Medicine
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Case Reports
Bandage lens for treatment of corneosclera melting two weeks after pterygium surgery: A case report.
Pterygium is a common chronic ocular surface condition in ophthalmology.At present, the main treatment modality is surgical resection. Although the recurrence rate can be controlled to varying degrees, some patients can still develop serious complications, such as scleral melting, corneal melting, and even corneal perforation.We report a case of severe corneal and scleral melting after pterygium surgery treated with a bandage lens. ⋯ After pterygium surgery, various factors affect the occurrence of serious complications of autolysis. Mainly on ocular parts, such as the cornea and sclera, a bandage lens can stabilize the ocular surface tear film and prolong the tear break-up time (BUT), effectively prevent corneoscleral melting and promote corneoscleral cure.
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Observational Study
Nonadherence to antihypertensive medications amongst patients with uncontrolled hypertension: A retrospective study.
Medication nonadherence represents a modifiable risk factor for patients with hypertension. Identification of nonadherent patients could have significant clinical and economic implications in the management of uncontrolled hypertension. We analysed the results of 174 urinary adherence screens from patients referred to Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, for uncontrolled hypertension. ⋯ Bendroflumethiazide and chlortalidone demonstrated the highest and lowest nonadherences respectively (45.5% and 11.8%). Rate of nonadherence in patients with hypertension was significantly impacted by sex and number of antihypertensive medications prescribed. Understanding these factors is crucial in identifying and managing nonadherence.
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Observational Study
Accuracy of the highly sensitive C-reactive protein/albumin ratio to determine disease activity in inflammatory bowel disease.
Persistent disease activity is associated with a poor prognosis in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This study aims to explore the accuracy of the highly sensitive C-reactive protein/albumin ratio (CAR) in determining IBD activity. The clinical data of 231 IBD patients treated at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from 2012 to 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. ⋯ CAR is a useful biomarker for identifying disease activity in patients with CD and UC. Higher CAR levels are indicative of increased IBD activity. CAR may be more valuable in UC than that in CD for assessing the degree of IBD activity.
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Several studies indicate the level of pretreatment lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) may be associated with the prognosis of patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1)/programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) which had been reported to dramatically improve the survival of patients with advanced or metastatic melanoma; however, no consensus has been reached because the presence of controversial conclusions. This study was to perform a meta-analysis to comprehensively explore the prognostic values of LDH for melanoma patients receiving anti-PD1/PD-L1 monotherapy. ⋯ This meta-analysis suggests LDH may serve as a potential biomarker to identify patients who can benefit from anti-PD-1/PD-L1 and then schedule treatments.
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Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are an important cause of disability and death in Muntinlupa, Manila, Philippines. However, there is little community-based research on lifestyle behaviors that affect the progression of NCDs or on the hindrances to NCD prevention. This cross-sectional study investigated the lifestyle behaviors associated with the progression and prevalence of NCDs and clarified factors associated with health promotion for the NCDs prevention among 168 Filipino adults aged 50 years and above in the community setting. ⋯ Community-dwelling Filipino adults in this study had a high prevalence of NCD progression and insufficient awareness of preventative behaviors. Diet control is associated with self-awareness of health and smoking and alcohol control are associated with economic status. These findings ought to contribute to develop the effective strategies for NCD prevention in community-dwelling Filipino adults.