Medicine
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Multicenter Study
Fasting blood glucose was linearly associated with colorectal cancer risk in the population without self-reported diabetes mellitus history.
Fasting plasma glucose level was linearly associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. However, the dose-response relationship between fasting blood glucose (FBG) and CRC risk was still uncertain. A total of 11,632 patients without self-reported diabetes mellitus and colorectal polyps' history were identified in the Korean Multicenter Cancer Cohort (1993-2005). ⋯ Besides, HR was 1.09 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.16) for the CRC risk. In the population without self-reported diabetes mellitus and colorectal polyps' history. FBG was linearly associated with CRC risk, especially for FBG over 126 mg/dL.
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The prevalence of hypertension has increased with the rise in the elderly population, and high blood pressure is a major cause of cardiovascular disease. Physical activity is an important strategy for preventing cardiovascular disease. The study aimed to explore the association between physical activity and cardiovascular risk indicators in community-dwelling older adults with hypertension. ⋯ Group II showed a significant decrease in risk for uncontrolled diabetes compared to Group I (hazard ratio = 0.94, 95% confidence interval [0.888-0.999]). The findings indicated that physical activity is a significant factor associated with indicators of cardiovascular risk in older people with high blood pressure. Healthcare providers should be aware of the importance of older adults' physical activity and encourage them to perform and maintain it steadily for better long-term cardio-metabolic outcomes.
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Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was reported as an independent prognostic factor in many studies, but its cutoff point was not yet concluded. We set forth to prove and validate cutoff point of NLR as a poor prognostic factor for overall survival (OS) in nonmetastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients. Retrospective cohort of nonmetastatic NPC adult patients treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy with curative aim at Siriraj hospital during 2007 to 2014 was enrolled. ⋯ After internal validation, the resampling method shows no overfitting condition and corrected C-index was 0.547 for univariable analysis. A cutoff point of NLR of 3 from routine blood test was found to be an independent poor prognostic factor among patients with nonmetastatic NPC. This prognostic factor could be included in clinical prediction model of NPC and this further prediction model would select high risk patients for intensive treatment.
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Chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) can be complicated with choroidal neovascularization (CNV); however, the timing of its occurrence and its clinical significance are not well understood. This study aimed to observe the time of choroidal neovascularization detection after CSC diagnosis and determine whether clinical features and prognosis differed in patients with chronic CSC or age-related retinal degeneration. In this retrospective study, medical records of CSC patients complicated with CNV who visited Seoul St. ⋯ At the last visit, 22 patients (73.3%) remained stable for more than 6 months, without subretinal fluid recurrence. Choroidal neovascularization was detected earlier than previously reported. There was no rapid deterioration of visual acuity or clinical features even after CNV detection.
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Observational Study
Impact of the implementation of a standard for preanalytical handling of samples for microbiological diagnostics on the quality of results at a neurocritical care unit.
Antibiotic stewardship (ABS) programs intend to improve outcomes of nosocomial infections and to counteract the emergence of further antimicrobial resistances. At the anesthesiologic-neurosurgical intensive care unit (ICU) of the University Medical Center Regensburg (Germany) we implemented a standard operating procedure (SOP) with clear instructions for the preanalytical handling and storage of microbiological samples. We intended to find out whether the instructions given in the SOP led to a higher rate of ideal material being sent to the laboratory and to overall better quality of the received results. ⋯ Concrete instructions enable adequate preanalytical handling of microbiological probes. However, we could not recognize substantial improvements probably due to a preexisting high process quality on the ICU. Microbiological diagnostics during the night shift has to be improved.