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Australian Journal of General Practice Jul 2021Renal tract pain is a common presentation in the primary care setting that can masquerade as other abdominopelvic conditions, and vice versa. A stepwise approach to a...
BACKGROUND
Renal tract pain is a common presentation in the primary care setting that can masquerade as other abdominopelvic conditions, and vice versa. A stepwise approach to a patient with renal tract pain can aid immensely in formulating an accurate diagnosis and providing optimal care.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this article is to present current evidence-based recommendations for renal tract pain to assist in its diagnosis, assessment and management.
DISCUSSION
Renal tract pain is mediated by a surge in prostaglandin release, leading to arterial vasodilatation, increased vascular permeability, and subsequently ureteric oedema and spasms. Referred and migratory pain are hallmarks of this condition and are unique to renal colic because of the progressive passage of the stone along the ureter. Diagnosis requires a stepwise approach with history-taking, assessment, blood tests and imaging. Successful management of renal tract pain necessitates a combination of analgesia and medical expulsive therapy, failing which surgical intervention is required.
Topics: Diagnostic Imaging; Humans; Pain; Primary Health Care; Referral and Consultation; Renal Colic
PubMed: 34189545
DOI: 10.31128/AJGP-11-20-5751 -
JAMA Network Open Aug 2022Renal colic is described as one of the worst types of pain, and effective analgesia in the shortest possible time is of paramount importance. (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
IMPORTANCE
Renal colic is described as one of the worst types of pain, and effective analgesia in the shortest possible time is of paramount importance.
OBJECTIVES
To examine whether acupuncture, as an adjunctive therapy to analgesics, could accelerate pain relief in patients with acute renal colic.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
This single-center, sham-controlled, randomized clinical trial was conducted in an emergency department in China between March 2020 and September 2020. Participants with acute renal colic (visual analog scale [VAS] score ≥4) due to urolithiasis were recruited. Data were analyzed from October 2020 to January 2022.
INTERVENTIONS
After diagnosis and randomization, all patients received 50 mg/2 mL of diclofenac sodium intramuscular injection immediately followed by 30-minute acupuncture or sham acupuncture.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
The primary outcome was the response rate at 10 minutes after needle manipulation, which was defined as the proportion of participants whose VAS score decreased by at least 50% from baseline. Secondary outcomes included response rates at 0, 5, 15, 20, 30, 45, and 60 minutes, rescue analgesia, and adverse events.
RESULTS
A total of 115 participants were screened and 80 participants (66 men [82.5%]; mean [SD] age, 45.8 [13.8] years) were enrolled, consisting of 40 per group. The response rates at 10 minutes were 77.5% (31 of 40) and 10.0% (4 of 40) in the acupuncture and sham acupuncture groups, respectively. The between-group differences were 67.5% (95% CI, 51.5% to 83.4%; P < .001). The response rates of acupuncture were also significantly higher than sham acupuncture at 0, 5, 15, 20 and 30 minutes, whereas no significant difference was detected at 45 and 60 minutes. However, there was no difference between the 2 groups in rescue analgesia rate (difference 2.5%; 95% CI -8.8% to 13.2%; P > .99). No adverse events occurred during the trial.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
These findings suggest that acupuncture plus intramuscular injection of diclofenac is safe and provides fast and substantial pain relief for patients with renal colic compared with sham acupuncture in the emergency setting. However, no difference in rescue analgesia was found, possibly because of the ceiling effect caused by subsequent but robust analgesia of diclofenac. Acupuncture can be considered an optional adjunctive therapy in relieving acute renal colic.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR1900025202.
Topics: Acupuncture Therapy; Diclofenac; Emergency Service, Hospital; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Pain; Renal Colic; Urolithiasis
PubMed: 35943743
DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.25735 -
Autophagy Jan 2021In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists...
In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field.
Topics: Animals; Autophagosomes; Autophagy; Autophagy-Related Proteins; Biological Assay; Biomarkers; Humans; Lysosomes
PubMed: 33634751
DOI: 10.1080/15548627.2020.1797280 -
Canadian Urological Association Journal... Mar 2021Fasting is a common cultural practice worldwide for both religious and dietary reasons. However, there is concern that fasting may be a risk factor for the development... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Fasting is a common cultural practice worldwide for both religious and dietary reasons. However, there is concern that fasting may be a risk factor for the development of renal stones. To date, there has not been a systematic assessment of the literature regarding the association between renal stones and fasting.
METHODS
We conducted a systematic review following PRISMA guidelines of three databases: Medline-OVID, EMBASE, and CINAHL. All screening and extraction was completed in parallel with two independent reviewers.
RESULTS
Of the 1501 database citations, a total of 10 observational studies with a total of 9906 participants were included. Nine of the studies were conducted in the context of Islamic fasting during Ramadan, with the majority (7/9) finding that renal colic incidence was unaffected by the month of fasting. In contrast, two studies noted an increased incidence among fasting populations. Two other studies noted that urine metabolites and density were altered with fasting but did not translate into clinical outcomes.
CONCLUSIONS
Based on the available evidence, it is unlikely that fasting significantly increases the risk of renal stones. Physicians should counsel higher-risk patients on safe fasting practices.
PubMed: 32807286
DOI: 10.5489/cuaj.6664 -
JBMR Plus Nov 2021Calcium is widely used in conjunction with vitamin D to prevent osteoporosis. The use of calcium supplementation is also promoted for its potential benefits in lowering... (Review)
Review
Calcium is widely used in conjunction with vitamin D to prevent osteoporosis. The use of calcium supplementation is also promoted for its potential benefits in lowering the risk for metabolic syndromes and cancers. However, the causal link between calcium and various health outcomes remains unclear. This review focuses on the evidence from 24 Mendelian randomization (MR) studies that were designed to minimize bias from confounding and reverse causation. These MR studies evaluated the effect of lifelong genetically higher serum calcium levels on various health outcomes. Overall, available MR studies found no conclusive effects of serum calcium levels on bone mineral density and fracture, ischemic stroke and heart failure, cancers, type 2 diabetes, Parkinson disease, or offspring birth weight. However, a higher serum calcium concentration was reported to have estimated causal effects on increased risks for coronary artery disease (especially myocardial infarction), migraine, renal colic, allergy/adverse effect of penicillin, and reduced risks for osteoarthrosis and osteoarthritis. In conclusion, supplementation of calcium in individuals from the general population is not predicted to influence the risk of most investigated diseases to date. Moreover, long-term high serum calcium concentrations may result in adverse health outcomes. © 2021 The Authors. published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
PubMed: 34761146
DOI: 10.1002/jbm4.10542