Objective
Better patient-reported outcomes (PROs) of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) are premised upon PROs such as postoperative pain and fatigue. These PROs are indices of convalescence and ...return to normal activity. Curcumin (turmeric) is used in India for traumatic pain and fatigue for its anti-inflammatory/antioxidant and tissue modulation/healing properties. We studied the effect of curcumin on pain and postoperative fatigue in patients of LC.
Methods and procedures
From July to September 2009, 50 consecutive day-care LC candidates were enrolled for a prospective, double-blind randomized placebo-controlled study. A uniform general anesthesia and analgesia protocol was followed. Curcumin/placebo and rescue analgesic were prescribed at discharge. Patients were told to maintain pain/fatigue/adverse event diaries based upon 100-point visual analog pain scale (VAS) and 10-point interval rating fatigue scale (IRS). Patients were followed up at third day (D3), first week (W1), second week (W2), and third week (W3). The blind labels were opened at the end of study.
Results
Demographic characteristics, comorbidity, and gallbladder pathology profiles were comparable in the study (
n
= 25) and control groups (
n
= 25). There was no adverse surgical outcome, adverse PRO or withdrawal. Pain and fatigue scores at D3 were similar in the two groups. At W1 and W2, the study group showed significantly lower (
p
value 0.000) mean pain scores, i.e., 15 ± 5.204 versus 30 ± 13 in controls. Fatigue scores at W1, W2, and W3 were significantly lower (
p
value 0.000) in the study group, i.e., 2.16 ± 1.748, 1, and 0, respectively, versus 5.16 ± 1.375, 4.20 ± 1.633, and 1 in controls. All patients were pain free at W3. Analgesic tablet usage was significantly lower (
p
value 0.000) in the study group, i.e., 6.96 ± 1.837 versus 39.32 ± 16.509 in controls.
Conclusions
Turmeric (curcumin) improves postoperative pain- and fatigue-related PROs following LC.
Summary
Background
COVID-19 is an ongoing threat to society. Patients who develop the most severe forms of the disease have high mortality. The interleukin-6 inhibitor tocilizumab has the potential ...to improve outcomes in these patients by preventing the development of cytokine release storm.
Aims
To evaluate the outcomes of patients with severe COVID-19 disease treated with the interleukin-6 inhibitor tocilizumab.
Methods
We conducted a retrospective, case–control, single-center study in patients with severe to critical COVID-19 disease treated with tocilizumab. Disease severity was defined based on the amount of oxygen supplementation required. The primary endpoint was the overall mortality. Secondary endpoints were mortality in non-intubated patients and mortality in intubated patients.
Results
A total of 193 patients were included in the study. Ninety-six patients received tocilizumab, while 97 served as the control group. The mean age was 60 years. Patients over 65 years represented 43% of the population. More patients in the tocilizumab group reported fever, cough and shortness of breath (83%, 80% and 96% vs. 73%, 69% and 71%, respectively). There was a non-statistically significant lower mortality in the treatment group (52% vs. 62.1%, P = 0.09). When excluding intubated patients, there was statistically significant lower mortality in patients treated with tocilizumab (6% vs. 27%, P = 0.024). Bacteremia was more common in the control group (24% vs. 13%, P = 0.43), while fungemia was similar for both (3% vs. 4%, P = 0.72).
Conclusion
Our study showed a non-statistically significant lower mortality in patients with severe to critical COVID-19 disease who received tocilizumab. When intubated patients were excluded, the use of tocilizumab was associated with lower mortality.
Tuberculosis (TB) continues to pose a significant public health challenge in India, which is home to one of the highest TB burdens worldwide. This systematic review and meta-analysis will aim to ...synthesize the anticipated progress and potential challenges in achieving TB elimination in India by 2025.
A comprehensive search will be conducted across multiple databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, to identify relevant studies. The eligibility criteria will encompass individuals diagnosed with TB in India, interventions targeting TB treatment, prevention, or control, and various comparator groups. Outcomes of interest will include incidence reduction, mortality rate, treatment success rate, barriers to TB care, and more. Both quantitative and qualitative data will be synthesized, and the risk of bias will be assessed using established tools.
The review is expected to provide a holistic understanding of the TB landscape in India, highlighting the effective interventions and potential challenges in the journey towards TB elimination.
While it is anticipated that significant progress will be made in the fight against TB in India, challenges are likely to persist. This review will offer a comprehensive roadmap for researchers, policymakers, and healthcare professionals, emphasizing the importance of continued efforts, innovative strategies, and a multi-pronged approach in achieving the goal of TB elimination in India by 2025.
