Validity and reliability of the functional test for hemiplegic upper Extremity-Thai version.

Background: There are very few standard instruments currently available for measuring upper extremity (UE) functions for patients with stroke in Thailand.

Objectives: This study aims to examine the concurrent validity, construct validity, and stability reliability of the Functional Test for Hemiplegic Upper Extremity (FTHUE)-Thai version for patients with stroke.

Methods: Thirty hemiplegic participants from five community rehabilitation centers in Chiang Mai province and 30 healthy subjects were recruited.

Role of β-blockers in the cardiovascular disease continuum: a collaborative Delphi survey-based consensus from Asia-Pacific.

Objective: This Delphi method of consensus was designed to develop scientific statements for β-blockers in the continuum of cardiovascular diseases with a special focus on the role of bisoprolol.

Methods: Eleven experienced cardiologists from across the Asia-Pacific countries participated in two rounds of the survey. In the first round, experts were asked to rate agreement/disagreement with 35 statements across seven domains regarding the use of β-blockers for treating hypertension, heart failure, coronary artery diseases, co-morbidities, as well as their safety profile, usage pattern, and pharmacokinetic variability.

Current realities of home blood pressure monitoring from physicians' perspectives: results from Asia HBPM survey 2020.

Uncontrolled hypertension is a significant problem in many parts of Asia. Effective management is essential to reduce the burden of hypertension. Home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) is a promising tool that can aid in the diagnosis and management of hypertension.

Can acute radiculopathy be caused by upper lumbar hemorrhagic synovial cyst spinal compression in the elderly?

Introduction And Importance: Acute radiculopathy caused by upper lumbar synovial cysts is rare. They generally present with a slow development of symptoms resulting from spinal canal involvement. Intracyst hemorrhagic synovial cysts are extremely uncommon and can manifest as radicular pain, radiculopathy or even cauda equina compression syndrome.

Hypertension Pharmacological Treatment in Adults: A World Health Organization Guideline Executive Summary.

Hypertension is a major cause of cardiovascular disease and deaths worldwide especially in low- and middle-income countries. Despite the availability of safe, well-tolerated, and cost-effective blood pressure (BP)-lowering therapies, <14% of adults with hypertension have BP controlled to a systolic/diastolic BP <140/90 mm Hg. We report new hypertension treatment guidelines, developed in accordance with the World Health Organization Handbook for Guideline Development.

Efficacy and safety of infrahepatic inferior vena cava clamping under controlled central venous pressure for reducing blood loss during hepatectomy: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of inferior vena cava (IVC) clamping for reducing blood loss during hepatectomy.

Methods: In total, 120 elective hepatectomy patients who underwent surgery from May 2016 to October 2017 were enrolled and randomized into the IVC clamping group or nonclamping group. Both groups were managed by anesthesiological techniques for CVP reduction.

The Effectiveness and Safety of Commonly Used Injectates for Ultrasound-Guided Hydrodissection Treatment of Peripheral Nerve Entrapment Syndromes: A Systematic Review.

Peripheral nerve entrapment syndromes commonly result in pain, discomfort, and ensuing sensory and motor impairment. Many conservative measures have been proposed as treatment, local injection being one of those measures. Now with high-resolution ultrasound, anatomical details can be visualized allowing diagnosis and more accurate injection treatment.

Insights on home blood pressure monitoring in Asia: Expert perspectives from 10 countries/regions.

Hypertension is one of the most powerful modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease. It is usually asymptomatic and therefore essential to measure blood pressure regularly for the detection of hypertension. Home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) is recognized as a valuable tool to monitor blood pressure and facilitate effective diagnosis of hypertension.

Asian management of hypertension: Current status, home blood pressure, and specific concerns in Thailand.

The prevalence of hypertension is increasing, but rates of awareness, treatment, and blood pressure (BP) control are also increasing. In terms of cardiovascular disease, the prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) and stroke is similar, but stroke mortality is higher than that from CAD. Home BP monitoring (HBPM) is an important tool for determining the presence of white-coat or masked hypertension, facilitating drug cost savings or effective cardiovascular risk management strategies, respectively.

