Plos One
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To evaluate the efficacy of urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (uNGAL) for predicting the degree of acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients following partial nephrectomy (PN). ⋯ uNGAL levels may increase following PN. However, it does not appear to be a useful marker for quantifying the degree of AKI or predicting postoperative renal function in patients with normal contralateral kidney and relatively good preoperative renal function. Further analysis is necessary to assess the usefulness of uNGAL in patients with poor preoperative renal function.
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Multicenter Study
Clinical Practice Experiences in Diagnosis and Treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury in Children: A Survey among Clinicians at 9 Large Hospitals in China.
Proper diagnosis and treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in children is becoming an increasingly problematic issue in China. This study investigated Chinese clinicians to provide information about their knowledge and experiences in diagnosis and treatment of pediatric TBI. We conducted a questionnaire survey among clinicians in the emergency departments and neurosurgery departments at 9 major hospitals in China. ⋯ All of the surveyed clinicians reported that the lack of diagnosis and/or treatment standard is the biggest problem in effectively diagnosing and treating pediatric TBI in China. Developing guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of children with TBI is a high priority in China. The extremely high usage of CT for pediatric TBI in China suggests that it is important to establish evidence-based clinical decision rules to help Chinese clinicians make diagnostic and therapeutic decisions during their practice in order to identify children unlikely to have a clinically-important TBI who can be safely discharged without a CT scan.
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The delta neutrophil index (DNI) is the fraction of circulating immature granulocytes, which reflect infectious and/or septic condition. Acute graft pyelonephritis (AGPN) versus acute graft rejection is a frequently encountered diagnostic and therapeutic dilemma in kidney transplant recipients, but little is known about the clinical usefulness of DNI value in the differentiation of the two conditions. ⋯ This study showed that DNI was an effective marker to differentiate between AGPN and acute graft rejection. Thus, these finding suggest that DNI may be a useful marker in the management of these patients.
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Reliability of Serum Metabolites over a Two-Year Period: A Targeted Metabolomic Approach in Fasting and Non-Fasting Samples from EPIC.
Although metabolic profiles have been associated with chronic disease risk, lack of temporal stability of metabolite levels could limit their use in epidemiological investigations. The present study aims to evaluate the reliability over a two-year period of 158 metabolites and compare reliability over time in fasting and non-fasting serum samples. ⋯ A single measurement per individual may be sufficient for the study of 73% and 52% of the metabolites showing ICCs >0.50 in fasting and non-fasting samples, respectively. ICCs were higher in fasting samples that are preferable to non-fasting.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Ultrasound-Guided Pulsed Radiofrequency for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Single-Blinded Randomized Controlled Study.
We assessed the therapeutic efficiency of ultrasound-guided pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) treatment of the median nerve in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). ⋯ Our study shows that ultrasound-guided PRF serves as a better approach for pain relief in patients with CTS.