Medicine
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Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is associated with a high risk of morbidity and mortality. However, data on the association between oral anticoagulants and the hazards of VTE complications in Taiwanese patients with VTE is limited. This study aimed to compare the hazards of recurrent VTE, bleeding, and mortality between patients with VTE receiving rivaroxaban, a non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), and those receiving heparin or low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) followed by warfarin. ⋯ In addition, the hazard ratio of major bleeding was not significantly different between the 2 regimens (HR, 1.80 [CI, 0.39-8.29], P = .45). Rivaroxaban was not associated with lower risks of recurrent VTE and mortality and higher hazards of major bleeding than heparin or LMWH followed by warfarin in Taiwanese patients with VTE. Clinicians may tailor oral anticoagulants for VTE patients according to the patient's characteristics, cost-effectiveness and healthcare system policy.
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Esophageal microbiota plays important roles in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The aims of this study were to clarify the changes in the bacterial community during ESCC development and identify latent pathogenic bacteria which may contribute to esophageal carcinogenesis and progression. Fresh tumor and nontumor esophageal mucosal samples were collected from 31 men with ESCC. ⋯ Additionally, bacteria related to nitrotoluene degradation were enriched in nontumor tissues, while bacteria related to base excision repair were enriched in tumor tissues. The relative abundance of several phyla and genera are different between tumor and nontumor tissue samples. The altered bacterial microbiota is correlated with different tumor stages and some microbes may take part in the carcinogenesis and development of ESCC.
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Observational Study
Radiological osteoarthritic knee joint changes in high school and collegiate sumo wrestlers: The observational study.
We examined the effects of sumo on their knee joints, and investigated the relationship between radiological changes and knee joints symptoms, and the relationship between knee radiological changes and the physical characteristics of the wrestlers. Fifty-six high-school and 128 college freshman sumo wrestlers who belonged to the Japanese Sumo Federation. To evaluate radiological changes in the knee joints of high-school and college freshmen sumo wrestlers. ⋯ According to the Kellgren-Laurence (KL) classification, 7 high-school (12.5%) and 26 collegiate (20.3%) sumo wrestlers were grade 2, 3, or 4. The risk factors of degenerative radiographic changes in the knee joints of the participants were heavyweight, large BMI, and older age. The knee osteoarthritic changes had already appeared in 12.5% high-school sumo wrestlers at the admission.
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Enterovirus 71 (EV71) vaccine for hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) prevention has been available for several years. However, as a new vaccine, the impact of EV71 vaccination on the epidemiology and etiology of HFMD is currently unclear. The purpose of this study was to compare and analyze the changes of epidemiological characteristics and etiology of HFMD patients after the introduction of EV71 vaccine. ⋯ The dominant enterovirus serotypes of hospitalized HFMD changed significantly after the introduction of EV71 vaccine. The proportion of severe cases decreased significantly after the vaccination, but EV71 was still a major pathogen in patients with severe HFMD. More age-appropriate children are recommended to get vaccinated to establish stronger herd immunity in the population.