AIM To determine the prevalence of asthenopia and identify any associated risk factors in the college students in Xi'an, China. METHODS From April to September 2012, 1 500 students from five universities in Xi'an were selected according to a multi-stage stratified cluster sampling method. Data on demographic features, lifestyle or dietary habits, health status, living environment conditions, ...

BACKGROUND Increased blood glucose is associated with adverse clinical outcomes among patients with major illnesses. This study examined the association between blood glucose and adverse outcomes among hospitalized patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, for which limited prior data were available. METHODS We studied a cohort of 209 hospitalized patients wit...

BACKGROUND Clarifying the risk factors for postoperative complications and taking measures to minimize these complications will improve the outcomes in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). This study aimed to systemically explore the risk factors for short-term postoperative complications in Chinese UC patients undergoing ileocolorectal surgery. METHODS Forty-nine UC patients undergoing pro...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Despite several landmark studies, the natural history of unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIA) remains uncertain. Our aim was to identify or confirm factors predictive of rupture of UIA being observed conservatively with serial CT angiography (CTA) in a North American patient population. METHODS We performed a retrospective review of patients with UIA being followed w...

OBJECTIVE To study the potential risk factors for severe acute respiratory syndromes (SARS)-related deaths in Beijing. METHODS Epidemiological data were collected among the confirmed SARS patients officially reported by Beijing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (BCDC), and information was also supplemented by a follow-up case survey. Chi-square test and multivariate stepwise logistic...

Purpose Dietary factors are one of the main causes of urolithiasis. However, little research has evaluated dietary factors related to urolithiasis in Korea. We investigated the various dietary risk factors for urinary stone formation in Korean people. Materials and Methods We conducted a prospective case-control pilot study. A total of 27 patients newly diagnosed with urolithiasis and 20 appl...