Medicine
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The aim of this study was to find early central and peripheral corneal microstructural changes in healthy subjects and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with/without cornea fluorescein dot staining. This is a prospective case-control study of T2DM patients with/without cornea fluorescein dot staining. Age, sex, duration of diabetes, and serum glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels were recorded. ⋯ LC induced an immune-mediated contribution to corneal nerve damage and may influence the early stages of BEC proliferation and differentiation in T2DM. BEC density was the reliable index for evaluating the early condition of diabetic corneal epitheliopathy. The BEC density of the central and inferior corneal zones was more sensitive.
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A 61-year-old man presented with upper abdominal pain and jaundice. Abdominal computed tomography imaging revealed stones in the gallbladder and the common bile duct, with a thickening of the gallbladder wall and an obvious increase in the volume of the gallbladder. Initial treatment using endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography failed due to the presence of surgically altered gastrointestinal anatomy. Stones in the gallbladder and common bile duct were subsequently removed concurrently via percutaneous transhepatic papilla balloon dilatation combined with a percutaneous transcystic approach. Liver function recovered rapidly, with total bilirubin and direct bilirubin levels decreasing to normal, with a concomitant improvement in hemoglobin and thrombocyte levels and resolution of the upper abdominal pain and jaundice. ⋯ Percutaneous transhepatic papilla balloon dilatation, combined with a percutaneous transcystic approach, provided an effective alternative treatment for removing concurrent stones in the common bile duct and gallbladder in a patient with a previous Billroth II gastrectomy and presenting with an acute cholecystitis.
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Health education is compulsory for patients with chronic and life-threatening disease, especially for those with diabetes mellitus (DM). This study aimed to examine the long-term effectiveness of the Diabetes Conversation Map Program (DCMP) among DM patients in Taiwan. A quasi-experimental research design using convenience sampling and nonrandom group assignment was applied to recruit 95 type 2 diabetic subjects from a hospital in Taiwan. ⋯ We found that improvements in the body mass index, blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, self-monitoring of blood glucose, and diabetic health literacy in the DCMP group compared with controls (all P values <.05), with no significant changes in depressive symptoms. The positive effects were further maintained for 3 months after DCMP. The findings may serve as a reference for helping healthcare professionals provide appropriate interventions to improve adaptation processes and clinical outcomes for DM patients.
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The medical university students in China whose school work is relatively heavy and educational system is long are a special professional group. Many students have psychological problems more or less. So, to understand their personality characteristics will provide a scientific basis for the intervention of psychological health. ⋯ This study of personality not only can prevent disease, but also provide a scientific basis for students' psychological healthy education. In addition, we have adopted SNA to pay more attention to the relationship between personality trait words and the connection among personality dimensions. This study may provide the new ideas and methods for the research of personality structure.
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This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficiency and safety of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for pain control after total knee arthroplasty. ⋯ TENS could significantly reduce pain and opioid consumption after total knee arthroplasty. In addition, there were fewer adverse effects in the TENS groups. Higher quality RCTs are required for further research.