Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common health problems worldwide and mainly affect women. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of UTIs in pregnant women and determine the ...antimicrobial resistance patterns of bacterial pathogens isolated from pregnant and nonpregnant women in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
This retrospective cohort study was conducted at an academic medical center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from January to June 2022. The study included all urine cultures performed for adult women during the study period. We excluded urine culture performed for women on antibiotics prescribed for any infection, children, and men. Using the SPSS (version 27) package, descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used to analyze the data, and p < 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance.
A total of 2,418 urine cultures performed during the study period were included (985 and 1,433 for pregnant and nonpregnant women, respectively). The overall prevalence of UTIs in pregnant women was 5% (95% CI 3.6-6.4); 10 (1%) women were symptomatic, and 40 (4%) women were asymptomatic. Of the entire cohort, 244 (10.1%) women were diagnosed with UTIs based on bacterial cultures. The predominant bacteria in both pregnant and nonpregnant women were Escherichia coli (134, 54.9%), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (48, 19.6%). The antibiotic susceptibility criteria for Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were as follows: nitrofurantoin (94% and 18.8%, respectively), amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (82.8% and 70.8%, respectively), ciprofloxacin (65.7% and 83.3%, respectively), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (65.7% and 79.2%, respectively) and cephalothin (47% and 68.8%, respectively).
Compared to the findings of other similar studies, the prevalence of UTIs was lower in pregnant women. This may be because the patient population was composed of healthy and educated women who received prenatal education and underwent prenatal assessment as per institutional guidelines. Nitrofurantoin and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid are recommended for use as an empirical therapy for UTIs in pregnant and nonpregnant women because bacteria have the least amount of resistance to these drugs.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a prevalent nonprogressive disorder that leads to impaired movement (ie, spasticity), posture, and balance, which affects functions such as walking and upper extremity tasks. ...Current medical treatments show efficacy in improving motor performance but have considerable side effects. Emerging off-label use of central nervous system (CNS) medications for improving motor performance has shown promising results in children with CP and other populations.
The aim of this study is to describe a protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) to examine the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of methylphenidate (MPH) and modafinil on spasticity and motor performance in children with CP.
This will be a protocol study for a pilot, triple-masked, placebo-controlled RCT (a class I trial following the American Academy of Neurology criteria) with blinded patients, outcome assessors, and intervention delivery team. Eligible children should be diagnosed with CP levels I or II based on the Gross Motor Function Classification System and be aged between 7 and 12 years. Thirty-six children with CP will be randomized into 3 groups to receive (1) MPH (2.5 mg of MPH + 100 mg placebo), (2) modafinil (100 mg modafinil + 2.5 mg placebo), or (3) a placebo (2.5 mg placebo + 100 mg placebo), in addition to physical therapy for 12 weeks. Primary outcomes include the Gross Motor Function Measure-66 and the Modified Ashworth Scale. Secondary outcomes include the Timed Up and Go test, 5 Time Sit to Stand test, Modified Clinical Test for Sensory Interaction of Balance, and 10-Meter Walk Test.
The protocol has been accepted by Kuwait University (VDR/EC-225) and the Ministry of Health of Kuwait (2022/2157). The inclusion of participants will start in June 2024.
The combination of CNS stimulant medications and controlling for rehabilitation has not been studied yet. The findings of this study may determine if using CNS stimulant medications is beneficial for the reduction of spasticity and improvement of physical function in children with spastic CP.
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05675098; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05675098.
PRR1-10.2196/53728.
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Background:
Direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) have proven to be safe and effective alternatives to warfarin for stroke prevention in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) as well as ...treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with increased risk of thromboembolism as well as bleeding. The objective of this research is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of DOAC compared to warfarin in patients with either VTE or NVAF across varying renal function.
Methods:
A systematic literature search using PubMed, Embase (1996 -November 2020), and Cochrane CENTRAL databases was conducted. Randomized controlled trials published in English between 1996 and November, 2020 evaluating the safety and efficacy of DOAC versus warfarin in patients with VTE or NVAF and CKD were included. Outcomes of interest were stroke or thromboembolic events, all-cause mortality, major bleeding (MB), and clinically relevant non-major bleeding (CRNMB). Random effects-model was used for meta-analysis. Risk of bias was assessed by utilizing the Revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials.
