Background: Gallbladder stone (GBS) is a common gastrointestinal disease that can progress to severe cholecystitis and is a strong risk factor for gallbladder cancer (GBC). The present study was conducted to evaluate region-specific causes of GBS which was proved as major risk factor for GBC in Jeju Island, Korea. Methods: Age and sex match case-control study was performed among 171 pairs of ca...

BACKGROUND Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) may be associated with serious complications that adversely affect outcomes and increase the likelihood of disability. However, few studies with sufficient sample size have reported postoperative complications following TKA among Chinese patients. This study aimed to evaluate complications of TKA within 30 postoperative days and to identify the related r...

OBJECTIVES (1) To quantitatively assess the lateral skull base thickness in patients with superior semicircular canal dehiscense (SSCD) using a standardized and validated radiographic measure and to compare it with that of a population with spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid otorrhea (CSFO). (2) To analyze demographic and clinical factors associated with skull base thickness in the SSCD group. S...

BACKGROUND The prevalence of gallstones among Ghanaians is unknown. We aimed to determine the prevalence of gallstones among persons undergoing abdominal ultrasound at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH). METHODS We performed a cross-sectional study of patients aged ≥14years presenting to KATH for abdominal ultrasound between 2009 and 2012. Patient demographics were recorded. The gallbl...

Background: Currently pregnant women with abnormal glucose screening test (GCT), performed at 26 28 weeks gestation with a subsequent normal glucose tolerance test (GTT) receive routine care. Could these women be at risk of adverse pregnancy? Objective: Compare rate of caesarean section (CS), induction of labour (IOL), macrosomia, admission to special care nursery and neonatal hypoglycaemia. De...

The objective of this prespecified TRINITY study subgroup analysis was to assess the efficacy and safety of triple-combination treatment with olmesartan medoxomil (OM) 40 mg, amlodipine besylate (AML) 10 mg, and hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) 25 mg vs the component dual-combination treatments in obese (body mass index [BMI] ≥30 kg/m(2) ) and nonobese (BMI <30 kg/m(2) ) hypertensive participants. Th...

This investigation aimed to determine if groupings based upon sum of skinfold thickness (SF) would reflect the differences in heart rate variability (HRV) measured for up to 30-minutes following maximal exercise, and to determine the extent in variation in post-exercise HRV that could be accounted for between the following independent variables: SF, body mass index (BMI) and maximal oxygen cons...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Obesity is a main risk factor for the development of hepatic insulin resistance and it is accompanied by adipocyte hypertrophy and an elevated expression of different adipokines such as autotaxin (ATX). ATX converts lysophosphatidylcholine to lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and acts as the main producer of extracellular LPA. This bioactive lipid regulates a broad range of physiologi...

CONTEXT Obesity is a global problem and places individuals at risk for developing chronic metabolic disorders. The need for investigating simple, effective and sustaining approaches to weight loss cannot be overstated. METHODS We performed a retrospective file analysis of patient files attending a 13-week weight loss program. Inclusion for analysis were files of adults (i.e., >18 years) compl...

Accurate assessment of kidney function by measurement of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is essential to the risk assessment of prospective living kidney donors. We evaluated the performance of various estimating equations for creatinine clearance (Cockcroft-Gault), GFR (Modification of Diet in Renal Disease, Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration), and 24-hour urine collections for...