Current medical research and opinion
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Background: Like other affected countries around the globe, Malaysia is shocked by the Coronavirus disease 2019, which is also known as COVID-19. Aims: This commentary article discusses the COVID-19 scenario in Malaysia, particularly in relation to the sudden increase in the number of new cases related to an international mass gathering. ⋯ Conclusion: There is no one-size-fits-all approach in managing disease outbreak. The fight against COVID-19 very much depends on their attitude during the 14-day Movement Control Order (MCO) which has been extended recently.
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Objective: Autoinjectors are a convenient and efficient way to self-administer subcutaneous injections of biopharmaceuticals. Differences in device mechanical design can affect the autoinjector functionality and performance. This study investigates the performance differences of two single-spring-actuated autoinjectors. ⋯ Lastly, confirmation "click" sound of Emgality occurs 0.75-1.53 s after dose completion, while in Aimovig, the confirmation "click" sound occurs 0.26-0.46 s before dose completion. Conclusions: This study revealed performance differences between Emgality and Aimovig autoinjector devices, despite the fact that the delivery principle of these single-spring-actuated autoinjectors are the same. These differences may result in different risk of intramuscular injection and premature device removal, both of which need to be further verified in clinical trials.
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Background: In the United States, the number of new cases of hepatitis C virus infection has risen in recent years, driven largely by transmission among young white adults in their 20s and 30s. Herein, we report an integrated analysis of participants with hepatitis C virus infection aged ≤35 years from 12 phase II/III clinical trials of elbasvir/grazoprevir. Methods: Treatment-naive and -experienced adults with hepatitis C virus genotype 1 or 4 infection received elbasvir (50 mg/day)/grazoprevir (100 mg/day) for 12 weeks without ribavirin. ⋯ Safety was favorable, with the incidence of drug-related adverse events similar in younger and older participants (30.1% vs 30.6%). One participant (0.4%) aged ≤35 years and 15 participants (0.7%) aged >35 years discontinued treatment owing to adverse events. Conclusions: Elbasvir/grazoprevir for 12 weeks was safe and highly effective in participants aged ≤35 years with hepatitis C virus genotype 1 or 4 infection.
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Comparative Study
Validity and reliability of the Unified Classification System applied to periprosthetic femur fractures: a comparison with the Vancouver system.
Objective: The Unified Classification System (UCS) presents itself as an evolution of the Vancouver Classification (VCS) for the evaluation of periprosthetic fractures of the proximal femur (PPF). The aim of our study was to highlight any loss of reproducibility or validity of the new classification system, compared to the previous one. Material and methods: We tested the interobserver and intraobserver agreement using 40 PPF clinical cases. ⋯ Validity analysis showed a moderate agreement for the VCS and a good agreement for the UCS. Conclusion: The UCS completes the Vancouver classification, expanding it. It is reliable, despite the increase in classification categories and number of parameters to evaluate, with a slightly higher validity.