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Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics Aug 2023Since COVID-19 became a global pandemic in 2020, the development and application of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines has become an important task to prevent the spread of the...
Since COVID-19 became a global pandemic in 2020, the development and application of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines has become an important task to prevent the spread of the epidemic. In addition to the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, the adverse reactions caused by vaccines in a small number of people also deserve our attention. We aimed to discuss and analyze the possible causes of Sweet syndrome caused by the COVID-19 vaccine by integrating the effective information from 16 patients and combining it with the latest views on the innate immune mechanism. We searched the PubMed and Embase databases for published patient reports on the occurrence or recurrence of Sweet syndrome after COVID-19 vaccination. We summarized the basic information of the patients, the type of vaccination, the presence of underlying diseases, and the clinical manifestations, clinical treatment and prognosis of the patients. The results were reported in narrative methods and were sorted into tables. We initially identified 53 studies. 16 articles were included through full-text screening. Based on the table we compiled, we generally concluded that the first dose of any type of COVID-19 vaccine was more likely to cause Sweet syndrome than subsequent doses. Sweet syndrome may occur after COVID-19 vaccination. Clinicians should consider Sweet syndrome in addition to common adverse reactions such as anaphylaxis and infection when a patient presents with acute fever accompanied by nodular erythema, pustules, and edematous plaques after COVID-19 vaccination.
Topics: Humans; COVID-19; COVID-19 Vaccines; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2; Sweet Syndrome
PubMed: 37313726
DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2023.2217076 -
Journal of Medical Internet Research Nov 2023The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated rapid changes to health care delivery, including a shift from in-person to digitally delivered psychotherapy. While these changes... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated rapid changes to health care delivery, including a shift from in-person to digitally delivered psychotherapy. While these changes helped ensure timely psychotherapy provision, many concerns exist, including clinical, cultural, practical, privacy, and security issues.
OBJECTIVE
This scoping review systematically mapped existing peer-reviewed research on synchronous, therapist-delivered web-based psychotherapy for individuals with a diagnosed mental illness. Data were analyzed through the lens of the Alberta Quality Matrix for Health (AQMH) to assess to what degree this literature addresses key indicators of health care quality. This analysis aided in the identification and organization of knowledge gaps with regard to web-based psychotherapies, highlighting potential disparities between previously prioritized dimensions of care and those requiring further attention.
METHODS
This review adhered to the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines. We included peer-reviewed primary research studies in the English language investigating synchronous, therapist-delivered remote psychotherapy delivered to adults (aged 18 years and older) with a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or International Statistical Classification of Diseases diagnosed mental illness. All other citations were excluded. Relevant studies were identified through MEDLINE, APA PsycINFO, Embase (OVID), Web of Science: Core Collection (Clarivate), Cochrane Library (Wiley), and Scopus (Elsevier) databases. Databases were searched on March 18, 2021. For every publication that was taken into consideration, the data were charted independently by 2 reviewers, and in the event of a discrepancy, the principal investigator validated the choice of either extractor. Results were thematically described according to the 6 AQMH dimensions: acceptability, accessibility, appropriateness, effectiveness, efficiency, and safety.
RESULTS
From 13,209 publications, 48 articles were included, largely from North American studies. Most studies measured treatment effectiveness (n=48, 100%) and acceptability (n=29, 60%) health quality dimensions. Over 80% (40/48) of studies investigated either a cognitive or exposure intervention for either posttraumatic stress disorder or a mood or anxiety disorder, generally indicating comparable results to in-person therapy. Safety (n=5, 10%) was measured in fewer studies, while treatment accessibility, appropriateness, and efficiency were not explicitly measured in any study, although these dimensions were mentioned as a future direction, hypothesis, or potential outcome.
CONCLUSIONS
In relation to web-based therapist-delivered psychotherapies for those with a diagnosed mental illness, important aspects of health care quality (accessibility, appropriateness, efficiency, and safety) have received little scientific examination, underscoring a need to address these gaps. There are also significant issues related to the generalizability of this literature, including the underrepresentation of many geographic regions, cultures, populations, clinical contexts, and psychotherapy modalities. Qualitative research in underrepresented populations and settings may uncover important patient and contextual factors important for the future implementation of quality web-based psychotherapy.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Pandemics; Psychotherapy; Anxiety Disorders; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; Internet
PubMed: 37921863
DOI: 10.2196/40710 -
Frontiers in Oncology 2024Portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) is a common complication and an obstacle to treatment, with a high recurrence rate and poor prognosis. There is still no global...
