Medicine
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The traditional methods for exchanging the endoscopic nasobiliary drainage (ENBD) tube from the mouth to the nose, such as the guidewire method, sponge holding forceps method, and finger method, have significant drawbacks including pharyngeal stimulation symptoms, high incidence of epistaxis, low success rate, and potential bite injuries to the operator. ⋯ The novel M-NED is an effective and safe method for exchanging the ENBD tube from the mouth to the nose with a high success rate and low incidence of complications. It is a device with potential clinical application value.
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This study aimed to understand the distribution of the standardized rate of hospitalization for violent injuries in counties and cities in Taiwan. The ICD-9 diagnosis code N-codes 995.5 (abused child) and 995.8 (abused adult) or E-code E960-E969 (homicide and intentional injury by others) were defined as research cases. The study analyzed the standardized medical treatment rate of children and adolescents aged 0 to 17, adults aged 18 to 64, and older adults over 65 years old suffering from violence for the first time. ⋯ For children and adolescents, Pingtung County, Lienchiang County, and New Taipei City recorded the highest rates. Pingtung County had the highest risk of sexual violence. These results may be related to the local industrial structure, demographic composition, and other characteristics explained in the text.
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Lisfranc and Chopart amputations are historically controversial procedures. To obtain evidence for the pros and cons we performed a systematic review to analyze wound healing, the need for re-amputation at a higher level, and ambulation after a Lisfranc or Chopart amputation. ⋯ The need for re-amputation because wound healing problems occurred most frequently after conventional Chopart amputation. All 3 types of amputation levels do, however, provide a functional residual limb, with the remaining ability to ambulate without prosthesis for short distances. Lisfranc and modified Chopart amputations should be considered before proceeding to a more proximal level of amputation. Further studies are needed to identify patient characteristics to predict favorable outcomes of Lisfranc and Chopart amputations.
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Acute liver failure (ALF) is a disorder defined by coagulopathy and encephalopathy with a poor prognosis. No effective therapies have been established except for liver transplantation. We previously reported a subgroup of patients with acute liver injury who developed microcirculatory disturbance. ⋯ In the high-lactate dehydrogenase subgroup, 52 (86.7%) of the 60 patients with TASIT recovered, and the survival rate was significantly higher than that in patients who did not receive TASIT. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that the TASIT procedure was one of the significant prognostic factors in the high-lactate dehydrogenase subgroup and was significantly associated with prothrombin activity percentage improvement. TASIT is an effective treatment for patients with ALF, especially in those with microcirculatory disturbance.
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Review Meta Analysis
Clinical efficacy of supplementing qi dispelling wind and activating blood circulation method in the treatment of IgA nephropathy: A meta-analysis.
IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is a common primary glomerular disease, and supplementing qi dispelling wind and activating blood is commonly used as a treatment method in Chinese medicine. However, the existing studies have small sample sizes. This study aimed to use a meta-analysis to explore the clinical efficacy of this method and to systematically introduce this effective treatment. ⋯ Supplementing qi dispelling wind and activating blood can significantly improve renal function and reduce 24-hour urinary protein quantity levels in patients with IgAN compared to the use of non-Chinese medicine treatment. This finding provides a rationale for using this method in the clinical treatment of IgAN.