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PloS One 2023People with radiographic evidence for pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), but negative sputum cultures, have increased risk of developing culture-positive TB. Recent expansion... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
People with radiographic evidence for pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), but negative sputum cultures, have increased risk of developing culture-positive TB. Recent expansion of X-ray screening is leading to increased identification of this group. We set out to synthesise the evidence for treatment to prevent progression to culture-positive disease.
METHODS
We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. We searched for prospective trials evaluating the efficacy of TB regimens against placebo, observation, or alternative regimens, for the treatment of adults and children with radiographic evidence of TB but culture-negative respiratory samples. Databases were searched up to 18 Oct 2022. Study quality was assessed using ROB 2·0 and ROBINS-I. The primary outcome was progression to culture-positive TB. Meta-analysis with a random effects model was conducted to estimate pooled efficacy. This study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021248486).
FINDINGS
We included 13 trials (32,568 individuals) conducted between 1955 and 2018. Radiographic and bacteriological criteria for inclusion varied. 19·1% to 57·9% of participants with active x-ray changes and no treatment progressed to culture-positive disease. Progression was reduced with any treatment (6 studies, risk ratio [RR] 0·27, 95%CI 0·13-0·56), although multi-drug TB treatment (RR 0·11, 95%CI 0·05-0·23) was significantly more effective than isoniazid treatment (RR 0·63, 95%CI 0·35-1·13) (p = 0·0002).
INTERPRETATION
Multi-drug regimens were associated with significantly reduced risk of progression to TB disease for individuals with radiographically apparent, but culture-negative TB. However, most studies were old, conducted prior to the HIV epidemic and with outdated regimens. New clinical trials are required to identify the optimal treatment approach.
Topics: Adult; Child; Humans; Prospective Studies; Sputum; Tuberculosis; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary; Isoniazid; Antitubercular Agents
PubMed: 37972202
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293535 -
Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and... Nov 2023This systematic review summarizes available evidence on the relationship between white matter hyperintensities (WMH) volumetric quantification on brain MRI scans and... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
This systematic review summarizes available evidence on the relationship between white matter hyperintensities (WMH) volumetric quantification on brain MRI scans and chronic kidney disease (CKD).
METHODS
The literature search was performed in March 2022 using MEDLINE PubMed Central, Scopus and Web of Science - Publons as search engines. Relevant articles investigating, with a quantitative volumetric approach, the link between WMH and CKD patients were selected.
RESULTS
The database search strategy found 987 articles, after excluding duplicates, the titles and abstracts of the remaining 320 articles were examined. Subsequently 276 articles were excluded as they were not relevant to the topic. Of the 44 articles evaluated for eligibility, 36 were excluded because the quantitative analysis of WMH was not volumetric. Finally, 8 articles were included in this systematic review.
CONCLUSIONS
Literature on this topic is extremely heterogeneous in terms of methodology and samples. However, evidence shows that there is a relationship between CKD and WMH volume of the brain. We recommend that quantifiable biomarkers such as estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urine albumin to creatinine ratio (UACR) should be included in studies dealing with cerebrovascular disease. The biological and molecular mechanisms underlying cerebrovascular damage in patients with chronic renal failure deserve to be further explored.
PubMed: 37969631
DOI: 10.21037/qims-22-707 -
European Journal of Nuclear Medicine... Feb 2024Molecular imaging is pivotal in staging and response assessment of children with neuroblastoma (NB). [I]-metaiodobenzylguanidine (mIBG) is the standard imaging method;...
BACKGROUND
Molecular imaging is pivotal in staging and response assessment of children with neuroblastoma (NB). [I]-metaiodobenzylguanidine (mIBG) is the standard imaging method; however, it is characterised by low spatial resolution, time-consuming acquisition procedures and difficult interpretation. Many PET catecholaminergic radiotracers have been proposed as a replacement for [I]-mIBG, however they have not yet made it into clinical practice. We aimed to review the available literature comparing head-to-head [I]-mIBG with the most common PET catecholaminergic radiopharmaceuticals.
