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Cancers Nov 2023Ovarian cancer (OC) has a high rate of mortality and is the fifth most common cause of death in females all over the world. The etiology is still unclear. Numerous... (Review)
Review
Ovarian cancer (OC) has a high rate of mortality and is the fifth most common cause of death in females all over the world. The etiology is still unclear. Numerous factors such as smoking, obesity, and unhealthy diet may affect the risk of OC. Having a family history of breast and OC is one of the main risks for developing OC. Mutations of BRCA1/2 are associated with OC risk as well. The histopathological classification of OC reveals the four most common types: serous, clear cell, endometrioid, and mucinous; these are epithelial OC types, and other types are rare. Furthermore, OC can be subdivided into types I and II. Type I tumors are most probably caused by atypical proliferative tumors. Type II tumors include high-grade carcinoma of the serous type, carcinosarcoma, and carcinoma, which are not differentiated and generally originate from tubal intraepithelial carcinoma of the serous type. Typically, type I tumors are present in early stages, usually with good prognosis. Type II tumors are classified as high-grade tumors and are most often diagnosed at advanced FIGO stages with poor prognosis. High-grade serous OC accounts for 90% of serous OC. Tumor heterogeneity aggravates OC treatment. The standard care for primary epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is cytoreductive surgery followed by platinum-based chemotherapy. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy can be used in certain cases followed by cytoreductive surgery. The main prognostic factor is complete tumor resection. However, about 70% of patients relapse. Resistance to chemotherapeutic agents remains a major challenge in EOC treatment, in which many different factors are involved. In recent years, the examination of molecular parameters and their prognostic impact has become increasingly relevant in EOC, and furthermore, the use of immunotherapy has expanded the therapeutic range. As the clinical need is greatest for relapsed patients, this systematic review will focus on recent advances in molecular biology with prognostic and predictive markers and treatment options for recurrent/refractory OC. Inclusion criteria for the review: potential prospective or predictive biomarkers in preclinical or clinical use in relapsed and refractory OC, prognostic impact, clinical and preclinical trials, and immunotherapy. Exclusion criteria for the review: primary OC, no full text or abstract available, not the topic mentioned above, and text not available in English. Risk of bias: the included studies were evaluated descriptively for the topics mentioned above, and data were not compared with each other. The objective is to highlight the molecular mechanisms of the most promising targeted agents under clinical investigation to demonstrate their potential relevance in recurrent/refractory OC.
PubMed: 38001616
DOI: 10.3390/cancers15225356 -
International Forum of Allergy &... Mar 2024Endoscopic vidian neurectomy is expected to provide good therapeutic relief in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) being refractory to medication therapy or... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Endoscopic vidian neurectomy is expected to provide good therapeutic relief in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) being refractory to medication therapy or conservative surgery. However, the evidence bases for its benefit remain debatable. In this study, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to clarify the therapeutic role of various forms of vidian neurectomy in refractory AR.
METHOD
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines were used to conduct a systematic review of primary studies that reported original patient data for endoscopic vidian neurectomy (EVN) and vidian-branch neurectomy, which includes selective vidian neurectomy (SVN) and posterior nasal neurectomy (PNN). The primary outcome was patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), including the Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ) and Visual Analog Scale (VAS), to assess an improvement in nasal symptom severity and quality of patient's life. The incidence of surgical complications and other objective outcomes were considered secondary outcomes.
