Medicine
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Because of its rapid onset time, recent years have seen an increase in the use of ultrasound (US)-guided popliteal sciatic nerve block (PSNB) via subparaneural injection for induction of surgical anesthesia. Moreover, in below-knee surgery, combined blocks, as opposed to sciatic nerve block alone, have become more common. These combined blocks often require a large volume of local anesthetic (LA), thus increasing the risk of local-anesthetic systemic toxicity (LAST). ⋯ The MEV50 of 0.75% ropivacaine is 6.14 mL (95% confidence interval, 4.33-7.94 mL). The ED90 by probit analysis for a subparaneural injection was 8.9 mL (95% CI, 7.09-21.75 mL). The 6.14-mL MEV50 of ropivacaine 0.75% represents a 71% reduction in volume compared with neurostimulation techniques and a 14.7% reduction in volume compared with US-guided PSNB using the alternative perineural injection technique.
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Observational Study
Cerebral infarct volume measurements to improve patient selection for endovascular treatment.
Patients who have large cerebral infarctions may not be good candidates for endovascular treatment. Various methods for determining infarct volume have been used in clinical studies. We evaluated the effectiveness of several methods for measuring infarct volume, especially regarding futile outcomes despite endovascular treatment. ⋯ Regarding prediction of futile outcomes, area under ROC curve was 0.551 on NCCT ASPECTS and it was significantly smaller than that in PCCT ASPECTS (area under ROC 0.651, P = 0.030), DWI ASPECTS (0.733, P = 0.003), DWI stroke volume (0.702, P = 0.022), and infarct core volume (0.702, P = 0.021). Besides old age and high National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score on admission, MRI parameters such as DWI ASPECTS and infarct core volume indicating large volumes were independently associated with futile outcomes in multivariable analyses. DWI ASPECTS can be a good parameter predicting futility, which is easily measured and has high prediction power.
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The prevalence of diabetes mellitus has been increasing both globally and locally. Primary care physicians (PCPs) are in a privileged position to provide first contact and continuing care for diabetic patients. A territory-wide Reference Framework for Diabetes Care for Adults has been released by the Hong Kong Primary Care Office in 2010, with the aim to further enhance evidence-based and high quality care for diabetes in the primary care setting through wide adoption of the Reference Framework. ⋯ The overall level of guideline adoption was found to be relatively high among PCPs for adult diabetes in primary care settings. The adoption barriers identified in this study should be addressed in the continuous updating of the Reference Framework. Strategies need to be considered to enhance the guideline adoption and implementation capacity.
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Observational Study
Prevalence and impact of Clostridium difficile infection in elderly residents of long-term care facilities, 2011: A nationwide study.
The elderly population is particularly vulnerable to Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), but the epidemiology of CDI in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) is unknown. We performed a retrospective cohort study and used US 2011 LTCF resident data from the Minimum Data Set 3.0 linked to Medicare claims. We extracted CDI cases based on International Classification of Diseases-9 coding, and compared residents with the diagnosis of CDI to those who did not have a CDI diagnosis during their LTCF stay. ⋯ Importantly, CDI was associated with higher mortality (24.7% vs 18.1%, P = 0.001). CDI is common among the elderly residents of LTCFs and is associated with significant increase in 3-month mortality. The prevalence is higher in the Northeast and risk stratification can be used in CDI prevention policies.
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The relationship between the body mass index (BMI) and the incidence of cause-specific disability remains unclear. We conducted a prospective cohort study of 12,376 Japanese individuals aged ≥65 years who were followed up for 5.7 years. Information on BMI and other lifestyle factors was collected via a questionnaire in 2006. ⋯ There was no significant relationship between BMI and disability due to stroke. The BMI nadirs for cause-specific disability differed: a low BMI (<23) was a risk factor for disability due to dementia, and a high BMI (≥29) was a risk factor for disability due to joint disease. Because BMI values of 23 to <29 did not pose a significantly higher risk for each cause of disability, this range should be regarded as the optimal one for the elderly population.