-
Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024Neck infections are often prone to being underestimated and can manifest insidiously. The spread of infection can lead to translocation into thoracic areas, causing... (Review)
Review
Neck infections are often prone to being underestimated and can manifest insidiously. The spread of infection can lead to translocation into thoracic areas, causing descending necrotizing mediastinitis (DNM). However, the application of the post-mortem approach in such cases is not well-described in the literature. A literature review was carried out according to the PRISMA methods. Nine papers were included in the final review, revealing different levels of involvement of neck layers that can be linked to different causes. Expertise with respect to the anatomy of the fasciae and spaces of the neck enables an understanding of the pathogenesis of DNM. However, a clear autoptic description was not provided in any of the articles. Therefore, we also employed a practical post-mortem approach to cases of death due to DNM. It is fundamental for pathologists to identify the exact head and neck structures involved. Providing dissectors with support from an otolaryngologist could be useful. This paper could help address such difficult cases.
PubMed: 38893677
DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics14111150 -
Scientific Reports Jun 2024To elucidate the correlation of HIF1A with clinicopathologic characteristics in patients with gastric cancer (GC), we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. We... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
To elucidate the correlation of HIF1A with clinicopathologic characteristics in patients with gastric cancer (GC), we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. We searched PubMed, Embase and Web of Science for studies on GC and HIF1A, covering studies published until January 31st, 2022. We calculated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for clinical characteristics based on high and low HIF1A protein levels. We used random-effects and fixed-effects meta-analysis methods to determine mean effect sizes of ORs and evaluated publication heterogeneity with τ, I, and Q values. Additionally, we generated funnel plots to inspect publication bias. Our meta-analysis included 20 publications with 3416 GC patients to estimate the association between high or low HIF1A expression and clinical characteristics. Positive HIF1A expression was significantly associated with T stage progression (OR: 2.46; 95% CI 1.81-3.36; P < 0.01), TNM stage progression (OR: 2.50; 95% CI 1.61-3.87; P < 0.01), lymph node metastasis (OR: 2.06; 95% CI 1.44-2.94; P < 0.01), undifferentiated status (OR: 1.83; 95% CI 1.45-2.32; P < 0.01), M stage progression (OR: 2.34; 95% CI 1.46-3.77; P < 0.01), Borrmann stage progression (OR: 1.48; 95% CI 1.02-2.15; P = 0.04), larger tumor size (OR: 1.27; 95% CI 1.06-1.52; P < 0.01), vascular invasion (OR: 1.94; 95% CI 1.38-2.72; P < 0.01), and higher vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein expression (OR: 2.61; 95% CI 1.79-3.80; P < 0.01) in our meta-analysis. GC Patients highly expressing HIF1A protein might be prone to tumor progression, poorly differentiated GC cell types, and a high VEGF expression.
Topics: Stomach Neoplasms; Humans; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; Lymphatic Metastasis; Biomarkers, Tumor; Neoplasm Staging; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
PubMed: 38877062
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63019-6 -
Heliyon Jun 2024In recent years, the combination of targeted drugs, such as Cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors, with endocrine therapy (ET), has emerged as a new research...
BACKGROUND
In recent years, the combination of targeted drugs, such as Cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors, with endocrine therapy (ET), has emerged as a new research focus in the treatment of hormone receptor-positive (HR+) human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HER2-) breast cancer. This network meta-analysis aimed to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of CDK4/6 inhibitors combined with ET for HR+/HER2-breast cancer.
METHODS
A systematic search was conducted across PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and GeenMedical databases to identify randomized controlled trials investigating the use of CDK4/6 inhibitors in combination with endocrine therapy for the treatment of HR+/HER2-breast cancer. The search period spanned from the inception of each database up to February 29, 2024. Data analysis was conducted using Stata 14.0 and R 4.1.0 software.
