Medicine
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Accumulating studies have reported inconsistent association between ErbB4 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and predisposition to schizophrenia. To better interpret this issue, here we conducted a meta-analysis using published case-control studies. ⋯ This meta-analysis suggested that rs707284 may be a potential ErbB4 SNP associated with susceptibility to schizophrenia. Nevertheless, due to the limited sample size in this meta-analysis, more large-scale association studies are still needed to confirm the results.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Impact of standardized patients on the training of medical students to manage emergencies.
Teaching emergency management should educate medical students not only for facts and treatment algorithms but also for time effective physical examination, technical skills, and team interaction. We tested the hypothesis, that using standardized emergency patients would be more effective in transmitting knowledge and skills compared with a more traditional teaching approach. ⋯ Teaching management of emergencies using standardized patients can improve medical students' performance in clinical tests, and a change from traditional seminars in favor of practice sessions with standardized patients does not compromise the learning of medical facts.
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Endotracheal tube (ETT) positioning using the cuff ballottement test, which confirms that the inflated cuff is positioned at the suprasternal notch with squeezing or inflating a pilot balloon, has been reported to be a simple and reliable method of preventing endobronchial intubation. However, in patients with a short vocal cord-to-suprasternal notch, ETT placement using the cuff ballottement test can cause vocal cord injury. In the present study, we assessed the distance from a point 15 mm below the vocal cord to the suprasternal notch (VSD-15), the safe position for ETT cuff placement above the suprasternal notch, and investigated variables for predicting VSD-15. ⋯ In multiple linear regression models, a formula was obtained for VSD-15 (VSD-15 [mm] = -6.220 + 0.744 × TSD [mm] + 0.092 × height [cm] - 0.065 × age [years], R = 0.621). The cuff ballottement test should be used cautiously in patients with a predicted short VSD-15. VSD-15 can be predicted from TSD, height, and age.
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Comparative Study Observational Study
Can tranexamic acid reduce blood loss in cervical laminectomy with lateral mass screw fixation and bone grafting: a retrospective observational study.
To assess the safety and efficacy of tranexamic acid (TXA) for decreasing perioperative blood loss in cervical laminectomy with lateral mass screw fixation and bone grafting (CLF), in which all surgical procedures are identical. From November 2014 to April 2016, we performed a retrospective comparative analysis of 119 patients with multilevel cervical spondylotic myelopathy who had undergone a CLF from C3 to C6 in our center. All surgeries were performed on the patients using a consistent, standard procedure. ⋯ Total blood loss in the TXA group (287.74 ± 115.40 mL) was also significantly lower than that of the control group (401.96 ± 127.88, P < 0.01). No major intraoperative complications occurred in any of the cases. TXA significantly reduced perioperative blood loss in CLF with no major side effects.
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The identification of the predictive factors and biological markers associated with treatment-related changes in the symptoms of Internet gaming disorder (IGD) may provide a better understanding of the pathophysiology underlying this condition. Thus, the present study aimed to identify neurophysiological markers associated with symptom changes in IGD patients and to identify factors that may predict symptom improvements following outpatient treatment with pharmacotherapy. The present study included 20 IGD patients (mean age: 22.71 ± 5.47 years) and 29 healthy control subjects (mean age: 23.97 ± 4.36 years); all IGD patients completed a 6-month outpatient management program that included pharmacotherapy with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. ⋯ IGD patients showed increased resting-state electroencephalography activity in the delta and theta bands at baseline, but the increased delta band activity was normalized after 6 months of treatment and was significantly correlated with improvements in IGD symptoms. Additionally, higher absolute theta activity at baseline predicted a greater possibility of improvement in addiction symptoms following treatment, even after adjusting for the effects of depressive or anxiety symptoms. The present findings demonstrated that increased slow-wave activity represented a state neurophysiological marker in IGD patients and suggested that increased theta activity at baseline may be a favorable prognostic marker for this population.