Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA
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Osteoarthritis (OA) is a multifactorial disease that is associated with several genetic factors. TFAP2A with a motif of C allele at rs6426749 demonstrates a higher binding ability, thereby increasing CDC42 expression, potentially affecting OA occurrence. In this study, we evaluated the role of rs6426749 polymorphisms on knee OA in a female Taiwanese population. ⋯ Our findings indicated that rs6426749 may be related to OA susceptibility in the Taiwanese population. This was particularly true for women with normal BMI.
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Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have replaced vitamin K antagonists as the standard of care for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, DOAC prescriptions at dosages that do not adhere to labeling are common in daily practice. This analysis from the observational Global Edoxaban Treatment in routiNe clinical prActice (ETNA)-AF program focuses on edoxaban-treated patients from South Korea and Taiwan to identify patient baseline characteristics that may be associated with non-recommended dosing. ⋯ The baseline data from ETNA-AF indicate that physicians take patient clinical characteristics (e.g., bleeding risks) into consideration when deviating from the dosing recommendation per label.
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To determine the impact of body mass index (BMI) on clinical outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors treated with targeted temperature management (TTM). ⋯ In OHCA patients treated with TTM, there was no significant difference across BMI subgroups for survival or favorable neurologic outcome at discharge.
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Marfan syndrome is an inherited connective tissue disease that causes aortic root dilatation and dissection and requires surgical intervention. Apart from emergent surgery for aortic dissection or aortic aneurysmal rupture, prophylactic surgical intervention can also be administered, depending on the severity of aortic root dilatation. The direct relationship between surgical intervention and aortic regurgitation was seldom mentioned in previous studies. ⋯ Among adolescents and young adults with Marfan syndrome, echocardiographic presentation of aortic root dilatation, left ventricular dilatation, and significant aortic regurgitation was significantly associated with prophylactic surgical intervention. According to the study, significant aortic regurgitation should also be considered as an important indication for prophylactic surgery.
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Comparative Study
Outcome comparison between vaginoscopy and standard hysteroscopy: A retrospective cohort study.
Hysteroscopy is a traditional diagnostic method, whereas vaginoscopy is a more recent but proven approach. However, most physicians are unfamiliar with vaginoscopy. We aimed to compare the feasibility and tolerability between the two techniques to increase clinical awareness. ⋯ Vaginoscopy required a shorter time for the completion of the examination and involved lesser pain than the standard hysteroscopy. The success rates were comparable between the two techniques. Therefore, vaginoscopy is a good option for office hysteroscopic examinations.