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Acta Obstetricia Et Gynecologica... May 2022Several studies have reported on the maternal age-associated risks of congenital anomalies. However, there is a paucity of studies with comprehensive review of... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
INTRODUCTION
Several studies have reported on the maternal age-associated risks of congenital anomalies. However, there is a paucity of studies with comprehensive review of anomalies. We aimed to quantify the risk of birth defects in children born to middle-aged mothers compared with that in children born to young or older mothers.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
We classified maternal ages into three groups: young (<20 years old), middle (20-34 years old) and older age (≥35 years old). Observational studies that met our age criteria were eligible for inclusion. The articles searched using the Embase and MEDLINE databases were those published from 1989 to January 21, 2021. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used to assess the risk of bias. If heterogeneity exceeded 50%, the random effect method was used; otherwise, the fixed-effect method was used. Prospero registration number: CRD42021235229.
RESULTS
We included 15 cohort, 14 case-control and 36 cross-sectional studies. The pooled unadjusted odds ratio (95% CI) of any congenital anomaly was 1.64 (1.40-1.92) and 1.05 (0.95-1.15) in the older and young age groups, respectively (very low quality of evidence). The pooled unadjusted odds ratio of chromosomal anomaly was 5.64 (5.13-6.20) and 0.69 (0.54-0.88) in the older and young age groups, respectively. The pooled unadjusted odds ratio of non-chromosomal anomaly was 1.09 (1.01-1.17) and 1.10 (1.01-1.21) in the older and young age groups, respectively (very low quality of evidence). The incidence of abdominal wall defects was increased in children of women in the young maternal age group.
CONCLUSIONS
We identified that very low quality evidence suggests that women in the older maternal age group had increased odds of having children with congenital anomalies compared with those in the 20-34 year age group. There was no increase in odds of children with congenital anomalies in women of <20 year age group except for abdominal defects compared with those in the 20-34 year age group. The results stem from very low quality evidence with no adjustment of confounders.
Topics: Adult; Case-Control Studies; Child; Cohort Studies; Congenital Abnormalities; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Maternal Age; Middle Aged; Parturition; Pregnancy; Young Adult
PubMed: 35288928
DOI: 10.1111/aogs.14339 -
Journal of Neurosurgical Sciences Aug 2018There is uncertainty as to the best management of arteriovenous malformations of the brain (bAVM). However, the Spetzler-Martin grade (SMG) has been validated as an... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
There is uncertainty as to the best management of arteriovenous malformations of the brain (bAVM). However, the Spetzler-Martin grade (SMG) has been validated as an effective determinant of surgical risks. We performed a systematic review for the best evidence regarding the management of bAVM for series that incorporate an analysis based upon SMG.
EVIDENCE ACQUISITION
Medline, Embase, Scopus and Cochrane databases were searched for series between January 2000 and January 2018, with a minimum of 100 cases and that incorporated SMG stratification. From this primary search, series were selected for analysis that dichotomized outcomes at modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores between 1 and 2 due to complications of treatment or reported favorable outcome (FO) (i.e. complete occlusion, no neurological deterioration and no post treatment hemorrhage). Case series that used a subset of the population other than SMG or had a prior history of hemorrhage were excluded. The series finally analyzed were explored for outcomes that reported: complications of treatment that led to a new permanent neurological deficit with mRS score >1 (adverse outcome); post treatment hemorrhage; occlusion rate; and FO. A comparison of treatment outcomes was made when more than one modality of treatment (surgery, radiosurgery, embolization or multiple treatment modalities) could be examined with results for specific Spetzler-Ponce class (SPC) A (i.e. SMG I and II), B (i.e. SMG III) or C (i.e. SMG IV and V).
EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS
The primary search produced 116 papers. After reviewing each publication and eliminating papers that had patient outcomes duplicated, 11 publications met the criteria for analysis (including: 5 exclusively surgery; 4 exclusively radiosurgery; 1 exclusively endovascular; and, 1 multi-modality). The following outcome comparisons analyzed were significant. For SPC A and B bAVM, there was a significantly higher rate of FO following treatment by surgery (98.6%; 95% CI: 97.5-99.2% and 76.4%; 95% CI: 70.0-81.7%, respectively) than radiosurgery (70.8%; 95% CI: 66.8-74.6% and 61.0%; 95% CI: 56.0-65.8%, respectively)(P<0.01). For SPC A and B bAVM, there were significantly fewer unobliterated bAVM following treatment by surgery (0.5%; 95% CI: 0.2-1.4% and 3.0%; 95% CI: 1.4-5.8%, respectively) than radiosurgery (23.9%; 95% CI: 20.4-27.8% and 30.9%; 95% CI: 27.9-34.0%, respectively) or embolization (7.6%; 95% CI: 4.3-12.9% SPC A) (P<0.01). Adverse outcomes from treatment were significantly higher for surgery (15.6%; 95% CI: 11.8-20.0%) than radiosurgery (3.3%; 95% CI: 2.3-4.8%) for SPC B (P<0.01) but not SPC A bAVM. No analysis of SPC C was possible.
CONCLUSIONS
Surgery remains, in general, the best choice for treating SPC A bAVM. For SPC B bAVM the decision as to best treatment should hinge on the likelihood of obliteration by radiosurgery. In cases where obliteration rate is expected to be high, radiosurgery should be the preferred treatment. There is insufficient information to make a recommendation from this analysis with regards the role of embolization for cure. There is no satisfactory standardized treatment for SPC C bAVM and treatment must remain individualized.
Topics: Arteriovenous Fistula; Evidence-Based Medicine; Humans; Intracranial Arteriovenous Malformations
PubMed: 29444560
DOI: 10.23736/S0390-5616.18.04370-9 -
Journal of the Peripheral Nervous... Sep 2023Several widely used medications, with a relevant efficacy profile, are toxic to the peripheral nervous system and an even larger number of agents are suspected to be... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Several widely used medications, with a relevant efficacy profile, are toxic to the peripheral nervous system and an even larger number of agents are suspected to be neurotoxic. There are concerns about the use of these drugs in patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), a hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy. This review provides evidence-based updated recommendations on this clinically relevant topic.
METHODS
A systematic review of the available studies/reports written in English was performed from July to September 2022 including in the search string all reported putative neurotoxic drugs.
RESULTS
The results of our systematic review provide evidence-based support for the statement that use of vincristine, and possibly paclitaxel, can occasionally induce an atypical, and more severe, course of drug-related peripheral neurotoxicity in CMT patients. It is therefore reasonable to recommend caution in the use of these compounds in CMT patients. However, no convincing evidence for a similar recommendation could be found for all other drugs.
INTERPRETATION
It is important that patients with CMT are not denied effective treatments that may prolong life expectancy for cancer or improve their health status if affected by non-oncological diseases. Accurate monitoring of peripheral nerve function in CMT patients treated with any neurotoxic agent remains mandatory to detect the earliest signs of neuropathy worsening and atypical clinical courses. Neurologists monitoring CMT patients as part of their normal care package or for natural history studies should keep detailed records of exposures to neurotoxic medications and support reporting of accelerated neuropathy progression if observed.
Topics: Humans; Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease; Hereditary Sensory and Motor Neuropathy; Neoplasms; Neurotoxicity Syndromes
PubMed: 37249082
DOI: 10.1111/jns.12566 -
Acta Obstetricia Et Gynecologica... Jan 2017The aim of this study was to review the performance of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for detection of trisomy 21, 18 and 13 (T21, T18 and T13) in a general... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Analysis of cell-free fetal DNA in maternal blood for detection of trisomy 21, 18 and 13 in a general pregnant population and in a high risk population - a systematic review and meta-analysis.
