[Changes in plasma levels of thrombomodulin and D-dimer in children with different types of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the changes in plasma levels of thrombomodulin (TM) and D-dimer (DD) in children with different types of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP), and their role in the pathogenesis of MPP in children. METHODS: Fifty-two children with MMP were divided into lobar pneumonia (n=30) and interstitial pneumonia groups (n=22) and another 30 healthy children were selected as the control group. Plasma levels of TM and D-D were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and latex-enhanced immunoturbidimetric assay, respectively. RESULTS: The lobar pneumonia, interstitial pneumonia and control groups had median plasma TM levels of 23.83, 15.56 and 8.78 µg/L respectively, with significant differences between the three groups (P<0.01). The lobar pneumonia and interstitial pneumonia groups had significantly higher plasma TM levels than the control group (P<0.01), and the lobar pneumonia group had a significantly higher plasma TM level than the interstitial pneumonia group (P<0.05). Median plasma D-D levels in the lobar pneumonia and interstitial pneumonia groups were significantly higher than the reference value (P<0.01). The lobar pneumonia group had a significantly higher plasma D-D level than the interstitial pneumonia group (0.35 µg/mL vs 0.13 µg/mL; P<0.01), and the percentage of patients with elevated plasma D-D levels was significantly higher in the lobar pneumonia group than in the interstitial pneumonia group (87% vs 59%; P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Children with MPP, especially those with lobar pneumonia, have increased plasma levels of TM and D-D. This suggests that damage to vascular endothelial cells and blood hypercoagulability may be involved in the pathogenesis of MPP.

Stenting with high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation for distal biliary obstruction caused by pancreatic carcinoma: a meta-analysis.

Introduction: Between 42% and 77% of patients with distal malignant biliary obstruction (MBO) suffer from pancreatic carcinoma (PC). Aim: To analyse the clinical efficacy of stenting accompanied by high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation in patients with distal MBO from PC. Material and methods: Relevant articles published through March 2021 were identified in the Pubmed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Wanfang, VIP, and CNKI databases. RevMan v5.3 and Stata v12.0 were used for the meta-analysis. Results: Twenty-nine articles were initially identified, and 5 of these were eventually included. These articles described 142 patients who underwent biliary stenting alone and 132 patients who underwent biliary stenting with HIFU ablation. The pooled Δ total bilirubin (TBIL) values were comparable between the 2 treatment groups (p = 0.10). The pooled stent dysfunction rate was significantly greater in the group with stenting alone (p = 0.03), and the pooled HR for the stent patency duration indicated that the duration of stent patency was increased in the stenting with HIFU ablation group (p < 0.0001). Overall survival rates were significantly longer in the stenting with HIFU ablation group (p < 0.0001). HIFU ablation was associated with an 80% pooled clinical response rate. The pooled cholangitis (p = 0.47) and pancreatitis (p = 0.56) rates were comparable between the 2 groups. Funnel plots did not reveal any significant evidence of endpoint-associated publication bias. Conclusions: Stenting with HIFU ablation increased both stent patency and overall survival in patients with distal MBO caused by PC compared to stenting alone.