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Acta Dermato-venereologica Apr 2024Atopic dermatitis is a cutaneous inflammatory disease characterized by intense pruritus, which is often underestimated despite its direct impact on patients'...
Atopic dermatitis is a cutaneous inflammatory disease characterized by intense pruritus, which is often underestimated despite its direct impact on patients' health-related quality of life and the high burden it poses. The authors' goal was to design a qualitative tool to guide patients and healthcare professionals in their assessment and interpretation of pruritus intensity using a numerical rating scale. The draft of this tool, henceforth "guideline", was developed based on a systematic literature review and focus groups comprising patients and a scientific committee. This draft was validated with an independent group of patients and the final version was designed following their feedback. According to the results of the systematic review, pruritus impacts 6 health-related quality of life domains: sleep quality; emotional status; overall health-related quality of life; physical function; social/sexual activity; productivity, particularly affecting sleep quality and the emotional domain. Patients considered that physical function was the most strongly affected domain, followed by sleep quality and emotional well-being, establishing that a minimum pruritus intensity of 4 and 7 points impacts moderately and severely, respectively, on the different domains of patients' health- related quality of life. The guideline may help patients and healthcare professionals to interpret and assess pruritus intensity using a numerical rating scale and to understand the impact of pruritus on patients' health-related quality of life.
Topics: Humans; Dermatitis, Atopic; Quality of Life; Pruritus; Emotions; Administration, Cutaneous; Severity of Illness Index
PubMed: 38566531
DOI: 10.2340/actadv.v104.18255 -
Cureus Mar 2024Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a progressive multifactorial condition where the role of oxidative stress may have implications in the pathogenesis of the disease.... (Review)
Review
Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a progressive multifactorial condition where the role of oxidative stress may have implications in the pathogenesis of the disease. Despite growing interest among researchers and clinicians, the limited, unorganized, and divergent findings regarding the association between oxidative stress and the progression of heart failure (HF) have prompted us to conduct this study. Drawing upon the evolving nature of this research domain, this study is one of the first of its kind to present a systematic and comprehensive overview of the existing evidence regarding the role of oxidative stress production in the progression of HF. This study systematically reviews peer-reviewed empirical studies published in English, particularly focusing on the association between oxidative stress and the progression of HF. Parameters, such as publication year, study design, population demographics (size, age, and gender), types of HF, and characterization of markers in the existing studies, were reviewed. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) procedure, a thorough search was conducted on PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, and Sage databases, without any restrictions on the publication dates of articles, which yielded a total of 1,808 records on the association of oxidative stress production with clinical outcomes in HF patients. The analysis of the content of 17 articles offered a robust observation of this phenomenon, providing insights into the levels of oxidative stress, antioxidant markers, and the enzymes involved in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and their association with the progression and severity of HF. The findings highlighted various knowledge gaps and future research priorities are recommended in the areas of interest and unexplored areas.
PubMed: 38559549
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.55313 -
The Medical Journal of Malaysia Mar 2024Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is one of the most prevalent chronic complications of diabetes mellitus (DM) that can significantly result in disability and... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is one of the most prevalent chronic complications of diabetes mellitus (DM) that can significantly result in disability and impaired quality of life. The DPN of the foot has been extensively studied in diabetes care. Nevertheless, the DPN of hand has been the road less taken in research and clinical practice. Thus, a scoping review was conducted to identify all available standardized hand assessments which have been used, developed, or tested in individuals with DM.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This scoping review was reported in alignment with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Studies were identified through searches of five databases: Cochrane, Scopus, ProQuest, MEDLINE, and Web of Science (WoS).
RESULTS
Of the 294 articles initially identified, 20 studies were included and analysed thematically after removing duplicates. The majority of these assessments measure body function and structure such as grip and pinch strength while the rest are measuring the activity and participation domain. Most of the hand assessments were performancebased measurements. It is suggestible to employ both types of assessments to obtain a comprehensive understanding of hand conditions in individuals with DM. While some validated hand assessments were identified, only the Duruöz Hand Index (DHI) has been validated as a reliable tool specifically for evaluating hand function in individuals with DM.
CONCLUSION
There is a need to evaluate the measurement properties of existing instruments for assessing the hand function in individuals with DM, or to develop hand assessments specifically for the DM population. This scoping review was forging a new path, by discovering diabetes care through the utilisation of hand assessments.
