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Background. Recent studies have shown a bidirectional relationship between atrial fibrillation (AF) and psychological depression. However, little is known about the prevalence of postprocedure depression (PPD) in patients with AF at the time of radiofrequency (RF) ablation. Objective. To describe the prevalence and identify risk factors for PPD. Methods. This was a prospective cohort study, including 428 AF patients who were willing to undergo the first catheter ablation in our hospital from 1st April to 30th December 2019. The primary outcome was PPD, which was determined by Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Depression. Results. The prevalence of PPD was 16.8% (72/428) in our cohort, without difference between men (16.0%, 41/256) and women (18.0%, 31/172) (P = 0.586) but with a great difference among different age groups (P = 0.016). On the univariable binary logistic regression analysis, age, a history of coronary heart disease, Observer's Assessment of Alertness/Sedation (OAA/S) score when ablating at the specific position, and OAA/S score when pulling out the catheter sheath were associated with PPD. Subsequent multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated only age (OR 0.96, 95% CI: 0.94–0.99, P < 0.01) and OAA/S score when ablating at the specific position (OR 0.58, 95% CI: 0.39–0.88, P = 0.01) were independently associated with PPD. Conclusion. PPD is common in patients with AF after RF ablation. Younger age and lower OAA/S score when ablating at the specific position are its most significant risk factors. Intensive management of sedation may be of great importance for reducing PPD. This trial is registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2200057810). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. There is controversy regarding whether patients with single hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) should be offered radiofrequency ablation (RFA) as a first-line treatment option. Thus, this study compared overall survival after surgical resection (SR) and RFA for single HCC. Methods. The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was used for this retrospective study. The study included 30- to 84-year-old patients diagnosed with HCC from 2000 to 2018. Selection bias was reduced via propensity score matching (PSM). The study compared the overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) of patients with single HCC who were treated with SR and RFA. Results. Before and after PSM, the median OS and median CSS were significantly longer in the SR group than in the RFA group (p < 0.05). In the subgroup analysis, the median OS and median CSS for male and female patients with male and female patients with tumor sizes <3, 3–5, and>5 cm, age at diagnosis between 60 and 84 years, and grades I–IV tumors were longer than in the SR group than in the RFA group (p < 0.05). Similar results were reported for patients who received chemotherapy (p < 0.05). Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that compared with RFA, SR was an independent favorable factor for OS and CSS (p < 0.05) before and after PSM. Conclusion. Patients with SR who had a single HCC showed higher OS and CSS compared with patients who received RFA. Hence, SR should be used as a first-line treatment in cases of single HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Osteoid osteoma (OO) is one of the most commonly occurring benign bone tumors. It constitutes 10-12% of benign bone tumors and 2-3% of primary bone tumors. In radiofrequency ablation (RFA) treatment, the cells of the tumor are thermally inactivated by the help of electrodes shaped like needles. In our study, we aimed to show the major and minor complications in patients undergoing RFA and to show what should be done to prevent these complications. Methods. The study was carried out as a prospective study on the follow-up of 87 osteoid osteoma patients treated between 2015 and 2017. The youngest of the patients was 1 year old and the oldest was 42 years old. The RFA procedure lasted 10 min on average, excluding anesthesia and preparation. All lesions were ablated at 90 degrees for 7 minutes with the heat increased gradually. All patients were followed up for 1 day in the orthopedics clinic. Results. Complications were observed in 7 patients. The lesions with the most complications were observed to be in the tibia, second-degree burns were seen in 2 patients, and superficial skin infection was observed in 2 patients. In 1 patient, the probe tip was broken and remained within the bone. Intramuscular hematoma was detected in 1 lesion located in the proximal femur. A complaint of numbness in the fingers developed in a lesion located in the metacarpus. Conclusion. Preventive measures should be taken before the procedure in order to prevent minor complications, and, for major complications, close follow-up should be done after the procedure and patients should be kept away from heavy physical activities for the first 3 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aims to explore the predictive value of demographic and clinical factors in changes in quality of life (QoL) in liver cancer (LC) patients over time. Methods: We performed a prospective cohort study in 128 patients who had 4 time point data newly diagnosed with LC at two hospitals in Taiwan. Different functional QoL was measured by QLQ‐C30. Specific characteristics were predictors for distinct functional QoL, estimated by a generalised estimating equation (GEE). Results: Patients who received liver resection or radiofrequency ablation therapy (RFA) versus transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE) or transcatheter arterial embolisation (TAE) experienced a decrease in physical function from baseline to 1 month. In addition, patients who underwent liver resection versus RFA experienced a significant recovery in cognitive functioning from baseline to 6 months. Patients with advanced stage compared to those in early stage had a reduction in physical functioning from baseline to 1 month. The alcohol intake, hepatitis C infection and the job also affected the changes in physical and cognitive functioning. Conclusion: Healthcare professionals should pay attention to changes after treatment in the short term; additionally, they need to provide health education to modifiable factors such as alcohol intake attributed to the deterioration in QoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]