Medicine
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Skin melanoma remains a highly prevalent and yet deadly form of cancer, with the exact degree of melanoma-associated mortality being strongly dependent upon the local tumor microenvironment. The exact composition of stromal and immune cells within this microenvironmental region has the potential to profoundly impact melanoma progression and prognosis. As such, the present study was designed with the goal of clarifying the predictive relevance of stromal and immune cell-related genes in melanoma patients through comprehensive bioinformatics analyses. ⋯ This 10-gene signature effectively separated melanoma patients into low- and high-risk groups based upon their survival. These low- and high-risk groups also exhibited distinct immune statuses and differing degrees of immune cell infiltration. In conclusion, our results offer novel insights into a number of microenvironment-associated genes that impact survival outcomes in melanoma patients, potentially highlighting these genes as viable therapeutic targets.
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This study is aimed to compare whole-spine lateral radiograph (WLR) and cervical lateral radiograph (CLR) in terms of T1 slope visibility and cervical sagittal parameters and to identify the superior imaging modality for assessment of cervical sagittal parameters. We retrospectively reviewed the radiographic data of 60 consecutive adult patients (male-to-female ratio, 38:22; mean age, 55.6 ± 1.3 years) who presented with only neck pain (without radiculopathy or myelopathy). All the patients underwent standing CLR and WLR. ⋯ This study shows that standing CLR could provide better visualization of the upper endplate of T1. Furthermore, WLR taken in hands on clavicle position distorted radiographic measurements such as CAC2-C7 and cSVA. Therefore, CLR performed in the standing position seems to allow more-accurate measurements of cervical sagittal parameters.
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Observational Study
Renal function in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients on long-term treatment with edaravone.
Edaravone, a free radical-scavenger, was approved in Japan for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, the effect of the drug on renal function in ALS patients remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate renal function in ALS patients on long-term treatment with edaravone by measuring the serum estimated glomerular filtration rate based on cystatin C (eGFR-CysC). ⋯ However, no patients discontinued edaravone treatment because of renal dysfunction. The average variation rate of eGFR-CysC was not different between the long-term edaravone group (0.29 ± 1.07) and the control group (-0.34 ± 0.40). This retrospective, single-center analysis showed no clinical exacerbation of renal function in ALS patients who received long-term treatment with edaravone.
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The thoracic spine is stabilized in the anteroposterior direction by the rib cage and the facet joints, thus thoracic degenerative spondylolisthesis is very uncommon. Here, we report a rare case of thoracic degenerative spondylolisthesis in which the lower thoracic region was the only region involved. ⋯ To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of thoracic degenerative spondylolisthesis in which the lower thoracic region was the only region involved. Disruption of joint capsule, instability with micromotion, and degenerative disc may contribute to this rare disease. Posterior decompression with posterolateral fusion or TTIF were the main treatment modalities, however, TTIF has its unique advantages because of sufficient decompression, immediate stability and high fusion rate.
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Observational Study
Seven-day triple therapy is sufficient to eradicate infection caused by Helicobacter pylori without 23S rRNA point mutation.
Tailored therapy based on dual priming oligonucleotide-based polymerase chain reaction (DPO-PCR) can be considered an alternative to overcome the low eradication rate in high clarithromycin-resistance areas. The triple therapy (TT) duration of the tailored approach in most studies was 7 days for patients without point mutation. However, recent western guidelines have recommended a treatment duration of 14 days. ⋯ The adverse event rates showed no significant difference between the 2 groups. In patients without point mutation based on DPO-PCR results, 7-day TT is as effective as 14-day TT. Therefore, 7 days may be considered as a cost-effective treatment duration in Korea.