Postgraduate medical journal
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Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the greatest disease burdens and takes the lives of many each year. There are many risk factors both modifiable and non-modifiable which contribute to the onset and progression of the disease. Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) in recent years has been found to have a correlation with CVD onset. ⋯ A definite link between TMAO levels and a CVD outcome was found. The majority of the literature stated the relationship with evidence; however, there is still some uncertainty as to why and how the correlation occurs. Further study needs to be done to further dissect and understand the relationship between TMAO and CVD risk.
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Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Inflammation has been seen to be a key feature of atherosclerosis and CAD, with a raised C-reactive protein being a marker of poor prognosis. ⋯ Here, we discuss the role of colchicine in stable CAD and post-acute coronary syndrome. We suggest that colchicine may play a key role in prevention of cardiovascular events in patients with stable and unstable CAD as colchicine is associated with a reduction in the rate of myocardial infarction and other major cardiovascular outcomes.
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As we all know, medical postgraduate education is very important for training high-quality clinicians, and can have a long-term impact on the promotion of the global health service system. In recent years, following the example of developed countries in Europe and America, the Chinese government has reformed the training mode of medical postgraduates and implemented the double tutor system. Although this system will bring many positive effects in theory, the difficulties encountered in implementing this system are real and need the joint efforts of schools, tutors and students to solve them. This article closely follows the background of the current era, compares the differences between Chinese and foreign graduate training modes, and emphatically discusses the significance and problems of the double tutor system in the postgraduate education reform in China.
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Multilevel cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) and ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) are debilitating degenerative diseases. If conservative treatment is ineffective, surgical options for multilevel CSM and OPLL include laminoplasty (LP) and laminectomy with fusion (LF). In this updated meta-analysis, we aimed to compare the clinical outcomes and complications of both approaches. ⋯ Although LP and LF shared similar clinical improvement, LP had fewer complications, a lower incidence of C5 palsy, and better NDI scores and recovery outcomes than LF. Randomised studies are warranted to validate these findings.