J Formos Med Assoc
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Observational Study
Changes in albuminuria during the spontaneous breathing trial: A prospective observational study.
We hypothesized urine albumin concentration may detect the early increasing cardiac load during the spontaneous breathing trial (SBT). The purpose of our study is to determine whether the changes in urine albumin concentration before and after the SBT correlate with SBT outcome. ⋯ This open label pilot study demonstrates the significant association of the changes in urine albumin concentration with SBT outcome. Further study is warranted to investigate the predictive value of urine albumin concentration.
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Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is widely used for prophylaxis and treatment of neutropenia in cancer patients and also for peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) mobilization. The aim of this study is to evaluate the possible changes of platelet surface antigens after G-CSF injection in PBSC donors compared with healthy control. ⋯ We noted higher density of platelet surface antigens, lower platelet count and smaller platelet size after G-CSF injection.
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Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) presenting as subcentimeter lung tumor was increasing due to the popularity of low dose CT in recent years. However, the ideal surgical management is still controversial. We utilized our lung cancer surgery database to study the important issue, aiming to find the optimal treatment with VATS. ⋯ Lung cancer with subcentimeter size will be more and more encountered. VATS plays an important role in the management with good post-operative outcome, whether with wedge resection, segmentectomy and lobectomy. However, VATS segmentectomy can deliver 100% overall survival and progression-free survival in our series. Further randomized controlled trial should be conducted to prove the concept.
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The prevalence rate of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in the community Down syndrome (DS) children is not clear. Moreover, the impact of OSA and sleep structure on the cognitive function is inconclusive. The present study aimed to investigate 1) the prevalence rate of OSA in the community DS children and 2) the impact of OSA and sleep structure on cognitive performance. ⋯ This study identified that OSA may be highly prevalent in community DS children. Among 6-12-year-old DS children, OSA and % REM were associated with their language function.
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This study assessed the quality of life (QoL) and pregnancy outcomes among infertile women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment to investigate the association between QoL and IVF pregnancy outcomes. ⋯ This study evaluated the prospective association between QoL and IVF pregnancy outcomes among infertile women. The results highlight the importance of developing clinical strategies to improve QoL among infertile women undergoing IVF treatment, which may further improve the pregnancy rates of this population.