J Formos Med Assoc
-
Review Meta Analysis
Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance versus computed tomography angiography for renal artery stenosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and computed tomography angiography (CTA) are commonly used for diagnosing renal arterial stenosis (RAS); however, the diagnostic value is yet controversial. The aim of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic values of both methods. Electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library, were searched for studies, since inception until October 2017. ⋯ The summary of sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) (AUC) were 0.70, 0.82, 14.54, 0.29, 63.80, and 0.81 for MRA-based diagnosis of RAS, respectively. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR, DOR, and AUC for CTA detecting RAS were 0.73, 0.96, 13.04, 0.29, 71.99, and 0.93, respectively. Gadolinium-enhanced MRA and CTA provide a satisfactory diagnostic accuracy, thereby playing a critical role in the diagnosis of RAS.
-
Stage II colorectal cancer has a relatively good prognosis. Adjuvant chemotherapy following surgery is the standard treatment for stage III colorectal cancer but is not routinely recommended for all stage II colorectal cancer patients. We aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes, treatment results, and prognostic factors in stage II colorectal cancer patients who underwent curative surgery with/without oral tegafur-uracil (UFT). ⋯ The present data suggest that UFT following curative surgery may be associated with lower recurrence and improved survival in patients with stage II colorectal cancer.
-
Multicenter Study
High rates of misidentification of uncommon Candida species causing bloodstream infections using conventional phenotypic methods.
Candidemia caused by uncommon Candida species is increasing and misidentification may compromise optimal antifungal therapy. This multicenter study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of species-level identification of uncommon Candida. ⋯ Misidentification of uncommon Candida species was common using the conventional methods, especially for C. sake and C. famata. MALDI-TOF MS assisted by DNA-sequencing methods should be considered.