Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA
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Cochlear implants (CIs) are viable treatment options in patients with severe to profound hearing loss. Speech recognition difficulties were reported in some CI recipients even with a good-aided hearing threshold. The aim of this study was to report a mapping strategy based on different target-aided hearing thresholds to achieve optimal speech recognition and maximize functional outcomes. The safety and efficacy of the mapping strategy were also inspected in the article. ⋯ CI performance with the best perception relies on a balance between minimizing the hearing threshold and maximizing the dynamic range while maintaining an appropriate comfort level, which was achieved when the target hearing threshold was set at 25-35 dB in this study.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Combined Lipid Goal Attainment in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Dyslipidemia: A Head-to-Head Comparative Trial of Statins.
This study compared the efficacy of two statin treatments (simvastatin vs rosuvastatin) in achieving the combined goal of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) <2.6 mmol/L and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) <3.4 mmol/L in patients with type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia. ⋯ In our study, ≈85% of patients with type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia could achieve the combined lipid goal with statin monotherapy. The two statin treatments could sufficiently control diabetic dyslipidemia (NCT00506961).
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Editorial Comment
Pelvic adhesion: A challenge of all gynecologic surgeries.
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Liquid nitrogen (LN) has been used as an adjuvant cryotherapy for bone tumors including giant-cell tumor of the bone (GCTB) to remove residual tumor cells after curettage. This study evaluated variables related to the efficacy of LN-based cryoablation in the context of adjuvant treatment of GCTB using porcine femur bone model. ⋯ The cryotherapy effective range was within 5 mm from nadir. Complications were restricted to within this distance. The cooling rate was unchanged after three repeated cycles of cryotherapy.
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Exercise stress testing using a ramp protocol has been favored for cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) in patients with heart failure (HF). However, the stepwise protocol for CPX was preferred for its possible combination with exercise stress echocardiography (ESE). We, therefore, investigated the feasibility and safety of using a stepwise protocol for CPX-ESE in patients with HF. ⋯ The stepwise protocol, with an initial workload of 30 W, followed by 15 W increments every 3 minutes, was feasible and provided an adequate stress load for patients with HF. This exercise stress modality was safe and well-tolerated.