Association between postoperative changes in natremia and outcomes in patients undergoing elective craniotomy.

Postoperative dysnatremias, characterized by imbalances in serum sodium levels, have been linked to increased resource utilization and mortality in surgical and intensive care patients. The management of dysnatremias may involve medical interventions based on changes in sodium levels. In this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of postoperative changes in natremia on outcomes specifically in patients undergoing craniotomy.We conducted a retrospective analysis of patient records from the Department of Neurosurgery at West China Hospital, Sichuan University, covering the period from January 2011 to March 2021. We compared the highest and lowest sodium values in the first 14 postoperative days with the baseline values to define four categories for analysis: no change < 5 mmol/L; decrease > 5 mmol/L; increase > 5 mmol/L; both increase and decrease > 5 mmol/L. The primary outcome measure was 30-day mortality.A total of 12,713 patients were included in the study, and the overall postoperative mortality rate at 30 days was 2.1% (264 patients). The increase in sodium levels carried a particularly high risk, with a tenfold increase (OR 10.21; 95% CI 7.25-14.39) compared to patients with minimal or no change. Decreases in sodium levels were associated with an increase in mortality (OR 1.60; 95% CI 1.11-2.23).Moreover, the study revealed that postoperative sodium decrease was correlated with various complications, such as deep venous thrombosis, pneumonia, intracranial infection, urinary infection, seizures, myocardial infarction, and prolonged hospital length of stay. On the other hand, postoperative sodium increases were associated with acute kidney injury, deep venous thrombosis, pneumonia, intracranial infection, urinary infection, surgical site infection, seizures, myocardial infarction, and prolonged hospital length of stay.Changes in postoperative sodium levels were associated with increased complications, prolonged length of hospital stay, and 30-day mortality. Moreover, the severity of sodium change values correlated with higher mortality rates.

Association between elevated preoperative red cell distribution width and mortality after brain tumor craniotomy.

BACKGROUND: Red cell distribution width (RDW) has been recognized as a potential inflammatory biomarker, with elevated levels associated with adverse outcomes in various diseases. However, its role in predicting outcomes after brain tumor craniotomy remains unclear. We aimed to assess whether preoperative RDW influences mortality and postoperative complications in patients undergoing brain tumor craniotomy. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study analyzed serum RDW levels in patients undergoing brain tumor craniotomy at West China Hospital. RDW was evaluated in two forms: RDW-CV and RDW-SD, and was categorized into four quartiles for analysis by using logistic regression and multivariate analysis to adjust for confounding. RESULTS: The study encompassed 10,978 patients undergoing brain tumor craniotomy. our analysis revealed no significant difference in 30-day mortality across various RDW-CV levels. However, we observed a dose-response relationship with preoperative RDW-CV levels in assessing long-term mortality risks. Specifically, patients with RDW-CV levels of 12.6-13.2% (HR 1.04, 95% CI 1.01-1.18), 13.2-13.9% (HR 1.12, 95% CI 1.04-1.26), and > 13.9% (HR 1.34, 95% CI 1.18-1.51) exhibited a significantly higher hazard of long-term mortality compared to those with RDW-CV < 12.6%. When preoperative RDW-CV was analyzed as a continuous variable, for each 10% increase in RDW-CV, the adjusted OR of long-term mortality was 1.09 (95% CI 1.05-1.13). we also observed significant associations between preoperative higher RDW-CV levels and certain postoperative complications including acute kidney injury (OR 1.46, 95% CI: 1.10-1.94), pneumonia infection (OR 1.19 95% CI: 1.05-1.36), myocardial infarction (OR 1.32, 95% CI: 1.05-1.66), readmission (OR 1.15, 95% CI: 1.01-1.30), and a prolonged length of hospital stay (OR 1.11, 95% CI: 1.02-1.21). For RDW-SD levels, there was no significant correlation for short-term mortality, long-term mortality, and postoperative complications. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed elevated preoperative RDW-CV is significantly associated with increased long-term mortality and multiple postoperative complications, but no such association is observed with RDW-SD. These findings show the prognostic importance of RDW-CV, reinforcing its potential as a valuable tool for risk stratification in the preoperative evaluation of brain tumor craniotomy patients.

