Medicine
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The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of vitamin D supplementation on ovarian reserve markers, including serum anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) level, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) level, and antral follicle count (AFC), in infertile women with diminished ovarian reserve and vitamin D deficiency. A prospective, nonrandomized, cross-sectional study was conducted. Women aged 18 to 41 years who were unable to become pregnant after 12 months of sexual intercourse and had normal tubal patency, partners with normal semen analysis, diminished ovarian reserve, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] deficiency were included. ⋯ Statistically significant decreases in FSH (P < .01) and alkaline phosphatase levels (P < .05) were observed after vitamin D supplementation. No statistically significant correlations were found between 25(OH)D level and AFC, 1,25(OH)D level, AMH level, and FSH level before and after supplementation (P > .05). As improvements in the ovarian reserve markers were obtained with vitamin D supplementation, vitamin D might be considered as a fertility treatment for patients with diminished ovarian reserve and vitamin D deficiency.
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Lung cancer remains the worldwide leading cause of cancer-related death. Currently, prognostic biomarkers for the detection and stratification of lung cancer are being investigated for clinical use. The surface protein cluster of differentiation 49b (CD49b) plays an important role in promoting cell proliferation and invasion in different tumor entities and blocking CD49b improved the tumor immune response. ⋯ In AC and SCLC, no significant correlation could be demonstrated in this regard. In our study, CD49b expression was associated with poor overall survival in patients with SQCLC. Accordingly, CD49b could serve as a new prognostic biomarker and, moreover, be a potential new drug target in SQCLC.
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Observational Study
Cholangitis in patients with atrial fibrillation: A retrospective cohort study in Taiwan.
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether atrial fibrillation (AF) and cholangitis is associated. This is a propensity-matched retrospective cohort report from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. We included patients who had AF but didn't have cholangitis, and matched controls between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2012. ⋯ Comparing to subjects without AF, patients with AF had higher risk of cholangitis in the subgroup of ≥65 years (adjusted HR = 1.76, 95%CI = 1.40-2.21), female (adjusted HR = 2.51, 95%CI = 1.74-3.63), male (adjusted HR = 1.60, 95%CI = 1.19-2.14), without comorbidities (adjusted HR = 1.79, 95%CI = 1.23-2.61), and with comorbidities (adjusted HR = 1.85, 95%CI = 1.73-1.99). AF is associated with a higher incidence of cholangitis. The need of further investigations is mandatory because of the inherent limitations of observational study.
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Irisin stimulates osteoblast differentiation increasing bone mass a decreasing in irisin levels might contribute to osteoporotic fractures in inflammatory diseases. To date, there is controverted whether irisin levels are associated with osteoporotic fractures in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Therefore, we evaluate the association of serum irisin with osteoporotic Vertebral Fractures (VFs) in women with RA. ⋯ In the multivariable logistic regression analysis the low 50 percentile irisin levels < 73 ng/mL (OR:3.1, 95% CI:1.55-6.2, P = .001), and disease duration of RA (OR:1.04, 95% CI:1.001-1.08, P = .04) were associated with an increase in the risk of VFs. A decrease of irisin levels is associated to VFs in RA. These results are valuable to consider that RA patients with low levels of irisin are in a potential risk of VFs.
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Due to the increasing number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in Japan, hospitals are unable to provide admission and immediate inpatient care. The after-hours house call (AHHC) service offers telephone consultations and in-home care to patients awaiting admission. Currently, there is no report on the management of COVID-19 patients when inpatient beds are insufficient. ⋯ Overall, 16.4% of patients died, with 17.6% in the Moderate I group and 15.8% in the Moderate II group. We found the proportion of mortality in patients treated by the AHHC was slightly higher to that of patients treated in Japanese hospitals. This study will provide an alternative management of patients requiring oxygen in situations where hospital beds are in short supply.