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Journal of General Internal Medicine Aug 2021The number of procedures performed by internal medicine residents in the United States (US) is declining. An increasing proportion of residents do not feel confident... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND AND AIMS
The number of procedures performed by internal medicine residents in the United States (US) is declining. An increasing proportion of residents do not feel confident performing essential invasive bedside procedures and, upon graduation, desire additional training. Several residency programs have utilized the medical procedure service (MPS) to address this issue. We aim to summarize the current state of evidence by systematically evaluating the effect of the MPS on resident education, comfort, and training, as well as patient safety and procedural outcomes in the US.
METHODS
We conducted a systematic review of all studies reporting the use of an MPS with supervision from a board-certified physician in internal medicine residencies in the US. Database search was performed on PubMed, Embase, ERIC, and Cochrane Library from January 2000 to November 2020 for relevant studies. Quality of evidence assessment and random-effects proportion meta-analyses were performed.
RESULTS
A total of nine studies reporting on 3879 procedures performed by MPS were identified. Procedures were safely performed, with a pooled complication rate of 2.1% (95% CI: 1.0-3.5) and generally successful, with a pooled success rate of 94.7% (95% CI: 90.8-97.7). The range of procedures performed by residents under MPS was 6.7-72.8 procedures per month (n = 9) compared to 4.3-64.4 procedures (n = 4) without MPS. MPS significantly increased confidence, comfort, and use of appropriate safety measures among residents.
CONCLUSION
There are a limited number of published studies on MPS supervised by a board-certified physician in US internal medicine residencies. Procedures performed by MPS are generally successfully completed and safe. MPS benefits internal medicine residents training by improving competency, comfort, and confidence.
Topics: Certification; Clinical Competence; Humans; Internship and Residency; Patient Safety; United States
PubMed: 33547571
DOI: 10.1007/s11606-020-06526-2 -
Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Jun 2022Evidence is limited on the comparative diagnostic performance of newer end-cutting fine-needle biopsy (FNB) needles for tissue sampling of pancreatic masses. We... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Evidence is limited on the comparative diagnostic performance of newer end-cutting fine-needle biopsy (FNB) needles for tissue sampling of pancreatic masses. We performed a systematic review with network meta-analysis to compare the diagnostic accuracy of available FNB needles for sampling of solid pancreatic lesions.
METHODS
A systematic literature review (Medline and Cochrane Database) was conducted for studies evaluating the accuracy of newer FNB needles in adults undergoing EUS-guided sampling of solid pancreatic masses. The primary outcome was diagnostic accuracy. Secondary outcomes were sample adequacy, diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, and adverse event rate. We performed pairwise and network meta-analyses and appraised the quality of evidence using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation methodology.
RESULTS
Overall, 16 RCTs (1934 patients) were identified. On network meta-analysis, Franseen needles (Acquire; Boston Scientific, Marlborough, Mass, USA) significantly outperformed reverse-bevel needles (risk ratio [RR], 1.21 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.05-1.40] for accuracy and 1.31 [95% CI, 1.05-1.22] for adequacy) and FNA needles (RR, 1.21 [95% CI, 1.01-1.25] for accuracy and 1.07 [95% CI, 1.02-1.13] for adequacy). Likewise, the Fork-tip needle (SharkCore; Medtronic, Dublin, Ireland) was significantly superior to the reverse-bevel needle (RR, 1.17 [95% CI, 1.03-1.33] for accuracy and 1.09 [95% CI, 1.02-1.16] for adequacy) and to the FNA needle (RR, 1.09 [95% CI, 1.01-1.19] for accuracy and 1.03 [95% CI, 1.01-1.07] for adequacy). Other comparisons did not achieve statistical significance. As a consequence, Franseen (surface under the cumulative ranking score, .89 for accuracy and .94 for adequacy) and Fork-tip needles (surface under the cumulative ranking score, .76 for accuracy and .73 for adequacy) ranked as the 2 highest-performing FNB needles. When considering different needle sizes, 25-gauge Franseen and 25-gauge Fork-tip needles were not superior to 22-gauge reverse-bevel needles (RR, 1.18 [95% CI, .96-1.46] and 1.04 [95% CI, .62-1.52]). None of the tested needles was significantly superior to the other FNB devices or to FNA needles when rapid onsite cytologic evaluation was available.
