Tag: pubmed

J Healthc Eng. 2022 Mar 21;2022:8223336. doi: 10.1155/2022/8223336. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

The efficacy and safety of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) are systematically evaluated in the treatment of primary liver cancer, which provides a reference for clinical practice and more in-depth research. Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMbase, CBM, CNKI, VIP, and WanFang Data, supplemented by other searches, collected all randomized controlled trials (RCT) comparing TACE combined with TACE alone for HCC. The meta-analysis, after selecting the literature, extracting data, and evaluating the methodological quality of the included studies following the inclusion criteria, was performed using RevMan 5.1 software. There was statistical difference in 3-year survival rate of TACE combined with heat treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (OR = 1.72,95%CI (1.22,2.41), P=0.002, I² = 0%, and Z = 3.12), total effective rate (OR = 1.91,95%CI (1.31,2.78), P=0.0008, I² = 0%, and Z = 3.37), quality-of-life improvement rate (OR = 2.29,95%CI (1.62,3.23), P < 0.00001, I² = 83%, and Z = 3.37), and complication rate (OR = 2.29,95%CI (1.62,3.23), P < 0.00001, I² = 83%, and Z = 3.37). Compared with TACE alone, TACE combined with hyperthermia can significantly improve the survival rate and recent efficacy of patients, improve the quality of life, and have a trend to reduce the incidence of toxicity. However, its long-term efficacy and more comprehensive safety need to be verified by more sample and high-quality RCT.

PMID:35356619 | PMC:PMC8959991 | DOI:10.1155/2022/8223336

J Healthc Eng. 2022 Mar 21;2022:8432360. doi: 10.1155/2022/8432360. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures are on the rise in modern society due to the aging population, and this often results in painful symptoms and kyphotic abnormalities in patients. Bone cement was injected into the vertebral body to reinforce the vertebral body and restore most of the damaged vertebrae’s natural height. Percutaneous kyphoplasty is the name given to this type of procedure (PKP). Bone cement leakage has been linked to several problems, according to the research. Neurological problems might arise if bone cement leaks into the spinal canal or the nerve root canal during surgery. As a result, PKP surgeons must now deal with the issue of reducing bone cement leakage. Using smart medical big data, this paper examines a sample of PKP operations and then examines different associated aspects that influence complication rates in order to better advice clinical PKP surgery use. There were 172 vertebral bodies in total in 72 patients receiving PKP surgery at a Chinese hospital that were examined by smart medical big data for vertebral degeneration and fusion. Bone cement leakage and variations in preoperative average anterior vertebral column height, preoperative Cobb angle, and the volume of injected bone cement were considered when dividing the patients into leakage and nonleakage groups; then, we figure out what is causing the bone cement to leak. Five patients experienced lung-related problems out of the 18 vertebral bodies with bone cement leaking that were selected for study. That leakage rate was 10.5%. The differences between the two groups in terms of vertebral compression and bone cement injection were statistically significant based on a single-factor analysis. Bone cement leakage in PKP surgery has been linked to the amount of bone cement injected and whether the vertebral body’s peripheral wall was injured, according to multivariate analysis. Lung-related problems are more common in patients with a prior history of illness. Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures can be successfully treated with percutaneous kyphoplasty. An important risk factor for bone cement extravasation in PKP surgery is the amount of bone cement injected, as well as its viscosity and whether damage to the vertebral body’s peripheral wall has occurred.

PMID:35356609 | PMC:PMC8959986 | DOI:10.1155/2022/8432360

Psychiatr Danub. 2021 Spring-Summer;33(Suppl 4):1118-1129.

