Medicine
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Observational Study
Aberrant PTEN, PIK3CA, pMAPK, and TP53 expression in human scalp and face angiosarcoma.
Angiosarcoma is a rare, highly aggressive malignant tumor originating from endothelial cells that line the lumen of blood or lymphatic vessels. The molecular mechanisms of scalp and face angiosarcoma still need to be elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the expression of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha (PIK3CA), phosphorylated mitogen-activated kinase-like protein (pMAPK), and tumor protein p53 (TP53) in scalp and face angiosarcoma and to assess tumor tissue apoptosis. ⋯ The angiosarcoma tissues exhibited significantly higher apoptosis indices than the benign hemangioma tissues (P < .01). The positive expression rates of PIK3CA, pMAPK, and TP53 were correlated with the degree of tumor differentiation in the human scalp and face angiosarcoma. The PI3K, MAPK, and TP53 pathways might be involved in angiosarcoma tumorigenesis in humans and may serve as therapeutic targets for the effective treatment of this malignancy.
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Meta Analysis
Efficacy of Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra in diagnosing tuberculosis meningitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
This study aimed to assess whether Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Xpert Ultra) can effectively diagnose tuberculosis meningitis (TBM) and to simultaneously compare its effectiveness with Xpert in diagnosing TBM in the same population. ⋯ Xpert Ultra was more sensitive than Xpert, but both were specific (100%). Therefore, Xpert Ultra had an excellent diagnostic efficacy for TBM, and it could be the preferred initial test for TBM.
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Postoperative delirium (POD) not only increases the medical burden but also adversely affects patient prognosis. Although some cases of delirium can be avoided by early intervention, there is no clear evidence indicating whether any of these measures can effectively prevent POD in specific patient groups. ⋯ Measures including intraoperative monitoring of bispectral index, supplemental analgesia, α2-adrenergic receptor agonists, antipsychotic drugs, and multimodal care are helpful to prevent POD effectively. However, larger, high-quality RCTs are needed to verify these findings and develop more interventions and drugs for preventing postoperative delirium.
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The prognosis of patients with aortic stenosis, in conjunction with chronic kidney disease (CKD), after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) remains unclear. This study assessed the impact of CKD, and different stages of CKD, on prognosis of patients undergoing TAVR. ⋯ The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of CKD and different stages of CKD on the prognosis of patients with TAVR. It is hoped to provide a comprehensive reference for clinical practice and related clinical trials in the future.
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Endometriosis (EMs) affects about 10% of women of childbearing age. It is defined as functional endometrial tissue appearing in other parts of the uterine cavity, manifested by varying degrees of pelvic pain and pelvic mass, etc. Therefore, to improve the therapeutic effect of endometriosis, we must constantly explore new ways to treat the disease. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the combined use of laparoscopy and traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of patients with EMs. ⋯ The results of this study will provide strong evidence for judging whether laparoscopy combined with traditional Chinese medicine decoction is an effective strategy for the treatment of patients with EMs.