CONCLUSIONS
Franseen and Fork-tip needles, particularly 22-gauge size, showed the highest performance for tissue sampling of pancreatic masses, with low confidence in estimates.
Topics: Adult; Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration; Humans; Network Meta-Analysis; Pancreas; Pancreatic Neoplasms; Specimen Handling
PubMed: 35124072
DOI: 10.1016/j.gie.2022.01.019 -
International Journal of Molecular... Jun 2023Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is characterized by impaired myeloid differentiation resulting in an accumulation of immature blasts in the bone marrow and peripheral... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
A Direct Comparison, and Prioritisation, of the Immunotherapeutic Targets Expressed by Adult and Paediatric Acute Myeloid Leukaemia Cells: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is characterized by impaired myeloid differentiation resulting in an accumulation of immature blasts in the bone marrow and peripheral blood. Although AML can occur at any age, the incidence peaks at age 65. The pathobiology of AML also varies with age with associated differences in incidence, as well as the frequency of cytogenetic change and somatic mutations. In addition, 5-year survival rates in paediatrics are 60-75% but fall to 5-15% in older AML patients. This systematic review aimed to determine whether the altered genes in AML affect the same molecular pathways, indifferent of patient age, and, therefore, whether patients could benefit from the repurposing drugs or the use of the same immunotherapeutic strategies across age boundaries to prevent relapse. Using a PICO framework and PRISMA-P checklist, relevant publications were identified using five literature databases and assessed against an inclusion criteria, leaving 36 articles, and 71 targets for therapy, for further analysis. QUADAS-2 was used to determine the risk of bias and perform a quality control step. We then priority-ranked the list of cancer antigens based on predefined and pre-weighted objective criteria as part of an analytical hierarchy process used for dealing with complex decisions. This organized the antigens according to their potential to act as targets for the immunotherapy of AML, a treatment that offers an opportunity to remove residual leukaemia cells at first remission and improve survival rates. It was found that 80% of the top 20 antigens identified in paediatric AML were also within the 20 highest scoring immunotherapy targets in adult AML. To analyse the relationships between the targets and their link to different molecular pathways, PANTHER and STRING analyses were performed on the 20 highest scoring immunotherapy targets for both adult and paediatric AML. There were many similarities in the PANTHER and STRING results, including the most prominent pathways being angiogenesis and inflammation mediated by chemokine and cytokine signalling pathways. The coincidence of targets suggests that the repurposing of immunotherapy drugs across age boundaries could benefit AML patients, especially when used in combination with conventional therapies. However, due to cost implications, we would recommend that efforts are focused on ways to target the highest scoring antigens, such as WT1, NRAS, IDH1 and TP53, although in the future other candidates may prove successful.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Child; Humans; Immunotherapy; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute; Meta-Analysis as Topic; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local
PubMed: 37298623
DOI: 10.3390/ijms24119667 -
Australian Endodontic Journal : the... Dec 2021This systematic review and meta-analysis was sought to assess whether intentional foraminal enlargement (IFE) is responsible for extrusion of a larger quantity of debris... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
This systematic review and meta-analysis was sought to assess whether intentional foraminal enlargement (IFE) is responsible for extrusion of a larger quantity of debris from extracted human teeth with fully formed apexes. Following the recommendations of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis - PRISMA, electronic and manual searches were performed to identify studies that evaluated the extrusion of debris, comparing different apical limits of instrumentation (with/without IFE). The quality of the studies selected was evaluated, and statistical analysis was conducted. To perform the meta-analysis, just 3 papers could be used. The heterogeneity was high, however; there was no statistically significant difference in relation to the extrusion of debris in teeth either submitted or not submitted to IFE. The general risk of bias was moderate. In conclusion, IFE is not responsible for extrusion of a larger quantity of debris from extracted human teeth with fully formed apexes.
