id string | question string | context list | answer string | long_answer string | type string |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
21645374 | Do mitochondria play a role in remodelling lace plant leaves during programmed cell death? | [
"Programmed cell death (PCD) is the regulated death of cells within an organism. The lace plant (Aponogeton madagascariensis) produces perforations in its leaves through PCD. The leaves of the plant consist of a latticework of longitudinal and transverse veins enclosing areoles. PCD occurs in the cells at the cente... | yes | Results depicted mitochondrial dynamics in vivo as PCD progresses within the lace plant, and highlight the correlation of this organelle with other organelles during developmental PCD. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of mitochondria and chloroplasts moving on transvacuolar strands to form a ring structure surrounding the nucleus during developmental PCD. Also, for the first time, we have shown the feasibility for the use of CsA in a whole plant system. Overall, our findings implicate the mitochondria as playing a critical and early role in developmentally regulated PCD in the lace plant. | pqal |
16418930 | Landolt C and snellen e acuity: differences in strabismus amblyopia? | [
"Assessment of visual acuity depends on the optotypes used for measurement. The ability to recognize different optotypes differs even if their critical details appear under the same visual angle. Since optotypes are evaluated on individuals with good visual acuity and without eye disorders, differences in the lower... | no | Using the charts described, there was only a slight overestimation of visual acuity by the Snellen E compared to the Landolt C, even in strabismus amblyopia. Small differences in the lower visual acuity range have to be considered. | pqal |
9488747 | Syncope during bathing in infants, a pediatric form of water-induced urticaria? | [
"Apparent life-threatening events in infants are a difficult and frequent problem in pediatric practice. The prognosis is uncertain because of risk of sudden infant death syndrome.",
"Eight infants aged 2 to 15 months were admitted during a period of 6 years; they suffered from similar maladies in the bath: on im... | yes | "Aquagenic maladies" could be a pediatric form of the aquagenic urticaria. | pqal |
17208539 | Are the long-term results of the transanal pull-through equal to those of the transabdominal pull-through? | [
"The transanal endorectal pull-through (TERPT) is becoming the most popular procedure in the treatment of Hirschsprung disease (HD), but overstretching of the anal sphincters remains a critical issue that may impact the continence. This study examined the long-term outcome of TERPT versus conventional transabdomina... | no | Our long-term study showed significantly better (2-fold) results regarding the continence score for the abdominal approach compared with the transanal pull-through. The stool pattern and enterocolitis scores were somewhat better for the TERPT group. These findings raise an important issue about the current surgical management of HD; however, more cases will need to be studied before a definitive conclusion can be drawn. | pqal |
10808977 | Can tailored interventions increase mammography use among HMO women? | [
"Telephone counseling and tailored print communications have emerged as promising methods for promoting mammography screening. However, there has been little research testing, within the same randomized field trial, of the efficacy of these two methods compared to a high-quality usual care system for enhancing scre... | yes | The effects of the intervention were most pronounced after the first intervention. Compared to usual care, telephone counseling seemed particularly effective at promoting change among nonadherent women, the group for whom the intervention was developed. These results suggest that telephone counseling, rather than tailored print, might be the preferred first-line intervention for getting nonadherent women on schedule for mammography screening. Many questions would have to be answered about why the tailored print intervention was not more powerful. Nevertheless, it is clear that additional interventions will be needed to maintain women's adherence to mammography. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH): mammography screening, telephone counseling, tailored print communications, barriers. | pqal |
23831910 | Double balloon enteroscopy: is it efficacious and safe in a community setting? | [
"From March 2007 to January 2011, 88 DBE procedures were performed on 66 patients. Indications included evaluation anemia/gastrointestinal bleed, small bowel IBD and dilation of strictures. Video-capsule endoscopy (VCE) was used prior to DBE in 43 of the 66 patients prior to DBE evaluation.",
"The mean age was 62... | yes | DBE appears to be equally safe and effective when performed in the community setting as compared to a tertiary referral center with a comparable yield, efficacy, and complication rate. | pqal |
26037986 | 30-Day and 1-year mortality in emergency general surgery laparotomies: an area of concern and need for improvement? | [
"Emergency surgery is associated with poorer outcomes and higher mortality with recent studies suggesting the 30-day mortality to be 14-15%. The aim of this study was to analyse the 30-day mortality, age-related 30-day mortality and 1-year mortality following emergency laparotomy. We hope this will encourage prospe... | maybe | Emergency laparotomy carries a high rate of mortality, especially in those over the age of 70 years, and more needs to be done to improve outcomes, particularly in this group. This could involve increasing acute surgical care manpower, early recognition of patients requiring emergency surgery, development of clear management protocols for such patients or perhaps even considering centralisation of emergency surgical services to specialist centres with multidisciplinary teams involving emergency surgeons and care of the elderly physicians in hospital and related community outreach services for post-discharge care. | pqal |
26852225 | Is adjustment for reporting heterogeneity necessary in sleep disorders? | [
"Anchoring vignettes are brief texts describing a hypothetical character who illustrates a certain fixed level of a trait under evaluation. This research uses vignettes to elucidate factors associated with sleep disorders in adult Japanese before and after adjustment for reporting heterogeneity in self-reports. Thi... | no | Sleep disorders are common in the general adult population of Japan. Correction for reporting heterogeneity using anchoring vignettes is not a necessary tool for proper management of sleep and energy related problems among Japanese adults. Older age, gender differences in communicating sleep-related problems, the presence of multiple morbidities, and regular exercise should be the focus of policies and clinical practice to improve sleep and energy management in Japan. | pqal |
17113061 | Do mutations causing low HDL-C promote increased carotid intima-media thickness? | [
"Although observational data support an inverse relationship between high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and coronary heart disease (CHD), genetic HDL deficiency states often do not correlate with premature CHD.",
"Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) measurements were obtained in cases comprising 10 diff... | no | Genetic variants identified in the present study may be insufficient to promote early carotid atherosclerosis. | pqal |
10966337 | A short stay or 23-hour ward in a general and academic children's hospital: are they effective? | [
"We evaluated the usefulness of a short stay or 23-hour ward in a pediatric unit of a large teaching hospital, Westmead Hospital, and an academic Children's hospital, The New Children's Hospital, to determine if they are a useful addition to the emergency service.",
"This is a descriptive comparison of prospectiv... | yes | This data demonstrates the robust nature of the short stay ward. At these two very different institutions we have shown improved bed efficient and patient care in a cost-effective way. We have also reported on greater parental satisfaction and early return of the child with their family to the community. | pqal |
25432938 | Did Chile's traffic law reform push police enforcement? | [
"The objective of the current study is to determine to what extent the reduction of Chile's traffic fatalities and injuries during 2000-2012 was related to the police traffic enforcement increment registered after the introduction of its 2005 traffic law reform.",
"A unique dataset with assembled information from... | yes | Findings suggest that traffic law reforms in order to have an effect on both traffic fatality and injury rates reduction require changes in police enforcement practices. Last, this case also illustrates how the diffusion of successful road safety practices globally promoted by WHO and World Bank can be an important influence for enhancing national road safety practices. | pqal |
18847643 | Therapeutic anticoagulation in the trauma patient: is it safe? | [
