Plos One
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Iron deficiency is associated with decreased cellular immunity, which may predispose patients with iron deficiency anemia (IDA) to increased risk of developing tuberculosis (TB). This study investigated the relationship between newly diagnosed IDA and TB infection in Taiwan. ⋯ Higher TB incidence was discovered in the IDA group, especially for patients with comorbidities.
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Biochemical adrenal insufficiency induced by glucocorticoid treatment is prevalent, but data on the clinical implications are sparse. We investigated clinical consequences of glucocorticoid-induced adrenal insufficiency after oral glucocorticoid cessation. ⋯ Oral glucocorticoid withdrawal was associated with adverse outcomes attributable to adrenal insufficiency. Our study underscores the need for future research to establish evidence-based clinical guidance on management of patients who discontinue oral glucocorticoids.
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The NICE clinical guidelines on psychosocial interventions for the treatment of schizophrenia and psychosis in adults are based on the results of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), which may not be studies with a pragmatic design, leading to uncertainty on applicability or recommendations to everyday clinical practice. ⋯ Two third of studies used to produce NICE recommendations on psychosocial interventions for the treatment of schizophrenia and psychosis in adults are based on studies that did not employ a pragmatic design.
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To compare the clinical and radiological outcomes between patients with long posterior cervical fusion (PCF) in which fusion stopped at C7 versus patients in which fusion crossed the cervicothoracic junction (CTJ). ⋯ Our study demonstrates that multi-level PCF stopping at C7 does not negatively affect C7-T1 segment failure, fusion rate, neck pain, neurologic outcomes, and global sagittal alignment of the cervical spine. Hence, it is unnecessary to extend the long PCF levels caudally across the healthy CTJ for fear of development of adjacent segmental disease (ASD) at the C7-T1 segment.
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Use of psychotropic drugs is common among older adults. Population-based studies on the associations of psychotropic drug use with mortality are sparse. ⋯ Use of opioids, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines is significantly associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality among community-dwelling older adults in Germany. Clinicians should be careful in prescribing these psychotropic drugs to older adults while patients already under psychotropic therapy should well balance the risks and benefits of drug use. Further studies with a larger sample size and information on specific indications for psychotropic drug use and mental comorbidities are required to confirm the findings of the present study.