Mortality Rates and a Clinical Predictive Model for the Elderly on Maintenance Hemodialysis: A Large Observational Cohort Study of 17,354 Asian Patients.

INTRODUCTION: Mortality following hemodialysis initiation may influence the decision to initiate hemodialysis in elderly patients. Our objective is to demonstrate mortality following hemodialysis initiation in elderly patients (≥70 years) and to derive a prediction risk score based on clinical and laboratory indicators to determine risk of all-cause mortality in patients aged ≥80 years. METHODS: We identified elderly patients (≥70 years) who initiated maintenance hemodialysis between January 2005 and December 2016 using data from the Thai Renal Replacement Therapy (TRT) registry. The mortality rate was determined based on age categories. A predictive risk score for all-cause mortality was created for 4,451 patients aged ≥80 years by using demographics, laboratory values, and interview-based parameters. Using a flexible parametric survival analysis, we predicted mortality 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 5 years, and 10 years after hemodialysis initiation. RESULTS: 17,354 patients (≥70 years) were included, mean age 76.9 ± 5.1 years, 46.5% male, and 6,309 (36.4%) died. Patients aged <80 years had a median survival time of 110.6 months. A 9-point risk score was developed to predict mortality in patients aged ≥80 years: age >85 years, male, body mass index <18.5 kg/m2, hemoglobin <10.0 g/dL, albumin <3.5 g/dL, substantial assistance required in daily living (1 point each), and Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) score <50 (3 points). C-statistic of 0.797 indicated high model discrimination. Internal validation demonstrated good agreement between observed and anticipated mortalities. CONCLUSIONS: Hemodialysis is appropriate for patients aged 70-80 years. A risk score for mortality in patients aged ≥80 years has been developed. The score is based on seven readily obtainable and evaluable clinical characteristics.

External validation of the CARDOT score for predicting respiratory complications after thoracic surgery.

BACKGROUND: The CARDOT scores have been developed for prediction of respiratory complications after thoracic surgery. This study aimed to externally validate the CARDOT score and assess the predictive value of preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) for postoperative respiratory complication. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of consecutive thoracic surgical patients at a single tertiary hospital in northern Thailand was conducted. The development and validation datasets were collected between 2006 and 2012 and from 2015 to 2021, respectively. Six prespecified predictive factors were identified, and formed a predictive score, the CARDOT score (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status, right-sided operation, duration of surgery, preoperative oxygen saturation on room air, thoracotomy), was calculated. The performance of the CARDOT score was evaluated in terms of discrimination by using the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AuROC) curve and calibration. RESULTS: There were 1086 and 1645 patients included in the development and validation datasets. The incidence of respiratory complications was 15.7% (171 of 1086) and 22.5% (370 of 1645) in the development and validation datasets, respectively. The CARDOT score had good discriminative ability for both the development and validation datasets (AuROC 0.789 (95% CI 0.753-0.827) and 0.758 (95% CI 0.730-0.787), respectively). The CARDOT score showed good calibration in both datasets. A high NLR (≥ 4.5) significantly increased the risk of respiratory complications after thoracic surgery (P < 0.001). The AuROC curve of the validation cohort increased to 0.775 (95% CI 0.750-0.800) when the score was combined with a high NLR. The AuROC of the CARDOT score with the NLR showed significantly greater discrimination power than that of the CARDOT score alone (P = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: The CARDOT score showed a good discriminative performance in the external validation dataset. An addition of a high NLR significantly increases the predictive performance of CARDOT score. The utility of this score is valuable in settings with limited access to preoperative pulmonary function testing.

Survival rates in comprehensive conservative care compared to dialysis therapy in elderly end-stage kidney disease patients: a propensity score analysis.

