Medicine
-
Sutures are used for the approximation of incised flaps, assistance in primary healing, and hemorrhage control. In oral and periodontal surgery, the appropriate selection of suture material is vital for favorable healing. The aim of the present in-vitro experiment was to evaluate the tensile strengths of 4 different types of suture materials (silk, polygalactine 910, polypropylene, chromic catgut) by simulating potential short-term intraoral exposure to various beverages (saliva, Arabic coffee, tea, cola). ⋯ Whereas, at day 7, silk and polypropylene retained their tensile strengths better than others. The authors recommend precaution in the use of these beverages in the first postoperative week, to avoid adverse effect on the mechanical strength of sutures. When exposure to these beverages are anticipated, it is better to use polypropylene sutures that resists rapid fall in tensile strengths in the early postoperative period.
-
Observational Study
Metastatic site discriminates survival benefit of primary tumor surgery for differentiated thyroid cancer with distant metastases: A real-world observational study.
The role of primary tumor surgery in the management of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) with distant metastases (DM) remains controversial. We aimed to explore the survival benefit of primary tumor surgery in patients with different metastatic sites. A retrospective cohort study based on the SEER database was conducted to identify DTC patients with DM diagnosed between 2010 and 2016. ⋯ Significant survival improvements in surgery group compared with non-surgery group were observed in patients with lung-only metastasis (adjusted HR = 0.45, P < .001), bone-only metastasis (adjusted HR = 0.40, P < .001), and liver-only metastasis (adjusted HR = 0.27, P < .001), whereas no survival improvement of surgery was found for patients with brain-only metastasis (adjusted HR = 0.57, P = .059) or multiply organ distant metastases (adjusted HR = 0.81, P = .099). The survival benefit from primary tumor surgery for DTC patients with DM varies by metastatic sites. Decisions for primary tumor surgery of DTC patients with DM should be tailored according to metastatic sites.
-
Stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a highly heterogeneous subtype of lung cancer. There are still no widely accepted prognostic parameters for stage III NSCLC. In this study, we evaluated the prognostic value of the standardized uptake value (SUV) max ratio of primary tumor to lymph node (T/N SUV max) and its correlation with various hematological parameters. ⋯ Low risk patients had a more favorable prognosis compared to high risk patients. We demonstrated that T/N SUV max can be of prognostic value in stage III NSCLC. T/N SUV max correlated only with hemoglobin and mean corpuscular volume.
-
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be a tool that allows the observation of structural injury patterns after cooling. The aim of this study was to determine the early pattern of brain injury in the MRIs of infants with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) after cooling and to search for any clinical factors related to abnormal MRI findings. The study retrospectively recruited 118 infants who were treated with therapeutic hypothermia (TH) between 2013 and 2016. ⋯ As a long-term outcome, more lesions in the basal ganglia and thalamus, posterior limb of internal capsule, or severe white matter lesions were associated with abnormal neurodevelopmental outcomes at 18 to 24 months of age. A higher frequency of clinical seizures and AED use were related to abnormal brain injury on MRI. A significant risk for poor long-term outcomes was found in the abnormal brain MRI group.
-
Observational Study
Effectiveness of direct-acting antivirals in maintenance hemodialysis patients complicated with chronic hepatitis C.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is very common in maintenance hemodialysis patients, causing high morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and adverse events of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) in maintenance hemodialysis patients complicated with chronic hepatitis C in real-world clinical practice. In this retrospective observational study, hemodialysis patients with chronic hepatitis C infection in the Third Central Hospital of Tianjin outpatient were screened, and appropriate treatment plans were selected accordingly. ⋯ A total of 25 cases met the eligibility criteria and provided informed consent. Except for 1 patient who discontinued the treatment due to gastrointestinal bleeding, the remaining 24 cases completed the treatment cycle with 100% rapid virologic response (RVR) and 100% SVR12, with no serious adverse reactions recorded. Maintenance hemodialysis patients complicated with chronic hepatitis C in Chinese real-world setting tolerate DAAs very well, with a viral response rate reaching 100%.