Highlights of the 2019 Japanese Society of Hypertension Guidelines and perspectives on the management of Asian hypertensive patients.

Unlike other international guidelines but in accord with the earlier Japanese Society of Hypertension (JSH) guidelines, the 2019 JSH guidelines ("JSH 2019") continue to emphasize the importance of out-of-office blood pressure (BP) measurements obtained with a home BP device. Another unique characteristic of JSH 2019 is that it sets clinical questions about the management of hypertension that are based on systematic reviews of updated evidence. JSH 2019 states that individuals with office BP < 140/90 mm Hg do not have normal BP.

Comparison of day-to-day blood pressure variability in hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus to those without diabetes: Asia BP@Home Study.

Blood pressure variability (BPV) has been shown to be independently associated with cardiovascular (CV) mortality and morbidity. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have also been shown to have increased BPV. We aimed to compare BPV in hypertensive patients with diabetes with those without diabetes.

Afatinib in locally advanced/metastatic NSCLC harboring common mutations, after chemotherapy: a Phase IV study.

Aim: The current study evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of second-line afatinib in patients with mutation-positive (m+) non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) following chemotherapy.

Patients & Methods: In this open-label, single-arm Phase IV study, patients with m+ (Del19/L858R) NSCLC who had progressed following platinum-based chemotherapy received afatinib (starting dose 40 mg/day). The primary end point was confirmed objective response.

Target blood pressure and control status in Asia.

It is widely accepted that hypertension constitutes a significant cardiovascular risk factor and that treating high blood pressure (BP) effectively reduces cardiovascular risk. An important issue in Asia is not just the high prevalence of hypertension, particularly in some countries, but also the low level of awareness and treatment rates in many regions. The 2017 update of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association hypertension guidelines raised the question about which BP threshold should be used to diagnose and treat hypertension.

Quantitative multiparametric MR analysis of small renal lesions: correlation with surgical pathology.

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to evaluate the utility of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), chemical shift signal intensity index (SII), and contrast enhancement in distinguishing between benign lesions and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and between subtypes of renal lesions.

Methods: This retrospective study included 98 renal lesions (≤ 3 cm) on MRI with correlative surgical pathology. Scanner field strength, lesion location, and size were recorded.

Dysregulated aldosterone secretion in persons of African descent with endothelin-1 gene variants.

Compared with persons of European descent (ED), persons of African descent (AD) have lower aldosterone (ALDO) levels, with the assumption being that the increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk associated with AD is not related to ALDO. However, the appropriateness of the ALDO levels for the volume status in AD is unclear. We hypothesized that, even though ALDO levels are lower in AD, they are inappropriately increased, and therefore, ALDO could mediate the increased CVD in AD.

Clinical features, outcome, and associated factors for posterior reversible encephalopathy in Thai patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a case-control study.

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has been recognized increasingly. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, clinical features, brain imaging findings, outcomes, and associated factors of PRES in Thai SLE patients. SLE patients with PRES were identified from the lupus cohort of Chiang Mai University.

Safety and efficacy of intralesional steroid injection for aggressive fibromatosis.

Background: Treatment of recurrent aggressive fibromatosis (AF) following surgical resection is a clinical challenge. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been reported to be an effective option for controlling the disease. However, long-term NSAID use can result in unfavorable complications.

Survival rate and prognostic factors of conventional osteosarcoma in Northern Thailand: A series from Chiang Mai University Hospital.

Background: Osteosarcoma is a common and aggressive primary malignant bone tumor occurring in children and adolescents. It is one of the most aggressive human cancers and the most common cause of cancer-associated limb loss. As treatment in Thailand has produced a lower survival rate than in developed countries; therefore, this study identified survival rate and the poor prognostic factors of osteosarcoma in Northern Thailand.