Medicine
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Aggressive fibromatosis (AF) is a fibroblastic/myofibroblastic tumor known for its locally aggressive properties. Intra-abdominal AF primarily occurs in the small intestine mesentery, ileocolic mesocolon, omentum, retroperitoneum, and pelvis, and rarely originates from the intestinal wall. Here, we report a rare case of small bowel obstruction caused by duodenum-derived AF with β-catenin (CTNNB1) T41A mutation. ⋯ The best treatment should be taken based on the individual patient to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life. Moreover, histopathology plays a crucial role in diagnosing and differentiating duodenum-derived AF. The detection of mutations in exon 3 of the CTNNB1 has become strong evidence for diagnosing duodenum-derived AF.
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Observational Study
Correlation analysis between the early diagnosis and severity of neuropathic pain and the activation level of NLRP3 inflammasome: A retrospective study.
To investigate the correlation between neuropathic pain's early diagnosis, severity, and nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich-containing family, pyrin domain-containing-3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation, we retrospectively evaluated 50 patients with neuropathic pain and 50 healthy individuals. Activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome was measured in blood samples, as well as pain levels and clinical markers. Neuropathic pain patients exhibited elevated NLRP3 inflammasome activation. ⋯ NLRP3 inflammasome demonstrated high diagnostic sensitivity. In conclusion, NLRP3 inflammasome activation influences neuropathic pain initiation and progression. Measuring activation levels may serve as an early diagnostic indicator and severity gauge for neuropathic pain.
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Observational Study
Association between patients with migraine and sarcopenia: A retrospective study.
Recently, interest in sarcopenia has been increasing in patients with various neurological diseases. Thus, we investigated the presence of sarcopenia in patients with episodic migraine (EM) based on temporal muscle thickness (TMT). This was a retrospectively observational study following STROBE guidelines. ⋯ There were no correlations between TMT and clinical characteristics in patients with EM, including age, age of onset, duration of migraine, headache intensity, and headache frequency. This study found no statistical difference in TMT between patients with EM and healthy controls or between patients with EM with and without aura. These findings suggest that there is no evidence of sarcopenia in patients with EM.
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Observational Study
Efficacy of corticosteroid therapy for oxygen-free coronavirus disease 2019-derived pneumonia.
Corticosteroid therapy for oxygen-free coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is not recommended due to its negative prognostic impact, but the efficacy of corticosteroids when limited to COVID-19 pneumonia is unclear. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of corticosteroid monotherapy for patients with COVID-19 pneumonia without supplemental oxygen. We retrospectively reviewed patients with oxygen-free COVID-19 pneumonia at our institute between September 2020 and August 2021 and assessed the use of corticosteroids and the timing of initiation. ⋯ After adjusted by the IPW method, 10 (16.0%) and 32 (40.1%) patients in the early steroid and SOC groups, respectively, required supplemental oxygen (P = .004). The logistic regression analysis indicated that early corticosteroid use was significantly associated with a decreased incidence of respiratory failure (odds ratio; 0.17, 95% confidence intervals; 0.06-0.46, P < .001). Corticosteroid monotherapy may suppress the development of exacerbation requiring oxygen supply in patients with oxygen-free COVID-19 pneumonia.
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The main causative factors of diabetic nephropathy (DN), a common complication of diabetes mellitus, are metabolic abnormalities and hemodynamic changes. However, studies have shown that the immune-inflammatory response also plays an important role in DN pathogenesis. Therefore, in this study, we analyzed the causal relationship and immune infiltration between inflammatory factors and DN using Mendelian randomization (MR) and bioinformatics techniques. ⋯ The pathogenic mechanism of CASP8 may involve the recruitment of CD4+ T cells and macrophages for DN infiltration. In this study, we found a causal relationship between DN and IL1A, CASP8, macrophage colony-stimulating factor 1, IL10, STAM-binding protein, TNFSF12, cystatin D, fibroblast growth factor 19, neurturin, and TNFSF14. Bioinformatic immune infiltration analysis further revealed that CASP8 regulates DN by influencing the infiltration of immune cells, such as T cells and macrophages.