Chocolates consumption as well as probability of vascular disease the Thousand Veteran Plan

While dexamethasone has been applied following transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) for years, its clinical effects have not been determined. In the current study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of dexamethasone in preventing adverse events induced by TACE.
Literature retrieval was conducted using globally recognized online databases, namely MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central, to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of dexamethasone application in patients undergoing TACE. The relative odds ratios (ORs) of incidence rates of three adverse events, namely, fever, abdominal pain and nausea/vomiting, were calculated. The value of I was applied to evaluate the heterogeneity of the trials, and the overall publication bias was assessed with Egger test.
Four RCTs containing 350 subjects were included for the pooled estimation. Dexamethasone significantly reduced the incidence rate of TACE-induced adverse events (OR = 1.237, 95% CI 1.170-1.308, P < .001) with moderate heterogeneity (I = 46.0%). The result of Egger test revealed a publication bias for the included studies.
The current meta-analysis confirmed the efficacy of dexamethasone in preventing TACE-induced adverse events. To confirm the practicality of dexamethasone use with TACE, further studies with large sample sizes are warranted to update the evidence-based analyses.
The current meta-analysis confirmed the efficacy of dexamethasone in preventing TACE-induced adverse events. To confirm the practicality of dexamethasone use with TACE, further studies with large sample sizes are warranted to update the evidence-based analyses.This retrospective study assessed the efficacy and safety of 1% topical clotrimazole cream for the treatment of patients with tinea cruris (TC).We included 86 patients with confirmed TC for the presence of fungal hyphae. Of those, 43 patients received 1% topical clotrimazole cream for a total of 4 consecutive weeks, and were assigned to an experimental group. The other 43 patients underwent 1% topical butenafine cream for a total of 2 consecutive weeks, and were allocated to a control group. The efficacy and safety were measured and analyzed after 4 weeks treatment.After treatment, patients in both groups achieved better improvements in erythema (P  less then  .01), scaling (P  less then  .01), itching (P  less then  .01), and KOH-negative results (P  less then  .01), compared with those in patients before the treatment. However, there were not significant differences in erythema (P = .61), scaling (P = .57), itching (P = .47), and KOH-negative results (P = .67) between 2 groups. In addition, no treatment-related adverse events were recorded in both groups.Both 1% topical clotrimazole and butenafine cream are found to be effective and safe for patients with TC. However, there is not significant difference in efficacy and safety between two groups.This study investigates the effect of progressive muscle relaxation training on negative mood and sleep quality in Coronavirus Pneumonia (COVID-19) patients.COVID-19 is an emerging infectious disease, and there is still uncertainty about when the outbreak will be contained and the effectiveness of treatments. selleckchem Considering that this disease is highly contagious, patients need to be treated in isolation. This may lead to psychological symptoms such as anxiety and depression, and even sleep problems.This study is a clinical observation study.Participants included 79 COVID-19 patients admitted to a designated hospital for COVID-19 patients in Wuhan from February to March, 2020. Patients were selected and assigned to the control group and the observation group according to their wishes, with 40 and 39 cases in each group, respectively. The control group received routine treatment and nursing, and the observation group received progressive muscle relaxation training, in addition to the routine treatment and nursing. We compared scores of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Scale (PSQI), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) before and after the intervention.There was no significant difference in PSQI, GAD-7, and PHQ-9 scores between the control group and the observation group before the intervention (P > .05). After the intervention, the difference in scores of PSQI, GAD-7, and PHQ-9 in the 2 groups were statistically significant (P  less then  .05).Progressive muscle relaxation training can significantly reduce anxiety and depression and improve sleep quality in COVID-19 patients during isolation treatment.Progressive muscle relaxation training was shown to improve the treatment effect of patients and is worthy of clinical promotion.Lipid abnormalities are an important cause of premature atherosclerosis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This longitudinal study investigates the changes in lipid profile and arterial stiffness with SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) reduction.Fifty one female SLE patients with baseline SLEDAI ≥ 6 and SLEDAI reduction >3 at 1-year follow-up were included. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglyceride (TG), and mean brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) were measured and compared between baseline and 1-year follow-up. Correlations between inflammation biomarkers, SLEDAI, mean baPWV and lipid profile were assessed.We observed significant decreases in ESR, mean baPWV, TG and TC to HDL-C ratio compared with baseline at 1-year follow up, while HDL-C, hsCRP, and NLR were not significantly changed. Significant correlations were found between the reductions in ESR and TG, and SLEDAI and mean baPWV, with adjustment to age, disease duration, blood pressure, and medications (prednisone, immunosuppressants and ARB/ACEI).SLE patients experiencing SLEDAI reductions showed improvements in arterial stiffness. This finding may provide insight into the beneficial effects of reducing SLEDAI on atherosclerosis risk in SLE.