Int J Med Sci
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Facing the unprecedented global public health crisis caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), nucleic acid tests for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are the gold standard for diagnosing COVID-19. The asymptomatic carriers were not suspected of playing a significant role in the ongoing pandemic, and universal nucleic acid screening in close contacts of confirmed cases and asymptomatic carriers has been carried out in many medium- and high-risk areas for the spread of the virus. Recently, anal swabs for key population screening have been shown to not only reduce missed diagnoses but also facilitate the traceability of infectious sources. As a specimen for the detection of viruses, the goal of this paper is to briefly review the transmission route of SARS-CoV-2 and the necessity of using anal swabs for SARS-CoV-2 screening to minimize transmission and a threat to other people with COVID-19.
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Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is an inherited cardiac disease, which has a marked heterogeneity in clinical expression, natural history, and prognosis. HCM is associated with a high prevalence of thromboembolic events (stroke and systemic embolic events), even if taking no account of atrial fibrillation (AF), leading to unexpected disability and death in patients of all ages. Several risk factors of thromboembolism such as AF, greater age, left atrial diameter, heart failure and others have been confirmed in patients with HCM. ⋯ Based on those previous explorations, researchers tried to modify or develop novel models suitable for HCM population in thromboembolism prediction. In consideration of catastrophic advent events of thromboembolism, current guidelines have recommended life-long anticoagulant therapy after a single short AF. Therefore, early identification of risk factors for thromboembolism, accurate risk stratification, timely preventive measures and aggressive management may help to avoid serious adverse thromboembolic events in HCM population.
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Nowadays, liver transplantation is the most effective treatment for end-stage liver disease. However, the increasing imbalance between growing demand for liver transplantation and the shortage of donor pool restricts the development of liver transplantation. How to expand the donor pool is a significant problem to be solved clinically. ⋯ However, existing common methods of preserving marginal grafts lead to both high risk of postoperative complications and high mortality. The application of machine perfusion allows surgeons to make marginal livers meet the standard criteria for transplant, which shows promising prospect in preserving and repairing donor livers and improving ischemia reperfusion injury. This review summarizes the progress of recent researches on hepatic machine perfusion.
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Review
Insights into the theranostic value of precision medicine on advanced radiotherapy to breast cancer.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. "Breast cancer" encompasses a broad spectrum of diseases (i.e., subtypes) with significant epidemiological, clinical, and biological heterogeneity. Each of these subtypes has a different natural history and prognostic profile. Although tumour staging (TNM classification) still provides valuable information in the overall management of breast cancer, the current reality is that clinicians must consider other biological and molecular factors that directly influence treatment decision-making, including extent of surgery, indication for chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, and even radiotherapy (and treatment volumes). ⋯ Although precision medicine has been much discussed in the last five years or so, the concept remains somewhat ambiguous, and it often appear to be used as a "catch-all" term. The present review aims to clarify the meaning of this term and, more importantly, to critically evaluate the role and impact of precision medicine on breast cancer radiotherapy. Finally, we will discuss the current and future of precision medicine in radiotherapy.
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Meta Analysis
MicroRNAs as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of Traumatic Brain Injury: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a sudden trauma on the head, in which severe TBI (sTBI) is usually associated with death and long-term disability. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are potential biomarkers of diverse diseases, including TBI. However, few systematic reviews and meta-analyses have been conducted to determine the clinical value of miRNAs expression in TBI patients. ⋯ The AUC of miRNAs in severe TBI was 0.97, with 91% sensitivity and 92% specificity. Conclusion: This systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated that miRNAs could be potential diagnostic markers in TBI patients. MiRNAs detected in blood and brain tissue display high accuracy for TBI diagnosis.