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Cureus Jul 2022The role of neurogenic inflammation in various systemic diseases has been well established, but there is a dearth of studies and evidence regarding its role in... (Review)
Review
The role of neurogenic inflammation in various systemic diseases has been well established, but there is a dearth of studies and evidence regarding its role in periodontitis. This study aimed to systematically review the evidence in establishing the role of neurogenic inflammation in chronic periodontitis. Databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar were reviewed. We analyzed studies of any design that compared and evaluated the presence of neuropeptides such as substance P, calcitonin gene-related peptide, neurokinin A, neuropeptide Y, and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide in systemically healthy patients with and without periodontitis. We screened 2,495 articles and abstracts electronically and manually, which yielded 191 articles relevant to our study. Full-text examination of these 191 articles led to the final inclusion of 14 publications. Most studies here confirmed an association between various neuropeptides and periodontitis, but there is a high heterogeneity between the studies, making it necessary to clarify the mechanism between these two. Although most studies included in this review found a positive association between neurogenic inflammation and periodontitis, the evidence is of moderate to low quality.
PubMed: 35978739
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.26889 -
Journal of Clinical Nursing Feb 2020To investigate how intensive care nurses prepare, initiate, administer, titrate, and wean vasoactive medications.
AIM AND OBJECTIVE
To investigate how intensive care nurses prepare, initiate, administer, titrate, and wean vasoactive medications.
BACKGROUND
The management of vasoactive medications is core business for intensive care nurses, but little is known on how nurses manage these ubiquitous and potentially harmful medications.
DESIGN
A systematic review of the literature with narrative synthesis of data.
METHODS
The databases CINAHL Complete, Medline Complete and EMBASE were searched from 1965 to January 2019 with keywords under five concept headings and in a variety of configurations. This systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. Studies were assessed for quality and bias, and a modified narrative synthesis was used to analyse data, investigate findings and explore relationships within and between studies.
RESULTS
The review identified 13 studies: two observational studies, two pre and post intervention studies, four survey studies, two quasi-experimental studies, one longitudinal time series, one prospective controlled trial, and one interview incorporating content analysis. Four studies on preparing and initiating vasoactive medications described a lack of standardisation in infusion preparation and inconsistencies in dosing units and patient weights. Five of six studies on vasoactive medication administration examined nurses' use of syringe changeovers to reduce patient haemodynamic compromise and there were three studies on titration and weaning.
CONCLUSION
Further research on nurse management of vasoactive medications is needed to develop an evidence base for specialist education and standardised practices aimed at reducing risk for patient harm.
RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE
Nurses working in intensive care units in many parts of the world are responsible for the management of vasoactive medications. There is great variation in practices that include preparation, initiation, administration, titration and weaning of vasoactive medications, which increases the risk for medication errors and adverse events in a vulnerable population of critically ill patients.
Topics: Critical Care Nursing; Humans; Intensive Care Units; Medication Errors; Vasoconstrictor Agents
PubMed: 31715043
DOI: 10.1111/jocn.15093 -
The Heart Surgery Forum May 2022This meta-analysis aimed to compare the potential effects of local anesthesia (LA) and general anesthesia (GA) for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
This meta-analysis aimed to compare the potential effects of local anesthesia (LA) and general anesthesia (GA) for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).
MEASUREMENTS
All relevant studies were searched from Pubmed, EMbase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library (January 1, 2016, to June 1, 2021). The main outcomes of this literature meta-analysis were 30-day mortality, procedural time, new pacemaker implantation, total stay in the hospital, use of the vasoactive drug, and intra-and postoperative complications and emergencies, including conversion to open, myocardial infarction, pulmonary complication, vascular complication, renal injury/failure, stroke, transesophageal echocardiography, life-threatening/major bleeding, cardiac tamponade, and emergency PCI. Pooled risk ratio (RR) and mean difference (MD) together with a 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated.
