Impacts of Clinical Pharmacist Intervention on the Secondary Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Study.

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and more efforts should be made to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events. This study aimed to investigate the impact of clinical pharmacist intervention on the prognosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in Chinese patients with CHD. Two hundred and forty patients who had ACS were recruited.

SF36 Is a Reliable Patient-Oriented Outcome Evaluation Tool in Surgically Treated Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy Cases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND Degenerative spinal disorders have adverse impacts on patients' quality of life. Because the main objectives of any surgical intervention are to improve health-related quality of life and to reduce disability, instruments capable of measuring patient-oriented outcomes are now increasingly used. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of the Short Form 36 Health Survey Questionnaire (SF36) for assessing patient-oriented outcomes of degenerative cervical myelopathy surgery.

Emergence of ceftazidime/avibactam resistance in carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in China.

Objectives: The aim was to investigate the activity of ceftazidime/avibactam (CAZ/AVI) against carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) and identify the resistance mechanisms before CAZ/AVI coming to Chinese market.

Methods: Clinical CRKP isolates were continuously collected from 36 tertiary hospitals in China from 1 March 2017 to 31 July 2017. CAZ/AVI MICs were determined by agar dilution method.

The new perspective of old antibiotic: In vitro antibacterial activity of TMP-SMZ against Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Background/purpose: Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMZ) is broadly administered to treat multiple infections, and the paucity of effective treatment alternatives for infections caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae has led to a renewed interest in TMP-SMZ. The aim of this study is to evaluate the antibacterial efficacy of TMP-SMZ against K. pneumoniae.

Predicting the Development of Normal-Appearing White Matter With Radiomics in the Aging Brain: A Longitudinal Clinical Study.

Normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) refers to the normal, yet diseased tissue around the white matter hyperintensities (WMH) on conventional MR images. Radiomics is an emerging quantitative imaging technique that provides more details than a traditional visual analysis. This study aims to explore whether WMH could be predicted during the early stages of NAWM, using a textural analysis in the general elderly population.

Differential expression of immune factor between patients with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome and the healthy volunteers.

Purpose: Immune mechanisms have been hypothesized to contribute to the development of CP/CPPS. In this study, we investigated the differential expression of immune factors between patients with CP/CPPS and healthy volunteers.

Methods: This study was registered in Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry.

The value of high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy after extubation in patients with acute respiratory failure.

Objective: To investigate the value of high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy after extubation in patients with acute respiratory failure.

Methods: A single-center, prospective, randomized, controlled pilot trial was conducted between January 2013 and December 2014. Sixty enrolled patients were randomized immediately after extubation into either a high-flow nasal cannula group (n=30) or an air entrainment mask group (n=30) at a fixed inspired oxygen fraction (40%).

MicroRNA-34/449 targets IGFBP-3 and attenuates airway remodeling by suppressing Nur77-mediated autophagy.

Autophagy plays critical roles in airway inflammation and fibrosis-mediated airway remodeling and many factors including proinflammatory cytokines and inflammation related pathways are involved in the process. The aim of the present study was to examine the role of epithelial microRNAs (miRNAs) in autophagy-mediated airway remodeling and to identify the factors involved and the underlying mechanisms. Serum miR-34/449, inflammatory factors, and autophagy and fibrosis-related proteins were determined by real-time PCR, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and western blotting in 46 subjects with asthma and 10 controls and in the lung epithelial cell line BEAS-2B induced with IL-13 and treated with miRNA mimics.

Validity of a Chinese version of the Mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (MiniAQLQ) and a comparison of completion by patients and relatives.

Objective: To test the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (MiniAQLQ) and to investigate the differences between the MiniAQLQ completed by patients (p-MiniAQLQ) and by their relatives (r-MiniAQLQ).

Methods: One hundred and two asthmatic patients and 45 relatives were recruited. The reliability was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).

miRNA-200c enhances radiosensitivity of esophageal cancer by cell cycle arrest and targeting P21.

Esophageal squamous cancer is one of the most fatal malignancies and often suffer recurrence after radiotherapy. Downregulation of miRNA-200c is associated with radiotolerance. We aim to investigate the role of miRNA-200c in radiosensitivity and develop a systemic treatment strategy for esophageal squamous cancer.

A clinical study of the coronal plane deformity in Parkinson disease.

Background: Postural deformities in the coronal plane were frequent and disabling complications of PD, which reduces the quality of life of patients. This study aimed to garner greater attention to the Parkinson disease (PD)-related postural trunk deviations in the coronal plane by exploring a method for diagnosis because of the lack of any uniform diagnostic criteria and epidemiological studies. It also aimed to provide correlation data in the Chinese PD patients.

Association between Genetic Variants of Transforming Growth Factor-β1 and Susceptibility of Pneumoconiosis: A Meta-analysis.

Background: Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) and gene variants have been extensively studied in various human diseases. For example, TGF-β1 polymorphisms were associated with fibrosis and pneumoconiosis, but the data remained controversial. The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess the association between TGF-β1 -509 C>T [rs1800469], +869 T>C [rs1800470], and +915 G>C [rs1800471] polymorphisms and pneumoconiosis.

Outcomes of experimental rat varicocele with and without microsurgery.

Background: Experimental rat varicocele was usually developed by the conventional technique but with varied success; and microsurgical rat varicocele model was an effective alternative. In this study we further analyzed differential outcome of experimental rat model with and without microsurgery.

Methods: One hundred and twenty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to two groups.

C-reactive protein as a prognostic marker in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The present study aimed to evaluate whether circulating C-reactive protein (CRP) levels are a biomarker of systemic inflammation and a significant predictor of future chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) outcome. During the study, 116 patients with stable COPD and 35 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects with normal pulmonary function were observed. Patient follow-up was also performed to evaluate the strength of the associations between CRP levels and future outcomes.