Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA
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Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) has become a common surgical treatment for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), and postoperative health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is drawing increasing attention. Most studies compare HRQoL in EVAR patients and open aneurysm repair patients, while few studies have investigated HRQoL in EVAR patients versus the general population. This study aimed to investigate whether HRQoL differs between patients with EVAR patients and the general population. ⋯ EVAR patients had higher HRQoL than the general population, indicating that patients with AAA have a high likelihood of recovering and enjoying high HRQoL if they receive appropriate medical procedures and nursing education.
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Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is considered as a sensitive and noninvasive tool to evaluate the macular lesions. In patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), the existence of diabetic macular edema (DME) can cause significant vision impairment and further intravitreal injection (IVI) of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is needed. However, the increasing number of DM patients makes it a big burden for clinicians to manually determine whether DME exists in the OCT images. The artificial intelligence (AI) now enormously applied to many medical territories may help reduce the burden on clinicians. ⋯ We successfully set up AI models to provide an accurate diagnosis of DME by OCT images. These models may assist clinicians in screening DME in DM patients in the future.
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To explore the potential role of the platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) as a prognostic marker in septic patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) and to provide theoretical evidence for the epidemiological study of the prognosis of patients with septic AKI in its early stage. ⋯ The PLR might be an effective factor in predicting a worse prognosis of septic AKI patients.
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Frailty syndrome in older population generates formidable social cost. The early detection of "prefrail" stage is essential so that interventions could be performed to prevent deterioration. The purpose of this study was to organize appropriate physical performance tests into a computerized early frailty screening platform, called frailty assessment tools (FAT) system, to detect individuals who are in the prefrail stage. ⋯ The FAT system, which provides results immediately, is an advantageous alternative to traditional manual measurements. The use of the FAT score for predicting the prefrail stage will help to provide early intervention to prevent individuals from progressing into frailty. The FAT system provides a more convenient and comprehensive frailty screening. Using this computerized automatic screening platform, it may be possible to expand the scope of frailty prevention.
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Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the leading causes of vision loss. Once the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) layers are destroyed, the poor visual acuity and recognition are generally irreversible. Cell therapy that possesses enormous potential in regenerative medicine may provide an alternative treatment for several incurable diseases such as AMD. In this study, we developed an innovative polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based biomimetic scaffolds with cylinder micropillars for the cultivation of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived RPEs (iPSC-RPEs). RPEs were cultured on the PDMS-based biomimetic scaffolds and validated the cells gene expression. ⋯ The PDMS interface allowed regular growth of iPSC-RPEs and the design of cylinder micropillars further provided the bioscaffold high motion resistance may improve the engraftment stability of iPSC-RPEs after transplantation. Taken together, this innovative PDMS-based biomimetic scaffold may serve as an ideal interface for in vitro iPSC-RPE cultivation and subsequent transplantation in vivo. This novel device exhibits better bioavailability than conventional injection of donor cells and may be an alternative option for the treatment of AMD.