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Best evidence summary for prevention and management of enteral feeding intolerance in critically ill patients

Abstract

Aim

To evaluate and summarize the evidence for prevention and management of enteral feeding intolerance in critically ill patients and provide reference for clinical practice.

Design

This study was an evidence summary followed by the evidence summary reporting standard of Fudan University Center for Evidence-based Nursing.

Methods

Current literatures were systematically searched for the best evidence for prevention and management of enteral feeding intolerance in critically ill patients. Literature types included clinical guidelines, best practice information sheets, expert consensuses, systematic reviews, evidence summaries and cohort studies.

Data Sources

UpToDate, BMJ Best Practice, Joanna Briggs Institute, Guidelines International Network, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network, the Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, Sinomed, Web of Science, Yi Maitong Guidelines Network, DynaMed, MEDLINE, CNKI, WanFang database, Chinese Medical Journal Full-text Database, European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism website, the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition website were searched from January 2012 to April 2023.

Results

We finally identified 18 articles that had high-quality results. We summarized the 24 pieces of best evidence from these articles, covering five aspects: screening and assessment of the risk of enteral nutritional tolerance; formulation of enteral nutrition preparations; enteral nutritional feeding implementation; feeding intolerance symptom prevention and management; and multidisciplinary management. Of these pieces of evidence, 19 were ‘strong’ and 5 were ‘weak’, 7 pieces of evidence were recommended in level one and 4 pieces of evidence were recommended in level two.

Conclusion

The following 24 pieces of evidence for prevention and management of enteral feeding intolerance in critically ill patients were finally recommended. However, as these evidences came from different countries, relevant factors such as the clinical environment should be evaluated before application. Future studies should focus on more specific symptoms of feeding intolerance and more targeted prevention design applications.

Implications for the profession and patient care

The clinical medical staffs are recommended to take evidence-based recommendations for the implementation of standardized enteral nutrition to improve patient outcomes and decrease gastrointestinal intolerance in critically ill patients.

Impact

The management of enteral nutrition feeding intolerance has always been a challenge and difficulty in critically ill patients. This study summarizes 24 pieces of the best evidence for prevention and management of enteral nutrition feeding intolerance in critically ill patients. Following and implementing these 24 pieces of evidence is beneficial to the prevention and management of feeding intolerance in clinical practice. The 24 pieces of evidence include five aspects, including screening and assessment of the risk of enteral nutritional tolerance, formulation of enteral nutrition preparations, enteral nutritional feeding implementation, feeding intolerance symptom prevention and management and multidisciplinary management. These five aspects constitute a good implementation process. Screening and assessment of enteral nutritional tolerance throughout intervention are important guarantees for developing a feasible nutrition program in critically ill patients. This study will be benefit to global medical workers in the nutritional management of critically ill patients.

Reporting Method

This evidence summary followed the evidence summary reporting specifications of Fudan University Center for Evidence-based Nursing, which were based on the methodological process for the summary of the evidence produced by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). The reporting specifications include problem establishment, literature retrieval, literature screening, literature evaluation, the summary and grading of evidence and the formation of practical suggestions. This study was based on the evidence summary reporting specifications of the Fudan University Center for the Evidence-based Nursing, the register name is ‘Best evidence summary for prevention and management of enteral feeding intolerance in critically ill patients’, the registration number is ‘ES20231823’.

Efficacy and safety of intraperitoneal dexamethasone on postoperative nausea and vomiting following laparoscopy: study protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

Por: Xu · N. · Jiang · K. · Liu · L. · Chen · L.
Introduction

Intraperitoneal dexamethasone has been reported to be effective to reduce the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). Therefore, this meta-analysis will analyse the efficacy and safety of intraperitoneal dexamethasone on PONV following laparoscopy.

Methods and analysis

Electronic databases (eg, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Excerpta Medica Database, Web of Science, National Institute of Informatics, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System and China National Knowledge Infrastructure) and clinical trial registries will be systematically searched from their inception to 1 October 2022. After the study and data collection processes, we will identify randomised controlled trials that reported details of intraperitoneal dexamethasone on PONV following laparoscopy to conduct a meta-analysis. We will perform the study process and data collection separately. The collected data will be statistically analysed using Review Manager 5.4 software. The risk of bias will be assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool 2. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation certainty assessment, and a trial sequential analysis will be conducted to ensure the accuracy of this meta-analysis.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval and patient consent are not required since this study is a systematic review and meta-analysis. The findings of this meta-analysis will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42022362924.