In silico identification of A1 agonists and A2a inhibitors in pain based on molecular docking strategies and dynamics simulations.

Most recently, the adenosine is considered as one of the most promising targets for treating pain, with few side effects. It exists in the central nervous system, and plays a key role in nociceptive afferent pathway. It is reported that the A1 receptor (A1R) could inhibit Ca2+ channels to reduce the pain like analgesic mechanism of morphine. And, A2a receptor (A2aR) was reported to enhance the accumulation of AMP (cAMP) and released peptides from sensory neurons, resulting in constitutive activation of pain. Much evidence showed that A1R and A2aR could be served as the interesting targets for the treatment of pain. Herein, virtual screening was utilized to identify the small molecule compounds towards A1R and A2aR, and top six molecules were considered as candidates via amber scores. The molecular dynamic (MD) simulations and molecular mechanics/generalized born surface area (MM/GBSA) were employed to further analyze the affinity and binding stability of the six molecules towards A1R and A2aR. Moreover, energy decomposition analysis showed significant residues in A1R and A2aR, including His1383, Phe1276, and Glu1277. It provided basics for discovery of novel agonists and antagonists. Finally, the agonists of A1R (ZINC19943625, ZINC13555217, and ZINC04698406) and inhibitors of A2aR (ZINC19370372, ZINC20176051, and ZINC57263068) were successfully recognized. Taken together, our discovered small molecules may serve as the promising candidate agents for future pain research.

Glucose-albumin ratio as new biomarker for predicting mortality after intracerebral hemorrhage.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the prognostic value of blood-based biomarkers and their combinations, in particular the glucose-albumin ratio (GAR), in patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). METHODS: A retrospective observational study on 2481 patients from one hospital was conducted and validated with 602 patients from another. We assessed 15 biomarkers and focused on GAR to elucidate its prognostic and predictive value for outcomes in both cohorts. The primary outcome was mortality at 90 days. RESULTS: The ratio of glucose-to-albumin, defined as GAR, was superior to other biomarkers for predicting mortality at 90 days in patients with ICH (AUC = 0.72). High GAR (using the best cutoff value of 0.19) was associated with increased mortality at 90 days (odds ratios of 1.90, 95% CI 1.54-2.34) and all-cause mortality in the first 3 years after admission (hazard ratio of 1.62, 95% CI 1.42-1.86). All aforementioned findings for GAR were successfully validated in an external independent cohort. CONCLUSIONS: GAR may be a valuable biomarker for predicting the mortality of patients with ICH.

Association Between Red Blood Cell Distribution width and Long-Term Mortality in Patients with Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: The association between the red cell distribution width (RDW) and long-term mortality in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) has not been clearly established. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with ICH admitted to two tertiary hospitals. The primary outcome was long-term mortality, and the effect of elevated RDW (RDW coefficient of variation [RDW-CV]; RDW standard deviation [RDW-SD]) on outcomes was assessed by using logistic regression analysis. Serum RDW levels was divided into four levels by quartiles (the lowest quartile [Q1]; the highest quartile [Q4]). RESULTS: This study included 4223 patients with ICH. After adjustment for potential confounders, admission RDW-CV (Quartile 4 [Q4] vs. Quartile 1 [Q1], adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.61, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.34-1.92) and median RDW-CV within the first month after admission (Q4 vs. Q1, adjusted HR 1.69, 95% CI 1.40-2.04) were both associated with 1-year mortality following ICH. Parallel results were found for RDW-SD. In the receiver operating characteristic analyses, both RDW-CV and RDW-SD outperformed some inflammatory biomarkers, such as albumin, hemoglobin, total cholesterol, platelet count, lymphocyte, and fibrinogen, in predicting long-term mortality following ICH. Additionally, compared with admission RDW, median RDW-CV and RDW-SD (areas under the curve [AUC] 0.668 and 0.652, respectively) was superior to predict long-term mortality, (P < 0.001). Furthermore, median RDW-CV level was a better predictor than RDW-SD (P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with ICH, RDW independently predicted long-term mortality. Median RDW levels within the first month after admission were better predictors of long-term mortality compared with RDW levels on admission. Additionally, median RDW-CV showed superior predictive capacity than median RDW-SD for long-term mortality following ICH.

