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Monaldi Archives For Chest Disease =... Apr 2024Persistent air leaks in patients with pneumothorax can lead to significant morbidity. If a patient with persistent air leak is medically unfit for thoracic surgery,...
Persistent air leaks in patients with pneumothorax can lead to significant morbidity. If a patient with persistent air leak is medically unfit for thoracic surgery, medical pleurodesis via chest tube or thoracoscopy is either an option. Thoracoscopy offers the advantage of visualizing the site of the air leak and enabling direct instillation of the pleurodesis agent or glue at that location. Autologous blood patch instillation via chest tube has been reported to be a cheap and very effective technique for the management of persistent air leaks. However, thoracoscopic blood patch instillation has not been reported in the literature. We report two cases of secondary spontaneous pneumothorax in which patients had persistent air leaks for more than seven days and were subjected to thoracoscopy to locate the site of the leak. In the same sitting, 50 mL of autologous blood patch was instilled directly at the leak site. Post-procedure, the air leak subsided in both patients, and the chest tube was removed with complete lung expansion. We also conducted a systematic review of the use of medical thoracoscopic interventions for treating persistent air leaks.
PubMed: 38656320
DOI: 10.4081/monaldi.2024.2994 -
Blood Coagulation & Fibrinolysis : An... Jun 2024The article aimed to compare the efficiency and safety of aspirin with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) for thromboprophylaxis in orthopaedic surgery patients.... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
The article aimed to compare the efficiency and safety of aspirin with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) for thromboprophylaxis in orthopaedic surgery patients. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library database were searched for studies comparing aspirin and LMWH in venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis until 25 April 2023. The outcome measures included deep venous thrombosis(DVT)/Pulmonary embolism(PE) events, major bleeding events, wound complications, wound infection and death. Six studies met the requirements of our meta-analysis, including 12 470 patients in the aspirin group and 10 857 patients in the LMWH group. The meta-analysis showed that results showed that LMWH was superior to aspirin in preventing VTE events (odds ratio (OR) 1.44, 95% CI 1.24-1.68, P < 0.00001), whereas there was no significant difference between them in bleeding events (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.86-1.05, P = 0.33), wound complication (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.28-1.17, P = 0.13), wound infection (OR 1.12, 95% CI 0.86-1.47, P = 0.39) and mortality (OR 1.04, 95% CI 0.70-1.55, P = 0.83). In addition, subgroup analysis showed that compared with aspirin, LMWH was more likely to reduce the incidence of DVT events in orthopaedic surgery patients (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.33-1.91, P < 0.00001), whereas there was no advantage in reducing the incidence of PE events (OR 1.22, 95% CI 0.62-2.40, P = 0.56). Despite the similar safety profiles, this meta-analysis showed that LMWH was significantly superior to aspirin in thromboprophylaxis after orthopaedic surgery. LMWH was still the first-line drug for thrombosis prevention in patients who underwent major orthopaedic surgeries.
