J Formos Med Assoc
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There are still oral cancer patients without surgery. To improve the survival, it is necessary to know the causes of the oral cancer patients without surgery. ⋯ One-sevenths of patients were not treated surgically because of refusal, poor condition, older age, low BMI, and advanced stage. It is necessary to encourage the patients to undergo surgery with shortening the diagnosis-to-treatment interval.
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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) should be regarded as a high risk factor for myocardial infarction (MI). In addition to anti-hypertensive effect, calcium channel blockers (CCBs) were frequently used as anti-angina drugs in patients with MI. However, the association between CCBs and MI in RA remains unclear. We investigated whether CCBs could decrease incidence of myocardial infarction in patients with hypertension and RA. ⋯ Therapy of CCBs is associated with a lower risk of MI among hypertensive patients with RA. Hence, the prescription of CCBs may be a compelling indication of BP lowering in RA population.
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The impact of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) on the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is not fully elucidated. We aimed to assess the correlation between NAFLD and CKD in a large population study. ⋯ NAFLD per se was not a risk factor for CKD, but NAFLD patients with advanced fibrosis faced a higher possibility of CKD. Hence, patients with NAFLD and advanced fibrosis should be screened for CKD and prompted to receive treatment if the diagnosis was made.
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Nationwide newborn screening for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency has been implemented in Taiwan since 1987 and the G6PD enzyme activity levels were applied for diagnosis confirmation. As the reference value of G6PD enzyme activity was not available for infants aged 7-90 days, this study was performed to determine the enzyme level in different genotypes. ⋯ We determined G6PD enzyme activity levels in infants aged between 7 and 90 days in Taiwan. Completing the reference data and determining the cutoff values for different G6PD deficiency disease statuses will help pediatricians to make accurate diagnoses.
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Alveolar bone loss following peri-implantitis remains a clinical challenge. We aimed to design a novel bioactive dental implant to accommodate the large bone defect caused by removal of previously failed implant. ⋯ The novel porous structured Bio-ActiveITRI dental implants may have a great potential for the prosthetic reconstruction where bone support is compromised after removal of a previously failed implant.