Medicine
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study Observational Study
Association of comorbidities with postoperative in-hospital mortality: a retrospective cohort study.
The purpose of this article is to evaluate the American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status (ASA PS) and the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) for the prediction of postoperative mortality. The ASA PS has been suggested to be equally good as the CCI in predicting postoperative outcome. However, these scores have never been compared in a broad surgical population. ⋯ The SMS predicted postoperative mortality especially well in patients never admitted to an intensive care unit. The newly constructed SMS provides a good estimate of patient's risk of death after surgery. It is capable of identifying those patients at especially high risk and may help reduce postoperative mortality.
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Review Meta Analysis
Effects of traditional Chinese patent medicine on essential hypertension: a systematic review.
Traditional Chinese patent medicine (TCPM) is widely used for essential hypertension (EH) in China. However, there is no critically appraised evidence, such as systematic reviews or meta-analyses, regarding the potential benefits and disadvantages of TCPM to justify their clinical use and recommendation. The aim of this review was to systematically evaluate and meta-analyze the effects of TCPM for EH. ⋯ The usage of TCPMs for EH was supported by evidence of class level III. As a result of the methodological drawbacks of the included studies, more rigorously designed randomized controlled trials that focus on mortality and cardiovascular events during long-term follow-up are warranted before TCPM can be recommended for hypertensive patients. Two TCPMs, Song ling xue mai kang capsules and Yang xue qing nao granules, should be prioritized for further research.
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Review Case Reports
Scoliosis in mitochondrial myopathy: case report and review of the literature.
The mitochondrial myopathies include a diverse group of disorders characterized by morphological abnormalities of muscle mitochondria. Little is reported about spinal deformity associated with this syndrome. This study presents a case of scoliosis occurring in the setting of mitochondrial myopathies and explores the possible mechanisms between the 2 diseases. ⋯ After evaluating 60 mitochondrial myopathies, patients referred to Peking Union Medical College Hospital from February 2009 to May 2013, the prevalence of scoliosis among patients with mitochondrial myopathies was 5% (3/60), much higher than that among general population (2%). The scoliosis in mitochondrial myopathies is usually extensive and progressively aggravated and the correction of the associated spinal deformities is generally difficult. Therefore, the exact role of mitochondrial myopathy in the development of scoliosis requires further study for a better understanding of the disease, as well as adequate and effective patient care.
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Review
Trigeminal cardiac reflex: new thinking model about the definition based on a literature review.
Trigeminocardiac reflex (TCR) is a brainstem reflex that manifests as sudden onset of hemodynamic perturbation in blood pressure (MABP) and heart rate (HR), as apnea and as gastric hypermotility during stimulation of any branches of the trigeminal nerve. The molecular and clinical knowledge about the TCR is in a constant growth since 1999, what implies a current need of a review about its definition in this changing context. Relevant literature was identified through searching in PubMed (MEDLINE) and Google scholar database for the terms TCR, oculocardiac reflex, diving reflex, vasovagale response. ⋯ In this review, we highlighted criteria for proper definition and classification of the TCR in the light of increased knowledge and present a thinking model to overcome this complexity. Further we separately discussed the role of HR and MABP and their variation in this context. As another subtopic we gave attention to is the chronic TCR; a variant that is rarely seen in clinical medicine.
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To compare the proportion, seriousness, preventability of adverse drug events (ADEs) between the older adults (≥ 65 years old) and younger adults (<65 years old) presenting to the emergency department (ED), we conducted a prospective observational cohort study of patients 18 years and older presenting to the ED. For all ED visits between March 1, 2009, and Feb 28, 2010, investigators identified ADEs and assessed cases using the Naranjo adverse drug reaction probability scale. Outcomes (proportion, seriousness, and preventability of ADE, length of ED stay, and hospitalization) and associated variables were measured and compared between younger and older adults. ⋯ In addition, patients in the older group were more likely to be male, to have symptoms of fatigue or altered mental status, to involve cardiovascular, renal, and respiratory systems, and to have higher Charlson comorbidity index scores, higher number of prescription medications, and higher proportion of unintentional overdose. In conclusion, the proportion of ADE-related ED visits in older adults was higher than younger adults, and many of these were preventable. The most common drug categories associated with preventable ADEs in the older adults were antithrombotic agents, antidiabetic agents, and cardiovascular agents.