Topics: Humans; Heparin, Low-Molecular-Weight; Aspirin; Orthopedic Procedures; Venous Thromboembolism; Anticoagulants; Pulmonary Embolism; Venous Thrombosis; Postoperative Complications
PubMed: 38652521
DOI: 10.1097/MBC.0000000000001300 -
Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and... Apr 2024Cachexia, with weight loss (WL) as a major component, is highly prevalent in patients with cancer and indicates a poor prognosis. The primary objective of this study was... (Review)
Review
Cachexia, with weight loss (WL) as a major component, is highly prevalent in patients with cancer and indicates a poor prognosis. The primary objective of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis to estimate the risk of mortality associated with cachexia (using established WL criteria prior to treatment initiation) in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in studies identified through a systematic literature review. The review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. Embase® and PubMed were searched to identify articles on survival outcomes in adult patients with NSCLC (any stage) and cachexia published in English between 1 January 2016 and 10 October 2021. Two independent reviewers screened titles, abstracts and full texts of identified records against predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria. Following a feasibility assessment, a meta-analysis evaluating the impact of cachexia, defined per the international consensus criteria (ICC), or of pre-treatment WL ≥ 5% without a specified time interval, on overall survival in patients with NSCLC was conducted using a random-effects model that included the identified studies as the base case. The impact of heterogeneity was evaluated through sensitivity and subgroup analyses. The standard measures of statistical heterogeneity were calculated. Of the 40 NSCLC publications identified in the review, 20 studies that used the ICC for cachexia or reported WL ≥ 5% and that performed multivariate analyses with hazard ratios (HRs) or Kaplan-Meier curves were included in the feasibility assessment. Of these, 16 studies (80%; n = 6225 patients; published 2016-2021) met the criteria for inclusion in the meta-analysis: 11 studies (69%) used the ICC and 5 studies (31%) used WL ≥ 5%. Combined criteria (ICC plus WL ≥ 5%) were associated with an 82% higher mortality risk versus no cachexia or WL < 5% (pooled HR [95% confidence interval, CI]: 1.82 [1.47, 2.25]). Although statistical heterogeneity was high (I = 88%), individual study HRs were directionally aligned with the pooled estimate, and there was considerable overlap in CIs across included studies. A subgroup analysis of studies using the ICC (HR [95% CI]: 2.26 [1.80, 2.83]) or WL ≥ 5% (HR [95% CI]: 1.28 [1.12, 1.46]) showed consistent findings. Assessments of methodological, clinical and statistical heterogeneity indicated that the meta-analysis was robust. Overall, this analysis found that ICC-defined cachexia or WL ≥ 5% was associated with inferior survival in patients with NSCLC. Routine assessment of both weight and weight changes in the oncology clinic may help identify patients with NSCLC at risk for worse survival, better inform clinical decision-making and assess eligibility for cachexia clinical trials.
PubMed: 38650388
DOI: 10.1002/jcsm.13477 -
American Journal of Obstetrics &... Jun 2024Counseling of pregnancies complicated by pre- and periviable premature rupture of membranes to reach shared decision-making is challenging, and the current limited... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
OBJECTIVE
Counseling of pregnancies complicated by pre- and periviable premature rupture of membranes to reach shared decision-making is challenging, and the current limited evidence hampers the robustness of the information provided. This study aimed to elucidate the rate of obstetrical and neonatal outcomes after expectant management for premature rupture of membranes occurring before or at the limit of viability.
DATA SOURCES
Medline, Embase, CINAHL, and Web of Science databases were searched electronically up to September 2023.
STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Our study included both prospective and retrospective studies of singleton pregnancies with premature rupture of membranes before and at the limit of viability (ie, occurring between 14 0/7 and 24 6/7 weeks of gestation).
METHODS
Quality assessment of the included studies was performed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for cohort studies. Moreover, our study used meta-analyses of proportions to combine data and reported pooled proportions. Given the clinical heterogeneity, a random-effects model was used to compute the pooled data analyses. This study was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews database (registration number: CRD42022368029).
RESULTS
The pooled proportion of termination of pregnancy was 32.3%. After the exclusion of cases of termination of pregnancy, the rate of spontaneous miscarriage or fetal demise was 20.1%, whereas the rate of live birth was 65.9%. The mean gestational age at delivery among the live-born cases was 27.3 weeks, and the mean latency between premature rupture of membranes and delivery was 39.4 days. The pooled proportion of cesarean deliveries was 47.9% of the live-born cases. Oligohydramnios occurred in 47.1% of cases. Chorioamnionitis occurred in 33.4% of cases, endometritis in 7.0%, placental abruption in 9.2%, and postpartum hemorrhage in 5.3%. Hysterectomy was necessary in 1.2% of cases. Maternal sepsis occurred in 1.5% of cases, whereas no maternal death was reported in the included studies. When focusing on neonatal outcomes, the mean birthweight was 1022.8 g in live-born cases. The neonatal intensive care unit admission rate was 86.3%, respiratory distress syndrome was diagnosed in 66.5% of cases, pulmonary hypoplasia or dysplasia was diagnosed in 24.0% of cases, and persistent pulmonary hypertension was diagnosed in 40.9% of cases. Of the surviving neonates, the other neonatal complications included necrotizing enterocolitis in 11.1%, retinopathy of prematurity in 27.1%, and intraventricular hemorrhage in 17.5%. Neonatal sepsis occurred in 30.2% of cases, and the overall neonatal mortality was 23.9%. The long-term follow-up at 2 to 4 years was normal in 74.1% of the available cases.
