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Metabolites Mar 2022Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a severe, incurable, and costly condition leading to heart failure. The link between PD and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is not available,... (Review)
Review
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a severe, incurable, and costly condition leading to heart failure. The link between PD and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is not available, leading to controversies and poor prognosis. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has already shown promise for CVD/stroke risk stratification. However, due to a lack of sample size, comorbidity, insufficient validation, clinical examination, and a lack of big data configuration, there have been no well-explained bias-free AI investigations to establish the CVD/Stroke risk stratification in the PD framework. The study has two objectives: (i) to establish a solid link between PD and CVD/stroke; and (ii) to use the AI paradigm to examine a well-defined CVD/stroke risk stratification in the PD framework. The PRISMA search strategy selected 223 studies for CVD/stroke risk, of which 54 and 44 studies were related to the link between PD-CVD, and PD-stroke, respectively, 59 studies for joint PD-CVD-Stroke framework, and 66 studies were only for the early PD diagnosis without CVD/stroke link. Sequential biological links were used for establishing the hypothesis. For AI design, PD risk factors as covariates along with CVD/stroke as the gold standard were used for predicting the CVD/stroke risk. The most fundamental cause of CVD/stroke damage due to PD is cardiac autonomic dysfunction due to neurodegeneration that leads to heart failure and its edema, and this validated our hypothesis. Finally, we present the novel AI solutions for CVD/stroke risk prediction in the PD framework. The study also recommends strategies for removing the bias in AI for CVD/stroke risk prediction using the PD framework.
PubMed: 35448500
DOI: 10.3390/metabo12040312 -
BMC Medicine Feb 2024Allergic diseases impose a significant global disease burden, however, the influence of light at night exposure on these diseases in humans has not been comprehensively... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Allergic diseases impose a significant global disease burden, however, the influence of light at night exposure on these diseases in humans has not been comprehensively assessed. We aimed to summarize available evidence considering the association between light at night exposure and major allergic diseases through a systematic review and meta-analysis.
METHODS
We completed a search of six databases, two registries, and Google Scholar from inception until December 15, 2023, and included studies that investigated the influence of artificial light at night (ALAN, high vs. low exposure), chronotype (evening vs. morning chronotype), or shift work (night vs. day shift work) on allergic disease outcomes (asthma, allergic rhinitis, and skin allergies). We performed inverse-variance random-effects meta-analyses to examine the association between the exposures (ALAN exposure, chronotype, or shiftwork) and these allergic outcomes. Stratification analyses were conducted by exposure type, disease type, participant age, and geographical location along with sensitivity analyses to assess publication bias.
RESULTS
We included 12 publications in our review. We found that exposure to light at night was associated with higher odds of allergic diseases, with the strongest association observed for ALAN exposure (OR: 1.88; 95% CI: 1.04 to 3.39), followed by evening chronotype (OR: 1.35; 95% CI: 0.98 to 1.87) and exposure to night shift work (OR: 1.33; 95% CI: 1.06 to 1.67). When analyses were stratified by disease types, light at night exposure was significantly associated with asthma (OR: 1.62; 95% CI: 1.19 to 2.20), allergic rhinitis (OR: 1.89; 95% CI: 1.60 to 2.24), and skin allergies (OR: 1.11; 95% CI: 1.09 to 1.91). We also found that the association between light at night exposure and allergic diseases was more profound in youth (OR: 1.63; 95% CI: 1.07 to 2.48) than adults (OR: 1.30; 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.63). Additionally, we observed significant geographical variations in the association between light at night exposure and allergic diseases.
CONCLUSIONS
Light at night exposure was associated with a higher prevalence of allergic diseases, both in youth and adults. More long-term epidemiological and mechanistic research is required to understand the possible interactions between light at night and allergic diseases.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Adolescent; Circadian Rhythm; Shift Work Schedule; Asthma; Rhinitis, Allergic; Prevalence
PubMed: 38355588
DOI: 10.1186/s12916-024-03291-5 -
JID Innovations : Skin Science From... Jan 2023Artificial intelligence (AI) has recently made great advances in image classification and malignancy prediction in the field of dermatology. However, understanding the... (Review)
Review
Artificial intelligence (AI) has recently made great advances in image classification and malignancy prediction in the field of dermatology. However, understanding the applicability of AI in clinical dermatology practice remains challenging owing to the variability of models, image data, database characteristics, and variable outcome metrics. This systematic review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of dermatology literature using convolutional neural networks. Furthermore, the review summarizes the current landscape of image datasets, transfer learning approaches, challenges, and limitations within current AI literature and current regulatory pathways for approval of models as clinical decision support tools.
