Medicine
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COVID-19 has strong transmission power, and people are generally susceptible to it. Patients with weak constitution and low immunity function are more likely to be infected. Aromatic therapy of traditional Chinese medicine has the effect of inhibiting virus and sterilization, especially the external treatment of traditional Chinese medicine has played an important role in the fight against the epidemic situation. ⋯ CRD42021238580.
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Antihypertensive drugs have been of significant interest to the pharmaceutical industry due to increasing sales opportunities in a global market. The financial relationships between pharmaceutical companies and the Japanese Society of Hypertension (JSH) have a possible influence on clinical practices in Japan. This study examined the distribution of pharmaceutical payments made to the authors of the revised Guidelines for the Management of Hypertension (JSH2019) and the transparency of the Conflict of Interest disclosure that each author made. ⋯ Of 74 authors required to disclose their conflict of interest (COI) the authors, one-third failed to follow the COI policy covering the clinical guidelines. Major pharmaceutical companies selling antihypertensive drug products in the Japanese market had a significant financial connection with the JSH2019 authors. Financial relationships between pharmaceutical companies and authors or Japanese medical societies are raising significant concerns about the credibility of clinical guidelines and the potentially biases and undue influences that they may cause, especially with respect to adverse prescription patterns.
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As immune checkpoint pathways, programmed death-1 (PD-1) and programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) can be exploited by tumor cells to evade immuno-surveillance. Inflammation and immune processes play decisive roles in the occurrence and development of coronary heart disease (CHD). The low expression level of PD-1/ PD-L1 or anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy can accelerate the immune processes in CHD and aggravates disease based on numerous studies. However, the expression of PD-L1 and CHD still remains controversial to date. We conducted this meta-analysis to detect the value of PD-L1 expression on peripheral T-cells in CHD. ⋯ This study will provide a new theoretical basis for the immunological prevention and treatment of CHD.
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Obesity is an inflammatory state related to vascular endothelium dysfunction. It generates a biological situation of hypercoagulability increasing the risk of thrombosis. This prothrombotic condition could be improved by bariatric surgery. ⋯ The mean BMI reduction at the end of the follow-up was 15.5 ± 4.2 kg/m2. We detected a statistically significant improvement in CVRF: hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and obstructive sleep apnea, as well as a significant reduction in thrombin generation capacity and procoagulant MP activity. Massive weight loss induced by bariatric surgery improves the cardiovascular profile, associated with a reduction in the hypercoagulable status.
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Observational Study
Treatment effects of palliative care consultation and patient contentment: A monocentric observational study.
Palliative care is a central component of the therapy in terminally ill patients. During treatment in non-palliative departments this can be realized by consultation. To analyze the change in symptom burden during palliative care consultation. ⋯ The analysis of FAMCARE-6 patient contentment was lower or equal to two in all of the six items. There was a weak negative association between the change in symptom burden of psycho-emotional items "distress/feeling upset" (P = .006, rSp = -0,226), "sadness" and patient satisfaction in FAMCARE-6. A considerable improvement of the extensive symptom burden particularly of pain relief was achieved by integrating palliative consultation in clinical practice.