AIMS Percutaneous patent foramen ovale closure seems to influence migraine. We wanted to observe the effect of percutaneous atrial septal defect (ASD) closure on migraine. METHODS AND RESULTS All patients (>16 years of age) with a percutaneous ASD closure were selected from our database (n=114). A questionnaire about headache before and after closure was sent. According to the criteria of the...

PURPOSE To investigate the association between retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and acute angle closure during a 15-year follow-up period. METHODS Using the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000, we identified 382 RP patients based on the diagnostic code of RP (International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) 362.74) made during 1996-2010, excludi...

The starting point of this paper is the classical well-known theorem due to G. BIRKHOFF, P. HALL, and J. SCHMIDT which establishes a one-to-one correspondence between compact closure operators, inductive closure operators, inductive closure systems, and closure operators generated in universal algebras (and generated in deductive systems, respectively). In the paper presented we make first step...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Octylcyanoacrylate (Dermabond) is a tissue "glue" useful in closing surgical skin incisions. We compared skin octylcyanoacrylate with subcuticular skin sutures to close laparoscopic trocar sites. PATIENTS AND METHODS A randomized double-armed study was performed with 59 patients in whom 228 trocar sites were closed. Twenty-nine patients underwent subcuticular closure wi...

CONTEXT The role of percutaneous closure of patent foramen oval (PFO) in patients with cryptogenic stroke has been very controversial for years due to a lack of clear evidence. OBJECTIVE Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of percutaneous PFO closure for secondary prevention of cryptogenic strokes as compared to best medical therapy (BMT). DATA SOURCES Trials were identified t...

BACKGROUND Failure to achieve fascial closure after damage control laparotomy (DCL) is associated with increased morbidity and long-term disability. In addition, early closure is associated with reduces infectious, wound, and pulmonary complications. We hypothesized that hypertonic saline (HTS), which attenuates resuscitation-induced intestinal edema in animals, would improve early primary fasc...