Initiating dialysis therapy in elderly patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) is a challenging decision. We aimed to examine the mortality rates among elderly patients who underwent hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, or comprehensive conservative care. This retrospective cohort study included elderly patients (≥70 years) with ESKD who selected their treatment options from January 2008 to December 2018. Patients were categorized into three groups: hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and comprehensive conservative care. The outcome of interest was all-cause mortality analyzed using flexible parametric survival models. Propensity score analysis with inverse probability treatment weighting technique was performed, incorporating age, Charlson Comorbidity Index score, and estimated glomerular filtration rate. The study included 719 elderly ESKD patients with mean age of 78.2 ± 4.9 years, 52.3% were male, and 60.1% died during the median follow-up period of 22.1 months. In a fully adjusted model, patients receiving comprehensive conservative care (n = 50) had higher mortality rates than those receiving hemodialysis (n = 317) (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 5.60; 95% CI 2.26-13.84, p < 0.001). However, patients who received peritoneal dialysis (n = 352) had a similar mortality rate when compared to those who received hemodialysis (adjusted HR 1.38; 95% CI 0.78-2.44, p = 0.275). The higher mortality rate in the comprehensive conservative care group remained significantly higher than in the hemodialysis group among patients aged ≥80 years (adjusted HR 4.97; 95% CI 1.32-18.80, p = 0.018). Among elderly patients (≥70 years), treatment with dialysis was associated with longer survival rates. This survival advantage persisted in patients aged ≥80 years who chose hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis over comprehensive conservative care.

The Predictive Factors Associated with In-Hospital Mortality of Melioidosis: A Cohort Study.

Background and Objectives: Melioidosis is an infectious disease caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, and it has a wide range of clinical symptoms. It is endemic in tropical areas, including Southeast Asia. Despite the availability of effective treatment, the mortality rate is still high, especially in patients presenting with septic shock. The aim of this study was to determine and explore clinical characteristics, microbiology, treatment outcomes, and factors associated with in-hospital mortality which could predict prognosis and provide a guide for future treatment. Materials and Methods: The population in this retrospective cohort study included all 262 patients with a diagnosis of melioidosis who were hospitalized at Surin Hospital, Surin, Thailand, from April 2014 to March 2017. We included patients older than 15 years with a positive culture for B. pseudomallei. Data regarding the clinical characteristics, microbiology, and treatment outcomes of the patients were collected and analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups dependent on outcome, specifically non-survival and survival. Logistic regression was performed to determine the risk factors associated with in-hospital mortality. Results: Out of the 262 patients with melioidosis during the study period, 117 (44.7%) patients died. The mean age was 57.2 ± 14.4 years, and 193 (73.7%) patients were male. The most common comorbidity was diabetes (123, 46.9%), followed by chronic kidney disease (35, 13.4%) and chronic liver disease (31, 11.8%). Four risk factors were found to be associated with in-hospital mortality, including age (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.04, 95%CI: 1.01-1.07), respiration rate (aOR 1.18, 95%CI: 1.06-1.32), abnormal chest X-ray finding (aOR 4.79, 95%CI: 1.98-11.59), and bicarbonate levels (CO2) (aOR 0.92, 95%CI: 0.85-0.99). Conclusions: Our study identified age, respiration rate, abnormal chest X-ray finding, and CO2 levels are predictive factors associated with in-hospital mortality in melioidosis patients. Physicians should be aware of these factors, have access to aggressive treatment options, and closely monitor patients with these risk factors.

Prognostic factors of postoperative Hirschsprung-associated enterocolitis: a cohort study.

PURPOSE: To identify prognostic factors of postoperative Hirschsprung-associated enterocolitis (HAEC). METHOD: A retrospective cohort study of Hirschsprung patients between 2006 and 2021 was conducted. Patients with anorectal malformation and non-definitive surgery were excluded. Associated factors for postoperative HAEC were reported with hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: Forty-nine patients were excluded due to concurrent anorectal malformation and incomplete data. Of 274 patients, 75 patients (27.4%) had at least one episode of postoperative HAEC. There were 28 patients (37.3%) who had multi-episodes of HAEC. The total episodes of post-operative HAEC in this study were 121 episodes (36.8%). In multivariable survival analysis, significant factors associated with postoperative HAEC were the aganglionic level above sigmoid colon (HR = 3.47, p = 0.023, 95% CI 1.19-10.09), and total colonic aganglionosis (HR = 14.83, p = 0.004, 95% CI 2.33-94.40). The patients who experienced clinical enterocolitis before 2 weeks after surgery significantly developed more postoperative HAEC (HR = 5.32, p = 0.038, % CI 1.09-25.92). The incidence of postoperative HAEC was increase in patients with postoperative obstructive symptoms (48.0%). One patient died due to severe sepsis from postoperative HAEC, while three others required intensive care. CONCLUSIONS: The long involvement of aganglionic segment and early postoperative HAEC was significantly associated with postoperative HAEC. Frequent follow-up, parental education, and early treatment are recommended in these individuals, particularly in the first year after surgery.

