A Comparison of the Efficacy and Tolerability of the Treatments for Sciatica: A Network Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: There remains a lack of a systematic summary of the efficacy and safety of various medicines for sciatica, and discrepancies among these exist. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to comprehensively assess the efficacy of and tolerance to several medical options for the treatment of sciatica. METHODS: We performed a network meta-analysis and illustrated the results by the mean difference or odds ratio. The surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) was used for indicating the preferable treatments. All data analyses and graphs were achieved via R 3.3.2 and Stata 13.0. RESULTS: The subcutaneous anti-tumor necrosis factor-α (anti-TNF-α) was superior to the epidural steroid + anesthetic in reducing lumbar pain in both acute + chronic sciatica patients and acute sciatica patients. The epidural steroid demonstrated a better ability regarding the Oswestry disability score (ODI) compared to the subcutaneous anti-TNF-α. In addition, for total pain relief, the use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs was inferior to the epidural steroid + anesthetic. The epidural anesthetic and epidural steroid + anesthetic both demonstrated superiority over the epidural steroid and intramuscular steroid. The intravenous anti-TNF-α ranked first in leg pain relief, while the subcutaneous anti-TNF-α ranked first in lumbar pain relief, and the epidural steroid ranked first in the ODI on the basis of SUCRA. In addition, their safety outcome (withdrawal) rankings were all medium to high. CONCLUSIONS: Intravenous and subcutaneous anti-TNF-α were identified as the optimal treatments for both acute + chronic sciatica patients and acute sciatica patients. In addition, the epidural steroid was also recommended as a good intervention due to its superiority in reducing ODI.

Effect of Acute Normovolemic Hemodilution Combined with Controlled Low Central Venous Pressure on Blood Coagulation Function and Blood Loss in Patients Undergoing Resection of Liver Cancer Operation.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This paper aims to investigate the effect of acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) used with controlled low central venous pressure (LCVP) technology on perioperative bleeding and coagulation in hepatocellular carcinoma operation patients. METHODOLOGY: A total of 60 cases undergoing hepatic resection operation were randomly divided into the control group, LCVP group (Group II), and ANH + LCVP group (Group III). The changes of hemodynamic indexes at different time points in each group were observed and recorded, along with the volume of allogenous blood transfusion and the number of patients undergoing allogenous blood transfusion. RESULTS: Compared with Group I (control), there was evident reduction of the bleeding volume, allogenic blood transfusion volume, and number of patients undergoing allogenic blood transfusion in Groups II and III. CONCLUSION: The application of ANH combined with LCVP in hepatic resection can evidently reduce intraoperative hemorrhages and homologous blood transfusions; moreover, it has no significant adverse effect on the coagulation function.

Effect of acute normovolemic hemodilution combined with controlled low central venous pressure on cerebral oxygen metabolism of patients with hepalobectomy.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The effect of acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) combined with controlled low central venous pressure (LCVP) on the cerebral oxygen metabolism of patients with hepalobectomy. METHODOLOGY: Undergoing hepatic resection operation in 60 cases, were randomly divided into control group, LCVP group (Group II) and ANH + LCVP group (Group IIl). Before hemodilution (T1), decrease of CVP (T2) and increase of CVP (T3) and at the end of surgery (T4), the blood was sampled via the jugular vein bulb and radial artery for blood gas analysis. RESULTS: Compared with group I, the CaO2 of group II at T3 and T4 was increased; in group III, CaO2 and Da-jvO2 at T2 and T3 were decreased, CjvO2 at T2 decreased, and CaO2 and CjvO2 at T4 increased. Compared with group II, CaO2, CjvO2 and Da-jvO2 of group III at T2 and T3 were decreased. CERO2 of the three groups at T3 and T4 were all decreased (P<0.05 or 0.01). The jugular venous oxygen saturation (SjvO2) and VADL of the three groups at each time point were all within the normal range. CONCLUSION: The moderate ANH combined with LCVP had no adverse effect on the cerebral oxygen metabolism of the patients with the hepalobectomy.

To study the effect of oxygen carrying capacity on expressed changes of erythrocyte membrane protein in different storage times.

Erythrocyte membrane is crucial to maintain the stability of erythrocyte structure. The membrane protein on the surface of erythrocyte membrane enables erythrocyte to have plasticity and pass through the microcirculation without being blocked or destroyed. Decreased deformability of erythrocyte membrane protein will lead to a series of pathological and physiological changes such as tissue and organ ischemia and hypoxia. Therefore, this research collected 30 cases of healthy blood donors, and explored erythrocyte stored at different times relating indicators including effective oxygen uptake (Q), P50, 2,3-DPG, Na+-k+-ATP. Erythrocyte morphology was observed by electron microscopy. Western blot and immunofluorescence assay were used to detect membrane protein EPB41, S1P, GLTP, SPPL2A expression changes of erythrocyte. To explore the effective carry oxygen capacity of erythrocyte at different storage time resulting in the expression change of erythrocyte surface membrane protein.