RESULTS
A total of 20 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included in this study, investigating the effectiveness of four CDK4/6 inhibitors-Abemaciclib, Dalpiciclib, Ribociclib, and Palbociclib-when combined with ET for the treatment of HR+/HER2-breast cancer. The results indicated that Abemaciclib + ET, Dalpiciclib + ET, Palbociclib + ET, and Ribociclib + ET exhibited similar therapeutic effects in terms of improving objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR) and reducing the occurrence of fatigue, all of which were superior to ET alone. However, in terms of prolonging progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), Dalpiciclib + ET significantly improved PFS compared to Ribociclib + ET, Palbociclib + ET, Abemaciclib and Palbociclib. Ribociclib + ET significantly improved OS compared to Palbociclib + ET. Regarding overall adverse reaction events (AREs), Dalpiciclib + ET had a higher incidence compared to Ribociclib + ET. The incidence of neutropenia caused by Dalpiciclib + ET was significantly higher compared to Palbociclib + ET, Ribociclib + ET, Abemaciclib, and Palbociclib. Abemaciclib + ET demonstrated the worst safety profile concerning diarrhea.
CONCLUSION
Abemaciclib + ET likely represents the most effective option in terms of therapeutic effects, but it is prone to causing diarrhea and fatigue. On the other hand, Dalpiciclib + ET likely demonstrates the best efficacy in terms of PFS but exhibits the poorest safety profile, particularly in relation to neutropenia. Therefore, clinicians should exercise increased vigilance in monitoring and managing adverse effects when prescribing Abemaciclib + ET and Dalpiciclib + ET.
PubMed: 38832268
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31583 -
Heliyon May 2024Seismic activities pose significant challenges to societies globally. Therefore, it is crucial to understand their occurrence, patterns, and impacts. By studying seismic...
Seismic activities pose significant challenges to societies globally. Therefore, it is crucial to understand their occurrence, patterns, and impacts. By studying seismic activities, including earthquakes, researchers can investigate their occurrence, distribution, and characteristics which can provide effective management and risk reduction strategies. The southern part of Ghana is prone to earthquakes and this study aims to shed more light into the nature of seismic events in the area and country at large. A systematic review was conducted using the PRISMA technique across three electronic databases (SCOPUS, Dimensions and Google Scholar) to identify relevant studies published between 2000 and 2023. Extraction of data and quality assessment were performed in order to ensure reliability and validity of included studies. Results identified only 17 papers from published records to meet the inclusion criteria. Despite the grave threat earthquakes pose to vital infrastructure and human life in Ghana, research in this area remains remarkably deficient. Our findings underscore the urgent need for further study given the catastrophic potential of seismic disasters in the region. Moreover, upon scrutinizing the methodologies deployed in extant literature concerning seismic activity in Ghana, a recurring constraint that emerged was the scarce availability of data. In essence, this study offers an indispensable panorama of earthquake research in Ghana, bridging the existing knowledge chasm on seismic phenomena in the region. The insights gleaned from this review promise to fortify our comprehension of Ghana's seismic activities, thereby bolstering the country's capabilities for more effective preparedness and response strategies.
PubMed: 38803987
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31536 -
Cureus Apr 2024This review article explores spinal injuries in athletes participating in various sporting activities. It also highlights the various mechanisms of injuries that... (Review)
Review
This review article explores spinal injuries in athletes participating in various sporting activities. It also highlights the various mechanisms of injuries that contribute to spinal injuries in each sport. Electronic databases such as PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, MEDLINE Ovid, and Google Scholar were searched for articles from 2000 to 2022 on spine injuries in sports and radiological studies discussing the various injury patterns among athletes. Studies were scoured in accordance with the inclusion criteria, and relevant data such as the number of participants, sporting activities, spine injuries, and outcomes were retrieved. Fifteen articles that met the inclusion criteria were included in the study. Cervical spine injuries are common in athletes who participate in contact sports such as football. Similarly, athletes in collision sports such as football, rugby, and hockey are likely to suffer stingers due to traction and compression injuries. Players engaged in such as soccer, baseball, and swimming, are likely to suffer from spondylolysis. Soccer players are more prone to multiple lesions compared to athletes in sports such as baseball because the sport involves training exercises such as jogging and running without kicking any ball. In swimmers, spondylolysis is common in breaststroke and butterfly styles since they involve repeated flexion and hyperextension of the lumbar spine. CT is essential for diagnosing spondylolysis as it demonstrates the lesions more accurately. Ice hockey is associated with a significant incidence of cervical spine injuries, mostly due to players being constantly checked/pushed from behind. Spine injuries are common in elite athletes across several sports. About 10% of spinal injuries in the United States result from sports activities. In diagnosing spine injuries, imaging modalities such as MRI, CT, or plain radiographs are essential. From a radiologist's perspective, these tests help immensely in deciding which treatment is required for a particular athlete or how the injury can be optimally managed. Achieving recovery from a specific spine injury usually depends on the kind of injury and the rehabilitation process the athletes undergo before returning to play.