INTRODUCTION
The aim of this study was to review the performance of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for detection of trisomy 21, 18 and 13 (T21, T18 and T13) in a general pregnant population as well as to update the data on high-risk pregnancies.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Systematic review and meta-analysis. PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library were searched. Methodological quality was rated using QUADAS and scientific evidence using GRADE. Summary measures of diagnostic accuracy were calculated using a bivariate random-effects model.
RESULTS
In a general pregnant population, there is moderate evidence that the pooled sensitivity is 0.993 (95% CI 0.955-0.999) and specificity was 0.999 (95% CI 0.998-0.999) for the analysis of T21. Pooled sensitivity and specificity for T13 and T18 was not calculated in this population due to the low number of studies. In a high-risk pregnant population, there is moderate evidence that the pooled sensitivities for T21 and T18 are 0.998 (95% CI 0.981-0.999) and 0.977 (95% CI 0.958-0.987) respectively, and low evidence that the pooled sensitivity for T13 is 0.975 (95% CI 0.819-0.997). The pooled specificity for all three trisomies is 0.999 (95% CI 0.998-0.999).
CONCLUSIONS
This is the first meta-analysis using GRADE that shows that NIPT performs well as a screen for trisomy 21 in a general pregnant population. Although the false positive rate is low compared with first trimester combined screening, women should still be advised to confirm a positive result by invasive testing if termination of pregnancy is under consideration.
Topics: Cell-Free System; Chromosome Disorders; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 13; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 18; DNA; Down Syndrome; Female; Genetic Testing; Humans; Pregnancy; Pregnancy, High-Risk; Prenatal Diagnosis; Sensitivity and Specificity; Trisomy; Trisomy 13 Syndrome; Trisomy 18 Syndrome
PubMed: 27779757
DOI: 10.1111/aogs.13047 -
British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology Oct 2017To investigate the safety of fluoxetine use during pregnancy, and to better understand the relationship between maternal fluoxetine use during the first trimester and... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
AIMS
To investigate the safety of fluoxetine use during pregnancy, and to better understand the relationship between maternal fluoxetine use during the first trimester and congenital malformations in infants.
METHODS
PubMed and Web of Science databases were systematically searched from inception to 21 March 2016. Additional studies were identified in a manual search of the reference lists. Two reviewers independently extracted data. A third reviewer checked the data. Estimates were pooled using a random-effects model to calculate the summarized relative ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).
RESULTS
Among 1918 initially identified articles, 16 cohort studies were included. The offspring of pregnant women exposed to fluoxetine during the first trimester had a statistically increased risk of major malformations (RR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.08-1.29), cardiovascular malformations (RR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.17-1.59), septal defects (RR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.19-1.61), and non-septal defects (RR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.12-1.73) with low heterogeneity in infants. There were no significant observations of other system-specific malformations in the nervous system, eye, urogenital system, digestive system, respiratory system, or musculoskeletal system, respectively. There was no indication of publication bias.
CONCLUSIONS
The results of this meta-analysis indicate maternal fluoxetine use is associated with a slightly increased risk of cardiovascular malformations in infants. Health care providers and pregnant women must weigh the risk-benefit potential of these drugs when making decisions about whether to treat with fluoxetine during pregnancy.
Topics: Abnormalities, Drug-Induced; Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation; Depression; Female; Fluoxetine; Heart Septal Defects; Humans; Incidence; Infant; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications; Pregnancy Trimester, First; Publication Bias
PubMed: 28513059
DOI: 10.1111/bcp.13321 -
The Cleft Palate-craniofacial Journal :... Sep 2022A systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the association between active maternal smoking and cleft lip and palate etiology. Medline, Embase, Web of Science and... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
A systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the association between active maternal smoking and cleft lip and palate etiology. Medline, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library from inception to November, 2020. Observational studies of cigarette smoking habits in pregnant women. Outcomes included cleft lip and/or palate, cleft lip ± palate and cleft palate only. Publication bias analyses were performed and the Newcastle Ottawa scales were used to assess study quality. Fixed or random effect models were used in the meta-analysis, dependent on risk of statistical heterogeneity. Forty-five studies were eligible for inclusion of which 11 were cohort and 34 were case-control studies. Sixteen studies were of sufficient standard for inclusion in the meta-analysis. The summary odds ratio for the association between smoking and cleft lip and/or palate was 1.42 (95%CI 1.27-1.59) with a population attributable fraction of 4% (95%CI 3%-5%). There was limited evidence to show a dose-response effect of smoking. This review reports a moderate association between maternal smoking and orofacial cleft but the overall quality of the conventional observational studies included was poor. There is a need for high quality and novel research strategies to further define the role of smoking in the etiology of cleft lip and palate.
