J Formos Med Assoc
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Efficacy of a novel walking assist device with auxiliary laser illuminator in stroke Patients~ a randomized control trial.
Task-oriented functional walking is important in stroke patients. We aimed to investigate effects of a quad-cane with auxiliary laser illuminator (laser-cane) among stroke patients. ⋯ Rehabilitation with laser-cane improved the balance, activity of daily living, gait symmetry and gait parameters of stroke patients.
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The risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is reduced but not eliminated after nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) therapy in chronic hepatitis B (CHB). We aimed to investigate the role of serum Prothrombin Induced by Vitamin K Absence or Antagonist-II (PIVKA-II) and alpha-fetoprotein in predicting HCC and mortality in cirrhotic CHB patients at virological remission (VR) following NA therapy. ⋯ In patients with CHB-related cirrhosis, serum alpha-fetoprotein >7 ng/mL and PIVKA-II >50 mAU/mL at the time of antiviral therapy-induced VR is associated with a greater risk of HCC. PIVKA-II is a predictive marker for HCC in patients with low normal alpha-fetoprotein level.
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Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of childhood pneumonia, but there is limited understanding of whether bacterial co-infections affect clinical severity. ⋯ RSV related bacterial co-infections were not uncommon and assoicated with ICU admission, especially for young children, and more attention should be given. For empirical antibacterial treatment, high-dose amoxicillin-clavulanic acid or ampicillin-sulbactam was recommended for non-severe cases; vancomycin and third-generation cephalosporins were suggested for critically ill patients requiring ICU care.
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In 2019, a large outbreak of a novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) occurred in China. The purpose of this study is to quantitatively analyze the evolution of chest computed tomography (CT) imaging features in COVID-19. Nine patients with positive real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction results were included in this study. ⋯ Lesion load at the first week of disease was significantly higher in severe group (p = 0.03). Our study revealed that several CT features were significantly different between severely and mildly infected forms of COVID-19 pneumonia. The CT lesion load value at the first week of infection may be applied as an outcome predictor of the disease.
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We estimated loss-of-life expectancy (LE) and lifetime medical expenditures (LME) stratified by stages to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of breast cancer (BC) screening in Taiwan. ⋯ Mammography could detect BC early and be cost-saving after adjustment for different distributions of age and calendar year of diagnosis. Future studies exploring healthcare expenditure and impaired quality of life for false-positive cases are warranted.