PubMed: 36655135
DOI: 10.1016/j.xjidi.2022.100150 -
European Journal of Cancer (Oxford,... Oct 2021Multiple studies have compared the performance of artificial intelligence (AI)-based models for automated skin cancer classification to human experts, thus setting the...
BACKGROUND
Multiple studies have compared the performance of artificial intelligence (AI)-based models for automated skin cancer classification to human experts, thus setting the cornerstone for a successful translation of AI-based tools into clinicopathological practice.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of the study was to systematically analyse the current state of research on reader studies involving melanoma and to assess their potential clinical relevance by evaluating three main aspects: test set characteristics (holdout/out-of-distribution data set, composition), test setting (experimental/clinical, inclusion of metadata) and representativeness of participating clinicians.
METHODS
PubMed, Medline and ScienceDirect were screened for peer-reviewed studies published between 2017 and 2021 and dealing with AI-based skin cancer classification involving melanoma. The search terms skin cancer classification, deep learning, convolutional neural network (CNN), melanoma (detection), digital biomarkers, histopathology and whole slide imaging were combined. Based on the search results, only studies that considered direct comparison of AI results with clinicians and had a diagnostic classification as their main objective were included.
RESULTS
A total of 19 reader studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Of these, 11 CNN-based approaches addressed the classification of dermoscopic images; 6 concentrated on the classification of clinical images, whereas 2 dermatopathological studies utilised digitised histopathological whole slide images.
CONCLUSIONS
All 19 included studies demonstrated superior or at least equivalent performance of CNN-based classifiers compared with clinicians. However, almost all studies were conducted in highly artificial settings based exclusively on single images of the suspicious lesions. Moreover, test sets mainly consisted of holdout images and did not represent the full range of patient populations and melanoma subtypes encountered in clinical practice.
Topics: Automation; Biopsy; Clinical Competence; Deep Learning; Dermatologists; Dermoscopy; Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted; Humans; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; Melanoma; Microscopy; Neural Networks, Computer; Pathologists; Predictive Value of Tests; Reproducibility of Results; Skin Neoplasms
PubMed: 34509059
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2021.06.049 -
The Cochrane Database of Systematic... Jul 2020Burn injuries are an important health problem. They occur frequently in the head and neck region. The face is the area central to a person's identity that provides our...
BACKGROUND
Burn injuries are an important health problem. They occur frequently in the head and neck region. The face is the area central to a person's identity that provides our most expressive means of communication. Topical interventions are currently the cornerstone of treatment of burns to the face.
OBJECTIVES
To assess the effects of topical interventions on wound healing in people with facial burns of any depth.
SEARCH METHODS
In December 2019 we searched the Cochrane Wounds Specialised Register; the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL); Ovid MEDLINE (including In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations); Ovid Embase and EBSCO CINAHL Plus. We also searched clinical trials registries for ongoing and unpublished studies, and scanned reference lists of relevant included studies as well as reviews, meta-analyses and health technology reports to identify additional studies. There were no restrictions with respect to language, date of publication or study setting.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated the effects of topical treatment for facial burns were eligible for inclusion in this review.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two review authors independently performed study selection, data extraction, risk of bias assessment and GRADE assessment of the certainty of the evidence.