BACKGROUND
Portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) is a common complication and an obstacle to treatment, with a high recurrence rate and poor prognosis. There is still no global consensus or standard guidelines on the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with PVTT. Increasing evidence suggests that more aggressive treatment modalities, including transarterial chemoembolization, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, and various combination therapies, may improve the prognosis and prolong the survival of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC) patients with PVTT. We aim to comprehensively review and compare the efficacy and safety of these advanced options for aHCC with PVTT.
METHODS
A comprehensive literature search was conducted on PubMed and EMBASE for phase II or III randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating multimodality treatments for aHCC with PVTT. Kaplan-Meier curves for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival were constructed to retrieve individual patient-level data to strengthen the comparison of the benefits of all multimodality treatments of interest. Each study was pooled in a fixed-effects network meta-analysis (NMA). We also conducted subgroup analyses using risk ratios extracted from each study, including viral etiology, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels, macrovascular invasion or portal vein tumor thrombosis, and extrahepatic spread. Multimodality treatments were ranked using SUCRA scores.
RESULTS
We identified 15 randomized controlled trials with 16 multimodality regimens that met the inclusion criteria. Among them, 5,236 patients with OS results and 5,160 patients with PFS results were included in the analysis. The hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy of fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin (HAIC-FO) showed OS and PFS benefits over all the other therapies. In terms of OS, HAIC-FO, nivolumab, and TACE+Len were superior to sorafenib, lenvatinib, and donatinib monotherapies, as well as HAIC-FO+Sor. In terms of PFS, TACE+Len showed better benefits than lenvatinib, donatinib, and tremelimumab+durvalumab. A low heterogeneity ( < 50%) and consistency were observed. The SUCRA score for OS ranked HAIC-FO+sorafenib as the best treatment option among all multimodality treatments in hepatitis B, MVI, or PVTT with EHS and AFP 400 μg/L subgroups.
CONCLUSION
HAIC-FO and HAIC-FO+sorafenib are statistically better options for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma with PVTT among the multimodality treatments, and their effective and safe implementation may provide the best outcomes for HCC-PVTT patients.
PubMed: 38434681
DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1344798 -
Frontiers in Digital Health 2023Virtual fracture clinics (VFC) involve a consultant-led multidisciplinary team meeting where cases are reviewed before a telephone consultation with the patient. VFCs... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Virtual fracture clinics (VFC) involve a consultant-led multidisciplinary team meeting where cases are reviewed before a telephone consultation with the patient. VFCs have the advantages of reducing waiting times, outpatient appointments and time off school compared to face-to-face (F2F) fracture clinics. There has been a surge in VFC use since the COVID-19 pandemic but there are still concerns over safety in the paediatric population. Fractures make up a large burden of paediatric injuries, therefore research is required on the safety and efficacy of paediatric VFCs. This systematic review will look at the safety and effectiveness of paediatric VFCs, as well as determine the cost-effectiveness and parent preferences.
METHODS
As per the PRISMA guidelines two independent reviewers searched the following databases: Medline, Embase and Web of Science. Studies were included if children under 18 years old presented to A&E with a suspected or confirmed simple un-displaced fracture and were referred to a VFC. The primary outcomes assessed were effectiveness and safety, with the secondary outcomes of cost-effectiveness and parent satisfaction.
RESULTS
Six studies met the inclusion criteria for this systematic review. There was a high rate of direct discharge from the VFC leading to reduced outpatient appointments. All patients were seen within 72 h of presentation. There were limited incidences of missed fractures and the rates of re-presentation were similar to that of F2F orthopaedic clinics. There were significant cost savings for the hospitals and high parent satisfaction.
DISCUSSION
VFCs have shown to be safe and effective at managing most stable, low operative risk paediatric fractures. Safety must be ensured with a telephone helpline and an open return to fracture clinic policy. More research is needed into specific paediatric fracture types to be managed in the VFC.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION
https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/#searchadvanced, identifier: CRD42023423795.
PubMed: 37964895
DOI: 10.3389/fdgth.2023.1261035 -
The Journal of Allergy and Clinical... Apr 2024Short courses of adjunctive systemic corticosteroids are commonly used to treat acute urticaria and chronic urticaria flares (both with and without mast cell-mediated...
