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This study examined the effects of using guided imagery on head and neck patients undergoing outpatient surgery. Preoperative anxiety was reduced significantly, and pain at 2 hours postoperative, but not analgesic use, length of stay, or patient satisfaction.
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A meta-analysis of calcium supplementation studies where vitamin D was not also administered suggests that isolated supplemental calcium may significantly increase the risk of myocardial infarction as well as, to a lesser degree, stroke.
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A newly identified probiotic strain, Lactobacillus sakei KCTC 10755BP, was found to improve symptoms of moderate-to-severe eczema in children 2-10 years old.
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A number of studies suggest that glucosamine sulfate may help relieve pain and possibly repair cartilage damage in large joints affected by osteoarthritis. By extension, many patients use glucosamine to treat their chronic nonspecific lower back pain. The results of this study, which includes long-term follow-up, suggest there is little if any therapeutic value of glucosamine for chronic low back pain.
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Nasal carriage of methicillin-resistant coagulase negative staphylococci (MR-CoNS) was investigated in 291 adults upon hospital admission. MR-CoNS carriage was present in 19.2% of patients. SCCmec type IV was found in 22% of the Co-NS isolated, and sequencing revealed extensive structural homology between SCCmec IV in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
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There is considerable concern regarding in-stent thrombosis of drug-eluting stents (DES) when aspirin and clopidogrel are stopped for non-cardiac surgery (NCS), but a paucity of data.
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For this study of bacterial contamination of the cell phones of health care workers in a teaching hospital in Saudi Arabia, the investigators swabbed the screen, dialing pad, and sides of the phones and used standard culture techniques.
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The dispatcher-assisted resuscitation trial (DART) tested the hypothesis that 911 dispatcher instructions to provide chest compressions only would be superior to similar instructions that included both chest compressions and rescue breathing. Calls to a 911 system for patients in cardiac arrest were eligible for inclusion in the trial if the dispatcher felt the patient was in cardiac arrest and bystander CPR had not yet been attempted.
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A critically ill patient, who was a heroin user, was admitted to a hospital in Scotland in December 2009 and was found to be infected with Bacillus anthracis.
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Of late, there has been a renaissance of interest in identification and management of hypogonadism in older men.
