The American journal of the medical sciences
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Cannabis is associated with risk of acute coronary syndrome in observational studies. However, its association with prevalent coronary artery disease (CAD) remains unclear. We hypothesized that cannabis use is associated with prevalent CAD. ⋯ Cannabis use is associated with prevalent CAD. This finding emphasizes the potential harmful effects of cannabis use on cardiovascular health and highlights the need for further research as it becomes more accepted at both a national and global level.
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Spider angioma refers to a type of telangiectasis that presents slightly beneath the skin surface on the face, neck, arms or upper trunk, often manifesting with a central red spot and reddish extensions that radiate outwards like a spider's web. The cutaneous spider angioma may be benign but it often indicates abnormal liver function, especially in patients with chronic cirrhosis. ⋯ Here, we report two rare multiple and giant spider angioma cases in patients with HIV/AIDS who developed chronic cirrhosis. In addition, we comprehensively reviewed related literatures and evaluated the existing possible mechanisms of spider angioma.
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Infection with COVID-19 has resulted in over 276,000 deaths in the United States and over 1.5 million deaths globally, with upwards of 15% of patients requiring hospitalization. Severe COVID-19 infection is, in essence, a microvascular disease. This contention has been emphasized throughout the course of the pandemic, particularly due to the clinical manifestation of severe infection. ⋯ Initially thought to be isolated to the pulmonary system and resulting in ARDS, patients with COVID-19 have been observed to have acute cardiac, renal, and thrombolytic complications. Therefore, severe COVID-19 is a vascular disease that has systemic implications. The objective of this review is to provide a mechanistic background for the microvascular nature of severe COVID-19 infection, with a particular emphasis on dysfunction of the endothelial glycocalyx and nitric oxide mediated pathogenesis.
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Few previous studies have investigated the multiple pathways that contribute to diabetes mellitus (DM) because of the complex, simultaneous interplay of attributing covariates. Structural equation modelling (SEM) is a robust multivariate approach that measures both direct and indirect effects of variables by simultaneously utilizing several regression equations. The current study applied SEM to test a hypothesized model of the covariates affecting DM among the adult population of the Sultanate of Oman. ⋯ The results of this study further reinforce the evidence that lifestyle changes are vital for the prevention and control of DM. Individuals with a family history of DM and a high waist-to-hip ratio comprise a high-risk group and should be targeted with screening and lifestyle-intervention programs.
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Early screening is the most effective way to control breast cancer. Due to the lack of accurate biomarkers, early diagnosis of breast cancer is still very difficult. Therefore, it is necessary to discover new candidate genes of breast cancer and improve the early diagnosis and prognosis. ⋯ More comprehensive cancer-related genes can be screened based on the DO-UniBIC method, which can be used as the candidate gene set for prognostic analysis.