Medicine
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The objective of this study was to explore the key elements of Korean medicine (KM) treatment for idiopathic short stature (ISS) by analyzing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT). This was a qualitative study of interviews with 7 KM doctors who had at least 3 years of experience in KM treatment for ISS. Based on the content, a SWOT and a cross-SWOT analysis were conducted. ⋯ Threats included the limited use of diagnostic devices and relatively high medical costs due to non-coverage by national health insurance. This study suggests that the safety and clinical effectiveness evidence of KM treatment for height growth should be guaranteed through well-designed large-scale long-term studies. Various strategies are needed to promote the use of diagnostic and evaluation devices for ISS treatment in KM clinical settings.
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This retrospective, cross-sectional, and descriptive study aimed to analyze the trend of utilizing traditional Korean medicine services in patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH) and/or lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). In this study, based on the national patient sample data provided by Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA), the trend of Korean medicine service utilization was investigated, including the following information: demographic characteristics of the patients, the total expenditure, number of claim statements per category, medical care expenditure per category, and routes of visiting traditional Korean medicine institutions. The study population comprised patients who visited Korean medicine institutions at least once from January 2010 to December 2019, with LSS and LDH as the primary diagnosis. ⋯ These patients, who were diagnosed with their condition at a Korean medicine institution, visited a conventional institution and then returned; the conventional institutions were primarily used for examination (40.5%). Increased utilization of traditional Korean medicine services was confirmed among patients with LDH and/or LSS; in particular, a sharp increase was noted among patients with LSS. The results of this study will be useful as basic research data for clinicians, researchers, and policy makers.
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Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease that damages multiple organs and systems, including the lungs, kidneys, and heart. The respiratory system is commonly affected by SLE, leading to problems such as pleurisy, pleural effusion, and interstitial lung disease (ILD). In addition, SLE can involve the heart, with pericarditis being the most common manifestation. Notably, pericardial effusion frequently accompanies pericarditis involved by SLE, and aspects such as thickened pericardium (TP) can be challenging to detect early on. There are limited reports on TP and even fewer reports on the treatment of ILD with TP. This study investigates the clinical treatment of SLE complicating ILD and TP and reports on a successful case treated with tofacitinib, offering new strategies for managing such patients. ⋯ In cases of SLE complicating ILD and TP, when tapering GCs is difficult, treatment with tofacitinib can be effective in achieving remission and maintaining stability.
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With the continuous improvement of treatment strategy, the prognostic value of international prognostic index (IPI) alone is limited for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Our study aims to explore the effect of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)to absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) ratio (LAR) and albumin to fibrinogen ratio (AFR) on the prognosis of patients with DLBCL. The venous blood LDH, ALC, albumin and fibrinogen within 1 week before the first chemotherapy in 74 DLBCL patients were collected to calculate the LAR and AFR values. ⋯ The C-index values of above 4 models were 0.802 (95%CI 0.629-0.975, P < .001), 0.842 (95% CI 0.735-0.949, P < .001), 0.846 (95%CI 0.716-0.976, P < .001), and 0.864 (95%CI 0.781-0.941, P < .001), respectively. The results suggest that both LAR and AFR are independent prognostic factors for PFS in DLBCL patients. Furthermore, their combination with IPI has better predictive efficiency for the prognosis of DLBCL patients.
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Observational Study
Correlation in retinal thickness and macular retina plus choroidal microcirculation in pediatric myopia.
To analyze the relationship in retinal thickness, macula retina and choroidal microcirculation in pediatric patients with myopia. Pediatric patients with high myopia (high myopia group, n = 30, 60 eyes) and pediatric patients with low to moderate myopia (low myopia group, n = 30, 60 eyes) admitted to our hospital from January 2021 to January 2022 were randomly selected as the study subjects. ⋯ Outer retinal thickness showed a weak positive correlation with Superficial vascular complex flow density (SVD) and deep vascular complex flow density (DVD) (P < .05), but no significant correlation with choroidal capillary density (P > .05); inner retinal thickness showed a weak positive correlation with SVD and DVD (P < .05), but no significant correlation with choroidal capillary density (P > .05). In pediatric patients with myopia, there is a positive correlation between the blood flow density of macular retina and retinal thickness, and the retinal thickness will become thinner with increasing myopia.