Annals of medicine
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Meta Analysis
Statin therapy in chronic viral hepatitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of nine studies with 195,602 participants.
Conflicting data suggest that statins could cause chronic liver disease in certain group of patients, while improving prognosis in those with chronic viral hepatitis (CVH). ⋯ Not only long-term treatment with statins seems to be safe in patients affected by hepatitis, but also it significantly improves their prognosis.
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Early diagnosis of head and neck cancer (HNC) will improve patient outcomes. The low incidence of HNC renders its detection challenging for a general practitioner (GP) in primary health care (PHC). ⋯ Despite the low incidence of HNC and the large number of patients presenting with HNC-related symptoms, GPs working in PHC sort out potential HNC patients from the general patient group in most cases remarkably effectively. KEY MESSAGES For every head and neck cancer (HNC) patient encountered in the primary health care, a general practitioner (GP) will meet approximately 6000 other patients, 100 of whom exhibit a sign or a symptom potentially caused by a HNC. Despite the low incidence of HNC, GPs referred patients to specialist care effectively, limiting the median delay from the initial appointment to referral to only 5 days.
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Cytokine release syndrome is suggested to be the most important mechanism triggering acute respiratory distress syndrome and end organ damage in COVID-19. The severity of disease may be measured by different biomarkers. ⋯ IL-6 and CRP were the strongest predictors of severity in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
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To illustrate the effect of corticosteroids and heparin, respectively, on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients' CD8+ T cells and D-dimer. ⋯ The parameters of coagulation, inflammation and immunity were longitudinally correlated, and an early low-dose corticosteroid treatment accelerated the regaining of CD8+ T cell to help battle against SARS-Cov-2 in critical cases of COVID-19.
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Review Case Reports
Foetal ductus arteriosus constriction unrelated to non-steroidal anti-Inflammatory drugs: a case report and literature review.
Foetal ductus arteriosus (DA) constriction can be found in complex foetal heart malformations, but rarely as an isolated defect. Although many cases of DA constriction are usually related to Non-steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) maternal intake, other causes remain without an established aetiology and are referred to as idiopathic. Recently, a wide range of risks factors or substances (polyphenol-rich foods intake, naphazoline, fluoxetine, caffeine and pesticides) showed a definitive effect upon the pathway of inflammation, causing DA constriction. ⋯ KEY MESSAGESMany cases of DA constriction are usually related to Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) maternal intake. A wide range of risks factors or substances (polyphenol-rich foods intake, naphazoline, fluoxetine, caffeine and pesticides) can cause foetal DA constriction. Further investigation are needed to confirm the role of maternal exposure to solvents in the pathogenesis of DA constriction.