Category: Nevin Manimala

Pain Manag Nurs. 2023 Mar 10:S1524-9042(23)00029-2. doi: 10.1016/j.pmn.2023.02.001. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKROUND: In the literature, the effect of TENS on acute pain has been investigated, and no study has been found on its effect on pain associated with VAC application. This randomized controlled trial was designed to assess the efficacy of TENS application in pain caused by vacuum applied in acute soft tissue trauma of the lower extremity.

DESIGN AND SETTINGS: The study included 40 patients: 20 in the control group, and 20 in the experimental group and was carried out in a university hospital’s plastic and reconstructive surgery clinic. Data for the study were gathered using the Patient Information form and the Pain Assessment form. Conventional TENS lasting 30 minutes was applied to the experimental group patients 1 hour before vacuum (vacuum assisted closure [VAC]) insertion and removal by the researcher, and TENS was not applied to the control group. The “Numerical Pain Scale” was used to assess pain in both groups before and after TENS application. In the statistical analysis of the data, the SPSS 23.0 package program was used. In all tests, p < .005 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS: The experimental and control groups of the patients included in the study were homogeneous in terms of demographic characteristics (p > .05). Furthermore, when the pain levels of the groups were compared over time, it was discovered that the pain levels of the control group were significantly higher than the experimental group at the times of VAC insertion (T3) and VAC removal (T6) (p < .05). Bonferroni test, one of the post hoc tests, was used to determine in-group significance in both the experimental and control groups, and it was discovered that the difference was between T6 and all other times (T6-T1, T2, T3, T4, T5).

CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained from our study showed that TENS reduced the pain caused by vacuum applied in acute soft tissue trauma of the lower extremity. It is thought that TENS may not replace traditional analgesics but may help reduce the level of pain and contribute to healing by increasing comfort during painful procedures.

PMID:36907690 | DOI:10.1016/j.pmn.2023.02.001

J Voice. 2023 Mar 10:S0892-1997(23)00005-X. doi: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2023.01.005. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The primary aim was to compare two methods for perceptual evaluation of voice – paired comparison (PC) and visual analog scale (VAS) ratings. Secondary aims were to assess the correspondence between two dimensions of voice- overall severity of voice quality and resonant voice, and to investigate the influence of rater experience on perceptual rating scores and rating confidence scores.

STUDY DESIGN: Experimental design.

METHODS: Voice samples from six children (pre and post therapy) were rated by 15 Speech-Language Pathologists specialized in voice. Raters completed four tasks corresponding to the two rating methods and voice qualities: PC-severity, PC-resonance, VAS-severity, and VAS-resonance. For PC tasks, raters chose the better of two voice samples (better voice quality or better resonance, depending on the task) and indicated the degree of confidence in each choice. Rating and confidence score were combined to produce a number on a 1-10 scale (PC-confidence adjusted). VAS ratings involved rating voices on a scale for degree of severity and resonance, respectively.

RESULTS: PC-confidence adjusted and VAS ratings were moderately correlated for overall severity and also vocal resonance. VAS ratings were normally distributed and had greater rater consistency than PC-confidence adjusted ratings. VAS scores reliably predicted binary PC choices (choice of voice sample only). Overall severity and vocal resonance were weakly correlated and rater experience was not linearly related to rating scores or confidence.

CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that the VAS rating method holds advantages over PC, including normally distributed ratings, superior consistency of ratings, and the ability to provide more finely grained detail regarding the auditory perception of voice. Overall severity and vocal resonance were not redundant in the current data set, suggesting that resonant voice and overall severity are not isomorphic. Finally, the number of years of clinical experience was not linearly related to perceptual ratings or rating confidence.

PMID:36907680 | DOI:10.1016/j.jvoice.2023.01.005

Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2023 Feb 15:S1064-7481(23)00215-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2023.02.041. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To assess 1) the longitudinal stability of the atypical, melancholic, combined atypical-melancholic and the unspecified subtypes of major depressive disorder (MDD) according to the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM -IV) specifiers in older adults, and 2) the effect of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) on the stability of these subtypes.

DESIGN: Prospective cohort study with a 5.1 year-follow-up.

SETTING: Population-based cohort from Lausanne, Switzerland.

PARTICIPANTS: A total of 1,888 participants (mean age: 61.7 years, women: 69.2%) with at least two psychiatric evaluations, one after the age of 65 years.

