Medicine
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The aims of present study were to evaluate the prevalence, risk factors, and prognostic significance of masked hypertension in diabetic patients. Using a cross-sectional design, 266 patients with documented type 2 diabetes mellitus and clinic blood pressure (BP) <140/90 mm Hg without antihypertension treatment were enrolled; 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring was applied to evaluate mean 24-hour systolic/diastolic BP. Demographics, medical histories, and medications usage were obtained using questionnaire. ⋯ Logistic regression analysis revealed that after adjusted for traditional risk factors including age, male sex, smoking status, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, CRP, clinic systolic BP, and HbA1c, masked hypertension remained independently associated with prevalent cardiovascular disease (CVD), with odds ratio of 1.31 and 95% confidence interval of 1.11 to 1.85. In summary, in diabetic patients, concurrent masked hypertension increases the odds of having CVD. Future randomized controlled trials are warranted to investigate whether screening and managing masked hypertension could reduce cardiovascular events in diabetic patients.
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Observational Study
Association of central blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases in diabetic patients with hypertension.
To evaluate association of central blood pressure (BP) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in diabetic patients with hypertension. This was a cross-section study and 360 participants were enrolled. Baseline characteristics were collected and indices of central BP including central systolic/diastolic BP (SBP/DBP), augmentation index adjusted for 75 beats per minute of heart rate (AIx@75) were measured. ⋯ Ageing, male gender, and presence of coronary heart disease and ischemic stroke were associated with increased AIx@75, whereas renin-angiotensin-axis inhibitor was associated with reduced AIx@75. After adjusted for traditional risk factors including brachial SBP, both central SBP, and AIx@75 remained significantly associated with CVD, with odds ratio and 95% confidence interval of 1.09 (1.08-1.31) and 1.20 (1.15-1.42), respectively. Diabetic patients with hypertension, ageing, male gender, and presence of CVD are independent risk factors of central BP increase; and increased central SBP and AIx@75 are significantly associated with CVD.
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This study investigated whether alcohol intoxication (AI) increases the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) by using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). Using data from the NHIRD, we assembled 61,229 patients with acute AI and randomly selected 244,916 controls. Each patient was monitored from 2000 to 2011 to identify those who were subsequently diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). ⋯ After adjustment for age, sex, and comorbidities, the risks of DVT and PE were 3.40 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.83-4.08] and 3.53 (95% CI = 2.69-4.65)-fold higher in the AI cohort than in the non-AI cohort. An increased incidence of VTE was observed among patients with AI. Therefore, physicians should carefully estimate the risk of VTE in patients with AI.
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Observational Study
Clinical efficacy analysis of Ahmed glaucoma valve implantation in neovascular glaucoma and influencing factors: A STROBE-compliant article.
This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Ahmed glaucoma valve (AGV) implantation in treating neovascular glaucoma (NVG) and to analyze the factors influencing the surgical success rate. This is a retrospective review of 40 eyes of 40 NVG patients who underwent AGV implantation at Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, China, between January 2014 and December 2016. Pre- and postoperative intraocular pressure (IOP), visual acuity, surgical success rate, medications, and complications were observed. ⋯ Gender, previous operation history, primary disease, and preoperative IOP were found to be not significant. AGV implantation is an effective and safe surgical method to treat NVG. Age is an important factor influencing the surgical success rate.
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Observational Study
Plasma interleukin-27 levels in patients with coronary artery disease.
Interleukin (IL)-27, one of cytokines in the IL-12 family, is considered to have both pro- and anti-inflammatory properties. However, blood IL-27 levels in coronary artery disease (CAD) have not been fully elucidated yet. This cross-sectional study was done to elucidate the association between blood IL-27 levels and CAD. ⋯ However, hsCRP, but not IL-27, was also a factor for ACS. While plasma IL-27 levels were high in patients with CAD, these levels were an independent factor for only CAD, not ACS, and weakly correlated with the severity of CAD. Our results suggest that IL-27 is unlikely to be a good biomarker reflecting the severity of CAD or the presence of ACS, or to play a major role in the progression of CAD.