Tag: nevin manimala

J Laparoendosc Adv Surg Tech A. 2023 Aug 3. doi: 10.1089/lap.2023.0307. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Background: Perioperative blood transfusions are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Each surgical specialty is associated with unique operative variables. Moreover, transfusion rates vary across specialty. This article seeks to elucidate variables both common and unique to surgical specialties. Materials and Methods: This study was a retrospective review of 5344 patients from the prospectively maintained Veterans Affairs Surgical Quality Improvement Project at a single-level 1A tertiary Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Data collected included demographic information, preoperative clinical variables, postoperative outcomes, and perioperative transfusion (within 72 hours of procedure). Patients were stratified based on whether they received a transfusion. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. P values <.05 were significant. Results: Of the 5344 patients included in the study, 153 required perioperative transfusion of at least one unit of packed red blood cells. Patients who underwent transfusion were more likely to be men, have an underlying bleeding disorder, and have more preoperative risk factors. Although unique risk factors were found within most specialties, there was no statistically significant difference in postoperative complications between surgical specialties. Patients requiring transfusion had higher rates of morbidity and mortality. Elevated preoperative hematocrit was significantly protective against requiring transfusion across most specialties. Conclusions: Specialty-based differences in transfusion requirement may be due to the proportion of older and more frail patients, hospital transfusion thresholds, and surgical complexity. Hematocrit, however, could be an effective target for mitigating cost and morbidity associated with transfusion. Preoperative hematocrit optimization through B12, folate, iron dosing, and erythropoietin supplementation could be a useful strategy.

PMID:37535822 | DOI:10.1089/lap.2023.0307

Pain Physician. 2023 Jul;26(4):E397-E403.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The high risk of developing postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is associated with severe immunosuppressive diseases. A malignancy itself, as well as surgery, radiotherapy, and other treatments, can lead to changes in the immune status of the body and predispose patients with a malignancy to PHN.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the risk factors of postherpetic neuralgia in herpes zoster (HZ) after a malignant tumor and to provide better preventive strategies for clinical practice.

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study.

SETTING: The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China.

METHODS: Patients who developed HZ after being diagnosed with a malignant tumor in the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University from September 2018 through March 2022 were included in the research. A total of 70 patients were included, including 31 men and 39 women, aged 18- 82 years old (mean, SD: 59.77 ± 13.95). According to the occurrence of PHN, they were divided into a non-PHN (n = 46) and a PHN group (n = 24). General information about the patients was collected, including clinical data, treatment status, and prognosis. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted of influencing factors.

RESULTS: A total of 19 factors, including gender, age, and white blood cell count, were included. A univariate analysis showed that there were differences in age, tumor stage, Numeric Rating Scale (NRS-11) score, and the use of antiviral drugs between the 2 groups; these differences were statistically significant, P <0.05. A multifactorial analysis revealed that the acute phase NRS-11 score (odds ratio [OR] = 4.21; 95% CI, 1.59-2.24, P = 0.004), antiviral drug use (OR = 0.28; 95% CI, 0.10-0.82, P = 0.020), and tumor stage (OR = 0.28, 95% CI, 0.08-0.98, P = 0.047) were statistically significant for the effect of PHN occurring in postmalignancy HZ. There was a statistically significant difference between the group with severe pain in the acute phase NRS-11 score and the group with mild and moderate pain, P < 0.05. There was a statistically significant difference between the group treated with 2 antivirals and the group not treated with antivirals, P < 0.05.

LIMITATIONS: There are some limitations in our research. It was conducted at a single center, with a single race, and had a small sample size. A larger-scale study should be conducted to analyze the influencing factors of PHN in patients with herpes zoster after a malignant tumor.

CONCLUSIONS: The NRS-11 score in the acute phase, whether the use of antiviral drugs in sufficient quantities, and tumor staging are the influencing factors of PHN after malignant tumors.

PMID:37535787

Pain Physician. 2023 Jul;26(4):E363-E373.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Neuropathic mechanisms largely contribute to radicular Low Back Pain (LBP) and an increase in oxidative stress is recognized as one of the possible causes of nerve damage, inducing axonal degeneration and myelin degradation of nerve fibers.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated whether a combination of nutraceutical supplements and oxygen-ozone (O2-O3) therapy might reduce disability and improve clinical effects of pharmacological therapy in patients with acute radicular LBP.

