[Quick confirmation of nasointestinal tube placed below pylorus in critically ill patients by duodenal bulb ultrasonic anatomy locating method].

Objective: To investigate the value of duodenal bulb ultrasonic anatomy locating method quickly confirm nasointestinal tube placed below pylorus in critically ill patients. Methods: A total of 56 critically ill patients with nasointestinal tube posting surgery by blindly inserting method were collected from March 1 st, 2016 to August 1 st, 2016 in the Department of Critical Care Medicine of Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital.In these patients, the duodenal bulbs were rapidly detected and located by ultrasonic anatomy locating method and at the same time observed whether nasointestinal tube echogram were in them or not. If nasointestinal tube echogram was observed in duodenal bulbs that meant nasointestinal tube placed below pylorus successfully. If disturbed by ultrasound artifacts or other reasons, injected gas into the nasointestinal tube could help to confirm when hyperechoic strip emerged. Gastrointestinal decompression or gastrointestinal motion promoting drug could help to reduce the interference of abdominal cavity or bowel gas if necessary. The results were compared with the abdominal X examination to vertify the accuracy of this method, and at the same time recorded its total time-consuming and its related complications. Results: The duodenal bulbs were rapidly located by ultrasonic anatomy locating method in 53 cases(94.6%) time-consuming(42±23)s. Nasointestinal tubes observed in duodenal bulb were confirmed to be placed below pylorus successfully in 52 cases(92.9%)time-consuming(140±94)s.There were no obvious complications in all patients. Conclusion: Duodenal bulb ultrasonic anatomy locating method is a safe, simple and convenient method with high accuracy that can quickly confirm whether nasointestinal tube placed below pylorus in critically ill patients or not.

[Clinical application of Acutegastrointestinal injury grading system assocaited with clinical severity outcome in critically ill patients: a multi-center prospective, observational study].

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of utilizing the current acute gastrointestinal injury(AGI) grading system, and explore the association of severity of AGI grade with clinical outcome in critically ill patients. Methods: The adult patients from 14 general ICUs in Zhejiang Province with an expected admission to ICU for at least 24 h were recruited, and all clinical, laboratory, and survival data were prospectively collected. The AGI grade was daily assessed based on GIsymptoms, feeding details and organ dysfunctionon the first week of admission to ICU.The intra-abdominal pressures(IAP) was measured using AbViser device. Results: Of 550 patients enrolled, mean values for age and APACHE Ⅱ score were (64.9±17.2) years and (19.5±7.4), respectively. 456 patients(82.9%) took mechanical ventilation, and 470 patients were identified for AGI. The distribution of AGI grade on the frist day of ICU admission were 50.6%(Ⅰ grade, n=238), 34.2%(Ⅱ grade, n=161), 12.4%(Ⅲ grade, n=58) and 2.8%(Ⅳ, n=13), respectively, while the distribution of the global AGI grade based on the 7-day AGI assessment of ICU admission were 24.5%(Ⅰ grade, n=115), 49.4%(Ⅱ grade, n=232), 20.6%(Ⅲ grade, n=97) and 5.5%(Ⅳ, n=26), respectively. 28- and 60-day mortality rate was 29.3%(n=161) and 32.5%(n=179), respectively. The patients with AGI had a higher 28-(31.1% vs 18.8%, P=0.025) and 60-day survival rate(34.7% vs 20.0%, P=0.01) than those with non-AGI, and also there were positive correlations between AGI grade and 28- and 60-day mortality(P<0.001). Univariate Cox regression analysis showed that age, the source of medicial admission, diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease, the use of vasoactive drugs, serum creatinine and lactate, mechanical ventilation, APACHE Ⅱ score, the AGI grade in the first day of ICU admission and feeding intolerance within the first week of ICU stay were significantly(P≤0.02) associated with mortality. In multivariate analysis including all these variables, the source of medical admission(χ(2)=4.34, P=0.04), diabete mellitus(χ(2)=3.96, P=0.05), the use of vasoactive drugs(χ(2)=6.55, P=0.01), serum lactate(χ(2)=4.73, P=0.03), the global AGI grade in the 7-day of ICU admission(χ(2)=7.10, P=0.008), and APACHE Ⅱ score(χ(2)=12.1, P<0.001) remained independent predictors for 60-day mortality.In the further subgroup analysis including 402 patients with 7-day survival, the feeding intolerance within the first week of ICU stay could provide independent and incremental prognostic value of 60-day mortality wtih increased χ(2)value of Cox regression model(χ(2)=52.2 vs 41.9, P=0.007) . Conclusion: The AGI grading system is useful for identifying the severity of gastrointestinal dysfunction, and could be used as a strong predictor of impaired outcome. The results provide evidence to support that feeding intolerance within 7 days of admission to ICU was an independent determinant of mortality.