The Cu (3 to 15 at%) is incorporated into ZnO thin film by atomic beam co-sputtering has been investigated for enhancement in room temperature ferromagnetism and green photo-luminance. These Cu-ZnO ...thin films examined with Raman spectroscopy, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), UV-Visible spectroscopy, Hall measurement, magnetic force microscopy (MFM) and magnetic hysteresis. Raman spectroscopy, XRD confirms wurtzite structure and improvement in the crystallinity of ZnO upto 7% Cu. Further increase in Cu concentration results in growth in Cu nanoparticles. On increasing Cu concentration, there is decrement in transparency and increase in band gap with increase in n-type carrier concentration as confirmed from UV-Visible and Hall measurement studies. Magnetic measurement exhibited unique feature of room temperature ferromagnetic ordering in undoped and doped sample upto 3% Cu. The enhancement in magnetic moment as well as green emission in photoluminescence response with increase in Cu doping indicates that generation of large defects in ZnO by Cu doping, which can be attributed to combined effect of the presence of oxygen vacancies and/or structural inhomogeneity as well as formation of bound magnetic polarons. Importantly, synthesised Cu doped ZnO thin films can be used as spin LEDs and switchable spin-laser diodes.
Social media has made inroads in medical education. We report the creation and 3-year (2018-2021) longitudinal assessment of the American Society of Head and Neck Radiology Case of the Week ...(#ASHNRCOTW), assessing viewership, engagement, and impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on this Twitter-based education initiative.
Unknown cases were tweeted from the American Society of Head and Neck Radiology account weekly. Tweet impressions (number of times seen), engagements (number of interactions), and new followers were tabulated. A social media marketing platform identified worldwide distribution of Twitter followers. Summary and
test statistics were performed.
#ASHNRCOTW was highly visible with 2,082,280 impressions and 203,137 engagements. There were significantly greater mean case impressions (9917 versus 6346), mean case engagements (1305 versus 474), case engagement rates (13.06% versus 7.76%), mean answer impressions (8760 versus 5556), mean answer engagements (908 versus 436), answer engagement rates (10.38% versus 7.87%), mean total (case + answer) impressions (18,677 versus 11,912), mean total engagements (2214 versus 910), and total engagement rates (11.79% versus 7.69%) for cases published after the pandemic started (all
values < .001). There was a significant increase in monthly new followers after starting #ASHNRCOTW (mean, 134 versus 6;
< .001) and significantly increased monthly new followers after the pandemic started compared with prepandemic (mean, 178 versus 101;
= .003). The American Society of Head and Neck Radiology has 7564 Twitter followers throughout 130 countries (66% outside the United States).
Social media affords substantial visibility, engagement, and global outreach for radiology education. #ASHNRCOTW viewership and engagement increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Summary
Cardiac arrest in the peri‐operative period is rare but associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Current reporting systems do not capture many such events, so there is an ...incomplete understanding of incidence and outcomes. As peri‐operative cardiac arrest is rare, many hospitals may only see a small number of cases over long periods, and anaesthetists may not be involved in such cases for years. Therefore, a large‐scale prospective cohort is needed to gain a deep understanding of events leading up to cardiac arrest, management of the arrest itself and patient outcomes. Consequently, the Royal College of Anaesthetists chose peri‐operative cardiac arrest as the 7th National Audit Project topic. The study was open to all UK hospitals offering anaesthetic services and had a three‐part design. First, baseline surveys of all anaesthetic departments and anaesthetists in the UK, examining respondents' prior peri‐operative cardiac arrest experience, resuscitation training and local departmental preparedness. Second, an activity survey to record anonymised details of all anaesthetic activity in each site over 4 days, enabling national estimates of annual anaesthetic activity, complexity and complication rates. Third, a case registry of all instances of peri‐operative cardiac arrest in the UK, reported confidentially and anonymously, over 1 year starting 16 June 2021, followed by expert review using a structured process to minimise bias. The definition of peri‐operative cardiac arrest was the delivery of five or more chest compressions and/or defibrillation in a patient having a procedure under the care of an anaesthetist. The peri‐operative period began with the World Health Organization ‘sign‐in’ checklist or first hands‐on contact with the patient and ended either 24 h after the patient handover (e.g. to the recovery room or intensive care unit) or at discharge if this occured earlier than 24 h. These components described the epidemiology of peri‐operative cardiac arrest in the UK and provide a basis for developing guidelines and interventional studies.
