Medicine
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Observational Study
Relationship between arterial stiffness and circadian pattern of blood pressure.
Arterial stiffness is a risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The relationship between the arterial stiffness and the circadian pattern of blood pressure (BP) has been controversial. The objective of the present study was to investigate the relationship between arterial stiffness by pulse wave analysis (PWA) and variables of 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) in patients with high normal BP or hypertension (HTN). ⋯ According to the dipping patterns, augmentation pressure (AP), augmentation index (AI) and heart rate (75 bpm) adjusted AI (AI@HR75) showed statistically significant difference (P = .011, .009, and .018, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that isolated diastolic non-dipping was correlated with arterial stiffness expressed as AI and AI@HR 75, only in young group (β-coefficient = 12.6, P = .04 and β-coefficient = 7.503, P = .028, respectively). Arterial stiffness might be closely related with the pattern of non-dipping in young patients with HTN and high normal BP.
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Acute lung injury following lung resection surgery is not rare and often related to mortality. Although it has been a significant clinical and economic impact associated with increased intensive care unit (ICU) utilization, length of hospital stay, and associated cost, it is unpredictable. Aims of this study were to identify the modifiable risk factors of postoperative acute lung injury (PALI) following lung cancer surgery. ⋯ PALI increases ICU admission, use of mechanical ventilator, duration of hospital stay, and mortality. The clinical impact of PALI is marked. Significant independent risk factors have been identified in underlying ischemic heart disease, interstitial lung disease, intravascular crystalloid fluid, and transfusion during surgery.
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Acute eosinophilic pneumonia (AEP) is a rare pulmonary disease, which is characterized by diffuse pulmonary eosinophilia. The pathogenesis remains unknown. Here we report a patient with AEP following a recently acquired habit of smoking. ⋯ Cigarette smoking might be an underlying triggering factor of AEP. Diffuse alveolar infiltrates and a gradually increasing peripheral eosinophilia should raise the concern especially in recent smoking patients.
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The nasopharyngeal airway is an important equipment in airway management, a correct placement is crucial for its effectiveness. We measured the nares-to-epiglottis distance (NED) and examined the correlations of the optimal insertion length (NED-1) with patient characteristics and various external facial measurements. We aimed to develop a simple method for estimating the optimal insertion length and to help select an appropriate nasopharyngeal airway. ⋯ The regression lines of the optimal insertion length versus PTD showed the best fit to the equality line. The measurements of PTD showed the minimal differences from NED-1 and with the most patients showing <1 cm differences from NED-1. The optimal insertion depth of nasopharyngeal airway can easily be predicted by the distance from philtrum-to-ear tragus, and a nasopharyngeal airway of an appropriate size can be selected accordingly.
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Similarities between embryonic development and tumorigenesis are reflected in biological behavior and gene expression. Although the gene signature during development and the clinical phenotype of different cancers show certain correlation pattern, the correlation between early embryo development and cancer remains largely unexplored. To compare the gene expression profile between development and cancer, our study analyzed the gene expression of chorionic villi samples at different gestational ages (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 40 weeks) obtained from gene expression omnibus (GEO) datasets using correlation test. ⋯ These gene clusters were also dysregulated in lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Moreover the prognostic value of the gene clusters was then analyzed with TCGA lung SCC data, which showed 4 clusters that were associated with prognosis. Our results demonstrate the gene expression similarity between development and lung SCC and identified development-associated gene clusters that could contain prognostic information for lung SCC patients.