MAIN RESULTS
In this first update, we included 12 RCTs, comprising 507 participants. Most trials included adults admitted to specialised burn centres after recent burn injuries. Topical agents included antimicrobial agents (silver sulphadiazine (SSD), Aquacel-Ag, cerium-sulphadiazine, gentamicin cream, mafenide acetate cream, bacitracin), non-antimicrobial agents (Moist Exposed Burn Ointment (MEBO), saline-soaked dressings, skin substitutes (including bioengineered skin substitute (TransCyte), allograft, and xenograft (porcine Xenoderm), and miscellaneous treatments (growth hormone therapy, recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor hydrogel (rhGMCS)), enzymatic debridement, and cream with Helix Aspersa extract). Almost all the evidence included in this review was assessed as low or very low-certainty, often because of high risk of bias due to unclear randomisation procedures (i.e. sequence generation and allocation concealment); lack of blinding of participants, providers and sometimes outcome assessors; and imprecision resulting from few participants, low event rates or both, often in single studies. Topical antimicrobial agents versus topical non-antimicrobial agents There is moderate-certainty evidence that there is probably little or no difference between antimicrobial agents and non-antimicrobial agents (SSD and MEBO) in time to complete wound healing (hazard ratio (HR) 0.84 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.78 to 1.85, 1 study, 39 participants). Topical antimicrobial agents may make little or no difference to the proportion of wounds completely healed compared with topical non-antimicrobial agents (comparison SSD and MEBO, risk ratio (RR) 0.94, 95% CI 0.68 to 1.29; 1 study, 39 participants; low-certainty evidence). We are uncertain whether there is a difference in wound infection (comparison topical antimicrobial agent (Aquacel-Ag) and MEBO; RR 0.38, 95% CI 0.12 to 1.21; 1 study, 40 participants; very low-certainty evidence). No trials reported change in wound surface area over time or partial wound healing. There is low-certainty evidence for the secondary outcomes scar quality and patient satisfaction. Two studies assessed pain but it was incompletely reported. Topical antimicrobial agents versus other topical antimicrobial agents It is uncertain whether topical antimicrobial agents make any difference in effects as the evidence is low to very low-certainty. For primary outcomes, there is low-certainty evidence for time to partial (i.e. greater than 90%) wound healing (comparison SSD versus cerium SSD: mean difference (MD) -7.10 days, 95% CI -16.43 to 2.23; 1 study, 142 participants). There is very low-certainty evidence regarding whether topical antimicrobial agents make a difference to wound infection (RR 0.73, 95% CI 0.46 to 1.17; 1 study, 15 participants). There is low to very low-certainty evidence for the proportion of facial burns requiring surgery, pain, scar quality, adverse effects and length of hospital stay. Skin substitutes versus topical antimicrobial agents There is low-certainty evidence that a skin substitute may slightly reduce time to partial (i.e. greater than 90%) wound healing, compared with a non-specified antibacterial agent (MD -6.00 days, 95% CI -8.69 to -3.31; 1 study, 34 participants). We are uncertain whether skin substitutes in general make any other difference in effects as the evidence is very low certainty. Outcomes included wound infection, pain, scar quality, adverse effects of treatment and length of hospital stay. Single studies showed contrasting low-certainty evidence. A bioengineered skin substitute may slightly reduce procedural pain (MD -4.00, 95% CI -5.05 to -2.95; 34 participants) and background pain (MD -2.00, 95% CI -3.05 to -0.95; 34 participants) compared with an unspecified antimicrobial agent. In contrast, a biological dressing (porcine Xenoderm) might slightly increase pain in superficial burns (MD 1.20, 95% CI 0.65 to 1.75; 15 participants (30 wounds)) as well as deep partial thickness burns (MD 3.00, 95% CI 2.34 to 3.66; 10 participants (20 wounds)), compared with antimicrobial agents (Physiotulle Ag (Coloplast)). Miscellaneous treatments versus miscellaneous treatments Single studies show low to very low-certainty effects of interventions. Low-certainty evidence shows that MEBO may slightly reduce time to complete wound healing compared with saline soaked dressing (MD -1.7 days, 95% CI -3.32 to -0.08; 40 participants). In addition, a cream containing Helix Aspersa may slightly increase the proportion of wounds completely healed at 14 days compared with MEBO (RR 4.77, 95% CI 1.87 to 12.15; 43 participants). We are uncertain whether any miscellaneous treatment in the included studies makes a difference in effects for the outcomes wound infection, scar quality, pain and patient satisfaction as the evidence is low to very low-certainty.
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
There is mainly low to very low-certainty evidence on the effects of any topical intervention on wound healing in people with facial burns. The number of RCTs in burn care is growing, but the body of evidence is still hampered due to an insufficient number of studies that follow appropriate evidence-based standards of conducting and reporting RCTs.
