Tag: pubmed

Am J Ther. 2022 Sep 1. doi: 10.1097/MJT.0000000000001536. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Pain is a common symptom in patients with advanced, metastatic, or terminal cancer. Neuropathic pain and psycho-emotional suffering are factors that increase the difficulty of pain management. Pain control in patients with cancer remains a challenge for medical professionals.

STUDY QUESTION: What is the evolution of neuropathic/mixed pain compared with nociceptive pain under standardized treatment in patients with cancer?

STUDY DESIGN: A prospective, longitudinal, open-label, nonrandomized study was conducted on patients with cancer pain.

MEASURES AND OUTCOMES: Pain type was assessed at admission using the modified Brief Pain Inventory, and pain intensity was assessed daily using the Numerical Rating Scale for 14 days and on days 21 and 28. Screening of depression was performed on days 1, 7, 14, 21, and 28 using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. Patients with pain and depression received analgesics with antidepressants, while patients without depression received analgesics or analgesics with an anticonvulsant depending on the pain subtype.

RESULTS: Of 72 patients, 23 had nociceptive pain and 49 had neuropathic/mixed pain. At admission, pain intensity was higher for patients with neuropathic/mixed pain compared with nociceptive pain (mean values: 7.06 vs. 5.82) with statistical significance (P = 0.001) and remained as such at the end of this study (mean values: 3.77 vs. 2.73). A decrease in the mean pain intensity was observed in all types of pain, but without statistical significance regardless of pain type and treatment protocol used (P = 0.77). If depression was present, antidepressants combined with analgesics decreased pain and depression scores significantly (P = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Patients with neuropathic/mixed pain have higher levels of pain and lower response to treatment. Identifying psycho-emotional suffering can improve pain control by intervening in the physical and psycho-emotional components of pain.

PMID:36049186 | DOI:10.1097/MJT.0000000000001536

Int Health. 2022 Sep 1:ihac058. doi: 10.1093/inthealth/ihac058. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Early initiation breastfeeding (EIBF) is a sign of good health for both the mother and the newborn baby. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of EIBF among mothers in Bangladesh and to identify its associated factors.

METHODS: The study used the most recent Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2017-2018 data. A total of 4776 (weighted) respondents were included in the final analysis. The association between the outcome and the independent variables was determined using multilevel (mixed effects) logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS: The overall weighted prevalence of EIBF among Bangladeshi mothers was 61.19% (confidence interval [CI] 59.80 to 62.56). The study shows that non-poor wealth status (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.81 [95% CI 0.68 to 0.95]), institutional delivery (AOR 0.77 [95% CI 0.61 to 0.96]) and caesarean delivery (AOR 0.31 [95% CI 0.26 to 0.38]) were associated with the lower odds of EIBF. Mother’s secondary education (AOR 1.34 [95% CI 1.01 to 1.83]), at least four antenatal care visits (AOR 1.36 [95% CI 1.04 to 1.53]), normal birthweight (AOR 1.42 [95% CI 1.09 to 1.85]) and placed on mother’s chest and bare skin after birth (AOR 1.33 [95% CI 1.11 to 1.60]) were associated with higher odds of EIBF.

CONCLUSION: In order to enhance EIBF in Bangladesh, health professionals should emphasise skin-to-skin contact after delivery.

PMID:36049132 | DOI:10.1093/inthealth/ihac058

J Phys Chem B. 2022 Sep 1. doi: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c04593. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

A central problem in computational biophysics is the treatment of titratable residues in molecular dynamics simulations of large biological macromolecular systems. Conventional simulation methods ascribe a fixed ionization state to titratable residues in accordance with their pK_a and the pH of the system, assuming that an effective average model will be able to capture the predominant behavior of the system. While this assumption may be justifiable in many cases, it is certainly limited, and it is important to design alternative methodologies allowing a more realistic treatment. Constant-pH simulation methods provide powerful approaches to handle titratable residues more realistically by allowing the ionization state to vary statistically during the simulation. Extending the molecular mechanical (MM) potential energy function to a family of potential functions accounting for different ionization states, constant-pH simulations are designed to sample all accessible configurations and ionization states, properly weighted according to their Boltzmann factor. Because protonation and deprotonation events correspond to a change in the total charge, difficulties arise when the long-range Coulomb interaction is treated on the basis of an idealized infinite simulation model and periodic boundary conditions with particle-mesh Ewald lattice sums. Charging free-energy calculations performed under these conditions in aqueous solution depend on the Galvani potential of the bulk water phase. This has important implications for the equilibrium and nonequilibrium constant-pH simulation methods grounded in the relative free-energy difference corresponding to the protonated and unprotonated residues. Here, the effect of the Galvani potential is clarified, and a simple practical solution is introduced to address this issue in constant-pH simulations of the acid-sensing ion channel (ASIC).

