OBJECTIVE: Pending a comprehensive study of tobacco economics in Saudi Arabia, our aim was to estimate the economic costs of tobacco consumption in Saudi Arabia over a period of 10 years (2001-2010). METHODS: Pertinent data on imported tobacco were obtained from the Saudi Customs Authority through the Central Department of ...

We report the results of a 12-year follow-up retrospective series of 100 total hip arthroplasties using cementless, press-fit, dual-mobility acetabular cups. The aim of our study was to evaluate the clinical and radiographic results of this acetabular cup at last follow-up. This continuous and homogeneous series included 100 primary total ...

BACKGROUND: Huanglongbing (HLB) or citrus greening is a bacterial disease vectored by the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) causing tree decline, and yield loss. Vector control and foliar nutrition are used in Florida to slow the spread of HLB and mitigate debilitating effects of the disease. A 4 year replicated field ...

Purpose: To evaluate the influence of socioeconomic factors on visual acuity before cataract surgery. 
Methods: The medical case notes of 240 consecutive patients listed for cataract surgery from January 1, 2010, at Grampian University Hospital, Aberdeen, were reviewed retrospectively. Patients with ocular comorbidity were excluded. Demographics, postal codes, and visual ...

To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Crux vena cava filter in patients at risk for pulmonary embolism (PE). The Crux Biomedical Evaluation of the Crux Inferior Vena Cava Filter System trial was an international prospective, multicenter, single-arm clinical trial in 125 patients implanted with the Crux filter between ...

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 ...

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) invited the manufacturer of dabigatran etexilate (Boehringer Ingelheim Ltd, UK) to submit evidence for the clinical and cost-effectiveness of this drug for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) as part of the NICE ...

OBJECTIVE: The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasing in Eastern Europe. The reasons for these changes remain unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate whether an East-West gradient in the incidence of IBD in Europe exists. DESIGN: A prospective, uniformly diagnosed, population based inception cohort of ...

OBJECTIVE:To summarize the available evidence on the issues in health economics related to oral anticoagulation for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AF) in the US.DATA SOURCES:A literature review was performed using PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, as well as the websites of professional organizations.STUDY SELECTION AND DATA ...

AIMS: The need for ongoing and lifelong follow-up (FU) of patients with cardiac implantable electric devices (CIED) requires significant resources. Remote CIED management has been established as a safe alternative to conventional periodical in-office FU (CFU). An economic model compares the long-term cost and consequences of using daily Home Monitoring® ...

BACKGROUND: Recent estimates suggest the prevalence of non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCFB) may be increasing in the US. The objective of this study was to determine the current economic burden of NCFB compared with non-NCFB controls in the first year after diagnosis within a commercially enrolled US population. METHODS: A retrospective ...

PURPOSE: To prospectively assess the performance of hydrogel-coated versus fibered microcoils in the prophylactic occlusion of the gastroduodenal artery (GDA) before yttrium-90 ((90)Y) radioembolization. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 43 patients were randomized to receive fibered microcoils (n = 15), detachable hydrogel-coated microcoils (n = 13), or pushable hydrogel-coated ...

INTRODUCTION: This study analyzed the published data to examine if CR TKAs can enhance the flexion and functional outcomes of the knee in the Western and East Asian populations using a meta-analysis approach. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic review of literature published through Medline and EMBASE was conducted. The inclusion ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: After initiating neuraxial labor analgesia, there are many techniques that can be used to maintain analgesia for the duration of labor. In this review, we have examined the new techniques of maintenance of epidural labor analgesia recently proposed to overcome the undesirable effects of continuous infusion and ...

BACKGROUND: Published data on the outcome of Copeland shoulder resurfacing arthroplasty (CSRA) are limited. This observational case series study reports the functional and radiological outcome of CSRA during a mean follow-up of 4 years and highlights the correlation between key outcome measures. METHODS: One-hundred two consecutive patients with osteoarthritis (OA-47.1%), ...

Purpose: To compare the 1-year outcomes after repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) with the bifurcated vs. aortouni-iliac (AUI) configuration of the Endurant stent-graft. Methods: The study population comprised 1172 patients (1053 men; mean age 73.1±8.1 years, range 43-93) with unruptured infrarenal AAAs treated as part of the Endurant Stent ...

BACKGROUND: Most delivery devices used for esophageal stents for obstructing esophageal cancer have a diameter of 5-8 mm, a size that is too large to pass through the endoscopic working channel. The conventional esophageal stent requires multiple endoscopic procedures for implantation. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the ...

The purpose of this study was to analyze the association between patient demographics and hospital demographics on utilization of total joint arthroplasty in rural and urban populations from the National Inpatient Sample database. Any patient that was discharged after a primary total hip or primary total knee arthroplasty was included ...

