Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA
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Patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement surgery (TAVR) are typically older adults with multiple chronic diseases and therefore have a high surgical risk. The N-terminal of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and pro-BNP, referred to as NT-pro-BNP, is an easily measurable biomarker of heart failure. Studies on correlation between higher NT-pro-BNP levels and adverse prognoses after TAVR have yielded inconsistent results. Here, we investigated whether preoperative NT-pro-BNP levels are correlated with outcomes among older adults undergoing TAVR. ⋯ For older patients undergoing TAVR with NT-pro-BNP levels > 4853 ng/L, their postoperative outcomes and 1-year mortality were correlated. Thus, NT-pro-BNP is useful for the risk assessment of patients undergoing TAVR and should be regarded as a biomarker in future risk assessments.
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The management of urolithiasis in the kidney has been drastically changed in the era of endourology, mainly consisting of three surgical procedures: extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL), and retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS). Since ESWL is usually less invasive via ambulatory clinic routes, this study aimed to examine the stone-free rate (SFR) between PCNL and RIRS. ⋯ PCNL and RIRS are both feasible options for managing kidney stones. However, the initial stone size might affect the selection of operation. The SFR in the PCNL group was numerically but not statistically higher. The RIRS group, on the other hand, had a longer operation time but a shorter hospital stays.
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Study on oxidative stress and inflammatory/antioxidant substance levels in autism spectrum disorder.
The etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) includes oxidative stress and brain inflammation. We investigated the relationship among oxidative stress markers, in vivo inflammatory substances, and antioxidants that can be easily measured in the clinic and compared them between children with ASD and those with typical development (TD). ⋯ The results suggest that serum levels of in vivo inflammatory substances, stress-related substances, and antioxidants are altered in ASD under oxidative stress.