STUDY DESIGN: This is a prospective, open-label, comparative observational study approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Sapienza University of Rome (RS 6285/2021).

SETTING: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Unit of Sant’Andrea Hospital.

METHODS: Within the scope of this study, 62 patients with acute radicular LBP diagnosed with disc herniation were assigned into 4 groups. The first group was assigned pharmacological therapy (n = 16), the second group was assigned pharmacological therapy and nutraceutical supplements (n = 15), the third group was assigned pharmacological therapy and O2-O3 therapy (n = 15), and the fourth group was assigned pharmacological therapy, nutraceutical supplements, and O2-O3therapy (n = 16). All patients who participated in the study were evaluated at the beginning of the study, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks (T2) after the beginning of treatment using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS-11), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and 12-item Short-Form Health Survey. Opioid analgesic intake was noted from baseline to end of treatment (T2).

RESULTS: In each group was observed a statistically significant difference for all measures compared to the baseline. At the T2 evaluation time between groups for the Mann-Whitney U test, a statistically significant difference was found: in the ODI scale between groups B and A (P = 0.004), groups C and A (P < 0.001), and groups D and A (P < 0.001); in the NRS-11 between groups B and A (P = 0.017), groups C and A (P = 0.002), and groups D and A (P < 0.001); in the 12-item Physical Component Summary score between groups B and A (P = 0.003), groups C and A (P = 0.002), and groups D and A (P < 0.001), while no significant differences between groups were observed in the 12-item Mental Component Summary score. The average days of opioid usage were similar in the 4 groups (8.33 in group A, 8.33 in group B, 8.33 in group C, and 8.75 in group D). However, the percentage of patients requiring adjuvant opioid therapy differed remarkably: 60% in group A, 40% in group B, 20% in group C, and 25% in group D.

LIMITATIONS: A small number of patients were recruited, and we did not perform long-term follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS: This study supports a multimodal approach combining nutraceutical supplements and O2-O3 therapy with pharmacological therapy in the treatment of acute radicular LBP secondary to disc herniation. The combination of neurotrophic and antioxidant therapies represents an etiopathogenetic approach, not purely symptomatic, that reduces symptomatology and avoids progression of the nerve damage.

PMID:37535783

Pain Physician. 2023 Jul;26(4):403-410.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: There continues to be significant reliance on pharmacological modalities for the management of chronic pain, with a particular focus on opioid analgesics as a singular option for pain management. Fibromyalgia is a prototypical central pain disorder, which is often used as a model to study chronic pain disorders. It has an estimated prevalence of approximately 1.1% to 5.4% in the general population. The widespread use of opioids in patients with fibromyalgia has been well demonstrated in several health claims database studies, with rates of use ranging from 11.3% to 69%. Minimizing opioid exposures reduces misuse risk, but requires adequate opioid-sparing multimodal analgesic strategies, particularly nonopioid analgesic adjuncts, to ensure effective treatment of pain, particularly high-impact pain. We chose fibromyalgia as our study population. Given that it is a disordered sensory processing condition, it may be particularly amenable to the beneficial effects of green-light therapy.

OBJECTIVES: Most studies have evaluated exposure to light-emitting diode lights as a mode of green-light delivery; our study used green-light filtering eyeglasses, which would allow the wearer to move about with minimal interference.

STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a randomized controlled trial to test the feasibility of green-light filtering eyeglasses in the treatment of chronic pain.

SETTING: This study was conducted at Duke University Health System.

METHODS: We recruited and randomized adult patients with a known diagnosis of fibromyalgia patients and excluded patients who were unable to wear eyeglasses for at least 4 hours per day or were colorblind according to the Ishihara Colorblindness Test. Patients were assigned to 1 of 3 arms: clear eyeglasses (control), green eyeglasses, or blue eyeglasses. We initially recruited 45 patients and randomly assigned 15 patients per group.

RESULTS: To evaluate clinical significance, we determined the rate of >= 10% decline in oral morphine equivalents and found that 33%, 11%, and 8% of the green, blue, and clear eyeglass groups, respectively, achieved this clinically meaningful outcome.

