Medicine
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Comparative Study
Comparison of Diagnostic Performance Between Visual and Quantitative Assessment of Bone Scintigraphy Results in Patients With Painful Temporomandibular Disorder.
This retrospective clinical study was performed to evaluate whether a visual or quantitative method is more valuable for assessing painful temporomandibular disorder (TMD) using bone scintigraphy results. In total, 230 patients (172 women and 58 men) with TMD were enrolled. All patients were questioned about their temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain. ⋯ The quantitative assessment showed the ability to diagnose painful TMD with a sensitivity of 58.8% and specificity of 69.3%. The diagnostic ability of the visual analysis for diagnosing painful TMD was not significantly different from that of the quantitative analysis. Visual bone scintigraphic analysis showed a diagnostic utility similar to that of quantitative assessment for the diagnosis of painful TMD.
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Observational Study
STROBE-compliant article: Blood Transfusions within the First 24 Hours of Hospitalization Did Not Impact Mortality Among Patients with Severe Sepsis.
Transfusion of packed red blood cells is common during resuscitation of critically ill patients. However, the association between in-hospital mortality and blood transfusion among patients with severe sepsis during the first 24 hours of hospitalization has not yet been determined. A cohort study was conducted of adult nontrauma patients who visited the emergency department of a tertiary hospital and were diagnosed with severe sepsis. ⋯ After PS matching, 177 pairs of transfused and nontransfused patients were analyzed. After adjusting for residual confounding factors by multivariate logistic regression in the matched patient pairs, no significant differences in in-hospital mortality were observed (odds ratio [OR] = 1.52, 95% confidence interval: 0.92-2.51). In this PS-matched cohort study of adult nontrauma patients with severe sepsis, the in-hospital mortality rate was not significantly different in patients who received blood transfusions during the first 24 hours of hospitalization.
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Observational Study
Risk Factors for Renal Functional Decline in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients Receiving Oral Antiviral Agents.
Renal functional decline that is frequently seen during chronic hepatitis B (CHB) treatment can exert adverse effects on overall prognosis. It, however, is difficult to distinguish vulnerable patients who may experience renal dysfunction because most previous CHB studies were conducted in relatively healthy individuals. In this retrospective observational study, renal functional decline in CHB patients receiving oral antiviral agents for more than 6 months was analyzed and risk factors of chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression were determined. ⋯ Age, diabetes, kidney transplantation, underlying CKD, and simultaneous administration of diuretics were identified as risk factors for rapid CKD progression, and clevudine showed a beneficial effect. Age, hypertension, diabetes, liver or kidney transplantation, underlying CKD, and diuretics were identified as risk factors for renal functional decline. This study suggests that close monitoring of renal function and adequate management are required for CHB patients receiving antiviral agents with these risk factors.
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Review Meta Analysis Comparative Study
Intravenous Versus Oral Iron for the Treatment of Anemia in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
Anemia is the most prevalent extraintestinal complication of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Our aim was to evaluate the comparative efficacy and harm of intravenous (IV) versus oral iron supplementation for correcting anemia in adult IBD patients. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to integrate evidence from randomized controlled trials having enrolled adults with IBD, and comparing IV versus oral iron (head-to-head) for correcting iron-deficiency anemia. ⋯ We found no evidence of publication bias, or between-study heterogeneity, across all analyses. Risk of bias was high across primary studies, because patients and personnel were not blinded to the intervention. IV iron appears to be more effective and better tolerated than oral iron for the treatment of IBD-associated anemia.
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Review Meta Analysis
Association Between Leptin (-2548G/A) Genes Polymorphism and Breast Cancer Susceptibility: A Meta-Analysis.
Leptin is a confirmed breast cancer susceptibility gene. However, published studies reported mixed results. This meta-analysis was conducted to systematically get a more accurate estimation of the association between the Leptin (-2548G/A) gene polymorphism and breast cancer risk. ⋯ Following further stratified analyses, in the subgroup analyses by ethnicity, a significantly increased risk was observed among Caucasian (A vs G: OR = 1.11, 95%CI = 1.03-1.20, P = 0.006, Phet = 0.00001). No publication bias was found in the present study. In conclusion, our meta-analysis suggests that the Leptin (-2548G/A) gene polymorphism plays an important role in breast cancer susceptibility, especially in Caucasian.