Medicine
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There is a worldwide outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), at present, accumulative attention has been paid to COVID-19 due to its global prevalence. Acupuncture may play a beneficial role in patients who suffer from COVID-19. In China and East Asia, acupuncture has been widely used to treat diverse diseases for thousands of years, as an important method of treatment now, it plays an indispensable role in the treatment of respiratory diseases in China. This study is designed to determine the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in COVID-19. ⋯ CRD42020180875.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
A strobe multicenter descriptive study of 55 infectious aortitis.
Infectious aortitis (IA) is a rare and severe disease. The treatment classically associates open surgery with prolonged antibiotic therapy. This study aimed to describe clinical characteristics, medical and surgical supports in a large and current series of IA. ⋯ The variety of germs involved in IA increases. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography scan is a very useful tool for diagnosis. Surgery is still mainly done in open approach and a prospective multicenter study seems necessary to better determine the place of endovascular aneurysm repair versus open surgery.
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Observational Study
Predictive value of free fatty acid levels in embolic stroke of undetermined source: A retrospective observational study.
The present study aimed to investigate the predictive value of free fatty acid (FFA) in embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS) according to the presence of potential embolic sources (PES) after extensive etiologic evaluation. This was a retrospective observational study based on a single-center registry from January 2011 to July 2017. Stroke subtypes were determined through laboratory findings, brain, and angiographic imaging, carotid ultrasonography, transthoracic echocardiography, and 24-hour Holter monitoring. ⋯ Patients with ESUS without PES had higher levels of serum FFA, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and left atrial (LA) enlargement compared with those of ESUS with PES. Multivariable analysis demonstrated that the FFA level, DBP, and LA volume index were associated with ESUS without PES [odds ratio (OR) 1.038, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.019-1.058 for FFA/10 μEq/L, OR 1.414, 95% CI 1.037-1.928 for DBP/10 mm Hg, and OR 1.073, 95% CI 1.009-1.141 for LA volume index]. Higher levels of FFA, DBP, and LA volume index are associated with ESUS without PES, highlighting the need to identify the role of these markers in ESUS through further large-scale, multi-center and prospective studies.
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Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive malignancy that progresses rapidly and easily relapses. To the best of our knowledge, advances have been minimal for decades and the first-line treatment is still platinum-etoposide and radiotherapy. However, elderly patients with severe renal failure who suffer from SCLC usually show more serious drug-related side effects. A large proportion of them cannot tolerate the standard treatment, and their prognosis is poorer compared with that of younger patients. Presently, oral etoposide capsules may be accepted as a replaceable option. We report the case of a male patient with SCLC on hemodialysis who was successfully treated with concurrent oral etoposide monotherapy and radiotherapy and achieved excellent outcomes. ⋯ Though etoposide capsule is an old drug, its use should be considered in SCLC patients with renal insufficiency undergoing hemodialysis. However, treatment guidelines and research data for such patients are still lacking and further studies are needed. Although recent research focuses mainly on new drugs, some old drugs like etoposide which can bring unexpected positive effects should not be neglected.
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Adolescent wrist trauma can cause epiphyseal dysplasia and even distal radius deformity malunion. At present, there is no uniform treatment standard for the malunion of the distal radius of adolescents. Osteotomy and autologous bone grafting are currently one of the effective ways to treat the disease. We treated an adolescent patient with distal radius deformity malunion, and used this surgical method to treat the patient and achieved satisfactory results. ⋯ This rare case provides valuable insights for hand surgeons. High-resolution computed tomography scan and 3-dimensional reconstruction can help us effectively diagnose wrist diseases. Small lesions on the articular surface of the distal radius will change the position and function of the wrist joint, and cause traumatic arthritis of the wrist joint. Therefore, it is very important to reconstruct the normal structure of the distal radius articular surface. Osteotomy and autologous iliac bone grafting are effective treatments for serious distal radius fracture malunion in the adolescent patient. During the operation, care should be taken to protect the osteoepiphysis to avoid bone dysplasia.