Medicine
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Multicenter Study
Metabolic syndrome independently predicts future diabetes in women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus.
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is an established predisposing condition for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, it is not thoroughly evaluated whether MetS increases the risk of T2DM in women with a previous history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) who already at high risk of T2DM compared with the general population. We investigated the impact of MetS on the development of postpartum diabetes in women with a history of GDM. ⋯ The presence of MetS was an independent risk factor for T2DM, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 2.23 (95% confidence interval 1.04-5.08) in multivariate analysis after adjustment for clinical and metabolic parameters. When we considered MetS and impaired fasting glucose (IFG) separately, women with MetS, IFG, or both had an increased risk of T2DM, with HRs of 4.17, 4.36, and 6.98, respectively. The presence of MetS during the early postpartum period is an independent risk factor for the development of T2DM in women with a previous history of GDM.
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Patients with poststroke complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) show different symptoms compared to other types of CRPS, as they usually complain of shoulder and wrist pain with the elbow relatively spared. It is thus also known by the term "shoulder-hand syndrome."The aim of this study is to present a possible pathophysiology of poststroke CRPS through ultrasonographic observation of the affected wrist before and after steroid injection at the extensor digitorum communis (EDC) tendon in patients suspected with poststroke CRPS. Prospective evaluation and observation, the STROBE guideline checklist was used. ⋯ After the injection of steroid to the wrist, CSA and swelling of the affected wrist compared to that before the treatment was significantly decreased (P < 0.001). The VAS score declined significantly after the injection (P < 0.001). Our results suggest that the pathophysiology of poststroke CRPS might be the combination of frozen shoulder or rotator cuff tear of shoulder and soft tissue injury of the wrist caused by the hemiplegic nature of patients with stroke.
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Comparative Study
Impacts of 12-dose regimen for latent tuberculosis infection: Treatment completion rate and cost-effectiveness in Taiwan.
Treatment of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is essential for eradicating tuberculosis (TB). Moreover, the patient adherence is crucial in determining the effectiveness of TB control. Isoniazid given by DOTS daily for 9 months (9H) is the standard treatment for LTBI in Taiwan. ⋯ The cost-effectiveness ratio with isoniazid for 9 months was US$ 15392/avoided 1 case of tuberculosis and US$ 5225/avoided 1 case of tuberculosis with 3HP. In addition, when compared with the conventional regimen, there were fewer patients discontinued with rifapentine/isoniazid regimen due to undesirable side effects. This was the first study to compare the 2 treatment regimens in Taiwan, and it showed that a short-term high-dosage rifapentine/isoniazid treatment regimen reduced costs and resulted in higher treatment completion than the standard LTBI isoniazid treatment.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of cognitive behavioral coaching on depressive symptoms in a sample of type 2 diabetic inpatients in Nigeria.
Depression is one of the mental health problems confronting those with diabetes mellitus and may result from self-defeating thoughts and lifestyles. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of cognitive behavioral coaching (CBC) program on depressive symptoms in a sample of the Type 2 diabetic inpatients in Onitsha metropolis of Anambra State, Nigeria. ⋯ Given the potential benefits of a cognitive behavioral coaching program, clinicians and mental health professionals are urged to support and implement evidence-based cognitive-behavioral coaching interventions aimed at promoting diabetic inpatients' wellbeing in the Nigerian hospitals.
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Comparative Study
Effectiveness of fine-needle aspiration cytology in the diagnosis of lateral cervical nonthyroid tumors.
Given that the clinical and radiological examinations of lateral cervical masses are not always sufficient for deciding on appropriate management, the cytological examination of the material obtained by fine-needle aspiration might be an efficient tool in the preoperative investigation of these lesions. In this prospective cross-sectional study we evaluated the efficacy and diagnostic accuracy of fine-needle aspiration cytology in the assessment of lateral cervical nonthyroid tumors, by comparing its results with those of histopathology. A total of 58 patients with lateral cervical masses were included. ⋯ Both cytology and histology indicated that malignant tumors outnumbered benign lesions (62% vs 38%), with 88.9% of malignancies presenting in patients aged >50 years, but cytology was less effective at differentiating between benign and nontumor lesions. Cytology had 76.5% specificity and 78.1% sensitivity for identifying malignant lateral cervical lesions, and there was a concordance between the two diagnostic tests (McNemar test, P = 0.17, κ = 0.50, P <0.001). Fine-needle aspiration cytology is a simple, quick, and effective procedure that can aid in the preoperative evaluation of lateral cervical masses by differentiating benign tumors and inflammatory processes from malignancies and thus help in determining a subsequent therapeutic strategy.