METHODS
We searched the PubMed database for studies performing a head-to-head comparison between [I]-mIBG and PET radiopharmaceuticals including meta-hydroxyephedrine ([C]C-HED), F-18F-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine ([F]DOPA) [I]mIBG and Meta-[18F]fluorobenzylguanidine ([F]mFBG). Review articles, preclinical studies, small case series (< 5 subjects), case reports, and articles not in English were excluded. From each study, the following characteristics were extracted: bibliographic information, technical parameters, and the sensitivity of the procedure according to a patient-based analysis (PBA) and a lesion-based analysis (LBA).
RESULTS
Ten studies were selected: two regarding [C]C-HED, four [F]DOPA, one [I]mIBG, and three [F]mFBG. These studies included 181 patients (range 5-46). For the PBA, the superiority of the PET method was reported in two out of ten studies (both using [F]DOPA). For LBA, PET detected significantly more lesions than scintigraphy in seven out of ten studies.
CONCLUSIONS
PET/CT using catecholaminergic tracers shows superior diagnostic performance than mIBG scintigraphy. However, it is still unknown if such superiority can influence clinical decision-making. Nonetheless, the PET examination appears promising for clinical practice as it offers faster image acquisition, less need for sedation, and a single-day examination.
Topics: Child; Humans; 3-Iodobenzylguanidine; Dihydroxyphenylalanine; Neuroblastoma; Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography; Positron-Emission Tomography; Radiopharmaceuticals
PubMed: 37962616
DOI: 10.1007/s00259-023-06486-9 -
Cancers Nov 2023Survival in oesophago-gastric cancer (OGC) is poor due to early diagnostic challenges. Non-invasive risk stratification may identify susceptible patients with... (Review)
Review
Survival in oesophago-gastric cancer (OGC) is poor due to early diagnostic challenges. Non-invasive risk stratification may identify susceptible patients with pre-malignant or benign disease. Following diagnostic confirmation with endoscopic biopsy, early OGC may be treated sooner. Mucins are transmembrane glycoproteins implicated in OGC with potential use as biomarkers of malignant transformation. This systematic review defines the role of mucins in OGC diagnosis. A literature search of MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane databases was performed following PRISMA protocols for studies published January 1960-December 2022. Demographic data and data on mucin sampling and analysis methods were extracted. The review included 124 studies ( = 11,386 patients). Gastric adenocarcinoma (GAc) was the commonest OG malignancy ( = 101) followed by oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAc, = 24) and squamous cell carcinoma (OSqCc, = 10). Mucins MUC1, MUC2, MUC5AC and MUC6 were the most frequently implicated. High MUC1 expression correlated with poorer prognosis and metastases in OSqCc. MUC2 expression decreases during progression from healthy mucosa to OAc, causing reduced protection from gastric acid. MUC5AC was upregulated, and MUC6 downregulated in GAc. Mucin expression varies in OGC; changes may be epigenetic or mutational. Profiling upper GI mucin expression in OGC, with pre-malignant, benign and healthy controls may identify potential early diagnostic biomarkers.
PubMed: 37958425
DOI: 10.3390/cancers15215252 -
BMC Cardiovascular Disorders Nov 2023Cardiovascular disorders (CVDs) are the leading cause of death worldwide. This study aimed to evaluate the association between low-density lipoprotein (LDL) subfractions...
BACKGROUND
Cardiovascular disorders (CVDs) are the leading cause of death worldwide. This study aimed to evaluate the association between low-density lipoprotein (LDL) subfractions and cardiovascular disorders.
METHODS
To ensure the rigor of the systematic review, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were used. For this systematic review, a comprehensive search strategy was performed in important databases including PubMed, Scopus, Embase, International Statistical Institute (ISI) Web of Science, and google scholar from 2009 to February 2021. The following terms were used for systematic search: low-density lipoprotein, LDL, subfractions, subclasses, nuclear magnetic resonance, NMR, chromatography, high-pressure liquid, HPLC, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular, and peripheral vascular disease. Also, for evaluating the risk of bias, the Newcastle-Ottawa scale was employed.
RESULTS
At the end of the search process, 33 articles were included in this study. The results of most of the evaluated studies revealed that a higher LDL particle number was consistently associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease, independent of other lipid measurements. Also, small dense LDL was associated with an increased risk of CVDs. There was no association between LDL subfraction and CVDs in a small number of studies.
CONCLUSIONS
Overall, it seems that the evaluation of LDL subclasses can be used as a very suitable biomarker for the assessment and diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. However, further studies are required to identify the mechanisms involved.
