Nasal drip of dexmedetomidine for optimal sedation during PICC insertion in pediatric burn care.

BACKGROUND: For peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) inserting, tranquil cooperation of children for an extended period is often required. Therefore, sedation is routinely induced clinically prior to PICC inserting. Chloral hydrate is a commonly used sedative for children. However, its clinical acceptance has remained low. And the sedation effect is non-satisfactory. Previous studies have confirmed the safety and effectiveness of intravenous/oral dosing or nasal dripping for sedation during the examinations of electrocardiography and computed tomography. Yet few studies have assessed the sedating efficacy of dexmedetomidine nasal drops for PICC inserting. METHODS: From a cohort of 40 hospitalized patients scheduled for PICC inserting, 15 children employing a novel sedative mode of dexmedetomidine nasal drops at a dose of 2 ug/kg were assigned into group A while group B included another 25 children sedated routinely via an enema of 10% chloral hydrate at a dose of 0.5 mL/kg. The Ramsay's scoring criteria were utilized for assessing the status of sedation. Two groups were observed with regards to success rate of sedation, onset time of sedation and occurrences of adverse reactions. RESULTS: Statistical inter-group differences existed in success rate and onset time of sedation. The success rate of group A was higher than that of group B (93.3% vs 64.0%, X2 = 4.302, P = .038 < 0.05). Group A had a faster onset of sedation than group B (14.86 ± 2.57 vs 19.06 ± 3.40 minutes, t = 3.781, P = .001 < 0.05). No inter-group difference of statistical significance existed in occurrence of adverse reactions (P = 1.000 > 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that the success rate of sedation in group A was higher than that in group B, and the difference was statistically significant (P = .036 < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: For sedating burn children, nasal dripping of dexmedetomidine is both safe and effective during PICC inserting. Without any obvious adverse reaction, it may relieve sufferings and enhance acceptance.

Efficacy of combination of localized closure, ethacridine lactate dressing, and phototherapy in treatment of severe extravasation injuries: A case series.

BACKGROUND: The management of severe extravasation injuries is still controversial. Extravasation injuries can be treated in many ways. AIM: To present a series of patients with severe extravasation injuries due to infusion who were managed with ethacridine lactate dressing combined with localized closure and phototherapy. METHODS: In this study, we evaluated the data of eight patients, including six from the Department of Burn, one (with colorectal carcinoma) from the Veteran Cadre Department, and one (with leukemia) from the Hematology Department. Of these, three patients were male and five were female. Age of the patients ranged from 10 mo to 72 years, including two children (10 and 19 mo of age). In this study, the infusion was stopped immediately when the extravasation was identified. The extravasation event was managed routinely using a blocking solution. A ring-shaped localized closure was performed using the blocking agents. Moreover, ethacridine lactate dressing and phototherapy were applied for 3-5 d. RESULTS: In this study, the drugs contained in the infusates were iodixanol, norepinephrine, alprostadil, amino acids, fat emulsion, cefoselis, cefoxitin, and potassium chloride + concentrated sodium chloride. All of the patients achieved complete healing after treatment and no obvious adverse reactions were observed. CONCLUSION: The treatment of severe extravasation injuries using a combination of localized closure, ethacridine lactate dressing, and phototherapy resulted in satisfactory outcomes in patients.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Xiaoai Jiedu Recipe Suppresses the Development of Hepatocellular Carcinoma via Regulating the microRNA-29a/Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 Axis.

OBJECTIVE: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most frequent and lethal tumors affecting human health worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-cancer effects of Xiaoai Jiedu Recipe (XJR) on HCC development and its underlying mechanisms. METHODS: The expression of microRNA-29a (miR-29a) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in HCC tissues and cells was determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells were measured by 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide, wound-healing, and transwell assays, respectively. The regulatory relationship between miR-29a and STAT3 in HCC was predicted by TargetScan and analyzed by luciferase reporter and RNA pull-down assays. The protein expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2/9 and STAT3 was detected by Western blotting. A xenograft tumor mouse model was established, and tumor weight and volume were measured. RESULTS: The expression of miR-29a was significantly decreased in HCC tissues and cells compared with that in normal tissues and cells. The up-regulation of miR-29a was related with lymph node metastasis and tumor node metastasis stage. XJR treatment significantly increased the expression of miR-29a, decreased cell viability, migration, and invasion, and reduced the protein expression of MMP-2/9 in HCC cells in a concentration-dependent manner. The anti-tumor effect of XJR on HCC cells was reversed by treatment with miR-29a inhibitor. STAT3 was predicted as a target of miR-29a, and its expression was negatively regulated by miR-29a. Moreover, STAT3 knockdown suppressed the malignant behavior of HCC cells, and its anti-tumor function was reversed by treatment with miR-29a inhibitor. Furthermore, XJR treatment inhibited tumor growth in mice through elevating miR-29a expression and inhibiting STAT3 expression. CONCLUSION: XJR suppressed the development of HCC via regulating miR-29a and STAT3.

Preparation and thermal stability evaluation of cellulose nanofibrils from bagasse pulp with differing hemicelluloses contents.

In this work, cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) are produced from bagasse pulps with differing hemicelluloses contents by ultrafine grinding and high-pressure homogenization. The results showed that hemicelluloses content in the range of 9.7-21.7 wt.% led to nanofibrils with average diameter. A decrease in hemicelluloses content can enhance the crystallinity and improve the thermal stability of the CNFs. The activation energy of the CNF samples with hemicelluloses contents of 9.7 wt.%, 12.72 wt.%, 15.7 wt.%, 18.76 wt.%, and 21.7 wt.% are 713.03, 518.93, 462.62, 421.78, and 211.11 kJ/mol, respectively, when the conversion rate is increased from 30%-90%. These results demonstrate that hemicelluloses content has a considerable influence on the properties of CNFs. This work provides a theoretical basis for high-value utilization of CNFs, and enriches useful information on the application of CNF materials.