Romanian journal of internal medicine = Revue roumaine de médecine interne
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Comparative Study
Comparison of three risk scores to predict outcomes in upper gastrointestinal bleeding; modifying Glasgow-Blatchford with albumin.
Management of upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) is of great importance. In this way, we aimed to evaluate the performance of three well known scoring systems of AIMS65, Glasgow-Blatchford Score (GBS) and Full Rockall Score (FRS) in predicting adverse outcomes in patients with UGIB as well as their ability in identifying low risk patients for outpatient management. We also aimed to assess whether changing albumin cutoff in AIMS65 and addition of albumin to GBS add predictive value to these scores. ⋯ Neither of risk scores was highly accurate as a prognostic factor in our population; however, modified AIMS65 and albumin-GBS may be optimal choice in evaluating risk of mortality and general assessment. In identifying patient for safe discharge, GBS ≤ 2 seemed to be advisable choice.
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Multicenter Study
Romanian version of SDM-Q-9 validation in Internal Medicine and Cardiology setting: a multicentric cross-sectional study.
Shared decision making (SDM) is becoming more and more important for the patient-physician interaction. There has not been a study in Romania evaluating patients' point of view in the SDM process yet. Therefore, the present study aims to evaluate the psychometric parameters of the translated Romanian version of SDM-Q-9. ⋯ SDM-Q-9 is a useful tool for evaluation and improvement in health care that was validated in Romania and can be used in clinical setting in this country.
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Oxidative stress may play an important role in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) etiopathogenesis. The thiol group is a very strong antioxidant. In this study, we aimed to investigate the presence of oxidative stress in patients with RA by evaluating thiol/disulfide homeostasis. ⋯ We found that the thiol-disulfide rate deteriorated in RA patients, with the proportion of disulfide increasing. There is a strong correlation between the decrease in thiol levels, increase in disulfide levels and the disease activity scores.
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The aim of the research was the study of the adherence to treatment in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. ⋯ In our cohort, the adherence to treatment was high in 45.46%, moderate in 43.18% and low in only 11.36% cases. High adherence to treatment was associated to low disease activity. The adherence was positively influenced by the age at the onset of the disease and a high educational level.
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Case Reports
Macrophage activation syndrome at the onset of glucocorticoid-resistant systemic lupus erythematosus: a case report.
Macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) is a life-threatening hyperinflammatory state mediated by uncontrolled cytokine storm and haemophagocytosis. Although rarely reported, MAS might occur in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), notably as an inaugural manifestation. Glucocorticoids (GCs) are the cornerstone of SLE therapy. However, in some cases high doses of GCs are required to achieve remission (i.e. glucocorticoid-resistance), leading to significant side effects. ⋯ MAS is a potentially severe manifestation that should be considered at SLE onset whenever high fever and elevated serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, C-reactive protein, ferritin and procalcitonin are noted. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment lead to remission in two thirds of cases. Glucocorticoid-resistance leads to the use of high-dose corticotherapy or immunosuppressive agents that could elicit serious side effects. New insights into the molecular mechanisms of glucocorticoid-resistance are needed in order to conceive more adequate GC-therapies.