Anti-osteoporosis drugs reduce mortality in cancer patients: A national cohort study of elderly with vertebral fractures.

Introduction: The most prevalent type of fragility fractures is osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVFs). However, only a few studies have examined the relationship between anti-osteoporosis treatments and malignancy-related mortality following an OVF. The goal of this study is to determine the effect of anti-osteoporosis therapy on mortality in OVF patients with and without cancer.

Association between repeat imaging and readmission in patients with acute ischaemic stroke: a 16-year nationwide population-based study.

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate such usage patterns and identify factors that may contribute to the need for repeat imaging in acute ischaemic stroke patients and determine the association between repeat imaging and readmission in Taiwan.

Methods: We searched and analysed data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database for patients admitted for acute ischaemic stroke between 2002 and 2017. Cases where repeat brain imaging during the initial hospital admission occurred and where patients were readmitted within 30 days following discharge were documented.

Utilization of CT and MRI scanning in Taiwan, 2000-2017.

Objectives: This population-based study aimed to collect, analyze, and summarize the long-term trends in medical imaging use in Taiwan.

Methods: A retrospective cohort population-based study of medical imaging usage for the individuals who received care under the National Health Insurance system from 2000 to 2017. CT and MRI utilization rates were determined overall as well as across certain variables including patient age, hospital type, health care type, hospital characteristics, and geographic area.

Pharmacological Prevention of Hypersensitivity Reactions Caused by Iodinated Contrast Media: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objectives: Hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs) are uncommon but serious adverse events following the administration of iodinated contrast media (ICM) prior to CT imaging. While premedication is almost universally given in high-risk patients, there is a lack of evidence regarding the efficacy of such premedication. This study aims to determine the efficacy of premedication with corticosteroids prior to ICM administration in the prevention of HSRs through meta-analysis.

Correlation between hand grip strength and regional muscle mass in older Asian adults: an observational study.

Background: Previous research has demonstrated a correlation between hand grip strength (HGS) and muscle strength. This study aims to determine the relationship between HGS and muscle mass in older Asian adults.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) records of 907 older adults (239 (26.

Gut microbiota changes and its potential relations with thyroid carcinoma.

Introduction: Emerging evidence suggests that the essence of life is the ecological balance of the neural, endocrine, metabolic, microbial, and immune systems. Gut microbiota have been implicated as an important factor affecting thyroid homeostasis.

Objectives: This study aims to explore the relationship between gut microbiota and the development of thyroid carcinoma.

Acute Mesenteric Vein Thrombosis in a Pregnant Patient at 10 Weeks Gestation: A Case Report.

Acute abdominal pain during pregnancy is challenging, both from a diagnostic and management perspective. A non-localized, persistent pain out of proportion to physical examination is a sign that advanced imaging may be necessary. Mesenteric venous thrombosis in a pregnant patient is extremely rare, but if diagnosis is delayed, can be potentially fatal to both the mother and the fetus.

Chinese medical students' disposition for critical thinking: a mixed methods exploration.

Background: Critical thinking (CT) is an essential competency for medical students. This study's aim was to evaluate Chinese medical students' disposition for CT and to explore the impact of current trends in medical education on students' CT development.

Methods: We used multistage stratified cluster sampling to recruit a total of 1241 medical students among five different years of training and from three medical institutions in China.

APQS consensus regarding patient shielding during routine radiographic imaging.

Shielding, particularly of the gonads, has been a routine part of diagnostic radiographic imaging for many years. However, recent thinking suggests that such shielding may offer little benefit, and in some cases may actually cause harm, by obscuring anatomy or paradoxically increasing patient radiation dose secondary to the need for repeat imaging. This thinking has led many institutions in the West to abandon routine shielding.

Today's radiologists meet tomorrow's AI: the promises, pitfalls, and unbridled potential.

Advances in information technology have improved radiologists' abilities to perform an increasing variety of targeted diagnostic exams. However, due to a growing demand for imaging from an aging population, the number of exams could soon exceed the number of radiologists available to read them. However, artificial intelligence has recently resounding success in several case studies involving the interpretation of radiologic exams.

Management and infection control practices in a Taiwanese radiology department during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The radiology department was categorized as a "high risk area" during the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003 and is similarly considered a "high risk area" during the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The purpose of infection control is to isolate patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 from uninfected people by utilizing separate equipment, spaces, and healthcare workers. Infection control measures should be prioritized to prevent the nosocomial spread of infection.

