Medicine
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Observational Study
Carotid intima media thickness in older children and adolescents with HIV taking antiretroviral therapy.
Increased carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) is reported in both adults and children with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in high income settings and is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but data from sub-Saharan Africa is lacking. We assessed cIMT using ultrasound in perinatally HIV-infected children aged 6 to 16 years taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) for ≥6 months compared with HIV-uninfected controls in Harare, Zimbabwe. Groups were compared using unpaired t test and potential predictors of cIMT were assessed using multiple linear regression. ⋯ There was no association between cluster of differentiation 4 count, HIV viral load, and duration on ART and cIMT. Children with HIV taking ART have similar cIMT to uninfected children. Increasing numbers of children with HIV are reaching adulthood and longitudinal studies to assess the effect of long-term HIV and ART on vascular changes are required.
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Observational Study
Effects of body weight support and gait velocity via antigravity treadmill on cardiovascular responses early after total knee arthroplasty.
To investigate the effects of body weight support (BWS) and gait velocity on cardiovascular responses during walking on an antigravity treadmill early after unilateral and bilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA). This study was a cross-sectional study design. Fifty patients (7 males and 43 females; average age, 72.0 ± 5.1 years) at 4 weeks after unilateral (n = 25) and bilateral (n = 25) primary TKA were enrolled in the study. ⋯ We found that the reduction in the metabolic demand of activity, coupled with positive pressure on the lower extremities, reduced VO2 and HR values as BWS increased. Cardiovascular responses vary according to BWS and gait velocity during antigravity treadmill walking. BWS rather than gait velocity had the greatest effect on cardiovascular responses and knee pain.
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To identify the risk factors of pneumonia in patients with Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate (Anti-NMDA) receptor encephalitis. This is a retrospective study. Department of Neurology in West China Hospital of Sichuan University. ⋯ Pneumonia is a common complication in anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis. In the present study, we found that disorders of consciousness, abnormal movements, and hypokalemia were independent risk factors for pneumonia in inpatients with anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis. Pneumonia prolongs the patients' hospital stay, hospitalization expenditures, and affects the patients' prognosis.
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Case Reports
Early stage Acute B lymphocytic leukemia presenting with symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis (AS): A case report.
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has acute and severe onset characterized by fever, moderate to severe anemia, bone and joint pain, and sternal tenderness. It is easy to be misdiagnosed as rheumatic disease when joint pain is the first symptom. ⋯ ALL may present with symptoms suggestive of rheumatic diseases like ankylosing spondylitis. Physicians should be aware of this possibility, especially in young patients.
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Case Reports
Selective nerve root injection of ozone for the treatment of phantom limb pain: Three case reports.
Phantom limb pain (PLP) refers to a common complication following amputation, which is characterized by intractable pain in the absent limb, phantom limb sensation, and stump pain. The definitive pathogenesis of PLP has not been fully understood, and the treatment of PLP is still a great challenge. Till now, ozone injection has never been reported for the treatment of PLP. ⋯ Selective nerve root injection of ozone is safe and the outcomes were favorable. Ozone injection may be a new promising approach for treating PLP.