Medicine
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Observational Study
Acylcarnitine profile in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy: The value of butyrylcarnitine as a prognostic marker.
Optimal prognostic markers evaluating early neuroprotective interventions in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) are lacking. This study was designed to assess the prognostic value of acylcarnitines in neonatal HIE. An observational cohort study was conducted over 10 years in 67 HIE. ⋯ In the hypothermia group, C4 levels decreased in patients with favorable outcomes but remained high in those who progressed unfavorably. C4 appears to be a good prognostic marker in HIE, as blood levels correlated with NSE levels and abnormal MRI findings. Furthermore, hypothermia did not lead to decreased levels in patients with adverse outcomes.
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To investigate metabolic differences between simple obese children and those comorbid with fatty liver disease. Obese children hospitalized in our center from 2014 to 2016 were included and divided into simple obese group and obese with fatty liver group by ultrasound-based diagnosis of fatty liver. Epidemiology data and serum biochemical studies were recorded. ⋯ The proportion of male, age, waist circumference (WC), BMI, fasting blood-glucose (FBG), glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fasting insulin (FINS), and HOMA-IR were significantly higher in obese patients with fatty liver (P <.05). Age and BMI were found to be independent risk factors for fatty liver disease (OR >1, P <.05). Among obese children, male and elder patients and individuals with higher uric acid are more susceptible to fatty liver.
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With the growing urbanization of China, which has changed older adults' living conditions, lifestyle, and the source of support, coupled with rapid population aging, the health status of the elderly should be paid attention to. In addition to objective indicators such as the decline of function, specific factors, such as social support, health literacy, and productive aging, also have an impact on the health outcomes of the elderly. However, the interrelationships among these factors and their potential mechanisms in the context of urbanization remain unclear. ⋯ Both productive aging (β=0.214, 95% CI: 0.047-0.381) and health literacy had direct associations with social support (β=0.327, 95% CI: 0.175-0.479), while health literacy had a direct association with productive aging (β=0.676, 95% CI: 0.604-0.748). Productive aging mediated the relationship between health literacy and social support. Overall, improving health outcomes among older adults requires enhancement of social support, along with consideration of productive aging and health literacy.
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Strong evidence exists for the benefits of screening for hypertension to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and death. The aim of this study was to analyze the frequency and determinants of blood pressure (BP) measurement by a health professional in the general population and in individuals without hypertension in Germany. Data from 17,431 participants 15+ years from the cross-sectional GEDA2014/2015-EHIS survey were used to calculate the percentage of the population who had no BP measurement within the last year and the last 3 years. ⋯ Independent predictors of not receiving a BP measurement in the last 3 years besides age were male sex, good self-rated health, low health awareness, and no medical consultations but not educational level. Germany has low proportions of no BP measurement compared to other European countries. Hypertension screening needs improvement in all age groups, especially in the young who have the lowest screening proportions but also in the elderly who have the highest hypertension risk.
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Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), as the most widely used biomarker of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), was correlated with ongoing liver damage. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of inflammatory correction-based AFP to identify HCC from other liver diseases. From March 2012 to March 2017, among 926 participants, a total of 501 patients whose transaminases were higher than the upper limit of normal range, including 166 treatment-naïve HCC patients were enrolled in our retrospective study. ⋯ What's more, AFP/(AST*ALT) had a significant positive and moderate correlation with tumor diameter and presence of cancerous emboli or not (Spearman correlation coefficients were 0.323 and 0.305, respectively; both P < .001). For predicting HCC, the optimal cut-off value of AFP/(AST*ALT) is 1.603, and the sensitivity and specificity were 82.8% and 72.7%, respectively, which were significantly higher than the AFP and AFP/WBC. The serum AFP levels based on correction of liver inflammation can effectively improve the diagnostic performance of HCC, providing a new indicator that is simple, economical and pervasive for clinic.