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Point-of-care testing compared to gold-standard laboratory methods in the measurement of serum lipids

Cardiovasc J Afr. 2023 Aug 31;34:1-6. doi: 10.5830/CVJA-2023-039. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality worldwide, with dyslipidaemia being one of the major risk factors. Point-of-care testing (POCT) allows for the rapid measurement of serum lipids. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of serum lipid measurement by the Fujifilm NX700 POCT compared to a gold-standard clinical laboratory method (Medpace, Leuven, Belgium).

METHODS: This was a prospective, observational study conducted at the Lipid Clinic at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital from July to September 2022. Participants were known to have a lipid disorder, most commonly, familial hypercholesterolaemia. Samples sent for lipid measurement by standard laboratory methods were simultaneously measured by the Fujifilm NX700 POCT.

RESULTS: Lipograms evaluating total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and calculated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were obtained from 115 participants. No statistically significant difference was noted between the parameters tested on the different platforms. The Fujifilm NX700 POCT correctly identified > 91% of serum lipid results as normal or abnormal, as defined by NCEP-ATP III criteria, and exhibited good sensitivity and specificity for each parameter. Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient demonstrated a strong correlation for all parameters; TC (ρc = 0.9861), HDL-C (ρc = 0.95919), LDL-C (ρc = 0.98134) and TG (ρc = 0.92775). Bland-Altman plots identified low bias and a good level of agreement between the two test methods.

CONCLUSION: The Fujifilm NX700 POCT compared favourably with gold-standard laboratory methods in the determination of serum lipid measurements, allowing for rapid screening at the primary healthcare level.

PMID:37667971 | DOI:10.5830/CVJA-2023-039

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COVID-19 and kidney: role of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the induction of renal damage

Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2023 Aug;27(16):7861-7867. doi: 10.26355/eurrev_202308_33441.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: SARS-CoV-2 causes acute respiratory disease, interstitial and alveolar pneumonia, and involves numerous organs and systems such as the kidney, heart, digestive tract, blood, and nervous system. We aimed to evaluate the incidence of renal manifestations in patients diagnosed with COVID-19 infection.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a monocentric, cross-sectional, observational study, conducted on 114 patients with SARS-CoV-2. Clinical and laboratory parameters [renal function, serum electrolytes, inflammatory state, blood gas analysis, Interleukin 6 (IL-6) and urinalysis] were evaluated. The same values were checked out after two months (T1), however after negativization.

RESULTS: We enrolled 114 patients (59 males) with a mean age of 63.8 ± 13.9 years. We found hematuria in 48 patients (55.8%), proteinuria in 33 patients (38.4%), leukocyturia in 61 patients (70.9%), acute kidney injury (AKI) in 28 patients (24.6%), AKI in chronic kidney disease (CKD) in 24 patients (21.1%). Moreover, we found a significant increase of inflammatory indexes as C Reactive Protein (CRP), lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), alpha 1 and alpha 2 globulins with a subsequent reduction at T1 (p = 0.016, p < 0.001, p = 0.005, p = 0.007; respectively). Hemoglobin and erythrocyte values significantly decreased (p < 0.001, p = 0.003, respectively), and we found lymphopenia (p < 0.001). Also, we found elevated levels of the D-Dimer (p < 0.001) and a significant increase in the International Normalized Ratio (INR) (p = 0.038). We also showed a significant improvement after negativization in oxygen partial pressure (p = 0.001) and oxygen saturation (p < 0.001) and a significant increase in pH (p = 0.018) and bicarbonate concentration (p = 0.042). Moreover, we found a significant increase in IL-6 (p = 0.004). Also, we reported mild hyponatremia and hypokalemia with subsequent significant recovery (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, respectively) and mild hypochloremia with a recovery to the limits of statistical significance (p = 0.053). At the entrance, we found an increase in serum glucose with a significant reduction during recovery (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of AKI and/or CKD and/or abnormal urinalysis in patients diagnosed with COVID-19 on admission seems to be high and appears as a negative prognostic factor. Urinalysis appears to be very useful in unveiling the potential kidney impairment of COVID-19 patients; therefore, urinalysis could be used to reflect and predict the disease severity. We also recommend a careful evaluation of metabolic alterations, inflammatory states, and electrolytic disorders in COVID-19 patients.

