Wuhua Ma

Objectives: Studies have shown that some ultrasonic indicators can predict difficult airways in adults to an extent. However, whether ultrasonic parameters can be used to predict difficult airways in children is unclear. This study investigated the predictive value of several ultrasonic indices for difficult laryngoscopy (DL) in children. Methods: Pediatric patients aged 5 to 12 years who underwent endotracheal intubation under general anesthesia were enrolled. The hyomental distance in the extended position (HMDE), tongue thickness, midsagittal tongue cross-sectional area, tongue width, and distance from skin to epiglottis (DSE) were measured by ultrasound before anesthesia. The study end point was DL. The receiver operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the predictive value of each parameter. Results: Three hundred and ten children were included in the final analysis, and fifteen (4.8%) children had DL. The shortened HMDE assessed by ultrasound could help identify children aged 5 to 12 years with DL (5–8 years: area under the curve (AUC) 0.74, sensitivity 0.88, specificity 0.60; 9–12 years: AUC 0.72, sensitivity 0.71, specificity 0.83). An increased DSE could help identify children aged 5 to 8 years with DL (AUC 0.76, sensitivity 0.88, specificity 0.69). Conclusions: Ultrasonic measurement of the HMDE can be used to predict DL in children aged 5 to 12 years. The DSE measured by ultrasound can be used to predict DL in children aged 5 to 8 years. Clinical relevance statement: The hyomental distance and the distance from skin to epiglottis measured by ultrasound can be used to predict difficult laryngoscopy in children, which can help reduce serious complications caused by unanticipated difficult airways in children during anesthesia. Key Points: • Ultrasonic measurement of the hyomental distance in the extended position may be an effective predictor of difficult laryngoscopy in children aged 5 to 12 years. • The distance from skin to epiglottis measured by ultrasound can be used to predict difficult laryngoscopy in children aged 5 to 8 years. • Preoperative airway assessment using ultrasound can be effectively applied in children and has a great application prospect.

Article: Effectiveness and validity of midsagittal tongue cross-sectional area and width measured by ultrasound to predict difficult airways - Minerva Anestesiologica 2021 April;87(4):403-13 - Minerva Medica - Journals

Isorhamnetin has distinct anti‐inflammatory activity and inhibits cell proliferation and migration. These effects are also involved in the pathogenesis of asthma. However, the effect of isorhamnetin on bronchial epithelial cells in patients with asthma has not been examined. Cells of human bronchial epithelial cell line BEAS‐2B were cultured with isorhamnetin and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α. The effects of isorhamnetin on BEAS‐2B cell viability were assessed using CCK8 assay. The EdU (5‐ethynyl‐2′‐deoxyuridine) cell proliferation assay was performed to assess cell proliferation. BEAS‐2B cell migration was measured using Transwell and wound healing assays. Real‐time PCR and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay were conducted to measure the expression of pro‐inflammatory cytokines. Protein expression levels were determined by western blotting. Immunofluorescence was used to detect nuclear translocation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF‐κB). We found that isorhamnetin at 20 and 40 μM reduced the proliferation of BEAS‐2B cells induced by TNF‐α. Isorhamnetin significantly decreased the expression of interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐6, IL‐8, and C‐X‐C motif chemokine ligand 10 in BEAS‐2B cells induced by TNF‐α. Additionally, 10 μM isorhamnetin effectively reduced cell migration induced by TNF‐α. Treatment with isorhamnetin inhibited the phosphorylation of mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) and NF‐κB pathways induced by TNF‐α. In summary, isorhamnetin inhibited the inflammation, proliferation, and migration of BEAS‐2B cells by regulating the MAPK and NF‐κB signaling pathways and is a drug candidate for asthma.