White Blood Cell Count Predicts Mortality in Patients with Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: The association between white blood cell (WBC) counts and mortality in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) has not been established. The aim of this study is to determine whether higher WBC is associated with mortality at 90 days. METHODS: A retrospective observational study was conducted at two medical hospitals in China. Baseline WBC count on admission served as the primary predictor variable. Longitudinal WBC counts within the first week after admission were collected to assess the effects of WBC trajectory and the median and maximum WBC counts on outcomes following ICH. Associations of WBC count with outcomes were evaluated in multivariable regression analyses. RESULTS: We identified 3613 patients with ICH who met the inclusion criteria. After adjusting primary confounding variables, patients with increased WBC count had a significantly higher risk of 90-day mortality (p < 0.001 for trend). In the receiver operating characteristic analyses, the capacity for all-cause mortality prediction by WBC count on admission (area under the ROC curve (AUC) = 0.65) was superior to other important inflammatory markers, including neutrophil (AUC = 0.64) , lymphocyte (AUC = 0.57), albumin (AUC = 0.57), and platelet count (AUC = 0.53), p < 0.001 for WBC vs. neutrophil, and the median WBC count (AUC = 0.66) within the first week after admission was a better marker than admission WBC count (p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with ICH, WBC count on admission was associated with all-cause mortality at 90 days. Additionally, the median and maximum WBC counts within the first week after admission showed better predictive ability for the 90-day mortality compared with the WBC count on admission.

Spatial and temporal clusters of avian influenza a (H7N9) virus in humans across five epidemics in mainland China: an epidemiological study of laboratory-confirmed cases.

BACKGROUND: Avian influenza A (H7N9) virus was first reported in mainland China in 2013, and alarming in 2016-17 due to the surge across a wide geographic area. Our study aimed to identify and explore the spatial and temporal variation across five epidemics to reinforce the epidemic prevention and control. METHODS: We collected spatial and temporal information about all laboratory-confirmed human cases of A (H7N9) virus infection reported in mainland China covering 2013-17 from the open source. The autocorrelation analysis and intensity of cases were used to analyse the spatial cluster while circular distribution method was used to analyse the temporal cluster. RESULTS: Across the five epidemics, a total of 1553 laboratory-confirmed human cases with A (H7N9) virus were reported in mainland China. The global Moran's I index values of five epidemic were 0.610, 0.132, 0.308, 0.306, 0.336 respectively, among which the differences were statistically significant. The highest intensity was present in the Yangtze River Delta region and the Pearl River Delta region, and the range enlarged from the east of China to inner provinces and even the west of China across the five epidemics. The temporal clusters of the five epidemics were statistically significant, and the peak period was from the end of January to April with the first and the fifth epidemic later than the mean peak period. CONCLUSIONS: Spatial and temporal clusters of avian influenza A (H7N9) virus in humans are obvious, moreover the regions existing clusters may enlarge across the five epidemics. Yangtze River Delta region and the Pearl River Delta region have the spatial cluster and the peak period is from January to April. The government should facilitate the tangible improvement for the epidemic preparedness according to the characteristics of spatial and temporal clusters of patients with avian influenza A (H7N9) virus.