"Trauma patients who require therapeutic anticoagulation pose a difficult treatment problem. The purpose of this study was to determine: (1) the incidence of complications using therapeutic anticoagulation in trauma patients, and (2) if any patient factors are associated with these complications.",
"An 18-month r... | no | Trauma patients have a significant complication rate related to anticoagulation therapy, and predicting which patients will develop a complication remains unclear. Prospective studies are needed to determine which treatment regimen, if any, is appropriate to safely anticoagulate this high risk population. | pqal |
18239988 | Differentiation of nonalcoholic from alcoholic steatohepatitis: are routine laboratory markers useful? | [
"Specific markers for differentiation of nonalcoholic (NASH) from alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH) are lacking. We investigated the role of routine laboratory parameters in distinguishing NASH from ASH.",
"Liver biopsies performed at our hospital over a 10-year period were reviewed, 95 patients with steatohepatiti... | yes | Higher MCVs and AST/ALT ratios in ASH reflect the severity of underlying liver disease and do not differentiate NASH from ASH. Instead, these biomarkers might prove useful in guiding selection of patients for liver biopsy and in targeting therapy. | pqal |
25957366 | Prompting Primary Care Providers about Increased Patient Risk As a Result of Family History: Does It Work? | [
"Electronic health records have the potential to facilitate family history use by primary care physicians (PCPs) to provide personalized care. The objective of this study was to determine whether automated, at-the-visit tailored prompts about family history risk change PCP behavior.",
"Automated, tailored prompts... | no | No change occurred upon instituting simple, at-the-visit family history prompts geared to improve PCPs' ability to identify patients at high risk for 6 common conditions. The results are both surprising and disappointing. Further studies should examine physicians' perception of the utility of prompts for family history risk. | pqal |
24866606 | Do emergency ultrasound fellowship programs impact emergency medicine residents' ultrasound education? | [
"Recent years have seen a rapid proliferation of emergency ultrasound (EUS) programs in the United States. To date, there is no evidence supporting that EUS fellowships enhance residents' ultrasound (US) educational experiences. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of EUS fellowships on emergency m... | yes | Emergency US fellowship programs had a positive impact on residents' US educational experiences. Emergency medicine residents performed more scans overall and also used bedside US for more advanced applications in programs with EUS fellowships. | pqal |
26578404 | Patient-Controlled Therapy of Breathlessness in Palliative Care: A New Therapeutic Concept for Opioid Administration? | [
"Breathlessness is one of the most distressing symptoms experienced by patients with advanced cancer and noncancer diagnoses alike. Often, severity of breathlessness increases quickly, calling for rapid symptom control. Oral, buccal, and parenteral routes of provider-controlled drug administration have been describ... | yes | Opioid PCT is a feasible and acceptable therapeutic method to reduce refractory breathlessness in palliative care patients. | pqal |
11729377 | Is there still a need for living-related liver transplantation in children? | [
"To assess and compare the value of split-liver transplantation (SLT) and living-related liver transplantation (LRT).",
"The concept of SLT results from the development of reduced-size transplantation. A further development of SLT, the in situ split technique, is derived from LRT, which itself marks the optimized... | yes | The short- and long-term outcomes after LRT and SLT did not differ significantly. To avoid the risk for the donor in LRT, SLT represents the first-line therapy in pediatric liver transplantation in countries where cadaveric organs are available. LRT provides a solution for urgent cases in which a cadaveric graft cannot be found in time or if the choice of the optimal time point for transplantation is vital. | pqal |
17096624 | Do patterns of knowledge and attitudes exist among unvaccinated seniors? | [
"To examine patterns of knowledge and attitudes among adults aged>65 years unvaccinated for influenza.",
"Surveyed Medicare beneficiaries in 5 areas; clustered unvaccinated seniors by their immunization related knowledge and attitudes.",
"Identified 4 clusters: Potentials (45%) would receive influenza vaccine t... | yes | Findings suggest that cluster analyses may be useful in identifying groups for targeted health messages. | pqal |
22694248 | Is there a model to teach and practice retroperitoneoscopic nephrectomy? | [
"Although the retroperitoneal approach has been the preferred choice for open urological procedures, retroperitoneoscopy is not the preferred approach for laparoscopy. This study aims to develop a training model for retroperitoneoscopy and to establish an experimental learning curve.",
"Fifteen piglets were opera... | yes | RPN in a porcine model is feasible and could be very useful for teaching and practicing retroperitoneoscopy. | pqal |
22990761 | Cardiovascular risk in a rural adult West African population: is resting heart rate also relevant? | [
"Elevated resting heart rate (RHR) is a neglected marker in cardiovascular risk factor studies of sub-Saharan African populations. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of elevated RHR and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and to investigate any associations between RHR and these risk facto... | yes | Significant associations were observed between RHR and several established cardiovascular risk factors. Prospective studies are needed in sub-Saharan African populations to establish the potential value of RHR in cardiovascular risk assessment. | pqal |
19394934 | Israeli hospital preparedness for terrorism-related multiple casualty incidents: can the surge capacity and injury severity distribution be better predicted? | [
"The incidence of large-scale urban attacks on civilian populations has significantly increased across the globe over the past decade. These incidents often result in Hospital Multiple Casualty Incidents (HMCI), which are very challenging to hospital teams. 15 years ago the Emergency and Disaster Medicine Division ... | yes | Hospital preparedness can be better defined by a fixed number of casualties rather than a percentile of its bed capacity. Only 20% of the arriving casualties will require immediate medical treatment. Implementation of this concept may improve the utilisation of national emergency health resources both in the preparation phase and on real time. | pqal |
11481599 | Acute respiratory distress syndrome in children with malignancy--can we predict outcome? | [
"The purpose of this study was to delineate early respiratory predictors of mortality in children with hemato-oncology malignancy who developed acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).",
"We conducted a retrospective chart review of children with malignant and ARDS who needed mechanical ventilation and were ad... | yes | Peak inspiratory pressure, PEEP, and ventilation index values could distinguish survivors from nonsurvivors by day 3. This may assist in early application of supportive nonconventional therapies in children with malignancy and ARDS. | pqal |
21669959 | Secondhand smoke risk in infants discharged from an NICU: potential for significant health disparities? | [
"Secondhand smoke exposure (SHSe) threatens fragile infants discharged from a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Smoking practices were examined in families with a high respiratory risk infant (born at very low birth weight; ventilated>12 hr) in a Houston, Texas, NICU. Socioeconomic status, race, and mental healt... | yes | The most disadvantaged families were least likely to have protective health behaviors in place to reduce SHSe and, consequently, are most at-risk for tobacco exposure and subsequent tobacco-related health disparities. Innovative SHSe interventions for this vulnerable population are sorely needed. | pqal |
23806388 | Do nomograms designed to predict biochemical recurrence (BCR) do a better job of predicting more clinically relevant prostate cancer outcomes than BCR? | [
"To examine the ability of various postoperative nomograms to predict prostate cancer-specific mortality (PCSM) and to validate that they could predict aggressive biochemical recurrence (BCR). Prostate-specific antigen (PSA), grade, and stage are the classic triad used to predict BCR after radical prostatectomy (RP... | yes | Currently available nomograms used to predict BCR accurately predict PCSM and other more clinically relevant endpoints. Moreover, not only do they significantly predict PCSM, but do so with generally greater accuracy than BCR. | pqal |
17919952 | Are reports of mechanical dysfunction in chronic oro-facial pain related to somatisation? | [
"(i) To examine the association between self-reported mechanical factors and chronic oro-facial pain. (ii) To test the hypothesis that this relationship could be explained by: (a) reporting of psychological factors, (b) common association of self-reported mechanical factors with other unexplained syndromes.",