LIMITATIONS: This study was powered to detect feasibility of the intervention, rather than conclusive analgesic effects.

CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated the feasibility of this treatment approach and study design and supports a future study to determine the efficacy of green light-based analgesia on opioid use, pain, and anxiety. While the reduction of opioid use was not of statistical significance, we believe it to be of clinical significance as there was no increase of patient-reported pain. This warrants further investigation in a large-scale trial of the use of green-light filtration of ambient light to mitigate opioid use and possible mediation of psychological impacts of pain with the use of green-lensed eyeglasses.

PMID:37535780

Pain Physician. 2023 Jul;26(4):E329-E340.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: A diseased shoulder due to pain, stiffness, or weakness negatively affects patients’ quality of life and their ability to carry out activities of daily living. Adhesive capsulitis is a disease characterized by shoulder pain and global limitation of movement in the shoulder joint. Many interventions have been proposed for the treatment of primary adhesive capsulitis. The current study compares the effect of ultrasound-guided intraarticular injection of ozone versus steroid versus intraarticular application of pulsed radiofrequency.

OBJECTIVES: The primary outcome of the current study was to compare the improvement in the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) after the 3 treatment modalities. The secondary outcomes included functional improvement measured by the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) and level of inflammatory biomarkers measured by serum intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM-1) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein(hs-CRP).

STUDY DESIGN: The current study is a prospective, double blinded, randomized controlled trial. We employed a double blinding technique for both the patients and the outcome assessors.

SETTING: Our study was carried out at the Medical Research Institute, Alexandria University, Egypt, after approval of the local ethical committee (IORG0008812). The study was registered in the “clinical trials library for protocol registration and results system” with number NCT04724317.The study included 45 patients with a diagnosis of primary adhesive capsulitis.

METHODS: Patients were randomly assigned to 3 equal groups: steroid group, ozone group, and pulsed radiofrequency group. Pain and global shoulder functions were assessed using the VAS at rest and with movement, range of motion (ROM), and the SPADI. Moreover, ICAM-1 and hs-CRP were measured as inflammatory markers.

RESULTS: The results of the current study reveal that all patients in all groups have had a statistically significant improvement after their intervention regarding pain, disability, ROM, and inflammatory markers. Pairwise comparisons revealed that improvement of the VAS during movement had a statistically significant improvement starting from the second week and continuing to the fourth and eighth week. VAS during rest had a significant improvement starting from follow-up week one in the steroid group. Moreover, improvement in the ROM and SPADI scores started from the second week follow-up. Percent improvement was calculated for each group and there was a statistically significant difference between groups in VAS at rest and ROM in the pulsed radiofrequency group compared to the steroid group.Regarding inflammatory markers, both ICAM-1 and hs-CRP had a significant improvement after all 3 interventions with no statistically significant difference among the groups.

LIMITATIONS: This study is a single-center study. A shortage of previously published data, and heterogeneity in the published methodology of the 3 interventions limited our discussion data for comparison with the previous literature.

CONCLUSION: Ultrasound-guided shoulder joint intraarticular injection of steroid, ozone, or pulsed radiofrequency application all result in a significant improvement in pain, disability, and ROM in primary adhesive capsulitis. They can be used as an effective treatment modality for this condition. Comparing groups statistically, the pulsed radiofrequency group had a more delayed, but statistically better long-term improvement compared to the other 2 groups.

PMID:37535775

Pain Physician. 2023 Jul;26(4):357-367.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Postoperative pain after hip arthroscopy remains a major cause of patient dissatisfaction in the immediate postoperative period. Adequate postoperative analgesia is associated with increased patient satisfaction, earlier mobilization, and decreased opioid consumption.

OBJECTIVES: Therefore, there is a need for safe, reliable, and opioid- and motor-sparing methods of achieving postoperative analgesia following hip arthroscopy. We evaluated the efficacy of pericapsular nerve group (PENG) block vs fascia iliaca block (FIB) in reducing postoperative pain and analgesic consumption in the first 24 hours following hip arthroscopy.

STUDY DESIGN: A prospective randomized double-blinded control clinical trial.