MEASUREMENTS: Semistructured diagnostic interview to assess lifetime and 12-month DSM-IV Axis-1 disorders at each investigation and neuro-cognitive tests to identify MCI in participants aged 65 years and over. Associations between lifetime MDD status before and 12-month depression status after the follow-up were assessed using multinomial logistic regression. The effect of MCI on these associations was assessed by testing interactions between MDD subtypes and MCI status.

RESULTS: 1) Associations between depression status before and after the follow-up were observed for atypical (adjusted OR [95% CI] = 7.99 [3.13; 20.44]), combined (5.73 [1.50; 21.90]) and unspecified (2.14 [1.15; 3.98]), but not melancholic MDD (3.36 [0.89; 12.69]). However, there was a certain degree of overlap across the subtypes, particularly between melancholic MDD and the other subtypes. 2) No significant interactions were found between MCI and lifetime MDD subtypes regarding depression status after follow-up.

CONCLUSION: The strong stability of the atypical subtype in particular highlights the need for identifying this subtype in clinical and research settings, given its well-documented links to inflammatory and metabolic markers.

PMID:36907672 | DOI:10.1016/j.jagp.2023.02.041

Med Phys. 2023 Mar 12. doi: 10.1002/mp.16355. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Small-animal positron emission tomography (PET) systems are widely used in molecular imaging research and drug development. There is also growing interest in organ-dedicated clinical PET systems. In these small-diameter PET systems, the measurement of the depth-of-interaction (DOI) of annihilation photons in scintillation crystals allows for the correction of parallax error in PET system, leading to an improvement on the spatial resolution uniformity. The DOI information is also useful for improving the timing resolution of PET system as it enables the correction of DOI-dependent time walk in the arrival time difference measurement of annihilation photon pairs. The dual-ended readout scheme is one of the most widely investigated DOI measurement methods, which collects visible photons using a pair of photosensors located at both ends of the scintillation crystal. Although the dual-ended readout allows for simple and accurate DOI estimation, it requires twice the number of photosensors compared to the single-ended readout scheme.

PURPOSE: To effectively reduce the number of photosensors in a dual-ended readout scheme, we propose a novel PET detector configuration that employs 45-degree tilted and sparsely arranged silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). In this configuration, the angle between the scintillation crystal and SiPM is 45°. Therefore, and thus, the diagonal of the scintillation crystal matches one of the lateral sides of the SiPM. Accordingly, it allows for the use of SiPM device larger than the scintillation crystal, thereby improving light collection efficiency with a higher fill factor and reducing SiPM quantity. In addition, all scintillation crystals can achieve more uniform performance than other dual-ended readout methods with a sparse SiPM arrangement because 50% of the scintillation crystal cross section is commonly in contact with the SiPM.

METHODS: To demonstrate the feasibility of our proposed concept, we implemented a PET detector that employs a 4 $\times$ 4 LSO block with a single crystal dimension of 3.03 $\times$ 3.03 $\times$ 20 mm³ and a 45-degree tilted SiPM array. The 45-degree tilted SiPM array consists of 2 $\times$ 3 SiPM elements at the top (“Top SiPM”) and 3 $\times$ 2 SiPM elements at the bottom (“Bottom SiPM”). Each crystal element of the 4 $\times$ 4 LSO block is optically coupled with each quarter section of the Top SiPM and Bottom SiPM pair, respectively. To characterize the performance of the PET detector, the energy, DOI, and timing resolution were measured for all 16 crystals. The energy data was obtained by summing all the charges from the Top SiPMs and Bottom SiPMs, and the DOI resolution was measured by irradiating the side of the crystal block at five different depths (2, 6, 10, 14, and 18 mm). The timing was estimated by averaging the arrival time of the annihilation photons measured at the Top SiPMs and Bottom SiPMs (Method 1). The DOI-dependent time-walk effect was further corrected by using DOI information and statistical variations in the trigger times at the Top SiPMs and Bottom SiPMs (Method 2).

RESULTS: The average DOI resolution of the proposed PET detector was 2.5 mm, thereby resolving the DOI at five different depths, and the average energy resolution was 16% full width at half maximum (FWHM). When Methods 1 and 2 were applied, the coincidence timing resolutions were 448 ps and 411 ps FWHM, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: We expect that our novel low-cost PET detector design with 45-degree tilted SiPMs and a dual-ended readout scheme would be a suitable solution for constructing a high-resolution PET system with DOI encoding capability. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

PMID:36907664 | DOI:10.1002/mp.16355

ESC Heart Fail. 2023 Mar 12. doi: 10.1002/ehf2.14294. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

ESCAPE: Evaluation of a patient-centred biopsychosocial blended collaborative care pathway for the treatment of multimorbid elderly patients.

