Medicine
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The cortico-ponto-cerebellar tract (CPCT) is involved in coordination of movement; injury of the CPCT can therefore be accompanied by ataxia. In this study, using diffusion tensor tractography (DTT), we investigated injury of the CPCT in patients with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). ⋯ By using DTT, injury of the CPCT was demonstrated in patients who showed ataxia following mild TBI. These results suggest that DTT would be useful for evaluation of the CPCT in patients with ataxia after mTBI because mTBI usually does not show any abnormalities on conventional brain MRI.
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Giant venous aneurysm (GVA) is a complication of chronic arteriovenous fistula (AVF). The risks of thrombosis, rupture, and massive hemorrhage increase with the increasing size of GVA; therefore, GVA requires treatment. However, the optimal timing and treatments are yet to be established. ⋯ Surgical treatment should be considered for symptomatic GVA. Concomitant aneurysm resection and autogenous AVF formation using the basilic vein may be performed, and the resulting large wound can be closed with the vessel loop shoelace technique to facilitate healing.
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Meta Analysis
Acupuncture for oligospermia and asthenozoospermia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Acupuncture is widely used for oligospermia and asthenozoospermia in China, but its effect is unclear. We aimed to determine the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in treating oligospermia and asthenozoospermia. ⋯ These results suggest that the current evidence does not support acupuncture as an effective treatment for oligospermia and asthenozoospermia; therefore, acupuncture is not currently recommended as a treatment for these conditions. However, owing to the high risk of bias among the included studies, the evidence is limited, and more large-scale, high-quality clinical trials are needed in the future.
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Studies on the relationship between hospital annualized case volume and in-hospital mortality in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) have shown conflicting results. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to further examine this relationship. The authors searched the PubMed and Embase databases from inception through July 2020 to identify studies that assessed the relationship between hospital annualized SAH case volume and in-hospital SAH mortality. ⋯ This relationship was consistent in almost all subgroup analyses and was robust in sensitivity analyses. This meta-analysis confirms an inverse relationship between hospital annualized SAH case volume and in-hospital SAH mortality. Higher annualized case volume was associated with lower in-hospital mortality.
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Meta Analysis
Ranibizumab and conbercept for treating wet age-related macular degeneration in China: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effects of ranibizumab and conbercept on wet age-related macular degeneration. ⋯ The effects of ranibizumab on uncorrected visual acuity, best corrected visual acuity, and central macular thickness were not significantly different from those of conbercept. Conbercept is associated with a lower risk of increased intraocular pressure and regression of choroidal neovascularization compared with ranibizumab.