Topics: Humans; Cardiovascular Diseases; Cholesterol, LDL; Lipoproteins, LDL; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Magnetic Resonance Imaging
PubMed: 37914996
DOI: 10.1186/s12872-023-03578-0 -
Neurosurgical Review Nov 2023Neurosurgical pathologies in pregnancy pose significant complications for the patient and fetus, and physiological stressors during anesthesia and surgery may lead to... (Review)
Review
Neurosurgical pathologies in pregnancy pose significant complications for the patient and fetus, and physiological stressors during anesthesia and surgery may lead to maternal and fetal complications. Awake craniotomy (AC) can preserve neurological functions while reducing exposure to anesthetic medications. We reviewed the literature investigating AC during pregnancy. PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched from the inception to February 7th, 2023, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline. Studies in English investigating AC in pregnant patients were included in the final analysis. Nine studies composed of nine pregnant patients and ten fetuses (one twin-gestating patient) were included. Glioma was the most common pathology reported in six (66.7%) patients. The frontal lobe was the most involved region (4 cases, 44.4%), followed by the frontoparietal region (2 cases, 22.2%). The awake-awake-awake approach was the most common protocol in seven (77.8%) studies. The shortest operation time was two hours, whereas the longest one was eight hours and 29 min. The mean gestational age at diagnosis was 13.6 ± 6.5 (2-22) and 19.6 ± 6.9 (9-30) weeks at craniotomy. Seven (77.8%) studies employed intraoperative fetal heart rate monitoring. None of the AC procedures was converted to general anesthesia. Ten healthy babies were delivered from patients who underwent AC. In experienced hands, AC for resection of cranial lesions of eloquent areas in pregnant patients is safe and feasible and does not alter the pregnancy outcome.
Topics: Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Brain Neoplasms; Wakefulness; Craniotomy; Glioma; Anesthesia, General
PubMed: 37910275
DOI: 10.1007/s10143-023-02187-x -
World Journal of Clinical Cases Oct 2023Ewing sarcoma (ES) is a malignant neoplasm of neuroectodermal origin and is commonly observed in children and young adults. The musculoskeletal system is the main body...
BACKGROUND
Ewing sarcoma (ES) is a malignant neoplasm of neuroectodermal origin and is commonly observed in children and young adults. The musculoskeletal system is the main body system impacted and ES is rarely seen in the visceral organs particularly the adrenal gland.
AIM
To present a comprehensive review of primary adrenal ES, with emphasis on diagnosis, therapy and oncological outcomes.
METHODS
A systematic review of the literature was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020. PubMed/ MEDLINE, EMBASE and Google Scholar bibliographic databases were searched to identify articles from 1989 to 2022 and included patients with ES/primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) of the adrenal gland. PubMed, Google Scholar and EMBASE medical databases were searched, combining the terms "adrenal", "ES" and "PNET". Demographic, clinical, pathological and oncological data of patients were analyzed by SPSS version 29.0.
RESULTS
A total of 52 studies were included for review (47 case reports and 5 case series) with 66 patients reported to have primary adrenal ES. Mean age at diagnosis was 26.4 ± 15.4 years (37.9% males, 57.6% females, sex not reported in 3 cases). The most frequent complaint was abdominal/flank pain or discomfort (46.4%) followed by a palpable mass (25.0%), and the average duration of symptoms was 2.6 ± 3.1 mo. The imaging modality of choice was computed tomography scan (81.5%), followed by magnetic resonance imaging (20.4%). Preoperative staging revealed that 17 tumors (27.9%) were metastatic and 14 patients had inferior vena cava or renal vein neoplastic thrombus at initial diagnosis. Open adrenalectomy was performed in the majority of cases (80.0%), of which 27.9% required more extensive resection. Minimally invasive surgery was attempted in 8.2% of tumors. Complete surgical resection was achieved in 89.4% of the patients. Adjuvant therapy was administered to 32 patients, in the form of chemotherapy (62.5%), radiotherapy (3.1%) or combination (34.4%). Median overall survival was 15 mo and 24-mo overall survival was 40.5%. Median disease-free survival was 10 mo and 24-mo disease-free survival was 33.3%.
CONCLUSION
The significant progress in molecular biology and genetics of ES does not reflect on patient outcomes. ES remains an aggressive tumor with a poor prognosis and high mortality.