THERAPEUTIC AREA: Healthcare interventions for the management of older patients with multiple morbidities.

AIMS: Multi-morbidity treatment is an increasing challenge for healthcare systems in ageing societies. This comprehensive cohort study with embedded randomized controlled trial tests an integrated biopsychosocial care model for multimorbid elderly patients.

HYPOTHESIS: A holistic, patient-centred pro-active 9-month intervention based on the blended collaborative care (BCC) approach and enhanced by information and communication technologies can improve health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and disease outcomes as compared with usual care at 9 months.

METHODS: Across six European countries, ESCAPE is recruiting patients with heart failure, mental distress/disorder plus ≥2 medical co-morbidities into an observational cohort study. Within the cohort study, 300 patients will be included in a randomized controlled assessor-blinded two-arm parallel group interventional clinical trial (RCT). In the intervention, trained care managers (CMs) regularly support patients and informal carers in managing their multiple health problems. Supervised by a clinical specialist team, CMs remotely support patients in implementing the treatment plan-customized to the patients’ individual needs and preferences-into their daily lives and liaise with patients’ healthcare providers. An eHealth platform with an integrated patient registry guides the intervention and helps to empower patients and informal carers. HRQoL measured with the EQ-5D-5L as primary endpoint, and secondary outcomes, that is, medical and patient-reported outcomes, healthcare costs, cost-effectiveness, and informal carer burden, will be assessed at 9 and ≥18 months.

CONCLUSIONS: If proven effective, the ESCAPE BCC intervention can be implemented in routine care for older patients with multiple morbidities across the participating countries and beyond.

PMID:36907651 | DOI:10.1002/ehf2.14294

ESC Heart Fail. 2023 Mar 12. doi: 10.1002/ehf2.14329. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIMS: Intravenous iron therapy (IVIT) is known to improve functional status in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients. The exact mechanism is not completely understood. We correlated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) patterns of T2* iron signal in various organs to systemic iron and exercise capacity (EC) in CHF before and after IVIT.

METHODS AND RESULTS: We prospectively analysed 24 patients with systolic CHF for T2* MRI pattern of the left ventricle (LV), small and large intestines, spleen, liver, skeletal muscle, and brain for iron. In 12 patients with iron deficiency (ID), we restored iron deficit by IVIT using ferric carboxymaltose. The effects after 3 months were analysed by spiroergometry and MRI. Patients with vs. without ID showed lower blood ferritin, haemoglobin (76 ± 63 vs. 196 ± 82 μg/L and 12.3 ± 1.1 vs. 14.2 ± 1.1 g/dL, all P < 0.002), and in trend a lower transferrin saturation (TSAT) (19.1 [13.1; 28.2] vs. 25.1 [21.3; 29.1] %, P = 0.05). Spleen and liver iron was lower as expressed by higher T2* value (71.8 [66.4; 93.1] vs. 36.9 [32.9; 51.7] ms, P < 0.002 and 33.5 ± 5.9 vs. 28.8 ± 3.9 ms, and P < 0.03). There was a strong trend for a lower cardiac septal iron content in ID (40.6 [33.0; 57.3] vs. 33.7 [31.3; 40.2] ms, P = 0.07). After IVIT, ferritin, TSAT, and haemoglobin increased (54 [30; 104] vs. 235 [185; 339] μg/L, 19.1 [13.1; 28.2] vs. 25.0 [21.0; 33.7] %, 12.3 ± 1.1 vs. 13.3 ± 1.3 g/L, all P < 0.04). Peak VO₂ improved (18.2 ± 4.2 vs. 20.9 ± 3.8 mL/min/kg^-1 , P = 0.05). Higher peak VO₂ at anaerobic threshold was associated with higher blood ferritin, reflecting higher metabolic exercise capacity after therapy (r = 0.9, P = 0.0009). Increase in EC was associated with haemoglobin increase (r = 0.7, P = 0.034). LV iron increased by 25.4% (48.5 [36.2; 64.8] vs. 36.2 [32.9; 41.9] ms, P < 0.04). Spleen and liver iron increased by 46.4 and 18.2%, respectively (71.8 [66.4; 93.1] vs. 38.5 [22.4; 76.9] ms, P < 0.04 and 33.5 ± 5.9 vs. 27.4 ± 8.6 ms, P < 0.007). Iron in skeletal muscle, brain, intestine, and bone marrow remained unchanged (29.6 [28.6; 31.2] vs. 30.4 [29.7; 30.7] ms, P = 0.7, 81.0 ± 6.3 vs. 82.9 ± 9.9 ms, P = 0.6, 34.3 ± 21.4 vs. 25.3 ± 14.1 ms, P = 0.2, 9.4 [7.5; 21.8] vs. 10.3 [6.7; 15.7] ms, P = 0.5 and 9.8 ± 1.5 vs. 13.7 ± 8.9 ms, P = 0.1).