The Role of Proteomics and Phosphoproteomics in the Discovery of Therapeutic Targets and Biomarkers in Acquired EGFR-TKI-Resistant Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

The discovery of potent EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) has revolutionized the treatment of EGFR-mutated lung cancer. Despite the fact that EGFR-TKIs have yielded several significant benefits for lung cancer patients, the emergence of resistance to EGFR-TKIs has been a substantial impediment to improving treatment outcomes. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying resistance is crucial for the development of new treatments and biomarkers for disease progression. Together with the advancement in proteome and phosphoproteome analysis, a diverse set of key signaling pathways have been successfully identified that provide insight for the discovery of possible therapeutically targeted proteins. In this review, we highlight the proteome and phosphoproteomic analyses of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) as well as the proteome analysis of biofluid specimens that associate with acquired resistance in response to different generations of EGFR-TKI. Furthermore, we present an overview of the targeted proteins and potential drugs that have been tested in clinical studies and discuss the challenges of implementing this discovery in future NSCLC treatment.

Perioperative outcomes of non-intubated versus intubated video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in different thoracic procedures: a propensity score-matched analysis.

BACKGROUND: Non-intubated video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (NIVATS) is increasingly performed in different types of thoracic procedures. Based on the anesthetic perspective, the outcomes of this method are limited. General anesthesia with intubation and controlled ventilation for video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (IVATS) is a standard technique. The current study aimed to compare the pulmonary gas exchange between NIVATS and IVATS, with a focus on desaturation event. METHODS: This was a retrospective study conducted at Vajira Hospital. Data were collected from the hospital medical record database between January 9, 2019, and May 15, 2020. A propensity score-matched analysis was used to adjust the confounders by indications and contraindication between NIVATS and IVATS. The perioperative outcomes of VATS and NIVATS were compared by the regression analysis method. RESULTS: In total, 180 patients were included in the analysis. There were 98 and 82 patients in the NIVATS and IVATS groups, respectively. After a propensity score matching, the number of patients with similar characteristics decreased to 52 per group. None of the patients in both groups experienced desaturation. The lowest oxygen saturation of the NIVATS and IVATS groups did not significantly differ (96.5% vs. 99%, respectively; p = 0.185). The NIVATS group had a significantly higher ETCO2 peak than the IVATS group (43 vs. 36 mmHg, respectively; p < 0.001). According to the regression analysis, the NIVATS group had a significantly shorter anesthetic induction time (Mean difference (MD) = -5.135 min (95% CI = (- 8.878)- (-1.391)) and lower volume of blood loss (MD = -75.565 ml (95%CI = (- 131.08)-(- 20.65) but a higher intraoperative ETCO2 than the IVATS group (MD = 4.561 mmHg (95%CI = 1.852-7.269). Four patients in the NIVATS group required conversion to intubation due to difficulties encountered when using the surgical technique (7.7%, p = 0.041). Seven patients in the IVATS group, but none in the NIVATS group, presented with sore throat (13.5% vs. 0%, respectively; p = 0.006). Moreover, none of the patients in both groups experienced postoperative pneumonia, underwent reoperation, or died. CONCLUSIONS: The anesthetic and surgical outcomes of NIVATS were comparable to those of IVATS.

The Influence of Left Ventricular Dysfunction on The Early and Midterm Outcome in The Patients Undergoing Off Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Assessed by Propensity Matched Score Analysis.

