Clinical outcomes of bypass-first versus endovascular-first strategy in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia due to infrageniculate arterial disease

Background

Chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI), defined as ischemic rest pain or tissue loss secondary to arterial insufficiency, is caused by multilevel arterial disease with frequent, severe infrageniculate disease. The rise in CLTI is in part the result of increasing worldwide prevalence of diabetes, renal insufficiency, and advanced aging of the population. The aim of this study was to compare a bypass-first with an endovascular-first revascularization strategy in patients with CLTI due to infrageniculate arterial disease.

软组织损伤引起慢性疼痛的治疗

目的：综述运动系统软组织损伤引起慢性疼痛的各种治疗方法的研究进展。资料来源：应用计算机检索Medline1980—01／2006—04与运动系统软组织损伤引起慢性疼痛的治疗相关文章，检索词“Soft tissue injury，pain．chronic，comprehensive therapy”，并限定文章语言种类为“English”；同时计算机检索中国期刊全文数据库1994—01／2006-04期间的相关文章，检索词“软组织损伤、慢性疼痛、治疗方法”，并限定语言种类为中文。同时手工查阅相关书籍。资料选择：对资料进行初审，所选文献内容符合：①软组织损伤引起的慢性疼痛药物治疗的研究。②软组织损伤引起的慢性疼痛微创治疗的研究。③软组织损伤引起的慢性疼痛运动疗法的研究。④软组织损伤引起的慢性疼痛心理治疗的研究。⑤软组织损伤引起的慢性疼痛其他疗法的研究。排除重复性研究的文献。资料提炼：共收集到40篇关于软组织损伤引起的慢性疼痛治疗方法的文献，均为全文，23篇符合纳入标准，排除17篇重复性研究。同时录入书籍3本。资料综合：软组织损伤引起的慢性疼痛的产生是生理、心理及社会因素复杂结合的结果，个体表现差异较大，目前尚无特效治疗方法，常用的治疗方法有：药物治疗、微创治疗、运动疗法、心理治疗、物理疗法及其他疗法。结论：对于软组织损伤引起的慢性疼痛的治疗必须以整体的观点对其进行合理的评估和个体化治疗，才能收到良好的效果。     

The effect of cardiac rehabilitation exercise programs on feelings of energy and fatigue: a meta-analysis of research from 1945 to 2005.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity is a healthful behavior that has promise for combating feelings of low energy and fatigue. Despite evidence suggesting that fatigue is a prodromal symptom of major cardiac events, improvements in feelings of energy and fatigue have largely been ignored by reviewers of cardiac rehabilitation literature who have focused on anxiety, depression and general measures of quality of life. DESIGN: A meta-analytical review. METHODS AND RESULTS: Computer databases were searched from January 1945 to May 2005 to identify relevant literature. A total of 36 studies consisting of 4765 subjects were included. Cardiac rehabilitation exercise programs were consistently associated with increases in energy and decreases in fatigue. The magnitude of the effect was moderately large (mean delta 0.51; 95% confidence interval 0.42-0.61) but was heterogeneous and modified by features of the research design. Comparison of effect sizes in cardiac rehabilitation studies concurrently measuring energy/fatigue, anxiety and depression suggest that exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation programs have larger effects on feelings of energy and fatigue compared with anxiety and depression. CONCLUSION: This review quantifies the potential benefit of cardiac rehabilitation exercise programs on feelings of energy and fatigue, and suggests that cardiac rehabilitation researchers and practitioners may benefit from examining, and perhaps even focusing on, feelings of energy and fatigue as an important outcome variable. A greater understanding of the effect of cardiac rehabilitation exercise programs on feelings of energy and fatigue will be reached when more true experiments are conducted thereby avoiding the primary limitation of the literature reviewed; that is, the frequent use of non-experimental research designs.     

The role of complementary and alternative therapies in cardiac rehabilitation: a systematic evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Presently, complementary and alternative medicine, including both therapies and herbal/oral supplements, is used globally. Few studies have examined the use of specific therapies, separate from herbal/oral supplements, in cardiac rehabilitation. This paper presents a systematic evaluation of current research evidence related to use of specific complementary and alternative medicine therapies in secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, with a view to making recommendations for cardiac rehabilitation. DESIGN AND METHODS: A literature search was conducted using complementary and alternative medicine websites, Medline, Allied and Complementary Medicine, CINAHL, Cochrane databases, EMBASE, SportDiscus, Clinical Evidence, and Evidence-Based Practice to locate research-based scientific evidence related to the use of complementary and alternative medicine in cardiac rehabilitation. Search keywords included heart, cardiac, cardiovascular, coronary, myocardial and rehabilitation, combined with particular therapies. Herbal/oral supplements were not included in this evaluation. RESULTS: Some complementary and alternative medicine therapies may be useful to patients by themselves or coupled with traditional cardiac rehabilitation. Tai chi, as a complement to existing exercise interventions, can be utilized for low and intermediate risk patients. transcendental meditation may be used as a stress reduction technique. There was insufficient evidence found for the use of acupuncture or chelation therapy in cardiac rehabilitation or secondary prevention. CONCLUSIONS: Some complementary and alternative medicine therapies hold promise for patients in cardiac rehabilitation. Further research is essential, however, in all areas of complementary and alternative medicine to confirm its usefulness as an adjunct to cardiac rehabilitation.     

Littoral‐cell angioma as a rare cause of splenomegaly

We report the case of a littoral‐cell angioma of the spleen, a recently described benign vascular tumour, whose imaging and pathological characteristics have been discussed only by a few authors. The diagnosis was made after elective splenectomy. The CT images, scintigraphy and histological specimens are presented, and differential diagnoses discussed.     

Multi-day radon signals with a radioactive decay limb -- occurrence and geophysical significance.

Multi-day signals, generally with duration of 2-10 days, are a prominent temporal variation type of radon (Rn) in geogas in the unsaturated zone. Rare multi-day Rn signals have been found which are characterized by: (a) a declining limb lasting up to 10 days which conforms to the radioactive decay of Rn, (b) recurs at the same location and (c) is recorded in diverse situations-volcanic and seismogenic. It suggested that a Rn blob is injected at a lower level on a steady upward flow of geogas whereby the rise and final fall of the signal are attributed to the edges of the blob while the central Rn-decay segment records the passing of the decaying blob itself. Rn-decay signals are a small subset of multi-day Rn signals which are considered as highly irregular and unusable for the understanding of geophysical processes. In difference, it is concluded that multi-day Rn signals are probably proxies of subtle geodynamic processes at upper crustal levels and are therefore significant for studying such processes.