r = -0.295, P = .061) with different SCD stage, among which abnormal visual findings were closely associated with middle stage SCD. Moreover, levels of total cholesterol, blood glucose, homocysteine and abnormal finding of visual acuity were significant in diagnosis and clinical staging of SCD (P < .05). Although MRI scanning and serum vitamin B12 level were widely used for SCD diagnosis, neurological examination and homocysteine level may be more potentially valuable indexes for SCD diagnosis and staging.

Prognostic value of red blood cell distribution width in patients with acute pulmonary embolism: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Prior reports have suggested that the red blood cell distribution width (RDW) parameter could be measured as a prognostic indicator in pulmonary embolism (PE) patients, thereby helping to guide their care. However, no systematic analyses on this topic have been completed to date, and the exact relationship between RDW and PE remains to be fully clarified. We will therefore conduct a systematic literature review with the goal of defining the correlation between RDW and mortality in acute PE cases. METHODS: The EMBASE, Web of Knowledge, PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Cochrane Library databases will be searched for all relevant studies published from inception through March 2021 using the following search strategy: ("red blood cell distribution width") AND ("pulmonary embolism"). Two authors will independently identify eligible studies and extract data. The Q and I2 statistics will be used to judge heterogeneity among studies. RESULTS: This study will establish the relative efficacy of RDW as a metric for predicting PE patient mortality. CONCLUSIONS: This study will offer a reliable, evidence-based foundation for the clinical utilization of RDW as a tool for gauging mortality risk in acute PE patients. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: As this is a protocol for a systematic review of previously published data, no ethical approval is required. Electronic dissemination of study results will be done through a peer-review publication or represented at a related conference.

Effectiveness and safety of Liuhe Pill for treating gout: A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Liuhe Pill as a famous traditional Chinese medicine formula is usually used to treat gout, acute pancreatitis, and cellulitis in China. But at present, there is no systematic evaluation report on its therapeutic effectiveness and safety of Liuhe Pill for treating gout. This protocol aims to assess the efficacy and safety of Liuhe Pill for treating gout. METHODS: We will search the Web of Knowledge, EMBASEWANFANG DATA, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov and Cochrane Library from inception to October 31, 2021 to retrieve relevant studies. We will also search citations of relevant primary and review. Authors of abstract in the meeting will be further searched in PubMed for potential full articles. To minimize the risk of publication bias, we will conduct a comprehensive search that included strategies to find published and unpublished studies. Two authors independently judged study eligibility and extracted data. Heterogeneity will be examined by computing the Q statistic and I2 statistic. RESULTS: This study assessed the efficiency and safety of Liuhe Pill for treating gout. CONCLUSIONS: This study will provide reliable evidence-based evidence for the clinical application of Liuhe Pill for treating gout.