Topics: Electronics; Humans; Research Design
PubMed: 34146366
DOI: 10.1111/aej.12539 -
International Journal of Implant... Dec 2023This systematic review aimed to investigate the accuracy of intraoral scan (IOS) impressions of implant-supported restorations in in vivo studies. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
PURPOSE
This systematic review aimed to investigate the accuracy of intraoral scan (IOS) impressions of implant-supported restorations in in vivo studies.
METHODS
A systematic electronic search and review of studies on the accuracy of IOS implant impressions were conducted to analyze the peer-reviewed literature published between 1989 and August 2023. The bias analysis was performed by two reviewers. Data on the study characteristics, accuracy outcomes, and related variables were extracted. A meta-analysis of randomized control trials was performed to investigate the impact of IOS on peri-implant crestal bone loss and the time involved in the impression procedure.
RESULTS
Ten in vivo studies were included in this systematic review for final analysis. Six studies investigated the trueness of IOS impressions, but did not reach the same conclusions. One study assessed the precision of IOS impressions for a single implant. Four clinical studies examined the accuracy of IOS implant impressions with a follow-up of 1-2 years. In full arches, IOS impression procedure needed significantly less time than conventional one (mean difference for procedure time was 8.59 min [6.78, 10.40 min], P < 0.001), prosthetic survival rate was 100%, and marginal bone levels of all participants could be stably maintained (mean difference in marginal bone loss at 12 months was 0.03 mm [-0.08, 0.14 mm], P = 0.55).
CONCLUSIONS
The accuracy of IOS impressions of implant-supported restorations varied greatly depending on the scanning strategy. The trueness and precision of IOS in the partial and complete arches remain unclear and require further assessment. Based on follow-up clinical studies, IOS impressions were accurate in clinical practice. However, these results should be interpreted with caution, as some evidences are obtained from the same research group.
Topics: Humans; Dental Implants; Research Design; Bone Diseases, Metabolic; Clonal Hematopoiesis; Electronics
PubMed: 38055096
DOI: 10.1186/s40729-023-00517-8 -
European Urology Focus May 2023Multiple randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the three approaches of radical cystectomy (robotic assisted [RARC], laparoscopic [LRC], and open [ORC]) have been... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
CONTEXT
Multiple randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the three approaches of radical cystectomy (robotic assisted [RARC], laparoscopic [LRC], and open [ORC]) have been published recently.
OBJECTIVE
To perform a systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA) of RCTs comparing RARC, LRC, and ORC, with the primary outcomes being overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS).
EVIDENCE ACQUISITION
A search of the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, and Web of Science (last search: 20/05/2022) was performed. The prospectively registered protocol stated that a NMA of the primary outcomes would be performed only if there was sufficient evidence to compare all three approaches. In case of insufficient evidence, a comparison between the two most common approaches would be performed. The risk of bias and certainty of evidence (CoE) via the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach was assessed for direct evidence and the most common comparison.
EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS
Ten trials were identified. There was insufficient evidence for a NMA of all approaches for the primary outcomes. The meta-analysis of RARC and ORC showed no differences in OS (hazard ratio (HR) [confidence interval (CI): 0.98 [0.73-1.30]) and RFS (HR [CI]: 0.99 [0.75-1.31]) with moderate CoE. The secondary outcomes showed lower rates of transfusions (p < 0.01) and longer operating time (p < 0.01) with high CoE for RARC compared with ORC. There were no differences for quality of life, positive margins, length of hospital stay, or major complications (all p > 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
There are no differences in OS and RFS between RARC and ORC, with moderate CoE. Clinicians should likely apply the approach with which they can reach the highest case volume and in which they have the most experience.
PATIENT SUMMARY
We looked at the difference between three types (robotic assisted, laparoscopic, and open) of operating techniques for radical cystectomy. The data showed no significant differences in OS between the robotic-assisted and the open technique, while enough data were not available to make a comparison with conventional laparoscopic surgery.
Topics: Humans; Cystectomy; Robotic Surgical Procedures; Network Meta-Analysis; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms; Treatment Outcome; Postoperative Complications; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Laparoscopy
PubMed: 36529645
DOI: 10.1016/j.euf.2022.12.001 -
BMC Health Services Research Sep 2021Healthcare management faces complex challenges in allocating hospital resources, and predicting patients' length-of-stay (LOS) is critical in effectively managing those... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Healthcare management faces complex challenges in allocating hospital resources, and predicting patients' length-of-stay (LOS) is critical in effectively managing those resources. This work aims to map approaches used to forecast the LOS of Pediatric Patients in Hospitals (LOS-P) and patients' populations and environments used to develop the models.