Impact of allogenic and autologous transfusion on immune function in patients with tumors.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of allogeneic and autologous transfusion on cellular immunity, humoral immunity and secretion of serum inflammatory factors and perforin during the perioperative period in patients with malignant tumors. METHODS: A total of 80 patients (age: 38-69 years; body weight: 40-78 kg; ASA I - II) receiving radical operation for gastro-intestinal cancer under general anesthesia were selected. All the patients were divided into four groups based on the methods of infusion and blood transfusion: blank control group (Group C), allogeneic transfusion group (group A), hemodiluted autotransfusion Group (Group H) and hemodiluted autotransfusion + allogenic transfusion Group (A+H group). Venous blood was collected when entering into the surgery room (T0), immediately after surgery (T1) and 24h (T2), 3d (T3) and 7d (T4) after surgery, respectively. Moreover, flow cytometry was applied to assess changes of peripheral blood T cell subpopulations and NK cells. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assays were performed to determine levels of IL-2, IL-10, TNF-α and perforin. Immune turbidimetry was employed to determine the changes in serum immunoglobulin. RESULTS: Both CD3+ and NK cells showed a decrease at T1 and T2 in each group, among which, in group A, CD3+ decreased significantly at T2 (P<0.05) compared with other groups, and CD3+ and NK cell reduced obviously only in group A at T3 and T4 (P<0.05). CD4+ cells and the ratio of D4+/CD8+ were decreased in groups A, C and A+H at T1 and T2 (P<0.05). No significant intra- and inter-group differences were observed in CD8+ of the four groups (P<0.05). IL-2 declined in group C at T1 and T2 (P<0.05) and showed a decrease in group A at each time point (P<0.05). Moreover, IL-2 decreased in group A + H only at T1. No significant difference was found in each group at T1 (P<0.05). More significant decrease in group C at T2, T3 and T4 compared with group A (P<0.05), and there were no significant differences among other groups (P>0.05). IL-10 increased at T1 and T2 in each group (P<0.05), in which it had an obvious increase in group A, and increase of IL-10 occurred only in group A at T3 and T4 (P<0.05). TNF-α level rose at T1 (P<0.05), no inter- and intra-group difference was found in perforin in all groups (P<0.05). Compared with the preoperation, both IgG and IgA level decreased at T1 in each group (P<0.05), and they declined only in Group A at T2 and T3 (P<0.05), and these parameters were back to the preoperative levels in other groups. No significant differences were observed between preoperative and postoperative IgG and IgA levels in each group at T4 (P>0.05). No obvious inter- and intra-group changes were found in IgM in the four groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Allogeneic transfusion during the perioperative period could obviously decrease the number of T cell subpopulations and NK cells and the secretion of stimulating cytokines and increase the secretion of inhibiting cytokines in patients with malignant tumors, thus causing a Th1/Th2 imbalance and transient decreasing in the content of plasma immune globulin. Autologous transfusion has little impact and may even bring about some improvement of postoperative immune function in patients with tumors. Therefore, cancer patients should receive active autologous transfusion during the perioperative period in place of allogeneic transfusion.

Acute normovolemic hemodilution effects on perioperative coagulation in elderly patients undergoing hepatic carcinectomy.

BACKGROUND: Acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) has been widely used to prevent the massive blood loss during hepatic carcinoma. The influences of ANH on coagulation function are still controversy, especially in elderly patients. The study observed ANH effects on coagulation function and fibrinolysis in elderly patients undergoing the disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty elderly patients (aged 60-70 yr) with liver cancer (ASA I or II) taken hepatic carcinectomy from February 2007 to February 2008 were randomly divided into ANH group (n=15) and control group (n=15). After tracheal intubation, patients in ANH group and control group were infused with 6% hydroxyethyl starch (130/0.4) and Ringer's solution, respectively. Blood samples were drawn from patients in both groups at five different time points: before anesthesia induction (T1), 30 min after ANH (T2), 1 h after start of operation (T3), immediately after operation (T4), and 24 h after operation (T5). Then coagulation function, soluble fibrin monomer complex (SFMC), prothrombin fragment (F1+2), and platelet membrane glycoprotein (CD62P and activated GP IIb/GP IIIa) were measured. RESULTS: The perioperative blood loss and allogeneic blood transfusion were recorded during the surgery. The perioperative blood loss was not significantly different between two groups (p>0.05), but the volume of allogeneic blood transfusion in ANH group was significantly less than in control group (350.0±70.7) mL vs. (457.0±181.3) mL (p<0.01). Compared with the data of T1, the prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) measured after T3 were significantly longer (p<0.05) in both groups, but within normal range. There were no significant changes of thrombin time (TT) and D-dimer between two groups at different time points (p>0.05). SFMC and F1+2 increased in both groups, but were not statistically significant. PAC-1-positive cells and CD62P expressions in patients of ANH group were significantly lower than those at T1 (p<0.05) and T2-T5 (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: ANH has no obvious impact on fibrinolysis and coagulation function in elderly patients undergoing resection of liver cancer. The study suggested that ANH is safe to use in elderly patients and it could reduce allogeneic blood transfusion.