Medicine
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Observational Study
Office-Based Intracordal Hyaluronate Injections Improve Quality of Life in Thoracic-Surgery-Related Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis.
Thoracic-surgery-related unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) may cause severe morbidity and can cause profound functional impairment and psychosocial stress in patients with pre-existing thoracic diseases. In-office intracordal hyaluronate (HA) injections have recently been applied to improve voice and quality of life in patients with vocal incompetence, but their effect on thoracic-surgery-related UVFP remains inconclusive. We therefore conducted a prospective study to clarify the effect of early HA injection on voice and quality of life in patients with thoracic-surgery-related UVFP. ⋯ Voice-related life quality, voice laboratory analysis, and most generic quality of life domains were significantly improved at 1 month after in-office HA intracordal injection. No HA-related complications were reported. Single office-based HA intracordal injection is a safe and effective treatment for thoracic-surgery-related UVFP, resulting in immediate improvements in patient quality of life, voice quality, and swallowing ability.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
A Comparison of Transthroracic Echocardiograpy and Transcranial Doppler With Contrast Agent for Detection of Patent Foramen Ovale With or Without the Valsalva Maneuver.
Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a remnant of the fetal circulation exist in 20% of the general population. The purpose of our study was to compare of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and contrast-transcranial Doppler sonography (c-TCD) in the diagnosis and quantification of PFO with or without the Valsalva maneuver (VM). We studied 106 patients with a high clinical suspicion for PFO prospectively. ⋯ Both c-TCD and TTE should used as initial screening tool for PFO. VM increases the size of shunt. VM resulted in detection of more RLS both in c-TCD and TTE tests.
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Observational Study
Risk Factors, Coronary Severity, Outcome and ABO Blood Group: A Large Chinese Han Cohort Study.
ABO blood type locus has been reported to have ethnic difference and to be a pivotal genetic determinant of cardiovascular risk, whereas few prospective data regarding the impact on cardiovascular outcomes are available in a large cohort of patients with angiography-proven coronary artery disease, especially from the Chinese population. The objective of this study was to assess the prognostic role of blood type in future cardiovascular events (CVEs) in Chinese Han patients undergoing coronary angiography. The population of this prospective cohort study consisted of 3823 eligible patients, and followed annually to capture all CVEs. ⋯ The log-rank test revealed that there was a significant difference between non-O and O blood groups in event-free survival analysis (P = 0.026). In particular, the Cox proportional hazards models revealed that non-O blood type was associated with increased CVEs risk [hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) 1.320 (1.033-1.685)], even after adjusting for potential confounders [adjusted hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) non-O: 1.289 (1.003-1.656); A: 1.083 (0.797-1.472); B: 1.481 (1.122-1.955); AB: 1.249 (0.852-1.831), respectively]. Non-O blood type is associated with future CVEs in Chinese Han patients undergoing coronary angiography.
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CD147 is an important molecule in the inflammation and proteolysis process. This molecule crucially contributes to the initial and progression of atherosclerotic lesions. A single nucleotide polymorphism in CD147 gene, the rs8259 T/A in the 3'-untranslated region, is responsible for its expression in various cells. ⋯ Linear regression analysis showed that genotypes and disease conditions contributed 49% to the change of the plasma CD147 level. These results suggested that the single nucleotide polymorphism of CD147 gene rs8259 T/A was associated with ACS susceptibility. Allele T gene may decrease the relative risk of suffering from ACS through downregulation of CD147 expression.
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Observational Study
Prognostic Value and Grading of MRI-Based T Category in Patients With Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Without Lymph Node Metastasis Undergoing Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy.
We investigated the prognostic value and gradation of the T category in N0 nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). A total of 749 patients were retrospectively reviewed, and a total of 181 N0 NPC patients were included in this retrospective study. All patients were restaged according to the 7th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system. ⋯ The 5-year OS, PFS, and LRFS rates of group 3 differed significantly from those of groups 1 and 2, and a significant difference was observed in the DMFS rate only between groups 3 and 1. In Cox's proportional hazard analysis, the 3-grade T category was an independent prognostic factor for OS (P = 0.002), PFS (P < 0.001), and LRFS (P = 0.002). The 3-grade T category, using MRI according to the site of invasion, has prognostic value for the outcome of IMRT treatment in N0 NPC, and could aid in developing individualized treatment strategies.