Medicina
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Background and Objectives: The purpose of this study is to enhance the quality of life in elderly patients with lung cancer by understanding relations of uncertainty, appraisal of uncertainty, self-efficacy, and quality of life targeting elderly patients with lung cancer receiving anticancer therapy, and also analyzing the factors affecting the quality of life based on Mishel's theory. Materials and Methods: The subjects were a total of 112 lung cancer patients aged 65 or older receiving anticancer therapy. The data was collected by using self-report questionnaires targeting patients in hemato-oncology at Chungbuk National University Hospital. ⋯ Results: In stage 1, anticancer therapy (chemotherapy) (β = -0.34, p < 0.001), economic condition (low) (β = -0.30, p < 0.001), the number of anticancer therapies (three times or more) (β = -0.29, p < 0.001), and education (graduation from high school or higher) (β = 0.18, p = 0.033) were influencing factors (F = 0.52, p < 0.001). In stage 2, self-efficacy (β = 0.41, p < 0.001), appraisal of uncertainty: danger (β = -0.29, p < 0.001), appraisal of uncertainty: opportunity (β = 0.18, p = 0.018), the number of anticancer therapies (three times or more) (β = -0.17, p = 0.006), and anticancer therapy (chemotherapy) (β = -0.14, p = 0.031) were influencing factors, which showed 74.2% explanatory power (F = 26.17, p < 0.001). Conclusions: In order to improve the quality of life of subjects, it would be necessary to develop interventions for raising their self-efficacy by considering their degree of education, economic condition, the types and numbers of anticancer therapies, and understanding of the appraisal of uncertainty about the disease is assessed as an opportunity factor or a danger factor.
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Background and Objectives: The prevalence of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) has been established as a significant contributor to mortality rates in developed nations. Due to the challenges associated with conducting controlled randomized trials, there exists a necessity for the collection of high-quality data to enhance the comprehension of the impact of interventions. Several nations have initiated efforts to gather information pertaining to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). ⋯ The advantages and potential drawbacks of digitizing emergency medical services have been discussed. Conclusions: The study has identified gaps in the methods employed for collecting data on OHCA in Slovenia. The assessment conducted serves as a basis for enhancing the process of data collection, integrating quality control measures across the nation, and establishing a nationwide registry for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in Slovenia.
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Background and Objectives: To investigate peripheral blood flow in retinal vessels and vessel diameters after intravitreal ranibizumab injection (IRI) and the relationship between these parameters and cytokines in branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) with macular edema. Materials and Methods: We assessed relative flow volume (RFV) and the width of the main and branch retinal arteries and veins in the occluded and non-occluded regions before and after IRI in 37 patients with BRVO and macular edema. Measurements were made using laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG). ⋯ Conclusions: Contrary to expectations, the study found that anti-VEGF therapy does not affect RFV in arteries and veins in patients with BRVO and macular edema. Furthermore, retinal blood flow is poor in patients with high MCP-1, IL-6, and IL-8. Finally, high PDGF-AA may result in smaller venous diameters and reduced retinal blood flow.
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Background and Objectives: Multiple sclerosis (MS) starts quite rarely in childhood, comprising just 3-10% of all diagnosed cases of MS population. The age of onset of the disease may be related to the initial phenotype and the prognosis of MS. The aim of the study is to assess the characteristics of the manifestation of MS in children. ⋯ Oligoclonal bands were less common in the childhood-onset than in the adult-onset group (p = 0.007). Conclusions: The initial symptoms of multiple sclerosis in pediatric patients usually appeared around the age of 16, with a similar frequency in boys and girls, and in most of the childhood cases the initial symptoms were limited to the dysfunction of a single part of the nervous system children usually started with visual disorders, while sensory, coordination and motor disorders were less common. The course of the disease in juvenile patients with MS was more aggressive in the first year as there were more relapses, but the functional impairment recovered faster as compared to adults.
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Background: Delirium is an acute and typically reversible failure of essential cognitive and attentional functions and is a growing public health concern, with an incidence of 20-50% in patients older than 65 after major surgery and 61% in patients undergoing hip fracture surgery. Numerous treatment strategies have been examined with no conclusive results. The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of a three-day low-dose risperidone treatment protocol, 0.5 mg BID, in treating delirium in elderly hospitalized orthopedic surgery department patients. ⋯ We did not correlate electrolyte imbalance, anemia, polypharmacy and chronic diseases to delirium onset characteristics. Following the three-day low-dose risperidone treatment protocol, 0.5 mg BID, 14.9% of the patients showed CAM score normalization after one day of treatment, and 93.6% within two days. Conclusions: We found our rigid three-day low-dose risperidone treatment protocol, 0.5 mg BID, efficacious in fast delirium resolution, without side effects.