"A ... | yes | Self-reported mechanical factors associated with chronic oro-facial pain are confounded, in part, by psychological factors and are equally common across other frequently unexplained syndromes. They may represent another feature of somatisation. Therefore the use of extensive invasive therapy such as occlusal adjustments and surgery to change mechanical factors may not be justified in many cases. | pqal |
10966943 | Amblyopia: is visual loss permanent? | [
"The records of 465 patients with an established diagnosis of age related macular degeneration who had attended a specialist macular clinic between 1990 and 1998 were scrutinised. A full clinical examination and standardised refraction had been carried out in 189 of these cases on a minimum of two occasions. Cases ... | no | Older people with a history of amblyopia who develop visual loss in the previously normal eye can experience recovery of visual function in the amblyopic eye over a period of time. This recovery in visual function occurs in the wake of visual loss in the fellow eye and the improvement appears to be sustained. | pqal |
23690198 | Implementation of epidural analgesia for labor: is the standard of effective analgesia reachable in all women? | [
"Social and cultural factors combined with little information may prevent the diffusion of epidural analgesia for pain relief during childbirth. The present study was launched contemporarily to the implementation of analgesia for labor in our Department in order to perform a 2 years audit on its use. The goal is to... | yes | Present audit shows that the process of implementation of labor analgesia was quick, successful and safe, notwithstanding the identification of one cluster of women with suboptimal response to epidural analgesia that need to be further studies, overall pregnant womens'adhesion to labor analgesia was satisfactory. | pqal |
17940352 | Does HER2 immunoreactivity provide prognostic information in locally advanced urothelial carcinoma patients receiving adjuvant M-VEC chemotherapy? | [
"To evaluate the impact of HER2 immunoreactivity on clinical outcome in locally advanced urothelial carcinoma patients who received surgery alone, or methotrexate, vinblastine, epirubicin, and cisplatin (M-VEC) as adjuvant chemotherapy.",
"We studied 114 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded specimens obtained from lo... | maybe | HER2 immunoreactivity might have a limited prognostic value for advanced urothelial carcinoma patients with adjuvant M-VEC. | pqal |
20537205 | Is halofantrine ototoxic? | [
"Halofantrine is a newly developed antimalarial drug used for the treatment of Plasmodium falciparum malaria. The introduction of this drug has been delayed because of its possible side effects, and due to insufficient studies on adverse reactions in humans. There have been no studies investigating its effect on he... | yes | Halofantrine has mild to moderate pathological effects on cochlea histology, and can be considered an ototoxic drug. | pqal |
28707539 | Visceral adipose tissue area measurement at a single level: can it represent visceral adipose tissue volume? | [
"Measurement of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) needs to be accurate and sensitive to change for risk monitoring. The purpose of this study is to determine the CT slice location where VAT area can best reflect changes in VAT volume and body weight.",
"60 plain abdominal CT images from 30 males [mean age (range) 51 ... | yes | VAT area measurement at a single level 3 cm above the lower margin of the L3 vertebra is feasible and can reflect changes in VAT volume and body weight. Advances in knowledge: As VAT area at a CT slice 3cm above the lower margin of L3 can best reflect interval changes in VAT volume and body weight, VAT area measurement should be selected at this location. | pqal |
7482275 | Necrotizing fasciitis: an indication for hyperbaric oxygenation therapy? | [
"The accepted treatment protocol for necrotizing fasciitis (NF) consists of extensive surgery and wide spectrum antibiotics. Hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO) has been recommended as adjuvant therapy for NF, improving patient mortality and outcome. However, the beneficial effect of HBO for NF remains controversial.",
... | no | The results of this study cast doubt on the suggested advantage of HBO in reducing patient mortality and morbidity when used as adjuvant therapy for NF. | pqal |
24183388 | Is the Hawkins sign able to predict necrosis in fractures of the neck of the astragalus? | [
"To assess if the Hawkins sign can predict whether or not astragalus fractures of the neck will develop avascular necrosis. It is also assessed whether the occurrence of this complication is related to the displacement of the fracture, soft tissue injury, or delay in the reduction or surgery. The results were compa... | maybe | A positive Hawkins sign rules out that the fractured talus has developed avascular necrosis, but its absence does not confirm it. | pqal |
9645785 | Is a mandatory general surgery rotation necessary in the surgical clerkship? | [
"Changes in the spectrum of general surgery and the delivery of surgical care have placed the requirement for a mandatory general surgery rotation in the surgical clerkship in question.",
"We tested the hypothesis that equal mastery of surgical clerkship objectives can be obtained in a clerkship with and without ... | no | Effective undergraduate surgical education can be offered in many specialty settings. Removal of the requirement for general surgery in clerkship may lead to a more effective use of all educational opportunities. A careful analysis of local programs and facilities is necessary before suggesting this change to other institutions. | pqal |
26298839 | Is Acupuncture Efficacious for Treating Phonotraumatic Vocal Pathologies? | [
"To investigate the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating phonotraumatic vocal fold lesions.STUDY DESIGN/",
"A total of 123 dysphonic individuals with benign vocal pathologies were recruited. They were given either genuine acupuncture (n = 40), sham acupuncture (n = 44), or no treatment (n = 39) for 6 weeks (t... | yes | The findings showed that acupuncture of voice-related acupoints could bring about improvement in vocal function and healing of vocal fold lesions. | pqal |
24153338 | Is aneurysm repair justified for the patients aged 80 or older after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage? | [
"With the advancement of an aging society in the world, an increasing number of elderly patients have been hospitalized due to aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). There is no study that compares the elderly cases of aSAH who receive the definitive treatment with those who treated conservatively. The aim of t... | yes | Better prognosis was obtained when ruptured aneurysm was repaired in the elderly than it was treated conservatively. From the results of this study, we should not hesitate to offer the definitive surgery for the elderly with aSAH. | pqal |
18534072 | Do general practice characteristics influence uptake of an information technology (IT) innovation in primary care? | [
"Recent evaluations of IT innovations in primary care have highlighted variations between centres and practices in uptake and use. We evaluated whether structural characteristics of a general practice were associated with variations in use of a web-based clinical information system underpinning a Managed Clinical N... | no | The analyses show that structural characteristics of a practice are not associated with uptake of a new IT facility, but that its use may be influenced by post-graduate education in the relevant clinical condition. For this diabetes system at least, practice nurse use was critical in spreading uptake beyond initial GP enthusiasts and for sustained and rising use in subsequent years. | pqal |
8847047 | Prognosis of well differentiated small hepatocellular carcinoma--is well differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma clinically early cancer? | [
"The purpose of this study is to examine whether or not well differentiated (w-d) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is indeed clinically early cancer.",
"Seventy six patients with solitary small HCCs up to 3 cm in diameter, who underwent hepatectomy, were observed for at least 2 years for possible recurrence. These ... | no | W-d HCCs were clinically demonstrated not to be early cancer, because there was no significant difference in disease free survival between the patients with w-d and l-d HCCs. | pqal |
10575390 | Do follow-up recommendations for abnormal Papanicolaou smears influence patient adherence? | [
"To compare adherence to follow-up recommendations for colposcopy or repeated Papanicolaou (Pap) smears for women with previously abnormal Pap smear results.",
"Retrospective cohort study.",
"Three northern California family planning clinics.",
"All women with abnormal Pap smear results referred for initial c... | no | Adherence to follow-up was low in this family planning clinic population, no matter what type of follow-up was advised. Adherence was improved by the use of up to 3 reminders. Allocating resources to effective methods for improving adherence to follow-up of abnormal results may be more important than which follow-up procedure is recommended. | pqal |