RESULTS
A total of 17 studies, including 20938 patients, in the final analysis, fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Intra-and postoperative complications (myocardial infarction, vascular complication, renal injury/failure, stroke, and cardiac tamponade) undergoing TAVI in severe AS patients under GA do not offer a significant difference compared with LA. No differences were observed between LA and GA for new pacemaker implantation, total stay in the hospital, transesophageal echocardiography, and emergency PCI. LA has lower mortality compared with GA (RR 0.69, P = 0.600), pulmonary complications (RR 0.54, P = 0.278), life-threatening/major bleeding (RR 0.85, P = 0.855), and lower times of conversion to open (RR 0.22, P = 0.746). LA has many advantages, including a shorter procedure duration (MD=-0.38, P = 0.000) and reduction of the use of the vasoactive drug (RR 0.57, P = 0.000).
CONCLUSIONS
For TAVI, both LA with or without sedation and GA are feasible and safe. LA appears a feasible alternative to GA for AS patients undergoing TAVI.
Topics: Anesthesia, General; Anesthesia, Local; Aortic Valve Stenosis; Cardiac Tamponade; Humans; Myocardial Infarction; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention; Postoperative Complications; Stroke; Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement
PubMed: 35787764
DOI: 10.1532/hsf.4631 -
Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi = Zhongguo... Oct 2020To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of Yangwei Granules combined with conventional Western medicine for chronic gastritis. CNKI, SinoMed, WanFang, VIP,... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of Yangwei Granules combined with conventional Western medicine for chronic gastritis. CNKI, SinoMed, WanFang, VIP, PubMed, Cochrane Library and EMbase database were electronically retrieved to collect randomized controlled trial(RCT) of Yangwei Granules combined with conventional Western medicine for chronic gastritis. Two reviewers independently screened out literatures according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria and extracted data, and evaluated the risk of bias of included studies. Meta-analysis was conducted by using RevMan 5.3 software. A total of 12 RCTs involving 1 164 patients were included. The results of Meta-analysis showed that:(1) The total effective rate of Yangwei Granules combined with conventional Western medicine for chronic gastritis was better than that of conventional Western medicine group, with a statistically significant difference(RR=1.24,95%CI[1.17,1.31],P<0.000 01).(2) Compared with the conventional Western medicine group, the Yangwei Granules combined with conventional Western medicine group was conducive to improving the Hp eradication rate, with a statistically significant difference(RR=1.24,95%CI[1.15,1.34],P<0.000 01).(3) The incidence of adverse reactions in Yangwei Granules combined with conventional Western medicine group was lower than that in the control group, but with no statistically significant diffe-rence(RR=0.83, 95%CI[0.39, 1.79], P=0.64).(4) Compared with the conventional Western medicine group, the Yangwei Granules combined with conventional Western medicine group was beneficial to the reduction of motilin level(MD=-17.31,95%CI[-21.83,-12.79],P<0.000 01) and endothelin level(MD=-6.60,95%CI[-10.07,-3.13],P=0.000 2), while the increase of gastrin level(SMD=0.94,95%CI[0.50,1.38],P=0.003) was related to calcitonin gene the level of peptide(MD=5.82,95%CI[4.25,7.39],P<0.000 01), with statistically significant differences.(5) Compared with conventional Western medicine group, Yangwei Granules combined with conventional Western medicine group could increase PGⅠ(MD=6.40,95%CI[4.26,8.54],P<0.000 01) and PGR(MD=0.89,95%CI[0.71,1.07],P<0.000 01), while decrease PGⅡ(MD=-1.24,95%CI[-2.15,-0.33],P=0.007), with statistically significant differences. Current evidence showed that the clinical efficacy and Hp eradication rate of Yangwei Granules combined with conventional Western medicine in the treatment of chronic gastritis were better than those of the conventional Western medicine group alone, and could effectively improve the level of gastrointestinal hormones, vasoactive peptide and the pepsinogen level in patients with chronic atrophic gastritis, without increasing the incidence of adverse reactions. However, due to the limited quality and quantity of included studies, the above conclusions need to be confirmed by more large-scale and high-quality RCTs.
