Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA
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Thoracic trauma is responsible for approximately 25% of trauma deaths, and rib fractures are present in as many as 40-80% of patients, and intensive care and/or ventilator support are frequently required for these patients. To identify their risk factors would improve treatment strategies for these patients. ⋯ The severity of traumatic rib fractures was identified in this study. Therefore, a trauma team needs better preparation to provide effective treatment strategies when encountering thoracic trauma patients, especially patients who are older and have rib fractures.
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Mesiodens is a common clinical finding among children and has a higher prevalence in Asian populations. The timing of the removal of mesiodens remains controversial. Clinical studies comparing early versus late removal are lacking. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the frequency of clinical complications regarding the timing of childhood mesiodens removal and to explore the factors associated with complications following mesiodens removal. ⋯ The early removal of an unerupted mesiodens before the age of 5 years would seem to reduce complications and the need for orthodontic treatment. With the help of general anesthesia and evaluation by CT imaging, concerns regarding the child's cooperation and the possibility of damage to adjacent permanent teeth during early surgical intervention can be minimized.
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Gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) has become an effective salvage therapeutic option for recurrent ependymomas. However, its effectiveness can be assessed only by neuroimaging before clinical deterioration occurs. We analyzed the evolution of post-GKRS magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features and sought to establish the feasibility of timely appropriate clinical management of the recurrent tumors. ⋯ The MRI patterns of post-GKRS recurrent ependymomas are heterogeneous. Transient increased tumor volume may represent pseudoprogression, whose final tumor control rate was not significantly different from those cases with straight tumor shrinkage. ADC values, ADC ratio, and sequential follow-up MRI scans are beneficial to differentiate between pseudoprogression and true progression, and help guide clinical management.
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Striae gravidarum (SG), commonly called stretch marks, is an important cosmetic problem which is not treatable, although preventive measures might be effective. The aim of this study was to determine individual risk factors causing SG and the degree to which preventive measures could be effective. ⋯ Informing women preconceptionally on the importance of modifiable risk factors, such as body weight and maternal age before pregnancy, can be useful, considering that stretch marks are carried for a lifetime and there is no conclusive treatment.
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The group A streptococcus (GAS) M protein, encoded by the emm gene, acts as a major virulence factor. Emm-typing is the GAS gold standard molecular typing and is based on the DNA sequence of the nucleotides of the emm gene. The aim of the present study was to isolate GAS from patients and to detect the emm types of the isolates using emm typing. ⋯ The result of the present study showed that penicillin and erythromycin are still the most effective antibiotics against the organism. The emm typing revealed that emm type-3 was detected in most of the isolates from patients with purulent pharyngitis. On the basis of the findings of this study, we may conclude that emm typing provides new insights on the genetic diversity of the M proteins, and is of demonstrable value for molecular studies of GAS.