Tight glycemic control in critically ill pediatric patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Hyperglycemia is prevalent in patients in the pediatric intensive care unit. The purpose of this study was to describe the benefits and risks of tight glucose control (TGC) in critically ill children. METHODS: A systemic review and meta-analysis of the literature was carried out on randomized controlled trials of TGC in critically ill children admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit. The databases searched were Medline, Embase, and CENTRAL databases until May 1, 2017. Paired reviewers independently screened citations, assessed risk of bias of included studies, and extracted data. A random-effects model was used to report all outcomes. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation system was used to quantify absolute effects and quality of evidence. The primary outcome was hospital mortality. The secondary outcomes were hypoglycemia (any, severe), sepsis, new need for dialysis, and seizures. RESULTS: A total of 4030 patients were included from six studies. All six studies were rated as at low risk of bias. Our meta-analysis showed that TGC did not result in a decrease in risk of hospital mortality (odds ratio (OR), 0.95; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.62-1.45; I2 = 40%; moderate quality), sepsis (OR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.63-1.08), or seizures (OR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.59-1.63). TGC was associated with a decrease in new need for dialysis (OR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.45-0.86). However, TGC was associated with a significant increase in any hypoglycemia (OR, 4.39; 95% CI, 2.39-8.06) and severe hypoglycemia (OR, 4.11; 95% CI, 2.67-6.32). CONCLUSIONS: Among critically ill children with hyperglycemia, TGC does not result in a decrease in hospital mortality, but appears to reduce a new need for dialysis. However, TGC is associated with higher incidence of hypoglycemia. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO registration number CRD42017074039 .

Effect of Ascorbic Acid on Mineral and Bone Disorders in Hemodialysis Patients: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hemodialysis (HD) patients often have inadequate nutrition, especially with respect to ascorbic acid (AA). It is reported that every HD session may cause a 50%- 75% decrease in plasma AA levels. Some studies have shown that supplementation of AA can change the outcome of chronic kidney disease-mineral bone disorders (CKD-MBD), but the effect of AA on HD patients with CKD-MBD remains controversial. Consequently, we decided to perform a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of AA supplementation in CKD-MBD patients requiring dialysis. METHODS: A search was conducted using Pubmed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang database and VIP information database up to April 2018 for all English and Chinese language publications. The main indicators of our study were changes in serum phosphate (P), calcium (Ca) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels after AA treatment. The efficacy of AA was evaluated by weighted mean difference (WMD) and confidence intervals (CI). Cardiovascular events, mortality and adverse events reported during the experiment were also noted. RESULTS: In total, 371 patients in six studies were involved in this meta-analysis. Compared to placebo, AA treatment had no positive effect on serum P (353 patients; WMD = -0.05; 95% CI, -0.3 to 0.2; I2 = 28%) or PTH levels (275 patients; WMD = -17.04; 95%CI, -63.79 to 29.72; I2 = 75%). The pooled mean difference of the change of Ca levels from baseline was higher in the AA therapy group versus placebo (353 patients; WMD = 0.15; 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.3; I2 = 0%). No side effects were observed. CONCLUSION: Our systematic review and meta-analysis does not support prescription of AA to HD patients with CKD-MBD. AA had no positive effect on CKD-MBD patients as it couldn't influence the serum P or PTH levels but did raise serum Ca levels in the short-term.

Association between wait time of central venous pressure and 28-day mortality in critically patients with acute pancreatitis: A restrospective cohort study.

Hemodynamic management is crucial in patients with acute pancreatitis. Central venous pressure (CVP) is widely used to assess volume status. Our aim was to determine the optimal time window for obtaining CVP measurements to prevent adverse outcomes in patients. This study utilized data from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC) IV database. The primary outcome under investigation was the 28-day mortality, while secondary outcomes included 90-day mortality and 1-year mortality. To categorize the study population, a CVP waiting time of 12 hours was employed as the grouping criterion, followed by the utilization of Cox regression analysis to compare the outcomes between the 2 groups. Our study included a total of 233 patients, among whom 154 cases (66.1%) underwent CVP measurements within 12 hours after admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses revealed a significantly increased risk of 28-day mortality in patients from the delayed CVP monitoring group compared to those who underwent early CVP measurements (HR = 2.87; 95% CI: 1.35-6.13; P = .006). Additionally, consistent results were observed for the risks of 90-day mortality (HR = 1.91; 95% CI: 1.09-3.35; P = .023) and 1-year mortality (HR = 1.84; 95% CI: 1.09-3.10; P = .023). In the ICU, an extended waiting time for CVP measurements in patients with acute pancreatitis was associated with an increased risk of 28-day mortality.

