Medicine
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Comparative Study Observational Study
Detection of common diarrhea-causing pathogens in Northern Taiwan by multiplex polymerase chain reaction.
Conventional methods for identifying gastroenteritis pathogens are time consuming, more likely to result in a false-negative, rely on personnel with diagnostic expertise, and are dependent on the specimen status. Alternatively, molecular diagnostic methods permit the rapid, simultaneous detection of multiple pathogens with high sensitivity and specificity. The present study compared conventional methods with the Luminex xTAG Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel (xTAG GPP) for the diagnosis of infectious gastroenteritis in northern Taiwan. ⋯ Of which, 82.6% were from pediatric patients. Because the detection rates using multiplex PCR are higher than conventional methods, and some pediatric pathogens could only be detected by multiplex PCR, this approach may be useful in rapidly diagnosing diarrheal disease in children and facilitating treatment initiation. Further studies are necessary to determine if multiplex PCR improves patient outcomes and reduces costs.
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Observational Study
Prevalence, risk factors, and prognosis of interstitial lung disease in a large cohort of Chinese primary Sjögren syndrome patients: A case-control study.
To determine the prevalence of pulmonary complications in primary Sjögren syndrome (pSS), and to identify the risk factors and the prognosis associated with pulmonary involvement in pSS patients. A total of 1341 hospitalized patients (853 with pSS and 488 with secondary Sjögren syndrome [sSS]) were retrospectively reviewed. Of these, 165 hospitalized patients with pSS-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD) were analyzed and recruited as a study group. ⋯ Age, RF, and CRP were independent predictors of ILD after adjustment for confounders. Lung involvement is a common and severe complication of Sjögren syndrome. Age and disease activity are correlated with pulmonary involvement in pSS patients.
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Observational Study
Determining the burden of the family caregivers of people with neuromuscular diseases who use a wheelchair.
The present study provides a basic outline of the care and support that family caregivers offer to people affected by neuromuscular diseases. To determine the presence of burden in caregivers of people with neuromuscular diseases who use a wheelchair and to establish whether the presence of burden is influenced by contextual factors, between them, the use of wheelchair. The applied design was cross-sectional and descriptive. ⋯ Performing care work affected carers' physical health (80.5%), their mood (68.3%), and reduced their leisure time (90.2%). The type of wheelchair and the frequency of its use were not related to the burden. The results suggest that caregivers perceive burden, but its intensity is not related to the seriousness of the disease of the care receiver.
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Case Reports
When dysphoria is not a primary mental state: A case report of the role of the aromatic L-aminoacid decarboxylase.
The aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) deficiency (AADCD) is a rare, autosomal recessive neurometabolic disorder caused by a deficit of the AADC that is involved in serotonin and dopamine biosynthesis, causing as a consequence, their deficits, but also a lack of norepinephrine and epinephrine, given that dopamine is their precursor. ⋯ The heterozygosity for p.Ser250Phe may have influenced the clinical manifestations, given that the patient presented some overlapping symptoms with those in AADCD, but while AADCD normally is diagnosed during childhood, the fact that the patient carried the mutation in heterozygosity may have alleviated and delayed the clinical manifestations.
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Case Reports
A rare subtype of meningioma: Case series of anaplastic meningioma and review of the literature.
Anaplastic meningioma, a rare subtype of meningioma, has malignant morphological characteristics and a World Health Organization (WHO) grade of III. ⋯ This malignant subtype can be secondary to a WHO grade I meningioma after a long quiescent period. Necrosis was common in the tumor tissues, and Ki67 index was usually high. For patients with a history of meningioma, including benign cases, regular physical examination is important for early detection of tumor recurrence and malignant transformation.