Topics: Humans; Quality of Life; Upper Extremity; Diabetes Mellitus; Lower Extremity
PubMed: 38555903
DOI: No ID Found -
Journal of Dentistry May 2024Erosive tooth wear is a multifactorial condition. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to identify key risk factors for erosive tooth wear in... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
OBJECTIVES
Erosive tooth wear is a multifactorial condition. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to identify key risk factors for erosive tooth wear in permanent dentition.
STUDY SELECTION
Observational studies reporting anamnestic risk factors for erosive tooth wear. Methodological quality and risk of bias were assessed using the modified Newcastle-Ottawa scale for cross-sectional studies. Risk factors were visually presented in a heatmap, and where possible, random-effects meta-analyses were performed for the odds ratios (ORs) of risk factors.
SOURCES
Electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science) and manual searches in February 2023. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD4202339776).
DATA
A total of 87 publications reporting on 71 studies were included in the systematic review. The studies examined a variety of anamnestic risk factors (n = 80) that were categorized into ten domains (socio-demographics, socio-economics, general health, oral diseases, medication, oral hygiene, food, beverages, dietary habits, and leisure-related risk factors). Meta-analyses revealed significant associations between erosive tooth wear and male gender (p<0.001; OR=1.30, 95 % CI: 1.16-1.44), regurgitation (p=0.033; OR=2.27, 95 % CI: 1.41-3.65), digestive disorders (p<0.001; OR=1.81, 95 % CI: 1.48-2.21), consumption of acidic foods (p=0.033; OR=2.40, 95 % CI: 1.44-4.00), seasoning sauces (p=0.003; OR=1.28, 95 % CI: 1.13-1.44), nutritional supplements (p=0.019; OR=1.73, 95 % CI: 1.28-2.35), and carbonated drinks (p=0.019; OR=1.43, 95 % CI: 1.17-1.75). Most included studies exhibited low bias risk.
CONCLUSIONS
Observational studies investigated a variety of anamnestic risk factors for erosive tooth wear. Future studies should employ validated questionnaires, particularly considering the most important risk factors.
CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE
Erosive tooth wear is a prevalent condition. Clinicians should concentrate primarily on symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease and dietary factors when screening patients at risk for erosive tooth wear.
Topics: Humans; Risk Factors; Tooth Erosion; Tooth Wear; Feeding Behavior; Male; Female; Oral Hygiene; Sex Factors; Cross-Sectional Studies
PubMed: 38552999
DOI: 10.1016/j.jdent.2024.104962 -
Health and Social Care Delivery Research Mar 2024Socio-economic inequalities in health have been in the public agenda for decades. General practice has an influential role to play in mitigating the impact of...
BACKGROUND
Socio-economic inequalities in health have been in the public agenda for decades. General practice has an influential role to play in mitigating the impact of inequalities especially regarding chronic conditions. At the moment, general practice is dealing with serious challenges in relation to workforce shortages, increasing workload and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important to identify effective ways so that general practice can play its role in reducing health inequalities.
OBJECTIVES
We explored what types of interventions and aspects of routine care in general practice decrease or increase inequalities in health and care-related outcomes. We focused on cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We explored for whom these interventions and aspects of care work best, why, and in what circumstances. Our main objective was to synthesise this evidence into specific guidance for healthcare professionals and decision-makers about how best to achieve equitable general practice.
DESIGN
Realist review.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Clinical or care-related outcomes by socio-economic group, or other PROGRESS-Plus criteria.
REVIEW METHODS
Realist review based on Pawson's five steps: (1) locating existing theories, (2) searching for evidence, (3) selecting articles, (4) extracting and organising data and (5) synthesising the evidence.
RESULTS
Three hundred and twenty-five studies met the inclusion criteria and 159 of them were selected for the evidence synthesis. Evidence about the impact of general practice interventions on health inequalities is limited. To reduce health inequalities, general practice needs to be: • connected so that interventions are linked and coordinated across the sector; • intersectional to account for the fact that people's experience is affected by many of their characteristics; • flexible to meet patients' different needs and preferences; • inclusive so that it does not exclude people because of who they are; • community-centred so that people who receive care engage with its design and delivery. These qualities should inform action across four domains: structures like funding and workforce distribution, organisational culture, everyday regulated procedures involved in care delivery, interpersonal and community relationships.
LIMITATIONS
The reviewed evidence offers limited detail about the ways and the extent to which specific interventions increase or decrease inequalities in general practice. Therefore, we focused on the underpinning principles that were common across interventions to produce higher-level, transferrable conclusions about ways to achieve equitable care.