CONCLUSIONS: CHF patients with ID showed lower spleen, liver, and in trend lower cardiac septal iron. After IVIT, iron signal of the left ventricle as well as spleen and liver increased. Improvement in EC was associated with increase in haemoglobin after IVIT. In ID, liver, spleen, and brain but not heart iron were associated with markers of systemic ID.

PMID:36907649 | DOI:10.1002/ehf2.14329

Acta Chir Orthop Traumatol Cech. 2023;90(1):53-58.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY Fifth metatarsal fractures, in particular so-called Jones fractures, are relatively common injuries both in the general population and athletes. Although discussions about whether the surgical or conservative solution should be preferred are ongoing for decades, there is no clear consensus. Here, we aimed to prospectively compare the results of osteosynthesis using the Herbert screw with the conservative solution in patients from our department. MATERIAL AND METHODS Patients 18-50 years presenting to our department with Jones fracture and meeting further inclusion/exclusion criteria were offered participation in the study. Those willing to participate signed informed consent and were randomized by flipping the coin into surgically and conservatively treated groups. After six and twelve weeks, X-ray was performed in each patient and AOFAS score was determined. Conservatively treated patients who showed no signs of healing and whose AOFAS was below 80 after six weeks were offered surgery again. RESULTS Of 24 patients in total, 15 were assigned to the surgically treated group and nine were treated conservatively. After six weeks, AOFAS score of all but two patients (86%) in the surgically treated group ranged between 97 and 100, while this score exceeded 90 points only in three patients (33%) from the conservatively treated group. On X-ray, successful healing after six weeks was observed in seven patients (47%) from the surgically treated group but in none of the patients from the conservatively treated group. Three out of five patients in the conservative group whose AOFAS was below 80 after six weeks opted for surgery at that time and all improved significantly by the twelfth week. DISCUSSION Although studies on surgical treatment of Jones fracture using various screws or plates are not rare, we present an uncommon method of surgical treatment of this injury – the use of the Herbert screw. The results of this method are excellent and even on a relatively small sample yielded statistically significantly better results than conservative treatment. Moreover, the surgical treatment facilitated early loading of the injured limb, which allows an earlier return of the patients to normal life. CONCLUSIONS Osteosynthesis using Herbert screw in Jones fracture yielded significantly better results than conservative treatment. Key words: Jones fracture, AOFAS, Herbert screw, 5th metatarsal fracture, surgical treatment.

PMID:36907584

Acta Chir Orthop Traumatol Cech. 2023;90(1):47-52.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY Increased tibial slope facilitates anterior translation of tibia relative to the femur, thereby increasing the load on both the native and replaced anterior cruciate ligament. This study aims to retrospectively review the posterior tibial slope in a cohort of our patients after the ACL reconstruction and revision ACL reconstruction. Based on the results obtained by measurements, we aimed to confirm or disprove the claim that the increased posterior tibial slope is one of the risk factors of the ACL reconstruction failure. Another aim of the study was to assess whether there are any correlations between the posterior tibial slope and basic somatic parameters (height, weight, BMI) or the patient s age. MATERIAL AND METHODS The posterior tibial slope was measured retrospectively on lateral X-rays of 375 patients. There were 83 revision reconstructions and 292 primary reconstructions performed. The patient s age at the time of injury, height and weight were recorded and the BMI was calculated. The findings were then statistically analysed. RESULTS The mean posterior tibial slope in 292 primary reconstructions was 8.6 degrees, whereas the mean posterior tibial slope in 83 revision reconstructions was 12.3 degrees. The difference between the studied groups was statistically (p<0.0001) and substantively significant (d=1.35). In the breakdown into men and women, the mean tibial slope was 8.6 degrees in the group of men with primary reconstruction and 12.4 degrees in the group of men with revision reconstruction (p < 0.0001, d = 1.38). A similar result was achieved in women where in the group with primary reconstruction the mean tibial slope was 8.4 degrees, while in the group with revision reconstruction it was 12.3 degrees (p < 0.0001, d = 1.41). Furthermore, a higher age in men at the time of revision surgery (p = 0.009; d = 0.46) and a lower BMI in women at the time of revision surgery (p = 0.0342; d = 0.12) were observed. Conversely, neither height nor weight were different, both when comparing the whole groups and the groups in a breakdown by sex. DISCUSSION As regards the main aim, our results are in line with the results reported by majority of other authors, and they are substantively significant. The posterior tibial slope is a significant risk factor in anterior cruciate ligament replacements, with tibial slope above 12 degrees increasing the risk of ligament failure, namely both in men and women. On the other hand, this is obviously not the sole cause of the ACL reconstruction failure since there are also other risk parameters. It is not yet clear whether it makes sense to indicate correction osteotomy before the ACL replacement in all patients with an increased posterior tibial slope. CONCLUSIONS Our study confirmed a greater posterior tibial slope in the revision reconstruction group compared to the primary reconstruction group. Thus, we confirmed that greater posterior tibial slope may be a factor leading to the ACL reconstruction failure. Since the posterior tibial slope is easily measured on the baseline X-rays, we recommend to perform this measurement routinely before each ACL reconstruction. In the case of a high posterior tibial slope, slope correction should be considered to prevent potential ACL reconstruction failure. Key words: anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, ACL graft failure, morphological risk factors, posterior tibial slope.

