Nevin Manimala

Egypt Heart J. 2022 Feb 2;74(1):7. doi: 10.1186/s43044-022-00242-4.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 pandemic is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Cardiovascular insult is a leading cause of in-hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients, especially right ventricular (RV) dysfunction and massive pulmonary embolism. This study aims to assess short-term impact of COVID 19 infection on (RV) functions among hospitalized patients with moderate or severe illness using bed side trans-thoracic echocardiogram. This study was conducted in 3 isolation hospitals in Cairo, spanning over 3 months during the expected pandemic peak in Egypt in 2020. The study recruited 100 consecutive patients with moderate or severe COVID-19 infection. Four patients refused to participate in the study. Patients with pre-existing structural heart diseases were excluded. All patients underwent full history taking and clinical examination. Bed side echocardiography was done emphasizing on (RV), and (RA) dimensions, (LV) functions and pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PSAS). Cardiac biomarkers were withdrawn and CT angiography was ordered when clinically warranted.

RESULTS: The mean age of the studied cohort was 59.5 ± 8.6 years with males comprising 71.9% of the studied group. (RV) and (RA) dilatation was noted in 8 cases (8.3%). (LV) dysfunction was noted in 11 cases (11.4%). (PASP) showed a statistically significant negative correlation with (LV) function. However, (PSAP) was positively correlated to (RA) and (RV) dimensions, tricuspid regurgitation (TR) jet severity, previous COVID infection and elevated cardiac biomarkers. Mortality was noted in 3 cases (3.1%), all had LV dysfunction with elevated troponin level. Six patients (6.2%) had combined (LV) and (RV) dysfunction.

CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 illness had a negative impact on (RV) and (LV) functions, that could be assessed accurately by trans-thoracic 2 D echocardiogram. The degree of ventricular dysfunction correlated with the rise in cardiac biomarkers as well as the degree of (PASP).

PMID:35107643 | DOI:10.1186/s43044-022-00242-4

Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 2022 Feb 2. doi: 10.1007/s00402-022-04367-8. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to assess the reliability and validity of the modified McGowan grading system and to determine its ability to distinguish the severity of cubital tunnel syndrome (CuTS) between the different grades.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 39 consecutive patients with CuTS from March 2018 to December 2020. Inter- and intra-observer reliability was assessed by two orthopaedic surgeons with a minimum 2-week interval using Cohen kappa coefficients. Validity was assessed by Spearman’s correlation with objective clinical outcomes (grip strength, Semmes-Weinstein monofilament test [SWMT], static two-point discrimination [2PD], and motor conduction velocity [MCV]). In addition, the relationship between the grading system and patient-reported outcomes (Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand score and Boston Questionnaire) was evaluated using Spearman’s correlation. The ability to distinguish the severity between the different grades was assessed using the Kruskal-Wallis analysis.

RESULTS: The inter-observer kappa value was 0.54 and intra-observer kappa value was 0.59, which imply a moderate reliability. The modified McGowan grade had a moderate correlation with objective clinical outcomes (grip strength [r = – 0.350, p = 0.029], SWMT [r = 0.552, p < 0.001], 2PD [r = 0.456, p = 0.004], and MCV [r = – 0.394, p = 0.021]). However, patient-reported outcomes did not correlate with this grading system. Kruskal-Wallis analysis revealed significant differences between grades in terms of SWMT, 2PD, grip strength, and Boston Questionnaire functional score (p = 0.006, 0.025, 0.014, and 0.043, respectively); however, these differences were statistically significant only for a limited number of parts.

CONCLUSIONS: The modified McGowan grade has a moderate inter- and intra-observer reliability. This grading system moderately correlates with objective sensory-motor functions and MCV of patients with CuTS. However, the modified McGowan grade does not reflect the patient’s perceived disabilities and has a weakness in distinguishing the severity of patients’ conditions among the different grades.