CONCLUSION
Premature rupture of membranes before or at the limit of viability was associated with a great burden of both obstetrical and neonatal complications, with an impaired long-term follow-up at 2 to 4 years in almost 30% of cases, representing a clinical challenge for both counseling and management. Our data are useful when initially approaching such patients to offer the most comprehensive possible scenario on short- and long-term outcomes of this condition and to help parents in shared decision-making. El resumen está disponible en Español al final del artículo.
Topics: Humans; Fetal Membranes, Premature Rupture; Pregnancy; Female; Fetal Viability; Infant, Newborn; Pregnancy Outcome; Gestational Age; Cesarean Section; Watchful Waiting; Abortion, Induced
PubMed: 38648897
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajogmf.2024.101370 -
Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence 2024Machine learning (ML) techniques have gained increasing attention in the field of healthcare, including predicting outcomes in patients with lung cancer. ML has the...
INTRODUCTION
Machine learning (ML) techniques have gained increasing attention in the field of healthcare, including predicting outcomes in patients with lung cancer. ML has the potential to enhance prognostication in lung cancer patients and improve clinical decision-making. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we aimed to evaluate the performance of ML models compared to logistic regression (LR) models in predicting overall survival in patients with lung cancer.
METHODS
We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement. A comprehensive search was conducted in Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases using a predefined search query. Two independent reviewers screened abstracts and conflicts were resolved by a third reviewer. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to select eligible studies. Risk of bias assessment was performed using predefined criteria. Data extraction was conducted using the Critical Appraisal and Data Extraction for Systematic Reviews of Prediction Modeling Studies (CHARMS) checklist. Meta-analytic analysis was performed to compare the discriminative ability of ML and LR models.
RESULTS
The literature search resulted in 3,635 studies, and 12 studies with a total of 211,068 patients were included in the analysis. Six studies reported confidence intervals and were included in the meta-analysis. The performance of ML models varied across studies, with C-statistics ranging from 0.60 to 0.85. The pooled analysis showed that ML models had higher discriminative ability compared to LR models, with a weighted average C-statistic of 0.78 for ML models compared to 0.70 for LR models.
CONCLUSION
Machine learning models show promise in predicting overall survival in patients with lung cancer, with superior discriminative ability compared to logistic regression models. However, further validation and standardization of ML models are needed before their widespread implementation in clinical practice. Future research should focus on addressing the limitations of the current literature, such as potential bias and heterogeneity among studies, to improve the accuracy and generalizability of ML models for predicting outcomes in patients with lung cancer. Further research and development of ML models in this field may lead to improved patient outcomes and personalized treatment strategies.
PubMed: 38646415
DOI: 10.3389/frai.2024.1365777 -
Frontiers in Microbiology 2024Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is an acute infectious disease comprising five stages: fever, hypotension, oliguria, diuresis (polyuria), and convalescence....
INTRODUCTION
Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is an acute infectious disease comprising five stages: fever, hypotension, oliguria, diuresis (polyuria), and convalescence. Increased vascular permeability, coagulopathy, and renal injury are typical clinical features of HFRS, which has a case fatality rate of 1-15%. Despite this, a comprehensive meta-analyses of the clinical characteristics of patients who died from HFRS is lacking.
METHODS
Eleven Chinese- and English-language research databases were searched, including the China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, Wanfang Database, SinoMed, VIP Database, PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Proquest, and Ovid, up to October 5, 2023. The search focused on clinical features of patients who died from HFRS. The extracted data were analyzed using STATA 14.0.