BACKGROUND: It still remains unclear the depth of influence of left ventricular dysfunction on the recovery of patients' physical conditions in the early and midterm period following off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB). METHODS: From April 2011 to May 2018, 851 patients underwent OPCAB in our center. All were grouped into two groups: Those whose ejection fraction (EF) was under 35% were defined as the Low EF group (N = 158) and those who maintained EF over 35% were defined as the Faired EF group (N = 693). Preoperatively, there was significant difference in NYHA class (P < 0.001), CCS class (P = 0.038), level of creatinine (P < 0.001), and rate of establishment of IABP (P < 0.001). RESULTS: Regarding all-cause death in the early postoperative period, low EF was a not a risk factor in patients (P = 0.52) or in the matched cohort (P = 0.398); however, in the midterm, it was a significant risk factor in patients (HR 2.07, P = 0.016) and in the matched cohort (HR 2.72, P = 0.029). Overall survival at 5 years in the Low EF group was significantly inferior to that of the Faired EF group in all (67.4±4.1% and 86.1±2.9%, P = 0.001) and in the matched cohort (66.5±6.4% vs. 86.5±4.5%, P = 0.008). CONCLUSION: OPCAB seems beneficial for patients with LV dysfunction considering the early outcome, however, low EF is a significant risk factor for overall death in the midterm period.

Intravitreal Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Therapy for Diabetic Macular Edema in Clinical Practice of Single Center: Three-Year Outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to explore visual and anatomical outcomes in patients who underwent intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injection for visual impairment from center-involved diabetic macular edema (CI-DME) in clinical practice. METHODS: Medical records of consecutive CI-DME patients who initiated treatment with intravitreal bevacizumab injection between January 2012 and December 2016 and were followed for at least 12 months were retrospectively reviewed. Visual and anatomical changes after treatment over a 36-month period were evaluated. RESULTS: There were 286 patients (423 eyes) with a mean (standard deviation, SD) age of 56.8 (8.5) years included in this study. One hundred and forty-six (51%) patients were female, and 137 (47.9%) patients received bilateral eye treatment. Mean (SD) presenting visual acuity (VA) of overall eyes was 50.2 (19.6) letter scores. Stratified by baseline vision, eyes with initial VA worse than 20/40 achieved a statistically significant VA improvement, compared to baseline, by +8.4, +6.9, and +5.4 letters at 12, 24, and 36 months, respectively, with all p values <0.001. However, when initial VA was 20/40 and better, a non-statistically significant change in mean VA by +2.0, -3.5, and -3.6 letters were noted at the same time point (p value between 0.078 and 0.273). Unlike visual changes, a statistically significant decline in central subfield thickness compared to baseline was noted at the end of months 12, 24, and 36 in both initial VA subgroups (all p values <0.001). Nevertheless, even though the median number of given injections considerably decreased from 6 in the first 12 months to 2 in the second 12-month period and 1 in the final 12-month interval, required ophthalmic clinic visits decreased in frequency with median numbers of 10, 7, and 6 appointments in each consecutive 12-month duration. CONCLUSION: This study supports the benefits of practical intravitreal anti-VEGF utilization to manage CI-DME in real-world settings. The improvement of vision in eyes presenting with poor baseline VA and maintenance of vision in eyes with better baseline VA were demonstrated through the 3-year review of each case. However, the burden of frequent monitoring warrants further evaluation of long-term compliance and efficacy.

Transferability of the early-stage ovarian malignancy (EOM) score: an external validation study that includes advanced-stage and metastatic ovarian cancer.

PURPOSE: To validate the diagnostic performance of the Early-stage Ovarian Malignancy (EOM) score in an external dataset that includes advanced-stage and metastatic ovarian cancer. METHODS: The data from two cross-sectional cohorts were used in the statistical analysis. The development dataset of the EOM score was collected in Phrapokklao Hospital between September 2013 and December 2017. The validation dataset was collected in Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital between April 2010 and March 2018. The internal and external performance of the EOM score was evaluated in terms of discrimination via area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AuROC) and calibration. RESULTS: There were 270 and 479 patients included in the development and validation datasets, respectively. The prevalence of ovarian malignancy was 20.0% (54/270) in the development set and 30.3% (145/479) in the validation set. The EOM score had excellent discriminative ability in both the development and validation sets (AuROC 88.0 (95% CI 82.6, 93.9) and 88.0 (95% CI 84.3, 91.4), respectively). The EOM score also showed good calibration in both datasets. CONCLUSIONS: The EOM score had consistent diagnostic performance in the external validation data. It is recommended for use as a triage tool in patient referrals instead of the RMI in settings where experienced sonographers are not available.