[Combination of B-type brain natriuretic peptide with left ventricular diastolic dysfunction for prediction of mortality in the patients with septic shock].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prognostic value of combination of plasma brain natriuretic peptide(BNP) with the ratio of early diastolic mitral inflow velocity to early diastolic mitral annulus velocity(E/E') in the patients with septic shock. METHODS: From June 2012 to December 2013 , 127 patients with septic shock were consecutively recruited and underwent trans-thoracic echocardiography examination within 6 h after admission to Intensive Care Unit(ICU), Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital. Plasma BNP concentration was measured using ELISA method. All Clinical, laboratory, and survival data were prospectively collected. RESULTS: Of 127 patients enrolled, mean values for age were(59.9±17.3) years and APACHE Ⅱ score(16.8±5.8), respectively. 95 patients(74.8%) took mechanical ventilation. 28- , 60-day mortality rate was 36.3% and 42.3%, respectively. Univariate Cox regression analysis showed that age, coronary artery disease, serum creatinine and lactate, plasma BNP, left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF), E/E' and APACHE Ⅱ score were significantly(P≤0.05) associated with 60-day mortality. Multivariate analysis revealed that serum lactate, plasma BNP(χ(2)=9.4, P=0.002) , E/E'(χ(2)=4.89, P=0.02) and APACHE Ⅱ score(χ(2)=10.6, P=0.001) remained independent predictors for 60-day mortality. ROC curve analysis showed that the optimal plasma BNP and E/E' cutoff values identified were 338.8 pg/ml and 10.8, and the areas under ROC curve were 0.89(sensitivity: 83.7%; specificity: 81.4%)and 0.83(sensitivity: 76.7%; specificity: 72.9%)for 60-day mortality, respectively. In addition to plasma BNP and clinical predictors, the E/E' could provide in independent and incremental prognostic value of 60-day mortality(χ(2)=59.3 vs 47.8, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Plasma BNP and E/E' are independent predictors for 60-day mortality, and combination of plasma BNP and E/E' could improve risk stratification in patients with septic shock.

Expression of pro-urokinase cDNA in Chinese hamster ovary cell line.

Expression vectors containing the pro-urokinase (pro-UK) cDNA (pSV2-proUK) and a dihydrofolate reductase cDNA (pSV2-dhfr or MMTV-dhfr) were cotransfected into CHO-dhfr- cells by the calcium phosphate precipitation technique. The dhfr+ transformants were selected by fibrinolytic agarose plate assay. Two colonies, named CLF-14 and CLF-8, exhibited significantly high expression levels of the biological activity of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (mu-Pa). They reached more than 24 IU/10(6) cells/48 h and 16 IU/10(6) cells/48 h, respectively. Examination of the cell supernatants for mu-Pa antigenicity using ELISA method also showed strong positive results, and the quantities of expression were about 0.14-0.22 micrograms/10(6) cells/48 h and 0.08-0.14 micrograms/10(6) cells/48 h, respectively. The mu-Pa secreted by stable transformed cells could be completely inhibited by UK anti-serum, but not by tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) antiserum nor by normal rabbit serum.