RESULTS
A total of 37 articles on 140,295 patients with laboratory-confirmed HFRS were included. Categorizing patients into those who died and those who survived, it was found that patients who died were older and more likely to smoke, have hypertension, and have diabetes. Significant differences were also observed in the clinical manifestations of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, shock, occurrence of overlapping disease courses, cerebral edema, cerebral hemorrhage, toxic encephalopathy, convulsions, arrhythmias, heart failure, dyspnea, acute respiratory distress syndrome, pulmonary infection, liver damage, gastrointestinal bleeding, acute kidney injury, and urine protein levels. Compared to patients who survived, those who died were more likely to demonstrate elevated leukocyte count; decreased platelet count; increased lactate dehydrogenase, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase levels; prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time and prothrombin time; and low albumin and chloride levels and were more likely to use continuous renal therapy. Interestingly, patients who died received less dialysis and had shorter average length of hospital stay than those who survived.
CONCLUSION
Older patients and those with histories of smoking, hypertension, diabetes, central nervous system damage, heart damage, liver damage, kidney damage, or multiorgan dysfunction were at a high risk of death. The results can be used to assess patients' clinical presentations and assist with prognostication.https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, (CRD42023454553).
PubMed: 38638893
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1329683 -
Annals of Cardiac Anaesthesia Apr 2024The potential benefits of epidural anesthesia on mortality, atrial fibrillation, and pulmonary complications must be weighed against the risk of epidural hematoma...
The potential benefits of epidural anesthesia on mortality, atrial fibrillation, and pulmonary complications must be weighed against the risk of epidural hematoma associated with intraoperative heparinization. This study aims to provide an updated assessment of the clinical risks of epidural anesthesia in cardiac surgery, focusing on the occurrence of epidural hematomas and subsequent paralysis. A systematic search of Embase, Medline, Ovid Central, Web of Science, and PubMed was conducted to identify relevant publications between 1966 and 2022. Two independent reviewers assessed the eligibility of the retrieved manuscripts. Studies reporting adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery with epidural catheterization were included. The incidence of hematomas was calculated by dividing the number of hematomas by the total number of patients in the included studies. Risk calculations utilized various denominators based on the rigor of trial designs, and the risks of hematoma and paralysis were compared to other commonly encountered risks. The analysis included a total of 33,089 patients who underwent cardiac surgery with epidural catheterization. No epidural hematomas were reported across all published RCTs, prospective, and retrospective trials. Four case reports associated epidural hematoma with epidural catheterization and perioperative heparinization. The risks of epidural hematoma and subsequent paralysis were estimated at 1:7643 (95% CI 1:3860 to 380,916) and 1:10,190 (95% CI 1:4781 to 0:1), respectively. The risk of hematoma is similar to the non-obstetric population (1:5405; 95% CI 1:4784 to 6134). The risk of hematoma in cardiac surgery patients receiving epidural anesthesia is therefore similar to that observed in some other surgical non-obstetric populations commonly exposed to epidural catheterization.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Prospective Studies; Retrospective Studies; Cardiac Surgical Procedures; Hematoma; Risk Assessment; Paralysis
PubMed: 38607874
DOI: 10.4103/aca.aca_160_23 -
Allergy, Asthma, and Clinical... Apr 2024Immunoglobulin replacement therapy is a standard treatment for patients with antibody production deficiencies, which is of interest in patients with chronic obstructive...
PURPOSE
Immunoglobulin replacement therapy is a standard treatment for patients with antibody production deficiencies, which is of interest in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This systematic review, registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021281118), assessed the current literature regarding immunoglobulin replacement therapy on COPD clinical outcomes in patients with low immunoglobulin G (IgG) serum concentrations.
METHODS
Literature searches conducted from inception to August 23, 2021, in databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL. Population (sex, age, comorbidities), baseline clinical characteristics (pulmonary function testing results, IgG levels), and outcome (hospitalizations, emergency department visits) were extracted after title/abstract and full text screening. The Cochrane risk of bias assessment form was used for risk of bias assessment of randomized controlled trials and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) assessment was used for pre and post studies.
