Δευτέρα 28 Φεβρουαρίου 2022

Outcome measurement in adult flexor tendon injury: A systematic review

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader

J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2021 Sep 20:S1748-6815(21)00423-X. doi: 10.1016/j.bjps.2021.08.033. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Defining the optimal, evidence-based management of flexor tendon injury remains challenging. Lack of consensus on which measures to use to assess the outcome of interventions is a key issue, especially with regard to patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). This systematic review defines the landscape of outcome measurement in studies on interventions for flexor tendon injuries to guide future research.

METHODS: A PRISMA-compliant systematic review was conducted using bespoke search strategies applied to MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CENTRAL, CINAHL and AMED. A protocol was developed and registered prospectively (CRD42020186780). We identified all studies describing adult patients undergoing interventions for acute hand flexor tendon injuries.

RESULTS: Of the 4844 studies, 114 studies met the final inclusion criteria for evaluating the outcomes of 8127 participants with 9071 injured digits. Studies included 24 randomised controlled trials, 19 cohort studies and 61 case series. Nine different PROMs were used in 24 studies (22%): three site-specific PROMs, one generic quality-of-life measure and four visual analogue scales. Clinician-reported outcome measures were used in 103 studies (96%), such as the range of motion reported in 102 studies (94%). Adverse outcomes were reported in 96 studies (89%), with the most frequently reported adverse outcomes being tendon rupture and infection. Re-operation was reported in 21 studies (19%). The most frequently reported health economic outcome measure was the length of work absence, reported in ten studies (9%).

CONCLUSIONS: There is variability in the use of outcome measures used to study interventions for flexor tendon injuries. An independent systematic review of the psychometric properties of the identified outcome measures and a specific multi-stakeholder consensus process may support optimal choice and standardisation for future studies.

PMID:35219612 | DOI:10.1016/j.bjps.2021.08.033

View on the web

Long non-coding RNA ATB is associated with metastases and promotes cell invasion in colorectal cancer via sponging miR-141-3p

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader

Exp Ther Med. 2022 Mar;23(3):238. doi: 10.3892/etm.2022.11163. Epub 2022 Jan 24.

ABSTRACT

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3892/etm.2020.9391.].

PMID:35222715 | PMC:PMC8815047 | DOI:10.3892/etm.2022.11163

View on the web

Metformin reduces chondrocyte pyroptosis in an osteoarthritis mouse model by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader

Exp Ther Med. 2022 Mar;23(3):222. doi: 10.3892/etm.2022.11146. Epub 2022 Jan 17.

ABSTRACT

Osteoarthritis (OA) is an age-related degenerative disease, and its incidence is increasing with the ageing of the population. Metformin, as the first-line medication for the treatment of diabetes, has received increasing attention for its role in OA. The purpose of the present study was to confirm the therapeutic effect of metformin in a mouse model of OA and to determine the mechanism underlying the resultant delay in OA progression. The right knees of 8-week-old C57BL/6 male mice were subjected to destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM). Metformin (200 mg/kg) was then administered daily for 4 or 8 weeks. Safranin O-fast green staining, H&E staining and micro-CT were used to analyse the structure and morphological changes. Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect type II collagen (Col II), matrix metalloproteinase 13 (MMP-13), NO D-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), caspase-1, gasdermin D (GSDMD) and IL-1β protein expression. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of NLRP3, caspase-1, GSDMD and IL-1β. Histomorphological staining showed that metformin delayed the progression of OA in the DMM model. With respect to cartilage, metformin decreased the Osteoarthritis Research Society International score, increased the thickness of hyaline cartilage and decreased the thickness of calcified cartilage. Regarding the mechanism, in cartilage, metformin increased the expression of Col II and decreased the expression of MMP-13, NLRP3, caspase-1, GSDMD and IL-1β. In addition, in subchondral bone, metformin inhibited osteophyte formation, increased the bone volume fraction (%) and the bone mineral density (g/cm3), decreased the trabecular separation (mm) in early stage of osteoarthritis (4 weeks) but the opposite in an advanced stage of osteoarthritis (8 weeks). Overall, metformin inhibited the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome, decreased cartilage degradation, reversed subchondral bone remodelling and inhibited chondrocyte pyroptosis.