20084845 | Biomolecular identification of allergenic pollen: a new perspective for aerobiological monitoring? | [
"Accurate and updated information on airborne pollen in specific areas can help allergic patients. Current monitoring systems are based on a morphologic identification approach, a time-consuming method that may represent a limiting factor for sampling network enhancement.",
"To verify the feasibility of developin... | yes | The real-time PCR approach revealed promising results in pollen identification and quantification, even when analyzing pollen mixes. Future perspectives could concern the development of multiplex real-time PCR for the simultaneous detection of different taxa in the same reaction tube and the application of high-throughput molecular methods. | pqal |
15703931 | Does diabetes mellitus influence the efficacy of FDG-PET in the diagnosis of cervical cancer? | [
"Compared with computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET) may have additional value in the assessment of primary and recurrent cervical cancer. However, the degree of tumour uptake of (18)F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D: -glucose (FDG) uptake is sometimes influenced by di... | no | In comparison with its accuracy in non-DM patients, the accuracy of PET in cervical cancer patients with mild to moderate DM was not significantly reduced. | pqal |
18269157 | Biomechanical and wound healing characteristics of corneas after excimer laser keratorefractive surgery: is there a difference between advanced surface ablation and sub-Bowman's keratomileusis? | [
"To describe the biomechanical and wound healing characteristics of corneas after excimer laser keratorefractive surgery.",
"Histologic, ultrastructural, and cohesive tensile strength evaluations were performed on 25 normal human corneal specimens, 206 uncomplicated LASIK specimens, 17 uncomplicated sub-Bowman's ... | yes | Ophthalmic pathology and basic science research show that SBK and ASA are improvements in excimer laser keratorefractive surgery compared to conventional LASIK or PRK, particularly with regard to maintaining corneal biomechanics and perhaps moderately reducing the risk of corneal haze. However, most of the disadvantages caused by wound healing issues remain. | pqal |
25489696 | Does radiotherapy of the primary rectal cancer affect prognosis after pelvic exenteration for recurrent rectal cancer? | [
"Radiotherapy reduces local recurrence rates but is also capable of short- and long-term toxicity. It may also render treatment of local recurrence more challenging if it develops despite previous radiotherapy.",
"This study examined the impact of radiotherapy for the primary rectal cancer on outcomes after pelvi... | yes | Patients who previously received radiotherapy for primary rectal cancer treatment have worse oncologic outcomes than those who had not received radiotherapy after pelvic exenteration for locally recurrent rectal cancer. | pqal |
14599616 | Can a practicing surgeon detect early lymphedema reliably? | [
"Lymphedema may be identified by simpler circumference changes as compared with changes in limb volume.",
"Ninety breast cancer patients were prospectively enrolled in an academic trial, and seven upper extremity circumferences were measured quarterly for 3 years. A 10% volume increase or greater than 1 cm increa... | maybe | An increase of 5% in circumference measurements identified the most potential lymphedema cases compared with an academic trial. | pqal |
22537902 | Colorectal cancer with synchronous liver metastases: does global management at the same centre improve results? | [
"Synchronous liver metastases (SLM) occur in 20% of colorectal cancers (CRC). Resection of SLM and CLC can be undertaken at different centres (separate management, SM) or at the same centre (global management, GM).",
"Retrospective study of SLM and CRC resections carried out during 01/2000 - 12/2006 by SM or GM, ... | no | GM of CRC and SLM was associated with fewer procedures but did not influence overall survival. SM was associated with a longer delay and increased use of chemotherapy between procedures, suggesting that more rigorous selection of SM patients for surgery may explain the higher disease-free survival after SLM resection. | pqal |
19054501 | Is motion perception deficit in schizophrenia a consequence of eye-tracking abnormality? | [
"Studies have shown that schizophrenia patients have motion perception deficit, which was thought to cause eye-tracking abnormality in schizophrenia. However, eye movement closely interacts with motion perception. The known eye-tracking difficulties in schizophrenia patients may interact with their motion perceptio... | yes | Speed discrimination, per se, is not impaired in schizophrenia patients. The observed abnormality appears to be a consequence of impairment in generating or integrating the feedback information from eye movements. This study introduces a novel approach to motion perception studies and highlights the importance of concurrently measuring eye movements to understand interactions between these two systems; the results argue for a conceptual revision regarding motion perception abnormality in schizophrenia. | pqal |
16432652 | Transgastric endoscopic splenectomy: is it possible? | [
"We have previously reported the feasibility of diagnostic and therapeutic peritoneoscopy including liver biopsy, gastrojejunostomy, and tubal ligation by an oral transgastric approach. We present results of per-oral transgastric splenectomy in a porcine model. The goal of this study was to determine the technical ... | yes | Transgastric endoscopic splenectomy in a porcine model appears technically feasible. Additional long-term survival experiments are planned. | pqal |
19504993 | It's Fournier's gangrene still dangerous? | [
"Fournier's gangrene is known to have an impact in the morbidity and despite antibiotics and aggressive debridement, the mortality rate remains high.",
"To assess the morbidity and mortality in the treatment of Fournier's gangrene in our experience.",
"The medical records of 14 patients with Fournier's gangrene... | yes | The interval from the onset of clinical symptoms to the initial surgical intervention seems to be the most important prognostic factor with a significant impact on outcome. Despite extensive therapeutic efforts, Fournier's gangrene remains a surgical emergency and early recognition with prompt radical debridement is the mainstays of management. | pqal |
20571467 | Is it appropriate to implant kidneys from elderly donors in young recipients? | [
"Kidneys from elderly donors tend to be implanted in recipients who are also elderly. We present the results obtained after 10 years of evolution on transplanting elderly kidneys into young recipients.",
"Ninety-one consecutive transplants are studied, carried out in our center with kidneys from cadaver donors ol... | yes | We conclude that patient and graft survival on transplanting kidneys from elderly donors to young recipients is superimposable on that obtained with young donors. However, renal function is better in the group of young donors. | pqal |
24237112 | Do provider service networks result in lower expenditures compared with HMOs or primary care case management in Florida's Medicaid program? | [
"To determine the impact of Florida's Medicaid Demonstration 4 years post-implementation on per member per month (PMPM) Medicaid expenditures and whether receiving care through HMOs versus provider service networks (PSNs) in the Demonstration was associated with PMPM expenditures.DATA: Florida Medicaid claims from ... | yes | The Medicaid Demonstration in Florida appears to result in lower PMPM expenditures. Demonstration PSNs generated slightly greater reductions in expenditures compared to Demonstration HMOs. PSNs appear to be a promising model for delivering care to Medicaid enrollees. | pqal |
21402341 | Assessment of carotid artery stenosis before coronary artery bypass surgery. Is it always necessary? | [
"Extracranial internal carotid artery stenosis is a risk factor for perioperative stroke in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery (CAB). Although selective and non-selective methods of preoperative carotid screening have been advocated, it remains unclear if this screening is clinically relevant.AIM: T... | no | In our cohort, selective screening of patients aged>70 years, with carotid bruit, a history of cerebrovascular disease, diabetes mellitus or PVD would have reduced the screening load by 40%, with trivial impact on surgical management or neurological outcomes. | pqal |
20082356 | Should direct mesocolon invasion be included in T4 for the staging of gastric cancer? | [
"One of the sites most frequently invaded by gastric cancer is the mesocolon; however, the UICC does not mention this anatomical site as an adjacent structure involved in gastric cancer. The purpose of this study was to characterize and classify mesocolon invasion from gastric cancer.",
"We examined 806 patients ... | maybe | Mesocolon invasion should be included in T4 for the staging of gastric cancer. | pqal |