SETTING: At the arthroscopy unit of the orthopedic department of Assiut University Hospitals, Assiut, Egypt from 2019 to 2022.

METHODS: Forty-three patients comprising 18 women and 25 men scheduled for hip arthroscopy were randomized to receive a preoperative block with PENG or FIB from March 2019 to March 2022. The mean age was 27.9 years (standard deviation [SD], 6.2 years; range, 18-42 years) and the mean body mass index was 25.13 kg/m2 (SD, 5.08 kg/m2). Patients were randomized into 2 groups: group A comprising 20 patients that received FIB; and group B comprising 23 patients that received PENG block. The efficacies of FIB and PENG block were evaluated using Visual Analog Scale scores.

RESULTS: Statistically significant differences in median pain scores and mean at rest pain scores were observed between the 2 groups at all measured time points following surgery (i.e., 6, 12, 18, and 24 hours). Further, dynamic pain scores (with hip flexion) scores significantly differed between the 2 groups at 24 hours postoperatively (P = 0.001). PENG block significantly decreased postoperative opioid use compared to FIB. Total opioid use in the 24-hour postoperative period was lower in the PENG group compared to the FIB group (16.5 ± 9.9 vs 27.5 ± 9.6; P < 005).

LIMITATIONS: Different hip pathologies and different interventions lead to different outcomes. Also, a larger sample size and longer follow-up duration are required.

CONCLUSIONS: PENG block may represent the ideal regional anesthesia modality for hip arthroscopy as an alternative to more conventional regional nerve blocks, such as FIB, femoral nerve block, and lumbar plexus block. PENG block is reproducible, easily performed in the preoperative setting, and appears to spare motor function while providing prolonged sensory analgesia.

PMID:37535774

Pain Physician. 2023 Jul;26(4):347-355.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The efficacy and its associated predictors of transforaminal epidural steroid injection (TFESI) in elderly patients with lumbar radiculopathy are unknown.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this retrospective study was to identify the efficacy of TFESI in elderly patients with lumbar radiculopathy and its associated predictors of long-term outcomes.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study.

SETTING: Interventional pain clinics in West China Hospital of Sichuan University.

METHODS: In total, 294 elderly patients who were diagnosed with lumbar radiculopathy and underwent transforaminal epidural steroid injections from January 2019 through January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Demographic, clinical, magnetic resonance imaging, and TFESI-related information was collected to assess the predictive factors of long-term outcomes of the TFESI. Pain scores were assessed using the Numeric Rating Scale. Treatment success was defined as a >= 50% reduction in pain scores at 6 months.

RESULTS: Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the duration of symptoms, immediate postoperative response, and neutrophilic granulocyte percentage were independently associated with a favorable response to TFESI. In addition, the level of pain at the initial visit and the number of TFESI performed were also associated with a good response in the multivariate regression analysis, even though the association was not statistically significant.

LIMITATIONS: Approximately 6% of the patients were lost to follow-up; therefore, selection bias may have slightly influenced our findings. In addition, our patients were not compared with a control population, and consequently, a placebo effect could not be assessed.

CONCLUSION: This study revealed that a short duration of symptoms, good immediate postoperative response and high neutrophilic granulocyte percentage were long-term predictors of a good response to TFESI in elderly patients with lumbar radiculopathy.

PMID:37535773

PLoS Comput Biol. 2023 Aug 3;19(8):e1011130. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011130. eCollection 2023 Aug.

ABSTRACT

Over the past 40 years, there has been a strong focus on the development of mathematical models of angiogenesis, while developmental remodelling has received little such attention from the mathematical community. Sprouting angiogenesis can be seen as a very crude way of laying out a primitive vessel network (the raw material), while remodelling (understood as pruning of redundant vessels, diameter control, and the establishment of vessel identity and hierarchy) is the key to turning that primitive network into a functional network. This multiscale problem is of prime importance in the development of a functional vasculature. In addition, defective remodelling (either during developmental remodelling or due to a reactivation of the remodelling programme caused by an injury) is associated with a significant number of diseases. In this review, we discuss existing mathematical models of developmental remodelling and explore the important contributions that these models have made to the field of vascular development. These mathematical models are effectively used to investigate and predict vascular development and are able to reproduce experimentally observable results. Moreover, these models provide a useful means of hypothesis generation and can explain the underlying mechanisms driving the observed structural and functional network development. However, developmental vascular remodelling is still a relatively new area in mathematical biology, and many biological questions remain unanswered. In this review, we present the existing modelling paradigms and define the key challenges for the field.

