Objectives: In South Korea, latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) screening is a critical strategy associated with efforts to reduce the incidence of tuberculosis (TB). Currently, only children with a known history of TB contact are considered as pediatric high-risk groups for LTBI, and consequently, LTBI screening is only provided to these children. However, to reduce the incidence of TB, the high-risk groups that undergo LTBI screening should be expanded. This study aimed to assess the risk factors for LTBI among children living in South Korea with no known history of TB contact for the identification of additional high-risk groups. We investigated the risk factors for LTBI among US visa applicant children, who undergo LTBI screening regardless of their TB contact history.
Methods: We obtained data on demographic characteristics, medical history, Bacillus Calmette–Guerin (BCG) vaccination history, and results of LTBI screening for children aged 2–14 years. A tuberculin skin test was used for the diagnosis of LTBI, and an induration of 10 mm or greater was used to define a positive test. Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated to determine the association between clinical and demographic variables and LTBI.
Results: Of the 1,664 study participants, 91 (5.5%) had LTBI. The binary logistic regression analysis showed that children born in high TB burden foreign countries had the highest odds of LTBI when considering all the risk factors investigated. Increasing age, absence of BCG vaccination, and a previous diagnosis of asthma were also significant risk factors for LTBI.
Conclusion: These results indicate that children born in high TB burden foreign countries should be considered a high-risk group for LTBI in South Korea; the inclusion of these children in LTBI screening should be considered. 相似文献
Objective Adverse drug events (ADEs) are undesired harmful effects resulting from use of a medication, and occur in 30% of hospitalized patients. The authors have developed a data-mining method for systematic, automated detection of ADEs from electronic medical records.Materials and Methods This method uses the text from 9.5 million clinical notes, along with prior knowledge of drug usages and known ADEs, as inputs. These inputs are further processed into statistics used by a discriminative classifier which outputs the probability that a given drug–disorder pair represents a valid ADE association. Putative ADEs identified by the classifier are further filtered for positive support in 2 independent, complementary data sources. The authors evaluate this method by assessing support for the predictions in other curated data sources, including a manually curated, time-indexed reference standard of label change events.Results This method uses a classifier that achieves an area under the curve of 0.94 on a held out test set. The classifier is used on 2 362 950 possible drug–disorder pairs comprised of 1602 unique drugs and 1475 unique disorders for which we had data, resulting in 240 high-confidence, well-supported drug-AE associations. Eighty-seven of them (36%) are supported in at least one of the resources that have information that was not available to the classifier.Conclusion This method demonstrates the feasibility of systematic post-marketing surveillance for ADEs using electronic medical records, a key component of the learning healthcare system. 相似文献
To compare the effects of conventional core stabilization and dynamic neuromuscular stabilization (DNS) on anticipatory postural adjustment (APA) time, balance performance, and fear of falls in chronic hemiparetic stroke.
Design
Two-group randomized controlled trial with pretest-posttest design.
Setting
Hospital rehabilitation center.
Participants
Adults with chronic hemiparetic stroke (N=28).
Interventions
Participants were randomly divided into either conventional core stabilization (n=14) or DNS (n=14) groups. Both groups received a total of 20 sessions of conventional core stabilization or DNS training for 30 minutes per session 5 times a week during the 4-week period.
Main Outcome Measures
Electromyography was used to measure the APA time for bilateral external oblique (EO), transverse abdominis (TrA)/internal oblique (IO), and erector spinae (ES) activation during rapid shoulder flexion. Trunk Impairment Scale (TIS), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and Falls Efficacy Scale (FES) were used to measure trunk movement control, balance performance, and fear of falling.
Results
Baseline APA times were delayed and fear of falling was moderately high in both the conventional core stabilization and DNS groups. After the interventions, the APA times for EO, TrA/IO, and ES were shorter in the DNS group than in the conventional core stabilization group (P<.008). The BBS and TIS scores (P<.008) and the FES score (P<.003) were improved compared with baseline in both groups, but FES remained stable through the 2-year follow-up period only in the DNS group (P<.003).
Conclusions
This is the first clinical evidence highlighting the importance of core stabilization exercises for improving APA control, balance, and fear of falls in individuals with hemiparetic stroke. 相似文献
The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a fixed-dose combination of montelukast and levocetirizine in patients with perennial allergic rhinitis with mild to moderate asthma compared with the efficacy and safety of montelukast alone.
Methods
This study was a 4-week, randomized, multicenter, double-blind, Phase III trial. After a 1-week placebo run-in period, the subjects were randomized to receive montelukast (10 mg/day, n?=?112) or montelukast (10 mg/day)/levocetirizine (5 mg/day) (n?=?116) treatment for 4 weeks. The primary efficacy end point was mean daytime nasal symptom score. Other efficacy end points included mean nighttime nasal symptom score, mean composite symptom score, overall assessment of allergic rhinitis by both subjects and physicians, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV1/FVC, asthma control test score, and the frequency of rescue medication used during the treatment period.