PubMed: 38784300
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.58780 -
Cureus Apr 2024Gender-affirming hormonal therapy (GAHT), which includes estrogen, testosterone, androgen agonists, is commonly used in transgender individuals to change their secondary... (Review)
Review
Gender-affirming hormonal therapy (GAHT), which includes estrogen, testosterone, androgen agonists, is commonly used in transgender individuals to change their secondary sexual characteristics to align with their gender identity. However, this treatment could result in metabolic side effects that could increase the chances of acquiring type 2 diabetes mellitus. Thus, this study aims to compare differences in body mass index (BMI), insulin resistance, and the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus between cisgender and transgender individuals undergoing GAHT. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standards, we conducted a systematic review searching through PubMed, Google Scholar, Medline (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online), and ResearchGate for articles published between 2014 and 2024. The final search was conducted in February 2024. Out of the 3,934 articles reviewed, 11 were selected, focusing on insulin sensitivity/resistance, diabetes incidence, and BMI changes with GAHT. Although our result findings did not show clear evidence of increased diabetes incidence among GAHT patients, it was observed that GAHT does increase BMI and insulin resistance in transgender individuals. Notably, compared to transgender men, transgender women on GAHT were found to be more prone to insulin resistance. We recommend regularly monitoring insulin sensitivity parameters and HbA1c during GAHT to monitor metabolic side effects. Further research and more clinical trials are needed to confirm the GAHT's impact on insulin resistance and to evaluate its role in the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
PubMed: 38738018
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.58137 -
Revista Paulista de Pediatria : Orgao... 2024To describe the long-term health outcomes of neonates affected by necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and its implications for quality of life. (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
To describe the long-term health outcomes of neonates affected by necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and its implications for quality of life.
DATA SOURCE
This is an integrative review, conducted by searching the literature in the following databases: Virtual Health Library (BVS), Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS), Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), and PubMed, using Health Sciences Descriptors (DeCS): "necrotizing enterocolitis," "quality of life," and "prognosis" combined with the Boolean operators AND and OR: "quality of life" OR "prognosis." Inclusion criteria were: publication period between 2012 and 2022.
DATA SYNTHESIS
A total of 1,010 studies were located, of which ten were selected to comprise the bibliographic sample of this review. Children with NEC are prone to exhibit cognitive neurological impairment, especially those who undergo surgical procedures due to more severe conditions. Motor development was considered below average when compared to healthy children, with more noticeable delays in fine and gross motor function development. The search for the relationship between NEC and quality of life revealed that this condition has a negative impact on the well-being of affected individuals.
CONCLUSIONS
NEC has proven to be a serious condition contributing to high rates of morbidity and mortality in newborns, potentially leading to a reduction in the quality of life of affected patients.
Topics: Humans; Infant, Newborn; Enterocolitis, Necrotizing; Prognosis; Quality of Life
PubMed: 38695420
DOI: 10.1590/1984-0462/2024/42/2023188 -
Asian Journal of Urology Apr 2024This study aimed to explore the global, prevalence, and risk factors of fever after percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) by conducting a systematic review and... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to explore the global, prevalence, and risk factors of fever after percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis.
METHODS
The high-sensitivity searching was conducted without time limitation until December 30, 2020 in Web of Sciences, Scopus, and PubMed based on inclusion and exclusion criteria.