26606599 | Do Surrogates of Injury Severity Influence the Occurrence of Heterotopic Ossification in Fractures of the Acetabulum? | [
"To determine the relationship between injury severity surrogates and other patient factors with the development and severity of heterotopic ossification (HO) following open reduction internal fixation of acetabular fractures treated with a posterior approach.",
"Retrospective review.",
"Academic level 1 trauma... | maybe | Surrogates of injury severity, including days in the ICU and non-ICU hospital LOS>10 days, were associated with the development of HO in our cohort of acetabular fracture patients. Prophylaxis with XRT was significantly protective against the development of HO, and the ability to provide prophylaxis is very likely related to the severity of injury. | pqal |
11340218 | Does pretreatment with statins improve clinical outcome after stroke? | [
"In primary and secondary prevention trials, statins have been shown to reduce the risk of stroke. In addition to lipid lowering, statins have a number of antiatherothrombotic and neuroprotective properties. In a preliminary observational study, we explored whether clinical outcome is improved in patients who are o... | no | The statistical power of this case-referent study was such that only large beneficial effects of statins in acute stroke could be confirmed. However, the observed trend, together with experimental observations, is interesting enough to warrant a more detailed analysis of the relationship between statins and stroke outcome. | pqal |
25481573 | Processing fluency effects: can the content and presentation of participant information sheets influence recruitment and participation for an antenatal intervention? | [
"To assess the extent to which the title and font of participant information sheets (PISs) can influence pregnant women's and trainee midwives' perceptions of an antenatal intervention.",
"Pregnant women (n=35) and trainee midwives (n=36) were randomly presented with one of four PISs where the title and font of t... | yes | Font influenced pregnant women's ratings of intervention complexity. | pqal |
25277731 | Sternal fracture in growing children : A rare and often overlooked fracture? | [
"Sternal fractures in childhood are rare. The aim of the study was to investigate the accident mechanism, the detection of radiological and sonographical criteria and consideration of associated injuries.",
"In the period from January 2010 to December 2012 all inpatients and outpatients with sternal fractures wer... | maybe | Isolated sternal fractures in childhood are often due to typical age-related traumatic incidents. Ultrasonography is a useful diagnostic tool for fracture detection and radiography is the method of choice for visualization of the extent of the dislocation. | pqal |
25475395 | Is there a correlation between androgens and sexual desire in women? | [
"For women, the correlation between circulating androgens and sexual desire is inconclusive. Substitution with androgens at physiological levels improves sexual function in women who experience decreased sexual desire and androgen deficiency from surgical menopause, pituitary disease, and age-related decline in and... | yes | In the present study, FT and androstenedione were statistically significantly correlated with sexual desire in the total cohort of women. ADT-G did not correlate more strongly than circulating androgens with sexual desire and is therefore not superior to measuring circulating androgens by mass spectrometry. | pqal |
23177368 | Does immediate breast reconstruction compromise the delivery of adjuvant chemotherapy? | [
"Immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) provides psychological benefit to many early breast cancer patients however concerns persist regarding its potential impact on chemotherapy delivery. We investigated the association between IBR, complications and adjuvant chemotherapy delivery.",
"Retrospective analysis of p... | no | We found no evidence that IBR compromised the delivery of adjuvant chemotherapy, although there was a significant incidence of implant infection. | pqal |
17179167 | Human papillomavirus and pterygium. Is the virus a risk factor? | [
"Pterygium is a disease of unknown origin and pathogenesis that might be vision threatening. It is characterised by a wing-like conjunctival overgrowth of the cornea. Several studies have investigated human papillomavirus (HPV) as a risk factor for the development of pterygia, but the results are inconclusive.AIM: ... | maybe | The low presence of HPV DNA in pterygia does not support the hypothesis that HPV is involved in the development of pterygia in Denmark. | pqal |
14612308 | Can PRISM predict length of PICU stay? | [
"PRISM is claimed to score disease severity which has attributed an impact on length of PICU stay (LOS).",
"To determine the impact of PRISM on LOS, and evaluate an Artificial Neural Network's (ANN) performance to estimate LOS from PRISM item patterns.",
"Retrospectively we performed correlation and regression ... | no | The ANN with its intrinsic ability to detect non-linear correlation, and to relate specific item patterns to LOS, outperformed linear statistics but was still disappointing in estimating individual LOS. It might be speculated that therapeutic intervention modulates the natural course of the disease thus counteracting both disease severity as initially scored by PRISM, and LOS. This being true, the inverse of the correlation between PRISM (or PRISM based LOS estimate) and LOS might be a candidate indicator of quality of care. | pqal |
27491658 | Can predilatation in transcatheter aortic valve implantation be omitted? | [
"The use of a balloon expandable stent valve includes balloon predilatation of the aortic stenosis before valve deployment. The aim of the study was to see whether or not balloon predilatation is necessary in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVI).",
"Sixty consecutive TAVI patients were randomized to the ... | yes | TAVI can be performed safely without balloon predilatation and with the same early results as achieved with the standard procedure including balloon predilatation. The reduction in the number of pacing periods required may be beneficial for the patient. | pqal |
19822586 | Autoerotic asphyxiation: secret pleasure--lethal outcome? | [
"Voluntary asphyxiation among children, preteens, and adolescents by hanging or other means of inducing hypoxia/anoxia to enhance sexual excitement is not uncommon and can lead to unintended death. This study addresses autoerotic asphyxiation (AEA) with the intent of increasing pediatricians' knowledge of the syndr... | yes | Pediatricians should be alert to the earliest manifestations of AEA. Awareness of choking games among the young and, of those, a subset who eventually progress to potentially fatal AEA is strongly encouraged among all primary care professionals who may be able to interrupt the behavior. | pqal |
27643961 | Major depression and alcohol use disorder in adolescence: Does comorbidity lead to poorer outcomes of depression? | [
"Comorbid major depression (MD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD), particularly in adolescents, have been shown to be associated with poorer subsequent MD outcomes.",
"Longitudinal data were used to model associations between a four-level classification of MD/AUD during the period 15-18 years (neither; MD-only; AUD-... | no | The results of these analyses suggest that marginally higher rates of depression to age 35 amongst the comorbid MD/AUD group were explained by increased exposure to adverse childhood circumstances amongst members of the comorbid group. Adolescent MD/AUD comorbidity is likely to be a risk marker, rather than a causal factor in subsequent MD. | pqal |
23539689 | Cold preparation use in young children after FDA warnings: do concerns still exist? | [
"To characterize the use and delivery of cough and cold medicines in children younger than 6 presenting to an inner-city pediatric emergency department (PED) following 2007 FDA warnings.",
"A cross-sectional observational study was performed using a convenience sampling of PED patients during the fall of 2010. Ca... | yes | Despite current recommendations, cough and cold medicines are still used in children younger than 6 years of age. A significant portion of caregivers report that they are still unaware of public warnings, potential side effects, and interactions with other medications. | pqal |
22453060 | Does a 4 diagram manual enable laypersons to operate the Laryngeal Mask Supreme®? | [
"Bystander resuscitation plays an important role in lifesaving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). A significant reduction in the \"no-flow-time\", quantitatively better chest compressions and an improved quality of ventilation can be demonstrated during CPR using supraglottic airway devices (SADs). Previous studi... | yes | In manikin laypersons could insert LMAS in the correct direction after onsite instruction by a simple manual with a high success rate. This indicates some basic procedural understanding and intellectual transfer in principle. Operating errors (n = 91) were frequently not recognized and corrected (n = 77). Improvements in labeling and the quality of instructional photographs may reduce individual error and may optimize understanding. | pqal |
