COVID-19 and Infant Hospitalizations for Seasonal Respiratory Virus Infections,New Zealand, 2020

In March 2020, a national elimination strategy for coronavirus disease was introduced in New Zealand. Since then, hospitalizations for lower respiratory tract infection among infants <2 years of age and cases of respiratory syncytial or influenza virus infection have dramatically decreased. These findings indicate additional benefits of coronavirus disease control strategies.     

急性下肢缺血性疾病的介入治疗

目的 探讨应用介入方法治疗急性下肢缺血性疾病的临床效果及安全性。方法 21例患按基础病因不同分为两组,对无患肢慢性缺血史给予单纯动脉内灌注尿激酶,对存在有患肢慢性缺血史在给予适当尿激酶30万u后,应用超滑导丝通过闭塞段,顺导丝送入球囊导管行PTA术。结果 第1组8例,获得成功,1例于术后第3天死于急性左心功能不全;第2组9例获得成功,3例在发病5日后行截肢术。结论 (1)多种介入方法联合治疗急性下肢缺血临床效果可靠。(2)基础性病因是决定介入方法选择的首要因素。     

一氧化氮对犬下食管括约肌压力的作用

目的 :应用苄基二甲基十四烷氯化铵 (benzyldim ethyltetradecyl amm onium chloride,BAC)建立犬下食管括约肌(L ES)无神经动物模型 ,研究一氧化氮 (NO)对 L ES压力的作用。方法 :将 BAC环周注入犬 L ES,对照组注入等量生理盐水 ,均于注射前及注射后 6周测定 L ES压力 ;并观察 L -精氨酸、D -精氨酸、硝普钠及一氧化氮合酶 (NOS)抑制剂 N-硝基 - L -精氨酸 (L - NNA)对 L ES压力的影响 ;此外还测定了两组犬 L ES中 NO含量和 NOS活性。结果 :BAC处理组 L ES压力 [(4 2 .43±4.19) m m Hg,1m m Hg=0 .133 k Pa]显著高于对照组 [(2 2 .71± 5 .19) mm Hg]。 L -精氨酸可使对照组 L ES压力降低 ;L - NNA使其增高 ,但对 BAC处理组 L ES压力均无影响。硝普钠可降低两组犬 L ES压力。对照组 L ES中 NO为 (6 .0 5 8± 2 .0 6 7)μm ol/g,NOS为 (1.45 8± 0 .146 ) U /mg;而 BAC处理组 NO为 (1.797± 0 .873)μmol/g,NOS为 (0 .46 3± 0 .0 39) U /m g,均较对照组显著降低 (P<0 .0 1)。 结论 :BAC可使犬 L ES压力增高 ,其机制可能与 L ES局部 NO减少有关。     

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and risk of prostatic diseases: Roles of insulin resistance

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the liver component of metabolic syndrome, is considered to be associated with high risk of prostatic diseases but a systematic review has not been conducted. Under a comprehensive review of the eligible clinical studies, a potential positive association between NAFLD and benign prostatic hyperplasia/prostate cancer (BPH/PCa) has been postulated. Insulin resistance and metabolic aberrations are considered to be the potential mechanism for such association. However, the relationship between NAFLD and other prostatic diseases, that is, prostatic inflammation and lower urinary tract symptoms, seems vague due to limited relevant studies in the literatures. The present review highlights that clinicians should be conscious of the detrimental effect of NAFLD on the development of BPH and PCa.     

Outcomes and complications of naftopidil versus tamsulosin for elderly men with lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the outcomes and complications of naftopidil in treating elderly men with lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia and compared them with those administered with tamsulosin. A literature review was performed to identify the available randomised controlled trials concerning the comparison between naftopidil and tamsulosin for men with LUTS/BPH. We searched the following databases: the Cochrane Library Database, PubMed, Embase and Web of Science. Eleven publications involving 1,114 men (557 in the naf group and 557 in the tam group) were pooled in our analysis. We found no significant differences in the total IPSS, IPSS storage score, IPSS voiding score, quality of life index, peak urinary flow rate, average flow rate and post-void residual volumes. We assessed cardiovascular and sexual adverse events, acute urinary retention, surgical intervention, withdrawals due to any reason and withdrawals due to adverse events. The incidence of adverse events was similar among patients in naf and tam groups. In conclusion, naftopidil shared comparable efficacy and similar incidence of adverse events with tamsulosin and appears to be a promising agent for and alternative to tam. However, more prospective trials with high quality and long-term treatment duration are needed to verify this observation.     

Is there relationship between serum uric acid levels and lower urinary tract symptoms,prostate volume,and PSA in men without cancer? A prospective population-based study

There are conflicting results about uric acid (UA) effect on the prostate. We investigated the relationship between UA and PSA, free PSA, prostate volume and international prostate symptoms score (IPSS) in benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). This study was conducted in BPH men without cancer who were referred for annual health workup (N = 910) from 2017 to 2020. The mean ages were 67.28 ± 9.2 years. UA was positively related to IPSS and PSA (r = 0.210, p = .023 and r = 0.156, p = .041 respectively) and also negatively related to free/total PSA ratio (r = −0.332, p = .01) but not related to prostate volume (r = 0.036, p = .696). After adjustment for age, BMI and prostate volume, there were significant relationships between hyperuricaemia and PSA, free/total PSA ratio, and IPSS (95% CI: 0.254–1.645, OR = 0.647, p = .039; 95% CI: 0.076–0.899, OR = 0.270, p = .033 and 95% CI: 1.011–3.386, OR = 1.851, p = .038 respectively). These results should be considered during the general assessment of the patients with BPH. The findings raise the possible hypothesis of relationship between serum UA with IPSS and PSA which should be investigated by future studies.     

The clinical utility of a decision-aid to facilitate the use of the hand in real-life activities of patients with distal radius fractures: A case study

BackgroundOccupation-based intervention (OBI) in hand therapy has shown superior benefits in patient-reported performance and physical measures; however, only a few studies have used OBI. We developed a decision-aid to promote the use of an injured hand in the real world (Aid for Decision-making in Occupation Choice for hand; ADOC-H)PurposeTo investigate the clinical utility of the ADOC-H (paper version) in patients with distal radius fractures.Study DesignA prospective case series and a clinical survey for occupational therapists.MethodsThis study comprised a prospective patient case series of 8 patients with distal radius fractures, treated using Volar locking plates, and a clinical survey of 4 experienced occupational therapists.ResultsNo patient or therapist complaints or drop-outs were reported. Active range of motion (wrist), Grip strength, and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand scores improved for all patients. The ADOC-H induced 158 activities using the injured hand, with activities of daily living (69.8%) selected earlier in the treatment period, and instrumental activities of daily living (63.3%) selected later. The feedback and case studies suggested that the ADOC-H was useful for patients who were afraid of using the hand and, interestingly, patients who were able to use their hand without pain or other problems. The clinical survey showed that most therapists found the ADOC-H effective in facilitating real-life use of an injured hand.ConclusionsThe ADOC-H paper version is an useful tool that can be applied to facilitate patients with distal radius fractures to use their injured hands in real-life settings.