PubMed: 37900999
DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i28.6782 -
BMC Medical Imaging Oct 2023We aimed to perform a qualitative synthesis of evidence on the role of Ga-Pentixafor PET in atherosclerosis.
OBJECTIVE
We aimed to perform a qualitative synthesis of evidence on the role of Ga-Pentixafor PET in atherosclerosis.
METHODS
A systematic search of the PubMed and Embase databases for studies reporting the evaluation of atherosclerotic lesions by Ga-Pentixafor PET was performed with a search time frame from database creation to 2022-12-26. The diagnostic test evaluation tool QUADAS-2 was used to evaluate the quality of the included literature and to perform descriptive analyses of relevant outcome indicators.
RESULTS
A total of 6 studies with 280 patients were included. One study reported only imaging outcome metrics, while the other five studies reported imaging outcome metrics and clinical correlation metrics. For imaging outcomes, three studies reported imaging results for Ga-Pentixafor PET only, and the other three studies reported imaging results for comparative analysis of Ga-Pentixafor PET with F-FDG PET. For clinical correlation, three studies reported the correlation between tracer uptake and cardiovascular risk factors, one study reported the correlation between tracer uptake and plaque calcification, and one study reported the correlation between all three: tracer uptake, cardiovascular risk factors, and plaque calcification.
CONCLUSION
Ga-Pentixafor PET has a good imaging effect on atherosclerotic lesions, and it is a promising imaging modality that may replace F-FDG PET for atherosclerosis imaging in the future. In patients with atherosclerosis, there is a clear clinical correlation between cardiovascular risk factors, tracer uptake, and plaque calcification.
Topics: Humans; Gallium Radioisotopes; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; Clinical Relevance; Receptors, CXCR4; Atherosclerosis; Plaque, Atherosclerotic; Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography; Calcinosis
PubMed: 37884885
DOI: 10.1186/s12880-023-01134-y -
BMC Neurology Oct 2023Dementia is generally caused by neurodegenerative diseases affecting the brain, which leads to a progressive neurocognitive decline characterized by inability to perform... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Dementia is generally caused by neurodegenerative diseases affecting the brain, which leads to a progressive neurocognitive decline characterized by inability to perform major higher functioning tasks. Fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) scan is one of the main imaging tests performed for diagnostic purposes. However, with FDG-PET being quite expensive and not widely available, an attempt to find an alternative is set. Arterial-spin-labelling magnetic resonance imaging (ASL-MRI) is an increasingly investigated substitute to FDG-PET for the diagnosis of dementia. Thereby, the main purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to compare the diagnostic ability of FDG-PET and ASL-MRI in detecting dementia.
METHODS
PRISMA checklist for diagnostic test accuracy was employed in outlining this paper. A literature search was done using several search engines including PubMed, Core, and Cochrane. Two researchers (HH and SH) extracted the essential information from all included articles. Risk of bias was evaluated by the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies tool, version 2 (QUADAS-2). A qualitative analysis and summary of studies' results were provided. In addition, a meta-analysis was executed based on the studies which involved sensitivity and specificity measures of diagnostic accuracy.
RESULTS
Fourteen total studies were included in the given review. Qualitative analysis of the articles showed that nine studies demonstrated an overlap between metabolic and perfused brain maps as derived by FDG-PET and ASL-MRI respectively, while the remaining five studies registered significant differences across both modalities, with superiority to FDG-PET. As for the meta-analysis implemented, summary ROC-curve analysis revealed that FDG-PET performed better than ASL-MRI, with pooled sensitivity being significantly higher for FDG-PET.
CONCLUSIONS
Comparing the diagnostic value of FDG-PET and ASL-MRI, the results of this systematic review and meta-analysis indicate that FDG-PET still has an advantage over ASL-MRI. Such implication could be related to the technical differences relating to both modalities, with ASL-MRI having lower temporal resolution. It's worth mentioning that specificity was rather quite similar among both modalities and some studies found an overridden metabolic and perfused images. These findings call for future research to focus their scope of investigation while exploring the diagnostic value of ASL-MRI.
