Annals of medicine
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Observational Study
Heterogeneity in pharmacological treatment and outcomes in Crohn's disease patients in Catalonia: a population-based observational study.
Heterogeneity in the treatment of a disease is a marker of suboptimal quality of care. The aim of this study is to evaluate the heterogeneity in the treatment used and the outcomes for Crohn's disease (CD) in Catalonia. ⋯ A remarkable geographical heterogeneity in the use of different treatments and in outcomes of CD was observed between different geographical areas of Catalonia. KEY MESSAGEThere is a notable geographical heterogeneity in the administration of biological and immunosuppressive treatments to Crohn's disease patients in Catalonia.There is also a geographical heterogeneity in their rates of hospitalization and surgical intervention.
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This research aimed to explore individuals' willingness to pay (WTP) and studied the role of family decision makers in WTP for COVID-19 vaccines. ⋯ This study found that family decision-makers were more willing to pay for both the first two doses and the booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines in Taizhou, China. To improve the WTP for COVID-19 vaccines, public policy programs need to conduct a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis and focus on the role of family decision makers in vaccination.Key MessagesA study evaluating the willingness of community residents to pay for booster vaccination of COVID-19 vaccine was conducted among families in a community in Taizhou, China.Family decision-makers were more willing to pay for both the first two doses and the booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines.To improve the WTP for COVID-19 vaccines, public policy programs need to conduct a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis and focus on the role of family decision-makers in vaccination.
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Background: A higher risk for COVID-19 infection and severity for men compared to women has been described since the beginning of the pandemic. The role of androgens has been recently highlighted as they control two key steps of coronavirus infection mediated through the transmembrane protease serin 2 (TMPRRS2) and the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor in the lung tissue. Furthermore, a high incidence of androgenic alopecia among males with COVID-19 disease have been reported. ⋯ KEY MESSAGESThe presence of Telogen effluvium (TE) was significantly more common in women. Higher severity of the Covid-19 disease seems to play a critical role, more important than the hormonal influence, in the development of TE. The severity of inflammation related to TE and Covid-19 could also play a role as suggested by the higher levels of CRP and platelets and IL1β.
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Idiopathic aplastic anaemia (IAA) is a heterogeneous autoimmune disease characterised by pancytopenia and bone marrow failure. The objective of the study was to investigate the clusters of lymphocyte subset in newly diagnosed IAA patients and explore their correlation with clinical characteristics. ⋯ Cluster analysis classified patients into four distinctive subgroups: Cluster 1 (CD4+ T cells dominant), Cluster 2 (CD8+ T cells dominant), Cluster 3 (NK cells dominant) and Cluster 4 (B cells dominant). Patients in Clusters 1 and 4 suffered more severe disease status than ones in Clusters 2 and 3 (p = .013). And with it, patients in Cluster 2 had the highest white blood cell count, haemoglobin level, reticulocyte count and reticulocyte percentage, while patients in Cluster 3 had the lowest lymphocyte percentage and the highest neutrophil count (all p < .05). Unexpectedly, patients in Cluster 3 tended to have superior curative effect than ones in other clusters, an ordinal logistic regression analysis further confirmed the independent correlation between Cluster 3 and good response to treatment. Lymphocyte subset clustering may serve as a biomarker for assessing disease severity and treatment efficacy in newly diagnosed IAA patients.Key MessagesNewly diagnosed IAA patients could be classified into 4 distinctive subgroups with similar immune patterns by using cluster analysis of lymphocyte subset.Clusters of lymphocyte subset were closely correlated with disease severity and treatment response of IAA.Lymphocyte subset clustering may serve as a promising tool for assessing disease severity and treatment efficacy in newly diagnosed IAA patients.
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Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a condition of the female reproductive system and it remains imperative to identify target genes responsible for its pathogenesis and develop therapeutic drugs capable of effectively treating it. ⋯ PGR, SIRT1 and ADAMTS1 were found to be down-regulated in oocytes, ovulation and female pregnancy. These 3 genes are likely biomarkers important in the treatment of PCOS. Insulin sensitiser in combination with oral contraceptive administration were found to significantly improve PCOS.Key messagesOur study used a new bioinformatics approach to find target genes for the treatment of PCOS.Our study sought to identify target genes that affect human oocyte quality by analysing single-cell sequencing data from oocytes.We testified to our data by analysing a subset of clinical data.