Annals of medicine
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Sonoelastography has been increasingly used for non-invasive evaluation of the mechanical features of human tissues. The interplay between orofacial pain and regional muscle activity appears clinically paramount, although only few imaging studies have investigated this association. Using shear wave sonoelastography (SWS), this study ascertained whether orofacial pain induced alterations in the stiffness of superficial and deep masticatory muscles. ⋯ SWS provides reliable stiffness measurements for the superficial and deep masticatory muscles. The ipsilateral masseter and temporalis muscles might be stiffer than those on the side without orofacial pain. Future studies using the present sonoelasotography protocol can be designed to investigate the stiffness changes in the target muscles after interventions.
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This study aimed to investigate the association between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and perioperative morbidity and long-term mortality in operable patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). ⋯ The study found that low CRF is significantly associated with increased perioperative morbidity and long-term mortality in operable patients with early-stage NSCLC.
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Acknowledging the association between diet and systemic inflammation, the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII®) and the Energy-Adjusted DII (E-DIITM) were developed to categorize diet from anti- to pro-inflammatory. The purpose of this study was to evaluate differences in the relationship between DII and E-DII against the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) to assess the use of energy-adjustment when analyzing the inflammatory potential of the diet. ⋯ Use of an inflammatory index along with the HEI may provide further understanding into relationships between dietary quality by nutrient and food group consumption on the inflammatory potential of the diet.
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Prediction models for identifying emergency department (ED) patients at high risk of poor outcome are often not externally validated. We aimed to perform a head-to-head comparison of the discriminatory performance of several prediction models in a large cohort of ED patients. ⋯ Head-to-head validation of 19 prediction models in medical ED patients showed that the RISE UP and COPE score outperformed other models regarding 31-day mortality.
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Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has a significant impact on sleep quality. However, the effects on sleep quality in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era remain unclear, and there is a lack of a screening tool for Chinese older adults. This study aimed to understand the prevalence of poor sleep quality and determine sensitive variables to develop an effective prediction model for screening sleep problems during infectious diseases outbreaks. ⋯ This nomogram, based on twelve-variable, could potentially serve as a practical and reliable tool for early identification of poor sleep quality among older adults during the post-pandemic period.