Plos One
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Enterococcus faecalis infective endocarditis (EFIE) is a severe disease of increasing incidence. The objective was to analyze whether the outcome of patients with native valve EFIE (NVEFIE) treated with a short course of ampicillin plus ceftriaxone (4wAC) was similar to patients treated according to international guidelines (6wAC). Between January 2008 and June 2018, 1,978 consecutive patients with definite native valve IE were prospectively included in a national registry. ⋯ In-hospital mortality, one-year mortality and relapses among 4wAC and 6wAC patients were 10.3% vs. 11.4% (p = 0.851); 17.9% vs. 21.4% (p = 0.682) and 5.1% vs. 4.3% (p = 0.833), respectively. In conclusion, a four-week course of AC may be considered as an alternative regimen in NVEFIE, notably in patients with shorter duration of symptoms and those without perivalvular abscess. These results support the performance of a randomized clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of this short regimen.
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To assess the association of low- vs. guideline-recommended high-intensity cystoscopic surveillance with outcomes among patients with high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). ⋯ Patients with high-risk NMIBC undergoing low- vs. high-intensity cystoscopic surveillance underwent fewer transurethral resections, but did not experience an increased risk of progression or bladder cancer death. These findings provide a strong rationale for a clinical trial to determine whether low-intensity surveillance is comparable to high-intensity surveillance for cancer control in high-risk NMIBC.
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The Modified Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire (MODQ) is used for evaluating the functional disability in patients with low back pain (LBP). However, the measurement characteristics of the MODQ among Arab patients are unknown. In this study, we aimed to translate and cross-culturally adapt the MODQ into Arabic and evaluate its psychometric properties. ⋯ The Arabic version of the MODQ demonstrates adequate psychometric properties and can be used to assess disability level in patients with LBP in Arabic-speaking communities.
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The origin of low frequency cerebral hemodynamic fluctuations (CHF) in the resting state remains unknown. Breath-by breath O2-CO2 exchange ratio (bER) has been reported to correlate with the cerebrovascular response to brief breath hold challenge at the frequency range of 0.008-0.03Hz in healthy adults. bER is defined as the ratio of the change in the partial pressure of oxygen (ΔPO2) to that of carbon dioxide (ΔPCO2) between end inspiration and end expiration. In this study, we aimed to investigate the contribution of respiratory gas exchange (RGE) metrics (bER, ΔPO2 and ΔPCO2) to low frequency CHF during spontaneous breathing. ⋯ Although the physiological mechanisms underlying the strong correlation between bER and CHF are unclear, our findings suggest the contribution of bER to low frequency resting state CHF, providing a novel insight of brain-body interaction via CHF and oscillations of RGE metrics.
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To investigate the computed tomography (CT) characteristics and diagnostic value of novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP or COVID-19) in pregnancy. ⋯ The CT characteristics of COVID-19 in pregnancy were mainly observed in early and progressive stages, and multiple new lesions were common. And there were consolidations of varying sizes and degrees within the lesion. Moreover, the original ground glass lesions could be fused or partially absorbed. Six patients had small bilateral pleural effusion. In summary, CT scans can play an important role in early screening, dynamic observation, and efficacy evaluation of suspected or confirmed cases of pregnant women with COVID-19.