Medicine
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Prospective nonrandomized control study. The study aimed to investigate the implication of the HE's Lumbar LOcation (HELLO) system in improving the puncture accuracy and reducing fluoroscopy in percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy (PTED). Percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy is one of the most popular minimally invasive spine surgeries that heavily depend on repeated fluoroscopy. ⋯ There were no significant differences in the complication rate between the 2 groups (P = 0.386). The highlight of HELLO system is accurate preoperative location and definite trajectory. This preliminary report indicated that the HELLO system significantly improves the puncture accuracy of PTED and reduces the fluoroscopic times, preoperative location time, as well as operation time. (ChiCTR-ICR-15006730).
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Polycystic kidney disease (PCKD) is the most common hereditary cause of end-stage renal disease. The complications associated with this disease may affect the performance of peritoneal dialysis (PD). The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes between patients on PD with PCKD and without PCKD. ⋯ Furthermore, the overall annual medical expenditures were similar between the patients with and without PCKD. PD patients with PCKD are comparable to PD patients without PCKD in terms of risk of death, peritonitis, technique failure, and hospitalization in the present study. Furthermore, the medical expenses of the 2 groups after initiation of PD are also indistinguishable.
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The use of metformin in chronic kidney disease (CKD) population has been intensely debated with conflicting evidence. Large population studies are needed to inform risk assessment and therapeutic decision-making. We evaluated the associations among metformin, metabolic acidosis, and CKD in a 10-year nationally representative noninstitutionalized civilian population in the United States. ⋯ Metformin is associated with subclinical metabolic acidosis but not with severe metabolic acidosis. The propensity of serum bicarbonate-lowering effect was intensified in advanced CKD; however, such tendency was not associated with the risk of clinically defined acidosis. Our findings highlight a potential of cautious expansion of metformin use among CKD-3b patients with diabetes meriting further investigations.
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Observational Study
Diagnostic Performance of Self-Assessment for Constipation in Patients With Long-Term Opioid Treatment.
Constipation is a prevalent comorbidity affecting ∼50% of patients with long-term opioid therapy. In clinical routine different diagnostic instruments are in use to identify patients under risk. The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic performance of an 11-item Likert scale for constipation used as a self-assessment in opioid-treated patients. ⋯ Overall diagnostic performance of a concise 11-item Likert scale for constipation was moderate. Although patients with long-term opioid therapy are familiar with numeric rating scales, a significant number of patients with constipation were not identified. The instrument may be additionally useful to facilitate individualized therapeutic decision making and to control therapeutic success when measured repetitively.
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Observational Study
All-Cause and Cause-Specific Risk of Emergency Transport Attributable to Temperature: A Nationwide Study.
Although several studies have estimated the associations between mortality or morbidity and extreme temperatures in terms of relative risk, few studies have investigated the risk of emergency transport attributable to the whole temperature range nationwide. We acquired data on daily emergency ambulance dispatches in all 47 prefectures of Japan from 2007 to 2010. We examined the relationship between emergency transport and temperature for each prefecture using a Poisson regression model in a distributed lag nonlinear model with adjustment for time trends. ⋯ The same trends were observed for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. The majority of temperature-related emergency transport burden was attributable to lower temperature. The effect of extremely high or low temperatures was markedly lower than that attributable to moderately nonoptimal temperatures.