PMID:35222699 | PMC:PMC8812147 | DOI:10.3892/etm.2022.11146

View on the web

Managing Cachexia in Head and Neck Cancer: a Systematic Scoping Review

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader

pubmed-meta-image.png

Adv Ther. 2022 Feb 27. doi: 10.1007/s12325-022-02074-9. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) are usually confronted with functional changes due to the malignancy itself or its treatment. These factors typically affect important structures involved in speech, breathing, chewing, swallowing, and saliva production. Consequently, the intake of food will be limited, which further contributes to loss of body weight and muscle mass, anorex ia, malnutrition, fatigue, and anemia. This multifactorial condition can ultimately lead to cancer cachexia syndrome. This study aims to examine the treatment of cachexia in HNC patients.

METHODS: We systematically searched OvidMedline, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science for articles examining the treatment of cachexia in HNC.

RESULTS: A total of nine studies were found, and these suggested interventions including nutritional, pharmacologic, therapeutic exercise, and multimodal approaches. The nutritional intervention includes essential components such as dietary counseling, oral nutritional supplements, and medical nutritional support. Individualized nutritional interventions include oral, enteral (feeding tubes i.e., percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy [PEG], nasogastric tube [NGT]) and parenteral nutrition. The pharmacologic interventions aim at increasing the appetite and weight of cachectic patients. Therapeutic exercise and increased physical activity can help to e nhance the synthesis of muscle protein, reducing inflammation and the catabolic effects of cachexia syndrome.

CONCLUSION: Owing to the multifactorial nature of this syndrome, it is expected that the management approach should be multi-interventional. Early implementation of these interventions may help to improve survival and quality of health and life of cachectic HNC patients.

PMID:35224702 | DOI:10.1007/s12325-022-02074-9

View on the web

Growth in fetuses of the constrictor pharyngis superior with special reference to its meeting with the buccinator: an embryological basis of adult variations in palatopharyngeal anatomy

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader

pubmed-meta-image.png

Surg Radiol Anat. 2022 Feb 28. doi: 10.1007/s00276-022-02907-w. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The constrictor pharyngis superior (CPS) initially develops along the posterior wall of the pharyngeal mucosal tube, whereas, during the early phase, the buccinators (BC) are far anterolateral to the CPS. The process and timing of their meeting during fetal growth have not been determined.

METHODS: The topographical relationship between the growing BC and CPS was as sessed in histological sections from 22 early- and mid-term fetuses of approximate gestational age (GA) 8-16 weeks, and eight late-term fetuses of approximate GA 31-39 weeks.

RESULTS: At 8-9 weeks, the palatopharyngeus appeared to pull the CPS up and forward. Until 11 weeks, the CPS was attached to the hamulus of the pterygoid (pterygopharyngeal part). Until 13 weeks, the CPS extended anterolaterally beyond the hamulus to meet the BC. Some BC muscle fibers originated from the oral mucosa. Notably, by 30 weeks, the CPS-BC interface had become covered by or attached to the palatopharyngeus. Muscle fibers of the palatopharyngeus, however, were thinner than those of the CPS and BC. At and near the interface, BC muscle fibers tended to run along the left-right axis, whereas those of the CPS ran anteroposteriorly. A definite fascia (i.e., a future pterygomandibular raphe) was usually absent between these muscles in fetuses.

CONCLUSIONS: The excess anterior growth of the CPS wi th its subsequent degeneration might cause individual anatomical variations in composite muscle bundles of the palatopharyngeus-CPS complex or palatopharyngeal sphincter. A tensile transduction from the BC to the CPS through the raphe seemed unnecessary for cooperative suckling and swallowing after birth.

PMID:35226125 | DOI:10.1007/s00276-022-02907-w

View on the web

Quality of Life and Functionality of Head and Neck Cancer Patients Are Diminished As a Function of Sarcopenia and Obesity

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader

pubmed-meta-image.png

Ear Nose Throat J. 2022 Feb 28:1455613221076791. doi: 10.1177/01455613221076791. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Health-related quality of life (QoL) is a measure that allows us to know the patient's perception of well-being and how it is affected by their disease and treatments. In cancer patients, sarcopenia has been associated with low scores on various instruments used to assess the QoL; however, little information is available on the effects of sarcopenia an d sarcopenic obesity on the QoL of patients with head and neck cancer (H&NC).