22227642 | Can we measure mesopic pupil size with the cobalt blue light slit-lamp biomicroscopy method? | [
"The aim of this work is to assess a previously described slit-lamp biomicroscopy-based method (SLBM) for measuring pupil diameter and compare it to Colvard infrared pupillometry (CIP).",
"Two examiners performed three repeated measurements with each instrument in 40 healthy eyes. We determined the agreement of S... | no | Although the SLBM is quite repeatable, it underestimates mesopic pupil size and shows a too wide range of agreement with CIP. SLBM shows low sensitivity in detecting pupils larger than 6 mm, which may be misleading when planning anterior segment surgery. Previous grading-consensus training strategies may increase interrater reproducibility, and compensation for the systematic underestimation could improve accuracy of the SLBM. | pqal |
12380309 | Should circumcision be performed in childhood? | [
"To evaluate prepuce development and retractibility in a group of boys. To point out the value of circumcision and prepucial forced dilation during childhood.",
"Prepuce development and retractibility were evaluated in 400 boys ages between 0-16 year old.",
"In boys under 1 year prepuce retractibility (assessed... | no | Incomplete separation between prepuce and glans penis is normal and common among new-borns, progressing until adolescence to spontaneous separation, at which time it is complete in the majority of boys. Accordingly to the criteria we have sustained for years and present study's findings, circumcision has few indications during childhood, as well as forced prepucial dilation. | pqal |
22186742 | Does a colonoscopy after acute diverticulitis affect its management? | [
"Medical records of 220 patients hospitalized for acute diverticulitis between June 1, 2002 and September 1, 2009 were reviewed. Acute diverticulitis was diagnosed by clinical criteria and characteristic CT findings. Fifteen patients were excluded either because of questionable CT or hematochezia. Mean age was 61.8... | no | Our results suggest that colonoscopy does not affect the management of patients with acute diverticulitis nor alter the outcome. The current practice of a routine colonoscopy after acute diverticulitis, diagnosed by typical clinical symptoms and CT needs to be reevaluated. | pqal |
22188074 | Do instrumental activities of daily living predict dementia at 1- and 2-year follow-up? | [
"To investigate whether problems in instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) can add to conventionally used clinical measurements in helping to predict a diagnosis of dementia at 1- and 2-year follow-up.",
"Multicenter prospective cohort study.",
"Memory clinics in Europe.",
"Individuals aged 55 and old... | yes | IADL disability is a useful addition to the diagnostic process in a memory clinic setting, indicating who is at higher risk of developing dementia at 1- and 2-year follow-up. | pqal |
27989969 | Does the Simultaneous Use of a Neuroendoscope Influence the Incidence of Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Infection? | [
"The relationship between the use of an endoscope during ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) procedures and infection remains poorly defined. In this study, we sought to analyze whether the simultaneous use of an endoscope could in fact increase the infection rate associated with VPS procedures.",
"This study includ... | no | In the present study, the use of an endoscope during VPS procedures did not increase the risk of surgical infection. | pqal |
18607272 | Body perception: do parents, their children, and their children's physicians perceive body image differently? | [
"To compare children's, parents' and physicians' perceptions of children's body size.",
"We administered a structured questionnaire of body size perception using a descriptive Likert scale keyed to body image figures to children ages 12 to 18 years. The same scale was given to parents of children ages 5 to 18 yea... | yes | Many children underestimated their degree of overweight. Their parents and even their attending physicians shared this misperception. This study demonstrates the need to further educate physicians to recognize obesity and overweight so that they can counsel children and their families. | pqal |
18235194 | Is a specialised training of phonological awareness indicated in every preschool child? | [
"In a prospective study 218 preschool children were enrolled (stratified in 2 training programs, one specialized for phonologic awareness in order to prevent dyslexia, the other consisting in training of general perception) during the last year of kindergarten. After finishing the first grade 131 children were comp... | maybe | A specialized training program to improve phonologic awareness as a basis for reading and writing in every kindergarten and preschool child seems to be unnecessary. However, children with temporary hearing deficits benefit from such a program. For all other children general perception training may be sufficient. | pqal |
18049437 | Is there any relationship between streptococcal infection and multiple sclerosis? | [
"Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated inflammatory demyelinating disease of uncertain etiology. Although the mechanisms of inducting autoimmunity by some of the infectious agents have been investigated, there is not yet enough research on streptococcal infections.MATERIAL/",
"To understand the effect of ... | yes | These findings indicate that a relationship between multiple sclerosis and streptococcal infections may exist, but to acquire a better understanding of the role of group A streptococci in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis, more studies with animal models are necessary. | pqal |
15597845 | Is the combination with 2-methoxyestradiol able to reduce the dosages of chemotherapeutices in the treatment of human ovarian cancer? | [
"The endogenous estradiol metabolite, 2-methoxyestradiol (2ME), has been shown to be a potent inhibitor of cell growth and a strong anti-angiogenic substance. We investigated for the first time whether in vitro combinations of 2ME with various chemotherapeutic compounds may result in an additive inhibitory effect o... | yes | 2ME is able to enhance the antiproliferative activity of certain chemotherapeutics at pharmacological relevant concentrations. This estradiol metabolite is currently in a phase II trial in patients with refractary metastatic breast cancer and the tolerability has been shown to be very good. The combination of 2ME with chemotherapeutics may therefore offer a new clinically relevant treatment regimen for hormone-dependent cancer. | pqal |
24996865 | Assessing joint line positions by means of the contralateral knee: a new approach for planning knee revision surgery? | [
"Reconstructing the natural joint line in knee revision surgery improves clinical and functional outcome but may be challenging when both cartilage and bone were removed during previous operations. Assessing joint lines (JLs) by means of bony landmarks is inadvisable because of large variations in human anatomy. Be... | yes | As a new assessment method, we have suggested to assess the JL by means of radiographs of the contralateral knee. The most precise parameter was found to be the distance between the fibular head and the JL. The level of arthritis, age, gender, visibility of the landmarks, and misalignment did not influence measurement accuracy. This parameter is the first tibia-related landmark for assessing the JL, which advantageously corresponds to the tibia-first technique in revision surgery. | pqal |
23361217 | Does the type of tibial component affect mechanical alignment in unicompartmental knee replacement? | [
"There are a number of factors responsible for the longevity of unicompartmental knee replacements (UKR). These include the magnitude of postoperative alignment and the type of material used. The effect of component design and material on postoperative alignment, however, has not been explored.",
"We retrospectiv... | yes | Patients who received a metal-backed Onlay tibial component obtained better postoperative mechanical alignment compared to those who received all-polyethylene Inlay prostheses. The thicker overall construct of Onlay prostheses appears to be an important determinant of postoperative alignment. Considering their higher survivorship rates and improved postoperative mechanical alignment, Onlay prostheses should be the first option when performing medial UKR. | pqal |
17489316 | Is tumour expression of VEGF associated with venous invasion and survival in pT3 renal cell carcinoma? | [
"To determine whether there is a relationship between VEGF expression and renal vein and vena cava invasion in stage pT3 renal cell carcinoma and to evaluate the impact of VEGF expression on survival in pT3 renal cell carcinoma.",
"78 patients with a pT3a or pT3b tumour without vena cava invasion or pT3b tumour w... | maybe | Progression of a pT3 tumour into the renal vein and vena cava is not associated with increased tumour expression of VEGF. However, VEGF is an independent prognostic factor in this group of poor prognosis renal tumours. | pqal |