Efficacy of mesenchymal stromal cells in the treatment of unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion in mice: An analytical and systematic review of meta-analyses

by Xiaoxuan Zhao, Yijie Hu, Wenjun Xiao, Yiming Ma, Dan Shen, Yuepeng Jiang, Yi Shen, Suxia Wang, Jing Ma

Objectives

Unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (URSA) remains an intractable reproductive dilemma due to the lack of understanding of the pathogenesis. This study aimed to evaluate the preclinical evidence for the mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) treatment for URSA.

Methods

A meticulous literature search was independently performed by two authors across the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and PubMed databases from inception to April 9, 2023. Each study incorporated was assessed using the Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory Animal Experimentation (SYRCLE) risk of bias tool. The amalgamated standardized mean difference (SMD) accompanied by 95% confidence interval (CI) were deduced through a fixed-effects or random-effects model analysis.

Results

A total of ten studies incorporating 140 mice were subjected to data analysis. The MSC treatment yielded a significant reduction in the abortion rate within the URSA model (OR = 0.23, 95%CI [0.17, 0.3], PP = 0.01), IL10 (SMD 1.60, 95% CI [0.58, 2.61], P = 0.002), IFN-γ (SMD -1.66, 95%CI [-2.79, -0.52], P = 0.004), and TNF-α (SMD -1.98, 95% CI [-2.93, -1.04], PPP>0.05).

Conclusions

The findings underscore the considerable potential of MSCs in URSA therapy. Nonetheless, the demand for enhanced transparency in research design and direct comparisons between various MSC sources and administration routes in URSA is paramount to engendering robust evidence that could pave the way for successful clinical translation.

Effect of Clindamycin compared with Ampicillin‐Sulbactam as prophylactic antibiotics for wound infections following major surgery for head and neck cancer: A meta‐analysis

Abstract

A meta-analysis examination was implemented to review the effect of Clindamycin compared with Ampicillin-Sulbactam as prophylactic antibiotics (PAs) management for surgical site wound infections (SSWIs) following major surgery (MS) for head and neck cancer (H&NC). A comprehensive literature examination till May 2023 was done and 1296 interrelated examinations were reviewed. The six elected examinations, enclosed 4293 personals with MS for H&NC were in the utilized examinations' starting point, 1722 of them were utilizing Clindamycin, and 2571 were utilizing Ampicillin-Sulbactam. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were utilized to appraise the consequence of Clindamycin compared with Ampicillin-Sulbactam as PAs management for SSWIs following MS for H&NC by the dichotomous approach and a fixed or random model. Clindamycin had significantly higher SSWI compared with Ampicillin-Sulbactam (OR, 2.65; 95% CI, 1.40–5.02, p = 0.003) in personals with MS for H&NC. Clindamycin had significantly higher SSWI compared with Ampicillin-Sulbactam in personals with MS for H&NC. However, caution needs to be taken when interacting with its values because there was a low sample size of some of the chosen examinations and a low number of examinations found for the comparisons in the meta-analysis.

Association between malnutrition and surgical site wound infection among spinal surgery patients: A meta‐analysis

Abstract

A surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common complications of spinal surgery. Malnutrition has also been linked to SSI after other surgical procedures. However, whether malnutrition is a risk factor for SSI after spinal surgery remains controversial. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to comprehensively evaluate the relationship between malnutrition and SSI. Relevant studies of the correlation between malnutrition and SSI were retrieved from the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wanfang Data from database inception to 21 May 2023. Two reviewers independently assessed the included studies, and a meta-analysis was performed using STATA 17.0 software. A total of 24 articles with 179 388 patients were included: 3919 and 175 469 cases comprised the SSI and control groups, respectively. The meta-analysis results showed that malnutrition significantly increased the SSI incidence (odds ratio, 1.811; 95% confidence interval, 1.512–2.111; p < 0.001). These results suggest that patients with malnutrition are at higher risk for SSI after surgery. However, because of significant differences in sample sizes among studies, and because some studies had limitations to their methodological quality, further validation of these results by additional high-quality studies with larger sample sizes is necessary.