METHODS: In this cross-sectional study with 71 H&NC patients aged between 40 and 80 years, we describe the scores on the instruments EORTC QLQ C-30 and EORTC QLQ-H&N35 according to the sarcopenia phenotype (NSG, nonsarcopenic group; SG, sarcopenic group; and SOG, sarcopenic obesity group), hand-grip strength, gait speed, total lymphocyte count, albumin, cholesterol and C-reactive protein, and the relationships between these variables.

RESULTS: The prevalence of sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity was 48% and 28%, respectively. The QoL analysis showed that NSG had higher scores on the physical functioning scale [NSG 93 (83-100); SG 73 (52-88); SOG 83 (53-93), P = .009] and lower scores on the fatigue scale [NSG 11 (0-22); S 39 (30-67); SOG 44 (14-56); P = .004]. The NSG had a higher hand-grip strength (31.1 kg) than SG (24.1 kg, P = .007) and SOG (26.3 kg, P = .001), and a lower C-reac tive protein. The SG and SOG showed no differences between them.

CONCLUSIONS: Patients with sarcopenia or sarcopenic obesity have lower physical performance and a higher level of fatigue than nonsarcopenic patients. This loss of function can maintain or worsen sarcopenia due to the patient's self-restraint in physical exertion that encourages an increase in muscle tissue.

PMID:35226551 | DOI:10.1177/01455613221076791

View on the web

Κυριακή 27 Φεβρουαρίου 2022

Correlation between olfactory function, age, sex, and cognitive reserve index

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2022 Feb 24. doi: 10.1007/s00405-022-07311-z. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Loss of smell decreases the quality of life and contributes to the failure in recognizing hazardous substances. Given the relevance of olfaction in daily life, it is important to recognize an undiagnosed olfactory dysfunction to prevent these possible complications. Up to now, the prevalence of smell disorders in Italy is unknown due to a lack of epidemiological studies. Hence, the primary aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of olfactory dysfunction in a sample of Italian adults.

METHODS: Six hundred and thirty-three participants (347 woman and 286 men; mean age 44.9 years, SD 17.3, age range 18-86) were recruited from 10 distinct Italian regions. Participants were recruited using a convenience sapling and were divided into six different age groups: 18-29 years (N = 157), 30-39 years (N = 129), 40-49 year s (N = 99), 50-59 years (N = 106), > 60 years (N = 142). Olfactory function, cognitive abilities, cognitive reserve, and depression were assessed, respectively, with: Sniffin' Sticks 16-item Odor Identification Test, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Cognitive Reserve Index, and the Beck Depression Inventory. Additionally, socio-demographic data, medical history, and health-related lifestyle information were collected.

RESULTS: About 27% of participants showed an odor identification score < 12 indicating hyposmia. Multiple regression analysis revealed that OI was significantly correlated with age, sex, and cognitive reserve index, and young women with high cognitive reserve index showing the highest olfactory scores.

CONCLUSION: This study provides data on the prevalence of olfactory dysfunction in different Italian regions.

PMID:35211821 | DOI:10.1007/s00405-022-07311-z

View on the web

L-Thyroxine Improves Vestibular Compensation in a Rat Model of Acute Peripheral Vestibulopathy: Cellular and Behavioral Aspects

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader

Cells. 2022 Feb 16;11(4):684. doi: 10.3390/cells11040684.

ABSTRACT

Unilateral vestibular lesions induce a vestibular syndrome, which recovers over time due to vestibular compensation. The therapeutic effect of L-Thyroxine (L-T4) on vestibular compensation was investigated by behavioral testing and immunohistochemical analysis in a rat model of unilateral vestibular neurectomy (UVN). We demonstrated that a short-term L-T4 treatment reduced the vestibular syndrome and significantly promoted vestibular compensation. Thyroid hormone receptors (TRα and TRβ) and type II iodothyronine deiodinase (DIO2) were present in the vestibular nuclei (VN), supporting a local action of L-T4. We confirmed the T4-induced metabolic effects by demonstrating an increase in the number of cytochrome oxidase-labeled neurons in the VN three days after the lesion. L-T4 treatment modulated glial reaction by decreasing both microglia and oligodendrocytes in the deafferen ted VN three days after UVN and increased cell proliferation. Survival of newly generated cells in the deafferented vestibular nuclei was not affected, but microglial rather than neuronal differentiation was favored by L-T4 treatment.

