865) and its three subscale scores (ICC = 0.709-0.882). The constipated participants could be effectively differentiated from the controls based on the CSI total score and its three subscales. The convergent validation was good between the CSI and CSS (Spearman’s ρ = 0.711, p < 0.001). The CSI score correlated negatively with the physical composite score and mental composite score of the SF-12 quality of life scale, indicating poorer quality of life in constipated patients.

We demonstrated the reliability and validity of the traditional Chinese version of the CSI, which could be a standardized tool for future studies on constipation.

We demonstrated the reliability and validity of the traditional Chinese version of the CSI, which could be a standardized tool for future studies on constipation.Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is mainly an infectious disease of the respiratory system transmitted through air droplets, and pulmonary symptoms constitute main presentations of this disease. However, COVID-19 demonstrates a clinically diverse manifestation ranging from asymptomatic presentation to critically illness with severe pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, respiratory failure, or multiple organ failure. Givinostat chemical structure Accumulating evidences demonstrated that COVID-19 has extrapulmonary involvement, including neurological, smelling sensation, cardiovascular, digestive, hepatobiliary, renal, endocrinologic, dermatologic system, and others. Over a third of COVID-19 patients manifest a wide range of neurological symptoms involving the central/peripheral nervous system. Underlying cardiovascular comorbidities were associated with detrimental outcomes, meanwhile the occurrence of cardiovascular complications correlate to poor survival. Gastrointestinal symptoms frequently occur and have been associated with a longer period of illness. Impaired hepatic functions were associated with the severity of the disease. Higher rate of acute kidney injury was reported in critically ill patients with COVID-19. Endocrinologic presentations of COVID-19 include exacerbating hyperglycemia, euglycemic ketosis, and diabetic ketoacidosis. The most common cutaneous manifestation was acro-cutaneous (pernio or chilblain-like) lesions, and other skin lesions consist of maculopapular rash, vesicular lesions, livedoid/necrotic lesions, exanthematous rashes, and petechiae. This review article summarized the general clinical signs and symptoms, radiologic features, and disease manifestation with progression in patients with COVID-19.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia, and increasing numbers of patients receive AF ablation nowadays. Therefore, in the cardiology division, residents need to be familiar with the AF ablation procedure-related knowledge for primary care. This study evaluated the baseline residents and patients’ self-efficacy to the AF ablation procedure-related knowledge, developed the specific virtual reality (VR) informative aids, and evaluated the effects of VR training and resident-led VR aids-based patient education on their self-efficacy, in the aspects of familiarity, confidence and anxiety, and satisfaction.

From 2019, April to 2020, April, this 1-year prospective prestudy and poststudy was undergone in the cardiology division. Between 2019, April and 2019, December, the experienced physicians were invited to develop VR informative aids for AF ablation procedure-related knowledge. Between January 2020 and April 2020, newly developed VR informative aids were implemented in the educationalblation procedures-related knowledge.

Overall, residents and patients reported that the VR aids increase the effectiveness of patient education, achieve the purpose of a paperless environment, and motivate them to recommend it to others. The implementation of resident-to-patient education has a positive impact on trainees and patients understanding about AF ablation procedures-related knowledge.

Low-dose aspirin is widely used in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. However, the use of aspirin is associated with an increased risk of gastrointestinal injury.

Low-dose aspirin users with a history of peptic ulcers who did not have gastroduodenal mucosal breaks at initial endoscopy were randomly assigned to receive famotidine (20 mg bid) or omeprazole (20 mg qd) for 6 months. Follow-up endoscopy was performed at the end of the sixth month and whenever epigastric discomfort, hematemesis, or melena occurred. The primary end point was the occurrence of gastroduodenal mucosal breaks. The secondary end points were (1) the occurrence of gastroduodenal ulcers and (2) the occurrence of gastroduodenal bleeding.

Between November 2013 and June 2018, 170 patients were randomly assigned to receive either famotidine (n = 84) or omeprazole (n = 86). The incidence of gastroduodenal mucosal breaks was 33.8% among the patients receiving famotidine, and 19.8% among those receiving omeprazole (95% CI 0.4%-27.5%; p = 0.045). The two patient groups had comparable incidence rates of gastroduodenal ulcers (20.0% vs 9.8%; p = 0.071), and gastroduodenal bleeding (2.5% vs 0%; p = 0.243). Multivariate analysis showed that use of the proton pump inhibitor was an independent protective factor (odds ratio 0.47; 95% CI 0.23-0.99; p = 0.047), and that smoking was a risk factor for mucosal breaks (odds ratio 3.84; 95% CI 1.52-9.71; p = 0.004).

Proton pump inhibitor was superior to histamine-2 receptor antagonist in the prevention of gastroduodenal mucosal breaks in high-risk users of low-dose aspirin, and smoking was an independent risk factor for developing gastroduodenal mucosal breaks.

Proton pump inhibitor was superior to histamine-2 receptor antagonist in the prevention of gastroduodenal mucosal breaks in high-risk users of low-dose aspirin, and smoking was an independent risk factor for developing gastroduodenal mucosal breaks.

Discrimination of infectious and noninfectious complications in children with inflammatory signs after cardiac surgery is challenging. Given the low prevalence of infectious complications after heart surgery, there might be a risk of excessive antibiotic usage. We performed this study to determine the rate of invasive bacterial or fungal infections in children after cardiac surgery at our institution and to evaluate our postoperative management.

This single-center retrospective observational cohort study included children 16 years of age or younger who underwent cardiac surgery at our institution between January 2012 and December 2015.

We analyzed 395 surgical procedures. Thirty-five postoperative invasive bacterial or fungal infections were detected in 29 episodes (7%, 0.42 per 100 admission days). Among bacterial infections, the most common infection sites were bacteremia and pneumonia, accounting for 37% (13/35) and 23% (8/35) of infections respectively. The rate of postoperative infections was associated with surgical complexity score and length of postoperative pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) stay.