Associations of educational attainment with Sepsis mediated by metabolism traits and smoking: a Mendelian randomization study.

Objective: Sepsis constitutes a significant global healthcare burden. Studies suggest a correlation between educational attainment and the likelihood of developing sepsis. Our goal was to utilize Mendelian randomization (MR) in order to examine the causal connection between educational achievement (EA) and sepsis, while measuring the mediating impacts of adjustable variables. Methods: We collected statistical data summarizing educational achievement (EA), mediators, and sepsis from genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Employing a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach, we calculated the causal impact of education on sepsis. Following this, we performed multivariable MR analyses to assess the mediation proportions of various mediators, including body mass index (BMI), smoking, omega-3 fatty acids, and apolipoprotein A-I(ApoA-I). Results: Genetic prediction of 1-SD (4.2 years) increase in educational attainment (EA) was negatively correlated with sepsis risk (OR = 0.83, 95% CI 0.71 to 0.96). Among the four identified mediators, ranked proportionally, they including BMI (38.8%), smoking (36.5%), ApoA-I (6.3%) and omega-3 (3.7%). These findings remained robust across a variety of sensitivity analyses. Conclusion: The findings of this study provided evidence for the potential preventive impact of EA on sepsis, which may be influenced by factors including and metabolic traits and smoking. Enhancing interventions targeting these factors may contribute to reducing the burden of sepsis.

Effect of cemented vs uncemented on outcomes for hemiarthroplasty in the elderly: A meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

PURPOSE: In patients undergoing hemiarthroplasty in the elderly, the choice of the cemented method remains controversial. This meta-analysis was undertaken to compare the impact of cemented vs uncemented on outcomes for hemiarthroplasty in the elderly. METHODS: This study included randomized controlled trials comparing the postoperative effects of cemented vs uncemented in patients with hemiarthroplasty. With no language restrictions, we searched Medline (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Cochrane Collaboration), Clinical Trials.gov, the ISRCTN registry, as well as gray literature with no language restrictions from January 1966 to April 2023. Data were quantitatively summarized using a random-effects model. The primary outcome was 1-year mortality. RESULTS: This study included 13 randomized controlled trials with 3485 patients. The primary outcomes of the meta-analysis showed that cemented fixation in elderly patients undergoing hemiarthroplasty was superior to noncemented in 1-year mortality (risk ratio [RR] = 0.87, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.77, 0.97). Moreover, cemented was associated with a reduced risk of intraoperative periprosthetic fracture (RR = 0.19, 95% CI: 0.07, 0.50), postoperative periprosthetic fracture (RR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.16,0.72), and loosening (RR = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.11, 0.97). CONCLUSIONS: Cemented hemiarthroplasty is superior to noncemented in terms of survival. Moreover, cementation reduces the incidence of some implant-related complications. More extensive trials are needed to provide adequate guidance for choosing the proper cemented method.

Efficiency of polymyxin B treatment against nosocomial infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Some cohort studies have explored the effects and safety of polymyxin B (PMB) in comparison to other antibiotics for the treatment of nosocomial infections, yielding inconsistent results. This systematic review aims to explore the effectiveness and safety of PMB and compared it with other antibiotics. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science, searching specific terms to identify quantitative cohort studies or RCTs that compared the effects of PMB with other antibiotics in terms of their efficacy and safety. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was conducted to evaluate the risk of bias of observational studies. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were used for outcome assessment. We evaluated heterogeneity using the I 2 test. Results: A total of 22 observational trials were included in the analysis. The PMB group had a higher mortality rate compared to the control group (odds ratio: 1.84, 95% CI: 1.36-2.50, p<0.00001, I 2 = 73%). while, the ceftazidime-avibactam group demonstrated a distinct advantage with lower mortality rates, despite still exhibiting high heterogeneity (odds ratio 2.73, 95% confidence interval 1.59-4.69; p = 0.0003; I 2 = 53%). Additionally, the PMB group had a lower nephrotoxicity rate compared to the colistin group but exhibited high heterogeneity in the results (odds ratio 0.58, 95% CI 0.36-0.93; p = 0.02; I 2 = 73%). Conclusion: In patients with nosocomial infections, PMB is not superior to other antibiotics in terms of mortality, specifically when compared to ceftazidime-avibactam. However, PMB demonstrated an advantage in terms of nephrotoxicity compared to colistin.