14518645 | Injury and poisoning mortality among young men--are there any common factors amenable to prevention? | [
"Deaths from injury and poisoning (suicide, accidents, undetermined deaths, and homicide) are the major cause of death among young men aged 15-39 years in England and Wales and have been increasing in recent years.AIM: To describe common characteristics among young men who die from injury and poisoning.",
"We emp... | yes | Alcohol and drug use are important contributory factors to injury and poisoning deaths. More research is needed into the effects of unemployment and being single on the health of young men, and to investigate the motivations behind risk taking and self-destructive behaviour. | pqal |
20337202 | Continuation of pregnancy after antenatal corticosteroid administration: opportunity for rescue? | [
"To determine the duration of continuing pregnancy after antenatal corticosteroid (AC) administration and to evaluate the potential opportunity for rescue AC.",
"Retrospective analysis of women at 24-32 weeks' gestation who received AC at one institution.",
"Six hundred ninety-two women received AC. Two hundred... | maybe | Rescue AC may apply to only 18% of cases, and we identified subsets of more likely candidates. | pqal |
26449554 | Does either obesity or OSA severity influence the response of autotitrating CPAP machines in very obese subjects? | [
"The pressures delivered by autotitrating continuous positive airways pressure (CPAP) devices not only treat obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) effectively but also give potentially interesting physiological information about the forces impinging on the pharynx. In earlier work from this unit, we used correlations betw... | yes | In this population, neither BMI nor neck circumference nor waist circumference is predictive of autoCPAP pressure. Therefore, the previously derived algorithm does not adequately predict the fixed CPAP pressure for subsequent clinical use in these obese individuals. In addition, some subjects without OSA generated high autoCPAP pressures, and thus, the correlation between OSA severity and autoCPAP pressure was only moderate. | pqal |
26215326 | Does the clinical presentation of a prior preterm birth predict risk in a subsequent pregnancy? | [
"The objective of the study was to determine whether risk of recurrent preterm birth differs based on the clinical presentation of a prior spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB): advanced cervical dilatation (ACD), preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM), or preterm labor (PTL).",
"This retrospective cohort stud... | yes | Patients with a history of ACD are at an increased risk of having recurrent preterm birth and cervical shortening in a subsequent pregnancy compared with women with prior preterm birth associated PPROM or PTL. | pqal |
29112560 | Is the Distance Worth It? | [
"It is unclear whether traveling long distances to high-volume centers would compensate for travel burden among patients undergoing rectal cancer resection.",
"The purpose of this study was to determine whether operative volume outweighs the advantages of being treated locally by comparing the outcomes of patient... | yes | Our results indicate that when controlled for patient, tumor, and hospital factors, patients who traveled a long distance to a high-volume center had improved lymph node yield, neoadjuvant chemoradiation receipt, and 30- and 90-day mortality compared with those who traveled a short distance to a low-volume center. They also had improved 5-year survival. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/A446. | pqal |
24315783 | Aripiprazole: a new risk factor for pathological gambling? | [
"It is commonly accepted that pathological gambling results from the interaction of multiple risk factors. Among these, dopamine replacement therapy (DRT) prescribed for Parkinson disease can be cited. Another dopamine agonist, aripiprazole, could be a new risk factor. We decided to explore this potential adverse d... | yes | Adverse drug reactions were confronted with other already published case reports. Dopamine partial agonist mechanism of aripiprazole could explain the occurrence of pathological gambling. | pqal |
9381529 | Immune suppression by lysosomotropic amines and cyclosporine on T-cell responses to minor and major histocompatibility antigens: does synergy exist? | [
"Using murine models, we have shown that the lysosomotropic amine, chloroquine, is effective in the prevention of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) mediated by donor T cells reactive with recipient minor histocompatibility antigens (MiHCs). Because lysosomotropic amines can suppress major histocompatibility complex ... | yes | Lysosomotropic amines in combination with cyclosporine appear to be synergistic in the suppression of T-cell proliferation to MiHC and MHC. Use of chloroquine in combination with cyclosporine may result in improved control of GVHD. | pqal |
8985020 | Does induction chemotherapy have a role in the management of nasopharyngeal carcinoma? | [
"To assess the outcomes of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) whose treatment was determined by computerized tomography (CT) and/or magnetic resonance imaging staging and to analyze the impact of induction chemotherapy and accelerated fractionated radiotherapy.",
"The analysis is based on 122 of 143 pre... | yes | While not providing conclusive evidence, this single institution experience suggests that neoadjuvant chemotherapy for Stage IV NPC patients improves both survival and disease control. Recurrence within the irradiated volume was the most prevalent mode of failure and future studies will evaluate regimens to enhance local regional control. | pqal |
26708803 | Treatment of contralateral hydrocele in neonatal testicular torsion: Is less more? | [
"Treatment of neonatal testicular torsion has two objectives: salvage of the involved testicle (which is rarely achieved) and preservation of the contralateral gonad. The second goal universally involves contralateral testicular scrotal fixation to prevent the future occurrence of contralateral torsion. However, th... | maybe | We have demonstrated that approaching a contralateral hydrocele in cases of neonatal testicular torsion solely through a scrotal incision is safe and effective. Inguinal exploration was not performed in our study and our long-term results demonstrate that such an approach would have brought no additional benefit. In avoiding an inguinal approach we did not subject our patients to unnecessary risk of testicular or vasal injury. Contralateral hydrocele is commonly seen in cases of neonatal testicular torsion. In our experience this is a condition of minimal clinical significance and does not warrant formal inguinal exploration for treatment. This conservative management strategy minimizes the potential of contralateral spermatic cord injury in the neonate. The aims of the study were met. | pqal |
22427593 | Are normally sighted, visually impaired, and blind pedestrians accurate and reliable at making street crossing decisions? | [
"The purpose of this study is to measure the accuracy and reliability of normally sighted, visually impaired, and blind pedestrians at making street crossing decisions using visual and/or auditory information.",
"Using a 5-point rating scale, safety ratings for vehicular gaps of different durations were measured ... | maybe | Our data suggested that visually impaired pedestrians can make accurate and reliable street crossing decisions like those of normally sighted pedestrians. When using auditory information only, all subjects significantly overestimated the vehicular gap time. Our finding that blind pedestrians performed significantly worse than either the normally sighted or visually impaired subjects under the hearing only condition suggested that they may benefit from training to improve their detection ability and/or interpretation of vehicular gap times. | pqal |
11570976 | Is it Crohn's disease? | [
"Sulfasalazine is a widely used anti-inflammatory agent in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease and several rheumatological disorders. Although as many as 20% of treated patients may experience reversible, dose-dependent side effects, less frequent but potentially severe, systemic reactions have also been re... | maybe | Granulomatous myelotoxicity and enteritis developed in a 21 year old female within 3 weeks of initiating sulfasalazine for rheumatoid arthritis. Following a short course of corticosteroids, the patient had resolution of her cholestatic hepatitis, rash, eosinophilia, and gastrointestinal symptoms with no residual manifestations at 7 months follow-up. Although severe reactions to sulfasalazine are rare and unpredictable, practicing physicians should be aware of unusual clinical presentations of toxicity when prescribing sulfasalazine. | pqal |
19757704 | Is Chaalia/Pan Masala harmful for health? | [
"To determine the practices and knowledge of harmful effects regarding use of Chaalia and Pan Masala in three schools of Mahmoodabad and Chanesar Goth, Jamshed Town, Karachi, Pakistan.",