Topics: Drugs, Chinese Herbal; Gastritis, Atrophic; Humans; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 33350276
DOI: 10.19540/j.cnki.cjcmm.20200314.503 -
Journal of Critical Care Oct 2022to critically appraise and synthesize the evidence on the effects of vitamin C-based regimens for patients with sepsis or septic shock. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
PURPOSE
to critically appraise and synthesize the evidence on the effects of vitamin C-based regimens for patients with sepsis or septic shock.
METHODS
a broad search was performed on May 2021 to identify randomized clinical trials (RCTs) assessing vitamin C-based regimens as adjuvant therapy for adults with sepsis or septic shock. We used the Cochrane Risk of Bias table to assess the methodological quality of the included RCTs and the GRADE approach to evaluate the evidence certainty.
RESULTS
We included 20 RCTs (2124 participants). Evidence from low to very low certainty showed that vitamin C compared to placebo may reduce all-cause mortality up to 28 days (relative risk [RR] 0.60, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.45 to 0.80, 4 RCTs, 335 participants). Considering the other comparisons (vitamin C alone or combined with thiamine and/or hydrocortisone, compared to placebo, standard care or hydrocortisone), there were a little to no difference or very uncertain evidence for adverse events, SOFA score, ICU length of stay, acute kidney injury, mechanical ventilation- and vasoactive drugs-free days up to 28 days.
CONCLUSION
Further RCTs with higher methodological quality, an increased number of participants and assessing clinically relevant outcomes are needed to provide better decision-making guidance.
PROSPERO REGISTER
CRD42021251786.
Topics: Adult; Ascorbic Acid; Humans; Hydrocortisone; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Sepsis; Shock, Septic
PubMed: 35763993
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrc.2022.154099 -
Clinical Nutrition ESPEN Jun 2022Cardiovascular diseases represent the leading cause of death worldwide, in addition to having a direct negative impact on quality of life, functional capacity and... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Cardiovascular diseases represent the leading cause of death worldwide, in addition to having a direct negative impact on quality of life, functional capacity and nutritional status. Studies show high prevalence of malnutrition in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. It is known that cardiac surgery can also lead to changes in nutritional status, through surgical trauma, systemic inflammation and, often, delay in the initiation of nutritional support. On the other hand, the role of nutritional support as a driver of clinical outcomes in different surgical populations is well described in the literature.
OBJECTIVE
To review the literature in order to assess the effect of perioperative oral or enteral nutritional support on clinical outcomes of cardiac patients undergoing cardiac surgery.
METHODOLOGY
The search was conducted in February 2021 in the following databases: EMBASE, PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus and Web of Science. Randomized clinical trials (RCT) and retrospective studies were selected, carried out with patients with heart disease, undergoing cardiac surgery and aged 18 years or over. The Outcomes of interest were: length of hospital stay, length of stay in the ICU, time on ventilatory support, mortality rate, clinical complications and use of vasoactive drugs in the postoperative period.
RESULTS
Ten studies were included in this systematic review, of which 7 were RCTs and 3 were cohorts. The most prevalent surgery was myocardial revascularization. Six studies evaluated oral nutritional support, two enteral nutritional support and two analyzed both. Two studies found a significant reduction in the length of hospital and ICU staying associated with preoperative intake of carbohydrate-based beverages. Only one study observed a significant reduction in the requirement for ventilatory support after cardiac surgery, after preoperative carbohydrate-based drinks and early postoperative enteral nutrition. There was no influence of nutritional support on mechanical ventilation length and mortality.
CONCLUSION
Most studies showed that nutritional support did not reduce hospital and ICU staying. Nutritional support benefits were demonstrated in studies that offered preoperative oral carbohydrate drinks. No association was observed between nutritional support and duration of mechanical ventilation or mortality rate. Most studies did not find any influence of nutritional support on the need and/or dosage of vasoactive drugs in the postoperative period of cardiac surgery.
