Perineural versus intravenous dexamethasone as an adjuvant in regional anesthesia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Dexamethasone is a common adjuvant for local anesthetics in regional anesthesia, but the optimal route of administration is controversial. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to assess the effect of perineural versus intravenous dexamethasone on local anesthetic regional nerve-blockade outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medline (through PubMed), Embase, Cochrane, Web of Science, and Biosis Previews databases were systematically searched (published from inception of each database to January 1, 2017) to identify randomized controlled trials. The data of the selected trials were statistically analyzed to find any significant differences between the two modalities. The primary outcome was the duration of analgesia. Secondary outcomes included duration of motor block, postoperative nausea and vomiting, and postoperative analgesic dose at 24 hours. We conducted a planned subgroup analysis to compare the effects between adding epinephrine or not. RESULTS: Ten randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria of our analysis, with a total of 749 patients. Without the addition of epinephrine, the effects of perineural and intravenous dexamethasone were equivalent concerning the duration of analgesia (mean difference 0.03 hours, 95% CI -0.17 to 0.24). However, with the addition of epinephrine, the analgesic duration of perineural dexamethasone versus intravenous dexamethasone was prolonged (mean difference 3.96 hours, 95% CI 2.66-5.27). Likewise, the impact of epinephrine was the same on the duration of motor block. The two routes of administration did not show any significant differences in the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting, nor on postoperative analgesic consumption at 24 hours. CONCLUSION: Our results show that perineural dexamethasone can prolong the effects of analgesic duration when compared to the intravenous route, only when epinephrine is coadministered. Without epinephrine, the two modalities show equivalent effect as adjuvants on regional anesthesia.

Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem-Cell Transplantation Promotes Functional Improvement Associated with CNTF-STAT3 Activation after Hemi-Sectioned Spinal Cord Injury in Tree Shrews.

Hemi-sectioned spinal cord injury (hSCI) can lead to spastic paralysis on the injured side, as well as flaccid paralysis on the contralateral side, which can negatively affect a patient's daily life. Stem-cell therapy may offer an effective treatment option for individuals with hSCI. To examine the role of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) transplantation on hSCI and explore related mechanisms in the tree shrews, here, we created a model of hSCI by inducing injury at the tenth thoracic vertebra (T10). Hoechst 33342-labeled BMSCs derived from adult tree shrews were isolated, cultured, and implanted into the spinal cord around the injury site at 9 days after injury. The isolated BMSCs were able to survive, proliferate and release a variety of neurotrophic factors (NTFs) both in vitro and in vivo. At 28 days after injury, compared with the sham group, the hSCI group displayed scar formation and dramatic elevations in the mean interleukin 1 beta (IL-1ß) density and cell apoptosis level, whereas the expression of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) mRNA was reduced. Following BMSC transplantation, motoneurons extent of shrinkage were reduced and the animals' Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) locomotion scale scores were significantly higher at 21 and 28 days after injury when compared with the injured group. Moreover, the hSCI-induced elevations in scar formation, IL-1ß, and cell apoptosis were reduced by BMSC transplantation to levels that were close to those of the sham group. Corresponding elevations in the expression of STAT3 and CNTF mRNA were observed in the hSCI + BMSCs group, and the levels were not significantly different from those observed in the sham group. Together, our results support that grafted BMSCs can significantly improve locomotor function in tree shrews subjected to hSCI and that this improvement is associated with the upregulation of CNTF and STAT3 signaling.

Prognostic factors for mortality in patients with bullous pemphigoid: a meta-analysis.

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is a chronic debilitating autoimmune blistering disease that frequently occurs in the elderly population. Previous studies have suggested a high morbidity and mortality associated with BP. However, relatively few studies have investigated prognostic factors of BP mortality, and they showed considerably various results. This meta-analysis aimed to quantitatively assess the association between several potential prognostic factors and risk of mortality in bullous pemphigoid. A comprehensive search was performed using Pubmed, Embase, and Cochrane Library. Cohort studies that assessed prognostic factors of BP mortality were included. Random-effects model was utilized to calculate the pooled hazard ratio (HR). Publication bias was evaluated qualitatively by constructing a funnel plot and quantitatively by conducting Egger's test. 14 studies were included comprising 2499 patients. Combined HRs suggested that advanced age (HR 1.63, 95% CI 1.34-1.97), presence of circulating antibodies (HR 1.77, 95% CI 1.20-2.62), concomitant dementia (HR 2.01, 95% CI 1.22-3.33), and concomitant stroke (HR 1.86, 95% CI 1.29-2.67) have an unfavorable impact on patient survival. Gender, disease extent, mucosal involvement, and indirect immunofluorescence result were not shown to be linked to mortality by our analysis. This study indicated that BP patients with older age, circulating antibodies, dementia, and stroke are at greater risk of mortality. Clinicians should be aware of this association and utilize this information in patient education and treatment process.