Medicine
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Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is the most common complication of herpes zoster, whereas postherpetic pruritus (PHP) a rare one. Although PHN has been extensively studied, few studies have investigated PHP. The purpose of this study was to investigate PHP incidence and associated factors in patients with PHN. ⋯ Twenty-eight percent of patients with PHN developed PHP. At 3 and 4 months after vesicle formation, patients with PHP had greater pain improvement compared to those without. Patients with PHN in the trigeminal nerve also had a higher incidence of PHP compared to others.
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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients have distinct clinical features in the pediatric groups. However, there is a paucity of research focused on clinical manifestation within pediatric group in Taiwan. This study is to conduct a retrospective study of the clinical features of COVID-19 in Taiwan pediatric patients. ⋯ Ct-values higher than 19 were associated with asymptomatic infection, which may be a predictor of pediatric disease severity. Our results highlight the distinct clinical manifestations and outcomes in pediatric COVID-19 patients. Compared to the adults, pediatric patients aged ≤ 18 years with COVID-19 in Taiwan mainly had mild disease.
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Breast cancer (BC) is the most diagnosed cancer worldwide. Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematologic malignancy characterized by the overproduction of monoclonal antibodies in the bone marrow. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is distinguished by the aberrant activity of the immune system with heterogeneous clinical manifestations. The coexistence of more than one major illness in a patient can present a diagnostic challenge for clinical physicians, especially when the comorbid diseases share a similar clinical presentation. Herein, we report an unusual case of secondary synchronous diagnosis of MM and SLE after BC treatment. ⋯ This is a case of MM and SLE after BC treatment. The present challenge was the early detection and accurate diagnosis of the secondary major illnesses, as the clinical manifestations were similar and non-specific between these two diseases. Awareness and prompt recognition of the common clinical symptoms of SLE and MM should be considered by clinical physicians to avoid delayed diagnoses and facilitate early treatment for a better prognosis.
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To evaluate Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS®) protocol on oncological outcomes for patients treated with radical cystectomy (RC) for urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB). ⋯ A dedicated ERAS® protocol for UCB patients treated with RC has a significant impact on survival. Reduction of stress after a major surgery and its potential improvement of perioperative patient's immunity may explain these data.
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Corneal spherical aberration (CSA) plays an important role in the ocular refractive system. However, ophthalmologists have not considered the effect of difference cataract incisions on it. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of transparent corneal incision (TCI) and scleral tunnel incision (STI) on CSA after the cataract phacoemulsification with foldable IOLs. ⋯ For 3-month observation, preoperative CSA for TCI and STI are 0.32 ± 0.28 and 0.36 ± 0.23 μm, which of postoperative are 0.43 ± 0.16 and 0.39 ± 0.26 μm, respectively. The change of CSA is 0.10 ± 0.34 and 0.03 ± 0.21 μm (P = .312). For the phacoemulsification combined with foldable IOL implantation, STI has minimal effect on CSA, but TCI might increase postoperative CSA.