Topics: Humans; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; Spin Labels; Positron-Emission Tomography; Sensitivity and Specificity; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Dementia; Radiopharmaceuticals
PubMed: 37875879
DOI: 10.1186/s12883-023-03432-y -
The Lancet. Neurology Dec 2023The safety and efficacy of oral anticoagulation for prevention of major adverse cardiovascular events in people with atrial fibrillation and spontaneous intracranial... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Effects of oral anticoagulation in people with atrial fibrillation after spontaneous intracranial haemorrhage (COCROACH): prospective, individual participant data meta-analysis of randomised trials.
BACKGROUND
The safety and efficacy of oral anticoagulation for prevention of major adverse cardiovascular events in people with atrial fibrillation and spontaneous intracranial haemorrhage are uncertain. We planned to estimate the effects of starting versus avoiding oral anticoagulation in people with spontaneous intracranial haemorrhage and atrial fibrillation.
METHODS
In this prospective meta-analysis, we searched bibliographic databases and trial registries using the strategies of a Cochrane systematic review (CD012144) on June 23, 2023. We included clinical trials if they were registered, randomised, and included participants with spontaneous intracranial haemorrhage and atrial fibrillation who were assigned to either start long-term use of any oral anticoagulant agent or avoid oral anticoagulation (ie, placebo, open control, another antithrombotic agent, or another intervention for the prevention of major adverse cardiovascular events). We assessed eligible trials using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. We sought data for individual participants who had not opted out of data sharing from chief investigators of completed trials, pending completion of ongoing trials in 2028. The primary outcome was any stroke or cardiovascular death. We used individual participant data to construct a Cox regression model of the time to the first occurrence of outcome events during follow-up in the intention-to-treat dataset supplied by each trial, followed by meta-analysis using a fixed-effect inverse-variance model to generate a pooled estimate of the hazard ratio (HR) with 95% CI. This study is registered with PROSPERO, CRD42021246133.
FINDINGS
We identified four eligible trials; three were restricted to participants with atrial fibrillation and intracranial haemorrhage (SoSTART [NCT03153150], with 203 participants) or intracerebral haemorrhage (APACHE-AF [NCT02565693], with 101 participants, and NASPAF-ICH [NCT02998905], with 30 participants), and one included a subgroup of participants with previous intracranial haemorrhage (ELDERCARE-AF [NCT02801669], with 80 participants). After excluding two participants who opted out of data sharing, we included 412 participants (310 [75%] aged 75 years or older, 249 [60%] with CHADS-VASc score ≤4, and 163 [40%] with CHADS-VASc score >4). The intervention was a direct oral anticoagulant in 209 (99%) of 212 participants who were assigned to start oral anticoagulation, and the comparator was antiplatelet monotherapy in 67 (33%) of 200 participants assigned to avoid oral anticoagulation. The primary outcome of any stroke or cardiovascular death occurred in 29 (14%) of 212 participants who started oral anticoagulation versus 43 (22%) of 200 who avoided oral anticoagulation (pooled HR 0·68 [95% CI 0·42-1·10]; I=0%). Oral anticoagulation reduced the risk of ischaemic major adverse cardiovascular events (nine [4%] of 212 vs 38 [19%] of 200; pooled HR 0·27 [95% CI 0·13-0·56]; I=0%). There was no significant increase in haemorrhagic major adverse cardiovascular events (15 [7%] of 212 vs nine [5%] of 200; pooled HR 1·80 [95% CI 0·77-4·21]; I=0%), death from any cause (38 [18%] of 212 vs 29 [15%] of 200; 1·29 [0·78-2·11]; I=50%), or death or dependence after 1 year (78 [53%] of 147 vs 74 [51%] of 145; pooled odds ratio 1·12 [95% CI 0·70-1·79]; I=0%).
INTERPRETATION
For people with atrial fibrillation and intracranial haemorrhage, oral anticoagulation had uncertain effects on the risk of any stroke or cardiovascular death (both overall and in subgroups), haemorrhagic major adverse cardiovascular events, and functional outcome. Oral anticoagulation reduced the risk of ischaemic major adverse cardiovascular events, which can inform clinical practice. These findings should encourage recruitment to, and completion of, ongoing trials.
FUNDING
British Heart Foundation.
Topics: Humans; Atrial Fibrillation; Prospective Studies; Stroke; Intracranial Hemorrhages; Anticoagulants; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
PubMed: 37839434
DOI: 10.1016/S1474-4422(23)00315-0