Medicine
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial Observational Study
Epigenetic differences of chronic hepatitis B in different TCM syndromes: Protocol for a case-control, non-interventional, observational clinical study.
Chronic hepatitis B is a serious disease causing serious harm to the human health. Chinese medicine has its unique advantages in the clinical prevention and treatment, while the syndrome of Chinese medicine lacks the understanding at the micro level. There are some theoretical commonalities between the epigenetics and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes. The biological basis of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) syndrome differentiation from the perspective of epigenetics is of great significance to diagnose and prevent the diseases. ⋯ From the perspective of DNA methylation epigenetics, "DNA methylation-miRNA-Target gene" is the main line, which further reveals the essence of TCM syndrome. To improve the level of TCM clinical syndrome differentiation and the clinical efficacy of TCM, especially in the study of TCM syndromes of CHB, discovering its underlying biological signature is necessary.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of perioperative flurbiprofen axetil or celecoxib administration for pain management after total-knee arthroplasty: A retrospective study.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are recommended for multimodal postoperative pain management. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the postoperative pain relief, time to ambulation, and opioid-sparing effects of flurbiprofen axetil (FA) and celecoxib (CX) after total-knee arthroplasty (TKA) surgery. A convenience sample of 300 patients was obtained using a retrospective chart review of patients who underwent TKA and received FA or CX or saline (SA) as control. ⋯ However, after 48 hours postoperatively, there are no significant differences between these groups. Intravenous application of 1 mg/kg flurbiprofen axetil twice a day and 200 mg celecoxib once a day improved analgesia and decreased morphine consumption following TKA. When the 2 active drugs were compared, it was found that flurbiprofen axetil was superior to celecoxib in terms of short-term analgesic efficacy and opioid consumption.
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Case Reports
Repeated cardiac arrest caused by an air embolism during hepatic resection: A case report.
Although venous air embolism (VAE) during liver operation has been reported occasionally, fatal VAE in hepatic resection is uncommon. Prompt detection of VAE by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is crucial for effective therapy. We describe a case of fatal VAE that caused repeated cardiac arrest during hepatic resection and was confirmed by TEE. ⋯ Fatal air embolism may happen during hepatic resection. Prompt detection of VAE by TEE is crucial for effective therapy and should always be available during hepatic resection.
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Vitamin D maintains calcium balance and has immunomodulatory effects. Only few studies have revealed the relationship between vitamin D and its associated factors in Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection. This study aimed to investigate the effects of MAC infection on serum vitamin D, human cationic antimicrobial protein 18, its C-terminal 37 amino acid fragment (hCAP18/LL-37) levels, and bone mineral density (BMD). ⋯ Based on a multivariate analysis, patients with MAC lung disease had significantly lower body mass index [odds ratio (OR), 19.1; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.0-419.0; P < .01] and vertebral BMD (OR, 12.4; 95% CI, 1.7-160.6; P = .012) than control participants. Serum hCAP18/LL-37 level and BMD were significantly decreased in patients with MAC lung disease without relation to serum vitamin D level. The vitamin D-independent pathway might affect the waning of antimicrobial peptides and decrease in BMD.
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Case Reports
Coinfection with cryptococcus and aspergillus in an immunocompetent adult: A case report.
Aspergillus and Cryptococcus exposure can cause serious secondary infections in human lungs, especially in immunocompromised patients or in conjunction with a chronic disease caused by low disease resistance. Primary invasive fungal infections are clinically rare; therefore, coexistence of 2 fungi at an infection site is uncommon. This paper reports a case of healthy male who was diagnosed with both Cryptococcus neoformans and Aspergillus infections. ⋯ The current study indicated that fungi can infect not only immunocompromised patients but also healthy people, and that there can be 2 separate fungal infections at the same infection site.