Study on the Value of Ultrasound Elastography Combined with Plasma miRNA Expression in the Early Detection of Breast Cancer

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignant tumor in women, and its morbidity and mortality are increasing each year, due to the lack of specific clinical symptoms in the early stage of BC, and the lack of diagnostic methods for early breast cancer. Therefore, identifying an effective diagnostic method for early BC has become urgent. Materials and Methods: Breast lesions with a histological diagnosis that were examined by ultrasonic elastography (UE) in our department from June 2020 to December 2021 were reviewed. qRT-PCR was performed to measure the expression levels of miR-144-5p and miR-26b-5p in the plasma of patients with BC. The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve and area under the curve (AUC) were used to investigate the potential diagnostic value of miR- 144-5p, miR-26b-5p and the elastographic score in BC. Results: The ultrasonic elastography score(UES) was found to be significantly upregulated in BC compared with that in benign breast lesions, and the AUC, sensitivity and specificity were 0.809, 0.717 and 0.806 for distinguishing BC from benign breast lesions, respectively. miR-144-5p and miR-26b- 5p were found to be upregulated in the plasma of BC patients, and miR-144-5p+miR-26b-5p had 0.781 sensitivity and 0.780 specificity for the diagnosis of BC. Furthermore, we found that the diagnostic performance of miR-144-5p and miR-26b-5p combined with UES for BC had 0.913 sensitivity and 0.890 specificity. Conclusions: The combination of plasma miR-144-5p, miR-26b-5p and UES has a very high clinical application value for the early detection of BC.     

Return to sport and beyond following intramuscular tendon hamstring injury: A case report of an English Premier League football player

BackgroundHamstring strain injuries are the most common type of injury in elite football and are associated with a high risk of reinjury, particularly those involving the intramuscular tendon (IMT). Limited information is available regarding the rehabilitation and return to sport (RTS) processes following such injuries. This case study describes the clinical presentation of an elite football player following IMT hamstring injury, their on- and off-pitch rehabilitation alongside performance monitoring throughout RTS and beyond.Case scenarioAn elite football player suffered a grade 2c hamstring injury during an English Premier League (EPL) match. The player underwent early post-injury management, alongside progressive off-pitch physical preparation. The ‘control-chaos continuum’ was used as a framework for on-pitch rehabilitation to prepare the player for a return to full team training and competition. Objective and subjective markers of the player's response to progressive on- and off-pitch loading were monitored throughout RTS and beyond.OutcomesThe player returned to on-pitch rehabilitation after 11 days, to full team training having achieved weekly pre-injury chronic running load outputs after 35 days and played in the EPL 40 days post-injury. The player did not suffer reinjury for the rest of the EPL season.ConclusionAn understanding the unique structural and mechanical properties of the IMT, alongside expected RTS timeframes are important to inform rehabilitation and decision-making processes post-injury. Performance and frequent load-response monitoring throughout RTS and beyond, in conjunction with practitioner experience and effective communication are critical in facilitating effective RTS and reduce risk of reinjury following IMT injury.     

Buscando o motivo da instabilidade hemodinâmica: relato de caso sobre o papel do ultrassom intraoperatório

Background and objectives

A prompt and effective management of trauma patient is necessary. The aim of this case report is to highlight the importance of intraoperative echocardiography as a useful tool in patients suffering from refractory hemodynamic instability no otherwise explained.

Predictive monitoring in neonates

Premature infants are physiologically immature and are particularly vulnerable to systemic illnesses. Instability of vital signs related to immaturity of organ systems are common but may also represent early manifestations of serious illness. While vital signs are frequently or continuously monitored in critically unwell neonates, changes in these parameters are subtle in the early phase of illness such as sepsis and difficult to interpret using traditional neonatal monitoring tools. Recent advances in identifying trends and patterns of vital signs in the pre-clinical phase of the illness, particularly in the field of heart rate characteristics monitoring has opened up the potential to improve outcomes through rapid and timely investigations and early intervention. This article reviews the current evidence in predictive monitoring of neonates and discusses potential clinical implications.     

Measuring the appropriateness of carbamazepine and valproic acid prescribing and utilization using a newly implemented online system in the Tabuk Region of Saudi Arabia

Epilepsy is a common neurologic disorder, which is efficiently treated with carbamazepine and valproic acid. Moreover, Saudi Ministry of Health implemented a new E-system for Poison Control Centers called Awtar to enhance technology utilization in ensuring patients’ satisfaction and to improve treatment outcomes. Therefore, we conducted this study to assess appropriateness of indication of requests and therapeutic levels of carbamazepine and valproic acid in Tabuk area, North West Saudi Arabia. This is a retrospective observational study conducted in Poison Control & Forensic Chemistry Center, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Patients’ data were obtained for years 2018 and 2019. The blood levels of carbamazepine and valproic acid were measured by Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM) Unit. We selected patients treated with either valproic acid or carbamazepine alone without any history of drug allergy. Data of 264 patients were extracted from Awtar E-system. Serum carbamazepine levels were within therapeutic range in 114 patients (75.50%), above-therapeutic range in 13 patients (8.61%) and sub-therapeutic levels in 24 patients (15.89%). Regarding serum valproic acid, it is within therapeutic range in 62 patients (54.87%), above-therapeutic range in 11 patients (9.73%) and sub-therapeutic levels in 40 patients (35.40%). In conclusion, this study gives information about partial appropriateness of usage of carbamazepine and low level of appropriateness of valproic acid. However, more efforts are needed to improve results of appropriateness of indication of antiepileptic drugs.     

对比四维子宫输卵管超声造影与子宫输卵管造影评估输卵管通畅性效能:Meta分析

目的 采用Meta分析对比四维子宫输卵管超声造影（4D-HyCoSy）与子宫输卵管造影（HSG）评估输卵管通畅性的效能。方法 系统搜索PubMed、Cochrane Library、Embase、Web of Science、中国生物医学文献数据库、中国知网、万方医学网及维普数据库中建库至今有关4D-HyCoSy和/或HSG评估输卵管通畅性的文献。由2名研究人员依据纳入标准和排除标准筛选文献并提取信息；分别计算4D-HyCoSy和HSG评估输卵管通畅性的合并敏感度（SEN）、特异度（SPE）及诊断比值比（DOR），绘制综合受试者工作特征（SROC）曲线，获得曲线下面积（AUC），并以Medcalc 19.1.1统计软件比较AUC。结果 最终纳入19篇文献、1 358例疑似输卵管因素导致不孕患者，其中4篇同时采用4D-HyCoSy及HSG评估输卵管通畅性，10篇仅以4D-HyCoSy评估，5篇仅以HSG评估。Meta分析结果显示，4D-HyCoSy评估输卵管通畅性的合并SEN、SPE及DOR分别为0.92[95%CI（0.91，0.94）]、0.91[95%CI（0.89，0.93）]及115.06[95%CI（54.23，224.10）]；HSG评估输卵管通畅性的合并SEN、SPE及DOR分别为0.84[95%CI（0.81，0.87）]、0.80[95%CI（0.76，0.83）]及28.64[95%CI（10.08，81.35）]。4D-HyCoSy评估输卵管通畅性的AUC为0.98[95%CI（0.96，0.99）]，HSG为0.93[95%CI（0.90，0.95）]，差异有统计学意义（Z=6.97，P<0.01）。结论 4D-HyCoSy评估输卵管通畅性的效能高于HSG。