"To achieve the objective a cross-sectional design was used in three government schools of Mahmoodabad and Chanesar Goth, Jamsh... | yes | The frequency of habits of Chaalia and Pan Masala chewing, by school children in lower socio-economic areas is extremely high. The probable reasons for this high frequency are taste, the widespread use of these substances by family members and friends, low cost and easy availability. | pqal |
27592038 | Does multi-modal cervical physical therapy improve tinnitus in patients with cervicogenic somatic tinnitus? | [
"Tinnitus can be related to many different aetiologies such as hearing loss or a noise trauma, but it can also be related to the somatosensory system of the cervical spine, called cervicogenic somatic tinnitus (CST). Case studies suggest a positive effect of cervical spine treatment on tinnitus complaints in patien... | yes | Cervical physical therapy can have a positive effect on subjective tinnitus complaints in patients with a combination of tinnitus and neck complaints. Larger studies, using more responsive outcome measures, are however necessary to prove this effect. | pqal |
27044366 | Detailed analysis of sputum and systemic inflammation in asthma phenotypes: are paucigranulocytic asthmatics really non-inflammatory? | [
"The technique of induced sputum has allowed to subdivide asthma patients into inflammatory phenotypes according to their level of granulocyte airway infiltration. There are very few studies which looked at detailed sputum and blood cell counts in a large cohort of asthmatics divided into inflammatory phenotypes. T... | maybe | This study demonstrates that a significant eosinophilic inflammation is present across all categories of asthma, and that paucigranulocytic asthma may be seen as a low grade inflammatory disease. | pqal |
9792366 | Is HIV/STD control in Jamaica making a difference? | [
"To assess the impact of the comprehensive HIV/STD Control Program established in Jamaica since the late 1980s on the HIV/AIDS epidemic.",
"AIDS case reports, HIV testing of blood donors, antenatal clinic attenders (ANC), food service workers, sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic attenders, female prostitute... | yes | HIV/STD control measures appear to have slowed the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Jamaica, however a significant minority of persons continue to have unprotected sex in high risk situations. | pqal |
17562682 | Is Panton-Valentine leucocidin associated with the pathogenesis of Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia in the UK? | [
"The morbidity and mortality associated with Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL)-positive Staphylococcus aureus suggest that this toxin is a key marker of disease severity. Nevertheless, the importance of PVL in the pathogenesis of primary bacteraemia caused by S. aureus is uncertain. We have determined the prevalenc... | maybe | We found that 1.6% of S. aureus (all MSSA) from bacteraemic patients were PVL-positive. This low incidence suggests that PVL-positive S. aureus are of no particular significance as causative agents of S. aureus bacteraemia. | pqal |
15800018 | Are even impaired fasting blood glucose levels preoperatively associated with increased mortality after CABG surgery? | [
"Impaired fasting glucose (IFG) below the diagnostic threshold for diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with macrovascular pathology and increased mortality after percutaneous coronary interventions. The study goal was to determine whether pre-operative fasting blood glucose (fB-glu) is associated with an increased... | yes | The elevated risk of death after CABG surgery known previously to be associated with CDM seems also to be shared by a group of similar size that includes patients with IFG and undiagnosed DM. | pqal |
14978612 | Does positron emission tomography change management in primary rectal cancer? | [
"The influence of positron emission tomography in the management of recurrent rectal cancer is well established but its role in primary rectal cancer remains uncertain. This study therefore prospectively assesses the impact of position emission tomography scanning on the management of primary rectal cancer.",
"Fo... | yes | Position emission tomography scanning appears to accurately change the stage or appropriately alter the therapy of almost a third of patients with advanced primary rectal cancer. In view of this, we suggest that position emission tomography scanning be considered part of standard workup for such patients, particularly if neoadjuvant chemoradiation is being considered as part of primary management. | pqal |
18843057 | Can you deliver accurate tidal volume by manual resuscitator? | [
"One of the problems with manual resuscitators is the difficulty in achieving accurate volume delivery. The volume delivered to the patient varies by the physical characteristics of the person and method. This study was designed to compare tidal volumes delivered by the squeezing method, physical characteristics an... | no | The tidal volume delivered by a manual resuscitator shows large variations. There were significant differences in the volume delivered by compression methods, but physical characteristics are not a predictor of tidal volume delivery. The manual resuscitator is not a suitable device for accurate ventilation. | pqal |
23076787 | Can increases in the cigarette tax rate be linked to cigarette retail prices? | [
"To explain China's cigarette pricing mechanism and the role of the Chinese State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA) on cigarette pricing and taxation.",
"Published government tobacco tax documentation and statistics published by the Chinese STMA are used to analyse the interrelations among industry profits, ... | no | Numerous studies have found that taxation is one of the most effective policy instruments for tobacco control. However, these findings come from countries that have market economies where market forces determine prices and influence how cigarette taxes are passed to the consumers in retail prices. China's tobacco industry is not a market economy; therefore, non-market forces and the current Chinese tobacco monopoly system determine cigarette prices. The result is that tax increases do not necessarily get passed on to the retail price. | pqal |
9199905 | Vertical lines in distal esophageal mucosa (VLEM): a true endoscopic manifestation of esophagitis in children? | [
"We observed an endoscopic abnormally in a group of children with histological esophagitis. We termed this finding \"vertical lines in esophageal mucosa\" (VLEM). We examined the relationship between the presence of VLEM and significant histologic changes in esophageal mucosal biopsies.",
"Between January 1, 1992... | yes | Histology usually demonstrated moderate to severe inflammation when VLEM were present. VLEM may be a highly specific endoscopic feature of esophagitis in children. | pqal |
23999452 | Does hypoglycaemia increase the risk of cardiovascular events? | [
"Hypoglycaemia caused by glucose-lowering therapy has been linked to cardiovascular (CV) events. The ORIGIN trial provides an opportunity to further assess this relationship.",
"A total of 12 537 participants with dysglycaemia and high CV-risk were randomized to basal insulin glargine titrated to a fasting glucos... | yes | Severe hypoglycaemia is associated with an increased risk for CV outcomes in people at high CV risk and dysglycaemia. Although allocation to insulin glargine vs. standard care was associated with an increased risk of severe and non-severe hypoglycaemia, the relative risk of CV outcomes with hypoglycaemia was lower with insulin glargine-based glucose-lowering therapy than with the standard glycaemic control. Trial Registration (ORIGIN ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT00069784). | pqal |
22534881 | Does the radiographic transition zone correlate with the level of aganglionosis on the specimen in Hirschsprung's disease? | [
"The correlation between radiographic transition zone on contrast enema in Hirschsprung's disease and the total length of aganglionosis is known to be inaccurate. The aim of our study was to analyse this correlation more precisely to improve preoperative planning of the corrective surgery.",
"From 1998 to 2009, 7... | no | Correlation between level of radiographic transition zone on contrast enema and length of aganglionosis remains low. Systematic preoperative biopsy by coelioscopy or ombilical incision is mandatory. | pqal |
24785562 | Is dexamethasone an effective alternative to oral prednisone in the treatment of pediatric asthma exacerbations? | [
"A short course of systemic corticosteroids is an important therapy in the treatment of pediatric asthma exacerbations. Although a 5-day course of oral prednisone or prednisolone has become the most commonly used regimen, dexamethasone has also been used for a shorter duration (1-2 days) with potential for improvem... | yes | The current literature suggests that dexamethasone can be used as an effective alternative to prednisone in the treatment of mild to moderate acute asthma exacerbations in children, with the added benefits of improved compliance, palatability, and cost. However, more research is needed to examine the role of dexamethasone in hospitalized children. | pqal |
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