Medicine
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There is a scarcity of research into the impact of medication beliefs on adherence in patients with non-dialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study is to determine the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ)-Specific among patients with non-dialysis CKD stages 3-5, and to assess the beliefs of CKD patients and their association with medication adherence. A cross-sectional study was conducted in CKD patients who recruited at the nephrology clinics of Xi'an Central Hospital, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China. ⋯ The adherence of patients was positively correlated with perceived necessity (r = 0.264, P < .001) and negatively correlated with concern (r = -0.294, P < .001). Medication adherence was significantly higher for the accepting group (high necessity and low concern scores) than for the ambivalent group (high necessity and concern scores; β = -0.880, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -1.475 to -0.285), skeptical group (low necessity and high concern scores; β = -2.620, 95% CI = -4.209 to -1.031) and indifferent group (low necessity and concern scores; β = -0.918, 95% CI = -1.724 to -0.112). The Chinese version of BMQ-Specific exhibited satisfactory reliability and validity for use in patients with non-dialysis CKD stages 3-5 and has been demonstrated to be a reliable screening tool for clinicians to use to predict and identify the non-adherence behaviors of patients.
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In response to the global coronavirus infectious disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, several vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 have been developed. Although many infrequent side effects of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine have been reported, only a few cases of pancreatitis have been reported. ⋯ Acute pancreatitis can develop shortly after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination. Therefore, of great importance to differentiate acute pancreatitis when abdominal pain occurs after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination.
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Previous studies demonstrated the safety of tranexamic acid (TXA) use in cerebral palsy (CP) patients undergoing proximal femoral varus derotational osteotomy (VDRO), but were underpowered to determine if TXA alters transfusion rates or estimated blood loss (EBL). The purpose of this study was to investigate if intraoperative TXA administration alters transfusion rates or EBL in patients with CP undergoing VDRO surgery. We conducted a retrospective review of 390 patients with CP who underwent VDRO surgery between January 2004 and August 2019 at a single institution. ⋯ The number needed to treat (NNT) with TXA to avoid one peri-operative blood transfusion in this series was 9. The use of intraoperative TXA in patients with CP undergoing VDRO surgery lowers overall and postoperative transfusion rates. Level of evidence: III, Retrospective Comparative Study.
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Routine neoadjuvant therapy for muscle-invasive bladder urothelial carcinoma prior to radical surgery is curative. With the increase in cancer immunotherapy, neoadjuvant immunotherapy has been used as an important complement to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma. Toripalimab is a recombinant, humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibody directed against programmed cell death protein 1 and received the first global approval for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic melanoma in China on December 17, 2018. ⋯ Toripalimab combined with gemcitabine exhibited accurate antitumor activity and may be a promising novel neoadjuvant therapy for muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma.
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Various heavy metal elements in the human body have been reported to be associated with dyslipidemia, hypertension, and diabetes. The role of cobalt in these conditions is unclear. The current study aimed to investigate the association of blood cobalt concentrations with dyslipidemia, hypertension, and diabetes. ⋯ The adjusted ORs for hypertension and diabetes were not associated with blood cobalt concentrations (P > .05 and P for trend > .05). In conclusion, higher blood cobalt concentrations were associated with a lower risk of dyslipidemia. However, blood cobalt concentrations were not associated with the risk of hypertension or diabetes.