Findings
Of 333 patients screened for this study, 228 eligible patients were randomized to treatment. The mean (SD) age of patients was 43.32 (15.02) years, and two thirds of subjects were female (66.67%). The demographic characteristics were similar between the treatment groups. Compared with the montelukast group, the montelukast/levocetirizine group reported significant reductions in mean daytime nasal symptom score (least squares mean [SE] of combination vs montelukast, –0.98 [0.06] vs –0.81 [0.06]; P?=?0.045). For all other allergic rhinitis efficacy end points, the montelukast/levocetirizine group showed greater improvement than the montelukast group. Similar results were observed in overall assessment scores and in FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC, and asthma control test score changes from baseline for the 2 treatment groups. Montelukast/levocetirizine was well tolerated, and the safety profile was similar to that observed in the montelukast group.
Implications
The fixed-dose combination of montelukast and levocetirizine was effective and safe in treating perennial allergic rhinitis in patients with asthma compared with montelukast alone. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02552667. 相似文献
Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been used as a predictive marker for various conditions. However, there are no previous studies about NLR as a prognostic marker for acute infarction.
Objective
To evaluate the potential utility of NLR as a predictor of acute infarction in acute vertigo patients without neurologic and computed tomography (CT) abnormalities.
Methods
We conducted a prospective, observational study in the Emergency Department (ED) between January 2015 and December 2016. All patients underwent physical examination, laboratory tests, CT, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Results of the initial and follow-up MRI with clinical progress note were considered as the reference standard. Statistically, multivariate logistic regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used.
Results
Thirty-five (25.9%) patients were diagnosed with acute infarction and 100 (74.1%) patients were diagnosed with peripheral vertigo. Horizontal nystagmus (p = 0.03; odds ratio 0.22) and NLR (p = 0.03; odds ratio 5.4) were significant factors for the differential diagnosis of acute infarction and peripheral vertigo. NLR > 2.8 showed the greatest area under the ROC curve (AUC; 0.819), optimal sensitivity (85.7%), and specificity (78.0%). NLR > 1.4 showed the highest sensitivity (97.1%) and relatively low specificity (41%). The absence of horizontal nystagmus increased the specificity (81.0%) and AUC (0.844).
Conclusions
A combination of NLR > 2.8 and the absence of horizontal nystagmus is sufficiently specific for acute infarction in an ED patient with acute vertigo; thus, further testing with MRI is indicated. NLR < 2.8 by itself or combined with the presence of horizontal nystagmus is not sufficiently sensitive to rule out the need for further testing. 相似文献
This prospective, observational study evaluated changes in ultrasound measurements of the inferior vena caval index (IVCI), the aorta diameter/IVC diameter index (Ao/IVCD), and the aorta area/IVC area index (Ao/IVCA) during fluid administration in children requiring intravenous fluid administration.
Methods
Children who presented to the pediatric emergency department with symptoms of dehydration were enrolled between May 2015 and February 2016. The maximum diameter of the aorta, from inner wall to inner wall, and the long and short axis diameters of IVC were measured using a convex array transducer in the transverse view. Subsequently, we measured the diameter of the IVC at the subxiphoid area during inspiration and expiration in longitudinal view. We calculated IVCI, Ao/IVCD, and Ao/IVCA during administration of 10 ml/kg and 20 ml/kg normal saline boluses.
Results
IVCI and Ao/IVCA significantly changed immediately after administration of initial 10 ml/kg of NS. Ao/IVCA showed significant change during the additional administration of 10 ml/kg (total 20 ml/kg) normal saline boluses (1.43, IQR 1.12–1.86 vs. 1.08, IQR 0.87–1.45, p value < 0.001). No significant changes were observed for IVCI and Ao/IVCD. Ao/IVCA was significantly correlated with the volume of fluid administered. The coefficient between initial and administration of the 10 ml/kg normal saline bolus was ? 0.396 (p value = 0.010), and that between the 10 ml/kg and 20 ml/kg normal saline boluses was ? 0.316 (p value = 0.038).
Conclusions
Ao/IVCA showed better correlations with the volume of fluid administered than IVCI and Ao/IVCA. Ao/IVCA might be a promising index for assessing the effects of fluid administration. 相似文献
Evidence suggests that expressed emotion (EE) and family burden (FB) are phenomena that interact, but there is a lack of studies that analyze this association in patients in first-episode psychosis.
AIM
This study evaluated the relationship between EE and FB in relatives of patients in first-episode psychosis.
METHOD
A convenience sample of 71 family members of patients being assisted in an outpatient care unit participated in the study. We used a form with sociodemographic and clinical variables of family members and patients, the Family Questionnaire-Brazilian Portuguese Version and the Brazilian version of the Burden Interview. The data were obtained via semi-structured interviews. Statistical analyses included Fisher's exact tests, Mann Whitney tests, Spearman correlations, and Student's t-tests.
RESULTS
Our results showed high levels of EE and its component emotional over-involvement (EOI) among relatives, and a strong correlation between critical comments (CC) and EOI and FB measurements. In addition, family members with elevated EE levels showed higher means for FB and this difference was significant.
CONCLUSIONS
Mental health nurses are expected to consider these concepts for proposing nursing interventions to first-episode psychosis patients and their relatives. 相似文献