CONCLUSIONS
Inequalities in general practice result from complex processes across four different domains that include structures, ideas, regulated everyday procedures, and relationships among individuals and communities. To achieve equity, general practice needs to be connected, intersectional, flexible, inclusive and community-centred.
FUTURE WORK
Future work should focus on how these five essential qualities can be better used to shape the organisational development of future general practice.
STUDY REGISTRATION
This trial is registered as PROSPERO CRD42020217871.
FUNDING
This award was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health and Social Care Delivery Research programme (NIHR award ref: NIHR130694) and is published in full in ; Vol. 12, No. 7. See the NIHR Funding and Awards website for further award information.
Topics: Humans; Pandemics; Delivery of Health Care; Population Groups; Family Practice; General Practice
PubMed: 38551093
DOI: 10.3310/YTWW7032 -
Nutrients Mar 2024The care of infants at risk of poor growth and development is a global priority. To inform new WHO guidelines update on prevention and management of growth faltering...
The care of infants at risk of poor growth and development is a global priority. To inform new WHO guidelines update on prevention and management of growth faltering among infants under six months, we examined the effectiveness of postnatal maternal or caregiver interventions on outcomes among infants between 0 and 6 months. We searched nine electronic databases from January 2000 to August 2021, included interventional studies, evaluated the quality of evidence for seven outcome domains (anthropometric recovery, child development, anthropometric outcomes, mortality, readmission, relapse, and non-response) and followed the GRADE approach for certainty of evidence. We identified thirteen studies with preterm and/or low birth weight infants assessing effects of breastfeeding counselling or education ( = 8), maternal nutrition supplementation ( = 2), mental health ( = 1), relaxation therapy ( = 1), and cash transfer ( = 1) interventions. The evidence from these studies had serious indirectness and high risk of bias. Evidence suggests breastfeeding counselling or education compared to standard care may increase infant weight at one month, weight at two months and length at one month; however, the evidence is very uncertain (very low quality). Maternal nutrition supplementation compared to standard care may not increase infant weight at 36 weeks postmenstrual age and may not reduce infant mortality by 36 weeks post-menstrual age (low quality). Evidence on the effectiveness of postnatal maternal or caregiver interventions on outcomes among infants under six months with growth faltering is limited and of 'low' to 'very low' quality. This emphasizes the urgent need for future research. The protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022309001).
Topics: Female; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Breast Feeding; Caregivers; Child Development; Infant Mortality; Infant, Low Birth Weight; Male
PubMed: 38542748
DOI: 10.3390/nu16060837 -
Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) Mar 2024This study presents a systematic review of the literature on individuals' health-related quality of life (HRQoL) following radical cystectomy for muscle-invasive bladder... (Review)
Review
This study presents a systematic review of the literature on individuals' health-related quality of life (HRQoL) following radical cystectomy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), utilizing the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36) as a primary assessment tool. The review was designed as an exhaustive literature search across three major databases including PubMed, Scopus, and Embase up to December 2023, using the PRISMA guidelines. The selection process refined 2281 identified articles down to 11 studies meeting our inclusion criteria. These studies encompassed a diverse demographic and clinical profile of 774 participants, with follow-up durations ranging from 3 to 130 months, thereby offering insights into both short-term and long-term HRQoL outcomes. The results highlighted significant alterations in individuals' HRQoL across various domains post-radical cystectomy. Notably, the Physical Functioning (PF) and Bodily Pain (BP) domains generally scored higher, indicating a moderate to high perceived physical health status. However, the Role Physical (RP) and Role Emotional (RE) domains showed variability, reflecting the challenges in daily role fulfillment and emotional adjustment post-surgery. A marked variability in physical recovery was observed, with studies reporting significant differences in PF and RP scores between patient groups. The General Health (GH) and Vitality (VT) domains sometimes reflected perceived deteriorations, whereas the Mental Health (MH) scores suggested that many patients maintained or achieved high levels of well-being post-operatively. The conclusions drawn from this systematic review underscore the profound and multi-faceted impact of radical cystectomy on HRQoL, varying widely between studies, being influenced by geographic factors, surgical methods, and the time of evaluation. The findings emphasize the necessity for holistic patient care approaches that address both physical and emotional rehabilitation, aiming to improve HRQoL outcomes.