To assess the efficacy of vacuum constriction devices (VCD) following radical prostatectomy (RP) and determine whether early use of VCD facilitates early sexual activity and potentially earlier ...return of erectile function. This prospective study consisted of 109 patients who underwent nerve-sparing (NS) or non-nerve-sparing (NNS) RP between August 1999 and October 2001 and developed erectile dysfunction following surgery. The patients were randomized to VCD use daily for 9 months (Group 1, N=74) or observation without any erectogenic treatment (Group 2, N=35). Treatment efficacy was analyzed by responses to the Sexual Health Inventory of Men (SHIM) (abridged 5-item International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5)), which were stratified by the NS status. Patient outcome regarding compliance, change in penile length, return of natural erection, and ability for vaginal intercourse were also assessed. The mean patient age was 58.2 years, and the minimum follow-up was 9 months. Use of VCD began at an average of 3.9 weeks after RP. In Group 1, 80% (60/74) successfully used their VCD with a constriction ring for vaginal intercourse at a frequency of twice/week with an overall spousal satisfaction rate of 55% (33/60). In all, 19 of these 60 patients (32%) reported return of natural erections at 9 months, with 10/60 (17%) having erections sufficient for vaginal intercourse. The abridged IIEF-5 score significantly increased after VCD use in both the NS and NNS groups. After a mean use of 3 months, 14/74 (18%) discontinued treatment. In Group 2, 37% (13/35) of patients regained spontaneous erections at a minimum follow-up of 9 months after surgery. However, only four of these patients (29%) had erections sufficient for successful vaginal intercourse and rest of patients (71%) sought adjuvant treatment. Of the 60 successful users, 14 (23%) reported a decrease in penile length and circumference at 9 months (range, 4-8 months) compared to 12/14 (85%) among the nonresponders. However, in control group 22/35 reported decrease in penile length and circumference. Early use of VCD following RP facilitates early sexual intercourse, early patient/spousal sexual satisfaction, and potentially an earlier return of natural erections sufficient for vaginal penetration.
To evaluate the value of adding Diffusion Weighted Imaging (DWI) with Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) mapping to dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE-MRI) to distinguish benign from malignant ...pathology subtypes and tumor recurrence.
In this retrospective IRB approved study, 956 consecutive patients underwent bilateral breast MRI between 1/2015 and 12/2015, with 156 BIRADS 4, 5, or 6 lesions detected in 111 patients. DWI imaging at B0, B100, B600, B1000 was performed with DCE-MRI. Values for diffusion and ADC images were recorded by two fellowship-trained breast radiologists. Mean ADC and signal intensity (SI) values were correlated with histology, tumor grade, hormone receptors (ER, PR, and HER-2)and Oncotype DX scores, when available. p ≤ 0.05 was considered significant.
Of 156 lesions, there were 59 (38%) benign lesions, 24 (15%) Ductal Carcinoma In-Situ, 47 (30%) Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC), 15 (10%) Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC) and 2 (2%) Mucinous carcinoma (MC), five (5%) mixed IDC and ILC, and four (4%) other, including tubular and rare types of malignancy. Mean ADC values for malignancy were significantly lower than for benign lesions (1085 ± 343 × 10
vs 1481 ± 276 × 10
mm
/s), which is highly predictive (area under curve = 0.82). In addition, tumors with PR negativity and Oncotype score ≥18 (intermediate to high risk for recurrence) demonstrated significantly lower ADC values. SI at B100 and B600 was helpful in distinguishing benign versus IDC. There was no significant correlation between ADC values and tumor grade or ER/HER2 status.
ADC value is important factor in distinguishing malignancy, differentiating tumors with higher Oncotype score, and PR negativity. Therefore, it can be used as an important tool to assist appropriate treatment selection.
Limited data exist on outcomes for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) patients treated with multiple lines of therapy. Benchmarks for survival are required for patient counselling and clinical ...trial design.
Outcomes of mRCC patients from the International mRCC Database Consortium database treated with 1, 2, or 3+ lines of targeted therapy (TT) were compared by proportional hazards regression. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were calculated using different population inclusion criteria.
In total, 2705 patients were treated with TT of which 57% received only first-line TT, 27% received two lines of TT, and 16% received 3+ lines of TT. Overall survival of patients who received 1, 2, or 3+ lines of TT were 14.9, 21.0, and 39.2 months, respectively, from first-line TT (P<0.0001). On multivariable analysis, 2 lines and 3+ lines of therapy were each associated with better OS (HR=0.738 and 0.626, P<0.0001). Survival outcomes for the subgroups were as follows: for all patients, OS 20.9 months and PFS 7.2 months; for those similar to eligible patients in the first-line ADAPT trial, OS 14.7 months and PFS 5.6 months; for those similar to patients in first-line TIVO-1 trial, OS 24.8 months and PFS 8.2 months; for those similar to patients in second-line INTORSECT trial, OS 13.0 months and PFS 3.9 months; and for those similar to patients in the third-line GOLD trial, OS 18.0 months and PFS 4.4 months.
Patients who are able to receive more lines of TT live longer. Survival benchmarks provide context and perspective when interpreting and designing clinical trials.
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