ABSTRACT

Addiction does not mean “addiction to substances” only. At the core of the definition of substance dependence is the loss of control. Gambling addiction belongs to non-substance / non-chemical addictions or behavioral/behavioral addictions. The concept of behavioral addictions is new and revolutionary in psychiatry. Gambling addiction, formerly pathological or problematic gambling occurs due to loss of control over gambling. There is growing evidence to suggest that behavioral addictions resemble substance addictions in many domains, including phenomenology, tolerance, comorbidity, overlapping genetic contribution, neurobiological mechanisms, and response to treatment. Behavioral addiction has been proposed as a new class in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual Fifth Revision (DSM-5), but the only category included is gambling addiction. The prevalence of gambling disorders in adolescence is very high and for certain disorders (especially related to the use of the Internet) it becomes more pronounced over time. In this paper, we presented a comprehensive overview of gambling disorders from definition, epidemiology, manifestations, comorbidities, assessment, treatment options, and existing forms of treatment. Given the complexity of the approach to the treatment of gamblers, a creative individualized integrative approach is necessary, which is the basis of creative psychopharmacotherapy. Due to the possibility of the emergence of problem gambling and other impulse-control deficits we need to be very careful when commencing a patient on dopamine replacement therapy or therapy with aripiprazole.

PMID:35354178

Psychiatr Danub. 2021 Spring-Summer;33(Suppl 4):1106-1112.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Hyperprolactinemia (HPRL) is known as a side effect of some antidepressants and antipsychotics. These medicines are common in treatment of schizophrenia. Thus, HPRL is often observed in schizophrenic patients. It is also known that HPRL can occur in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis due to prolactoliberin effect of thyroliberin. The clinical pathophysiology of the patients with the comorbidity of schizophrenia and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, receiving antipsychotics, is of special interest. It’s fair to assume that these patients have higher risks of HPRL. To analyze risks of HPRL with antipsychotic treatment, to identify an association between the antipsychotic therapy (AT) and HPRL in Hashimoto’s patients receiving AT, to explore the association of HPRL and other laboratory parameters in patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and schizophrenia during AT.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We studied 17 patients with HT in comorbidity with schizophrenia receiving AT (mean age 46.5±12.8 years), all euthyroid or with light hypothyroidism. Different laboratory parameters such as anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) and anti-thyroglobulin (anti-TG) antibodies, blood levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4), free triiodothyronine (FT3) and prolactin (PRL) were analysed.

RESULTS: The study revealed the high levels of PRL, anti-TPO and anti-TG autoantibodies. Thus, patients were classified into 3 groups by the degree of expected HPRL risk from the antipsychotics used: without expected risk, with low and high expected risks. The correlation analysis detected an inverse significant correlation (R=-0.51; p=0.037) between expected level of drug-associated HPRL risk and actual PRL levels in studied group. At the same time, we detected a positive significant correlation between the levels of PRL and FT4 in the groups (R=0.53; p=0.03). The correlations between the levels of PRL and other parameters such as TSH, FT3, anti-TPO, anti-TG, anti-TSH receptor antibodies were not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS: HPRL in the group was not associated with taking of antipsychotic drugs with high expected HPRL risk. Yet, a significant positive correlation existed between the levels of PRL and FT4. Hence, in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis accompanied with treated mental illness there are some non-iatrogenic stimulants of prolactogenesis. It cannot be ruled out that antipsychotics may interfere with prolactin metabolism, which creates a false effect of a positive correlation between prolactin and free thyroxine levels, in contrast to common HPRL of hypothyroidism.

PMID:35354176

Pharmacology. 2022 Mar 30:1-9. doi: 10.1159/000522396. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Botulinum toxin type A (BTA) has a wide range of clinical applications, and its use in improving aesthetics is one of them. The aim of this study was to better assess the efficacy and safety of BTA in patients with facial scars.

SUMMARY: We extracted the data of the visual analog scale (VAS) score, Vancouver scar scale (VSS) score, scar width, observer scar assessment scale (OSAS), patient scar assessment scale (PSAS), and/or drug-related adverse events. Five studies provided the data of VAS score, and the results showed that the VAS score in the BTA group was significantly higher than that in the control group. Three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reported the VSS score. A statistically significant difference exists between the BTA group and the control group. Three RCTs reported the scar width after BTA treatment. A more favorable change was found in the BTA group with scar width even without statistical significance. Data about the OSAS and PSAS scores were available in two trials. There was no significant difference in OSAS and PSAS scores between the BTA group and the control group. Only three studies recorded three slight adverse events. There were no reports of severe complications. In conclusions, this study demonstrated that BTA has the potential to improve facial scars with an acceptable safety profile.