BACKGROUND
Short courses of adjunctive systemic corticosteroids are commonly used to treat acute urticaria and chronic urticaria flares (both with and without mast cell-mediated angioedema), but their benefits and harms are unclear.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the efficacy and safety of treating acute urticaria or chronic urticaria flares with versus without systemic corticosteroids.
METHODS
We searched the MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, and CBM databases from inception to July 8, 2023, for randomized controlled trials of treating urticaria with versus without systemic corticosteroids. Paired reviewers independently screened records, extracted data, and appraised risk of bias with the Cochrane 2.0 tool. We performed random-effects meta-analyses of urticaria activity, itch severity, and adverse events. We assessed certainty of the evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach.
RESULTS
We identified 12 randomized trials enrolling 944 patients. For patients with low or moderate probability (17.5%-64%) to improve with antihistamines alone, add-on systemic corticosteroids likely improve urticaria activity by a 14% to 15% absolute difference (odds ratio [OR], 2.17, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.43-3.31; number needed to treat [NNT], 7; moderate certainty). Among patients with a high chance (95.8%) for urticaria to improve with antihistamines alone, add-on systemic corticosteroids likely improved urticaria activity by a 2.2% absolute difference (NNT, 45; moderate certainty). Corticosteroids may improve itch severity (OR, 2.44; 95% CI: 0.87-6.83; risk difference, 9%; NNT, 11; low certainty). Systemic corticosteroids also likely increase adverse events (OR, 2.76; 95% CI: 1.00-7.62; risk difference, 15%; number needed to harm, 9; moderate certainty).
CONCLUSIONS
Systemic corticosteroids for acute urticaria or chronic urticaria exacerbations likely improve urticaria, depending on antihistamine responsiveness, but also likely increase adverse effects in approximately 15% more.
PubMed: 38642709
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaip.2024.04.016 -
Current Oncology (Toronto, Ont.) Jul 2023Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) has emerged as a technique to treat oligoprogressive sites among patients with breast cancer who are otherwise doing well on... (Review)
Review
Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) has emerged as a technique to treat oligoprogressive sites among patients with breast cancer who are otherwise doing well on systemic therapy. This study systematically reviewed the efficacy and safety of SBRT in the setting of oligoprogressive breast cancer. A literature search was conducted in the MEDLINE database. Studies regarding SBRT and oligoprogressive breast cancer were included. Key outcomes of interest were toxicity, local control, progression, and overall survival. From 863 references, five retrospective single-center cohort studies were identified. All studies included patients with both oligometastatic and oligoprogressive disease; 112 patients with oligoprogressive breast cancer were identified across these studies. Patient age ranged from 22 to 84, with a median of 55 years of age. Most patients had hormone-receptor-positive and HER2-negative disease. SBRT doses varied from 24 to 60 Gy in 1-10 fractions based on the location/size of the lesion. Forty toxicity events were reported, of which the majority ( = 25, 62.5%) were grade 1-2 events. Among 15 patients who received SBRT concurrently with a CDK4/6 inhibitor, 37.5% of patients experienced grade 3-5 toxicities. Progression-free and overall survival ranged from 17 to 57% and 62 to 91%, respectively. There are limited data on the role of SBRT in oligoprogressive breast cancer, and prospective evaluation of this strategy is awaited to inform its safety and efficacy.