Assessing the role of combination of stem cell and light‐based treatments on skin wound repair: A meta‐analysis

Abstract

The meta-analysis aims to evaluate and compare the impact of the combination of stem cells (SCs) and light-based treatments (LBTs) on skin wound (SW) repair. Examinations comparing SCs to LBT with SCs for SW repair was among the meta-analysis from various languages that met the inclusion criteria. Using continuous random-effect models, the results of these investigations were examined, and the mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence intervals was computed (CIs). Seven examinations from 2012 to 2022 were recruited for the current analysis including 106 animals with SWs. Photobiomodulation therapy (PBT) plus SCs had a significantly higher wound closure rate (WCR) (MD, 9.08; 95% CI, 5.55–12.61, p < 0.001) compared to SCs in animals with SWs. However, no significant difference was found between PBT plus SCs and SCs on wound tensile strength (WTS) (MD, 2.01; 95% CI, −0.42 to 4.44, p = 0.10) in animals with SWs. The examined data revealed that PBT plus SCs had a significantly higher WCR, however, no significant difference was found in WTS compared to SCs in animals with SWs. Nevertheless, caution should be exercised while interacting with its values since all the chosen examinations were found with a low sample size and a low number of examinations were found for the comparisons studied for the meta-analysis.

Trends in cardiac rehabilitation rates among patients admitted for acute heart failure in Japan, 2009–2020

by Junghyun Kim, Jenny Jiang, Sophie Shen, Soko Setoguchi

Objectives

To describe inpatient and outpatient cardiac rehabilitation (CR) utilization patterns over time and by subgroups among patients admitted for acute heart failure (AHF) in Japan.

Background

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a crucial secondary prevention strategy for patients with heart failure. While the number of older patients with AHF continues to rise, trends in inpatient and outpatient CR participation following AHF in Japan have not been described to date.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adult patients hospitalized for AHF in Japan between April 2008 and December 2020. Using data from the Medical Data Vision database, we measured trends in inpatient and outpatient CR participation following AHF. Descriptive analyses and summary statistics for AHF patients by CR participation status were reported.

Results

The analytic cohort included 88,052 patients. Among these patients, 37,810 (42.9%) participated in inpatient and/or outpatient CR. Of those, 36,431 (96.4%) participated in inpatient CR only and 1,277 (3.4%) participated in both inpatient and outpatient CR. Rates of inpatient CR rose more than 6-fold over the study period, from 9% in 2009 to 55% in 2020, whereas rates of outpatient CR were consistently low.

Conclusions

The rate of inpatient CR participation among AHF patients in Japan rose dramatically over a 12-year period, whereas outpatient CR following AHF was vastly underutilized. Further study is needed to assess the clinical effectiveness of inpatient CR and to create infrastructure and incentives to support and encourage outpatient CR.

Effectiveness of a government-led, multiarm intervention on early childhood development and caregiver mental health: a study protocol for a factorial cluster-randomised trial in rural China

Por: Jiang · Q. · Wang · B. · Qian · Y. · Emmers · D. · Li · S. · Pappas · L. · Tsai · E. · Sun · L. · Singh · M. · Fernald · L. · Rozelle · S.
Introduction

The high incidences of both the developmental delay among young children and the mental health problems of their caregivers are major threats to public health in low-income and middle-income countries. Parental training interventions during early childhood have been shown to benefit early development, yet evidence on strategies to promote caregiver mental health remains limited. In addition, evidence on the optimal design of scalable interventions that integrate early child development and maternal mental health components is scarce.

Methods and analysis

We design a single-blind, factorial, cluster-randomised controlled, superiority trial that will be delivered and supervised by local agents of the All China Women’s Federation (ACWF), the nationwide, government-sponsored social protection organisation that aims to safeguard the rights and interests of women and children. We randomise 125 villages in rural China into four arms: (1) a parenting stimulation arm; (2) a caregiver mental health arm; (3) a combined parenting stimulation and caregiver mental health arm and (4) a pure control arm. Caregivers and their children (aged 6–24 months at the time of baseline data collection) are selected and invited to participate in the 12-month-long study. The parenting stimulation intervention consists of weekly, one-on-one training sessions that follow a loose adaptation of the Reach Up and Learn curriculum. The caregiver mental health intervention is comprised of fortnightly group activities based on an adaptation of the Thinking Healthy curriculum from the WHO. Primary outcomes include measures of child development and caregiver mental health. Secondary outcomes include a comprehensive set of physical, psychological and behavioural outcomes. This protocol describes the design and evaluation plan for this programme.

