Medicine
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Breast cancer patients with liver metastases are associated with high mortality. However, no standardized treatment approach is available for these patients who have undergone chemotherapy and hormonal therapy. We aimed to assess the clinical outcomes of patients with breast cancer liver metastases (BCLM) who underwent drug-eluting beads used for transarterial-chemoembolization (DEB-TACE). ⋯ No severe complications caused by this technique were detected. DEB-TACE for BCLM was characterized as a low trauma technique, with a limited number of complications. The results indicated that this method was safe and effective for patients with BCLM and could be widely adopted as a palliative treatment in clinical practice.
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Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) causes masticatory muscle pain and mouth opening limitations and affects patients' ability to eat, practice oral health and perform other activities of daily living. Although the benefits of low-energy lasers in treating TMD have been reported, the results vary greatly depending on the equipment used and the energy output. This study systematically evaluated the efficacy of a low-level gallium aluminium arsenide (GaAlAs) laser treatment for TMD with myofascial pain and maxillary pain. ⋯ The results of this study suggest that there is insufficient evidence to indicate an efficacy of low-level GaAlAs laser therapy in improving TMD pain and maximal oral opening. These results suggest that clinicians should make appropriate recommendations to inform patient decision-making.
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To investigate the efficacy and safety of sacubitril-valsartan in patients with heart failure, relevant randomized clinical trials (RCTs) were analyzed. ⋯ The present meta-analysis suggested that sacubitril-valsartan may improve the cardiac function of heart failure. Given the limited number of included studies, additional large sample-size RCTs are required to determine the long-term effect of cardiac function of sacubitril-valsartan in patients with heart failure.
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Central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) is one of the most common retinal vascular diseases, which is closely related to systemic diseases like hypertension, diabetes and arteriosclerosis. Due of its blinding, it will seriously reduce the quality of life. Macular edema (ME) caused by CRVO is one of the serious complications of visual impairment. We found that the severity of ME in CRVO was positively associated with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the anterior chamber. With the accelerated pace of modern life and the changed dietary structure, the incidence of this disease will continue to rise. Therefore, it is of great practical significance to seek effective treatment methods. Intraocular injection of anti-VEGF can effectively alleviate ME and improve visual acuity, showing excellent clinical application prospects. In recent years, there have been some new understandings and advances on the etiology and treatment methods of the present disease, such as the deepening into the molecular biology and gene level. Clinical studies on the efficacy of the disease have emerging. Therefore, a network meta-analysis (NMA) of anti-VEGF treatment for CRVO is particularly necessary to systematically compare its efficacy. ⋯ INPLASY2021110073.
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Data are conflicting on whether proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) diminish the efficacy of clopidogrel. We investigated individual PPIs and adverse cardiovascular events in postpercutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) patients on dual antiplatelet therapy with clopidogrel. ⋯ The post-PCI patients on dual antiplatelet therapy with clopidogrel in the PPI group were associated with higher risk of MACE and MI. Although the results for rabeprazole were not robust, it was the only PPI that did not yield a significantly increased risk of MACE.