Medicine
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Meta Analysis
Efficacy and safety of high-dose tigecycline for the treatment of infectious diseases: A meta-analysis.
High-dose (HD) tigecycline regimen is increasingly used in infectious diseases, however its efficacy and safety versus low-dose (LD) is still unclear. ⋯ HD tigecycline regimen reduced mortality meanwhile improved clinical efficacy and should be considered in serious infections caused by multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant (MDR/XDR) bacteria.
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The purpose of this study was to use meta-analysis techniques to evaluate the efficacy and safety of polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) injections for knee osteoarthritis (OA) treatment. ⋯ The intra-articular use of PDRN was similar in function to HA, and the pain-relief effect was superior to HA for 2 months post-injection. Therefore, it could be a favorable alternative to HA to treat persistent pain associated with knee OA while avoiding side effects.Level of evidence I.
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To assess whether the ultrasound (US) is a reliable approach in detecting lower-limb deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) in patients without symptoms of DVT. ⋯ US could be a useful tool for diagnosing DVT, but it has a lower positive rate and a higher false negative rate. The rate of missed diagnosis of lower-limb DVT by US amounts to 50% or so in the patients without symptoms of DVT. The negative results do not preclude the possibility of DVT and if appropriate heightened surveillance and continued monitoring or try a more accurate inspection method is warranted. The whole leg evaluation and color/doppler technique should be the preferred approach.
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Meta Analysis
The association between vitamin D deficiency and community-acquired pneumonia: A meta-analysis of observational studies.
Emerging evidence has shown that vitamin D deficiency may be related with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), but individually published studies showed inconclusive results. The aim of this study was to quantitatively summarize the association between vitamin D and the CAP. We conducted this meta-analysis though a systematic literature search of PubMed, Medline, and EMBASE up to 31 September 2018 with the following keywords 'vitamin D' or 'cholecalciferol' or '25-hydroxyvitamin D' or '25(OH)D' in combination with 'community-acquired pneumonia' or 'CAP' or 'pneumonia' with no limitations. ⋯ Sensitivity analysis showed that exclusion of any single study did not materially alter the overall combined effect. The evidence from this meta-analysis indicates an association between vitamin D deficiency and an increased risk of CAP patients. However, well-designed trails are required to determine the explicit effect of vitamin D supplementation.
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Multicenter Study
The association between CKD-associated pruritus and quality of life in patients undergoing hemodialysis in Pakistan: A STROBE complaint cross-sectional study.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD)-associated pruritus is one of the most common symptoms found in patients who undergo dialysis for CKD, leading to a compromised quality of life. This study aimed to investigate the association between CKD-associated pruritus and the quality of life in patients undergoing hemodialysis in Pakistan. A cross-sectional multicenter study was carried out from July 2016 to April 2017 in 2 tertiary care hospitals in Pakistan. ⋯ Prevalence of CKD-associated pruritus was reported to be 74% and it negatively affected the patient's quality of life. Patients with moderate to severe CKD-associated pruritus have poor quality of life. With an increase in intensity of pruritus, the QOL score decreased among the patients undergoing hemodialysis.