Medical principles and practice : international journal of the Kuwait University, Health Science Centre
-
Meta Analysis
The Effectiveness of Different Doses of Intravenous Immunoglobulin on Severe Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease: A Meta-Analysis.
To conduct a meta-analysis of evidence from randomized controlled trails (RCTs) of different doses of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) in children with severe hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) to provide the scientific basis for clinical practice. ⋯ The high-dose group has a better prognosis; however, the advantages and disadvantages should be carefully considered when deciding the doses in the treatment of severe HFMD.
-
Meta Analysis
A Meta-Analysis on the Relationship Between Hair Dye and the Incidence of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
Epidemiologic studies have suggested hair dye to be a risk factor for many cancers. However, previous studies on the association between the personal use of hair dye and risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) have been inconclusive. ⋯ The outcomes indicate that hair dye use increases the risk of NHL, especially for females. Hence, people who frequently use hair dyes or have been using hair dyes for more than 20 years should minimize their exposure to hair dye products to prevent the risk of NHL.
-
Unlike DNA fingerprinting, which scores for differences in the genome that are phenotype neutral, epigenetic variations are gaining importance in forensic investigations. Methylation of DNA has a broad range of effects on the lifestyle, health status, and physical appearance of individuals. ⋯ Several techniques have been used for DNA methylation analysis for epigenetic investigations of forensic biological samples. However, novel techniques are needed for multiplex analysis of epigenetic markers as the techniques that are currently available require a large amount of high-quality DNA and are also limited in their multiplexing capacities that are often insufficient to fully resolve a forensic query of interest.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Ultrasound-Guided Continuous Femoral Nerve Block with Dexmedetomidine Combined with Low Concentrations of Ropivacaine for Postoperative Analgesia in Elderly Knee Arthroplasty.
This study aims to investigate the clinical effect of dexmedetomidine (DEX) combined with low concentrations of ropivacaine in ultrasound-guided continuous fem-oral nerve block for postoperative analgesia in elderly patients with total knee arthroplasty (TKA). ⋯ X.-Y.Z. and E.-F.Z. have contributed equally to this research.
-
To describe the reference ranges of serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in Saudi men. Materials/Subjects and Methods: Saudi males, aged 30 and above, were invited to participate in the study. Blood samples were taken from each subject to determine serum levels of PSA. Blood sugar levels, lipid profile, and anthropometric measurements were also obtained. ⋯ PSA serum levels in Saudi men are lower than in other communities. Creating age-specific reference ranges could improve the sensitivity of the PSA tests by allowing the detection of treatable tumors in younger men if the threshold of 4.0 ng/mL is lowered. Furthermore, unnecessary biopsies among older men may be avoided if the threshold is increased.