Topics: Humans; Young Adult; Adult; Middle Aged; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Female; Radiosurgery; Retrospective Studies; Breast Neoplasms
PubMed: 37504365
DOI: 10.3390/curroncol30070505 -
Cureus Jul 2023Musculoskeletal shoulder pain (MSP) is a common orthopedic condition frequently treated by orthopedic surgeons and physical therapists in an interdisciplinary manner.... (Review)
Review
The Impact of Dry Needling With Electrical Stimulation on Pain and Disability in Patients With Musculoskeletal Shoulder Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
Musculoskeletal shoulder pain (MSP) is a common orthopedic condition frequently treated by orthopedic surgeons and physical therapists in an interdisciplinary manner. Dry needling with electrical stimulation (DNES) is an increasingly popular intervention used for the conservative treatment of MSP during physical therapy. To date, no systematic review and meta-analysis have examined the impact of DNES on outcomes in patients with MSP. This study aims to explore the effectiveness and safety of DNES in patients with MSP to improve patient outcomes. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted using PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Web of Science from database inception to March 10, 2023. Inclusion criteria were studies with DNES as an intervention, recorded patient outcomes, and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) only. DNES with or without conventional physical therapy (CPT) was compared to CPT alone, which included interventions such as exercise, manual therapy, dry needling without electrical stimulation, and/or interferential current. A total of five RCTs were analyzed from 144 articles retrieved on the initial search. Included patients (n=342) had an average age of 48.75 ± 5.92 years, an average follow-up time of 3.40 ± 1.42 months, and 184 patients receiving DNES with or without CPT. Patients treated with DNES with or without CPT (n=163) had a frequency-weighted mean decrease in pain of 4.8 ± 1.4 points, whereas patients treated with CPT alone (n=158) had a frequency-weighted mean decrease in pain of 3.3 ± 2.2 points. For meta-analysis of pain outcomes (n=321 total patients), DNES with or without CPT improved pain by 1.40/10 points as compared to CPT alone with no significant difference between groups (p=0.203; Cohen's d effect size (ES): 4.352; 95% CI: -2.343, 11.048). Patients treated with DNES with or without CPT (n=118) had a frequency-weighted mean decrease in disability of 34.7 ± 9.1 points. In contrast, patients treated with CPT alone (n=115) had a frequency-weighted decrease in disability of 20.1 ± 5.0 points. For meta-analysis of disability outcomes (n=233 total patients), DNES with or without CPT did not have a significant improvement in disability as compared to CPT alone (p=0.282; Cohen's d ES: 0.543; 95% CI: -0.446, 1.532). No serious adverse effects were reported for patients treated with DNES with or without CPT or CPT alone. DNES with or without CPT may significantly improve pain and disability in patients with MSP. However, DNES with or without CPT does not provide statistically significant improvements in pain or disability compared to CPT alone. Furthermore, DNES appears to be a safe intervention for MSP.
PubMed: 37546088
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.41404 -
Cureus Sep 2023Heart failure (HF) is a notable public health issue, and intravenous loop diuretics are frequently employed to address acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) and... (Review)
Review
Heart failure (HF) is a notable public health issue, and intravenous loop diuretics are frequently employed to address acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) and alleviate symptoms of congestion. However, prolonged use of loop diuretics can lead to drug resistance, and some patients experience refractory volume overload that does not respond to treatment. Sequential nephron blockade, which involves combining loop and thiazide diuretics, has been proposed as a strategy to overcome diuretic resistance and improve fluid overload management. This systematic review aims to critically evaluate the effectiveness and safety of this combination diuretic therapy. Following the directives detailed in the 2020 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a comprehensive search was conducted. Eligibility criteria were established to select relevant studies, including the requirement for studies to be conducted on human subjects and published as free full-text papers in English within the last 10 years. Several databases were searched using a combination of Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) phrases and keywords related to heart failure, loop diuretics, and thiazide diuretics. The search yielded 948 references, and after screening titles, abstracts, and full-text papers, eight final studies (five observational studies and three randomized control trials) were included in the review. Based on the findings of this systematic review, there is substantial evidence to endorse the efficacy of combination diuretic therapy of loop and thiazide diuretics in augmenting diuresis and enhancing outcomes for patients who exhibit insufficient responses to single-agent diuretics. Additionally, the review provides valuable insights about the timing and type of diuretics to use, helping clinicians make informed therapeutic decisions. However, to ensure patient safety and well-being, it is imperative to take into account the potential for electrolyte disturbances and impacts on renal function, necessitating diligent and vigilant monitoring as well as effective management strategies. In light of these findings, further research is warranted to optimize the dosing regimens and to delve deeper into the long-term safety and efficacy of combination therapy. Such research endeavors will undoubtedly contribute to refining treatment approaches and advancing patient care in the field of HF management.
PubMed: 37720125
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.44624 -
Pain and Therapy Aug 2023Renal colic is one of the most common urological emergencies, and is usually caused by ureteral colic spasms. Pain management in renal colic remains the central focus of...
INTRODUCTION
Renal colic is one of the most common urological emergencies, and is usually caused by ureteral colic spasms. Pain management in renal colic remains the central focus of emergency treatment. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to identify the efficacy and safety of ketamine versus opioids in the treatment of patients with renal colic.
