Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research
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Febrile neutropenia (FN) is a life-threatening condition that requires urgent management in the emergency department (ED). Recent progress in the treatment of neutropenic fever has underscored the importance of risk stratification. In this study, we aimed to determine independent factors for prediction of poor outcomes in patients with FN. ⋯ The results of our study may help emergency medicine physicians to prevent serious complications with proper use of simple independent risk factors besides MASCC score.
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The complexity of multiple-item criteria in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) often causes inconvenience for physicians in the management of patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). We evaluated whether serum SP-A levels in the presence of diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) can be qualitatively assessed for diagnosis of SAP-induced ARDS. ⋯ Serum SP-A levels may allow the detection of SAP-induced ARDS and may help to support the clinical diagnosis of ARDS. The optimal serum SP-A cut-off value to discriminate SAP-induced ARDS and other groups (SO group and non-ARDS group) is around 150 ug/ml.
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The aim of this study was to determine if ultrasound (US) measurements of anterior neck soft tissue thickness at hyoid bone (DSHB), thyrohyoid membrane (DSEM), and anterior commissure (DSAC) levels can be used to predict difficult laryngoscopy. ⋯ Anterior neck soft tissue thicknesses measured by US at hyoid bone, thyrohyoid membrane, and anterior commissure levels are independent predictors of difficult laryngoscopy. Combinations of those screening tests or risk factors with US measurements might increase the ability to predict difficult laryngoscopy.
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The association of pain and socioeconomic status is widely reported, yet much less clearly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of experimentally induced pain threshold and tolerance with socioeconomic status. ⋯ These results suggest a significant association between experimentally induced pain tolerance and tolerance interval with material status, suggesting that poor people indeed do hurt more.
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Leptin plays a critical role in neuronal development and also promotes structural and functional activities in the central nervous system. Recent studies have demonstrated that leptin could produce therapeutic effects for cognitive impairments of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). ⋯ Specifically, they are both characterized by cognitive impairment. In this regard, we hypothesized that leptin probably has a therapeutic benefit of alleviating symptoms of patients with POCD, and the leptin signaling pathway may be involved in the pathogenesis of POCD.