Brit J Hosp Med
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Aims/Background To investigate the predictive value of the pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) for estimating the near-term efficacy of hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) in patients with locally advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods In this retrospective study, data were collected from patients with locally advanced HCC treated with HAIC between January 2018 and June 2022. Patients were categorized based on their pretreatment NLRs and analyzed using propensity score matching (PSM). ⋯ Both univariate and multivariate regression analyses demonstrated that a high pretreatment NLR was an independent negative prognostic factor for ORR (hazard ratio [HR], 3.464; 95% CI, 1.383-8.678; p = 0.008) and PFS (HR, 1.634; 95% CI, 1.026-2.600; p = 0.038). No significant differences in the incidence of adverse events were observed between the groups. Conclusion Pretreatment NLR is a readily obtainable and effective biomarker for predicting the near-term efficacy of HAIC in patients with locally advanced HCC.
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Aims/Background The drug treatment of recurrent respiratory tract infection caused by mycoplasma pneumonia (MP) has a complex background, involving the characteristics of pathogens, drug resistance, and multiple treatment methods. This study aimed to analyze the therapeutic effect of pulmicort respules and azithromycin on children with recurrent respiratory tract infection caused by MP. Methods The clinical data of 106 children with recurrent respiratory tract infection caused by MP diagnosed in Huoqiu First People's Hospital from July 2021 to July 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. ⋯ After 1 week of treatment, the observation group had significantly lower levels of IgG, IgA, and IgM than the reference group (p < 0.01). This study revealed that the incidence of complications in the observation group was 16.00%, which was significantly lower than the 37.50% in the reference group (p < 0.05). Conclusion In the short-term clinical treatment, the combination application of pulmicort respules and azithromycin can effectively improve the immune function of children with recurrent respiratory tract infection caused by MP and relieve their clinical symptoms.
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Aims/Background Pregnancy can affect various bodily functions, including metabolism, cardiovascular function, and eyesight. Pathological ocular changes observed during pregnancy are linked to the development of pregnancy-specific conditions, such as preeclampsia/eclampsia and gestational diabetes. This study aims to analyze clinical data disease history and maternal characteristics collected during pregnancy, to determine ocular parameters and develop a risk prediction model for adverse ocular outcomes. ⋯ Additionally, hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelets (HELLP) syndrome were predictors of retinal hemorrhage and exudate during pregnancy (p < 0.05). The area under the ROC curve for adverse ocular outcomes were 0.75 and 0.74, respectively. Conclusion Our predictive model effectively forecasts adverse ocular outcomes during pregnancy, incorporating risk factors such as maternal age, eclampsia and pre-eclampsia, GDM, obesity, a history of chronic hypertension, hypoproteinemia, IUGR, pregnancy with immunoglobulin A nephropathy, and HELLP syndrome.
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Aims/Background Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a significant contributor to increased overall and cardiovascular mortality in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is an accurate method for measuring cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) during both submaximal and peak exercise. Previous studies have demonstrated a strong correlation among CRF and increased cardiovascular and overall mortality rates. ⋯ ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC values for predicting PAH in PD patients using VO2peak, VO2AT, METspeak, and WRpeak were 0.675, 0.651, 0.719, and 0.689, respectively, with METspeak demonstrating the highest AUC for prediction. Conclusion The occurrence of PAH in PD patients is associated with WBC, VO2peak, VO2AT, METspeak, and WRpeak. Additionally, CPET parameters exhibit predictive value for PAH, with METspeak showing the highest AUC for prediction.
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Aims/Background Chlamydia psittaci is an obligate intracellular bacterium that primarily infects birds, but can cause respiratory infections in humans. Clinical evidence supporting the use of omadacycline for the treatment of Chlamydia psittaci pneumonia remains limited; therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the potential of omadacycline in treating Chlamydia psittaci pneumonia by analyzing the patients' clinical outcomes and the drug safety profile. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 15 patients with Chlamydia psittaci pneumonia treated at the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine between January and December 2023. ⋯ A 100% cure rate was reported within 28 days of treatment initiation, with gastrointestinal disturbances being the most common side effect. Conclusion Omadacycline shows promise in treating Chlamydia psittaci pneumonia and is well tolerated by the users. However, further controlled trials involving larger samples are required to confirm the efficacy and safety of the drug.