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Unusual Display associated with Pythium Keratitis while Side-line Ulcerative Keratitis: Medical Predicament.
BACKGROUND In this study, we analyzed whether the neuroprotection of Circ 0000962 promoted neural inflammation in spinal cord injury (SCI) and its possible mechanism. METHODS Inflammation factors (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-18) were measured using ELIS kit, and NF-κB, PI3K and phosphorylation-(p)-Akt protein expression were analyzed by Western blot analysis. RESULTS Circ 0000962 expression was decreased in SCI model rat and vitro model. Over-expression of Circ 0000962 decreased inflammation in vitro model of SCI via activation of PI3K/Akt and suppression of NF-κB by down-regulation of miR-302b-3p. Down-regulation of Circ 0000962 promotion inflammation, suppressed NF-κB protein expression, and induced PI3K and p-Akt protein expression in vitro model of SCI by up-regulation of miR-302b-3p. MiR-302b-3p reduced the effect of Circ 0000962 on inflammation in vitro model. CONCLUSIONS This study showed that Circ 0000962 promoted nerve cell inflammation through Akt/ NF-κB signaling by PI3K in SCI.BACKGROUND Acute palliative care unit (APCU) is a novel inpatient program in a tertiary cancer center that provides aggressive symptom management and assists with the transition to hospice. However, patients often die in the APCU before successfully transferring to hospice. The aim of this study was to evaluate the symptom burden and characteristics of advanced cancer patients who died in the APCU. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all advanced cancer patients admitted to the APCU between April 2015 and March 2016 at a tertiary cancer center in Korea. Basic characteristics and symptom burden assessed by the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) were retrieved. Statistical analyses were conducted to compare patients who died in the APCU with those who were discharged alive. RESULTS Of the 267 patients, 87 patients (33%) died in the APCU. The median age of the patients was 66 years (range, 23-97 years). The most common primary cancer types were lung (21%), stomach (17%), and colorecroactive and timely end-of-life care is needed for these patients.Whole-breast radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) can improve patient survival while reducing local tumor recurrence. Although standard breast radiotherapy can achieve good tumor control and cosmetic effects with low toxicity, the 5- to 7-week treatment time is relatively long for patients and can result in wasted medical resources. Therefore, there is a growing trend toward hypofractionated radiotherapy (HFRT), which accelerates partial-breast irradiation. Both short-course radiotherapy and conventional fractionated radiotherapy are safe and effective treatment modes, with similar survival and local tumor control effects as those of conventional radiotherapy (CRT), and adverse reactions can be tolerated. Compared with conventional fractionated radiotherapy, short-course radiotherapy saves medical resources and has a shorter total treatment time, reduced treatment costs, and an improved quality of life for patients.BACKGROUND Re-treatment pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) has a high risk of being multi-drug- or rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB). The Xpert MTB/RIF assay possesses high efficacy for the evaluation of rifampicin resistance. The aim of the present study was to assess the benefit of the Xpert MTB/ RIF assay in the screening and treatment of MDR/RR-TB in re-treatment PTB patients. METHODS Patients with suspected re-treatment PTB were prospectively enrolled and divided into Xpert MTB/RIF and mycobacterial tuberculosis (MTB) culture groups. No Xpert MTB/RIF assay was carried out in the MTB culture group. learn more The diagnostic performance and turn-around time (TAT) of MDR/RRTB detection and the culture results of MDR/RR-TB patients following two-month chemotherapy in two groups were calculated and compared. RESULTS Using phenotypic DST as a reference standard, the positive predictive value of Xpert MTB/RIF for the detection of RR-TB and MDR-TB among re-treatment PTB patients was 90.72% and 77.32%, respectively. The Xpert MTB/RIF group had a significantly shorter interval for the initiation of anti-MDR/ RR-TB treatment 1 [1-1] vs. 52 [47-57] days, P less then 0.0001; and following two-month chemotherapy, the percentage of positive culture MDR/RR-TB patients in the Xpert MTB/RIF group was significantly reduced (24.18% vs. 50%, P=0.0003). CONCLUSIONS Xpert MTB/RIF can accurately screen MDR/RR-TB among re-treatment PTB patients, reducing both the turn-around time for therapy initiation and the percentage of positive culture MDR/ RR-TB patients following two-month chemotherapy. This is not only beneficial for treatment but also for reducing MDR-TB transmission. We recommend that re-treatment PTB patients receive anti-RR/TB chemotherapy following a positive RFP resistance result in the Xpert MTB/RIF assay.BACKGROUND The correct staging of distant metastasis is crucial in deciding an adequate course of therapy for cancer patients. This meta-analysis was carried out to produce an evaluation and comparison of the performances of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (18FDG PET-CT) and contrastenhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in detecting distant metastasis in patients suffering malignant tumors. Systematic literature searches of the MEDLINE and Embase databases were conducted to identify relevant studies in the period from December 31, 1950 to August 1, 2019. We used the following search terms MRI, magnetic resonance imaging, PET, positron emission tomography, staging, distant metastasis, and distant recurrence. The searches were carried out by two independent reviewers. We only included relevant studies that evaluated both 18FDG PET-CT and contrast-enhanced MRI in relation to distant metastasis detection in the same patients with malignant tumors. The two reviewers indend specificity (0.95 vs. 1.00) tended to be lower in 18FDG PET-CT than in contrast-enhanced MRI. CONCLUSIONS 18FDG PET-CT and contrast-enhanced MRI both performed well as detectors of distant metastasis in the diagnosis of cancer patients. The subgroup analysis suggests that 18FDG PET-CT and contrast-enhanced MRI may possess different advantageous qualities for distant metastasis staging of patients with various types of tumor.
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