Topics: Carbohydrates; Cardiac Surgical Procedures; Enteral Nutrition; Humans; Malnutrition; Nutritional Support
PubMed: 35623827
DOI: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2022.03.003 -
Clinical Research in Cardiology :... Apr 2024For patients with severe cardiopulmonary failure, such as cardiogenic shock, veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) is primarily utilized to... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
OBJECTIVES
For patients with severe cardiopulmonary failure, such as cardiogenic shock, veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) is primarily utilized to preserve their life by providing continuous extracorporeal respiration and circulation. However, because of the complexity of patients' underlying diseases and serious complications, successful weaning from ECMO is often difficult. At present, there have been limited studies on ECMO weaning strategies, so the principal purpose of this meta-analysis is to examine how levosimendan contributes to the weaning of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
METHODS
The Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, and PubMed were browsed for all potentially related research about clinical benefits of levosimendan in weaning patients receiving VA-ECMO and included 15 of them. The main outcome is success of weaning from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, with the secondary outcomes of 1-month mortality (28 or 30 days), ECMO duration, hospital or intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay, and use of vasoactive drugs.
RESULTS
1772 patients altogether from 15 publications were incorporated in our meta-analysis. We used fixed and random-effect models to combine odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for dichotomous outcomes and standardized mean difference (SMD) for continuous outcomes. The weaning success rate in the levosimendan group was considerably higher in contrast to the comparison (OR = 2.78, 95% CI 1.80-4.30; P < 0.00001; I = 65%), and subgroup analysis showed that there was less heterogeneity in patients after cardiac surgery (OR = 2.06, 95% CI, 1.35-3.12; P = 0.0007; I = 17%). In addition, the effect of levosimendan on improving weaning success rate was statistically significant only at 0.2 mcg/kg/min (OR = 2.45, 95% CI, 1.11-5.40; P = 0.03; I = 38%). At the same time, the 28-day or 30-day proportion of deaths in the sample receiving levosimendan also decreased (OR = 0.47, 95% CI, 0.28-0.79; P = 0.004; I = 73%), and the difference was statistically significant. In terms of secondary outcomes, we found that individuals undergoing levosimendan treatment had a longer duration of VA-ECMO support.
CONCLUSIONS
In patients receiving VA-ECMO, levosimendan treatment considerably raised the weaning success rate and helped lower mortality. Since most of the evidence comes from retrospective studies, more randomized multicenter trials are required to verify the conclusion.
Topics: Humans; Simendan; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation; Retrospective Studies; Shock, Cardiogenic; Cardiac Surgical Procedures
PubMed: 37217802
DOI: 10.1007/s00392-023-02208-1 -
Endoscopy International Open Nov 2019Guidelines recommend use of ligation and vasoactive drugs as first-line therapy and as grade A evidence for acute variceal bleeding (AVB), although Western studies... (Review)
Review
Guidelines recommend use of ligation and vasoactive drugs as first-line therapy and as grade A evidence for acute variceal bleeding (AVB), although Western studies about this issue are lacking. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCT) to evaluate the efficacy of endoscopic treatments for AVB in patients with cirrhosis. Trials that included patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, use of portocaval shunts or esophageal resection, balloon tamponade as first bleeding control measure, or that received placebo or elective treatment in one study arm were excluded. A total of 8382 publications were searched, of which 36 RCTs with 3593 patients were included. Ligation was associated with a significant improvement in bleeding control (relative risk [RR] 1.08; 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.02 - 1.15) when compared to sclerotherapy. Sclerotherapy combined with vasoactive drugs showed higher efficacy in active bleeding control compared to sclerotherapy alone (RR 1.17; 95 % CI 1.10 - 1.25). The combination of ligation and vasoactive drugs was not superior to ligation alone in terms of overall rebleeding (RR 2.21; 95 %CI 0.55 - 8.92) and in-hospital mortality (RR 1.97; 95 %CI 0.78 - 4.97). Other treatments did not generate meta-analysis. This study showed that ligation is superior to sclerotherapy, although with moderate heterogeneity. The combination of sclerotherapy and vasoactive drugs was more effective than sclerotherapy alone. Although current guidelines recommend combined use of ligation with vasoactive drugs in treatment of esophageal variceal bleeding, this study failed to demonstrate the superiority of this combined treatment.