Association of Postoperative Hypoglycemia With Mortality After Elective Craniotomy.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Hypoglycemia is a known risk of intensive postoperative glucose control in neurosurgical patients. However, the impact of postoperative hypoglycemia after craniotomy remains unexplored. This study aimed to determine the association between postoperative hypoglycemia and mortality in patients undergoing elective craniotomy. METHODS: This study involved adult patients who underwent elective craniotomy at the West China Hospital, Sichuan University, between January 2011 and March 2021. We defined moderate hypoglycemia as blood glucose levels below 3.9 mmol/L (70 mg/dL) and severe hypoglycemia as blood glucose levels below 2.2 mmol/L (40 mg/dL). The primary outcome was postoperative 90-day mortality. RESULTS: This study involved 15 040 patients undergoing an elective craniotomy. Overall, 504 (3.4%) patients experienced moderate hypoglycemia, whereas 125 (0.8%) patients experienced severe hypoglycemia. Multivariable analysis revealed that both moderate hypoglycemia (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.86, 95% CI 1.24-2.78) and severe (aOR 2.94, 95% CI 1.46-5.92) hypoglycemia were associated with increased 90-day mortality compared with patients without hypoglycemia. Moreover, patients with moderate (aOR 2.78, 95% CI 2.28-3.39) or severe (aOR 16.70, 95% CI 10.63-26.23) hypoglycemia demonstrated a significantly higher OR for major morbidity after adjustment, compared with those without hypoglycemia. Patients experiencing moderate (aOR 3.20, 95% CI 2.65-3.88) or severe (aOR 14.03, 95% CI 8.78-22.43) hypoglycemia had significantly longer hospital stays than those without hypoglycemia. The risk of mortality and morbidity showed a tendency to increase with the number of hypoglycemia episodes in patients undergoing elective craniotomy (P for trend = .01, <.001). CONCLUSION: Among patients undergoing an elective craniotomy, moderate hypoglycemia and severe hypoglycemia are associated with increased mortality, major morbidity, and prolonged hospital stays. In addition, the risk of mortality and major morbidity increases with the number of hypoglycemia episodes.

Association Between Postoperative Decrease of Albumin and Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Craniotomy for Brain Tumors.

BACKGROUND: Serum albumin reflects nutritional status and is associated with postoperative complications and mortality. Delta albumin (ΔAlb), defined as the difference between preoperative and lowest postoperative levels, could predict complications and mortality, even with postoperative levels above 30 g/L prompting albumin infusions. This study aimed to assess how ΔAlb relates to outcomes in craniotomy patients with brain tumors. METHODS: This retrospective study screened patients diagnosed with a brain tumor who underwent cerebral surgery from a single Chinese hospital between December 2010 and April 2021. Patients were divided into 4 groups based on their ΔAlb levels: <5 g/L (normal), 5-9.9 g/L (mild ΔAlb), 10-14.9 g/L (moderate ΔAlb), and ≥15 g/L (severe ΔAlb). The primary outcome was postoperative 30-day mortality. RESULTS: Among the 9660 patients undergoing craniotomy for brain tumors, the median ΔAlb level after craniotomy was 7.3 g/L. ΔAlb was associated with increased postoperative 30-day mortality; odds ratios for mild, moderate, and severe ΔAlb were 1.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.17-3.18, P = 0.01), 2.21 (95% CI, 1.28-3.79, P = 0.004), and 7.26 (95% CI, 4.19-12.58, P < 0.01), respectively. Significantly, ΔAlb >5 g/L was found to have a strong association with a higher risk of mortality, even when the nadir Alb remained greater than 30 g/L (odds ratio, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.13-3.00, P = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: Among patients undergoing craniotomy for brain tumor resection, a mild degree of ΔAlb was associated with increased 30-day mortality, even if the nadir Alb remained greater than 30 g/L. Moreover, ΔAlb was associated with postoperative complications and longer lengths of stay.