Gut Microbiota May Play a Significant Role in the Pathogenesis of Graves' Disease.

Gut microbiota are considered to be intrinsic regulators of thyroid autoimmunity. We designed a cross-sectional study to examine the makeup and metabolic function of microbiota in Graves' disease (GD) patients, with the ultimate aim of offering new perspectives on the diagnosis and treatment of GD. The 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) V3-V4 DNA regions of microbiota were obtained from fecal samples collected from 45 GD patients and 59 controls.

Predictive approaches for post-therapy PET/CT in patients with extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma: a retrospective study.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic capacity of three methods of fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG) PET/CT analysis carried out after therapy in patients with extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL). The three methods of PET/CT analysis included the International Harmonization Project (IHP) criteria, the Deauville five-point scale (5-PS), and standardized uptake value (SUV)-based assessment.

Patients And Methods: Fifty-nine patients diagnosed with ENKTL were enrolled.

Improved Radiologists' Efficiency and Accuracy with the Application of Scripting Software for the Automated Reporting of Comparison Studies.

Rationale And Objectives: The American College of Radiology reporting guidelines state that "comparison with relevant examinations and reports should be part of the radiologic consultation and report when appropriate and available."

Materials And Methods: We evaluated the use of open-source Windows scripting software for the automated retrieval of the date and time of prior studies.

Results And Conclusion: The date and time of the comparative study are transferred automatically to the present report in a structured voice recognition dictation system with a "regular expression substitution pattern" construct.

The Deauville 5-Point Scale Improves the Prognostic Value of Interim FDG PET/CT in Extranodal Natural Killer/T-Cell Lymphoma.

Purpose: The prognostic value of FDG PET/CT in extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL) is still controversial. Furthermore, the utility of the Deauville 5-point scale (DS) in ENKTL is uncertain. Therefore, we designed a prospective study to examine the prognostic value of 3 methods of PET/CT analysis (International Harmonization Project [IHP] criteria, DS, and SUV-based assessment).

Assessment of the prognostic capacity of pretreatment, interim, and post-therapy (18)F-FDG PET/CT in extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type.

Objective: Although the prognostic value of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) using [(18)F]-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) has been widely confirmed for diffuse large B cell lymphoma, its value for extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type (ENKTL), is still controversial. Therefore, we designed a prospective study to investigate the prognostic value of (18)F-FDG PET/CT in patients with ENKTL.

Materials And Methods: Thirty-three patients with newly diagnosed, untreated ENKTL, were enrolled in this study.

Analysis of curricular reform practices at Chinese medical schools.

Background: A comprehensive search of the literature published between 2001 and 2010 was performed to gain a greater understanding of curricular reform practices at Chinese medical schools.

Summary: There were 10,948 studies published between 2001 and 2010 that were retrieved from the database. Following preliminary screening, 76 publications from 49 different medical schools were selected.

Curriculum reform at Chinese medical schools: what have we learned?

Introduction: Curriculum reform at Chinese medical schools has attracted a lot of attention recently. Several leading medical schools in China have undergone exploratory reforms and in so doing, have accumulated significant experience and have made considerable progress.

Methods: An analysis of the reforms conducted by 38 Chinese medical colleges that were targeted by the government for upgrade was performed.

A snapshot of the status of problem-based learning (PBL) in Chinese medical schools.

Introduction: In North America, where it was born, problem-based learning (PBL) has seen dips and rises in its popularity, but its inherent strengths have led to its spread to medical schools all over the world. Although its use at medical schools in some Western countries has already been examined, no one has looked at its status in many other countries, including China. The aim of this study is to determine the number of schools currently using PBL in China, the degree to which they use it, and the reasoning behind such usage.

Association between maternal behavior in infancy and adult mental health: a 30-year prospective study.

Background: Existing theories suggest that the mother-infant relationship has a potentially significant effect on long-term adult mental health, but there are few empirical data to support this view. Even fewer prior studies have examined the specific dynamics of the mother-infant relationship and their association with adult mental health.

Methods: A total of 1752 inner-city infants born between 1960 and 1965 were followed prospectively as a part of the Collaborative Perinatal Project (CPP) and the Johns Hopkins Pathways to Adulthood Study.

Medical education in Ecuador.

Background: Ecuador, the smallest of the Andean countries, is located in the northwest portion of South America. The nation's 14.5 million people have a tremendous need for high quality primary care.