Medicine
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Neurofilament light chain (NfL) levels have proved to be a good biomarker in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) correlating with the degree of neuronal injury and neurodegeneration. However, little is known about the value of plasma neurofilament light chain (pNfL) levels in predicting the clinical prognosis of patients with acute cerebral infarction. This study aimed to explore whether pNfL could be used as a biomarker to predict the severity of the outcomes of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). ⋯ The diagnostic severity and prognosis were evaluated by ROC curve, an area under the receiver operator curve of 0.812 (P = .001, 95% CI: 0.69-0.93) at 7 days. Plasma NfL levels reflect neuronal injury after AIS. It changes with time and has a certain relationship with prognosis and may be a promising biomarker for predicting the severity of neuroaxonal injury in patients with acute IS.
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We aimed to compare the learning curves of 2 surgeons with different endoscopic bases when performing laparoendoscopic single-site myomectomy (LESS-M). We retrospectively analyzed and compared 2 groups of patients who underwent LESS-M performed by 2 surgeons with different bases in multi-port laparoscopic surgery (MLS) from October 2019 to December 2020 at West China Second Hospital of Sichuan University. Patients' characteristics and related surgical indicators were compared, and surgeons' learning curves were analyzed using a cumulative sum analysis. ⋯ Surgeons A and B crossed the learning curve after 21 and 18 cases, respectively. LESS-M is safe and feasible. Approximately 20 cases are required for surgeons to achieve LESS-M proficiency, and surgeons without MLS experience can still master LESS-M.
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The aim of this study was to determine the resistance status and to identify the point mutations conferring resistance to clarithromycin and fluoroquinolones among dyspeptic patients in Manisa, Turkey. The study included a sample of 140 patients with an indication for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy randomly selected from 2100 dyspeptic patients attending to the Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Unit at Manisa Celal Bayar University Hafsa Sultan Hospital between April 2016 and May 2018. A commercially available GenoType Helico DR test was used to detect the presence of Helicobacter pylori and mutations associated with resistance to clarithromycin and fluoroquinolones in biopsy specimens. ⋯ The resistance rates and detected mutations in this study are in line with the country data. However, to achieve better H pylori eradication and to prevent the spread of multidrug-resistant strains in Turkey, the molecular-based susceptibility tests should be considered routinely. Further studies are needed to determine the various mutations among resistant strains.
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Bailing tablet, a patent Chinese medicine, is widely used to treat vitiligo in China. However, the underlying mechanism of this combined drug in treating vitiligo still remains unclear. ⋯ Based on network pharmacology and molecular docking, the mechanism of bailing tablet in the treatment of vitiligo through multicomponent, multitarget, and multichannel was deeply explored.
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This study aimed to compare the risk of dementia between exposed to allopurinol and not exposed to allopurinol in persons who had gout and/or hyperuricemia. ⋯ This is the first meta-analysis to report that there is a negative relationship between the allopurinol exposure and the risk of dementia. Although the results favor the hypothesis, currently it is unable to draw strong conclusions about the protective effect of allopurinol against dementia due to inclusion of only a few eligible studies. Randomized controlled trials are needed to explore the relationship between allopurinol exposure and the probability of dementia.