Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA
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To evaluate the efficacy of an autoregistration monitoring system (ARMS) for tracking the placement and removal of ureteral stents. ⋯ Our study showed that the ARMS reduced the manpower in tracking stent removal by 85.07% and that it was useful for detecting and preventing forgotten stents.
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Observational Study
Association between maternal anemia at admission for delivery and adverse perinatal outcomes.
Maternal anemia is a risk factor for poor pregnancy outcomes and threatens maternal or fetal life. Anemia increases the risk of low birth weight and preterm birth. We aimed to determine the cutoff level of hemoglobin and risk factors for maternal anemia at admission for delivery and investigate the association between maternal anemia and adverse perinatal outcomes in contemporary Taiwanese women. ⋯ Maternal anemia at delivery is a risk factor for primary cesarean delivery and adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Furthermore, we hypothesize that maternal anemia might increase fetoplacental vasculogenesis and angiogenesis as an adaptive response.
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Identifying epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status is critical for planning lung cancer treatment. Sanger sequencing detects both known and novel mutations but shows poor sensitivity. High-sensitivity allele-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction (ASRP)-based assays offer quick and reliable results, but may overlook uncommon mutations. We aimed to define the rate at which high-sensitivity ASRP-based assays missed uncommon EGFR mutations. ⋯ High-sensitivity ASRP-based assays can overlook uncommon mutations. This detection failure rate is worth noting, especially when treating patients from regions known to have a high prevalence of EGFR mutation. Patients carrying uncommon mutations may still benefit from EGFR-TKI therapy.
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Despite the effectiveness of combination antiretroviral therapy, persons living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWHIV) remain at a high risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). We aimed to analyze the demographics and outcomes of the HIV-associated NHLs. ⋯ Management of the early treatment phase of HIV-associated NHLs remains a major challenge. Careful intervention to patients with TLS might be the key to improve treatment outcomes.