METHODS
Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) methodology, we performed a scoping review that identified 28 studies and analyzed them. The search was conducted on four databases (Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, and Medline). The identification of relevant studies was structured around three axes related to the research questions: (i) forecast models, (ii) hospital length-of-stay, and (iii) pediatric patients. Two authors carried out all stages to ensure the reliability of the review process. Articles that passed the initial screening had their data charted on a spreadsheet. Methods reported in the literature were classified according to the stage in which they are used in the modeling process: (i) pre-processing of data, (ii) variable selection, and (iii) cross-validation.
RESULTS
Forecasting models are most often applied to newborn patients and, consequently, in neonatal intensive care units. Regression analysis is the most widely used modeling approach; techniques associated with Machine Learning are still incipient and primarily used in emergency departments to model patients in specific situations.
CONCLUSIONS
The studies' main benefits include informing family members about the patient's expected discharge date and enabling hospital resources' allocation and planning. Main research gaps are associated with the lack of generalization of forecasting models and limited reported applicability in hospital management. This study also provides a practical guide to LOS-P forecasting methods and a future research agenda.
Topics: Child; Hospitals; Humans; Length of Stay; Reproducibility of Results; Research Design
PubMed: 34496862
DOI: 10.1186/s12913-021-06912-4 -
Journal of Clinical Pharmacology Mar 2024Several urate-lowering drugs have been linked to muscle injury. This study investigated the association of oral urate-lowering drugs with the risk of muscle injury by... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Several urate-lowering drugs have been linked to muscle injury. This study investigated the association of oral urate-lowering drugs with the risk of muscle injury by performing a network meta-analysis of randomized and non-randomized controlled trials. A systematic search of MEDLINE, via PubMed, the ClinicalTrials.gov website, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials was conducted to identify relevant studies with a primary outcome of "all muscle injuries." A random-effects model was used to perform a frequentist network meta-analysis to estimate whether there was significant heterogeneity among the studies. In total, 32 studies including 28,327 participants with 2694 (9.5%) "all muscle injuries" were assessed, and the overall risk of bias was judged to be low to moderate. No statistically significant differences were found between placebo and 6 urate-lowering therapies: allopurinol (risk ratio, RR, 1.05; 95% confidence interval, 95%CI, 0.63-1.73), febuxostat (RR 1.10, 95%CI 0.71-1.70), lesinurad (RR 7.00, 95%CI 0.31-160.36), lesinurad concomitant with allopurinol (RR 0.85, 95%CI 0.34-2.11), lesinurad concomitant with febuxostat (RR 1.97, 95%CI 0.55-7.03), and topiroxostat (RR 0.99, 95%CI 0.37-2.65). The findings suggest that there is little need to consider the risk of muscle injury when using urate-lowering drugs in the clinical setting.
Topics: Humans; Allopurinol; Febuxostat; Muscles; Network Meta-Analysis; Thioglycolates; Triazoles; Uric Acid; Controlled Clinical Trials as Topic
PubMed: 37840156
DOI: 10.1002/jcph.2369 -
Autoimmunity Reviews Sep 2022Several diagnostic criteria have been developed to effectively diagnose systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Three criteria are most common, namely the American College... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Diagnostic accuracy of the American College of Rheumatology-1997, the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics-2012, and the European League Against Rheumatism-2019 criteria for juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.
IMPORTANCE/BACKGROUND
Several diagnostic criteria have been developed to effectively diagnose systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Three criteria are most common, namely the American College of Rheumatology (ACR)-1997, the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC)-2012, and the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR/ACR)-2019. Whether they also apply to juvenile SLE is unclear.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the diagnostic accuracy of ACR-1997, SLICC-2012, and EULAR/ACR-2019 for juvenile SLE.
DATA SOURCES
A comprehensive search of PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase was conducted up to 26 March 2022.
