Journal of investigative medicine : the official publication of the American Federation for Clinical Research
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Comparative Study
Relationship between dental loss and health outcomes among hospitalized patients with and without diabetes.
There is mixed evidence regarding the impact of poor dental health on cardiovascular disease and other health outcomes. Our objective was to determine the outcomes associated with poor dental health among hospitalized patients with and without diabetes mellitus (DM) at our institution. We enrolled a consecutive sample of adult patients admitted to an academic medical center. ⋯ There was no correlation between number of healthy teeth and the length or frequency of hospitalization. Patients with DM are more likely to have fewer number of healthy teeth compared with non-DM patients. Fewer number of healthy teeth was associated with higher prevalence of heart disease in both DM and non-DM patients and with more discharge medications in non-DM patients.
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Several studies were performed to evaluate the degree of liver fibrosis by non-invasive markers. We aimed to assess the diagnostic value of both biglycan (BGN) and osteopontin (OPN) as non-invasive markers of hepatic fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and chronic hepatitis C (CHC). This study was performed on 100 patients with CHB virus, 100 patients with CHC virus and 100 normal controls. ⋯ The area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity and specificity of BGN were 1.0, 100% and 100% in predicting fibrosis in patients with CHB, and 0.50, 26% and 78% in predicting fibrosis in patients with CHC. OPN had an AUC of 0.997, sensitivity of 96% and specificity of 100% in predicting fibrosis in patients with CHB, and 0.974, 96.5% and 100% in predicting fibrosis in patients with CHC. In conclusion, BGN and OPN could be considered non-invasive markers for liver fibrosis assessment.
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Clinical features of patients with male breast cancer in Shanxi province of China from 2007 to 2016.
This study aims to understand the clinical features, treatment, and prognosis of patients with male breast cancer (MBC) in Shanxi province of China from 2007 to 2016. Data for 77 patients with MBC were collected for analysis. Immunohistochemistry, pathological results, and other data such as demographic characteristics (age, marital status, smoking history, drinking history, and family history of cancer) as well as clinical data were investigated by retrieving information from the patients' medical records. ⋯ The epidemiological and clinical features of Chinese MBC are similar to that of other countries. As the Chinese public have limited knowledge of MBC, it is necessary to increase awareness among them about it. Further research with a large sample size is required for better understanding of the risks associated with MBC.
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Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a rare disease that causes multisystem benign neoplasm, induced by dysregulation of the mammalian target of the rapamycin pathway (mTOR). This study aimed to examine the effects of continuous low-dose everolimus, a potent and selective inhibitor of mTOR, on the treatment of TSC-associated renal angiomyolipoma (AML). Between July 2013 and August 2017, 11 patients with TSC-AML were enrolled for an everolimus therapy protocol. ⋯ To evaluate the response to treatment, three of six (50%) were responders in group I, and all the patients in group II (5/5, 100%) were responders. The differences in AML volume reduction between the groups were statistically significant at 12 months (p=0.011), 24 months (p=0006), 36 months (p=0.014) and 48 months (p=0.05). These results suggest that continuous low-dose everolimus therapy (2.5-5 mg daily) might be effective in shrinking TSC-AML volume and minimizes adverse effects and subsequent reducing medical costs.
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To investigate serum interleukin (IL)- 35 levels in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to describe the association between serum IL-35 levels and clinical parameters: erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C reactive protein (CRP), global health on Visual Analog Scale, Disease Activity Score in 28 joints based on ESR (DAS28-ESR), rheumatoid factor (RF) and anticyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (ACPAs). The study included 129 patients with RA and 83 healthy controls. Serum IL-35 levels were detected by ELISA. ⋯ The results showed that serum IL-35 levels were elevated in patients with RA. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that the high serum IL-35 levels were correlated with low ESR and DAS28-ESR. These suggested that IL-35, an important anti-inflammatory cytokine, may participate in the regulation of the pathogenesis of RA, especially with disease activity.