BACKGROUND: There has been no research on the clinical outcomes of secondary self-expandable metal stent (SEMS) placement after initial stent migration. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the clinical outcomes of secondary SEMS placement after initial stent migration compared to the outcomes of secondary SEMS placement done for reasons other ...

BACKGROUND: In developed countries, Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) represents an emerging threat in terms of morbidity and mortality rates. In our country limited CDI epidemiological data can be found.We have conducted a 6-year retrospective study to evaluate the incidence of CDI in Italian urban hospitals. METHODS: Stool samples tested for ...

BACKGROUND: The use of various kinds of metal stents has emerged as an effective palliative treatment for malignant gastric outlet obstruction (GOO). However, most of these metal stents were designed for use in the esophagus or intestine and have a high incidence of stent obstruction and stent migration when used ...

This was a prospective consecutive, study of 50 patients (mean age 72years, 56% males) treated unilaterally for primary osteoarthrosis using the uncemented, isoelastic, monoblock RM Pressfit Cup. Migration and wear were assessed using the EBRA (Ein-Bild-Röntgen-Analyse) software (201 radiographs from 36 patients). Mean migration was 0.82mm after 2years and 1.25mm ...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The incidence of ulcerative colitis (UC) increased during the 20th century in Western Europe and the North America, but there are conflicting reports whether the incidence has declined, stabilized or continued to increase. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of UC in the ...

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of EndoButton® (Smith & Nephew Endoscopy, Andover, MA, USA) location on post-operative migration in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. METHODS: Seventy-seven patients underwent anatomical double-bundle ACL reconstruction using EndoButtons. Comparing patient radiographs immediately post-operatively with those at 1 year, migration was defined when EndoButtons moved more ...

BACKGROUND: Benign colorectal strictures are treated conventionally by endoscopic dilation. Experience using SEMS for benign colonic strictures is limited, and outcomes to date have been disappointing. Refractory colorectal strictures remain challenging to be treated with surgery. Polydioxanone-based stent are biodegradable (BD) stent CE approved for esophageal strictures. This study was ...

It has been suggested that the increased frequency of trigger finger (TF) after carpal tunnel release (CTR) may be caused by the volar migration of the flexor tendons at the wrist altering the tendon biomechanics at the A1 pulley. This hypothesis has not been validated. We performed pre- and post-operative ...

Purpose: Recently, vascular endostapling systems were developed to achieve better sealing at the proximal neck of the aneurysm and to prevent endograft migration. The purpose of this study was to provide a systematic review about the current state and possible options of vascular endostapling systems. Results: No randomized controlled trials ...

US-bound immigrants with suspected non-infectious TB are encouraged to be medically re-evaluated after arrival in the United States. We evaluated the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's immigrant referral process, designed to facilitate timely post-arrival evaluations. Over 1,200 immigrants with suspected TB arriving during October 1, 2008-September 30, 2010 were ...

OBJECTIVES: To characterise transfusion and determine its main predictors in nonagenarians undergoing non-elective, non-traumatic surgery. Simultaneously, we compared nonagenarians to a similar, but younger sample, as far as the transfusional policy is concerned. BACKGROUND: Perioperative anaemia and transfusion are currently topical, but little is known about them in this population. ...

INTRODUCTION: Little is known about endotracheal tube (ETT) migration during routine care among critically ill patients. AirWave is a novel device that uses sonar waves to measure ETT migration and obstructions in real time. The aim of the present study is to assess the accuracy of the AirWave to evaluate ...

The reduction of dichloro- and dibromo-cyclopentasilanes with C(8)K was investigated. A potassium silyl anion and a fused tricyclic silane were isolated, respectively. These results indicate that a homocyclic silylene intermediate is generated in the reduction of dibromocyclopentasilane. The trimethylsilyl group is bulky enough to protect the silylene from dimerization, however, ...

To investigate the extent to which European silver eels Anguilla anguilla, originating from stocking programmes in the Baltic Sea tributaries, effectively contribute to the spawning stock, two hundred and seventy-four formerly stocked A. anguilla. emigrating from the Schwentine River near Kiel, Germany, were tagged with T-Bar anchor tags. A total ...

Considerable evidence suggests that patients with more advantaged Socio-Economic Positions undergo Total Hip and Knee Replacement (THR/TKR) more often, despite having a lower need. We questioned whether more disadvantaged Socio-Economic Position is associated with an lower improvement in Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) and a lower patient satisfaction after THR/TKR. ...

Besides their clinical impact, the economic impact of health care-related adverse events (AEs) is significant. Although a number of studies have attempted to estimate the economic impact of AEs, few have directly linked costs to clinician-reported event severity. To estimate the economic impact in terms of the incremental cost and ...

