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Journal of Affective Disorders Jun 2021Big Five personality traits correlate with affective disorders, with neuroticism considered a risk factor, and conscientiousness and extroversion considered protective... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Big Five personality traits correlate with affective disorders, with neuroticism considered a risk factor, and conscientiousness and extroversion considered protective factors. However, the relationships between affective disorders and lower-order personality facets and aspects are less clear.
METHOD
A systematic review was carried out to identify studies measuring associations between lower-order personality constructs and affective disorders. Big Five facets were measured using the NEO-PI-R, and aspects using the BFAS. PsycINFO, EMBASE, MedLine and OpenGrey were searched from January 1, 1985 to June 30, 2020. Fifteen studies met criteria and reported a total of 408 associations. Data were analysed using best evidence synthesis.
RESULTS
Most facets of neuroticism were positively associated with affective disorders. Positive emotion in extroversion, and competence and self-discipline in conscientiousness, were negatively associated with affective disorders. Trust in agreeableness, and actions in openness, were negatively associated with anxiety disorders, whereas fantasy in openness was positively associated with anxiety disorders. At the aspect level, withdrawal in neuroticism was positively associated with MDD, whereas industriousness in conscientiousness was negatively associated with MDD.
LIMITATIONS
Due to the use the heterogenous measures between studies, a meta-analysis could not be performed. Only Big Five personality constructs were investigated, limited to BFAS personality aspects, and NEO-PI-R personality facets.
CONCLUSIONS
Neuroticism, positive emotion, competence and self-discipline correlate with various anxiety and depressive disorders. These facets may be endophenotypes for affective disorders in general. Future research is needed to investigate mediating pathways between personality facets and affective disorders.
Topics: Extraversion, Psychological; Humans; Mood Disorders; Neuroticism; Personality; Personality Inventory
PubMed: 33901698
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.03.061 -
Acta Gastro-enterologica Belgica 2020The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic infection spreading worldwide at an unprecedented rate. Our aim was to assess the frequency of gastrointestinal... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic infection spreading worldwide at an unprecedented rate. Our aim was to assess the frequency of gastrointestinal (GI) involvement in COVID-19.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of all studies reporting clinical data about COVID-19 patients, published until 25th March 2020. The primary endpoint was the pooled prevalence of COVID-19 patients complaining of GI symptoms. Secondary endpoints were the pooled prevalence of cases with COVID-19 positive stool samples, and of asymptomatic COVID-19 patients. We used random-effects model for meta-analysis.
RESULTS
Thirty-three studies were included in the meta-analysis. Out of 4434 COVID-19 patients, the pooled prevalence of GI manifestations was 11.51% (95% CI : 8.16 to 15.35). The most frequent GI symptom was diarrhea (7.78% of cases ; 95% CI : 5.05 to 11.04), followed by nausea/vomiting (3.57% ; 95% CI : 1.87 to 5.80), poor appetite (2.39% ; 95%CI : 0.55 ; 5.46) and abdominal pain (0.78% ; 95% CI : 0.26 to 1.57). Positivity for COVID-19 in stool samples was observed in 41.50% (95% CI : 17.70 to 67.65) of cases. 11.85% (95% CI : 3.53 to 24.17) of COVID-19 patients remained asymptomatic.
CONCLUSIONS
The present meta-analysis shows that a significant proportion of COVID-19 patients suffer from GI manifestations, as well as COVID-19 positivity in stool samples. Asymptomatic patients need to be considered a further potential route of viral transmission.
Topics: Betacoronavirus; COVID-19; Coronavirus Infections; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Humans; Pandemics; Pneumonia, Viral; Prevalence; SARS-CoV-2
PubMed: 33321018
DOI: No ID Found -
New Microbes and New Infections Jul 2022Recurrent positivity in a patient with COVID-19 may be due to various reasons, not necessarily reinfection. There is concern about the occurrence frequency of... (Review)
Review
Recurrent positivity in a patient with COVID-19 may be due to various reasons, not necessarily reinfection. There is concern about the occurrence frequency of reinfection. Five databases and a preprint/preprint repository were searched. All case reports, case series, and observational studies were included. Bias was assessed for each study with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale tool and reported according to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA-2020). After eligibility, 77 studies were included for qualitative synthesis (52 case reports, 21 case series, and four case-controls; 1131 patients included). Of these, 16 studies described a second contact with the SARS-CoV-2 positive case, five studies described healthcare profession-related infection, ten studies described that the source of reinfection was likely to be from the community, one study described travel-related infection, nine studies described vulnerability-related infection due to comorbidity. The mean number of days from discharge or negative test to reinfection ranged from 23.3 to 57.6 days across the different included studies. The risk of bias for all case report/series studies was moderate/high. For observational studies, the risk of bias was low. Reinfection of patients with COVID-19 occurs between the first and second month after the first infection, but beyond, and 90 days have been proposed as a point to begin to consider it. The main factor for reinfection is contact with COVID-19 positive cases.
