Medicine
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Genetic and environmental (behavior, clinical, and demographic) factors are associated with increased risks of both myocardial infarction (MI) and high cholesterol (HC). It is known that HC is major risk factor that may cause MI. However, whether there are common single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) associated with both MI and HC is not firmly established, and whether there are modulate and modified effects (interactions of genetic and known environmental factors) on either HC or MI, and whether these joint effects improve the predictions of MI, is understudied. ⋯ Overall, the prediction power in successfully classifying MI status is increased to 80% with inclusions of all significant tagSNPs and environmental factors and their interactions compared with environmental factors only (72%). Having a history of either HC or MI has significant effects on each other in both directions, in addition to HTN and gender. Genes/SNPs identified from this analysis that are associated with HC may be potentially linked to MI, which could be further examined and validated through haplotype-pairs analysis with appropriate population stratification corrections, and function/pathway regulation analysis to eliminate the limitations of the current analysis.
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The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of intratumoral injection of chemotherapeutics in improving the quality of life and survival of patients with pancreatic carcinoma. ⋯ Percutaneous intratumoral injection of gemcitabine plus cisplatin mixed with fibrin glue for advanced pancreatic may be safe and effective.
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Observational Study
Usefulness of end-tidal carbon dioxide as an indicator of dehydration in pediatric emergency departments: A retrospective observational study.
Physician assessment of hydration status is one of the most important factors in the management of dehydration in the pediatric emergency department (ED). Overestimating dehydration may lead to overtreatment with intravenous fluids or unnecessary hospitalization, whereas underestimation may lead to delayed therapy and aggravation of symptoms. Various methods to estimate hydration status have been proposed, including use of physical findings, body weight, and laboratory results. ⋯ ETCO2 can be considered a simple, noninvasive parameter for identifying dehydration among patients in the pediatric ED. Though weak, ETCO2 showed a correlation with HCO3 level as well as CDS. In the future, a prospective study with a large number of pediatric patients is warranted.
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Absent pulmonary valve syndrome (APVS) is a rare congenital heart disease that is often associated with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). Here, we report 2 cases of APVS associated with TOF diagnosed via fetal echocardiography and discuss their specific ultrasonographic characteristics. ⋯ Although APVS is a rare congenital heart disease and often associated with TOF, it has an overall poor prognosis. Nowadays, it can be easily diagnosed via ultrasonography because of its typical ultrasonographic features, such as aneurysmal dilatation of pulmonary artery, massive regurgitation of the pulmonary valve, VSD, and an overriding aorta. Therefore, early fetal echocardiography screening should be performed for every fetus.
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Botulinum toxin type-A (BTX-A) has been successfully utilized to treat trigeminal neuralgia. In this study, through the use of a new technique, the efficacy of the injection of BTX-A to the maxillary and mandibular nerves was evaluated. ⋯ Injection to the maxillary and mandibular roots seems to be a highly effective method. In the event of recurrence, after each injection, the pain severity and attack frequency decreased.