Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA
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Study on oxidative stress and inflammatory/antioxidant substance levels in autism spectrum disorder.
The etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) includes oxidative stress and brain inflammation. We investigated the relationship among oxidative stress markers, in vivo inflammatory substances, and antioxidants that can be easily measured in the clinic and compared them between children with ASD and those with typical development (TD). ⋯ The results suggest that serum levels of in vivo inflammatory substances, stress-related substances, and antioxidants are altered in ASD under oxidative stress.
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Exoscope has been used in otoneurologic surgery in several reports. However, most ear surgeries are performed using either microscope or endoscopy today. The purpose of this study is to present our subjective and objective experience of using this instrument in our institution. ⋯ Exoscopic ear surgery is feasible, safe, and effective in managing various otologic conditions involving external ear, middle ear, mastoid, and lateral skull base. Its high-definition image quality, stereoscopic effects, sufficient magnification, reliability and teaching value made it a potential instrument in general ear surgeries. Further improvements to current drawbacks can be anticipated.
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In patients with advanced osteoarthritis (OA) of the bilateral knees, uncertainty remains as to whether simultaneous bilateral total knee arthroplasty (SiTKA) or staged TKA (StTKA) is the treatment of choice. The purpose of this study was to investigate the safety and relative cost of SiTKA vs StTKA in Taiwan patients. ⋯ SiTKA is a safe and cost-effective surgery. Both SiTKA and StTKA have similar rates of postoperative complications, readmission and reoperation, but SiTKA significantly reduces medical expenses for both the patient and the NHI.
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Editorial Comment
Minimally invasive surgery for hepatocellular carcinoma.
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Minimizing multiple organ dysfunction-related mortality and morbidity is a critical issue for patients with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) receiving therapeutic hypothermia (TH). Although erythropoietin (EPO) has demonstrated protective effects on various hypoxic-ischemic organs in animal studies and clinical trials in adults, its effects on neonates with HIE require further investigation. ⋯ The use of EPO in addition to TH is safe for neonates with HIE. The neonates with moderate or severe HIE who received EPO may have a lesser risk of hypotension than those who received TH alone. Further clinical studies on renal and cardiac functions and long-term neurological effects of EPO are required.