J Formos Med Assoc
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Prognostic factors remain unclear in patients undergoing transcatheter implantation of Venus P-valve for their severe pulmonary regurgitation associated with native right ventricular (RV) outflow tract. ⋯ In the small cohort with severe pulmonary regurgitation, implantation of a Venus P-valve led to promising reductions in RV volume. However, no definite improvement in cardiopulmonary exercise capacity or RV ejection fraction was achieved. Levels of NT-proBNP and LVEDP may be helpful for refining the indications of the Venus P-valve implantation.
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A synthetic bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2-derived peptide has been discovered to promote bone regeneration. The present study investigated the potential of the BMP-2 peptide combined with hydroxyapatite (HAp)/β-tricalcium phosphate (TCP)/collagen (Col) composite in repairing a peri-implant critical size defect. ⋯ The BMP-2 peptide may accelerate peri-implant bone regeneration. The BMP-2 peptide at 20 mg/mL still cannot complete bone repair of peri-implant critical size defect. The BMP-2 peptide at 20 mg/mL has similar osteoinductive performance to the rhBMP-2 at 0.02 mg/mL.
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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.
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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.
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Comment Letter
Corticosteroids and rehabilitation in COVID-19 survivors.