PubMed: 36060548
DOI: 10.1016/j.nmni.2022.101021 -
JMIR Mental Health Jul 2023A large body of research has documented the efficacy of psychological interventions integrated with virtual reality (VR) therapies in treating psychiatric disorders.... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
A large body of research has documented the efficacy of psychological interventions integrated with virtual reality (VR) therapies in treating psychiatric disorders. However, the concept of positive mental health calls for a 2-fold approach in which both symptoms and positive functioning should be addressed by modern interventions.
OBJECTIVE
This review aimed to summarize studies that applied VR therapies by embracing the positive mental health perspective.
METHODS
A literature search was conducted by entering the following keywords-"virtual reality" AND "intervention" OR "treatment" OR "therapy" AND "mental health" NOT "systematic review or meta-analysis"-and limiting it to "journal article" and the English language. To be included in this review, articles had to present at least one quantitative measure of positive functioning and one quantitative measure of symptoms or distress and had to investigate adult populations, including populations with psychiatric disorders.
RESULTS
A total of 20 articles were included. They described various VR protocols that were applied for the treatment of anxiety disorders (5/20, 25%), depression (2/20, 10%), posttraumatic stress disorder (3/20, 15%), psychosis (3/20, 15%), and stress (7/20, 35%). Most of the studies (13/20, 65%) showed the beneficial effects of VR therapies in improving stress and negative symptoms. However, 35% (7/20) of the studies showed no or a small effect on the various dimensions of positivity, particularly in clinical samples.
CONCLUSIONS
VR interventions might be cost-effective and largely scalable, but further research is needed to develop existing VR software and treatments according to the modern positive mental health approach.
PubMed: 37410520
DOI: 10.2196/44998 -
Cancers Jul 2023Sarcoma may show similarities to malignant melanoma in terms of morphologic and immunohistochemical aspects, making it difficult to differentiate between these two... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Sarcoma may show similarities to malignant melanoma in terms of morphologic and immunohistochemical aspects, making it difficult to differentiate between these two neoplasms during the diagnostic process. This systematic review aims to summarize available evidence on cases of sarcoma that were initially diagnosed as melanoma.
METHODS
A comprehensive search of the MEDLINE/Pubmed, EMBASE, and SCOPUS databases was conducted through March 2023. We included case series and case reports of sarcoma patients that were initially diagnosed as malignant melanoma. PRISMA guidelines were followed.
RESULTS
Twenty-three case reports and four case series with a total of 34 patients were included. The clinical presentation was heterogeneous, and the most involved anatomical regions were lower limbs (24%), head/neck (24%), and upper limbs (21%). IHC positivity was reported for S100 (69%), HMB45 (63%), MelanA (31%), and MiTF (3%). The main reasons for a second assessment were unusual presentation (48%) and uncertain diagnosis (28%). EWSR1 translocation was investigated in 17/34 patients (50%) and found to be positive in 16/17 (94%). The final diagnosis was clear cell sarcoma (50%) or other soft tissue sarcomas (50%).
CONCLUSIONS
Melanoma and some histotypes of sarcoma share many similarities. In cases of atypical lesions, a second diagnosis should be considered, and ESWR1 translocation should be investigated.