PMID:35354154 | DOI:10.1159/000522396

Biomed Phys Eng Express. 2022 Mar 30. doi: 10.1088/2057-1976/ac6292. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

MOSFET dosimeters have widely been used to measure radiation doses caused by x-rays. When using the MOSFET dosimeters, calibration factors (CFs) have a direct effect on reliability of dose measurements. The aim of this paper was to study the effect of various calibration methods on the CFs of the MOSFET dosimeters. The CFs were measured on clinical digital x-ray angiography (XA) and computed tomography (CT) devices using a calibrated CT ionization chamber and a standard polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) phantom. The measurements were conducted by having the dosimeters 1) in air, 2) on the surface of the PMMA phantom and 3) inside the phantom. A statistically significant difference was seen between the CFs measured on the XA and CT devices. The CFs measured on the CT device were 20-165% higher than those measured with the XA device (p < 0.001) in every calibration geometry. Furthermore, the calibration geometry had a notable effect on the CFs on CT. The CFs on the surface of the phantom were 18-25% higher than in air (p < 0.05), and the CFs inside the phantom were 32-39% smaller than in air (p < 0.05). These results suggest that the calibration of the MOSFET dosimeters should be conducted with the same device that is used in actual dose measurements. Also, the scattering conditions and the calibration geometry should be similar in the calibration and subsequent dose measurements.

PMID:35354122 | DOI:10.1088/2057-1976/ac6292

Eur Addict Res. 2022 Mar 30:1-12. doi: 10.1159/000522618. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIM: The study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Problematic Khat Use Screening Test (PKUST-17) in Ethiopia.

METHODS: A validation study of PKUST-17 was carried out among 510 khat users, using a house-to-house survey. Confirmatory factor analysis and 2-parametric item response theory (IRT) were used to evaluate the construct validity of PKUST-17. We also used Spearman’s rank-order correlation coefficient and other test statistics to assess the convergent validity of PKUST-17 with depression symptoms, functional impairment, and other characteristics of participants. We generated latent classes of problematic khat use using latent profile analysis (LPA) and validated the classes using multinomial logistic regression.

RESULTS: The data confirm the unidimensional model of the PKUST-17. The internal consistency of PKUST-17 was excellent (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.93). IRT discrimination parameters indicated that each item had a strong ability to distinguish participants across the spectrum of problematic khat use (α thresholds range from 1.02 to 2.9). The items were fairly or moderately severe to be endorsed by participants (β thresholds vary from 1.43 to 5.57). The LPA identified three latent classes which have severity differences: mild (34%), moderate (34%), and severe (32%) problematic khat use. Depression symptoms, functional impairment, and other khat use patterns were also associated with moderate and severe problematic khat use class membership compared to mild problematic khat use class.

CONCLUSION: We found that the PKUST-17 is a culturally appropriate, brief, easy to use, and psychometrically sound screening test. PKUST-17 can be used to screen khat users with different levels of risk for providing stepped care at different healthcare levels, including integration of services in primary care. Future studies need to test the predictive capacity of the PKUST-17 for khat-related harms.

PMID:35354141 | DOI:10.1159/000522618

Talanta. 2022 Mar 24;244:123396. doi: 10.1016/j.talanta.2022.123396. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

A computational method for the untargeted determination of cycling yeast metabolites using a comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-TOFMS) dataset is presented. The yeast metabolomic cycle for the diploid yeast strain CEN.PK with a 5 h cycle period relative to the O₂ concentration level is comprehensively examined to determine the metabolites that exhibit cycling. Samples were collected over only two cycles (10 h with a total of 24 time-point sampling intervals at 25 min each) as an experimental constraint. Due to the limited number of cycles expressed in the dataset, a computational method was devised to determine with statistical significance whether or not a given metabolite exhibited a temporal signal pattern that constituted cycling in the context of the 5 h cycle period. The computational method we report compares the experimentally obtained 24 time-point metabolite signal sequences to randomly generated signal sequences coupled with statistically based confidence level LOF metrics to determine whether or not a given metabolite expresses cycling, and if so, what is the phase of the cycling. Initially the GC×GC-TOFMS dataset was analyzed using tile-based Fisher ratio (F-ratio) analysis. Since there were 24 time-point intervals, this constituted 24 sample classes in the F-ratio calculation which produced 672 metabolite hits. Next, application of the computational method determined that there were 210 of the 672 metabolites exhibiting cycling: 55 identified metabolites and 155 unknown metabolites. Furthermore, the 210 cycling metabolites were categorized into four groups, and where applicable, a phase determined: 1 cycle/5 h period (106 metabolites), 2 cycles/5 h period (13 metabolites), spiky pattern (12 metabolites), or multimodal pattern (79 metabolites).

