J Formos Med Assoc
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Usefulness of quantitative hepatitis B surface antigen testing in hepatitis B community-based screening.
Low viral load (LVL) of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a predictor of chronic HBV infection. However, the usefulness of quantitative hepatitis B surface antigen (qHBsAg) in predicting LVL in community-based screening has not been well studied. We aimed to measure the prevalence of LVL in HBV carriers and validate the efficacy of qHBsAg in predicting LVL. ⋯ Approximately 60% of HBsAg carriers had HBV LVL, and qHBsAg <8 IU/mL accurately predicts LVL. This quantitative test provides additional information for community-based screening.
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To formulate better future policies, this study aims to understand the outpatient services provided in a prison in Southern Taiwan by the contracted hospital in two phases. ⋯ The number of medical visits and the average medical fee increased. The medical cost of inmates is higher than the generally insured individuals. If environmental conditions in the correctional facility are improved, the consumption of medical resources will be reduced. There should be a complete therapy and medical treatment plan for mentally ill inmates for a successful return to the society after serving time.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Tuning consciousness: Anesthetic-sparing effect of varying sound on sedative anesthesia.
This study aimed to identify the anesthetic-sparing effect of different intraoperative sound on sedated patients under propofol target controlled infusion anesthesia (TCI). 90 patients scheduled for transvaginal oocyte retrieval surgery (TVOR) were available and randomized into three groups: patients isolated from background noise(S), patients listened to a voice calling their names (CN), or patients listened to the classical music (CM). The main outcome was the value of total propofol consumption/surgical time. ⋯ The value of ΔEntropy and ΔCE for the CM group were also lower than that for the CN group (-2.17 ± 4.13 vs. 1.33 ± 3.43, P-value<0.001) (-0.17 ± 0.28 vs. 0.07 ± 0.25, P-value<0.001). We concluded that participants under propofol TCI who were listening to classical music had lower CE value, Entropy level and reduced 22.48% total propofol consumption/surgical time compared to those called by their names.
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Hepatic disease accounts for approximately 2 million deaths/year worldwide. Liver fibrosis, as the last stage of numerous chronic liver diseases, is one of the most relevant prognostic factors. The liver biopsy with the histopathological examination is considered to be the "gold standard" for the identification and staging of the hepatic fibrosis. ⋯ Research studies conducted in the last few years focused on identifying non-invasive type methods for the evaluation of hepatic fibrosis; usually, there are 2 categories of such investigations: serologic tests and imaging techniques. This narrative review presents the non-invasive investigation methods used in the liver fibrosis evaluation. New molecular perspectives on fibrogenesis and fibrosis regression, as well as the appearance of therapeutic antifibrotic agents, justify the necessity of non-invasive tools to detect and grade liver fibrosis.