PMID:35107635 | DOI:10.1007/s00402-022-04367-8

Pediatr Cardiol. 2022 Feb 2. doi: 10.1007/s00246-022-02829-9. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Juxtaposition of the atrial appendages is known to occur in specific congenital heart lesions. Recognition of these variants is critical in balloon atrial septostomy and atrial switch operations. There remains little clinical data on the prevalence and associations of these lesions. This is the largest echocardiographic study of juxtaposition of the atrial appendages. This is a retrospective study using the Mt. Sinai echocardiogram database (EchoLAN), which contains echocardiogram reports performed or reviewed at Mt. Sinai Hospital (New York, NY) between 1992 and 2019. Each report was reviewed for associated intracardiac and extracardiac anomalies and the prevalence of juxtaposed atrial appendage among specific diagnosis, including tricuspid atresia, transposition of the great arteries, and double outlet right ventricle, was calculated. Descriptive and analytical statistics were performed as applicable, including Fisher’s exact test, with p value < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Forty-nine patients had juxtaposed atrial appendages (1.2/1000 patients): Thirty-eight had LJRAA (0.9 per 1000 patients) and eleven had RJLAA (0.3 per 1000 patients). LJRAA was seen in 22% of tricuspid atresia, 6% of d-TGA, 1% of l-TGA, and 5% of DORV. RJLAA was seen in 2% of DORV, and none of the other lesions. Of associated lesions, dextrocardia, mesocardia, transposition, tricuspid atresia, double inlet left ventricle, and pulmonary valve stenosis were more likely to be present in LJRAA, while bicuspid aortic valve and left ventricular hypoplasia were more likely to be present in RJLAA. This study reaffirms our understanding of juxtaposition of the atrial appendages, its prevalence, and clinical importance.

PMID:35107630 | DOI:10.1007/s00246-022-02829-9

Acta Neurochir (Wien). 2022 Feb 2. doi: 10.1007/s00701-022-05131-y. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: BRI is estimated to occur in 10% of skull-base surgery and 5% of aneurysm surgery. These estimates are based on a few studies with unclear methodology. The purpose of this study is to assess the rate of BRI occurrence, its risk factors, and the association between BRI and postoperative focal neurological deficit in patients that underwent elective aneurysm surgery in a single institution.

METHODS: All patients that underwent elective aneurysm surgery in a single tertiary center in the Netherlands were included. BRI was defined as cortical hypodensities in the surgical trajectory not matching areas of large arterial infarction. Risk ratios were calculated between BRI and (a) the use of temporary parent artery occlusion during clipping, (b) anterior communicating artery (ACom), and (c) middle cerebral artery (MCA) location of the aneurysm, (d) presence of mentioned CVA risk factors, (e) the clipping of > 1 aneurysm during the same procedure, and (f) new focal neurological deficit. Statistical analysis further included t-tests and binary logistical regression analysis on the correlation between age and BRI.

RESULTS: BRI was identified postoperatively in 42 of the 94 patients included in this study. A new focal neurological deficit was found in 7 patients in the BRI group. A total of 5 patients had persisting symptoms at 3-month follow-up, of which 2 were caused by BRI. Increasing age is a risk factor for developing BRI.

CONCLUSIONS: The high rate of BRI and significant risk of new postoperative focal neurological deficit in our patients should be considered when counseling patients for elective aneurysm surgery.

PMID:35107618 | DOI:10.1007/s00701-022-05131-y

Acta Neurochir (Wien). 2022 Feb 2. doi: 10.1007/s00701-022-05121-0. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative hand-moulded cranioplasty and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) prostheses made from bone impressions are economical but the cosmetic results are less than satisfactory. Commercially available customized prostheses perform better but are prohibitively expensive. We evaluate the performance of a locally developed, low-cost customized PMMA cranioplasty prosthesis.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the cosmetic outcome of 3 types of PMMA cranioplasty as well as with objective measurements on postoperative CT scans METHODS: This study includes 70 patients who underwent cranioplasty between March 2016 and June 2020. In this period, patients had their cranioplasty prostheses made by intra-operative hand moulding (HM), by using the removed bone as a template and making a bone impression (BI) or by 3D printing the prosthesis based on a CT scan. Cosmetic outcomes were assessed by the patient and the operating surgeon on an 8-point scale. The degree of measured anthropometric asymmetry was measured on a postoperative CT scan and correlated with the cosmetic outcome.

RESULTS: Our locally produced 3D-printed cranioplasty prostheses showed a statistically better performance in cosmetic scores when compared to the HM and BI (p value < 0.001). CT anthropometric measurements significantly correlated with cosmetic outcome (p value 0.01) CONCLUSION: Our 3D cranioplasty prostheses had better cosmetic outcomes than HM and BI prostheses, and our technique is able to produce them at 10% of the cost of the currently available commercial customized prostheses.