METHODS
We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases for published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that referred to the use of ketamine and opioids for patients with renal colic. The methodology was based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The mean difference (MD) or odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to analyze the data. The results were pooled using a fixed-effects model or random-effects model. The primary outcome measure was patient-reported pain scores 5, 15, 30, and 60 min after drug administration. The secondary outcome measure was side effects.
RESULTS
The data analysis revealed that ketamine was similar to opioids in pain intensity at the time of 5 min post-dose (MD = - 0.40, 95% CI - 1.82 to 1.01, P = 0.57), 15 min post-dose (MD = - 0.15, 95% CI - 0.82 to 0.52, P = 0.67), 30 min post-dose (MD = 0.38, 95% CI - 0.25 to 1.01, P = 0.24). Also, the pain score of ketamine was better than that of opioids at 60 min after administration (MD = - 0.12, 95% CI - 0.22 to - 0.02, P = 0.02). As for safety, the ketamine group was linked to a significant decrease in the incidence of hypotensive (OR = 0.08, 95% CI 0.01-0.65, P = 0.02). The two groups did not statistically differ in the incidence of nausea, vomiting, and dizziness.
CONCLUSIONS
Compared with opioids, ketamine showed a longer duration of analgesia in renal colic, with satisfactory safety.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
The PROSPERO registration number is CRD42022355246.
PubMed: 37284927
DOI: 10.1007/s40122-023-00530-0 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2023Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is an independent risk factor associated with adverse outcomes in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Due to the wide variety... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is an independent risk factor associated with adverse outcomes in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Due to the wide variety of direct-acting antiviral regimens (DAAs) and the factor of renal insufficiency, careless selection of anti-hepatitis C treatment can lead to treatment failure and safety problems. The integrated evidence for optimized therapies for these patients is lacking. This study would conduct comparisons of different DAAs and facilitate clinical decision-making.
METHODS
We conducted a systematic literature search in multiple databases (PubMed, Ovid, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science) up to 7 August 2023. Study data that contained patient characteristics, study design, treatment regimens, intention-to-treat sustained virologic response (SVR), and adverse event (AE) data per regimen were extracted into a structured electronic database and analyzed. The network meta-analysis of the estimation was performed by the Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods.
RESULTS
Our search identified 5,278 articles; removing the studies with duplicates and ineligible criteria, a total of 62 studies (comprising 4,554 patients) were included. Overall, the analyses contained more than 2,489 male individuals, at least 202 patients with cirrhosis, and no less than 2,377 patients under hemodialysis. Network meta-analyses of the DAAs found that receiving ombitasvir (OBV)/paritaprevir (PTV)/ritonavir (R) plus dasabuvir (DSV), glecaprevir (G)/pibrentasvir (P), and sofosbuvir (SOF)/ledipasvir (LDV) ranked as the top three efficacy factors for the HCV-infected ESRD patients. Stratified by genotype, the G/P would prioritize genotype 1 and 2 patients with 98.9%-100% SVR, the SOF/DCV regimen had the greatest SVR rates (98.7%; 95% CI, 93.0%-100.0%) in genotype 3, and the OBV/PTV/R regimen was the best choice for genotype 4, with the highest SVR of 98.1% (95% CI, 94.4%-99.9%). In the pan-genotypic DAAs comparison, the G/P regimen showed the best pooled SVR of 99.4% (95% CI, 98.6%-100%). DAA regimens without Ribavirin or SOF showed the lowest rates of AEs (49.9%; 95% CI, 38.4%-61.5%) in HCV-infected ESRD patients.
CONCLUSION
The G/P could be recommended as the best option for the treatment of pan-genotypic HCV-infected ESRD patients. The OBV/PTV/R plus DSV, SOF/Velpatasvir (VEL), SOF/Ledipasvir (LDV), and SOF/DCV would be reliable alternatives for HCV treatment with comparable efficacy and safety profiles.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION
https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/#searchadvanced, PROSPERO: CRD42021242359.
Topics: Humans; Male; Antiviral Agents; Network Meta-Analysis; Hepacivirus; Bayes Theorem; Hepatitis C, Chronic; Treatment Outcome; Ritonavir; Hepatitis C; Kidney Failure, Chronic
PubMed: 37841743
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1179531