Female patients more frequently initially present with psychiatric disorder but male patients more frequently initially present with seizure. Patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis in China have a lower incidence of neoplasm. Nevertheless, this study reveals several challenges in treating anti-NMDAR encephalitis in China that may contribute to poor outcome.

Importance. Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) occurs in 6%–53% of elderly patients receiving major surgery and is related to longer hospital stays, increased hospital costs, and 1-year mortality. An increasing number of studies suggest that using dexmedetomidine (Dex) in critical care units is associated with reduced incidence of delirium. However, perioperative use of Dex for the prevention of POCD has not been well studied. Objective. To evaluate whether a low-dose perioperative infusion of Dex reduces early POCD. Design. This study was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial that randomly assigned patients to Dex or saline placebo infused during surgery and patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) infusion. Patients were assessed for postoperative cognitive decline. Interventions. Dex was infused at a loading dose of 0.5 μg/kg intravenously (15 min after entering the operation room) followed by a continuous infusion at a rate of 0.5 μg/kg/h until one-lung ventilation or artificial pneumothorax ended. Patients in the Dex group received regular PCIA pump with additional dose of Dex (200 μg). Results. In total, 126 patients were randomized, and 102 patients were involved in the result analysis. The incidence of POCD was 36.54% (19/52) in the Dex group and 32.00% (16/50) in the normal saline (NS) group, with no statistic difference. No significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status-Modified (TICS-m) scores at different times. However, the TICS-m score at 7 days after surgery was significantly lower than that at 30 days in 102 patients ( 32.93 ± 0.42 vs. 33.92 ± 0.47 , P = 0.03 ). The visual analogue scale scores in the Dex group were significantly lower than those in the NS group 1 day postoperation at rest and activity (2.00 [1.00–3.00] vs. 3.00 [2.00–4.00], P < 0.01 ; 4.00 [3.00–5.00] vs. 5.00 [4.00–6.00], P < 0.05 , respectively). Patients receiving Dex or NS had no statistical difference in activities of daily living (ADLs) scores at 7 and 30 days after surgery, but the ADL score at 30 days after surgery showed a significant reduction compared with that at 7 days ( P < 0.01 ). Patients in the Dex group had a shorter hospital length of stay ( 15.26 ± 3.77 vs. 17.69 ± 5.09 , P = 0.02 ) and less expenses ( 52458.71 ± 10649.30 vs. 57269.03 ± 9269.98 , P = 0.04 ) than those in the NS group. Conclusions. Low-dose Dex in the perioperative period did not reduce the incidence of early POCD in thoracic surgery. However, it relieved postoperative pain, decreased the hospitalization expenses, and shortened the length of stay.

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Background Caudal epidural block (CEB) provides reliable anesthesia for adults undergoing anorectal surgery. Despite the widely utilization, the minimum effective concentration for 90% patients (MEC90) of ropivacaine for CEB remains unknown. Objective To estimate MEC of ropivacaine for CEB in anorectal surgery. Design A prospective dose-finding study using biased coin design up-and-down sequential method. Setting Operating room and postoperative recovery area of Chengdu Shangjin Nanfu Hospital, from October 2019 to January 2020. Patients 50 males and 51 females scheduled for anorectal surgery. Interventions We conducted two independent biased coin design up-and down trials by genders. The concentration of ropivacaine administered to the first patient of male and female were 0.25% with fixed volume of 14ml for male and 12ml for female patients based on our previous study. In case of failure, the concentration was increased by 0.05% in the next subject. Otherwise, the next subject was randomized to a concentration 0.05% less with a probability of 0.11, or the same concentration with a probability of 0.89. Success was defined as complete sensory blockade of perineal area 15 min after the block evidenced by the presence of a lax anal sphincter and pain-free surgery. Main outcome measures The MEC of ropivacaine to achieve a successful CEB in 90%(MEC90) of the patients. Results The MEC90 of ropivacaine for CEB were estimated to be 0.35% (95% CI 0.29 to 0.4%) for male and 0.353% (95%CI 0.22 to 0.4%) for female. By extrapolation to MEC in 99% of subjects (MEC99) and pooled adjacent violators algorithm (PAVA) adjusted responses, it would be optimal to choose 0.4% ropivacaine with a volume of 14ml for male and 12ml for female. Conclusions A concentration of 0.35% ropivacaine with a volume of 14ml provided a successful CEB in 90% of the male patients, while 0.353% ropivacaine with a volume of 12ml provided a successful CEB in 90% of the female patients. A concentration of 0.4% and a volume of 14ml for male and 12 ml for female would be successful in 99% of the patients. Trial registration Chictr.org.cn identifier: No. ChiCTR 1900024315.