Medicine
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Early right ventricular dysfunction in patients with non-advanced idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) has not been fully elucidated. Thus, we aimed to assess right ventricular functions in IPF patients and controls by speckle-tracking strain echocardiography at rest and peak exercise. We screened 116 IPF patients from February to August 2019 to include 20 patients with no history of oxygen therapy, peripheral saturation levels ≥92% at rest, Gender-Age-Physiology Index score ≤5, and modified Medical Research Council score ≤3. ⋯ Right ventricular dysfunction was unveiled by speckle-tracking echocardiography during exercise in non-advanced IPF patients. We suggest that this reflects an inadequate right ventricular-arterial coupling decreasing the right ventricular longitudinal contraction during exercise in these patients. This parameter may be useful as an early index of suspected pulmonary hypertension.
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More attention has been placed on nonfunctioning pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors due to the increase in its incidence in recent years. Whether tumor resection at the primary site of metastatic NFpNET is effective remains controversial. Moreover, clinicians need a more precise prognostic tool to estimate the survival of these patients. ⋯ Coarsened exact matching analysis using SEER data indicated the survival advantages of resection of primary tumors. Our study is the first to build a nomogram model for patients with metastatic NFpNETs. This predictive tool can help clinicians identify high-risk patients and more accurately assess patient survival times.
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Expression and prognostic analyses of HDACs in human gastric cancer based on bioinformatic analysis.
Gastric cancer (GC) is a common cancerous tumor, and is the third leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Although comprehensive therapies of GC have been widely used in clinical set ups, advanced gastric cancer carries is characterized by poor prognosis, probably due to lack of effective prognostic biomarkers. Mammalian histone deacetylase family, histone deacetylases (HDACs), play significant roles in initiation and progression of tumors. ⋯ In addition, expression levels of HDACs were correlated with different Lauren classifications, and clinical stages, lymph node status, treatment, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 status in GC. The findings of this study showed that HDAC members are potential biomarkers for diagnosis or prognosis of gastric cancer. However, further studies should be conducted to validate these findings.
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This study examined the association between physical activity (PA) and quality of life (QOL) in Korean patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We enrolled 158 patients with IBD (81 men and 47 women). PA levels were assessed using the International PA questionnaire. ⋯ The frequency of sweat-inducing exercise showed an inverse correlation with IBDQ (κ = -0.228, P = .011), physical function of SF36v2 (κ = -0.245, P = .006), EQ5D (κ = -0.225, P = .007), and EQ-VAS (κ = -0.246, P = .004) scores. Increased PA levels were associated with improved QOL in patients with IBD. More leisure activity and non-sweat-inducing exercise were associated with improved QOL in patients with IBD.
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This study sought to validate the applicability of the mandarin Tinnitus Evaluation Questionnaire (TEQ), a brief score method administered by clinicians to quantify the tinnitus severity. A descriptive observational questionnaire study in regard to psychometric properties and practicability was conducted with a total of 414 primary tinnitus outpatients, in which 173 of 414 patients completed the follow-up after receiving an intervention based on the tinnitus educational counseling and the life-style adjustment guidance. For quantifying the tinnitus severity, the TEQ and other 2 self-report questionnaires, Tinnitus Handicap Inventory and visual analog scale, were administered on patients' first-visit and follow-up. ⋯ After estimating the test-error, a 2-point reduction (2/21) of the TEQ was recommend to be considered a reference outcome indicator for the effective intervention. Even though the TEQ is scored by clinician, it can reflect the clinical features of tinnitus patient. Flexible and simple assessing process makes it a practical tool for patient intake, intervention selection, and outcome measurement.