Topics: Cigarette Smoking; Cleft Lip; Cleft Palate; Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; Smoking
PubMed: 34569861
DOI: 10.1177/10556656211040015 -
International Journal of Environmental... Oct 2022Hemorrhage of arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is a rare condition during pregnancy. This study was proposed to pool the proportion of AVM hemorrhage per pregnancy. A... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Hemorrhage of arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is a rare condition during pregnancy. This study was proposed to pool the proportion of AVM hemorrhage per pregnancy. A systematic review and meta-analysis with three databases were performed to review the studies published until April 2022. The Newcastle Ottawa Scale was used for risk assessment of data quality. The meta-analysis was conducted by a generic inverse variance of double arcsine transformation with a random model using Stata software. Twelve studies were included in this review. The pooled proportion of AVM hemorrhage per pregnancy was 0.16 (95% CI: 0.08, 0.26). The subgroup analyses were carried out based on world regions and study designs, and the study duration with the highest proportion of each subgroup was Europe [0.35 (95% CI: 0.02, 0.79)], with retrospective review [0.18 (95% CI: 007, 0.32)] and 10 to 20 years of study duration [0.37 (95% CI: 0.06, 0.77)]. The AVM hemorrhage per pregnancy in this review was considered low. However, the conclusion must be carefully interpreted since this review had a small study limitation.
Topics: Pregnancy; Female; Humans; Intracranial Arteriovenous Malformations; Arteriovenous Fistula; Cerebral Hemorrhage; Retrospective Studies; Europe
PubMed: 36293763
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192013183 -
Journal of Vascular Surgery Dec 2016Vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a relatively rare genetic syndrome that occurs owing to disorders in the metabolism of fibrillary collagen. These defects affect... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a relatively rare genetic syndrome that occurs owing to disorders in the metabolism of fibrillary collagen. These defects affect the soft connective tissues resulting in abnormalities in the skin, joints, hollow organs, and blood vessels. Patients with these defects frequently present at a young age with spontaneous arterial complications involving the medium-sized arteries. Complications involving the hollow organs, such as spontaneous colonic perforation, are observed as well. Given the fragility of the soft tissue, open and endovascular intervention on patients with vascular EDS is fraught with high complication rates.
METHODS
A PubMed search was performed to identify manuscripts published related to vascular EDS. This search included more than 747 articles. These findings were cross-referenced using key terms, including endovascular, embolization, surgery, genetics, pathophysiology, connective tissue disorders, vascular complications, systematic review, type III collagen, and COL3A1.
RESULTS
The references in key articles and review articles were evaluated for additional resources not identified in the PubMed search. Care must be taken to balance the risk of intervention vs the risk of continued observation. Life-threatening hemorrhage, however, mandates intervention.
CONCLUSIONS
With careful, altered approaches to tissue handling, endovascular approaches may provide a safer option for managing the arterial complications observed in patients with vascular EDS. Additional hope may also be found in the use of pharmacologic agents that reduce the incidence and severity of the arterial complications.
Topics: Aneurysm; Collagen Type III; Computed Tomography Angiography; DNA Mutational Analysis; Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome; Endovascular Procedures; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Humans; Mutation; Phenotype; Predictive Value of Tests; Risk Factors; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 27687326
DOI: 10.1016/j.jvs.2016.06.120 -
Pediatrics Mar 2014Fever during pregnancy has been suspected to harm the developing fetus. However, until now, no systematic analysis of the available evidence has been undertaken to... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE
Fever during pregnancy has been suspected to harm the developing fetus. However, until now, no systematic analysis of the available evidence has been undertaken to assess the impact of maternal fever on health outcomes in the child. The goal of this study was to systematically review evidence from epidemiologic studies on adverse health outcomes of the offspring in relation to exposure to maternal fever during pregnancy.
