Annals of medicine
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Review
The association between morphological characteristics of paraspinal muscle and spinal disorders.
Spinal disorders affect millions of people worldwide, and can cause significant disability and pain. The paraspinal muscles, located on either side of the spinal column, play a crucial role in the movement, support, and stabilization of the spine. Many spinal disorders can affect paraspinal muscles, as evidenced by changes in their morphology, including hypertrophy, atrophy, and degeneration. ⋯ The findings of this review highlight the need for further research to better understand the relationship between the paraspinal muscles and spinal disorders, and to develop effective interventions to improve spinal health and reduce the burden of spinal disorders.
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Prediction models for identifying emergency department (ED) patients at high risk of poor outcome are often not externally validated. We aimed to perform a head-to-head comparison of the discriminatory performance of several prediction models in a large cohort of ED patients. ⋯ Head-to-head validation of 19 prediction models in medical ED patients showed that the RISE UP and COPE score outperformed other models regarding 31-day mortality.
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An increasing number of α-hemoglobin (Hb) variants is causing various clinical symptoms; therefore, accurate identification of these Hb variants is important. ⋯ Hb Doi-Saket emphasizes a great diversity present in α-globin gene. The mutation in this family from Thailand was linked to -α3.7 and caused mild microcytosis in the carriers. The combination of this variant with deletions in α genes might cause a severe clinical phenotype. Different methods of separation can provide useful information in diagnosis, and a complete molecular approach is needed for confirmation before considering patient management.
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The optimal cycle of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) remains controversial. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of three and four cycles of NAC in the treatment of MIBC through a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature. ⋯ Three and four cycles of NAC had similar pathological responses and prognosis for MIBC, although the cancer-specific survival rate of four cycles was better than that of three cycles.
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Multicenter Study
The clinical characteristics and outcomes of different inhaled therapies in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients with frequent cough.
Cough is a common symptom in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Patients with cough may exhibit various clinical characteristics and experience varying outcomes based on inhaled therapies they receive. ⋯ COPD patients with frequent cough were related to current smokers and higher CAT scores. These patients had a higher incidence of frequent exacerbations than those with infrequent cough. Patients with frequent cough who were treated with LABA/LAMA or ICS/LABA/LAMA were more likely to attain MCID and at a lower risk of exacerbation than those treated with LAMA or ICS/LABA.