RESULTS
This review included 24 clinical studies involving 1677 patients with refractory AR, of which 510 patients in six studies had combined chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and 95 patients in one study had combined asthma. Postoperative PROMs were significantly better than preoperatively in almost all patients who underwent vidianp (RQLQ: standardized mean difference [SMD] = 2.66, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.40-2.92, p < 0.001; VAS: SMD = 5.15, 95% CI = 4.29-6.02, p < 0.001) or vidian-branch neurectomy (RQLQ in PNN: SMD = 3.29, 95% CI = 2.45-4.13, p < 0.001; VAS in PNN: SMD = 4.38, 95% CI = 3.41-5.34, p < 0.001), and were generally better than in the conservative treatment group. Dividing with 18 months as the cutoff point, a subgroup analysis of the follow-up period was conducted, and the results showed that both long-term and short-term postoperative patients had considerably reduced symptoms compared to the preoperative period. The two surgical procedures, SVN and PNN, attributed to vidian-branch neurectomy have extremely few complications. However, EVN is more likely to cause dry eyes and palatal numbness, with no other serious complications. In patients with AR and CRSwNP, vidian or selective vidian neurectomy combined with functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) is more effective than conventional FESS (RQLQ: SMD = 2.17, 95% CI = 1.66-2.69, p < 0.001; VAS: SMD = 6.42, 95% CI = 4.78-8.06, p < 0.001). For patients who have both AR and asthma, SVN with pharyngeal branch excision is a potential treatment option.
CONCLUSION
EVN and vidian-branch neurectomy (including SVN and PNN) are effective treatments, but the former has a higher risk of complications. Additionally, vidian-branch neurectomy with FESS is beneficial for patients with mixed CRSwNP. SVN is a potential approach for patients with coexisting AR and asthma.
Topics: Humans; Quality of Life; Rhinitis, Allergic; Denervation; Nose; Asthma; Rhinitis
PubMed: 37715589
DOI: 10.1002/alr.23259 -
Movement Disorders : Official Journal... Mar 2021Stereotactic lesioning of the bilateral globus pallidus (GPi) was one of the first surgical treatments for medication-refractory dystonia but has largely been abandoned... (Review)
Review
Stereotactic lesioning of the bilateral globus pallidus (GPi) was one of the first surgical treatments for medication-refractory dystonia but has largely been abandoned in clinical practice after the introduction of deep brain stimulation (DBS). However, some patients with dystonia are not eligible for DBS. Therefore, we reviewed the efficacy, safety, and sustainability of bilateral pallidotomy by conducting a systematic review of individual patient data (IPD). Guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses and IPD were followed. In May 2020, Medline, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were searched for studies reporting on outcome of bilateral pallidotomy for dystonia. If available, IPD were collected. In this systematic review, 100 patients from 33 articles were evaluated. Adverse events were reported in 20 patients (20%), of which 8 were permanent (8%). Pre-and postoperative Burke-Fahn-Marsden Dystonia Rating Movement Scale scores were available for 53 patients. A clinically relevant improvement (>20%) of this score was found in 42 of 53 patients (79%). Twenty-five patients with status dystonicus (SD) were described. In all but 2 the SD resolved after bilateral pallidotomy. Seven patients experienced a relapse of SD. Median-reported follow-up was 12 months (n = 83; range: 2-180 months). Based on the current literature, bilateral pallidotomy is an effective and relatively safe procedure for certain types of dystonia, particularly in medication-refractory SD. Although due to publication bias the underreporting of negative outcomes is very likely, bilateral pallidotomy is a reasonable alternative to DBS in selected dystonia patients. © 2020 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
Topics: Deep Brain Stimulation; Dystonia; Dystonic Disorders; Globus Pallidus; Humans; Movement Disorders; Pallidotomy; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 33215750
DOI: 10.1002/mds.28384 -
Movement Disorders Clinical Practice Jul 2022To present a case of refractory medication-induced tremor successfully treated with deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the thalamic ventral intermediate nucleus (Vim) and... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
To present a case of refractory medication-induced tremor successfully treated with deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the thalamic ventral intermediate nucleus (Vim) and to propose a medical and surgical treatment algorithm based on a systematical review of the literature.
METHODS
Patient data were retrospectively collected. A systematic search was performed in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library. Subjective and objective data were pooled for analysis by classifying them into 5 predefined categories(no, minimal, moderate, good, and excellent effects).