RESULTS
A total of 1381 studies were identified in the preliminary search, and 874 records were screened after duplicates were removed. Screening 77 full texts yielded four studies that were included in the review.
CONCLUSION
It is unclear whether immune globulin replacement therapy reduces acute exacerbation frequency and severity in COPD. Current evidence suggests that it is worth considering, but better developed protocols for administration of immune globulin supplementation is required for future randomized controlled trials.
PubMed: 38600554
DOI: 10.1186/s13223-024-00886-8 -
JPMA. the Journal of the Pakistan... Mar 2024To review the association of surfactant protein-D with type 2 diabetes mellitus, infections, oxidative stress and inflammation, and the changes in oxidative stress...
OBJECTIVE
To review the association of surfactant protein-D with type 2 diabetes mellitus, infections, oxidative stress and inflammation, and the changes in oxidative stress markers in type 2 diabetes mellitus.
METHODS
The systematic review was conducted from April to September 2022, and comprised search on PubMed, Web of Sciences, Scopus, Science Direct and Google Scholar databases for relevant studies published in English language between January 1, 2000, and June 30, 2022. The search was updated in September 2022. After transferring literature to Mendeley, relevant data was extracted from the included studies. Quality assessment for eligible studies was done using Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist. Quality of evidences was assessed by using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation tool.
RESULTS
Of the 203 studies identified, 18(8.9%) were analysed; 16(89%) with humans and 2(11%) with animals as subjects There were 5 (31.25%) studies for SP-D, of which 4 (80%) studies reported lower surfactant protein-D in type 2 diabetes mellitus cases than controls. Its significant negative association with glycated haemoglobin was reported by 1(20%) study and 2(40%) studies with fasting blood glucose levels. Higher surfactant protein-D in type 2 diabetes mellitus cases and its positive association with glycated haemoglobin was reported by 1(20%) study. Recurrent infections were frequent in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. Malondialdehyde level was higher and superoxide dismutase activity was lower in type 2 diabetes mellitus cases, reflecting oxidative stress. Animal studies also showed that reactive oxygen species generating from hypochlorous acid during oxidative stress promoted the formation of non-disulfide linkages in surfactant protein-D structure, resulting in its decreased functionality.
CONCLUSION
Surfactant protein-D, oxidative stress, inflammation and infections were found to be linked to each other for pathogenesis of infections in type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Blood Glucose; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Glycated Hemoglobin; Inflammation; Oxidative Stress; Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein D; Surface-Active Agents
PubMed: 38591293
DOI: 10.47391/JPMA.9977 -
Annals of Rehabilitation Medicine Apr 2024To evaluate the efficacy of physical therapy (PT) to alleviate symptomatic thoracic radiculopathy (TR) without the use of invasive procedures. Database search was...
To evaluate the efficacy of physical therapy (PT) to alleviate symptomatic thoracic radiculopathy (TR) without the use of invasive procedures. Database search was conducted by an experienced medical librarian from inception until January 27, 2023, in EBSCO CINAHL with Full Text, Ovid Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Ovid Embase, Ovid MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science Core Collection. Inclusion criteria included studies that involved adult patients (age≥18) who had a magnetic resonance imaging-confirmed TR and underwent a structured, supervised PT program of any length. All types of studies were included. Study quality and risk of bias were assessed using the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Study Quality of Assessment Tool. Certainty in evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. A meta-analysis was not performed. A total of 1,491 studies were screened and 7 studies met inclusion criteria, 5 case studies and 2 cohort studies. All studies showed improvement or resolution of the TR with PT. Quantitative improvements were not noted in most studies and PT regimens were sparsely described. Overall quality assessment demonstrated 3 studies had "good," 1 "fair," and 3 "poor" quality evidence. Certainty of evidence was "low" due to risk of bias. A dedicated PT program may help to alleviate symptomatic TR; however due to limited evidence, risk of bias, and low certainty in evidence, the data is too weak to support a definite conclusion.
PubMed: 38589206
DOI: 10.5535/arm.23136