Potential of Thai Herbal Extracts on Lung Cancer Treatment by Inducing Apoptosis and Synergizing Chemotherapy.

The incidence of lung cancer has increased while the mortality rate has continued to remain high. Effective treatment of this disease is the key to survival. Therefore, this study is a necessity in continuing research into new effective treatments. In this study we determined the effects of three different Thai herbs on lung cancer. Bridelia ovata, Croton oblongifolius, and Erythrophleum succirubrum were extracted by ethyl acetate and 50% ethanol. The cytotoxicity was tested with A549 lung cancer cell line. We found four effective extracts that exhibited toxic effects on A549 cells. These extracts included ethyl acetate extracts of B. ovata (BEA), C. oblongifolius (CEA), and E. succirubrum (EEA), and an ethanolic extract of E. succirubrum (EE). Moreover, these effective extracts were tested in combination with chemotherapeutic drugs. An effective synergism of these treatments was found specifically through a combination of BEA with methotrexate, EE with methotrexate, and EE with etoposide. Apoptotic cell death was induced in A549 cells by these effective extracts via the mitochondria-mediated pathway. Additionally, we established primary lung cancer and normal epithelial cells from lung tissue of lung cancer patients. The cytotoxicity results showed that EE had significant potential to be used for lung cancer treatment. In conclusion, the four effective extracts possessed anticancer effects on lung cancer. The most effective extract was found to be E. succirubrum (EE).

Early-Stage Ovarian Malignancy Score versus Risk of Malignancy Indices: Accuracy and Clinical Utility for Preoperative Diagnosis of Women with Adnexal Masses.

Background and objectives: To compare the diagnostic accuracy and clinical utility of the Early-stage Ovarian Malignancy (EOM) score with the Risk of Malignancy Index (RMI) in the presurgical assessment of women presenting with adnexal masses. Materials and Methods: A secondary analysis was carried out in a retrospective cohort of women who presented with an adnexal mass and were scheduled for surgery at Phrapokklao Hospital between September 2013 and December 2017. The clinical characteristics, ultrasonographic features of the masses, and preoperative CA-125 levels were recorded. The EOM and the RMI score were calculated and compared in terms of accuracy and clinical utility. Decision curve analysis (DCA), which examined the net benefit (NB) of applying the EOM and the RMI in practice at a range of threshold probabilities, was presented. Results: In this study, data from 270 patients were analyzed. Fifty-four (20.0%) women in the sample had early-stage ovarian cancer. All four RMI versions demonstrated a lower sensitivity for the detection of patients with early-stage ovarian cancer compared to an EOM score ≥ 15. An EOM ≥ 15 resulted in a higher proportion of net true positive or NB than all versions of the RMIs from a threshold probability of 5% to 30%. Conclusions: It also showed a higher capability to reduce the number of inappropriate referrals than the RMIs at a threshold probability between 5% and 30%. The EOM score showed higher diagnostic sensitivity and has the potential to be clinically more useful than the RMIs to triage women who present with adnexal masses for referral to oncologic gynecologists. Further external validation is required to support our findings.

Efficacy of wheat hot pack (dry heat) and pottery hot pack (moist heat) on eyelid temperature and tissue blood flow in healthy eyes: a randomized control trial.