PubMed: 37509250
DOI: 10.3390/cancers15143584 -
Biomedicines Oct 2023Subarachnoid hemorrhage resulting from cerebral aneurysm rupture is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Early identification of aneurysms on Computed... (Review)
Review
Subarachnoid hemorrhage resulting from cerebral aneurysm rupture is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Early identification of aneurysms on Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA), a frequently used modality for this purpose, is crucial, and artificial intelligence (AI)-based algorithms can improve the detection rate and minimize the intra- and inter-rater variability. Thus, a systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to assess the diagnostic accuracy of deep-learning-based AI algorithms in detecting cerebral aneurysms using CTA. PubMed (MEDLINE), Embase, and the Cochrane Library were searched from January 2015 to July 2023. Eligibility criteria involved studies using fully automated and semi-automatic deep-learning algorithms for detecting cerebral aneurysms on the CTA modality. Eligible studies were assessed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines and the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 (QUADAS-2) tool. A diagnostic accuracy meta-analysis was conducted to estimate pooled lesion-level sensitivity, size-dependent lesion-level sensitivity, patient-level specificity, and the number of false positives per image. An enhanced FROC curve was utilized to facilitate comparisons between the studies. Fifteen eligible studies were assessed. The findings indicated that the methods exhibited high pooled sensitivity (0.87, 95% confidence interval: 0.835 to 0.91) in detecting intracranial aneurysms at the lesion level. Patient-level sensitivity was not reported due to the lack of a unified patient-level sensitivity definition. Only five studies involved a control group (healthy subjects), whereas two provided information on detection specificity. Moreover, the analysis of size-dependent sensitivity reported in eight studies revealed that the average sensitivity for small aneurysms (<3 mm) was rather low (0.56). The studies included in the analysis exhibited a high level of accuracy in detecting intracranial aneurysms larger than 3 mm in size. Nonetheless, there is a notable gap that necessitates increased attention and research focus on the detection of smaller aneurysms, the use of a common test dataset, and an evaluation of a consistent set of performance metrics.
PubMed: 38001922
DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11112921 -
Discover Oncology Mar 2022The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to the summarize the evidence on programmed cell death protein ligand 1 (PD-L1) in Epstein-Barr virus associated... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVES
The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to the summarize the evidence on programmed cell death protein ligand 1 (PD-L1) in Epstein-Barr virus associated gastric cancer (EBVaGC) and to estimate the expression rate of PD-L1 among this subtype of Gastric Cancer (GC).
MATERIALS AND METHODS
For this study, PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science databases were searched for articles published until 1st November 2021. A total of 43 eligible publications with a total of 11,327 patients were included analysis based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. A total of 41 publications present data for proportion estimation and 33 for comparison of PD-L1 between EBV positive and negative GC. DerSimonian-Laird random-effects model was used for meta-analysis.
RESULTS
The analysis showed that in EBVaGC the pooled positivity rate for PD-L1 was 54.6% (p < 0.001), with a high heterogeneity between the included studies, which was associated with variation on positivity criteria for PD-L1 expression. Overall, the study reveals an increased association between PD-L1 and EBVaGC (OR = 6.36, 95% CI 3.91-10.3, p < 0.001). Furthermore, the study revealed that GC with lymphoid stroma (GCLS) is highly associated with EBV (OR = 17.4, 95% CI 6.83-44.1, p < 0.001), with a pooled EBV positivity rate of 52.9% (p < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS
Patients with EBVaGC tend to show higher PD-L1 expression, which enhances EBV positivity as a promising marker for patient selection for immunotherapy targeted agents. A uniform criteria for PD-L1 positivity in tumor cells is needed, as well as further prospective studies to validate our findings and their prognostic significance.
PubMed: 35318527
DOI: 10.1007/s12672-022-00479-0 -
Aging & Mental Health Jul 2016Little is known about how and to what extent people with dementia live positively with their condition. This study aimed to review and carry out a synthesis of... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
OBJECTIVE
Little is known about how and to what extent people with dementia live positively with their condition. This study aimed to review and carry out a synthesis of qualitative studies where accounts of the subjective experiences of people with dementia contained evidence of positive states, experiences or attributes.
METHODS
A meta-synthesis was undertaken to generate an integrated and interpretive account of the ability of people with dementia to have positive experiences. A methodological quality assessment was undertaken to maximize the reliability and validity of this synthesis and to contextualize the findings with regard to methodological constraints and epistemological concepts.
FINDINGS
Twenty-seven papers were included. Three super-ordinate themes relating to positive experiences and attributes were identified, each with varying and complementing sub-themes. The first super-ordinate theme related to the experience of engaging with life in ageing rather than explicitly to living with dementia. The second theme related to engaging with dementia itself and comprised the strengths that people can utilize in facing and fighting the condition. The third theme captured how people with dementia might transcend the condition and seek ways to maintain identity and even achieve personal growth.
CONCLUSIONS
This review provides a first step towards understanding what conceptual domains might be important in defining positive outcomes for people who live with dementia. Highlighting the potential for people to have positive experiences in spite of or even because of their dementia has important implications for de-stigmatizing dementia and will enhance person-centred approaches to care.