PMID:35107617 | DOI:10.1007/s00701-022-05121-0

Rev Bras Ter Intensiva. 2021 Jul-Sep;33(3):445-456. doi: 10.5935/0103-507X.20210060.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This systematic review was designed to assess the usefulness of cough peak flow to predict the extubation outcome in subjects who passed a spontaneous breathing trial.

METHODS: The search covered the scientific databases MEDLINE, Lilacs, Ibecs, Cinahl, SciELO, Cochrane, Scopus, Web of Science and gray literature. The Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies was used to assess the methodological quality and risk of study bias. The statistical heterogeneity of the likelihood (LR) and diagnostic odds ratios were evaluated using forest plots and Cochran’s Q statistic, and a crosshair summary Receiver Operating Characteristic plot using the multiple cutoffs model was calculated.

RESULTS: We initially retrieved 3,522 references from the databases; among these, 12 studies including 1,757 subjects were selected for the qualitative analysis. Many studies presented an unclear risk of bias in the “patient selection” and “flow and time” criteria. Among the 12 included studies, seven presented “high risk” and five “unclear risk” for the item “reference standard.” The diagnostic performance of the cough peak flow for the extubation outcome was low to moderate when we considered the results from all included studies, with a +LR of 1.360 (95%CI 1.240 – 1.530), -LR of 0.218 (95%CI 0.159 – 0.293) and a diagnostic odds ratio of 6.450 (95%CI 4.490 – 9.090). A subgroup analysis including only the studies with a cutoff between 55 and 65 L/minute showed a slightly better, although still moderate, performance.

CONCLUSION: A cough peak flow assessment considering a cutoff between 55 and 65L/minute may be useful as a complementary measurement prior to extubation. Additional well-designed studies are necessary to identify the best method and equipment to record the cough peak flow as well as the best cutoff.

PMID:35107557 | DOI:10.5935/0103-507X.20210060

J Biomed Opt. 2022 Feb;27(2). doi: 10.1117/1.JBO.27.2.025001.

ABSTRACT

SIGNIFICANCE: Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) allows discrimination of tissue type. Its application is limited by the inability to mark the scanned tissue and the lack of real-time measurements.

AIM: This study aimed to develop a real-time tracking system to enable localization of a DRS probe to aid the classification of tumor and non-tumor tissue.

APPROACH: A green-colored marker attached to the DRS probe was detected using hue-saturation-value (HSV) segmentation. A live, augmented view of tracked optical biopsy sites was recorded in real time. Supervised classifiers were evaluated in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy. A developed software was used for data collection, processing, and statistical analysis.

RESULTS: The measured root mean square error (RMSE) of DRS probe tip tracking was 1.18 ± 0.58 mm and 1.05 ± 0.28 mm for the x and y dimensions, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of the system to classify tumor and non-tumor tissue in real time was 94% for stomach and 96% for the esophagus.

CONCLUSIONS: We have successfully developed a real-time tracking and classification system for a DRS probe. When used on stomach and esophageal tissue for tumor detection, the accuracy derived demonstrates the strength and clinical value of the technique to aid margin assessment in cancer resection surgery.

PMID:35106980 | DOI:10.1117/1.JBO.27.2.025001

Adv Clin Exp Med. 2022 Feb 2. doi: 10.17219/acem/144134. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: A total of 148 surgeries were performed in our center on patients with pancreatic cancer in 2020. In 2019, 263 such procedures were performed (77.7% more) in this facility.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on pancreatic cancer surgery type, number and outcome in our center.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective data analysis of medical documentation in a hospital database from January 2019 till December 2020.