PMID:37667963 | DOI:10.26355/eurrev_202308_33441

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Telogen effluvium and COVID-19: a cross-sectional study

Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2023 Aug;27(16):7823-7830. doi: 10.26355/eurrev_202308_33437.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: COVID-19 is a febrile infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This virus affects several organs, including the skin. Acute telogen effluvium (TE) is a non-scarring hair loss characterized by diffuse hair shedding that begins three months after a stressful event and can last up to six months. COVID-19 infection is one of these potential stressors. Recently, there has been a reported link between increased scalp hair shedding and post-infection patients during the COVID-19 outbreak. The present work aimed to study the possible effects of COVID-19 on hair and the relationship between COVID-19 and TE and to assess the level of awareness about TE in the Asir region of Saudi Arabia.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted using a pre-validated questionnaire. The study involved 561 participants from the Asir region of Saudi Arabia. Eligible participants were individuals from the Asir region who were 20 years of age or older, had previously contracted COVID-19 and had no history of TE before infection. All statistical methods used were two-tailed with an alpha level of 0.05, considering significance if the p-value was lower than or equal to 0.05.

RESULTS: A total of 1,000 eligible participants completed the study questionnaire. The mean age was 32.5 ± 13.9 years, and 494 (88.1%) participants were females. In addition, 558 (99.5%) of the study participants had received the COVID-19 vaccine. A total of 411 (73.3%) participants experienced an increase in hair loss after COVID-19 infection, and 171 (30.5%) began suffering from pain when combing their hair. In addition, 182 participants (32.4%) had a family history of TE. Only 109 (10.9%) participants had a good awareness level about TE, while 452 (80.6%) had an overall poor awareness level. There was a significant relationship between the level of awareness and age, where 23.9% of the participants aged 20-29 years had a good level of awareness vs. 16.1% of others aged 40 years or older (p = 0.041). Moreover, 26.9% of participants with a family history of TE had a good awareness of TE, vs. 15.8% of those with no family history of TE (p = 0.002). In addition, significant correlations were found between increased hair loss post-COVID-19 infection and female gender (77.3% vs. 43.3%; p = 0.001) as well as suffering from pain when combing hair (86.5% vs. 65.5%; p = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: In our study, the incidence of TE was highly related to COVID-19 infections among both sexes. However, the incidence was greater among the female population. The awareness level toward post-COVID-19 TE was poor among most of the participants in our study.

PMID:37667959 | DOI:10.26355/eurrev_202308_33437

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Prognostic and predictive significance of GITR in metastatic renal cell carcinoma

Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2023 Aug;27(16):7781-7792. doi: 10.26355/eurrev_202308_33433.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has gradually increased in recent years. There have been significant developments in metastatic RCC in recent years with the introduction of immune control point inhibitors. Glucocorticoid-induced tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor-related protein (GITR) is a co-stimulatory molecule and is seen in the highest amounts in activated CD4+ T lymphocytes and CD8+ T lymphocytes, forkhead box protein 3 (FOXP3) positive regulatory T cells (Treg). GITR leads to an increase in interleukin (IL)-2 and CD25 and Interferon Gamma. It shows an anti-tumoural effect by inhibiting the suppressive functions of FOXP3+ regulatory cells (Treg). Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the prognostic and predictive effect of GITR, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (CD4+CD8) (TIL), and FOXP3 in patients with metastatic RCC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients diagnosed with pathologically confirmed metastatic renal cancer between 2016 and 2021 were included in our study. Clinicopathological features and some laboratory tests were recorded. GITR, CD4, CD8, and FOXP3 were evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) from biopsies or nephrectomy material and recorded.

RESULTS: The study included 41 patients. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 10.5 months, and the median overall survival (OS) was 13.9 months. Median PFS was 7.9 months for the GITR-low group and 18.9 months for the GITR-high group. Median PFS was statistically significant and longer for the GITR-high group than the GITR-low group (p=0.003). When patients who received nivolumab in the 2nd line were evaluated, median PFS was found to be 5.7 months in the GITR-low group and 15.7 months in the GITR-high group. Median PFS was statistically significantly higher in the GITR-high group than in the GITR-low group (p=0.026).

