Medicine
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Review Meta Analysis
Effects and Safety of Magnesium Sulfate on Neuroprotection: A Meta-analysis Based on PRISMA Guidelines.
To evaluate the evidence of effects and safety of magnesium sulfate on neuroprotection for preterm infants who had exposure in uteri. We searched electronic databases and bibliographies of relevant papers to identify studies comparing magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) with placebo or other treatments in patients at high risk of preterm labor and reporting effects and safety of MgSO4 for antenatal infants. Then, we did this meta-analysis based on PRISMA guideline. ⋯ MgSO4 administered to women at high risk of preterm labor could reduce the risk of moderate to severe CP, without obvious adverse effects on babies. Although there exit many unfavorable effects on mothers, yet they may be lessened through reduction of the dose of MgSO4 and could be tolerable for mothers. So MgSO4 is both beneficial and safety to be used as a neuroprotective agent for premature infants before a valid alternative was discovered.
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Review Meta Analysis
Significant Effect of Valproate Augmentation Therapy in Patients With Schizophrenia: A Meta-analysis Study.
Valproate is an anticonvulsant, which is also widely used for treating psychiatric disorders. Some clinical trials have demonstrated benefits of valproate augmentation therapy in schizophrenia. Previous meta-analysis showed inconsistent findings because of limited literature at that time. ⋯ There is no difference in the dropout rate between valproate augmentation and antipsychotic treatment only (P = 0.14). We could not perform a detailed meta-analysis for every category of antipsychotics, long-term effect, and safety profiles of valproate augmentation therapy in maintenance treatment, safety in pregnant patients, and subtype of schizophrenia. Our meta-analysis highlights the significantly better treatment effect with valproate augmentation therapy in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, and provides important evidence for supporting the practice of valproate augmentation therapy in these patients.
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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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This study aimed to determine trends in prevalence, awareness, and control of hypertension in Malaysia and to assess the relationship between socioeconomic determinants and prevalence of hypertension in Malaysia. The distribution of hypertension in Malaysia was assessed based on available data in 3 National Health and Morbidity Surveys (NHMSs) and 1 large scale non-NHMS during the period of 1996 to 2011. Summary statistics was used to characterize the included surveys. ⋯ A change in the control of hypertension was 13% higher in women than in men. The findings suggest that the magnitude of hypertension in Malaysia needs additional attention. Strengthening the screening for hypertension in primary health-care settings in the high-risk groups and frequent health promotion to the community to enhance individual awareness and commitment to healthy living would be of immense value.
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We used American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Staging Manual system to assess the prognostic significance of tumor regression grading (TRG) for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) (T3/4 or N+) patients who were treated with preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT). The 4 AJCC-TRG classifications were evaluated on surgical specimens from 295 LARC patients receiving CRT. Overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), local recurrence-free survival (LRFS), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) were estimated using Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression model. ⋯ By multivariate analysis, AJCC-TRG (P = 0.033), residual lymph node metastasis (ypN+) (P < 0.001) and pretreatment CA19-9 level (P = 0.035) were significant predictors of OS. Pathological T category (P = 0.006) and nodal status (P < 0.001) after CRT were the most important independent prognostic factors for DFS. AJCC-TRG is a prognostic factor for LARC patients receiving CRT, independent of pathological staging.