STUDY SELECTION
We included all study designs in which patients had any index tests for ACR-1997, SLICC-2012, or EULAR/ACR-2019; both full-text papers and conference abstracts published in English were used. Exclusion criteria were as follows: (1) case reports; (2) adult subjects; or (3) did not report sufficient information to acquire true positive, false positive, true negative, and false negative values of diagnostic criteria.
DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS
Two authors independently screened studies, extracted relevant data, and assessed the risk of bias.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
First, a meta-analysis of the diagnostic accuracy of EULAR/ACR-2019 and a hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic (HSROC) model was performed to estimate sensitivity and specificity with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We then carried out a network meta-analysis to compare the performances of these three diagnostic criteria.
RESULTS
In total, 17 relevant studies that included 2339 juvenile SLE patients were eligible to analyze pooled accuracy. In the meta-analysis, 10 studies (1613 cases) reported the diagnostic performance of EULAR/ACR-2019, showing a pooled sensitivity of 0.92 (95% CI, 0.89-0.95), pooled specificity of 0.89 (0.77-0.95), and area under HSROC of 0.96 (0.94-0.97). In the network meta-analysis, the SLICC-2012 (0.94, 0.92-0.96) had the highest sensitivity, followed by EULAR/ACR-2019 (0.93, 0.90-0.95), and ACR-1997 (0.78, 0.72-0.82); the ACR-1997 (0.96, 0.92-0.98) demonstrated the highest specificity. EULAR/ACR-2019 (0.92, 0.87-0.96) and SLICC-2012 (0.92, 0.86-0.96) had the similar specificity.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
We found that the applicability of the new EULAR/ACR-2019 criteria in juvenile SLE is not yet the best diagnostic tool.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
PROSPERO CRD42022321514.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic; Network Meta-Analysis; Rheumatic Diseases; Rheumatology; Sensitivity and Specificity; United States
PubMed: 35842200
DOI: 10.1016/j.autrev.2022.103144 -
Systematic Reviews Nov 2022Blood derivatives therapy is a conventional clinical treatment, while the treatment for Alzheimer's disease (AD) is relatively novel. To provide clinical references for... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Blood derivatives therapy is a conventional clinical treatment, while the treatment for Alzheimer's disease (AD) is relatively novel. To provide clinical references for treating AD, this meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of blood derivatives therapy on the patients with AD.
METHODS
A systematic articles search was performed for eligible studies published up to December 6, 2021 through the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library, ClinicalTrials.gov , Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure database, and Wanfang databases. The included articles were screened by using rigorous inclusion and exclusion criteria. Study selection and data-extraction were performed by two authors independently. Random effects model or fixed effects model was used. Quality of studies and risk of bias were evaluated according to the Cochrane risk of bias tool. All analyses were conducted using Review Manager 5.4. The study was designed and conducted according to the Preferring Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) reporting guideline.
RESULTS
A total of three plasma administrations (two plasma exchange and one young plasma infusion) and five intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) randomized controlled trials with a sample size of 1148 subjects diagnosed with AD were included. There was no significant difference in cognitive improvement and all-cause discontinuation between intervention and placebo groups (RR 1.10, 95% CI 0.79-1.54). And Intervention groups showed not a statistically significant improvement in cognition of included subjects measured by the ADAS-Cog (MD 0.36, 95% CI 0.87-1.59), ADCS-ADL (MD -1.34, 95% CI - 5.01-2.32) and NPI (MD 2.20, 95% CI 0.07-4.32) score compared to the control groups. IVIG is well tolerated for AD patients even under the maximum dose (0.4 g/kg), but it is inferior to placebo in Neuropsychiatric Inventory scale in AD patients (MD 2.19, 95% CI 0.02-4.37).
CONCLUSIONS
The benefits of blood derivatives therapy for AD are limited. It is necessary to perform well-designed randomized controlled trials with large sample sizes focusing on the appropriate blood derivatives for the specific AD sub-populations in the future.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION
PROSPERO CRD42021233886.
Topics: Humans; Alzheimer Disease; Immunoglobulins, Intravenous; Cognition; Control Groups; Plasmapheresis
PubMed: 36443888
DOI: 10.1186/s13643-022-02115-y