Results:
After screening and review, a total of 9 randomized controlled trials with 96,103 participants were included. Of those, 81.5% (n=78,361) had a specific classification of renal function throughout the study. Majority of participants had mild to normal (48.5%) renal function, and 35% had mild impairment and moderate and severe renal impairment accounted for 16% and <1%, respectively. DOAC reduced risk of stroke or thromboembolic events compared to warfarin (RR 0.83, CI 95%: 0.77-0.89;
p
-value<0.01), as well as all-cause mortality (RR 0.91, CI 95%: 0.85-0.97;
p
-value<0.01). For safety outcomes, MB events were less likely to occur in DOAC group (RR 0.76, CI 95%: 0.69-0.84;
p
-value<0.01). Whereas, no significant difference was found between DOAC and warfarin in CRNMB events (RR 0.90, CI 95%: 0.73-1.12;
p-
value 0.36).
Conclusion:
DOAC demonstrated better efficacy in preventing stroke or thromboembolic events and in decreasing all-cause mortality. DOAC also caused less MB events compared to warfarin. No difference in CRNMB events was detected between these agents.
•The majority of patients received fixed dose (10 units) IV insulin for hyperkalemia.•Hypoglycemia was not different between fixed and reduced dosing groups.•Patient weight and pre-insulin glucose ...may contribute to hypoglycemia risk.•IV insulin dosing for hyperkalemia should be individualized.
While intravenous (IV) insulin is often administered at a fixed dose of 10 units for acute hyperkalemia, optimal dosing for minimizing hypoglycemia while effectively reversing hyperkalemia has not been established. The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate the effect of insulin dosing strategies on hypoglycemia in patients with hyperkalemia.
Adult patients presenting to an academic medical center who received IV insulin for hyperkalemia between 2016 and 2020 were retrospectively identified. Patients treated with 10 units of insulin (fixed) were compared to those who received < 10 units (reduced). The primary outcome was the incidence of hypoglycemia (blood glucose < 70 mg/dL) within 12 hours of insulin administration. Secondary outcomes included the incidence of severe hypoglycemia (blood glucose < 40 mg/dL) and change in potassium. Multivariable analyses were used to assess for risk factors for hypoglycemia and severe hypoglycemia.
Of the 2576 patients included, 305 (11.8%) received reduced dosing and 2271 (88.2%) received fixed dosing. Hypoglycemia occurred in 16.7% of the reduced group and 15.9% of the fixed group (P = 0.70). Severe hypoglycemia occurred in 2.3% of the reduced group and 2.5% of the fixed group (P = 0.86). Median potassium reduction from baseline to first check post-insulin was less with reduced dosing (−0.6 mEq/L vs −0.8 mEq/L, P < 0.001). On multivariable regression analysis, greater weight-based insulin dose and ED location were significant predictors for hypoglycemia and severe hypoglycemia. Location in the intensive care unit was associated with a decreased risk of hypoglycemia. Higher pre-insulin glucose was protective for hypoglycemia and severe hypoglycemia.
The incidence of hypoglycemia was similar among both groups. Greater weight-based insulin dose was a significant risk factor for hypoglycemia, while higher baseline glucose levels were associated with a decreased risk, indicating that patient-specific insulin dosing for hyperkalemia may be warranted.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Biologic and new small molecule therapies have been shown to be effective in treating patients with moderate to severe inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), both Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. ...The risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), such as heart attack or heart failure, due to taking these medications in patients with IBD is not well established. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to estimate the risk of MACE in patients with IBD on biologic or small molecule therapies during induction and maintenance phases of randomized controlled trials.
The aim of this study is to estimate the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in adult patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treated with biologic therapies and small molecules.
Databases were searched up to July 2022 to identify eligible studies that assessed the risk of MACEs in patients (age≥18 years) with IBD treated with biologic therapies and small molecules. Primary outcome was the rate of MACEs observed in patients receiving biologic or small molecules therapies during induction and maintenance phases of RCTs.
In total 64 studies were included in the analysis. 22 RCTs involving 12,196 patients with Crohn's disease (CD) were included and 32 RCTs involving 22,007 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). In patients with CD, risk of MACE was not higher than placebo during induction or maintenance phases, infliximab (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.07-6.14) and ustekinumab (OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.03-8.04). In patients with UC, risk of MACE was not higher than placebo, tofacitinib (OR 1.30, 95% CI 0.15-11.21) and upadcitinib (OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.03-7.97) during induction or maintenance.
The use of biologic therapies and small molecules among adult patients with IBD had no significant impact on the risk of MACEs during induction and maintenance period of RCTs. Real world data is warranted to assess long-term risks.
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