Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA
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Oral health is crucial to individual growth and development. However, oral health care is often overlooked in children with special health care needs (CSHCN). We investigated current oral health status and unmet dental needs of CSHCN in Taiwan. ⋯ Unmet dental needs and caries experience indices remain high in CSHCN, regardless of the types and severity of disability. However, the younger the age at which CSHCN received their first dental treatment, the more effective the dental rehabilitation was. Parental education regarding early dental intervention and a preventive approach for enhanced oral care is mandatory.
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Recognizing patients at risk for deterioration and in need of critical care after emergency department (ED) admission may prevent unplanned intensive care unit (ICU) transfers and decrease the number of deaths in the hospital. The objective of this research was to study if the predisposition, insult, response, and organ dysfunction (PIRO) concept of sepsis can be used to predict the risk of unplanned ICU transfer after ED admission. ⋯ The PIRO concept of sepsis may be used in undifferentiated medical ED patients as a prediction system for unplanned ICU transfer after admission.
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We conducted a Phase II study of biweekly oxaliplatin plus oral tegafur-uracil in the preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for locally advanced resectable mid-to-lower rectal cancer in our hospital, to evaluate the feasibility of this drug combination in tumor pathologic response, acute toxicity, local control, disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), and time to distant metastasis in an Asian cohort. ⋯ Preoperative chemoradiotherapy with oxaliplatin and tegafur-uracil was well-tolerated and achieved an excellent pCR in our patients with locally advanced mid-to-lower rectal cancer.
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It is unclear whether atrial fibrillation (AF) adversely influences the clinical course of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). ⋯ Patients with HCC had a significantly reduced survival time with the comorbidity of AF. Tumor rupture was relatively common among patients with both HCC and AF. The anticoagulation treatment of AF in patients with HCC deviated from the current guidelines without an increase in thromboembolic events.
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Lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP) is an acute-phase protein produced by the liver. It has been shown that LBP plays an important role in the inflammatory response to sepsis. LBP has also been shown to protect animals from endotoxin challenge by facilitating the removal of endotoxin from the blood circulation. Cirrhotic patients are susceptible to bacterial infection. It is unknown whether pre-existing liver dysfunction impacts the LBP levels and thus the prognosis in severe sepsis. ⋯ The concentration of LBP is associated inversely with disease severity scores and outcomes in critically ill cirrhotic patients with severe sepsis.