Risk factors and psychological impact of syncope in migraine patients

Background Migraine is associated with syncope. We investigated risk factors for syncope and burden of syncope in migraine patients. Methods Participants were recruited from a headache clinic. All participants provided information on lifestyle, co-morbidity, syncope, headache and suicide, and completed the MIDAS and HADS questionnaires. Genetic data were available for a subset of participants. Risk of syncope in relation to participant’s characteristics and migraine susceptibility loci, and risks of psychological disorders associated with syncope, were calculated using logistic regression. Results Underweight, regular tea intake, diabetes mellitus, and migraine with aura were associated with increased syncope risks, with adjusted ORs of 1.76 (95% CI 1.03–3.03), 1.84 (95% CI 1.22–2.79), 4.70 (95% CI 1.58–13.95), and 1.78 (95% CI 1.03–3.10), respectively. Preliminary results showed that rs11172113 in LRP1 was associated with syncope risks. Comorbid syncope in migraine patients was associated with increased risks of depression (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.18–3.22) and suicide attempt (OR 2.85, 95% CI 1.48–5.48). Conclusion Our study showed the potential roles of vascular risk factors in the association between migraine and syncope. Modifiable risk factors for syncope in patients with migraine include body mass index and tea intake. The debilitating psychological impact of co-morbid syncope in migraine patients warrants clinical attention of treating physicians.

A Literature Review of Factors Influencing Injurious Falls

Falls pose substantial challenges to health care institutions. This review aims to provide a synthesis and critique of studies that investigated fall injury risk factors and to identify significant risk factors that predispose patients to injurious falls. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, COCHRANE, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Heath Literature, and Scopus. Additional records were searched through Google Scholar and bibliographies of the retrieved articles. Twenty-three primary research studies were included. Demographic, intrinsic, and extrinsic factors have been identified. Demographics include age, gender, and marital status. Intrinsic factors include body mass index, medication, and preexisting conditions, and extrinsic factors include environmental factors. Several factors were found to be inconclusive. These factors should be considered and examined further. Future research may evaluate interventions focusing on targeted risk factors of injurious falls. Clinical guidelines addressing the factors in this review may be considered after further testing and research.

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Clinical Approach and Review

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of incidental elevation of liver enzymes in North America and Europe. Risk factors for NAFLD include body mass index of 25 kg/m2or greater, central obesity and diabetes mellitus. The spectrum of disease is variable, ranging from simple steatosis with benign prognosis, to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and cirrhosis, conferring increase in morbidity and mortality. The primary abnormality or ‘first hit’ in patients with NAFLD is insulin resistance leading to hepatic steatosis. The second hit involves multiple proinflammatory cytokines resulting in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Treatment is aimed at aggressive risk factor control and weight loss. Currently, there are no pharmacological agents recommended in the treatment of NAFLD, although preliminary studies suggest promising agents in the future.

Risk Factors and Strategies of Anastomotic Fistula after Sphincter-Pre- serving Surgery for Laparoscopic Rectal Cancer

Objective: To study the risk factors and strategies of sphincter-preserving surgery after laparoscopic rectal cancer for reference. Methods: 80 patients who underwent laparoscopic rectal cancer from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2016 were the subjects of this study, and the detailed analysis of 80 patients was retrospectively analyzed. The occurrence of anastomotic fistula and the number of patients did not occur into the ratio. Results: The results showed that anastomotic fistula occurred and the body weight index did not occur, preoperative albumin and other significant differences, p < 0.05. Conclusion: The risk factors of anastomotic fistula include body mass index, preoperative albumin and so on. It is effective to reduce the incidence of anastomotic fistula in patients with risk factors.