Irish journal of medical science
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Gene regulation of IL-6 is characterized by the presence of inflammatory cytokines, bacterial products, viral infection, and activation of the diacylglycerol-, cyclic AMP-, or Ca + + -activated signal transduction pathways. ⋯ Changes in periodontal indices and IL-6 levels that are statistically significant over time indicate that non-surgical treatment is effective, and IL-6 can be regarded as a potent disease activity marker.
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The timely assessment of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) marking chronic heart failure risk in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) helps to reduce patients' mortality. ⋯ The wrist pulse detection technology employed in this study is useful for assessing the cardiac function of patients with CHD.
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The study aimed to investigate the association between lipocalin-2 (LCN-2) levels and diabetic retinopathy (DR) in patients with overweight/obese type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM), and to explore the mechanism of LCN-2 in overweight/obese DR. ⋯ LCN-2 levels in overweight/obese groups were higher than those in normal groups (P < 0.001 for all), and patients with DR had higher levels of LCN-2 than those without DR(P < 0.05 for all) in normal groups and overweight/obese groups. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that no significant significance was observed for LCN-2 levels compared to those below the median in the normal group, but individuals with LCN-2 levels above the median had 4.198 times higher risk of developing DR than those below the median (OR = 4.198, 95% CI = 1.676-10.516) after adjustment for potential confounding factors in the overweight/obese group. In the total, normal and overweight/obese groups, the prediction capacity of LCN-2 for DR was 1.56, 1.58 and 1.65 times, respectively. Conclusionsː In conclusion, our study found that LCN-2 levels were higher in overweight/obese patients with DR, and LCN-2 was an independent predictor of DR in T2DM patients with overweight/obese. In addition, LCN-2 may be a valuable predictor of DR-like factors such as the duration of diabetes and hypertension.
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The 'opioid crisis' has reached epidemic proportions globally. Importantly, 30% of opioid dependency stem from opioids obtained on hospital discharge prescriptions. ⋯ We observed considerable variability in opioid prescribing patterns following minor, intermediate and major operations in our centre. Care is required when prescribing opioids in the post-operative setting, and opioid prescription guidelines are required to both tackle and prevent an escalation of this 'opioid crisis'.
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This research was conducted to determine the effect of COVID-19 on fear, anxiety, and sleep in nursing students. ⋯ In our study, there is a relationship between nursing students' fear of COVID-19 and anxiety and sleep quality. Accordingly, it is recommended to train students in effective methods for coping with the fear of COVID-19, and to take initiatives to reduce related anxiety and sleep problems.