CONCLUSIONS: In patients with metastatic RCC, higher GITR was associated with better PFS. At the same time, in patients using nivolumab, better PFS was seen in the GITR high group. If supported by prospective studies, GITR can be used as both a prognostic and predictive marker.

PMID:37667956 | DOI:10.26355/eurrev_202308_33433

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Effects of different targeted therapies associated with adjuvant chemotherapy on clinical remission, survival and safety in patients with triple-negative breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2023 Aug;27(16):7768-7780. doi: 10.26355/eurrev_202308_33431.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to systematically assess the effects of different targeted therapies associated with adjuvant chemotherapy on clinical remission, survival and safety of patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study searched for case-control trials of TNBC patients from January 2010 to May 2022. Two researchers independently extracted data. RevMan 5.3 statistical software was used for analysis.

RESULTS: This study included a total of 7 clinical controlled studies, containing 620 samples. The results showed that compared with the control group, the study group showed significant differences in objective response rate [OR = 2.44, 95% CI (1.69, 3.5), p < 0.00001], 1-year survival rate [OR = 3.59, 95% CI (2.01, 6.39), p < 0.0001], progression-free survival (PFS) [MD = 2.04, 95% CI (1.68, 2.41), p < 0.00001], with statistical significance (p < 0.05), while there are no significant differences in overall survival [MD = 6.33, 95% CI (-1.65, 14.30), p = 0.12] and incidence of adverse events [OR = 0.73, 95% CI (0.52, 1.02), p = 0.006] (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Targeted therapy associated with adjuvant chemotherapy can remarkably enhance the outcome of patients with advanced TNBC, prolonging their progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) without increasing adverse effects. The validity of this research, however, will require higher quality studies and longer follow-ups.

PMID:37667955 | DOI:10.26355/eurrev_202308_33431

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Attitudes scale toward cancer-related cognitive changes – an initial Colombian validation

Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2023 Aug;27(16):7738-7748. doi: 10.26355/eurrev_202308_33428.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to develop an initial valid tool to measure attitudes toward cancer-related cognitive changes.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: After revising the literature, three main dimensions were hypothesized. Eight judges were contacted to obtain content validity evidence. A robust Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was performed via a parallel analysis with an Unweighted Least Squares (ULS) estimator and polychoric correlations. The results were crossed with sociodemographic variables to find possible statistical differences and estimate the size effect. Analysis was performed in the software Factor and the statistical package R.

RESULTS: A sample of 374 participants was obtained, involving oncology patients, their caregivers, and people from the general community. A statistical fit was found in two dimensions: Awareness and Judgments [root mean squared error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.042, standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) = 0.02, comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.99, Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) = 0.98] with a moderate correlation between them (r = 0.612). Optimal reliability indices were obtained for the total scale and its dimensions. No real statistical difference was found between sociodemographic variables; the interpretation norms were established via the quartiles.

CONCLUSIONS: The first attempt to measure the construct of interest was developed with two primary validity evidence based on the content and its internal structure. This instrument could help strengthen the prevention of cancer-related cognitive changes. More research is needed to adhere more valid evidence to the scale.

PMID:37667952 | DOI:10.26355/eurrev_202308_33428

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Microbial etiology and antibiotic resistance in urinary tract infections in children; view from an area where antibiotics are overused

Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2023 Aug;27(16):7680-7687. doi: 10.26355/eurrev_202308_33421.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study is to determine the uropathogenic causing urinary tract infections (UTIs) and their incidences, assess their antibiotic resistance, and determine an appropriate empirical antibiotic treatment strategy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the culture and antibiogram results of urine cultures of 49,706 patients aged 1 day to 18 years who applied to Diyarbakır Children’s Hospital between March 2018 and October 2022.