RESULTS
The patient presented with lithium-induced bilateral progressive hand tremor lasting 25 years. After DBS, he reported excellent tremor suppression until the last follow-up (36 months after Vim-DBS). For the review, 34 of 140 studies were included and evaluated (178 unique subjects, 31 different treatments). A good-to-excellent tremor suppression (50%-100%) in at least 50% of subjects was achieved using propranolol (12 studies, 50% of 56 subjects), tetrabenazine (5 studies, 51% of 13 subjects), and metoprolol (4 studies, 75% of 8 subjects). The effect of benztropine and diphenhydramine was none or only minimal to moderate (up to 50% improvement; both: 3 studies, 50% of 4 patients). One article reported minimal-to-moderate effectiveness after DBS of the ventral oral posterior nucleus of the thalamus. Methods were highly heterogeneous. All studies scored grade III or IV quality of evidence, which was insufficient for recommendations (level U).
CONCLUSION
Treatment decision making should be performed on a case-by-case basis considering the low level of evidence, and we propose a practically oriented treatment algorithm. Propranolol, tetrabenazine, and metoprolol might be effective. For selected and refractory cases, DBS might be considered.
PubMed: 35844282
DOI: 10.1002/mdc3.13463 -
The Primary Care Companion For CNS... May 2023To synthesize the neurobiological basis of brain-resetting effects of psilocybin and identify neuroimaging correlates of psilocybin response in depressed patients....
To synthesize the neurobiological basis of brain-resetting effects of psilocybin and identify neuroimaging correlates of psilocybin response in depressed patients. MEDLINE(R), Embase, APA PsycINFO, Cochrane, and CINAHL were systematically searched on June 3, 2022, with no date restrictions using the following string: (psilocybin) AND (psychedelics) AND (MRI) OR (fMRI)) OR (PET)) OR (SPECT)) OR (imaging)) OR (neuroimaging)). After duplicates were removed from 946 studies, 391 studies remained, of which 8 qualified for full-text analysis, but only 5 fulfilled the eligibility criteria of randomized, double-blind, or open-label neuroimaging study with psilocybin treatment in depressed patients. The Covidence platform was used for deduplication and bias assessment. The data points included concomitant psychological intervention, modality of neuroimaging technique, changes in depression scores, brain functional changes, and association between functional and psilocybin response. Assessment bias was assessed with the standard risk of bias tool for randomized controlled trials and the tool for risk of bias in nonrandomized studies of interventions. Four studies were open-label, and one was a combined open-label and randomized controlled trial using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy was administered in 3 studies, 1 in refractory and 2 in nonrefractory patients. The remaining 2 studies were in refractory patients. The transient increase in psilocybin-induced global connectivity in major neural tracts and specific areas of brain activation was associated with antidepressant response. Transient functional brain changes with psilocybin therapy resemble the "brain reset" phenomenon and may serve as the putative predictors of psilocybin antidepressant response.
Topics: Humans; Antidepressive Agents; Brain; Depression; Psilocybin; Psychotherapy; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
PubMed: 37230065
DOI: 10.4088/PCC.22r03419 -
Hematology (Amsterdam, Netherlands) Dec 2023Inhibitors of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) have been used in the treatment of relapsed and refractory Hodgkin's... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Inhibitors of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) have been used in the treatment of relapsed and refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma (R/R HL) recently. To further understand the safety and efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in R/R HL, we conducted this meta-analysis.
METHODS
Databases and the Clinical Registration Platforms have been systematically searched for related studies by March 2022. For safety analysis, the incidence and exhibition of any grade and grade 3 or higher adverse effects (AEs) were evaluated. Besides, severe AEs (SAEs), treatment-related deaths, and AEs leading to treatment discontinuation were summarized. The overall response rate (ORR), complete response (CR) rate, partial response (PR) rate, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and duration of response (DOR) were calculated for efficacy analysis. All processes were implemented mainly through the package Meta and MetaSurv of software R 4.1.2.