PURPOSE: To investigate the eyelid temperature (Temp) and tissue blood flow (TBF) changes in healthy eyes using wheat hot pack (WHP) and pottery hot pack (PHP). METHODS: A randomized, double-blind, within-subject crossover study design was conducted in a Thai tertiary care center. All healthy subjects received warm compress treatment with WHP and PHP. The subjects were randomized to receive the WHP or the PHP at the first sequence. Temp and TBF measurements were taken at baseline, and every 2 min during the 10-min application of the heated compresses, and every 2 min for a 10-min duration after the compresses were removed. RESULTS: There were 29 females (96.7%) and 1 male. The mean (SD) age of the subjects was 33.17 (5.21) years. Two warm compresses were able to increase the surface lid Temp significantly from the baseline Temp at every time point of measurement and location. For the WHP application, the maximum surface Temp (SD) of the outer upper lid, outer lower lid, and inner lower lid were 40.07 (0.80) °C, 38.44 (0.91) °C, and 35.83 (0.71) °C, respectively (all P value < 0.001) and under the PHP application, the highest surface Temp (SD) were 40.63 (0.97) °C, 38.32 (1.27) °C, and 35.82 (0.71) °C, respectively (all P value < 0.001). Both WHP and PHP were able to increase TBF significantly with no adverse events and these effects can be sustained until 20 min. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest the potential of using these warm compresses for meibomian gland dysfunction. Further clinical research is needed.

Incidence and clinical outcomes of diabetes mellitus in HIV-infected adults in Thailand: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Since 2005, Thailand has scaled up one of the largest antiretroviral treatment (ART) programs in South East Asia. Although diabetes mellitus (DM) incidence is increasing in low and middle-income countries, its burden and contributing factors in the HIV infected population are not well known. METHODS: Using the Thai National AIDS Program data over a period of 8-years, we identified patients diagnosed with DM based on the following records: 1) fasting plasma glucose equal to or greater than 126 mg/dl following the 2013 American Diabetes Association criteria or 2) diagnosis codes E11-E14 of the 2010 WHO International Classification of Diseases, or 3) anti-diabetic drugs. Incidence was the number of new cases divided by that of person-years of follow-up (PYFU). Competing risks survival regression, treating death without DM as a competing event, was used to identify factors associated with DM. The risk of death in patients diagnosed with DM was estimated using Cox regression models. RESULTS: Data of 763,666 PYFU from 199,707 patients (54.2% male; median age 36.2 years at registration with the program) were available and 8383 cases were diagnosed with DM, resulting in an incidence rate of 11.0 per 1000 PYFU. New DM diagnosis was more likely in men (adjusted sub-distribution hazard ratio 1.2), older patients (compared to patients 18 to 34 years old: 1.8 for 35 to 44; 3.0 for 45 to 59; 3.8 for ≥60), and if ART was initiated (1.3). In 2014, 1313 (16.6%) of 7905 diabetic patients had DM complications (11.5% microvascular complications and 6.9% macrovascular complications). Patients diagnosed with DM were at higher risk of death compared to the others. CONCLUSIONS: DM incidence was higher in this Thailand cohort of HIV infected adults than in the general population. Risk factors were similar to those in the general population, in addition to starting ART.

The Effectiveness of Intravenous Parecoxib on the Incidence of Ipsilateral Shoulder Pain After Thoracotomy: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence of ipsilateral shoulder pain (ISP) with the therapeutic use of parecoxib compared with a placebo after thoracotomy. DESIGN: A prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. SETTING: A tertiary-care university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Adult patients undergoing an elective thoracotomy between June 2011 and February 2015. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were allocated randomly into the parecoxib group (n = 80) and the control group (n = 80). In the parecoxib group, 40 mg of parecoxib was diluted into 2 mL and given intravenously 30 minutes before surgery and then every 12 hours postoperatively for 48 hours. In the control group, 2 mL of normal saline was given to the patients at the same intervals. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A numerical rating scale was used to assess the intensity of ISP at 2, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours after surgery. Intravenous morphine (0.05 mg/kg) was used as the rescue medication for ISP during the 96-hour period. Baseline characteristics of patients in both groups were comparable. Patients in the parecoxib group had a significantly lower incidence of ISP, both overall (42.5% v 62.0%, p = 0.014) and of moderate-to-severe ISP when compared with the control group (26.2% v 49.4%, p = 0.003). Parecoxib reduced the risk of ISP by a statistically significant 32% (risk ratio, 0.68; 95% confidence interval, 0.50-0.93, p = 0.016). There were no significant differences in the occurrence of adverse effects between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Intravenous parecoxib significantly can reduce the incidence and severity of ISP after thoracotomy.

Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of acute angle-closure mechanisms.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate ocular biometric parameters in different subtypes of acute angle closure and compared to fellow eyes of AAC and PACS eyes. METHODS: This is a retrospective chart review study. A total of 167 eyes (96 patients) consisting of 71 AAC eyes, 71 fellow eyes of AAC, and 25 PACS eyes were recruited. All patients underwent ocular examination and biometry. The mechanism of AAC was confirmed by ultrasound biomicroscopy. We then subdivided AAC eyes into four subgroups: crowded-angle (CR), lens subluxation (LS) pupillary block (PB), and plateau iris syndrome (PL). Outcome variables included anterior chamber depth (ACD), lens thickness (LT), vitreal length (VL), axial length (AL), lens position and relative lens position (LP and RLP, respectively), and lens axial length factor (LAF). RESULTS: Among the three groups, ACD was shallower in AAC eyes than fellow eyes of AAC and PACS eyes (p < 0.01 for both) and AAC eyes demonstrated a lesser LP and RLP. The LT, VL, AL, and LAF were not significantly different among the three groups. Among the four subgroups, LS displayed the most shallow ACD (p = 0.01). The lens position in PL was greater than in CR and LS (p < 0.05 and <0.01, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: AAC eyes had a more anterior lens position than fellow eyes and PACS eyes, though lens thickness did not differ among the groups. As such, an anterior lens position may offer more sensitive prognostication regarding future development of AAC compared to lens thickness.

Incidence and risk factors associated with ipsilateral shoulder pain after thoracic surgery.

OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to determine the incidence and risk factors associated with ipsilateral shoulder pain (ISP) after thoracic surgery and to investigate characteristics, locations, and severity of ISP. DESIGN: A prospective observational study. SETTING: University hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred five patients who underwent thoracic surgery. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Pain at the incisional site and shoulder pain were assessed separately using the numeric rating scale (NRS) during the patients' stay in the postanesthesia care unit. The overall incidence of ISP was 47.3%. The incidence of ISP in thoracotomy patients (58.7%) was substantially higher than in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery patients (20.9%). ISP was described most often as a dull aching pain (87%). In approximately half of the patients, ISP was located at the posterior side of the shoulder. The severity of ISP was classified as moderate to severe in 67% of patients. The potential risk factors associated with ISP were surgery using the thoracotomy approach (risk ratio: 2.12, 95% confidence interval: 1.16-3.86, p=0.014) and surgical duration>120 minutes (risk ratio: 1.61, 95% confidence interval: 1.07-2.44, p=0.023). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of ISP after thoracic surgery was high and the severity of pain was significant. The thoracotomy approach and the long duration of surgery are potential risk factors for ISP.

Recurrence and death from breast cancer after complete treatments: an experience from hospitals in Northern Thailand.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the pattern of disease progression and to describe locoregional recurrence, distant recurrence, and death rates in breast cancer patients after complete treatment. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Medical records of women diagnosed with breast cancer at two university affiliated tertiary care hospitals in the Northern Thailand that had complete treatments between 2006 and 2010 were traced. Extracted key information included patient clinical profiles and documented recurrence of cancer The causes of death were verified from breast cancer case registration database, death certificates through The Ministry of Internal Affairs'civil registration, by direct telephone contact, or by distributed prepaid postcards. RESULTS: Medical records of 829 women diagnosed with breast cancer without prior evidence ofdistant metastasis, and had complete recommended treatment were included. Six hundred thirty seven women had not experienced any events up to the end of the follow-up (76.8%). The first occurring events were focused and categorized into three distinct types, locoregional recurrence (n = 83, median follow-up time = 34.2 months), distant recurrence (n = 78, median follow-up time = 35.4 months), and death without any evidences of locoregional or distant recurrences (n = 12, median follow-up time = 36.7 months). Distant recurrence after locoregional recurrence was reported (n = 33). There were 109 patient who had died (breast cancer related death) up to the end of the follow-up (13.2%). The three types of consecutively occurring deaths were death after locoregional recurrence without any distant recurrences (n = 15), death after distant recurrence with locoregional recurrence (n = 21), and death after documenited distant recurrence without any locoregional recurrences (n = 61). CONCLUSION: The trend was that the rate of the first occurring locoregional recurrence was slightly higher than that of distant recurrence, The death rate in patients without any recurrences was much lower than in those experiencing prior recurrences. The rates of disease progression from local recurrence to distant recurrence and to death were approximately 5 to 7 times faster in patients who had experienced earlierprogressions.