PMID:36907583

Acta Chir Orthop Traumatol Cech. 2023;90(1):17-21.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY In treatment algorithm of developmental dysplasia of the hip, posteromedial limited surgery is placed between closed reduction and medial open articular reduction. The aim of the present study was to assess the functional and radiologic results of this method. MATERIAL AND METHODS This retrospective study was performed in 37 Tönnis grade II and III dysplastic hips of 30 patients. The mean age of the patients at operation was 12.4 months. The mean follow-up time was 24.5 months. Posteromedial limited surgery was applied when sufficient stable concentric reduction was not achieved by closed technique. No pre-operative traction was applied. Postoperatively, human position hip spica cast was applied for 3 months. Outcomes were evaluated regarding modified McKay functional results, acetabular index and presences of residual acetabular dysplasia or avascular necrosis. RESULTS Thirty-six hips had satisfactory and one hip had poor functional result. The mean pre-operative acetabular index was 34.5 degrees. It improved to 27.7 and 23.1 degrees at the postoperative 6th month and the last control X-Rays. The change in acetabular index was statistically significant (p<0.05). At the last control, 3 hips had findings of residual acetabular dysplasia and 2 hips had avascular necrosis. CONCLUSIONS Posteromedial limited surgery for developmental dysplasia of the hip is indicated when closed reduction remains insufficient and medial open articular reduction remains unnecessarily invasive. This study, in line with the literature, provides evidences that this method might decrease the incidences of residual acetabular dysplasia and avascular necrosis of the femoral head. Key words: developmental dysplasia of the hip, posteromedial limited surgery, closed reduction, medial open reduction.

PMID:36907578

Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2023 Mar 10:S0002-9378(23)00150-3. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2023.02.030. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: It is a matter of debate whether one universal standard such as Intergrowth-21^st (IG-21) can be applied to all populations.

OBJECTIVE: We therefore aimed to establish a Danish Newborn Standard by the principles of the IG-21 Standard in order to compare the centiles of these two standards. A secondary objective was to compare the prevalence and the risk of fetal and neonatal death related to small-for-gestational-age (SGA) defined by the two standards when used in the Danish Reference Population.

STUDY DESIGN: Register-based nation-wide cohort study.The Danish Reference Population included 375,318 singletons born at 33-42 week’s gestation in Denmark between January 1 2008 and December 31 2015. The Danish Standard Cohort included those 37,811 newborns who fulfilled the IG-21 Standard criterion. Birthweight centiles were estimated using smoothed quantiles for each gestational week. Outcomes were birthweight centiles, small for gestational age (SGA) defined by the 3^rd centile, and adverse outcomes defined by either fetal or neonatal death.

RESULTS: At all gestational ages, the Danish Standard medians were higher than the IG-21 medians; at term by 295g for females and 320g for males. This resulted in different estimates of SGA prevalence within the entire population; 3.9% (n=14,698) using Danish Standard vs. 0.7% (n=2,640) using IG-21 Standard. Accordingly, the relative risk of fetal and neonatal death among SGA fetuses differed between SGA defined by different standards; RR=4.4 (Danish Standard) vs. RR=9.6 (Intergrowth-21^st).

CONCLUSION: This finding does not support the hypothesis that one universal standard BW curve fits all populations.

PMID:36907534 | DOI:10.1016/j.ajog.2023.02.030