Medicine
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To investigate the features and prognosis of the elderly patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (pNET). The patients diagnosed with pNETs between 2004 and 2014 were identified from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results database. The ethical approval was waived because the present study was analysis of the data from Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results database. ⋯ Distant metastatic elderly patients underwent primary site surgery had better CSS and OS than the patients without surgery. The elderly patients have increased possibility of poorly differentiated tumor, and decreased proportion of Black patients, surgery of primary site, number of removed lymph node and married status. Worse differentiation and tumor metastasis were independent risk factors for both CSS and OS, while primary tumor located in body/tail of pancreas, female patients, surgery of tumor primary site, and being married were protective factors.
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Behçet's disease (BD) is a chronic immune-mediated inflammatory disorder involving multiple organ systems. In BD, intestinal ulcers can present as a refractory lesion capable of perforation, which makes the choice of treatment difficult. ⋯ This case indicates that ADa may be an effective treatment option in future cases, minimizing complications and allowing the closure operation to be performed successfully.
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End-stage renal disease (ESRD) incidence in Taiwan is highest worldwide. This study analyzed the relationship between health resource use and patients on hemodialysis (HD) asking for medical help as well as the outcomes in Taiwan. This was a retrospective cohort study that analyzed the medical data of patients on dialysis, which were collected from the National Health Insurance Database of Taiwan for the period 2000 to 2010. ⋯ Considering 5-year survival status, the mortality rate of patients with HD was 21.94% (255 of 1162), among which those with a history of cerebrovascular disease and diabetes were 68.63% and 72.16%, respectively. Long interdialytic intervals may induce emergency dialysis. Therefore, the frequency of emergent HD therapy has increased (thrice a week), as predicted in the current HD policy.
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Observational Study
Association between weekend catch-up sleep and health-related quality of life of Korean adults.
Sleep debt is known to have harmful effects on health. Weekend catch-up sleep (CUS) is a behavior to cope with weekday sleep debt. However, it is unclear whether weekend CUS has advantageous effects on health because sleep hygiene guidelines recommend regularizing bed time and arousal time. ⋯ Weekend CUS behavior was associated with better HRQoL than non-CUS among Korean adults. Especially, it was significant in participants who slept for less than 7 hours or participants whose chronotype was the fourth or fifth quintile. Attention may be needed for subjects with sleep short time and later chronotype who do not have weekend-CUS behaviors, because there is a risk that their HRQoL might be compromised.
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Atherosclerosis has severe consequences on human health. Carotid artery plaques are a condition typically caused by atherosclerosis. Previous studies showed that nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) are risks factors for carotid artery plaque formation. ⋯ This analysis also showed that age >60 years, male sex, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) >130 mg/dL, and H pylori infection were independent risk factors for concomitant NAFLD and carotid artery plaque formation. The combination of H pylori infection and NAFLD increases carotid artery plaque formation. H pylori eradication and NAFLD control may be warranted to prevent carotid artery plaque formation.