Medicine
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Multicenter Study
Treated glycosylated hemoglobin levels in individuals with diabetes mellitus vary little by health status: A retrospective cohort study.
As choosing wisely has raised the issue of whether some individuals with type 2 diabetes may be overtreated, we examined the intensity of glycemic control across health status strata defined by comorbidities or frailty. This is a retrospective cohort study of commercially insured patients from 50 US states (Clinformatics Data Mart). We evaluated treated HbA1c levels in adults with new diabetes diagnosed between January 2004 and December 2009 who had HbA1C measured after at least 1 year of follow-up. ⋯ Among patients with HbA1C <7%, use of insulin or sulfonylureas was associated with an increased risk for all-cause hospitalization [aHR 1.54, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.45-1.64] and for emergency room visits (aHR 1.44, 95% CI 1.35-1.53) over the subsequent median 6 months follow-up. Diabetic control was similar regardless of comorbidity burden and frailty status. Despite being at a higher risk for adverse effects, nearly half of complex and very complex patients were still receiving insulin or sulfonylureas despite having treated HbA1C levels <7%, and these patients did exhibit higher risk of all-cause hospitalizations or emergency visits subsequently.
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Observational Study
World Health Organization (WHO) surgical safety checklist implementation and its impact on perioperative morbidity and mortality in an academic medical center in Chile.
Health care organizations are unsafe. Numerous centers have incorporated the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist in their processes with good results; however, only limited information is available about its effectiveness in Latin America. We aimed to evaluate the impact of the checklist implementation on the in-hospital morbidity and mortality rate in a tertiary health care center. ⋯ The median length of stay was 3 days [interquartile range (IQR), 1-5] and 2 days (IQR, 1-4) for the pre and postchecklist period, respectively (P < 0.01). This is the first Latin American study reporting a decrease in mortality after the implementation of the WHO Surgical Checklist in adult surgical patients. This is a strong and simple tool to make health care safer, especially in developing countries.
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Multicenter Study
Impact of Age on the Prognosis of Operable Gastric Cancer Patients: An Analysis Based on SEER Database.
To investigate the impact of age on the clinicopathological features and survival of patients with gastric cancer (GC), and hope to better define age-specific patterns of GC and possible associated risk factors. Using the surveillance, epidemiology, and end results (SEER) database to search the patients who diagnosed GC between 2007 and 2011 with a known age. The overall and 5-year gastric cancer specific survival (CSS) data were obtained using Kaplan-Meier plots. ⋯ Additionally, as the age increased, the risk of death for GC demonstrated a significant increase. In conclusion, our analysis of the SEER database revealed that the prognosis of GC varies with age. Patients at age 56 to 65 group have more favorable clinicopathologic characteristics and better CSS than other groups.
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Propranolol, a lipophilic nonselective β-blocker, has recently been reported to be the treatment of choice for select types of infantile hemangiomas (IHs). Atenolol is a hydrophilic, selective β1-blocker and therefore may be not associated with side effects attributable to β2-adrenergic receptor blockade and lipophilicity. However, the efficacy and safety of atenolol in the treatment of IH are poorly understood. ⋯ No significant hypoglycemia, bronchospasm, bradycardia, or hypotension occurred. The most common adverse event was diarrhea, followed by agitation and sleep disturbance. This study demonstrated that atenolol was effective and safe at a dose of 1 mg/kg per day for 24 weeks in the treatment of proliferating IHs.
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This study investigated the risk factors for freezing of gait (FOG) in the early stage of Parkinson disease in China, using a sample of 248 patients who were followed for 3 years. Part III of the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale and the modified Hoehn-Yahr grading scale were used to evaluate the severity of motor symptoms. Nonmotor symptoms were assessed using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), and Non-Motor Symptoms Scale (NMSS). ⋯ However, the cardiovascular domain of the NMSS (OR = 2.729, P = 0.001) was the only risk factor for FOG 1 year later. Two years later, FOG was associated with mixed style (OR = 0.189, P = 0.005), lower limbs as site of onset (OR = 4.772, P = 0.008), not using dopamine receptor agonists (OR = 0.031, P < 0.001), and the anxiety/somatic domain of the HAMD (OR = 0.596, P = 0.033). Scores at baseline, patients with Parkinson disease were more likely to experience FOG if: they were older, or from the countryside; had an akinetic-rigid style, anxiety, or higher NMSS scores; they used levodopa early or did not use amantadine or selegiline; their lower limbs were the site of onset; or they had more severe motor disability or higher HAMD scores at baseline.