Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA
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Electrotherapy or electrical stimulation (ES) is a part of clinical intervention in the rehabilitation field. With rehabilitation intervention, electrotherapy may be provided as a treatment for pain relief, strengthening, muscle education, wound recovery, or functional training. Although these interventions may not be considered as the primary therapy for patients, the advantages of the ease of operation, lower costs, and lower risks render ES to be applied frequently in clinics. ⋯ The most common at-home applications in previous studies showed positive effects on pain relief, functional ES, muscle establishment, and motor training. Currently, there is a lack of certain products for at-home brain modulation; however, transcranial direct current stimulation has shown the potential of future home-based rehabilitation due to its relatively small and simple design. We have organized the features and applications of ES tools and expect the future potential of remote therapy during the viral pandemic.
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Carotid blowout syndrome (CBS) is a catastrophic complication after aggressive head and neck cancer treatment. Endovascular embolization is an effective modality to manage CBS. However, some CBS may have recurrent CBS (rCBS) after endovascular management. This study aims to report the potential rCBS risk and endovascular management strategy. ⋯ rCBS may result from DP or IE. The common location of IE-related rCBS usually occurred in the carotid branches. It occurred within two weeks of CBS largely because of the underestimation of the extension of the affected carotid artery. In addition, DP is natural in head and neck cancer after aggressive treatment. Thus, endovascular management remained an effective method to manage rCBS.
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Review Meta Analysis
Hepatitis D virus dual infection increased the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma compared with hepatitis B virus mono infection: A meta-analysis.
Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is a defective virus that relies on the supply of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) from hepatitis B virus (HBV) to assemble HDV virions and infect hepatocytes. However, controversy remains in whether the presence of HDV increases the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Our aim is to evaluate the influence of HDV on the risk of HCC through a systematic review and meta-analysis. ⋯ HDV and HBV dual infection significantly increase the risk of HCC development compared with HBV monoinfection.
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Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) was a disease predominantly affecting young females about 40 years ago; however, it has been increasingly diagnosed in elderly individuals. Few studies have investigated the features of elderly patients with PAH. This review provides an overview of the characteristics of elderly patients with PAH compared to young patients. ⋯ Moreover, it was noted that elderly patients underwent combination drug regimens less frequently and exhibited poorer treatment responses than young patients. Finally, it was found that elderly PAH patients experienced poorer survival than young patients. The differences among five survival prediction models and their applicability in predicting the prognosis of PAH patients are discussed.
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Meta Analysis
Network Meta-analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis for Atrial Fibrillation Patients Receiving PCI or with ACS.
In patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), choosing the most appropriate antithrombotic treatment remains a dilemma. We aimed to compare the relative efficacy and safety outcomes of antithrombotic drugs in patients with AF after undergoing PCI or ACS. ⋯ In patients with AF receiving PCI or with ACS, NOAC + P2Y12 inhibitor was associated with the lowest bleeding risk but resulted in a statistically nonsignificant, numerically greater risk for stent thrombosis and myocardial infarction, suggesting that triple antithrombotic therapy should still be an option for certain patients at a high risk of stent thrombosis or myocardial infarction.