Postgraduate medicine
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Postgraduate medicine · May 2023
Serum platelet distribution width predicts cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis.
Platelet distribution width (PDW) is a predictor for all-cause mortality in patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVD). This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic implication of PDW in predicting cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD). ⋯ High levels of PDW are independently associated with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in the PD population, and differences by sex exist in the association of PDW with all-cause mortality.
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Postgraduate medicine · May 2023
Does negative affectivity have an association with achieving target values in hypertensive patients: primary care perspective.
The current study aimed to seek the relationship between demographic characteristics, treatment compliance status, and type D personality characteristics to achieve target BP values. ⋯ HBCHBPTS total and HBCHBPTS medication-taking domain indicators worsened as the NA and SI characteristics increased. Predictors, including those not living in an extended family, being affected by the side effects of anti-HT drugs, high HBCHBPTS total score, and high DBP values, were effective in failure to achieve the SBP target values.
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Postgraduate medicine · May 2023
ReviewTrends and recent developments in pharmacotherapy of acute pancreatitis.
Acute pancreatitis (AP), a complex inflammatory disease of the pancreas, is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Currently, no specific therapies are approved for its treatment, and management is primarily based on supportive care. Despite enhanced understanding of AP pathogenesis, patients remain at significant risk owing to a lack of targeted drug treatments. ⋯ Alternative treatment options using stem cells and nanoparticles are also being explored and may hold promise for AP therapy. However, challenges for exploring targeted treatment approaches include disease complexity, timing of therapeutic intervention, and establishing appropriate clinical endpoints. Understanding the role of specific biomarkers may help in identifying appropriate targets for drug discovery and facilitate determining relevant clinical study endpoints to monitor disease severity and progression, thereby aiding in design of more precise therapies with improved clinical outcomes.
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This study was conducted to reveal the characteristics of pediatric emergency revisits of children with COVID-19 and the factors associated with clinical worsening and hospitalization at the revisit. ⋯ Children with a diagnosis of COVID-19 can revisit the emergency without evident clinical worsening. Since revisits cause increase in frequency of laboratory and radiological testing, preventing unnecessary revisits of children with COVID-19 can reduce the workload and cost of health care services. We may consider changing our perspective on revisit patients to make decisions based on clinical findings instead of obtaining for more laboratory tests.
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Postgraduate medicine · May 2023
Statin adherence in patients with high cardiovascular risk: a cross-sectional study.
Statin adherence is an essential problem although lifetime medication is recommended especially in patients with high cardiovascular risk. The importance of perceived risk as a predictor of adherence among cardiology patients has not been fully explored. This study aimed to test the importance of perceived risk as a predictor of statin adherence amongst hypercholesterolemic patients to identify predictors associated with poor adherence. ⋯ Approximately half of the patients reported high medication adherence. Proper strategies to improve adherence would include patient education efforts focused on patients with concerns about side effects and those who are female, less educated, current smokers, interested in complementary interventions, have irregular follow-up visits, and have depressive symptoms. Brief medication adherence scales may facilitate the assessment of patients' adherence.