Topics: Administration, Topical; Anti-Infective Agents; Bias; Burns; Carboxymethylcellulose Sodium; Facial Injuries; Humans; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Skin, Artificial; Wound Healing
PubMed: 32725896
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD008058.pub3 -
Endocrine Connections Oct 2021A systematic review of publications addressing change in vitamin D status (25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD)) after exposure to UV radiation identified 2001 independent... (Review)
Review
A systematic review of publications addressing change in vitamin D status (25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD)) after exposure to UV radiation identified 2001 independent peer-reviewed publications. Of these, 21 used artificial sources of UV radiation, met all inclusion criteria and were quality assured; 13 publications used solar radiation and met sufficient inclusion criteria to be retained as supporting evidence; 1 further included publication used both solar and artificial sources. The review consistently identified that low dose, sub-erythemal doses are more effective for vitamin D synthesis than doses close to a minimum erythema dose; increasing skin area exposed increases the amount of vitamin D synthesised although not necessarily in a linear manner; constant dosing leads to a dose-dependent plateau in 25OHD, and dose-response is greatest at the start of a dosing regime; there is a large interpersonal variation in response to UV exposure. Fourteen of the studies using artificial sources of radiation were used to determine a dose-response relationship for change in 25OHD on whole-body exposure to repeated sub-erythemal doses of UV radiation, taking the form Δ25OHD (nmol/L) = A ln(standard vitamin D dose) + B. This helps quantify our understanding of UV as a source of vitamin D and enables exposure regimes for safe synthesis of vitamin D to be assessed. Specific studies of people with pigmented skin (Fitzpatrick skin types 5 and 6) were rare, and this dose-response relationship is only applicable to white-skinned individuals as skin type is a determinant of response to UV radiation. Findings provide information for vitamin D guidance updates.
PubMed: 34519278
DOI: 10.1530/EC-21-0308 -
Cell Journal Feb 2024Exposure to phosgene, a colourless poisonous gas, can lead to various health issues including eye irritation, a dry and burning throat, vomiting, coughing, the...
Exposure to phosgene, a colourless poisonous gas, can lead to various health issues including eye irritation, a dry and burning throat, vomiting, coughing, the production of foamy sputum, difficulty in breathing, and chest pain. This systematic review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the clinical manifestations and treatment of phosgene toxicity by systematically analyzing available literature. The search was carried out on various scientific online databases to include related studies based on inclusion and exclusion criteria with the use of PRISMA guidelines. The quality of the studies was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). Thirteen articles were included in this study after the screening process. Inhalation was found to be the primary health problem of phosgene exposure with respiratory symptoms such as coughing and dyspnea. Chest pain and pulmonary oedema were also observed in some cases. Furthermore, pulmonary crackle was the most common reported physical examination. Beyond respiratory tract health issues, other organs involvements such as cardiac, skin, eye, and renal were also reported in some studies. The symptoms can occur within minutes to hours after exposure, and the severity of symptoms depends on the amount of inhaled phosgene. The findings showed that bronchodilators can alleviate symptoms of bronchoconstriction caused by phosgene. Oxygen therapy is essential for restoring oxygen levels and improving respiratory function in cases of hypoxemia. In severe cases, endotracheal intubation and invasive mechanical ventilation are used for artificial respiration, along with the removal of tracheal secretions and pulmonary oedema fluid through suctioning as crucial components of supportive therapy.
PubMed: 38459726
DOI: 10.22074/cellj.2024.2011864.1405 -
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.... Jul 2020Dermal regeneration templates such as Integra are effective reconstructive biomaterials used in a variety of soft-tissue defects. Fully understanding the complications... (Review)
Review
UNLABELLED
Dermal regeneration templates such as Integra are effective reconstructive biomaterials used in a variety of soft-tissue defects. Fully understanding the complications associated with their use is paramount to improve outcomes and maximize patient safety. In this study, our purpose is to perform a comprehensive literature review to assess the previously reported infectious complications linked to Integra-based wound closure.
METHODS
We conducted a systematic review of the literature to identify previous articles indexed in PubMed and Ovid for Integra and its synonymous terms. We used these search terms: [Integra OR (dermal regenerative matrix) OR (dermal regeneration matrix) OR (dermal regenerative template) OR (dermal regeneration template) OR (dermal substitute) OR (skin substitute) OR (artificial skin)] AND infection.
