Medicine
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Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most common arrhythmias, and is high relative to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. AF-related complications and treatment costs bring about huge health burden, therefore the prevention recurrence of AF is imperative. "Upstream therapy" refers to the use of non-antiarrhythmic drugs (non-AADs) that modify the atrial substrate or target-specific mechanisms of AF to prevent the occurrence or recurrence of the arrhythmia. RAAS Blockers, aldosterone receptor antagonists and statins have an effect on preventing recurrence of atrial fibrillation. This protocol is designed for systematic review and network meta-analysis, which will assess comparative effects and safety of various non-antiarrhythmic drugs in preventing recurrence of atrial fibrillation. ⋯ INPLASY202090004.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled phase III study evaluating efficacy and safety of octagam 10% in patients with dermatomyositis ("ProDERM Study").
Dermatomyositis (DM) is an inflammatory myopathy characterized by distinct skin manifestations and muscle weakness. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) has been used off-label as adjuvant therapy in DM, but is not indicated for DM, due to lack of proven efficacy in a large randomized controlled trial. The objective of the ProDERM (Progress in DERMatomyositis) study was to evaluate the efficacy, safety and long-term tolerability of IVIg (Octagam 10%) in patients with DM in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, Phase III study. ⋯ NCT02728752.
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The pathogenic mechanism and prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) are substantially improved over the past several decades, but VAP remains frequently seen among the critical cases. The Venner-PneuX endotracheal tube system (VPXETS) has been proved to perform better than standard endotracheal tubes (SET) in the prevention of VAP in some studies. Therefore, this systematic review is aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of VPXETS in order to prevent VAP. ⋯ DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/6BERJ.
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Intravenous leiomyomatosis (IVL) is a rare and special type of smooth muscle tumor originating in the uterus. It is classified as a benign disease according to its histological features but shows the behavioral characteristics of a malignant tumor. It is easily misdiagnosed and recurrent. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively analyze clinicopathological data of 25 cases of IVL in order to enhance clinicians' understanding of this rare disease. ⋯ The clinical manifestations and ultrasound images of IVL in the early stages are not typical; thus, IVL is easily misdiagnosed as uterine leiomyoma. Radiologists, pathologists, and surgeons should have a thorough understanding of IVL and a high index of vigilance for IVL in clinical practice. Surgery should always be aimed at achieving complete tumor excision. Patients with large lesions (≥7 cm) and lesions extending to the broad ligament may have an increased risk of recurrence. Early detection, diagnosis, and treatment are very important; once the diagnosis is confirmed, regular follow-ups are crucial.