PubMed: 38534980
DOI: 10.3390/diseases12030056 -
Psychological Medicine Jun 2024Globally, mental disorders account for almost 20% of disease burden and there is growing evidence that mental disorders are socially determined. Tackling the United... (Review)
Review
Globally, mental disorders account for almost 20% of disease burden and there is growing evidence that mental disorders are socially determined. Tackling the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), which address social determinants of mental disorders, may be an effective way to reduce the global burden of mental disorders. We conducted a systematic review of reviews to examine the evidence base for interventions that map onto the UN SDGs and seek to improve mental health through targeting known social determinants of mental disorders. We included 101 reviews in the final review, covering demographic, economic, environmental events, neighborhood, and sociocultural domains. This review presents interventions with the strongest evidence base for the prevention of mental disorders and highlights synergies where addressing the UN SDGs can be beneficial for mental health.
Topics: Humans; Mental Disorders; Social Determinants of Health; Sustainable Development; United Nations; Global Health
PubMed: 38523245
DOI: 10.1017/S0033291724000333 -
Supportive Care in Cancer : Official... Mar 2024This systematic review aimed to assess the impact of group singing on physical function, cancer-related symptoms, well-being (emotional, physical, social, spiritual),...
PURPOSE
This systematic review aimed to assess the impact of group singing on physical function, cancer-related symptoms, well-being (emotional, physical, social, spiritual), and health-related quality of life in individuals with cancer and their caregivers.
METHODS
A search was performed using Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus and Web of Science from inception to April 2023; key words included cancer, choir, and group singing. Observational cohort, prospective or retrospective studies, randomized controlled studies, and crossover studies were included. Two teams of independent reviewers extracted data and assessed the risk of bias using the Downs and Black Tool.
RESULTS
A total of 6 studies (6 reports) met the inclusion criteria for this review, with a mix of study designs. The overall quality of the studies was poor. Group singing significantly reduced anxiety levels in those with cancer and their caregivers, while the effects on depression were variable and there was no impact on fatigue. Caregivers reported improved well-being, self-efficacy and self-esteem. Both those with cancer and their caregivers had reductions in fear, anger, confusion; and reported improvement in energy, relaxation and connectedness at longer term follow-up compared to no treatment. Those with cancer reported improvements in health-related quality of life domains of bodily pain, vitality and mental health with group singing, though the effects on caregivers were mixed.
CONCLUSIONS
Group singing may have favourable effects on selected symptoms, aspects of well-being, and domains of health-related quality of life specific to vitality, bodily pain, and mental health in individuals with cancer and their caregivers.
Topics: Humans; Quality of Life; Caregivers; Singing; Retrospective Studies; Prospective Studies; Depression; Neoplasms; Pain
PubMed: 38520544
DOI: 10.1007/s00520-024-08449-8 -
The Canadian Journal of Cardiology Jun 2024The cardiovascular literature is limited by the lack of consensus on what are the best metrics for reporting social determinants of health (SDH) or social deprivation,... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
The cardiovascular literature is limited by the lack of consensus on what are the best metrics for reporting social determinants of health (SDH) or social deprivation, and if they should be reported as a single metric or separately by their domains.
METHODS
A systematic review of the literature on cardiovascular surgeries and procedures was conducted, identifying articles from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2023, that studied the relationship between health outcomes after cardiovascular procedures or surgeries and SDH/social deprivation. The cardiovascular procedures/surgeries of interest were coronary and valve surgeries and procedures including coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), valve replacement or repair, and transcatheter aortic valve intervention.
RESULTS
After screening 638 articles, we identified 47 papers that met our inclusion and exclusion criteria. The most common procedure evaluated was CABG and PCI; 46 of the studies focused on these 2 procedures. Almost all of the articles reported a different metric for SDH/social deprivation (41 different metrics); despite this, all of the metrics showed a consistent relationship with worse outcomes associated with greater degrees of SDH/deprivation. Only 9 reported on the individual domains of SDH/social deprivation; 3 studies showed a discordant relationship.
CONCLUSIONS
Although our systematic review identified numerous articles evaluating the relationship between SDH/social deprivation in cardiovascular disease, there was substantial heterogeneity in which metric was used and how it was reported. This reinforces the need for standards as to the best metrics for SDH/social deprivation as well as best practices for reporting.
Topics: Humans; Social Determinants of Health; Cardiovascular Diseases
PubMed: 38513932
DOI: 10.1016/j.cjca.2024.03.008