Medicine
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Case Reports
Early diagnosis and successful treatment of acquired toxoplasmosis infectious retinochoroiditis: A case report.
Toxoplasma gondii is distributed worldwide, infecting a large population. It can cause focal necrotic retinitis or retinochoroiditis in the human eyes and is one of the most common causes of posterior uveitis. ⋯ The immunocompetent elderly who are in contact with domestic cats may have an opportunistic infection with toxoplasmosis leading to primary retinochoroiditis. Prompt diagnosis and effective treatment can get a good clinical prognosis.
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Meta Analysis
Acupuncture for perimenopausal insomnia: A systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.
Perimenopausal insomnia (PI) is one of the most common complaints in women. Acupuncture is used to treat PI increasingly considering its less side effect. The subject of this study is to explore the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for PI. ⋯ CRD42018092917.
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The aim of this study was to compare the outcome of using tibial nails inserted by the suprapatellar approach with tibial nails inserted by the infrapatellar approach in a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). ⋯ The suprapatellar approach for intramedullary nailing appears superior to the infrapatellar approach, with a reduction in total blood loss, improved postoperative pain, shorter fluoroscopy time, and better knee functionality outcomes. There was no increased incidence of postoperative complications between the 2 groups. Further research remains necessary.
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Meta Analysis
High-density lipoprotein-cholesterol functionality and metabolic syndrome: Protocol for review and meta-analysis.
The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and MetS-related stroke is set to increase dramatically in coming decades. MetS is a complex disease that includes endothelial dysfunction, insulin resistance, diabetes, hypertension, ectopic obesity, and dyslipidaemia and an increased risk of cardiovascular events. One function of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (HDL-C) is the cholesterol-efflux pathway, which is the pathway where cholesterol is removed from macrophages within the arterial walls back into the bloodstream and out to the liver. As one of the key functions of HDL, their hypothesis was that if they could measure HDL-C-efflux capacity, they would have a better handle on the role of HDL in atherosclerosis. However, there are no systematic analyses or well-conducted meta-analyses to evaluate the relationship between HDL-C functionality and MetS. The aim of this study is to examine this association of HDL-C functionality with MetS in different ages and sex. ⋯ Ethics approval was not required for this study because it was based on published studies. The results and findings of this study will be submitted and published in a scientific peer-reviewed journal.
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Review Case Reports
IgG4-related fibrosing mediastinitis diagnosed with computed tomography-guided percutaneous needle biopsy: Two case reports and a review of the literature.
Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a fibroinflammatory disease characterized by elevated serum IgG4 levels with infiltration of IgG4+ plasma cells and severe fibrosis in affected tissues. Recently, idiopathic fibrosing mediastinitis (FM), an extremely rare fibroinflammatory disorder, has been recognized as a form of IgG4-RD. As IgG4-RD can be treated by glucocorticoids, identification of the etiology of FM by surgical biopsy is essential; however, mediastinal biopsy is often difficult. We report 2 cases of IgG4-related FM successfully diagnosed with computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous needle biopsy. ⋯ Early recognition and diagnosis of IgG4-related FM is essential because a delay in appropriate treatment initiation leads to progressive fibrosis with irreversible organ damage and poor prognosis. Our cases highlight CT-guided percutaneous needle biopsy as a promising option for histological examination in patients with IgG4-related FM.