METHODS
Systematic searches in PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were performed by using Medical Subject Headings, Boolean operators, and truncation, and references of references were reviewed. Cohort and case-control studies addressing health outcomes of prenatal fever exposure in humans were eligible for inclusion. Studies with no direct reference to fever, studies in selected populations (eg, preterm births), and studies published before 1990 were excluded.
RESULTS
The available literature supported an increased risk of adverse offspring health in association with fever during pregnancy. The strongest evidence was available for neural tube defects, congenital heart defects, and oral clefts, in which meta-analyses suggested between a 1.5- and nearly 3-fold increased risk with fever exposure in the first trimester. We did not find strong evidence of a dose-response relationship, but there was some evidence that antipyretic medications may have a protective effect when used in relation to febrile episodes.
CONCLUSIONS
We found substantial evidence to support the contention that maternal fever during pregnancy may negatively affect offspring health. The harmful effects seemed to cover both short- and longer-term health outcomes; however, for several outcomes, the evidence was insufficient to judge any association.
Topics: Case-Control Studies; Cleft Lip; Cohort Studies; Female; Fever; Heart Defects, Congenital; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Neural Tube Defects; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects
PubMed: 24567014
DOI: 10.1542/peds.2013-3205 -
BMC Oral Health Sep 2023Cleft lip and palate (CLP) is the most common facial birth defect worldwide and causes morphological, aesthetic, and functional problems with psychosocial implications... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Cleft lip and palate (CLP) is the most common facial birth defect worldwide and causes morphological, aesthetic, and functional problems with psychosocial implications for an individual's life and well-being. The present systematic review and meta-analysis assessed whether the treatment of CLP impacts the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in children and adolescents in comparison to healthy controls.
METHODS
We searched MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, and PsycINFO databases using terms related to CLP, and included articles until August 2023. Observational comparison studies that assessed OHRQoL in non-syndromic CLP patients aged 8-19 years with validated scales designed to such aim or scales capable to identify aspects related to oral health compared to healthy controls were included. We used the ROBINS-I tool for risk of bias assessment. A meta-analysis of continuous variables was performed using inverse variance for pooling estimates, Standardized Mean Difference (SMD) as a summary measure, with random effects model. Heterogeneity was estimated by the I statistics. Sensitivity analyses included subgrouping based on the scale, risk of bias and scale domains. Meta-regression was performed under a mixed-effects model considering the variables type of scale, scale domains and risk of bias.
RESULTS
Fourteen studies were included comprising 1,185 patients with CLP and 1,558 healthy controls. The direction of the effect of OHRQoL favoured the healthy group (-0.92; 95% CI:-1,55;-0,10) and I = 95%. After removing three studies, I dropped to 80%. Meta-regression showed no influence on risk of bias (p = 0.2240) but influence of scale type (p = 0.0375) and scale domains (p < 0.001). The subgroup analysis indicated that the CPQ and COHIP scales presented very discrepant SMD values, despite pointing to the same effect direction. In contrast, the OHIP scale showed a non-significant difference between cases and controls, with estimates much lower than the other two scales. Results also suggest that OHRQoL associated with oral functionality and social well-being is more influential on outcomes than emotional well-being.
CONCLUSION
The global OHRQoL is slightly worst in the CLP patients than control group. The difference between OHRQoL was mainly detected through OHIP. The most affected domains are functional, emotional and social.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION
PROSPERO CRD42022336956.
Topics: Adolescent; Child; Humans; Cleft Lip; Quality of Life; Cleft Palate; Health Status
PubMed: 37716942
DOI: 10.1186/s12903-023-03382-4