In this paper, we analyze the clinical efficacy of a simultaneous saline irrigation method in treating upper-mid ureteral stone migration and evaluate its effectiveness during ureteroscopic lasertripsy. We prospectively evaluated 78 patients with a total of 95 upper-mid ureteral stones, which were treated with holmium:YAG lasertripsy. These patients were randomized ...

An 83-year-old woman with Sjögren syndrome underwent insertion of large punctal plugs in the right upper and lower puncti. Nine months later, she presented with upper canaliculitis, although the plugs were not found in the puncti. Dacryoendoscopic examination revealed punctal plug migration, granulation, and a large amount of debris in ...

Five different 2,2-disubstituted 4-acylthio-3-oxobutyl groups have been introduced as esterase-labile phosphodiester protecting groups that additionally are thermolabile. The phosphotriesters 1, 2 and 3 were prepared to determine the rate of the enzymatic and non-enzymatic removal of such groups at 37 ºC and pH 7.5 by HPLC-ESI-MS. Additionally, 1H NMR spectroscopic ...

BACKGROUND: While Western literature has mostly reported the incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) after TKA with chemoprophylaxis, the Asian literature still has mostly reported the incidence without chemoprophylaxis. This may reflect a low incidence of DVT and PE in Asian patients, although some recent studies ...

Background Although microendoscopic discectomy (MED) is a minimally invasive surgical method for lumbar disc herniation (LDH), early postoperative recurrence may outweigh that advantage. The purpose of the present study was to retrospectively investigate the recurrence rate after MED for LDH and to determine the risk factors for recurrence in patients treated ...

To evaluate retrospectively the safety and retrievability of the Celect IVC filter. All patients undergoing Celect filter placement and retrieval during the period 2007-2012 were assessed for complications and retrievability. Of 620 patients who underwent Celect filter placement, 120 presented for removal. The indwelling time in these patients was 158.1 ...

While excellent results can be achieved with the open repair of juxtarenal and suprarenal aortic aneurysms in good-risk patients, the outcomes in high-risk patients are less favorable. The use of standard infrarenal endografts to treat these patients has been limited due to the absence of a suitable proximal landing zone. ...

The objective of this study was to compare the early migration characteristics and functional outcome of the Triathlon cemented knee prosthesis with its predecessor, the Duracon cemented knee prosthesis (both Stryker). A total 60 patients were prospectively randomised and tibial component migration was measured by radiostereometric analysis (RSA) at three ...

OBJECTIVES: We tested a novel technique to treat great saphenous vein (GSV) incompetence in an animal model. METHODS: V-block (VVT Medical Ltd, Kfar Saba, Israel), an occlusion device composed of a nitinol frame and anchoring hooks, was percutaneously deployed at the saphenofemoral junction in 12 sheep. Four of the 12 ...

AIM: To compare the efficacy and safety of high-dose intravenous oxytocin and sustained-release dinoprostone vaginal pessaries for cervical ripening and labor induction in pregnant patients at term with poor Bishop scores. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Women at term with a Bishop score ≥4 and ≤6 were randomized into two groups to ...

We performed two parallel systematic reviews and meta-analyses to determine the association between early migration of tibial components and late aseptic revision. One review comprised early migration data from radiostereometric analysis (RSA) studies, while the other focused on revision rates for aseptic loosening from long-term survival studies. Thresholds for acceptable ...

Background and study aims: Uncovered self-expanding metal stents offer effective relief for colonic obstruction. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of fully covered self-expanding metal stents (FCSEMSs) in the treatment of benign colonic strictures.Patients and methods: All patients presenting with a symptomatic benign colonic stricture (occlusion ...

The association between excessive early migration of acetabular cups and late aseptic revision has been scantily reported. We therefore performed 2 parallel systematic reviews and meta-analyses to determine the association between early migration of acetabular cups and late aseptic revision. One review covered early migration data from radiostereometric analysis (RSA) ...

Antibiotic treatment for septic shock is generally prescribed on an empirical basis using broad-spectrum antibiotics. Molecular diagnostic techniques can detect the presence of microbial DNA in blood within a few hours and facilitate early, targeted treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the economic impact of a real-time ...

EUS-guided fiducial placement facilitates image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT). To compare 2 types of commercially available fiducials for technical success, complications, visibility, and migration. Retrospective, single-center, comparative study. Tertiary-care medical center. Traditional fiducials (TFs) (5-mm length, 0.8-mm diameter) and Visicoil fiducials (VFs) (10-mm length, 0.35-mm diameter) were compared. Fiducials were placed ...

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Self expandable metal stents (SEMS) are used in patients with malignant distal biliary obstruction; trials that compared covered and uncovered SEMS reported different results, due to heterogeneous designs and patient populations. These studies compared patency of uncovered SEMS and covered SEMS, along with rates of pancreatitis, cholecystitis, ...