Medicine
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Azathioprine (AZA), methotrexate, or rituximab is used for the maintenance therapy of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV). Although the efficacy of tacrolimus (TAC) in various autoimmune diseases has been demonstrated, there have been few reports on the efficacy of TAC in AAV. We investigated the efficacy of TAC as maintenance therapy for AAV and compared its efficacy with that of AZA. ⋯ There were no significant differences in the cumulative patients' and relapse-free survival rate between patients who received AZA alone and TAC after AZA. However, the cumulative ESRD-free survival rate was lower in patients who received TAC after AZA than in those who received AZA alone (P = .027). Patients who received TAC as maintenance therapy showed a higher incidence of ESRD than those who received AZA; however, this might be attributed to the lack of efficacy of AZA rather than the low ESRD prevention effect of TAC.
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This study aimed to explore clinical significance of core needle biopsy (CNB) in pathological diagnosis of breast neoplasm. Seventy one breast neoplasm samples were obtained from Tongzhou Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Beijing between the years of 2006 and 2014. Forty five specimens were obtained via CNB and cases offering 26 of them received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. ⋯ CNB could be used for preoperative diagnosis of breast neoplasm, and help to determine proper treatment regimen, thus elevating the rate of breast conserving. However, this method still has several limitations, particularly in immunohistochemical tests of human epidermal receptor protein-2. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy may influence the accuracy of CNB diagnosis.
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Meta Analysis
The prognosis of cancer patients undergoing liposomal doxorubicin-based chemotherapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
It is well known that liposome-based delivery of cytotoxic chemotherapeutics has been proposed as a putative strategy to enhance drug tolerability and efficacy compared to the conventional chemotherapy. However, its potential effect on improving prognosis remains largely unknown. The current meta-analysis is to explore the prognosis of cancer patients undergoing liposomal doxorubicin-based chemotherapy. ⋯ Taken together, our finding has demonstrated that there was no association of undergoing liposomal doxorubicin-based chemotherapy with cancer prognosis. However, detailed and further studies are needed to confirm our conclusion.
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Observational Study
Impact of switching to tenofovir alafenamide on weight gain as compared to maintaining a non-tenofovir alafenamide containing regimen.
Evaluate the impact of switching to an anti-retroviral regimen containing tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) on weight and the development of metabolic complications compared to remaining on a non-TAF containing regimen. Single-center retrospective case-control study. We evaluated people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH) who were on an anti-retroviral regimen not containing TAF and were switched to a regimen containing TAF between January 1, 2016 and September 30, 2018. ⋯ We observed a higher rate of new diagnosis of HLD in the control group compared to the TAF switch group during the study period. PLWH switched to TAF had greater increases in weight after 1 year as compared to those continuing on a TAF free regimen. However, this did not translate to higher rates of obesity related illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, and HLD during the follow up period.
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Observational Study
Hope, death anxiety and simplified coping style scores of nursing students during the outbreak of COVID-19: A cross-sectional study.
Nursing students are the main force of future nursing development, and their hope and death anxiety are important aspects of their coping styles and clinical practice. The present study examined the relationships between hope, death anxiety and simplified coping style scores of nursing students during the outbreak of COVID-19. Between February and April 2020, a cross-sectional descriptive study was performed using a Sojump online survey, and 870 nursing students completed the herth hope (HH), death anxiety scale (DAS) and simplified coping style questionnaire. ⋯ Living in cities (vs towns) and having a higher inner positive readiness and expectancy, a higher inner sense of temporality and future and lower cognition of death were predictors of active coping styles (P < .05). The findings of this study suggest that hope and death anxiety are important aspects of the coping styles of nursing students. Nursing educators should emphasize the role of hope, further deepen the death education mode, and perform scientific and reasonable death education programmes to reduce the death anxiety level of nursing students to promote their coping styles in crisis.