Non-intubated versus intubated video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy for lung cancer patients.

INTRODUCTION: Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy has been shown to be a standard treatment for lung cancer patient due to less pain, post-operative complication and faster recovery. In recent years, Non-intubated video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (NIVATS) is become an alternative approach for various types of thoracic surgery with a benefit on fewer complication from mechanical ventilation. Out study is aimed to study outcome compare between NIVATS lobectomy and to general anesthetic video assisted thoracoscopic surgery (GAVATS) lobectomy. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study conduct in Vajira hospital, Navamindradhiraj University, Bangkok, Thailand between January 2019 to September 2022.152 lung cancer patients underwent lobectomy. However, lung cancer patients whom needed to convert to GAVATS, open thoracotomy or emergency surgery were excluded from this study. In this study, we compare lung patients whom underwent NIVATS lobectomy and those whom underwent GAVATS lobectomy. These two groups are compared in term of pre-, intra- and post-operative outcomes. The inverse-probability weighting propensity score is used to identify the treatment effects of NIVATS. RESULTS: In total, there are 132 cases patients including in this analysis. There are 54 and 78 patients in the NIVATS and GAVATS respectively. Intra-operative outcome, induction and operative time are lower in the NIVATS lobectomy group (25 vs 30 min, p < 0.001 and 90 vs 120 min, p = 0.003). There is no difference regarding number of node resection, station of lymph node dissection, arrhythmia, postoperative complications, and pain visual analogue score (VAS) in both groups. Postoperative outcome, length of hospital stay is shorter in NIVATS lobectomy group (4 vs 5 days, p < 0.001). There is no patient which needed to convert from NIVATS to GAVATS. The treatment-effect analyzed by using inverse-probability weighting propensity score has shown benefits of NIVATS in terms of shorter hospital stays (coefficient -2.31, 95%CI -3.65 to -0.97, p = 0.001), and shorter chest tube duration (coefficient -1.59, 95%CI -2.93 to -0.26, p = 0.019). CONCLUSION: NIVATS lobectomy could be an alternative approach for lung cancer patients with benefits of lesser in hospital stays and duration of chest tube.

Development and validation of the Thai version of MNREAD acuity charts.

PURPOSE: To develop and validate MNREAD acuity charts in the Thai language (MNREAD-TH). METHODS: In total, 180 Thai sentences were generated using words specific to the primary 1-3 students. Each sentence contained 60 characters divided into three lines with even left and right margins and was evaluated by instructors in the education program in Thai. The selected 118 sentences were tested in 20 adults and 20 children by measuring reading time and recording the errors. Sentences with extremely high or low mean reading speeds were excluded. The remaining sentences were selected for contributing to the MNREAD-TH charts. For validation, the charts were tested in another 20 normal-sighted adult groups. RESULTS: In total, 118 sentences were tested on 20 adults (range: 23-58 years) and 20 primary school students (age: 8-9 years). The mean (SD) reading speeds in adult and children's groups were 134.09 (12.45) and 71.33 (10.77) words/min (wpm), respectively. After removing the sentences that deviated by ±1 SD from the mean reading speed, repeatedly had difficulty words, and had low subjective scoring, 60 matched sentences between the groups were selected to develop three versions of the MNREAD-TH chart. The intraclass correlation coefficients between charts were 0.85 for reading acuity, 0.94 for maximum reading speed, and 0.79 for critical print size. CONCLUSION: The MNREAD-TH charts can be reliably used for evaluating reading performance in Thai people for both children and adults with either normal sight or low vision. These charts are standardized and helpful in clinical trials involving reading.