PMID:37535698 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011130

PLoS One. 2023 Aug 3;18(8):e0289557. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289557. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Several important human pathogens that cause life-threatening infections are asymptomatically carried in the Nasopharynx/Oropharynx (NP/OP). DNA extraction is a prerequisite for most culture-independent techniques used to identify pathogens in the NP/OP. However, components of DNA extraction kits differ thereby giving rise to differences in performance. We compared the DNA concentration and the detection of three pathogens in the NP/OP using the discontinued DNeasy PowerSoil Kit (Kit DP) and the DNeasy PowerLyzer PowerSoil Kit (Kit DPP).

METHODS: DNA was extracted from the same set of 103 NP/OP samples using the two kits. DNA concentration was measured using the Qubit 2.0 Fluorometer. Real-time Polymerase Chain reaction (RT-PCR) was done using the QuantStudio 7-flex system to detect three pathogens: S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae, and N. meningitidis. Bland-Altman statistics and plots were used to determine the threshold cycle (Ct) value agreement for the two kits.

RESULTS: The average DNA concentration from kit DPP was higher than Kit DP; 1235.6 ng/ml (SD = 1368.3) vs 884.9 ng/ml (SD = 1095.3), p = 0.002. Using a Ct value cutoff of 40 for positivity, the concordance for the presence of S. pneumoniae was 82% (84/102); 94%(96/103) for N. meningitidis and 92%(95/103) for H. influenzae. Kit DP proportionately resulted in higher Ct values than Kit DPP for all pathogens. The Ct value bias of measurement for S. pneumoniae was +2.4 (95% CI, 1.9-3.0), +1.4 (95% CI, 0.9-1.9) for N. meningitidis and +1.4 (95% CI, 0.2-2.5) for H. influenzae.

CONCLUSION: The higher DNA concentration obtained using kit DPP could increase the chances of recovering low abundant bacteria. The PCR results were reproducible for more than 90% of the samples for the gram-negative H. influenzae and N. meningitidis. Ct value variations of the kits must be taken into consideration when comparing studies that have used the two kits.

PMID:37535692 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0289557

PLoS One. 2023 Aug 3;18(8):e0288203. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288203. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

AIM: We aimed to perform a meta-analysis to find out whether PCT and MDW could be used as accurate diagnostic markers for sepsis.

METHODS: We searched PUBMED, WOS, and SCOPUS databases. Inclusion criteria were any observational or clinical trials that compared monocyte Distribution Width [MDW] with Procalcitonin [PCT] as diagnostic markers in a patient with sepsis. Case reports, editorials, conference abstracts, and animal studies were excluded. RevMan software [5.4] was used to perform the meta-analysis.

RESULTS: After the complete screening, 5 observational studies were included in the meta-analysis. The total number of patients included in the meta-analysis in the sepsis group is 565 and 781 in the control group. The pooled analysis between the sepsis group and controls showed a statistically significant association between sepsis and increased levels of MDW and PCT [MD = 3.94, 95% CI = 2.53 to 5.36, p-value < 0.00001] and [MD = 9.29, 95% CI = 0.67 to 17.91, p-value = 0.03] respectively. Moreover, the subgroup analysis showed that the p-value of MDW levels [< 0.00001] is more significant than the p-value of PCT levels = 0.03, the p-value between the two subgroups [< 0.00001]. Additionally, the overall ROC Area for MDW [0.790] > the overall ROC Area for PCT [0.760].

CONCLUSION: Our study revealed a statistically significant association between sepsis and increased MDW and PCT levels compared with controls and the overall ROC Area for MDW is higher than the overall ROC Area for PCT, indicating that the diagnostic accuracy of MDW is higher than PCT.MDW can be used as a diagnostic marker for sepsis patients in the emergency department. More multicenter studies are needed to support our findings.

PMID:37535683 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0288203