PMID:36049129 | DOI:10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c04593

Braz J Psychiatry. 2022 Sep 1. doi: 10.47626/1516-4446-2022-2767. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To re-evaluate a sample of older adults enrolled in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) using lithium for treatment of amnestic mild-cognitive impairment (MCI) after 11 to 15 years, by re-assessing their current (or last available) global cognitive and functional state.

METHODS: We recalled all former participants of the ‘Lithium-MCI’ trial conducted by our group between 2009 and 2012 to perform a single-blinded, cross-sectional evaluation of their global clinical state, in order to compare the long-term outcome of subjects previously allocated in lithium group vs. those who received placebo.

RESULTS: From the original sample (n=61), we were able to reach for 36 participants (59% of retention), of whom 22 had previously received lithium (61% of the recall sample), and 14 (39%) had received placebo. As 30.5% of recalled sample was deceased, psychometric data was collected only for 69.5% of our participants. We found statistically significant differences in current mean mini mental state examination score according to previous treatment groups (25.5 [5.3] vs. 18.3 [10.9], p=0.04). These subjects also had better performance in the phonemic verbal fluency test compared to non-users (34.4 [14.4] vs. 11.6 [10.10], p<0.001). Differences in these measures also displayed large effect sizes, as shown by Cohen’s d values of 0.92 and 1.78 respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: The present set of data suggests that older adults with amnestic MCI who had been treated with lithium during a previous RCT had a better long-term global cognitive outcome than those from a matched sample who did not receive the intervention.

PMID:36049127 | DOI:10.47626/1516-4446-2022-2767

Physiol Rev. 2022 Sep 1. doi: 10.1152/physrev.00028.2022. Online ahead of print.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:36049113 | DOI:10.1152/physrev.00028.2022

Physiol Rev. 2022 Sep 1. doi: 10.1152/physrev.00011.2022. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Adaptation is an essential feature of auditory neurons, which reduces their responses to unchanging and recurring sounds and allows their response properties to be matched to the constantly changing statistics of sounds that reach the ears. As a consequence, processing in the auditory system highlights novel or unpredictable sounds and produces an efficient representation of the vast range of sounds that animals can perceive by continually adjusting the sensitivity and, to a lesser extent, the tuning properties of neurons to the most commonly encountered stimulus values. Together with attentional modulation, adaptation to sound statistics also helps to generate neural representations of sound that are tolerant to background noise and therefore plays a vital role in auditory scene analysis. In this review, we consider the diverse forms of adaptation that are found in the auditory system in terms of the processing levels at which they arise, the underlying neural mechanisms and their impact on neural coding and perception. We also ask what the dynamics of adaptation, which can occur over multiple timescales, reveal about the statistical properties of the environment. Finally, we examine how adaptation to sound statistics is influenced by learning and experience and changes as a result of aging and hearing loss.

PMID:36049112 | DOI:10.1152/physrev.00011.2022

Chirurgia (Bucur). 2022 Jun;117(4):437-446. doi: 10.21614/chirurgia.2762.

ABSTRACT

The optimal management of distal pancreatic stump after pancreaticoduodenectomies (PD) remains unclear. The study aims to assess the early outcomes after anastomoses with jejunum vs. stomach of the distal pancreatic stump in a relatively large series of patients with PD. Patients and Methods: All patients with PD performed between Oct 1, 2016, and Oct 1, 2021, were retrospectively assessed: anastomoses with the jejunum (PJ group) vs. with the stomach (PG group). Results: A number of 360 PD: PJ group 293 patients (81.4%) and PG group 67 patients (18.6%). No statistically significant differences were observed between the groups regarding the early outcomes (p values 0.065), except for the clinically relevant delayed gastric emptying higher rates in the PG group (38.8% vs. 25.9%, p = 0.049). In the PG group there were statistically significant higher rates of pylorus-preservation (19.4% vs. 8.2%, p = 0.012), soft pancreas texture (76.1% vs. 34.4%, p 0.001), small Wirsung ducts (4 mm (0-25) vs. 3 mm (1-10), p 0.001) and intermediate and high-risk fistula scores (83.6% vs. 52.6%, p 0.001). Conclusions: No particular anastomotic technique can avoid postoperative complications. In patients with hard pancreas texture and dilated Wirsung duct, a duct-to-mucosa PJ anastomosis should be the first option, while for patients with small Wirsung duct and soft pancreas texture, an invagination PG anastomosis should be preferred.