PubMed: 31673624
DOI: 10.1055/a-0901-7146 -
Frontiers in Pediatrics 2022With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing numbers of cases of the multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) have been reported worldwide;... (Review)
Review
Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome Temporally Related to COVID-19 in Children From Latin America and the Caribbean Region: A Systematic Review With a Meta-Analysis of Data From Regional Surveillance Systems.
BACKGROUND
With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing numbers of cases of the multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) have been reported worldwide; however, it is unclear whether this syndrome has a differential pattern in children from Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to analyze the epidemiological, clinical, and outcome characteristics of patients with MIS-C in LAC countries.
METHODS
A systematic literature search was conducted in the main electronic databases and scientific meetings from March 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021. Available reports on epidemiological surveillance of countries in the region during the same period were analyzed.
RESULTS
Of the 464 relevant studies identified, 23 were included with 592 patients with MIS-C from LAC. Mean age was 6.6 years (IQR, 6-7.4 years); 60% were male. The most common clinical manifestations were fever, rash, and conjunctival injection; 59% showed Kawasaki disease. Pool proportion of shock was 52%. A total of 47% of patients were admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), 23% required mechanical ventilation, and 74% required vasoactive drugs. Intravenous gamma globulin alone was administered in 87% of patients, and in combination with steroids in 60% of cases. Length of hospital stay was 10 days (IQR, 9-10) and PICU stay 5.75 (IQR, 5-6). Overall case fatality ratio was 4% and for those hospitalized in the PICU it was 7%.
CONCLUSION
Limited information was available on the clinical outcomes. Improvements in the surveillance system are required to obtain a better epidemiologic overview in the region.
PubMed: 35547540
DOI: 10.3389/fped.2022.881765 -
Clinical Nutrition ESPEN Jun 2022The term enteral feeding intolerance (FI) is frequently used in clinical practice and the literature, yet there is no standardised definition. FI is often quoted as a... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND & AIMS
The term enteral feeding intolerance (FI) is frequently used in clinical practice and the literature, yet there is no standardised definition. FI is often quoted as a reason for failure to meet enteral nutrition (EN) targets but the lack of a consensus definition precludes accurate estimates of prevalence, predictors and clinical outcomes associated with FI. A systematic review was performed of studies in adult critical care patients to evaluate the definitions, relative risk, predictors and clinical outcomes of FI and to propose a uniform definition.
METHODS
Database searches were completed in MEDLINE Ovid, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Google Scholar, NHS Evidence, Scopus and Web of Science. The search was performed in January and February 2021. Studies were included if they had an interventional, observational cohort or case-control study design and contained a definition of FI in critically ill adults. The following data were extracted from each included article: 1) study design; 2) study objective; 3) inclusion criteria; 4) population and setting; 5) sample size; 6) definition of FI; 7) prevalence of FI; 8) predictors of FI; 9) clinical outcome measures associated with FI. Studies were grouped based on the symptoms used to define FI with random effects meta-analysis.
RESULTS
89 unique studies containing a definition of FI were identified. Studies were categorised according to definition of FI into 3 groups: 1) Gastric residual volume (GRV) and/or gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms (n = 74); 2) Ability to achieve EN target (n = 5); 3) Composite definitions (n = 10). Meta-analysis showed a relative risk of FI of 0.55 [95% CI 0.45, 0.68] (p < 0.00001). The most frequently reported predictors of FI were use of vasoactive drugs, sedation or use of muscle relaxants, intra-abdominal pressure and APACHE II score.
CONCLUSIONS
FI is inconsistently defined in the literature but is reportedly common amongst critically ill adults. FI is most frequently defined by the presence of raised GRV and GI symptoms. However, studies show GRV to correlate poorly with delayed gastric emptying and this review demonstrated no correlation between GRV threshold and prevalence of FI. A standardised definition of FI is essential for future research and clinical practice. We propose a definition of FI including a failure to reach EN targets in addition to presence of GI symptoms.
PROTOCOL REGISTRATION
PROSPERO number CRD42020211879. Registered 29th September 2020.
Topics: Adult; Case-Control Studies; Critical Care; Critical Illness; Enteral Nutrition; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Prevalence
PubMed: 35623881
DOI: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2022.04.014