RESULTS
Of the 3508 articles for initial review, 69 reported rates of infection, of which 26 reported ≥1 infection within their cohort. Of these 26 articles, the patients (n = 602) underwent Integra-based reconstruction in 1254 sites and had reported infections in 212 of the sites (16.9%). Among these, we encountered a single report of a fatal case of toxic shock syndrome (TSS) related to the use of Integra in secondary burn reconstruction.
CONCLUSIONS
While Integra offers many benefits, surgeons must be aware that infectious complications are not uncommon. As a result, a careful risk-benefit analysis of its use in reconstruction must be performed, and open discussion with the patient preoperatively regarding infection rate is of utmost importance.
PubMed: 32802634
DOI: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000002869 -
Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive &... Nov 2019Dermal regenerative matrices (DRMs) have been used for several decades in the treatment of acute and reconstructive burn injury. The objective of this study was to...
BACKGROUND
Dermal regenerative matrices (DRMs) have been used for several decades in the treatment of acute and reconstructive burn injury. The objective of this study was to perform a systematic review of the literature to assess clinical outcomes and safety profile of DRMs in full-thickness burn injury.
METHODS
Comprehensive searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library were performed from 1988 to 2017. Two independent reviewers completed preliminary and full-text screening of all articles. English-language articles reporting on DRM use in patients with full-thickness burn injury were included.
RESULTS
Literature search generated 914 unique articles. Following screening, 203 articles were assessed for eligibility, and 72 met inclusion criteria for analysis. DRM was applied to1084 patients (74% acute burns, 26% burn reconstruction). Of the twelve studies that described changes in ROM, significant improvement was observed in 95% of reconstructive patients. The most frequently treated reconstructive sites were the neck, hand/wrist, lower extremity, and axilla. Vancouver scar scale was used in eight studies and indicated a significant improvement in the scar quality with DRM. The overall complication rate was 13%, most commonly infection, graft loss, hematoma formation, and contracture.
CONCLUSIONS
Although variability in functional and cosmetic outcomes was observed, DRM demonstrates improvements in ROM and scar appearance without objective regression. Essential demographic data were lacking in many studies, highlighting the need for future standardization of reporting outcomes in burns following application of dermal substitutes.
Topics: Acellular Dermis; Burns; Humans; Plastic Surgery Procedures; Skin, Artificial
PubMed: 31492583
DOI: 10.1016/j.bjps.2019.07.021 -
International Journal of Environmental... Feb 2021Early detection of melanoma is critical to reduce the mortality and morbidity rates of this tumor. Total body photography (TBP) may aid in the early detection of... (Review)
Review
Early detection of melanoma is critical to reduce the mortality and morbidity rates of this tumor. Total body photography (TBP) may aid in the early detection of melanoma. To summarize the current evidence on TBP for the early detection of melanoma, we performed a systematic literature search in Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) for eligible records up to 6th August 2020. Outcomes of interest included melanoma incidence, incisional and excisional biopsy rates, as well as the Breslow's index of detected tumors. Results from individual studies were described qualitatively. The risks of bias and applicability of the included studies was assessed using the QUADAS-2 checklist. In total, 14 studies published between 1997 and 2020 with an overall sample size of = 12082 (range 100-4692) were included in the qualitative analysis. Individuals undergoing TBP showed a trend towards a lower Breslow's thickness and a higher proportion of in situ melanomas compared to those without TBP. The number needed to excise one melanoma varied from 3:1 to 14.3:1 and was better for lesions that arose de novo than for tracked ones. The included studies were judged to be of unclear methodological concern with specific deficiencies in the domains "flow and timing" and "reference standard". The use of TBP can improve the early detection of melanoma in high-risk populations. Future studies are warranted to reduce the heterogeneity of phenotypic risk factor definition and the technical implementation of TBP. Artificial intelligence-assisted analysis of images derived from 3-D TBP systems and digital dermoscopy may further improve the early detection of melanoma.
Topics: Artificial Intelligence; Dermoscopy; Humans; Melanoma; Photography; Sensitivity and Specificity; Skin Neoplasms
PubMed: 33578996
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18041726