Ethics and dissemination

This study received approval from the Institutional Review Board of Stanford University (IRB Protocol #63680) and the Institutional Review Board of the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Informed oral consent will be obtained from all caregivers for their own and their child’s participation in the study. The full protocol will be publicly available in an open-access format. The study findings will be published in economics, medical and public health journals, as well as Chinese or English policy briefs.

Trial registration number

AEA RCT Registry (AEARCTR-0010078) and ISRCTN registry (ISRCTN84864201).

Prime editing-mediated correction of the <i>CFTR</i> W1282X mutation in iPSCs and derived airway epithelial cells

by Chao Li, Zhong Liu, Justin Anderson, Zhongyu Liu, Liping Tang, Yao Li, Ning Peng, Jianguo Chen, Xueming Liu, Lianwu Fu, Tim M. Townes, Steven M. Rowe, David M. Bedwell, Jennifer Guimbellot, Rui Zhao

A major unmet need in the cystic fibrosis (CF) therapeutic landscape is the lack of effective treatments for nonsense CFTR mutations, which affect approximately 10% of CF patients. Correction of nonsense CFTR mutations via genomic editing represents a promising therapeutic approach. In this study, we tested whether prime editing, a novel CRISPR-based genomic editing method, can be a potential therapeutic modality to correct nonsense CFTR mutations. We generated iPSCs from a CF patient homozygous for the CFTR W1282X mutation. We demonstrated that prime editing corrected one mutant allele in iPSCs, which effectively restored CFTR function in iPSC-derived airway epithelial cells and organoids. We further demonstrated that prime editing may directly repair mutations in iPSC-derived airway epithelial cells when the prime editing machinery is efficiently delivered by helper-dependent adenovirus (HDAd). Together, our data demonstrated that prime editing may potentially be applied to correct CFTR mutations such as W1282X.

Quality of evidence supporting the role of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for diabetic foot ulcers

Abstract

The goal of this overview of systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses (MAs) was to methodically gather, evaluate and summarize the data supporting the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to treat diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). The Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, Web of Science and Embase were all searched thoroughly to identify SRs/MAs that qualified. AMSTAR-2 tool, PRISMA checklists and GRADE system were applied by two reviewers independently to assess the methodological quality, reporting and evidence quality of the included SRs/MAs, respectively. Eleven SRs/MAs were enrolled in this overview. According to AMSTAR-2, a very low methodological quality assessment was given to the included SRs/MAs due to the limitations of items 2, 4 and 7. For the PRISMA, the overall quality of reporting is not satisfactory due to missing reporting on protocol, search, as well as additional analysis. The majority of outcomes had low- to moderate-quality evidence, and no high-quality evidence was found to support the role of HBOT for DFUs, according to GRADE. To conclude, the potential of HBOT in treating DFUs is supported by evidence of low to moderate quality. More rigorously designed, high-level studies are needed in the future to determine the evidence for HBOT for DFU, including the timing, frequency and duration of HBOT interventions.

Effects of non-invasive brain stimulation over supplementary motor area in people with Parkinsons disease: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Por: Wei · Y. · Ye · S. · Jiang · H. · Chen · Y. · Qiu · Y. · Zhang · L. · Ma · R. · Gao · Q.
Introduction

Individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) often experience initial hesitation, slowness of movements, decreased balance and impaired standing ability, which can significantly impact their independence. Transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation are two widely used and promising non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) modalities for treating PD. The supplementary motor area (SMA), associated with motor behaviour and processing, has received increasing attention as a potential stimulation target to alleviate PD-related symptoms. However, the data on NIBS over SMA in PD individuals are inconsistent and has not been synthesised. In this article, we will review the evidence for NIBS over SMA in PD individuals and evaluate its efficacy in improving PD function.

Method and analysis

Randomised controlled clinical trials comparing the effects of NIBS and sham stimulation on motor function, activities of daily living and participation for people with PD will be included. A detailed computer-aided search of the literature will be performed from inception to February 2023 in the following databases: PubMed, EMBASE, Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), Web of Science (WOS) and The Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). Two independent reviewers will screen articles for relevance and methodological validity. The PEDro scale will be used to evaluate the risk of bias of selected studies. Data from included studies will be extracted by two independent reviewers through a customised, preset data extraction sheet.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval is not required for this systematic review. The study’s findings will be presented at scientific meetings and published in peer-reviewed journals.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42023399945.

