Annals of medicine
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Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection that usually affects the lungs, although it can also affect other parts of the body. Vitamin D deficiency and response to treatment have been demonstrated in patients with active TB in several studies, but not in MDR-TB patients, which is a new observation in the present study. ⋯ Low serum vitamin D deficiency was observed in both groups during treatment and is one of the important factors responsible for susceptibility to TB in both groups; however, its significance is uncertain. Patients with continuous positive sputum for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) had a worse prognosis than those with sputum bacteriology conversion. Two months into a treatment regimen, sputum smear conversions may be a useful indicator of an MDR-TB patient's prognosis.
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The performance of host immune responses biomarkers and clinical scores was compared to identify infection patient populations at risk of progression to sepsis, ICU admission and mortality. ⋯ Patients exhibiting low severity signs of infection but high IL-10 levels showed an elevated probability of developing sepsis. Combining IL-10 with the NEWS score provides a reliable tool for predicting the progression from infection to sepsis at an early stage. Utilizing IL-6 in the emergency room can help identify patients with low NEWS or SIRS scores.
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We aimed to improve the performance of sleep prediction algorithms by increasing the data amount, adding variables reflecting psychological state, and adjusting the data length. ⋯ The results show that the performance of the sleep prediction models improved by increasing the data amount and adding HRV data. Further studies targeting insomnia patients and applied researches on non-pharmacological insomnia treatment are needed.
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Observational Study
Effects of traffic-related air and noise pollution exposure on allergic diseases in the elderly: an observational study.
Traffic-related air and noise pollution are important public health issues. The aim of this study was to estimate their effects on allergic/respiratory outcomes in adult and elderly subjects. ⋯ Our findings highlighted the need to better assess the effect of traffic-related exposure in the elderly, considering the increasing trend in the future global population's ageing.
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Multiple myeloma is a malignant tumour of the blood in which abnormal proliferation of plasma cells leads to bone destruction, renal impairment, anaemia, and hypercalcaemia. Renal impairment caused by multiple myeloma is a common and serious condition; however, the prognosis of multiple myeloma at the time of diagnosis remains unclear. ⋯ The limited low-quality evidence available does not support an association between prognosis and multiple myeloma complicated by kidney injury.