RESULTS
Overall 20 studies and 1440 patients were enrolled. The pooled incidence of any grade and grade 3 or higher AEs were 92% and 26%, respectively. The pooled ORR, CR rate and PR rate were 79%, 44% and 34%, respectively. The most common AEs were neuropathy (29%), nausea (27%), pyrexia (26%), and leukopenia (25%), and the most common grade 3 or higher AEs included leukopenia (10%), infusion reaction (8%), weight gain (3%), and neutropenia (2.7%). In survival analysis, pembrolizumab monotherapy appeared to perform better compared to nivolumab monotherapy.
CONCLUSIONS
PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors show promising efficacy and tolerable AEs in the treatment of R/R HL.
Topics: Humans; B7-H1 Antigen; Hodgkin Disease; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors; Leukopenia; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor; Prospective Studies
PubMed: 36892260
DOI: 10.1080/16078454.2023.2181749 -
Frontiers in Pediatrics 2023Evidence-based data on treatment of neonatal status epilepticus (SE) are scarce. We aimed to collect data on the efficacy and safety of ketamine for the treatment of... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Evidence-based data on treatment of neonatal status epilepticus (SE) are scarce. We aimed to collect data on the efficacy and safety of ketamine for the treatment of neonatal SE and to assess its possible role in the treatment of neonatal SE.
METHODS
We described a novel case and conducted a systematic literature review on neonatal SE treated with ketamine. The search was carried out in Pubmed, Cochrane, Clinical Trial Gov, Scopus and Web of Science.
RESULTS
Seven published cases of neonatal SE treated with ketamine were identified and analyzed together with our novel case. Seizures typically presented during the first 24 h of life (6/8). Seizures were resistant to a mean of five antiseizure medications. Ketamine, a NMDA receptor antagonist, appeared to be safe and effective in all neonates treated. Neurologic sequelae including hypotonia and spasticity were reported for 4/5 of the surviving children (5/8). 3/5 of them were seizure free at 1-17 months of life.
DISCUSSION
Neonatal brain is more susceptible to seizures due to a shift towards increased excitation because of a paradoxical excitatory effect of GABA, a greater density of NMDA receptors and higher extracellular concentrations of glutamate. Status epilepticus and neonatal encephalopathy could further enhance these mechanisms, providing a rationale for the use of ketamine in this setting.
CONCLUSIONS
Ketamine in the treatment of neonatal SE showed a promising efficacy and safety profile. However, further in-depth studies and clinical trials on larger populations are needed.
PubMed: 37334223
DOI: 10.3389/fped.2023.1189478 -
European Journal of Paediatric... May 2022Children with epilepsy have more sleep disorders compared to healthy children. The bidirectional interaction between epilepsy and sleep is not completely understood.... (Review)
Review
Children with epilepsy have more sleep disorders compared to healthy children. The bidirectional interaction between epilepsy and sleep is not completely understood. However, disruption of sleep architecture during childhood may have consequences for cognitive development. As children with drug-refractory epilepsy often have intellectual disability, sleep disruption could be an important contributing factor in severity of their cognitive impairment. To better understand these interactions, sleep architecture in children with drug-refractory epilepsy and epileptic encephalopathies should be investigated. In this review, we conducted a systematic literature search on this topic. Articles that investigated sleep macro- and/or microstructure by means of electroencephalogram/polysomnography were included, as well as articles that used validated questionnaires. Sixteen articles were reviewed, eight of which used polysomnography. Only 2 articles examined sleep in children with epileptic encephalopathies. Consistent findings on measures of sleep architecture were a reduction in REM percentage and an increase in sleep fragmentation when comparing drug-refractory patients with non-refractory and healthy subjects. The findings on slow wave sleep were less clear. Studies with questionnaires unambiguously confirmed subjectively more sleep problems in children with drug-refractory epilepsy. This is the first review of literature in this patient population. More good quality sleep studies in children with drug-refractory epilepsy are warranted. The use of wearables in the home setting together with automatic sleep staging could provide more insights.