Association between perioperative change in red cell distribution width and mortality in patients with brain tumor craniotomy.

OBJECTIVE: An elevated preoperative red cell distribution width (RDW) is associated with adverse prognostic outcomes in various diseases. However, the correlation between changes in RDW (ΔRDW) and the prognosis following brain tumor craniotomy remains unclear. Accordingly, this study aimed to investigate the prognostic significance of perioperative changes in RDW in patients undergoing brain tumor craniotomy. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included patients undergoing craniotomy for brain tumors at West China Hospital, Sichuan University, from January 2011 to March 2021. We defined perioperative changes in RDW: group A (non-significant RDW changes, ΔRDW ≤0.4%), group B (drop in RDW, ΔRDW < -0.4%), and group C (rise in RDW, ΔRDW >0.4%). The relationship between the changes in RDW and all-cause mortality was analyzed by categorizing the patients according to perioperative ΔRDW (RDW at postoperative one week - RDW at admission). RESULTS: The present study included a total of 9589 patients who underwent craniotomy for the treatment of brain tumors. A rise in RDW was significantly associated with increased mortality, with an adjusted OR of 3.56 (95% CI: 2.56-4.95) for 30-day mortality and 1.57 (95% CI: 1.33-1.85) for one-year mortality compared to those with non-significant RDW changes (ΔRDW ≤0.4%). Conversely, a decrease in RDW showed no significant association with 30-day mortality (adjusted OR: 1.04, 95% CI: 0.53-2.04) and one-year mortality (adjusted OR: 1.18, 95% CI: 0.92-1.53). These findings were also supported by restricted cubic spline, which shows that increases in RDW were significantly associated with lower survival rates compared to stable RDW levels during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients undergoing craniotomy for a brain tumor, a rise in RDW was associated with 30-day mortality and higher long-term mortality risks, even if patients' admissions for RDW values were within the normal range. It was worth noting that maintaining stable RDW levels during this period was associated with better survival.

Association of postoperative hypernatremia with outcomes after elective craniotomy.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Hypernatremia is a treatable biochemical disorder associated with significant morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing surgery. However, its impact on patients who undergo elective craniotomy is not well understood. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic implications of postoperative hypernatremia on the 30-day mortality of patients undergoing elective craniotomy. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: The Department of Neurosurgery of a high-volume center. PATIENTS: Adult patients undergoing elective craniotomy except those with pituitary tumors, intracerebral hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, or traumatic brain injury. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS: Perioperative laboratory data were collected for all study participants, including sodium levels, neutrophil count, serum albumin, lymphocyte count, and blood glucose. These measurements were obtained as part of routine clinical care and provided valuable information for data analysis. MAIN RESULTS: Of the 10,223 identified elective craniotomy patients who met our inclusion and exclusion criteria, 14.9% (1519) developed postoperative hypernatremia. This population's overall postoperative 30-day mortality rate was 1.7% (175). After performing an adjusted logistic regression analysis, we found that the odds of 30-day mortality increased gradually with increasing severity of hypernatremia: 2.9 deaths (OR, 3.79; 95% CI, 2.46-5.85) in patients with mild hypernatremia, 13.9 deaths (OR, 17.73; 95% CI, 11.17-28.12) in those with moderate hypernatremia, and 38.3 deaths (OR, 67.00; 95% CI, 40.44-111.00) in those with severe hypernatremia. CONCLUSIONS: Hypernatremia is common after elective craniotomy, and its presence is associated with increased mortality and complications, particularly in cases of severe hypernatremia. These results emphasize the significance of risk evaluation in neurosurgical patients and propose the advantages of closely monitoring serum sodium levels in high-risk individuals. Future randomized controlled trials could provide more insight into the effect of treating postoperative hypernatremia in these patients.