Virtual reality as an adjunct to pulmonary rehabilitation of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Por: Li · Y. · Jiang · H. · Lyu · Z.
Introduction

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a prevalent chronic lung disease characterised by persistent and progressive airflow obstruction resulting from tracheal and/or alveolar lesions. Patients afflicted with COPD endure a poor quality of life primarily due to the symptoms of the disease. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) constitutes a core component of the comprehensive management of individuals dealing with COPD. Nevertheless, suboptimal adherence and completion rates are the chief impediments associated with PR. Virtual reality (VR) is emerging as a promising approach to support patients with COPD in their PR journey. Currently, no comprehensive systematic review has evaluated the impact of VR as a PR adjunct in patients with COPD. We aimed to investigate and summarise the evidence from recent studies related to the effect of VR as an adjunct to PR in COPD cases.

Methods and analysis

We will conduct a comprehensive search of databases, including Web of Science, CINAHL, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and ClinicalTrials.gov, from their inception up to May 2023 to identify randomised controlled trials examining VR as an adjunct to PR in patients with COPD, with no restrictions on publication status or language. Our primary outcome measure will be the 6-min walk test. Two independent researchers will screen the literature for suitable articles for inclusion in this meta-analysis. Data collection and assessment of bias risk will be performed. This meta-analysis is intended to furnish data on each outcome as sufficient data become available. Heterogeneity will be assessed using the 2 test and I2 statistics. The current review will adhere to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval is waived due to the retrospective nature of this study. Furthermore, the findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42022374736.

Relationship between mental health, sleep status and screen time among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

Por: Wang · W. · Jiang · J. · Qi · L. · Zhao · F. · Wu · J. · Zhu · X. · Wang · B. · Hong · X.
Objective

On 20 July 2021, after the outbreak of COVID-19 at Nanjing Lukou International Airport, several universities started closed management and online teaching. This had a large impact on students’ daily life and study, which may lead to mental health problems. The purpose of this study is to study the effect of screen time on mental health status of university students and the possible mediating effect of sleep status.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study. A web-based questionnaire survey was employed that included demographic characteristics, sleep status and mental health status (depression, anxiety and loneliness). The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scale was used to assess sleep status, while the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale, Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale and Emotional versus Social Loneliness Scale (ESLS) were used to assess depression, anxiety and loneliness, respectively. Linear and logistic regression models were developed and adjusted for confounding factors, and finally the mediating effects were tested using the Karlson-Holm-Breen method.

Results

Finally, 1070 valid questionnaires were included. Among these, 604 (56.45%) indicated depressive symptoms (CES-D score ≥16) and 902 (84.30%) indicated anxiety symptoms (GAD-7 score ≥10). The mean ESLS score (for loneliness) was 26.51±6.64. The relationship between screen time and depressive symptoms (OR 1.118, 95% CI 1.072 to 1.166) and anxiety symptoms (OR 1.079, 95% CI 1.023 to 1.138) remained significant after adjusting for confounding factors. Meanwhile, sleep status plays an intermediary role in screen time and mental health status (depression and anxiety) and accounts for 13.73% and 19.68% of the total effects, respectively. We did not find a significant association between screen time and loneliness.

Conclusion

During the outbreak of COVID-19, screen time is inevitably prolonged among university students. There is a relationship between mental health and screen time, and sleep status plays a mediating role.

Rationale and design of a comparison of angiography-derived fractional flow reserve-guided and intravascular ultrasound-guided intervention strategy for clinical outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease: a randomised controlled trial (FLAVOUR II)

Por: Zhang · J. · Hu · X. · Jiang · J. · Lu · D. · Guo · L. · Peng · X. · Pan · Y. · He · W. · Li · J. · Zhou · H. · Huang · J. · Jiang · F. · Pu · J. · Cheng · Z. · Yang · B. · Ma · J. · Chen · P. · Liu · Q. · Song · D. · Lu · L. · Li · S. · Fan · Y. · Meng · Z. · Tang · L. · Shin · E.-S. · Tu · S. · Koo · B.-
Introduction

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) guided by coronary angiography-derived fractional flow reserve (FFR) or intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) has shown improved clinical outcomes compared with angiography-only-guided PCI. In patients with intermediate stenoses, FFR resulted in fewer coronary interventions and was non-inferior to IVUS with respect to clinical outcomes. However, whether this finding can be applied to angiography-derived FFR in significant coronary artery disease (CAD) remains unclear.

