Medicine
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Although fluoroquinolones (FQs) are generally well-tolerated antibiotics, increasing numbers of hypersensitivity reactions have been reported. These can be evaluated in vitro by basophil activation tests (BATs); however, sensitivity is not optimal. Many factors could influence sensitivity such as basophil activation markers. ⋯ The best sensitivity-specificity was obtained using a cutoff of 3 and the culprit FQ, using CD203c for moxifloxacin-allergic patients (sensitivity = 36.4%; specificity = 94.4%), and CD63 for ciprofloxacin-allergic patients (sensitivity = 83.3%; specificity = 88.9%). A negative correlation was found between the upregulation of CD63 and CD203c and the time interval between the reaction occurrence and the performance of the test (Spearman r = -0.446; P < 0.001 for CD63 and Spearman r = -0.386; P < 0.001 for CD203c). The performance of BAT for FQ allergy must be optimized for each drug, taking into account possible differences in the stimulation mechanism that leads to the upregulation of different activation markers.
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Multicenter Study
Impact of Age on the Prognosis of Operable Gastric Cancer Patients: An Analysis Based on SEER Database.
To investigate the impact of age on the clinicopathological features and survival of patients with gastric cancer (GC), and hope to better define age-specific patterns of GC and possible associated risk factors. Using the surveillance, epidemiology, and end results (SEER) database to search the patients who diagnosed GC between 2007 and 2011 with a known age. The overall and 5-year gastric cancer specific survival (CSS) data were obtained using Kaplan-Meier plots. ⋯ Additionally, as the age increased, the risk of death for GC demonstrated a significant increase. In conclusion, our analysis of the SEER database revealed that the prognosis of GC varies with age. Patients at age 56 to 65 group have more favorable clinicopathologic characteristics and better CSS than other groups.
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Observational Study
World Health Organization (WHO) surgical safety checklist implementation and its impact on perioperative morbidity and mortality in an academic medical center in Chile.
Health care organizations are unsafe. Numerous centers have incorporated the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist in their processes with good results; however, only limited information is available about its effectiveness in Latin America. We aimed to evaluate the impact of the checklist implementation on the in-hospital morbidity and mortality rate in a tertiary health care center. ⋯ The median length of stay was 3 days [interquartile range (IQR), 1-5] and 2 days (IQR, 1-4) for the pre and postchecklist period, respectively (P < 0.01). This is the first Latin American study reporting a decrease in mortality after the implementation of the WHO Surgical Checklist in adult surgical patients. This is a strong and simple tool to make health care safer, especially in developing countries.
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A positive correlation between albuminuria and severity of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) has been demonstrated, as indexed by urine albumin-to-creatinine ratios (UACRs). However, the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment on albuminuria in OSAS patients has not been established. Sixty subjects, with apnea-hypopnea indices >15 events per hour and no other diagnoses associated with albuminuria, underwent overnight polysomnography for sleep apnea and were examined for UACR at baseline and after 6 months of CPAP therapy. ⋯ Baseline UACR, good CPAP compliance, and body mass index were independent predictors of changes in UACR. Adequate CPAP treatment improves albuminuria in OSAS patients. In addition to monitoring CPAP adherence and subjective sleepiness, UACR may offer an objective physiological index of CPAP therapeutic effectiveness.
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The relationship between dilated blood vessels in the tumor periphery and the tumor invasion depth is unclear. Therefore, the present study aimed to clarify the relationship between dilated blood vessels and the invasion depth of small-sized (<30 mm) colorectal cancer (CRC), and its implications on endoscopic treatment. We performed a single-arm observational study of the diagnostic accuracy of the existence of dilated vessels in the tumor periphery of CRC lesions as an indicator of submucosal deep (SM-d, ≥1000 μm) carcinomas. ⋯ When the dilated vessels were used as an indicator of SM-d or deeper invasion in depressed lesions, the sensitivity was 95.6%, specificity was 66.7%, and accuracy was 90.2%. No correlation was observed between the existence of dilated vessels and the lesion site, lesion diameter, and lymphovascular invasion/poorly differentiated cluster. The existence of dilated blood vessels in the tumor periphery suggests SM-d or deeper invasion in depressed lesions.