Medicine
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Observational Study
Prediction of the mid-tracheal level using surface anatomical landmarks in adults: Clinical implication of endotracheal tube insertion depth.
Endotracheal tube (ETT) should be placed at the optimal level to avoid single lung ventilation or accidental extubation. This study was performed to estimate the mid-tracheal level by using surface anatomical landmarks in adult patients. Neck computed tomography images of 329 adult patients between the ages of 16 and 79 years were reviewed. ⋯ The difference between the extCC-SSN and the mid-tracheal level was -6.6 (12.5) mm, and the difference between the extSSN-MSJ and the mid-tracheal level was -19.2 (6.1) mm. The difference between the extCC-SSN and the mid-tracheal level was smaller in females compared with males [-1.7 (11.7) mm vs -12.8 (10.7) mm; P < 0.001]. The mid-tracheal level, which is helpful in planning the insertion depth of an ETT, can be predicted by the surface distance between the cricoid cartilage and suprasternal notch in adults, especially in females.
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Observational Study
Prevalence and risk factors of contact dermatitis among clothing manufacturing employees in Beijing: A cross-sectional study.
Little is known about the epidemiology of contact dermatitis (CD) in the Chinese clothing industry. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and some risk factors of contact dermatitis among clothing manufacturing employees in Beijing. This cross-sectional study was conducted by interview using self-administered questionnaires and skin examination between May and August in 2016. ⋯ A significant association was noticed between the 1-year prevalence of CD and types of occupation (sewers and ironing workers versus managers, respectively), exposure to garment materials (leather and feather), dry skin, allergic rhinitis, age, and smoking. Among employees in Chinese clothing industry, sewers and ironing workers had a higher 1-year prevalence of CD than managers. It is noteworthy that exposure to leather and feather materials and the types of manual work are associated with CD, as well as dry skin and allergic rhinitis.
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Observational Study
Association between genetic polymorphism of telomere-associated gene ACYP2 and the risk of HAPE among the Chinese Han population: A Case-control study.
High-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) is a hypoxia-induced, life-threatening, pulmonary edema, which is characterized by exaggerated pulmonary hypertension caused by stress failure. ACYP2 was found to associated with telomere length, the aim of this study was to identify whether ACYP2 polymorphisms increase or decrease HAPE risk in the Chinese Han individuals. In present study, we have genotyped 7 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in ACYP2 to determine the haplotypes in a case-control study with 265 HAPE patients and 303 healthy individuals. ⋯ The GT of rs843752 also conferred an increased risk of HAPE (GT/TT: OR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.05-2.16, P = 0.026) and the genotype frequency distributions of rs843752 had significant difference between cases and controls. The CC genotype of rs17045754 had a protect effect on HAPE patients, and it was found to have a 0.29-fold reduced risk of HAPE in the recessive model. Although additional, larger population-based studies are needed to confirm these findings, our study shed light on the association between ACYP2 variant and HAPE risk in Han Chinese population for the first time.
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Observational Study
Liver function in alpha-1-antitrypsin deficient individuals at 37 to 40 years of age.
Severe alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency (PiZZ) is a risk factor for liver disease, but the prevalence of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular cancer in PiZZ adults is unknown. The risk of liver disease in adults with moderate AAT deficiency (PiSZ) is also unknown. A cohort of 127 PiZZ, 2 PiZnull, 54 PiSZ, and 1 PiSnull individuals were identified by the Swedish national neonatal AAT screening program between 1972 and 1974, when all 200,000 newborn infants in Sweden were screened for AAT deficiency. ⋯ The PiZZ women taking medication influencing liver enzymes had significantly higher GGT than the PiMM women on the corresponding treatment (P = 0.023). These AAT-deficient individuals identified by neonatal screening have normal plasma levels of liver function tests, and no clinical signs indicating liver disease at the age of 37 to 40 years. However, bilirubin, GGT, and liver stiffness are significantly higher in PiZZ men than PiMM men.
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Observational Study
Relationship of oestrogen receptor alpha gene polymorphisms with risk for benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer in Chinese men.
The relationship of oestrogen receptor with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer (PC) is not clear at present. This study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying the occurrence and development of BPH and prostate. Two hundred forty-four PC cases, 260 BPH patients, and 222 healthy men were recruited from Han people in China, and the oestrogen receptor alpha (ESRα) gene polymorphism (rs2234693 [PvuII] and rs9340799 [XbaI]) on intron 1 was determined. ⋯ However, the genotype TTAG in BPH patients had no relationship with the risk for PC (P > 0.05). Furthermore, men with haplotype TG were more likely to suffer PC (OR = 9.168, 95% CI: 2.393-35.119), but men with haplotype TA and enlarged prostate had a low risk for PC (OR = 0.708, 95% CI: 0.551-0.912). These results show the relationship between ESRα gene polymorphism and susceptibility to PC and BPH in Chinese men, and the ethnic and regional difference as well.