Topics: Activities of Daily Living; Adaptation, Psychological; Aging; Dementia; Humans; Quality of Life; Social Support
PubMed: 26078084
DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2015.1052777 -
Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology 2023Current guidelines strongly recommend the use of validated classifications to support optical diagnosis of lesions with advanced endoscopic imaging in the lower... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Current guidelines strongly recommend the use of validated classifications to support optical diagnosis of lesions with advanced endoscopic imaging in the lower gastrointestinal tract. However, the optimal strategy in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is still a matter of debate.
OBJECTIVES
To analyze the accuracy of endoscopic classifications or single predictors for lesion characterization during endoscopic surveillance of IBD with advanced endoscopic imaging.
DESIGN
Systematic review.
DATA SOURCES AND METHODS
Medline and PubMed were used to extract all studies which focused on lesion characterization of neoplastic and non-neoplastic lesions in IBD. The diagnostic accuracy of endoscopic classifications and single endoscopic predictors for lesion characterization were analyzed according to type of patients, lesions, and technology used. When available, the rates of true and false positives or negatives for neoplasia were pooled and the sensitivity (SE), specificity (SP), positive predictive value, and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated.
RESULTS
We included 35 studies (2789 patients; 5925 lesions - 1149 neoplastic). Advanced endoscopic imaging included dye-based chromoendoscopy, virtual chromoendoscopy (VCE), magnification and high-definition endoscopy, confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE), endocytoscopy, and autofluorescence imaging. The Kudo classification of pit patterns was most frequently used, with pooled SE 83%, SP 83%, and NPV 95%. The endoscopic criteria with the highest accuracy, with minimum SE ⩾ 90%, SP ⩾ 80%, and NPV ⩾ 90% were: the Kudo-IBD classification used with VCE (Fuji Intelligent Color Enhancement and i-SCAN); combined irregular surface and vascular patterns used with narrow band imaging; the Mainz classification used with CLE. Multiple clinical and technical factors were found to influence the accuracy of optical diagnosis in IBD.
CONCLUSION
No single endoscopic factor has yet shown sufficient accuracy for lesion characterization in IBD surveillance. Conventional classifications developed in the non-IBD setting have lower accuracy in IBD. The use of new classifications adapted for IBD (Kudo-IBD), and new technologies based on microscopic analysis show promise.
PubMed: 37954537
DOI: 10.1177/17562848231208667 -
Nature Dec 2015HIV testing and counselling is the first crucial step for linkage to HIV treatment and prevention. However, despite high HIV burden in sub-Saharan Africa, testing... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
HIV testing and counselling is the first crucial step for linkage to HIV treatment and prevention. However, despite high HIV burden in sub-Saharan Africa, testing coverage is low, particularly among young adults and men. Community-based HIV testing and counselling (testing outside of health facilities) has the potential to reduce coverage gaps, but the relative impact of different modalities is not well assessed. We conducted a systematic review of HIV testing modalities, characterizing community (home, mobile, index, key populations, campaign, workplace and self-testing) and facility approaches by population reached, HIV positivity, CD4 count at diagnosis and linkage. Of 2,520 abstracts screened, 126 met eligibility criteria. Community HIV testing and counselling had high coverage and uptake and identified HIV-positive people at higher CD4 counts than facility testing. Mobile HIV testing reached the highest proportion of men of all modalities examined (50%, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 47-54%) and home with self-testing reached the highest proportion of young adults (66%, 95% CI = 65-67%). Few studies evaluated HIV testing for key populations (commercial sex workers and men who have sex with men), but these interventions yielded high HIV positivity (38%, 95% CI = 19-62%) combined with the highest proportion of first-time testers (78%, 95% CI = 63-88%), indicating service gaps. Community testing with facilitated linkage (for example, counsellor follow-up to support linkage) achieved high linkage to care (95%, 95% CI = 87-98%) and antiretroviral initiation (75%, 95% CI = 68-82%). Expanding home and mobile testing, self-testing and outreach to key populations with facilitated linkage can increase the proportion of men, young adults and high-risk individuals linked to HIV treatment and prevention, and decrease HIV burden.
Topics: Africa South of the Sahara; CD4 Lymphocyte Count; Diagnostic Tests, Routine; HIV Infections; Health Services Needs and Demand; Humans; Sex Distribution; Viral Load
PubMed: 26633769
DOI: 10.1038/nature16044