ABSTRACT
Objective@#To investigate the rifampicin resistance status and its influencing factors among elderly patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province, so as to provide the basis for improving drug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis prevention and control strategies.@*Methods@#Patients aged over 60 years with pulmonary tuberculosis treated in tuberculosis designated hospital was selected. Demographic information, history of previous disease, history of diagnosis and treatment and drug sensitivity test were collected. Rifampicin resistance among elderly patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and its influencing factors was analyzed.@*Results@#Totally 249 elderly patients with pulmonary tuberculosis were included, with an average of (69.75±4.36) years. There were 147 males and 102 females, with a gender ratio of 1.44∶1. There were 183 treatment-naïve patients (73.49%) and 66 retreated patients (26.51%). Rifampicin resistance was found in 21 cases, with a drug resistance rate of 8.43%. Among them, there were 7 treatment-naïve patients (3.83%), and 14 retreated patients (21.21%). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that retreated elderly patients with pulmonary tuberculosis had a higher risk of rifampicin resistance (OR=10.551, 95%CI: 1.344-82.857).@*Conclusion@#The rifampicin resistance rate of 249 elderly patients with pulmonary tuberculosis was 8.43% and was associated with the type of treatment.
ABSTRACT
Abstract Background: Prurigo nodularis (PN) is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that has a significant unmet needs for effective treatment options. Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of dupilumab in adult patients with PN refractory to traditional therapies. Methods: This ongoing, real-life study examined dupilumab treatment in 8 adult patients diagnosed with PN for at least 6 months. The included patients were prescribed 300 mg dupilumab biweekly for at least 16 weeks. Efficacy was the primary outcome by means of multiple standardized scale measurements while safety was also reported. Results: PN patients treated with dupilumab showed notable clinical improvement. After 16 weeks of dupilumab treatment, the mean Investigator Global Assessment (IGA) score reduced from 3.75 to 1.50. Patients mean Numerical Rating Scale Itch Intensity (NRSI), Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) ratings reduced from 8.625, 15.13, and 14.50 to 1.563, 4.625, and 1.000 respectively. The majority of the patients (87.5%) reported dupilumab as effective while no adverse events have been reported. Study limitations: This study was limited to a small cohort of adult PN patients and a short-time observation period. Conclusions: Dupilumab is effective and tolerable in adult PN patients with significant improvement in skin lesions, itching, and quality of life.
ABSTRACT
Deer and sheep spines are often used as models of the human spine. A prerequisite for the use of animal models is information regarding the interspecies differences in the parameters of general interest. This would clarify the limitations of each animal model and substantiate the applicability of the obtained results to humans. Since sufficient data appear to be currently unavailable, we sought to investigate the feasibility of using deer and sheep as animal models for studies on the human spine. The objective of this study was a thorough comparison of the anatomical parameters of deer and sheep spines with those of the human spine. We employed three-dimensional reconstructions of computed tomography images, generated using figure analysis software, which facilitated quantitative analysis of the linear and curvature parameters and the geometric index of the vertebral bodies. Our findings represent a comprehensive database of the anatomical characteristics of the deer and sheep lumbar spines and their comparisons with those of the human lumbar spine. This study provides insight into the similarities and differences in the vertebral geometries between the human spine and the deer and sheep spines. We found that the differences are minimal and that they do not greatly compromise the utility of deer and sheep lumbar spines as models of the human lumbar spine.
La columna vertebral de ciervos y ovejas se utiliza frecuentemente como modelo de la columna vertebral humana. Un requisito previo para el uso de modelos animales es la información con respecto a las diferencias entre especies en los parámetros de interés general, lo que aclara las limitaciones de cada modelo animal y fundamenta la aplicabilidad de los resultados obtenidos para los seres humanos. Debido a que existen datos suficientes actualmente, hemos intentado investigar la viabilidad de utilizar ciervos y ovejas como modelos animales para los estudios sobre la columna vertebral humana. El objetivo fue realizar una comparación exhaustiva de los parámetros anatómicos de las columnas de ciervos y ovejas, con los de la columna vertebral humana. Empleamos reconstrucciones tridimensionales de imágenes de tomografía computadorizada, mediante un programa de análisis de la figura, lo que facilitó el análisis cuantitativo de los parámetros lineales y de la curvatura y el índice geométrico de las vértebras. Nuestros hallazgos representan una amplia base de datos de las características anatómicas de la columna lumbar de los ciervos y ovejas y sus comparaciones con las de la columna lumbar humana. Este estudio proporciona información sobre las similitudes y diferencias en las geometrías vertebrales entre la columna vertebral humana y las columnas de venado y oveja. Se encontró que las diferencias son mínimas y que no comprometen el uso de la columna de ciervos y ovejas como modelos de la columna lumbar humana.
Subject(s)
Humans , Animals , Deer/anatomy & histology , Sheep/anatomy & histology , Spine/anatomy & histology , Anatomy, Comparative , Models, Animal , Spine/diagnostic imaging , Tomography, X-Ray ComputedABSTRACT
Insulin-like growth factors (IGF) system plays an important role in regulating growth and development of children. The change of this system is closely related to growth restriction caused by various diseases. This article reviews the research progress on how IGF system affects growth.