Effects of the low-speed continuous infusion catheter technique on double-lumen central venous catheters: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Central venous catheters are widely used in clinical practice, and the incidence of central venous catheter occlusion is between 25 % and 38 %. The turbulence caused by the pulsatile flushing technique is harmful to the vascular endothelium and may lead to phlebitis. The low-speed continuous infusion catheter technique is a new type of continuous infusion that ensures that the catheter is always in a keep-vein-open state by continuous low-speed flushing; hence, avoiding the problem of catheter occlusion.

Comparative efficacy and acceptability of interventions for insomnia in breast cancer patients: A protocol for systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Background: Symptoms of insomnia are highly prevalent in patients with breast cancer. There are a large number of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions that can be used for the management of insomnia in breast cancer patients; however, their comparative effectiveness and acceptability remain uncertain. This review aims to evaluate the efficacy and acceptability of different interventions for insomnia in breast cancer patients using a Bayesian network meta-analysis (NMA).

Do genetic defects of DNA repair relevant proteins alter susceptibility to hypertension? A case-control study in northeastern Han Chinese.

The aim of this study was to examine the individual and interactive associations of five non-synonymous variants of four DNA repair relevant genes (XRCC1, XRCC3, hOGG1, NQO1) with hypertension in a large northeastern Han Chinese population. This was a hospital-based study involving 1009 hypertensive patients and 756 normotensive controls. All five variants satisfied the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.

Association of 5 Well-Defined Polymorphisms in the Gene Encoding Transforming Growth Factor-β1 With Coronary Artery Disease Among Chinese Patients With Hypertension.

We assessed the association between 5 well-defined polymorphisms of the transforming growth factor-β1 (TGFB1) gene and coronary artery disease (CAD) among patients with hypertension from northeast China. All study participants were classified into patients with CAD (n = 679) and controls (n = 686) according to angiographic results. Genotyping was carried out with the ligase detection reaction method.

Is cryoballoon ablation preferable to radiofrequency ablation for treatment of atrial fibrillation by pulmonary vein isolation? A meta-analysis.

Objective: Currently radiofrequency and cryoballoon ablations are the two standard ablation systems used for catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation; however, there is no universal consensus on which ablation is the optimal choice. We therefore sought to undertake a meta-analysis with special emphases on comparing the efficacy and safety between cryoballoon and radiofrequency ablations by synthesizing published clinical trials.

Methods And Results: Articles were identified by searching the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases before September 2013, by reviewing the bibliographies of eligible reports, and by consulting with experts in this field.

Metformin reduces vascular endothelial dysfunction caused by an acute glucose load in patients with hypertension.

Background: To investigate the effects of a single dose of metformin (MF) on endothelium-dependent vasodilatation and serum antioxidant and free fatty acid levels in patients with primary hypertension (PH) after an acute glucose load.

Materials And Methods: Patients with untreated PH were randomized to a no-metformin group (PH, n = 34) and a metformin group (PH+ MF, n = 28) who received a single dose of 500 mg metformin before testing. Healthy volunteers (n = 31) served as a control group.

[Impact of acute glucose and fat loading on endothelium dependent vasodilation in patients with essential hypertension].

Objective: To explore the influence of acute glucose and fat loading on endothelium dependent flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) in patients with essential hypertension (EH).

Methods: Patients with EH were randomly divided into three groups: oral glucose loading alone (n = 26), oral standardized fat loading alone (n = 38), combined glucose and fat loading (n = 34). FMD of the brachial artery was assessed by high resolution ultrasound technique respectively.