RESULTS: A total of 4,064 cases meeting the study criteria were recorded. Girls comprised 76.7% of the study population. While reproduction in urine culture was more common in boys in the 0-1 age group, there was a decrease in the number of boys with increasing age, and the most common culture growth was seen in girls in the 5-10 age group (p<0.001). Escherichia coli (E. coli) infections were more common in girls, while non-E. coli infections were more common in boys (p<0.001). Gram-negative bacterial growth in urine cultures was the most common growth type. In descending order, E. coli was grown in 68.1% of all cultures, Klebsiella spp in 12.6%, and Proteus spp in 3.9%. Less commonly, Pseudomonas spp (2.8%), Enterobacter spp (1.5%), and fungi (1.1%) were grown. Antibiotic resistance/sensitivity tests revealed resistance patterns most commonly against ampicillin (73.2%), amoxicillin-clavulanate (57.9%), cefuroxime axetil (46.7%), cefixime (51%), and ceftriaxone (40.5%), and less commonly against meropenem (1.7%), amikacin (2.4%), and nitrofurantoin (9.8%). Escherichia coli showed resistance most commonly against ampicillin (69.8%), amoxicillin-clavulanate (59.7%), and cefixime (51.3%), while non-E.coli bacteria showed resistance most commonly against ampicillin (84.6%), amoxicillin (52.0%), and cefixime (50%). Resistance against nitrofurantoin was lower in E. coli infections than non-E. coli infections, although the difference did not reach statistical significance (3.7% and 27%, respectively; p=0.149). In contrast, resistance against trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was more common in E. coli infections than non-E. coli infections, although the difference was not statistically significant (42% and 29.7%, respectively; p=0.093).

CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed that resistance has developed at very high rates against many oral and parenteral antibiotics that we use in the treatment of UTIs. If our rate of antibiotic use continues to increase this way, it is predicted that UTIs will, unfortunately, become untreatable with oral antibiotics. This upsetting point reached by our country, which is the state that uses antibiotics the most in Europe, exemplifies the importance of rational antibiotic use for the whole world.

PMID:37667945 | DOI:10.26355/eurrev_202308_33421

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Effect of sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors on coronary blood flow in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2023 Aug;27(16):7620-7628. doi: 10.26355/eurrev_202308_33414.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is known to be associated with endothelial dysfunction (ED). Reducing ED can attenuate the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases. One of the indicators of ED is decreased coronary blood flow (CBF). Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT-2is) are known to directly improve ED in both euglycemic and hyperglycemic conditions and have been shown to decrease the incidence of major cardiovascular events. We aimed to investigate whether SGLT-2is improves CBF in patients with T2DM, who have angiographically normal or nearly normal coronary arteries.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this single-center retrospective study, all patients who underwent coronary angiography between January 2017 and September 2022 were screened. We designed the study by dividing the patients into two groups – those who used conventional antidiabetic medications (CAM) together with SGLT-2is (patients using an SGLT-2 inhibitor for at least 3 months) and those who used only conventional antidiabetic medications. Of the 18,205 patients who underwent coronary angiography, 5,040 patients had T2DM. After exclusion, 288 patients were divided into two groups – those who used CAM together with SGLT-2is and those who used only CAM. CBF was assessed by thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) frame counting.

RESULTS: Two hundred eighty-eight patients who had T2DM and met the inclusion criteria were included in our study. The patients were divided into two groups – those who used CAM together with SGLT-2is (n = 75) and those who used only CAM (n = 213). The median age in the group that used CAM together with SGLT-2is was 55 (51-64), where 52 (69.3%) patients were female. The mean TIMI frame count (TFC) was 23.5 in the group using CAM + SGLT-2is and 27.5 in the group using only CAM. In the multivariable linear regression analysis, the mean TFC was significantly lower in the group using CAM together with SGLT-2is compared to the group using only CAM [β-coefficient = -12.766, 95% Cl: -5.304; -3.887, p < 0.001]. Moreover, there was a statistically significant correlation between an increase in BMI and hemoglobin with an increase in the mean TFC [β-coefficient = 3.018, 95% Cl 0.037-0.175, p = 0.003 and β-coefficient = 2.316, 95% Cl 0.033-0.405, p = 0.021, respectively].

