Isr Med Assoc J
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
A Retrospective Comparison of Fecal Microbial Transplantation Methods for Recurrent Clostridium Difficile Infection.
Antibiotic treatment of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has a high failure rate. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has proven very effective in treating these recurrences. ⋯ Lower GI tract FMT is a safe and effective treatment for refractory and recurrent CDI, and yields quicker results than upper GI tract FMT.
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Pregnant women with acute abdominal pain pose a diagnostic challenge. Delay in diagnosis may result in significant risk to the fetus. The preferred diagnostic modality is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), since ultrasonography is often inconclusive, and computed tomography (CT) would expose the fetus to ionizing radiation. ⋯ Creation of an around-the-clock imaging service using abdominal MRI with the establishment of a workflow chart using a dedicated MR protocol is feasible. It provides a safe way to rule out appendicitis and to avoid futile surgery in pregnant women.
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Review Meta Analysis
Patient Outcomes with Stent-Retriever Thrombectomy for Anterior Circulation Stroke: A Meta-Analysis and Review of the Literature.
Mechanical thrombectomy with stent retrievers is now the reference therapy for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in the anterior circulation in association with thrombolysis. We conducted an extensive systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the clinical and angiographic outcomes of stent-retriever thrombectomy in patients with acute anterior circulation stroke. Available literature published to date on observational studies and three randomized trials (MR CLEAN, ESCAPE, and EXTEND-IA) involving the stent-retriever device were reviewed. ⋯ The 90 day favorable outcome was achieved in 47% (95%CI 42-5.2, 34 studies) with an overall mortality rate of 17% (95%CI 13-20, 31 studies). Symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage was identified in 6% (95%CI 4-8, 32 studies). In patients with AIS caused by a proximal intracranial occlusion of the anterior circulation, stent-retriever thrombectomy is safe and restores brain reperfusion in four of five treated patients, allowing favorable clinical outcome in one of two AIS patients with large vessel occlusion.
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Chronic urticaria (CU) is a common disabling disorder. The CU-Q2oL (Chronic Urticaria Quality of Life Questionnaire) is a specific questionnaire for evaluating quality of life in CU patients. It consists of 23 items divided into six quality-of-life dimensions. It was initially developed in Italy and later validated in other countries. ⋯ This study demonstrates that the Israeli CU-Q2oL questionnaire is suitable for both clinical use and research in Israel.