PMID:35354112 | DOI:10.1016/j.talanta.2022.123396

Midwifery. 2022 Mar 20;109:103317. doi: 10.1016/j.midw.2022.103317. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Worldwide the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected the health and psychosocial lives of people. International guidelines recommend special attention to pregnant women during pandemics and national emergencies. This study aimed to report the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic curfew on the psychosocial lives of pregnant women in Jordan.

DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was conducted and included women who were pregnant during the COVID-19 curfew in Jordan, which took place between mid-March and mid-June of 2020.

SETTINGS: A web-based survey that was posted on various social media platforms.

PARTICIPANTS: Women who at the time of the study were 18 years of age or more, were living in Jordan, and were pregnant during the curfew.

MEASUREMENTS AND FINDINGS: Data collected included women’s characteristics, the impact of the curfew on the pregnancy, physical activity, and psychosocial lives and the barriers to seeking healthcare, in addition to pregnancy and delivery details, and changes in nutrition and supplements intake. A total of 877 women responded to the survey. The results showed that 21.1% of the respondents did not receive any antenatal care (ANC) during the curfew. The respondents also reported that the main barriers for seeking ANC included healthcare facilities being closed (85.2%), the need for travel permits (76.8%), financial difficulties (63.9%), and fear of catching the COVID-19 virus (60.1%). Furthermore, 93.3% reported that they had psychological stress, and 29.9% reported that they had at least one form of domestic violence. Statistically significant associations existed between various women’s characteristics, obstetric, psychosocial factors, and the level of psychological stress.

KEY CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic curfew, which was applied in Jordan, resulted in a negative impact on the psychosocial lives of pregnant women. As a result, pregnant women did not receive optimal antenatal care and experienced higher degrees of psychological stress and domestic violence.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The findings of our study may encourage national healthcare policymakers to ensure the provision of appropriate psychosocial support of pregnant women during large scale emergencies.

PMID:35354100 | DOI:10.1016/j.midw.2022.103317

Ann Epidemiol. 2022 Mar 27:S1047-2797(22)00044-8. doi: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2022.03.010. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The use of predictive models in epidemiology is relatively narrow as most of the studies report results of traditional statistical models such as Linear, Logistic, or Cox regressions. In this study, a high-dimensional epidemiological cohort, collected within the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study (KIHD) in 1984-1989, was used to investigate the predictive ability of models with embedded variable selection.

METHODS: Simple Logistic Regression with seven preselected risk factors was compared to k-Nearest Neighbors, Logistic Lasso Regression, Decision Tree, Random Forest, and Multilayer Perceptron in predicting cardiovascular death for the aged men from KIHD for the long horizon of 30±3 years: 746 predictor variables were available for 2682 men (705 cardiovascular deaths were registered and 1977 men stayed alive). We considered two scenarios of handling competing risks (removing subjects and treating them as non-cases).

RESULTS: The best average AUC on the test sample was 0.8075 (95%CI, 0.8051-0.8099) in scenario 1 and 0.7155 (95%CI, 0.7128-0.7183) in scenario 2 achieved with Logistic Lasso Regression, which was 6.04% and 5.50% higher than the baseline AUC provided by Logistic Regression with manually preselected predictors.

CONCLUSIONS: In both scenarios Logistic Lasso Regression, Random Forest, and Multilayer Perceptron outperformed Simple Logistic Regression.

PMID:35354081 | DOI:10.1016/j.annepidem.2022.03.010