CONCLUSIONS: We have demonstrated that the use of SGLT-2is improves coronary artery blood flow in patients with T2DM who have normal or nearly normal coronary angiography.

PMID:37667939 | DOI:10.26355/eurrev_202308_33414

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Cost and related factors analysis for patients undergoing colon polyp surgery based on DRG mode

Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2023 Aug;27(16):7582-7589. doi: 10.26355/eurrev_202308_33410.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to analyze the hospitalization costs of patients with intestinal polyps undergoing colonic polyp surgery and associated influencing factors and to explore the entry point of cost control and the way of fine management.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: One year before (2021) and one year after (2022) the implementation of the Diagnosis Related Grouping (DRG), the patients receiving APC, CSP and EMR in GK39 (colonoscopy operation) group were included in a second Affiliated Hospital in Nanjing according to the Nanjing grouping scheme. Descriptive analysis method and multiple linear regression method were used for analysis.

RESULTS: After the implementation of DRG in 2022, the average hospitalization cost of patients decreased by 19.46% compared with the same period last year. Before and after the implementation of DRG, medical technology costs accounted for the highest proportion of hospitalization costs. Age, hospitalization days, number of polyps, number of clamps and clinical pathway had statistically significant effects on hospitalization cost (p<0.05), among which hospitalization days, number of polyps, and number of clamps had the greatest impact on hospitalization cost, followed by age and clinical pathway.

CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of DRG has a positive effect on guiding hospitalization cost control. It is suggested to realize accurate cost control by analyzing the cost structure of the disease group. Clinical pathway completion rate has a direct impact on the implementation effect of DRG, including cost control. It is suggested to refine clinical pathway management and achieve scientific cost control through continuous optimization and improvement of clinical pathway management.

PMID:37667935 | DOI:10.26355/eurrev_202308_33410

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Clinical efficacy of sclerotonyxis for acute angle-closure glaucoma with persistent high intraocular pressure

Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2023 Aug;27(16):7492-7499. doi: 10.26355/eurrev_202308_33400.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to investigate the clinical effectiveness and safety of sclerotonyxis in acute angle-closure glaucoma (ACG) with persistent high intraocular pressure (IOP).

PATIENTS AND METHODS: The clinical data of 50 eyes from 50 patients (mean age: 68.9±7.19 years) with acute ACG and persistently high IOP who were admitted to our department between January 2012 and January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients who were administered the maximum dose of systemic and topical anti-glaucoma drugs and still had an IOP of >40 mmHg 24 hours after admission underwent sclerotonyxis. After the IOP control, an individualized phase II treatment plan was designed according to the patient’s ocular condition.

RESULTS: Forty-eight patients showed improvement in their visual acuity 6 months postoperatively compared to their preoperative values. The mean IOPs were 54.84±7.82 mmHg and 21.34±7.81 mmHg 24 hours pre and postoperatively, respectively. The mean anterior chamber depth showed statistically significant differences pre and postoperatively (1.75±0.16 mm and 1.84±0.17 mm, respectively) (p<0.05). After IOP stabilized, four patients underwent YAG laser peripheral iridectomy, 18 underwent simple cataract phacoemulsification combined with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation, 21 underwent cataract phacoemulsification combined with IOL implantation and goniosynechialysis under a gonioscope, and 7 patients underwent combined surgery of glaucoma and cataract. The mean IOPs were 15.94±3.3 mmHg and 15.64±2.99 mmHg 1 week and 6 months after stage II surgery, respectively. Moreover, 42 eyes (84%) attained complete success and 8 eyes (16%) attained conditional success 6 months postoperatively. No serious complications, such as corneal endothelial decompensation, malignant glaucoma, vitreous or eruptive choroidal hemorrhage, and retinal detachment, were observed intraoperatively or postoperatively in both procedures.

CONCLUSIONS: Sclerotonyxis can rapidly lower IOP, release the pupillary blockage, reconstruct the anterior chamber, and reduce systemic complications caused by long-term high-dose antiglaucoma drugs. Thus, it normalizes the IOP and provides a safe operating space for stage II surgery, effectively reducing complications in patients in a persistent high IOP state.

PMID:37667925 | DOI:10.26355/eurrev_202308_33400