Suprapubic catheters: a comparison of suprapubic versus urethral catheters in the treatment of acute urinary retention

Sixty patients presenting with acute urinary retention were randomly allocated to treatment with either suprapubic or urethral catheters. An initial specimen of urine was obtained for bacteriological culture and organism count. Subsequently, repeat specimens of urine were obtained at intervals of 2 days until the catheter was removed. The results of these cultures showed that suprapubic catheters caused less urinary tract infection (P less than 0.05). In addition, suprapubic catheters were more comfortable for the patients, easier to manage and more cost-effective. In patients with suprapubic catheters, their ability to void could be assessed prior to removal of the catheter, thus avoiding the need for recatheterization. It was concluded that patients presenting with acute urinary retention should be routinely treated by drainage using suprapubic catheters.     

Meta‐analysis: Association between hepatitis B virus preS mutation and hepatocellular carcinoma risk

Previous observational studies suggested that hepatitis B virus (HBV) preS mutation plays an important role in the existence of HBV‐related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the results are still debatable. With an increasing number of studies about this topic, this study employed a meta‐analysis to identify the association between HBV preS mutation and HCC risk. We searched for eligible studies from PubMed, ProQuest, CINAHL, ScienceDirect and Springer databases to assess the association between HBV mutation and HCC risk. This meta‐analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.3 to provide pooled estimate for odds ratio (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Twenty‐one clinical studies were included in this meta‐analysis study which consisted of 1738 participants with HBV‐related HCC and 3740 HBsAg‐positive patients without HCC. All studies used samples of Asian population. PreS deletion was the most common mutation found in all studies. We found that ORs of HBV overall preS deletion was associated with HCC (OR = 3.28; 95% CI = 2.32‐4.65; P < .00001; random‐effects model). Each preS1 and preS2 deletion was associated with increased risk of HCC, with OR 2.42 (95% CI = 1.25‐4.68, P = .008) and 3.36 (95% CI = 2.04‐5.55, P < .00001), respectively. PreS2 start codon mutation was also significantly associated with HCC risk (OR = 2.47; 95% CI: 1.15‐5.27; P = .02; random‐effect model). The result of this meta‐analysis suggested that HBV preS deletion (all, preS1 and preS2) and preS2 start codon mutation might contribute to the increased risk of HBV‐related HCC.     

Factors that affect the development of nurses’ competencies: a systematic review

Objective

To investigate factors affecting the development of nursing competency based on a review of the literature.

Prognostic Significance of Fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 3 Internal Tandem Duplication Mutation in Non-Transplant Adult Patients with Acute Myeloblastic Leukemia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Fms-like tyrosine kinase-3, internal tandem duplication (FLT3-ITD) mutation, is a known predictor for worse outcome in patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML). However, the prognostic significance of FLT3-ITD mutation in adult, non-transplant patients is still unclear therefore we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to explain this issue. The main outcome was overall survival (OS), while additional outcomes included event-free survival (EFS). Methods: Seven Databases (ScienceDirect, Scopus, PubMed, Cochrane, SpringerLink, ProQuest, and EBSCOhost) were searched up to August 2020.  Studies investigating the prognostic value of AML in adults with FLT3-ITD mutational status were selected. Studies which patients had received transplantation, diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) or secondary AML were excluded. The selected studies were divided into subgroups based on their cytogenetic profile. Summary hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using fixed-effects models. Heterogeneity tests were conducted and presented in I2 value. Forest plot was presented to facilitate understanding of the results. Publication bias was analyzed by Funnel Plot test. Results: A total of ten studies describing research conducted from 1999 to 2020, met the inclusion criteria for this study. Nine studies reported OS and four studies reported EFS in HR. The highest HR for OS is 6.33 (95% CI, 2.61-15.33; p < 0.001), for EFS is 3.58 (95% CI, 1.59 – 8.05); p = 0.002)., while the lowest for OS is 1.33 (95% CI, 0.88-2.01; P = 0.174) and for EFS is 1.29 (95% CI, 0.75-2.23; p = 0.34). Nine studies were included in meta-analysis with HR for OS 1.91 (95% CI, 1.59–2.30, p < 0.00001), whereas 4 studies were included in meta-analysis for EFS with HR 1.64 (95% CI, 1.25–2.14; p = 0.0003). Conclusion: FLT3-ITD mutation is associated with worse prognosis in adult, non-transplant patients with AML, both for OS and EFS.     

Effect of Peak Current Density on Tensile Properties of AZ31B Magnesium Alloy

An investigation into the effects, including the athermal effect, of a pulsed current on AZ31B magnesium alloy was carried out. Different peak current densities were applied at the same temperature under uniaxial tensile testing. The results indicate that the stress reduction caused by the increasing peak current density is independent of temperature. The strain hardening coefficient also shows a similar trend. The fracture strain shows the optimum value due to the current crowding effect.     

A novel model of insulin-dependent diabetes with renal and retinal lesions by transgenic expression of CaMKIIalpha (Thr286Asp) in pancreatic beta-cells

BACKGROUND: The activation of Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) in pancreatic beta-cells has been thought to play a central role in Ca(2+)-mediated insulin secretion. However, the physiological and pathological significance of CaMKII activation in pancreatic beta-cells has never been investigated in vivo. METHODS: We generated transgenic (TG) mice overexpressing the constitutively active-type CaMKIIalpha (Thr286Asp) in beta-cells. The mice were extensively examined histologically and biochemically. Time-course changes of blood glucose, haemoglobin A(1C) and insulin were also determined. RESULTS: Western blot and immunohistochemical analyses showed overexpression of CaMKIIalpha proteins in pancreatic beta-cells of TG mice. All TG mice developed severe hypoinsulinaemic diabetes by P28. In vivo BrdU labelling analysis revealed that cell proliferation in TG islets is severely impaired. Immunohistochemical examination revealed accumulations of NF-kappaB in nuclei of TG beta-cells at P21, which are associated with DNA laddering, a hallmark of apoptosis. At P28, pancreatic and serum insulin levels were both significantly (p < 0.05) lower in TG mice (0.037 +/- 0.005 ng/microg and 0.50 +/- 0.01 ng/mL) than in wild-type mice (0.997 +/- 0.093 ng/microg and 2.50 +/- 0.22 ng/mL). TG mice at P140 showed enlargement of kidney, mesangial expansion and glomerulosclerosis, which are associated with urinary albumin excretion. TG mice at P140-P168 developed severe retinal lesions such as disrupted ganglion cells and showed a flat pattern in electroretinography. CONCLUSIONS: The TG mice established herein will be valuable as a novel model of severe insulin-dependent diabetes accompanied by an early progression of diabetic micro-vascular complications. Copyright (c) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.