Topics: Child; Drug Resistant Epilepsy; Epilepsy; Epilepsy, Generalized; Humans; Polysomnography; Sleep
PubMed: 35395626
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpn.2022.03.010 -
International Urogynecology Journal Mar 2021This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to evaluate the outcomes between SNM and BTX in the treatment of refractory OAB. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS
This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to evaluate the outcomes between SNM and BTX in the treatment of refractory OAB.
METHODS
PubMed, Embase, and CENTRAL were comprehensively searched from their inception to December 2019. Randomized and nonrandomized controlled trials evaluating OAB patients who underwent SNM and BTX were included. Data extraction and quality assessment were conducted by two independent reviewers. The outcomes, side effects, and cost-effectiveness values of both procedures were compared in meta-analysis.
RESULTS
This review involved six articles (2629 patients). Specifically, three articles were based on the same trial, and the other studies were retrospective cohort studies. No significant difference was found in successful treatment between BTX and SNM at 6 months after procedures [risk ratio (RR) = 0.93, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.63-1.39]. BTX exhibited a significantly higher total adverse event rate than SNM through 6 months (RR = 1.55, 95% CI 1.28-1.88). Patients suffered more urinary tract infection (UTI) risk under BTX injection at the early stage (RR = 1.58, 95% CI 1.10-2.25); however, the difference in UTI events was not significant between the two groups (RR = 1.13, 95% CI 1.10-2.25) during the period of 7-12 months postoperatively. Obviously, the short-term cost (1-2 years) of BTX was significantly lower than that of the SNM procedure.
CONCLUSIONS
Both treatments were effective; however, because of the high complication rate of BTX, it may not be a better way to treat refractory OAB than SNM, although BTX is more cost-effective for short-term treatment at present.
Topics: Botulinum Toxins, Type A; Electric Stimulation Therapy; Humans; Retrospective Studies; Treatment Outcome; Urinary Bladder, Overactive
PubMed: 32661556
DOI: 10.1007/s00192-020-04427-w -
Journal of Immunology Research 2022Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common pathogen of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children. infection is usually regarded as a self-limiting disease, but in some... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common pathogen of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children. infection is usually regarded as a self-limiting disease, but in some special cases, it can also develop into refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (RMPP). The aim of this study is to analyze the clinical characteristics of CRP (C-reactive protein), LDH (lactate dehydrogenase), ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate), , neutrophils (%), lymphocytes (%), and lung consolidation in RMPP and explore their prediction results in the early stage of RMPP, which is important for early treatment.
METHODS
This systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, Wangfang, and Cqvip, and the date was set until February 23, 2021. For the continuous variables, mean difference (MD) with 95% CI was adopted to evaluate CRP, LDH, ESR, D-dimer, neutrophils (%), lymphocytes (%), and the correlation between lung consolidation and RMPP.
RESULTS
20 studies including 5289 patients were included in the analysis, and the results showed that the CRP of the RMPP group (MD (95% CI): 22.29 (12.20, 32.38), < 0.001), LDH (MD (95% CI): 145.13 (78.62, 211.64), < 0.001), neutrophils (%) (MD (95% CI): 7.27 (0.31, 14.23), = 0.04), and D-dimer (MD (95% CI): 1.79 (-1.17, 4.74), = 0.24) was higher than that of the NRMPP group; the risk of lung consolidation in the RMPP group (OR (95% CI): 14.29 (4.52, 45.12), < 0.001) was higher than that in the NRMPP group, and there was no difference in ESR (MD (95% CI): 8.11 (-1.34, 17.56), = 0.09) and lymphocytes (%) (MD (95% CI): -6.27 (-12.81, 0.27), = 0.06) between the two groups.
CONCLUSION
So, the available evidence indicates that CRP, LDH, neutrophils (%), , and lung consolidation are predictive factors for RMPP.
Topics: Blood Sedimentation; C-Reactive Protein; Child; Humans; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; Mycoplasma pneumoniae; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma
PubMed: 35795531
DOI: 10.1155/2022/9227838