PMID:36049101 | DOI:10.21614/chirurgia.2762

Chirurgia (Bucur). 2022 Jun;117(4):431-436. doi: 10.21614/chirurgia.2603.

ABSTRACT

Background: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is still considered as one of the most aggressive cancers with low percentages of respectability, despite recent advances in diagnosis. Assessment of preoperative inflammatory markers can increase the rates of resectability. Methods: Patients with potentially resectable pancreatic adenoinvesticarcinoma in a single pancreatic unit were included. Ninety-six patient during a one year period were eligible for analysis. Results: CRP, d-dimers, and fibrinogen levels were similar between the two groups. On the contrary, there were statistically significant differences regarding the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR). Conclusions: inflammatory markers can act as an additional tool in predicting resectability in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

PMID:36049100 | DOI:10.21614/chirurgia.2603

Vet Radiol Ultrasound. 2022 Sep 1. doi: 10.1111/vru.13154. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The renal cortical thickness (RCT) has been correlated with renal function. Previous studies have also reported that the RCT:Abdominal aorta(Ao) ratio is constant in normal dogs with various physical factors. This multi-center, retrospective, analytical study aimed to determine if there are differences between actual RCT and predicted value of RCT considering physical factors in dogs with acute or chronic renal disease. We also aimed to demonstrate whether the RCT and Ao ratio index would be useful for evaluating renal pathology. A total of 54 dogs with acute or chronic renal disease and 30 normal healthy dogs were included in this study. The RCT was measured at the center of the renal pyramid as the shortest distance perpendicular to the renal capsule from the base of the renal medullary pyramid at three points. The diameter of the Ao was measured just caudal to the branch of the left renal artery in the sagittal plane in systole. The RCT:Ao ratio of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients was 0.50 ± 0.11 (mean ± standard deviation). The RCT:Ao ratio in normal dogs was 0.67 ± 0.07. The RCT:Ao ratio in patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) was 0.83 ± 0.05. There was a statistically significant difference between normal dogs and dogs with CKD (P < 0.001) and between normal dogs and dogs with AKI (P < 0.001). In conclusion, findings from the current study supported using the RCT:Ao ratio as a non-invasive quantitative method for characterizing kidney pathology in dogs with acute or chronic renal disease.

PMID:36049077 | DOI:10.1111/vru.13154

Surg Infect (Larchmt). 2022 Sep;23(7):625-633. doi: 10.1089/sur.2022.179.

ABSTRACT

Background: We performed a meta-analysis to confirm the efficacy of short-term compared with long-term administration of antimicrobial prophylaxis in gastric cancer surgery. Methods: Randomized controlled trials of the efficacy of short-term versus long-term administration of antimicrobial prophylaxis in gastric cancer surgery were searched using the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register databases. The data were evaluated and statistically analyzed using RevMan version 5.3.0. Five studies including 2,053 participants who received short-term versus long-term administration of antimicrobial prophylaxis in gastric cancer surgery were considered. Results: There was no significant difference in the surgical site infection (SSI) rate between the short-term group and the long-term group (8.1% vs. 9.2%; odds ratio [OR], 0.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.64-1.09; p = 0.39). Hierarchical analysis also showed no significant differences in incisional-site incisions, organ/space incisions, or leakage. Multivariable analysis showed no significant differences in gender, age (>65 years), body mass index (>25 kg/m²), D2, operation time (>3 hours), pathologic stage 3, blood loss, combined resection, diabetes mellitus, total gastrectomy, or blood transfusion between the two groups. Conclusions: Short-term administration of antimicrobial prophylaxis did not increase the incidence of SSIs after gastrectomy.

PMID:36049075 | DOI:10.1089/sur.2022.179