Method and analysis

The comparison of angiography-derived FFR-guided and IVUS-guided intervention strategies for clinical outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease (FLAVOUR II) trial is a multicentre, prospective, randomised controlled trial. A total of 1872 patients with angiographically significant CAD (stenoses of at least 50% as estimated visually through angiography) in a major epicardial coronary artery will be randomised 1:1 to receive either angiography-derived FFR-guided or IVUS-guided PCI. Patients will be treated with second-generation drug-eluting stent according to the predefined criteria for revascularisation: angiography-derived FFR≤0.8 and minimal lumen area (MLA)≤3 mm2 or 3 mm22 and plaque burden>70%. The primary endpoint is a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction and revascularisation at 12 months after randomisation. We will test the non-inferiority of the angiography-derived FFR-guided strategy compared with the IVUS-guided decision for PCI and the stent optimisation strategy.

The FLAVOUR II trial will provide new insights into optimal evaluation and treatment strategies for patients with CAD.

Ethics and dissemination

FLAVOUR II was approved by the institutional review board at each participating site (The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine Approval No: 2020LSYD410) and will be conducted in line with the Declaration of Helsinki. Informed consent would be obtained from each patient before their participation. The study results will be submitted to a scientific journal.

Trial registration number

NCT04397211.

Assessing postoperative wound infection rates in ultrasound‐guided microwave ablation versus conventional surgery for varicose veins

Abstract

Varicose veins are the prevalent vascular disorder that has conventionally been managed via risky postoperative wound infections and conventional surgery. While ultrasound-guided microwave ablation (UMA) has gained attention as a minimally invasive alternative, there is still a lack of research examining its comparative effectiveness. A prospective comparative investigation was undertaken in the Zhejiang region of China from January to November 2023, involving 140 patients who had received the diagnosis of primary varicose veins. An equal number of 70 patients underwent UMA and conventional surgery. Exclusion criteria for the study encompassed adult patients aged 18–65, with the exception of those who had undergone prior venous surgery, deep vein thrombosis or peripheral arterial disease. The demographical characteristics, procedural details and complication profiles of patients who developed postoperative wound infections within 30 days were analysed statistically. The outcomes demonstrated that postoperative wound infections were significantly diminished (5.7%) with UMA in comparison to conventional surgery (17.1%). In addition, the average duration of procedures and length of hospital stay for UMA patients were both reduced, although neither of these differences was found to be statistically significant (p > 0.05). Infection management, age and gender distribution of varicose veins were comparable between the two groups (p > 0.05). A significant inverse correlation was observed between the severity of varicose veins and postoperative outcomes, as determined by the regression analysis (p < 0.05). Using UMA to treat varicose veins showed promise as an alternative to conventional surgery, specifically in minimizing the incidence of postoperative wound infections. Additional research and clinical consideration are needed regarding the potential transition toward minimally invasive techniques in treatment of varicose veins, as suggested by these results.

Risk factors of incontinence-associated dermatitis in older adults: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Por: Fan · S. · Jiang · H. · Shen · J. · Lin · H. · Yang · L. · Yu · D. · Chen · L.
Introduction

Due to their ageing skin, older adults are more likely to develop incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD). Although previous attempts to look at the risk factors for IAD in older adults were done, methodological barriers hindered an in-depth understanding. By investigating risk factors for IAD in the ageing population, the development of precise clinical interventions and guidance could be facilitated, which in turn would enhance patient care standards for incontinence management in this target group. To address this knowledge gap, this systematic review with meta-analysis aims to explore the major risk elements linked to IAD among older adults.

Methods and analysis

The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols are adhered to in this systematic review and meta-analysis. To achieve its objectives, a comprehensive search strategy PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Medline, Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP database), WanFang Data Knowledge Service Platform, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, along with other relevant sources published until 18 July 2023 in both English and Chinese languages will be performed. The screening of articles, data abstraction and risk of bias evaluation will be done by two impartial reviewers. RevMan V.5.3 software will be used for data synthesis. The quality of the included study will be assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment tool and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The I2 test will identify the heterogeneity.

