Medicine
-
Review Case Reports
Neurological symptoms and spinal cord embolism caused by endoscopic injection sclerotherapy for esophageal varices: A case report and literature review.
Spinal cord embolism is a rare complication of endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (EIS). ⋯ We recommend that neurological symptoms after EIS in patients with esophageal varices should be considered a rare complication. Life-threatening conditions could be avoided by an accurate and timely diagnosis.
-
Review Case Reports
Total spondylectomy of recurrent giant cell tumors in the cervical spine: Two case reports and review of literature.
Spinal Giant Cell Tumors (SGCTs) are rare, aggressive, and benign tumors. Their presence in the cervical spine is even more exceptional. There are few reports of cervical GCT in the literature, especially recurrent cases. The treatment are challenging to clinically because radical resection is extremely difficult. ⋯ This surgical technique can be an effective option for this pathological condition, which is difficult to manage using other conventional treatment options including repeated curettage and radiotherapy. However, there are insufficient data on long-term subjective outcomes in this type of patient, and larger series studies are needed to determine the efficacy of this approach, especially compared with piecemeal resection techniques.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Efficacy and safety of thread embedding acupuncture combined with conventional acupuncture for chronic low back pain: A study protocol for a randomized, controlled, assessor-blinded, multicenter clinical trial.
Back pain is one of the most common diseases, and many patients with recurrent pain seek alternative treatment strategies. Thread embedding acupuncture involves thread insertion at the acupuncture point for continuous physical and chemical stimulation. Although thread embedding is widely used in clinical practice, there is no sound evidence of its efficacy for chronic back pain. We describe the protocol for a randomized controlled trial for investigation of the efficacy and safety of thread embedding acupuncture combined with conventional acupuncture for chronic low back pain. ⋯ Our study results will provide evidence of the efficacy and safety of thread embedding acupuncture combined with conventional acupuncture for the management of chronic low back pain. Even though the assessors will be blinded, the patients will not be blinded to treatment because of the lack of a sham embedding acupuncture group; this is a limitation of our study.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Spore powder of Ganoderma lucidum for the treatment of Alzheimer disease: A pilot study.
This study explored the feasible efficacy and safety of the Spore Powder of Ganoderma Lucidum (SPGL) for treating patients with Alzheimer disease (AD). ⋯ The results of this study did not find the promising efficacy of SPGL for the treatment of AD after 6-week treatment. It may be because of the relative short-term of intervention. Future clinical trials with larger sample size and longer treatment period are urgently needed.
-
Review Case Reports
Rare case of squamous cell carcinoma arising in a recurrent ovarian mature cystic teratoma of a young woman: A case report and review of the literature.
Malignant transformations of ovarian mature cystic teratomas (MCTs) occur rarely, especially in young women. Although it is extremely difficult to diagnose them, serum tumor marker level testing in combination with the use of imaging techniques may be useful in preoperative diagnosis. ⋯ The malignant transformation of MCTs usually occurs in postmenopausal women with poor prognoses; it is very rarely observed in young women. Although the early detection and complete surgical resection of the tumor are crucial to survival, preoperative diagnosis of this malignancy is difficult. This case reiterates the fact that malignant transformation of MCTs can occur at any age. Rapid tumor growth along with persistently elevated tumor marker levels may be indicative of the malignant transformation of MCTs.