RESULTS
The prevalence rates of fever and sepsis among patient undergoing PCNL were estimated 9.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 9.3%-9.7%), and 4.5% (95% CI: 4.2%-4.8%), respectively. Nephrostomy tube was used in 9.96% (95% CI: 9.94%-9.97%) of patients. The mean preoperative white blood cells of patients were 6.401×10/L; 18.3% and 4.55% of patients were considered as the positive urinary culture and pyuria, respectively. About 20.4% of patients suffered from residual stones. The odds ratios (ORs) of fever in patients who suffering from diabetes mellitus, hydronephrosis, staghorn stones, and blood transfusion were 4.62 (95% CI: 2.95-7.26), 1.04 (95% CI: 0.81-1.34), 2.57 (95% CI: 0.93-7.11), and 2.65 (95% CI: 1.62-4.35), respectively. Patients who underwent PCNL in prone position were more likely to develop fever (OR: 1.23; 95% CI: 0.75-2.00) than patients in supine position.
CONCLUSION
The current study showed that patients who suffer from diabetes mellitus, hydronephrosis, staghorn stones, nephrostomy tube or double-J stent, blood transfusion, and also patients who underwent PCNL in prone position surgery are more likely to develop a postoperative fever after PCNL.
PubMed: 38680584
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajur.2022.04.008 -
Biomedicines Apr 2024Serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) needs to be monitored with ultrasensitive PSA assays (uPSAs) for oncologists to be able to start salvage radiotherapy (SRT) while... (Review)
Review
Serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) needs to be monitored with ultrasensitive PSA assays (uPSAs) for oncologists to be able to start salvage radiotherapy (SRT) while PSA is <0.5 µg/L for patients with prostate cancer (PCa) relapsing after a radical prostatectomy (RP). Our systematic review (SR) aimed to summarize uPSAs for patients with localized PCa. The SR was registered as InPLASY2023110084. We searched for studies on Google Scholar, PUBMED and reference lists of reviews and studies. We only included studies on uPSAs published in English and excluded studies of women, animals, sarcoidosis and reviews. Of the 115 included studies, 39 reported PSA assay methods and 76 reported clinical findings. Of 67,479 patients, 14,965 developed PSA recurrence (PSAR) and 2663 died. Extremely low PSA nadir and early developments of PSA separated PSAR-prone from non-PSAR-prone patients (cumulative value 3.7 × 10). RP patients with the lowest post-surgery PSA nadir and patients who had the lowest PSA at SRT had the fewest deaths. In conclusion, PSA for patients with localized PCa in the pre-PSAR phase of PCa is strongly associated with later PSAR and survival. A rising but still exceedingly low PSA at SRT predicts a good 5-year overall survival.
PubMed: 38672176
DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12040822 -
Sleep Medicine Reviews Apr 2024This systematic review aims to find effectful healthcare strategies, with special focus on drug-free interventions and physical therapy, as part of the treatment for... (Review)
Review
This systematic review aims to find effectful healthcare strategies, with special focus on drug-free interventions and physical therapy, as part of the treatment for sleep in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Data search was conducted across seven scientific databases. This review is deposited in the Prospero International prospective register of systematic reviews (CRD42023452574). Seventeen RCTs from different healthcare fields complied with our inclusion criteria. Two RCTs investigated manual therapy, five RCTs therapeutic exercise, one RCT Fu's subcutaneous needling, two RCTs physical agents (one on balneotherapy and one on cryo-stimulation), two RCTs cognitive-behavioral therapy, and four RCTs pharmacological therapy and their effect on sleep quality and/or quantity in patients suffering from chronic pain. We included the four RCT's in this systematic review with the purpose to be able to compare natural interventions with allopathic ones. As allopathic interventions are more prone to have secondary negative effects than physical therapy, compare the two types of interventions could be in favor of choosing the most effective treatment with the least secondary negative effects. Additionally, two RCTs on neurofeedback and limbic neuromodulation were also included. The results of the included studies suggest that strategies such as manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, Fu's subcutaneous needling, balneotherapy, cryo-stimulation, neurofeedback, limbic neuromodulation, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and pharmacological therapies have positive effects on patients suffering from chronic pain and sleep disturbances, especially when they suffer musculoskeletal pain. Secondary negative effects were found for the possible overuse of certain medicines such as morphine, a huge problem in the United States. Sleep deficiency is an independent risk factor for many diseases, including chronic pain syndrome and therefore more studies are needed to find non-toxic interventions for people suffering sleep disorders associated with systemic diseases and pain.
PubMed: 38669729
DOI: 10.1016/j.smrv.2024.101937