Association of persistent postoperative hyperglycemia with mortality after elective craniotomy.

OBJECTIVE: The influence of persistent postoperative hyperglycemia after craniotomy has not yet been explored. This study aimed to investigate the hypothesis that persistent postoperative hyperglycemia is associated with mortality in patients undergoing an elective craniotomy. METHODS: This study included adult patients (age ≥ 18 years) undergoing an elective craniotomy between January 2011 and March 2021 at the West China Hospital, Sichuan University. Peak daily blood glucose values measured within the first 7 days after craniotomy were collected. Persistent hyperglycemia was defined by two or more consecutive serum glucose levels of mild, moderate, or severe hyperglycemia. Normoglycemia, mild hyperglycemia, moderate hyperglycemia, and severe hyperglycemia were defined as glucose values of ≤ 6.1 mmol/L, > 6.1 and ≤ 7.8 mmol/L, > 7.8 and ≤ 10.0 mmol/L, and > 10.0 mmol/L, respectively. RESULTS: This study included 14,907 patients undergoing an elective craniotomy. In the multivariable analysis, both moderate (adjusted OR 3.76, 95% CI 2.68-5.27) and severe (adjusted OR 3.82, 95% CI 2.54-5.76) persistent hyperglycemia in patients were associated with higher 30-day mortality compared with normoglycemia. However, this association was not observed in patients with mild hyperglycemia (adjusted OR 1.32, 95% CI 0.93-1.88). Interestingly, this association was observed regardless of whether patients had preoperative hyperglycemia. There was no interaction between moderate or severe hyperglycemia and preexisting diabetes (p for interaction = 0.65). When postoperative peak blood glucose values within the first 7 days after craniotomy were evaluated as a continuous variable, for each 1-mmol/L increase in blood glucose, the adjusted OR of 30-day mortality was 1.17 (95% CI 1.14-1.21). Postoperative blood glucose (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.78) was superior to preoperative blood glucose (AUC = 0.65; p < 0.001) for predicting mortality. Moderate and severe persistent hyperglycemia in patients were associated with an increased risk of deep venous thrombosis (adjusted OR 3.20, 95% CI 2.31-4.42), pneumonia (adjusted OR 2.77, 95% CI 2.40-3.21), myocardial infarction (adjusted OR 4.38, 95% CI 3.41-5.61), and prolonged hospital stays (adjusted OR 1.43, 95% CI 1.29-1.59). CONCLUSIONS: In patients undergoing an elective craniotomy, moderate and severe persistent postoperative hyperglycemia were associated with an increased risk of mortality compared with normoglycemia, regardless of preoperative hyperglycemia.

Scutellarein regulates the PTEN/AKT/NFκB signaling pathway to reduce pirarubicin related liver inflammation.

The side effects of chemotherapy drugs have been hindering the progress of tumor treatment. The liver is the metabolic site of most drugs, which leads to the frequent occurrence of liver injury. Classical chemotherapy drugs such as pirarubicin (THP) can also cause dose­dependent hepatotoxicity, and the related mechanism is closely related to liver inflammation. Scutellarein (Sc) is a potential Chinese herbal monomer exhibiting liver protection activity, which can effectively alleviate the liver inflammation caused by obesity. In the present study, THP was used to establish a rat model of hepatotoxicity, and Sc was used for treatment. The experimental methods used included measuring body weight, detecting serum biomarkers, observing liver morphology with H&E staining, observing cell apoptosis with TUNEL staining, and detecting the expression of PTEN/AKT/NFκB signaling pathways and inflammatory genes with PCR and western blotting. However, whether Sc can inhibit the liver inflammation induced by THP has not been reported. The experimental results showed that THP led to the upregulation of PTEN and the increase of inflammatory factors in rat liver, while Sc effectively alleviated the aforementioned changes. It was further identified in primary hepatocytes that Sc can effectively inhabited PTEN, regulate AKT/NFκB signaling pathway, inhibit liver inflammation and ultimately protect the liver.