Ethics and dissemination

There is no need for ethical approval. Individual patient information or the rights of participants will not be compromised by this protocol. The findings will either be published in a peer-reviewed journal.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42023442585.

Association between the number of retrieved lymph nodes and demographic/tumour-related characteristics in colorectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Por: Liu · Q. · Huang · M. · Yang · J. · Jiang · M. · Zhao · Z. · Zhao · H. · He · T. · Bai · Y. · Zhang · R. · Zhang · M.
Objective

Clinical practice guidelines recommend retrieving at least 12 lymph nodes for correct staging in colorectal cancer. However, it is difficult to retrieve adequate lymph nodes because of various factors. We aimed to evaluate the association between the number of retrieved lymph nodes and demographic/tumour-related characteristics in colorectal cancer.

Design

Systematic review and meta-analysis of primary studies.

Data sources

PubMed, Embase, Cochrane and Web of Science were searched from January 2016 to June 2023.

Eligibility criteria for selecting studies

Studies that evaluated the association between retrieved lymph nodes and demographic/tumour-related characteristics in colorectal cancer were included.

Data extraction and synthesis

OR with 95% conference intervals was extracted and pooled.

Results

A total of 54 studies containing 2 05 821 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed that fewer nodes were retrieved from elderly patients (OR=0.70, 95% CI (0.54 to 0.90), p=0.005), and from tumours located in the left colon than in the right colon (OR=0.43, 95% CI (0.33 to 0.56), p

Conclusions

The study results suggest that clinicians have an increased opportunity to retrieve sufficient lymph nodes for accurate pathological staging to guide treatment decisions in patients with colorectal cancer who are young, female, with tumours located in the right colon, advanced T stage and N2 stage.

Treatment of diabetic foot ulcers with external application of Chinese herbal medicine: An overview of overlapping systematic reviews

Abstract

This overview of systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analysis (MAs) aimed to systematically collate, appraise and synthesize evidence for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) with the external application of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM). SRs/MAs of external application of CHM for DFUs were collected by searching Cochrane Library, Web of science, CNKI, PubMed, VIP, Embase and Wanfang. Two independent reviewers carried out the literature selection and data extraction. Subsequently, AMSTAR-2 tool, PRISMA, and GRADE system were applied by two reviewers independently to evaluate the methodological quality, reporting quality, and evidence quality of the included studies, respectively. Eight SRs/MAs met the eligibility criteria and were included. According to AMSTAR-2, a very low methodological quality assessment was given to the included SRs/MAs due to the flaws of items 2, 4 and 7. The PRISMA system identified protocol and registration weaknesses, as well as search method weaknesses. With GRADE, no high-quality evidence was identified to support the role of external application of CHM for DFUs, and the quality of evidence for the vast majority of outcomes was rated as low or moderate. In conclusion, low- to moderate-quality evidence supports the promise of external application of CHM for the treatment of DFUs. Due to the limitations of the evidence supporting external application of CHM for DFUs, rigorously designed and larger samples of high-quality studies are needed going forward before broad recommendations can be made.

A meta‐analysis of the risk factors for neurosurgical surgical site infection following craniotomy

Abstract

The purpose of the meta-analysis was to evaluate and compare the risk factors for neurosurgical surgical site infection (SSI) after craniotomy. Using dichotomous or contentious random or fixed effect models, the odds ratio (OR) and mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed based on the examination of the meta-analysis results. Eighteen analyses, covering 11 068 craniotomies between 2001 and 2023, were included in the current meta-analysis. Subjects with SSIs had a significantly younger age (MD, −2.49; 95% CI, −2.95 to −2.04, p < 0.001), longer operation duration (MD, 10.21; 95% CI, 6.49–13.94, p < 0.001) and longer length of postoperative hospital stay (MD, 1.52; 95% CI, 0.45–2.60, p = 0.006) compared to subjects with no SSI with craniotomy. However, no significant difference was found between craniotomy subjects with SSIs and with no SSI in gender (OR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.76–1.07, p = 0.23), and combination with other infection (OR, 3.93; 95% CI, 0.28–56.01, p = 0.31). The data that were looked at showed that younger age, longer operation duration and longer length of postoperative hospital stay can be considered as risk factors of SSI in subjects with craniotomy; however, gender and combination with other infections are not. Nonetheless, consideration should be given to their values because several studies only involved a small number of patients, and there are not many studies available for some comparisons.

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