Asthma is a major inflammatory airway disease with high incidence and mortality rates. The Global Initiative for Asthma released a report called ‘The Global Burden of Asthma’ in 2004. However, the specific pathogenesis of asthma remains unclear. An increasing number of studies have demonstrated that neuromedin U (NMU) plays a pleiotropic role in the pathogenesis of asthma. NMU is a highly structurally conserved neuropeptide that was first purified from porcine spinal cord and named for its contractile effect on the rat uterus. NMU amplifies type 2 innate lymphoid cell (ILC2)‑driven allergic lung inflammation. The NMU receptors (NMURs), designated as NMUR1 and NMUR2, belong to the G protein‑coupled receptor family. NMUR1 has also been found in immune cells, including ILC2s, mast cells and eosinophils. In view of the important roles of NMU in the pathogenesis of asthma, the present review evaluates the potential mechanisms underlying the impact of NMU on asthma and its association with asthma therapy.

Introduction Difficult airway management is closely related to the safety and quality of medical care. However, the low incidence of correct prediction of difficult airway in clinical screening tests presents physicians with a dilemma. Depressed airway neuromuscular tension during sleep and anaesthesia tends to cause collapse of fragile parts of the upper airway. Although previous studies have confirmed that anterior cervical tissue thickness is associated with difficult airways, there is no evidence to support a correlation between a difficult airway and specific patterns or findings of anaesthesia-induced airway collapse. Thus, this study aims to examine changes in airway dimensions before and after induction of general anaesthesia to explore whether it could provide useful information regarding the specific anatomic changes occurring which may cause difficult airways. Methods and analysis This will be a single-centre prospective observational single-blinded study, conducted in a tertiary teaching hospital in Guangzhou, China. Subjects will be recruited from patients (aged 18–65 years) scheduled for elective surgery under general anaesthesia. Sonographic measurement will be performed to detect changes in the thickness of the anterior cervical soft tissue before and after anaesthetic induction. Based on the resulting data distribution, analyses will initially compare these changes using a paired t-test or the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The correlation of sonographic changes and Cormack–Lehane grade will be evaluated by using receiver-operating characteristic curves to detect the sensitivity and specificity of a measurement for detecting difficulties. Linear stepwise regression analysis will be used to assess the correlation between airway changes and demographic variables as well as clinical tests. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval has been obtained from the Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine (ZYYECK (2018) 041). The results will be disseminated through conference presentations, professional journals and peer-reviewed publications. Trial registration number ChiCTR1900021123; Pre-results.

The ETView tracheoscopic ventilation tube (TVT) is a tracheal tube (TT) incorporating a video camera and a light source in its tip. The view from the tip appears continuously on a portable monitor in the anesthesia area. We evaluated the effectiveness and usefulness of the single/double ETView TVT in monitoring the tracheal tube position during general anesthesia undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy. Eighty-three patients with pulmonary bullae (American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) I-III) undergoing lobectomy, with general anaesthesia, were included. Patients were randomly assigned to 3 groups, based on the tube ETView double-lumen tube (VDT), ETView single-lumen tube (VST), or traditional double lumen tube (DT). All 83 patients’ intubations were successful to achieve 1-lung ventilation: 74 patients at the first attempt (22/26 in VDT, 26/28 in VST, 26/29 in DT group) and 9 patients at the second attempt. The time to achieve 1-lung ventilation with the VDT was 58.5 ± 21.5 (mean ± SD) seconds, the VST was 38.2 ± 10.1 (mean ± SD) seconds, and the DT group was 195.5 ± 40.3 (mean ± SD) seconds. During operations, the ETView tubes provided continuous airway visualization in all patients; a good view was obtained in 24/25 patients in VDT/VST, moderate in 4/12 patients in VDT/VST, and poor in 1/1 patients in VDT/VST. When the patient left the postanesthesia care unit, all had sore throat and 26/15/25 patients in VDT/VST/DT group had hoarseness. All had good outcomes of the surgical operations. We found the ETView tube to be helpful in the endotracheal intubation and continuous surveillance of tube position in patients with video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy. The ETView single lumen endotracheal tube had fewer associated complications and is superior to the 2 double-lumen tubes.