PMID:35203333 | DOI:10.3390/cells11040684

View on the web

Molecular aetiology of ski-slope hearing loss and audiological course of cochlear implantees

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2022 Feb 25. doi: 10.1007/s00405-022-07317-7. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: A challenge for patients with ski-slope hearing loss is that hearing aids do not adequately amplify the mid-to-high frequencies necessary for speech perception and conversely, cochlear implant (CI) may damage low-frequency hearing. We aimed to describe the clinical profile of patients with ski-slope hearing loss, with a special focus on aetiology of such hearing loss and audiological course of low-frequency hearing after CI.

METHODS: We recruited hearing-impaired patients who visited a tertiary referral centre and met the criteria for ski-slope hearing loss patients from 2015 to 2021. Genetic testing was performed in all ski-slope hearing loss patients unless refused. Baseline audiograms of patients who continued to use hearing aids or who finally underwent CIs were reviewed. As for CI patients, outcome and hearing pr eservation rate were rigorously analysed.

RESULTS: Of 46 recruited patients with ski-slope hearing loss, 45 agreed to undergo genetic testing and causative variants were identified in 17 (37.8%) patients. The TMC1, MYO7A, and TMPRSS3 variants were the most common, while LRTOMT was newly identified as a causative gene. Twenty-five patients eventually received CI, while 13 continued to wear the hearing aid and 8 patients did not ever try hearing aids. CI in ski-slope hearing loss led to immediate and sufficient improvement of sentence recognition by as early as 3 months, however, the duration of hearing loss was inversely correlated with the sentence recognition score. The average hearing preservation rate (using the HEARRING classification) after CI was 53.0% (SD 30.0) and 45.6% (SD 31.1) at 1 year. Seventy-nine percent of implantees maintained functional low-frequency hearing (better than 85 dB at 250 and 500 Hz) eligible for electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS). A trend was fo und that patients with hair cell stereocilia-associated genetic variants may have a slightly better preservation, albeit with no statistical significance.

CONCLUSION: Detection rate of a molecular genetic aetiology of ski-slope hearing loss appears to be lower than other type of hearing loss reported in the literature. Especially with short hearing loss duration, CI in ski-slope hearing loss leads to immediate and sufficient speech improvement, while preserving functional low-frequency hearing eligible for EAS as many as in 79%. A certain genetic aetiology might be associated with a trend towards better low-frequency hearing preservation.

PMID:35212774 | DOI:10.1007/s00405-022-07317-7

View on the web

Computed tomography-based radiomics signature as a pretreatment predictor of progression-free survival in locally advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma with a different response to induction chemotherapy

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2022 Feb 25. doi: 10.1007/s00405-022-07306-w. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To establish and validate a radiomics signature for stratifying the risk of progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with locally advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma (LAHC) undergoing induction chemotherapy (IC).

METHODS: We extracted radiomics features from baseline contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) images. We enrolled 112 LAHC patients (78 in the training cohort and 34 in the validation cohort). We used cox regression model and random survival forests variable hunting (RSFVH) algorithm for feature selection and radiomics signature building. The radiomics signature was established in the training cohort and tested in the validation cohort. We used the Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank test to evaluate the ability of radiomics signature in PFS risk stratification among patients with different IC responses and constructed a radiomics nomogram to predict individual PFS risk.

RESULTS: The radiomics signature performed well in stratifying patients into highrisk and low-risk groups of progression in both the training and validation cohorts. The radiomics nomogram showed good discriminative ability for predicting PFS. Survival outcome analysis of subsets indicated that the radiomics signature performed well in stratifying the risk of PFS in patients with LAHC with different IC responses.

CONCLUSIONS: The radiomics signature was a pretreatment predictor for PFS in patients with LAHC who exhibited different responses to IC.

PMID:35212776 | DOI:10.1007/s00405-022-07306-w

View on the web