Medicine
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Treatment against shunt infection by transvenous antimicrobial treatment is difficult, with a high risk of relapse. Consequently, to maintain a sufficient cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentration, intraventricular administration is utilized in combination with the transvenous administration of vancomycin (VCM). Few studies have so far investigated the optimum administration dose for newborns and the concentration in the CSF. ⋯ At the same time, in the 5 mg group (n = 5), the concentration in the CSF 24 hours following VCM administration was sufficiently maintained (33.2-62.9 mg/L), with a sufficient trough concentration still maintained at 72 hours (11.7-16.5 mg/L). The concentration in the CSF is prolonged in newborns, thus allowing a sufficient therapeutic range to be maintained even at an intraventricular administration of 5 mg. It is therefore believed that the monitoring of the CSF is very important regarding the administration interval because the VCM concentration in the CSF differs depending on the case.
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Observational Study
Increased Risk of Dementia in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
Neurodegenerative disease in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was observed. We aim to clarify the risk of dementia in patients with COPD. The study used claims data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. ⋯ The study included 8640 patients with COPD and a mean age of 68.76 (±10.74) years. The adjusted hazard ratio of developing dementia (AD or PD) was 1.74 (95% confidence interval = 1.55-1.96) in patients with COPD compared with patients without COPD after adjusting for age, gender, and comorbidities. This nationwide cohort study demonstrates that the risk of dementia, including AD and PD, is significantly increased in patients with COPD compared with individuals in the general population.
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Observational Study
A Genetic Susceptibility Mechanism for Major Depression: Combinations of polymorphisms Defined the Risk of Major Depression and Subpopulations.
Major Depression (MD) is a highly inherited psychiatric disorder. The norepinephrine transporter (NET) gene plays important role in pathophysiology of MD. This study attempted to examine the relationship between polymorphisms of NET gene and MD. ⋯ When referenced by TT genotype, the OR value increased gradient from TC to CC genotype; when referenced by T allele, the odds ratio value of C allele also increased. Compared with those having both -182 T/T and 1287 G/G genotypes, in patients with MD, early-onset MD, and MD with suicide concept group, the -182 C/C and 1287 G/A combinatorial genotype has significant risk; yet in patients with MD family history, the -182 C/C and 1287 A/A combinatorial genotype has significant risk. Different combinations of T-182C and the G1287A polymorphisms of NET gene might increase morbidity risk of MD subpopulations.
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Osteopetrosis, also known as marble bone disease, is a clinically rare genetic disease, which represents a heterogeneous group of rare, inherited bone dysplasias that share the hallmark of abnormally increased bone density caused by osteoclast dysfunction. Hereby, the authors describe a case of osteopetrosis that showed increased diffuse radioactive uptake on whole body bone (99)Tc(m)-methylene diphosphonate imaging in a 56-year-old man, which increased universal radioactive uptake on craniofacial bone imaging, and enlargement of the limb long bone near the joints with evenly symmetrical enriched distribution of radioactivity. ⋯ Skeletal scintigraphy with Tc-methylene diphosphonate imaging is helpful to the diagnosis of osteopetrosis. There is a characteristic of osteopetrosis different from other bone metabolic diseases.
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Observational Study
Risk Factors and Consequences of Cortical Thickness in an Asian Population.
Cortical thickness has been suggested to be one of the most important markers of cortical atrophy. In this study, we examined potential risk factors of cortical thickness and its association with cognition in an elderly Asian population from Singapore. This is a cross-sectional study among 572 Chinese and Malay patients from the ongoing Epidemiology of Dementia in Singapore (EDIS) Study, who underwent comprehensive examinations including neuropsychological testing and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). ⋯ Finally, in terms of specific cognitive domains, the most significant associations were found for executive function, visuoconstruction, and visual memory. Smaller cortical thickness is significantly associated with cognitive impairment, suggesting a contribution of diffuse cortical atrophy beyond the medial temporal lobe to cognitive function. These findings suggest that cortical thinning is a biomarker of neurodegenerative changes in the brain not only in dementia, but also in its preclinical stages.