RESULTS: In 2020, we observed an increase of tumors localized in the tail of the pancreas (P) – 29 cases (19.9%) in 2020 compared to 26 cases (9.9%) in 2019 (p = 0.005). In 2020, our patients presented with much greater advancement of the disease illustrated by the increased tumor size (median 3.5 cm in 2020 compared to 3.0 cm in 2019), although it did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.073). In 2020, we performed more palliative procedures, e.g., bypassing anastomoses (17 (11.6%) in 2020 compared to 8 (3%) in 2019 (p < 0.001)), more open biopsies of P (21 (14.4%) in 2020 compared to 21 (7.9%) in 2019 (p = 0.041)), and more percutaneous biopsies of P (7 (4.8%) in 2020 and 0 in 2019 (p = 0.001)). We observed a significant decrease in the number of Whipple procedures (53 (36.3%) in 2020 and 125 (47.5%) in 2019 (p = 0.037)). The most common histopathological finding was adenocarcinoma of the P, accounting for 50% in 2020 and almost 52% of all tumor cases in 2019. In a group of 148 patients operated on due to a P tumor during the COVID-19 pandemic, only 6 patients died, which resulted in a mortality rate of 4.1% compared to 13.4% mortality rate in 2019 (34 deaths/263 patients; p = 0.005). We observed less leakage of gastrointestinal anastomosis (0/148 in 2020 and 10/263 in 2019 (p = 0.038)).

CONCLUSIONS: Particular attention should be paid to patients with an aggressive type of cancer who have completed neoadjuvant therapy, as they are unable to undergo other therapeutic options. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-positive cancer patients should be postponed until recovery. Relatively few postoperative complications and low all-cause mortality are the result of a more careful selection of oncological patients before the admission to the surgical ward, as well as a ompliance with the principles of planning the procedure and organization of the operating theater during the COVID-19 pandemic.

PMID:35106977 | DOI:10.17219/acem/144134

Pediatr Obes. 2022 Feb 1:e12894. doi: 10.1111/ijpo.12894. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy has been identified as a window for childhood obesity prevention. Although lifestyle interventions in pregnancy can prevent excessive gestational weight gain (GWG), little is known whether such interventions also affect infant growth and body composition.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate (i) the effects of a 6-month lifestyle intervention (the HealthyMoms app) on infant body composition 1-2 weeks postpartum, and (ii) whether a potential intervention effect on infant body composition is mediated through maternal GWG.

METHODS: This is a secondary outcome analysis of the HealthyMoms randomized controlled trial. Air-displacement plethysmography was used to measure body composition in 305 healthy full-term infants.

RESULTS: We observed no statistically significant effect on infant weight (β = -0.004, p = 0.94), length (β = -0.19, p = 0.46), body fat percentage (β = 0.17, p = 0.72), or any of the other body composition variables in the multiple regression models (all p ≥ 0.27). Moreover, we observed no mediation effect through GWG on infant body composition.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support that HealthyMoms may be implemented in healthcare to promote a healthy lifestyle in pregnant women without compromising offspring growth. Further research is required to elucidate whether lifestyle interventions in pregnancy also may result in beneficial effects on infant body composition and impact future obesity risk.

PMID:35106942 | DOI:10.1111/ijpo.12894

Early Interv Psychiatry. 2022 Feb 1. doi: 10.1111/eip.13265. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIM: Interpersonal trauma exposures are associated with anxiety, depression, and substance use in youth populations (aged 12-25 years). This meta-analysis reports on the efficacy of psychological interventions on these symptom domains in addition to post-traumatic stress.

METHODS: Following PRISMA guidelines, a search of electronic databases was performed for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing interventions for young people following interpersonal trauma exposure. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Data were analysed using random-effects meta-analyses.

RESULTS: Of the 4832 records screened, 78 studies were reviewed, and 10 RCTs, involving 679 participants (mean age 15.6 years), were analysed. There was a large pooled effect size for post-traumatic stress (7 studies, g = 1.43, 95% CI [0.37, 2.15], p = .002) and substance use (2 studies, g = 0.70, 95% CI [-0.11, 1.22], p < .001) and small effect sizes for anxiety (4 studies, g = 0.30, 95% CI [0.10, 0.49], p = .003), and trend-level effect for depression (10 studies, g = 0.27, 95% CI [0.00, 0.54], p = .052). Heterogeneity was significant for post-traumatic stress and moderate for depression.

CONCLUSIONS: High-quality RCTs of psychological interventions for anxiety, depression, substance use, and post-traumatic stress symptoms in young people exposed to interpersonal trauma are scarce. While available studies show either statistically significant or trend-level efficacy for psychological interventions in reducing these symptoms, wide confidence intervals, heterogeneity and small sample size mean that results need to be interpreted with caution.

PMID:35106931 | DOI:10.1111/eip.13265