Medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Lower serum uric acid level predicts mortality in dialysis patients.
We evaluated the impact of serum uric acid (SUA) on mortality in patients with chronic dialysis. A total of 4132 adult patients on dialysis were enrolled prospectively between August 2008 and September 2014. Among them, we included 1738 patients who maintained dialysis for at least 3 months and had available SUA in the database. ⋯ The lowest TA-SUA group was significantly associated with increased all-cause mortality (adjusted HR, 1.720; 95% confidence interval, 1.007-2.937; P = 0.047) even after adjusting for demographic, comorbid, nutritional covariables, and medication use that could affect SUA levels. This association was prominent in patients with well nourishment on the SGA, a preserved serum albumin level, a higher BMI, and concomitant DM although these parameters had no significant interaction in the TA-SUA-mortality relationship except DM. In conclusion, a lower TA-SUA level <5.5 mg/dL predicted all-cause mortality in patients with chronic dialysis.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study Observational Study
Social support and the self-rated health of older people: A comparative study in Tainan Taiwan and Fuzhou Fujian province.
The lack of social support in elderly populations incurs real societal costs and can lead to their poor health. The aim of this study is to investigate the self-rated health (SRH) and social support among older people as well as its associated factors. We conducted a cross-sectional study among 312 urban community-dwelling elderly aged 65 to 90 years in Tainan Taiwan and Fuzhou Fujian Province from March 2012 to October 2012. ⋯ Marital status (-2.133, 95% CI: -2.768 to -1.499, P = 0.000), education (1.697, 95% CI: 0.589-2.805 P = 0.003), living conditions (4.20, 95% CI: 1.762-6.638, P = 0.000), and SRH (-3.144, 95% CI: -4.502 to -1.727, P = 0.000) were the associated factors. Thus, city, age, marital status, education, living conditions, and SRH might be the associated factors for social support among older people. This study presents some feasible implications for social support improvement in China and in other nations worldwide.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Dietary patterns and colorectal cancer risk in a Korean population: A case-control study.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) has been recognized as one of the major malignancies in Korea. Analyses of dietary patterns can provide insight into the complex interactions of foods, nutrients, and biologically active components within a diet, which vary among populations. We aimed to investigate the associations between dietary patterns and colorectal cancer risk in Koreans. ⋯ A decrease in CRC risk among those with the highest intake of the prudent pattern was observed in all anatomical subsites in both men [OR = 0.36 (0.19-0.68) for proximal colon; 0.21 (0.12-0.36) for distal colon; 0.28 (0.18-0.44) for rectum] and women [OR = 0.28 (0.11-0.71); 0.27 (0.13-0.54); 0.45 (0.25-0.83)]. Our results indicate that individuals who prefer the Westernized dietary pattern should be made aware of their increased CRC risk. The traditional dietary pattern and the prudent pattern, which are rich in fruits and dairy products, are recommended for the Korean population to prevent CRC.
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Multicenter Study
18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and the risk of subsequent aortic complications in giant-cell arteritis: A multicenter cohort of 130 patients.
Previous studies reported a 2- to 17-fold higher risk of aortic complications (dilation or dissection) in patients with giant-cell arteritis (GCA). We aimed to determine whether or not GCA patients with large-vessel involvement demonstrated by positron emission tomography with F-fluorodeoxyglucose combined with computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) have a higher risk of aortic complications. We conducted a retrospective multicenter study between 1995 and 2014. ⋯ All of them displayed large-vessel inflammation on previous FDG-PET/CT. A positive FDG-PET/CT was significantly associated with a higher risk of aortic complications (P = 0.004). In our study, a positive FDG-PET/CT was associated with an increased risk of aortic complications at 5 years.
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Observational Study
To predict sufentanil requirement for postoperative pain control using a real-time method: A prospective observational cohort study.
Preoperative identification of individual sensitivity to opioid analgesics could improve the quality of postoperative analgesia. We explored the feasibility and utility of a real-time assessment of sufentanil sensitivity in predicting postoperative analgesic requirement. Our primary study included 111 patients who underwent measurements of pressure and quantitative pricking pain thresholds before and 5 minutes after sufentanil infusion. ⋯ In the exploratory study, experimental pain thresholds significantly decreased after the operation (P < 0.001), and we observed a positive correlation (P < 0.001) between the percent change in pricking pain threshold before and after surgery. Preoperative detection of individual sensitivity to sufentanil via the above described real-time method was effective in predicting postoperative sufentanil requirement. Thus, percent change in pricking pain threshold might be a feasible predictive marker of postoperative analgesia requirement.