J Formos Med Assoc
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Multicenter Study
The treatment outcome and impact on blood transfusion demand of Peg-interferon/ribavirin in thalassemic patients with chronic hepatitis C.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevails in patients with thalassemia. We aimed to investigate the efficacy, safety, and impact on red blood cells (RBC) transfusion demand of pegylated interferon (Peg-IFN)/ribavirin therapy in thalassemic patients with HCV. ⋯ Peg-IFN/ribavirin was effective and tolerable for thalassemic HCV patients. Successful antiviral therapy might have extra benefit of reducing the post-treatment transfusion demand.
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Growth hormone (GH)-secreting pituitary adenoma is a chronic disease characterized by excess levels of GH and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). Based on our clinical experience and observations, we identified discordant GH and IGF-1 levels after surgery. The risk factors for this phenomenon are unclear, and individualized cure, control criteria, and management after surgery should be considered. ⋯ Body mass index and percentage of upper limit of normal range IGF-1 before TSA might constitute prognostic risk factors for discordance in IGF-1 and GH levels in acromegaly. Additional attention should be devoted to potential risk factors for this phenomenon, and methods for modifying the cure and control criteria for acromegaly should be developed.
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The application of an appropriate force system is indispensable for successful orthodontic treatments. Second-order moment control is especially important in many clinical situations, so we developed a new force system composed of a straight orthodontic wire and two crimpable hooks of different lengths to produce the second-order moment. The objective of this study was to evaluate this new force system and determine an optimum condition that could be used in clinics. ⋯ The system acted similar to an off-center V-bend and can be applied in clinical practice as an unconventional loop design. We suggest that this force system has the potential for second-order moment control in clinical applications.