Telemedicine for neurological diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The aim was to systematically review the effectiveness and safety of telemedicine combined with usual care (in-person visits) compared to usual care for the therapeutic management and follow-up assessment of neurological diseases. METHODS: The electronic databases MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched (June 2021). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on patients of any age with neurological diseases were considered. Two reviewers screened and abstracted data in duplicate and independently and assessed risk of bias using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials (RoB 2). When possible, pooled effect estimates were calculated. RESULTS: Of a total of 3018 records initially retrieved, 25 RCTs (n = 2335) were included: 11 (n = 804) on stroke, four (n = 520) on Parkinson's disease, three (n = 110) on multiple sclerosis, two (n = 320) on epilepsy, one (n = 63) on dementia, one (n = 23) on spina bifida, one (n = 40) on migraine, one (n = 22) on cerebral palsy and one (n = 433) on brain damage. Types of telemedicine assessed were online visits (11 studies), tele-rehabilitation (seven studies), telephone calls (three), smartphone apps (two) and online computer software (two). The evidence was quite limited except for stroke. Compared to usual care alone, telemedicine plus usual care was found to improve depressive symptoms, functional status, motor function, executive function, generic quality of life, healthcare utilization and healthy lifestyle in patients in post-stroke follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Well-designed and executed RCTs are needed to confirm our findings on stroke and to have more scientific evidence available for the other neurological diseases.

[Scalp cooling for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced alopecia: systematic review and meta-analysis.] / Enfriamiento del cuero cabelludo para la prevención de la alopecia secundaria a quimioterapia: revisión sistemática y metanálisis.

OBJECTIVE: Alopecia is one of the most common adverse effects of chemotherapy, having a significant impact on the quality of life of patients who suffer from it. Among the interventions available for its prevention, scalp cooling (SC) is the most widely used. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of the use of SC systems during chemotherapy sessions for the prevention or the reduction of the extent of chemotherapy-induced alopecia. METHODS: A systematic review of the literature published up to November 2021 was carried out. Randomized clinical trials were selected. The main outcome measure was alopecia (hair loss>50%) during and after chemotherapy treatment. When possible, a quantitative synthesis of the results was performed through meta-analysis using the Stata v.15.0 software. The risk ratio (RR) of the variable alopecia, was estimated using a random effects model following the Mantel-Haenszel method. Statistical heterogeneity of the results was evaluated graphically and through the test of heterogeneity χ2 and the Higgins I2 statistic. Sensitivity analyses and subgroup analyses were performed. RESULTS: 13 studies were included, with a total of 832 participants (97.7% women). In most studies, the main chemotherapy treatment applied was anthracyclines or the combination of anthracyclines and taxanes. The results obtained indicate that SC prevents alopecia (loss>50%) by 43% compared to the control group (RR=0.57; 95% CI=0.46 to 0.69; k=9; n=494; I2=63.8%). No statistically significant difference was found between the efficacy of automated and non-automated cooling systems (P=0.967). No serious short- or medium-term adverse events related to SC were recorded. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that scalp cooling contributes to the prevention of chemotherapy-induced alopecia.

OBJETIVO: La alopecia es uno de los efectos adversos más comunes de la quimioterapia, con un impacto importante sobre la calidad de vida de los/las pacientes que la padecen. Entre las intervenciones disponibles para su prevención, el enfriamiento del cuero cabelludo (ECC) es la que cuenta con un uso más extendido. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la eficacia y la seguridad del uso de sistemas de ECC durante las sesiones de quimioterapia para la prevención o reducción de la extensión de la alopecia secundaria a la quimioterapia. METODOS: Se llevó a cabo una revisión sistemática de la literatura publicada hasta noviembre de 2021. Se seleccionaron ensayos clínicos aleatorizados. La medida de resultado principal fue la alopecia (pérdida de cabello superior al 50%) durante y posteriormente al tratamiento de quimioterapia. Cuando fue posible, se realizó síntesis cuantitativa de los resultados mediante metanálisis con el programa Stata v.15.0. Se estimó el riesgo relativo (RR) de la variable alopecia, utilizando un modelo de efectos aleatorios siguiendo el método de Mantel-Haenszel. La heterogeneidad estadística de los resultados se evaluó gráficamente y mediante el test de la χ2 y el estadístico I2 de Higgins. Se realizaron análisis de sensibilidad y análisis de subgrupos. RESULTADOS: Se incluyeron 13 estudios con un total de 832 participantes (97,7% de mujeres). En la mayoría de los estudios, los agentes quimioterapéuticos principales aplicados fueron las antraciclinas o la combinación de antraciclinas y taxanos. Los resultados obtenidos indican que el ECC reduce la aparición de la alopecia un 43% frente al grupo control (RR=0,57; IC95%=0,46 a 0,69; k=9; n=494; I2=63,8%). No se encontró una diferencia estadísticamente significativa entre la eficacia de sistemas de enfriamiento automatizados y no automatizados (P=0,967). No se registraron eventos adversos graves a corto o medio plazo relacionados con el ECC. CONCLUSIONES: Los resultados sugieren que el ECC contribuye a prevenir la alopecia secundaria a la quimioterapia.

Percutaneous ethanol injection in thyroid nodular pathology and metastatic cervical adenopathies: A systematic review, meta-analysis and economic evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) has been shown to be a valuable treatment for thyroid nodular pathology and metastatic cervical adenopathies. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and cost-effectiveness of PEI in thyroid nodular pathology and metastatic cervical adenopathies. METHODS: A systematic review (SR) using meta-analysis was conducted on the effectiveness and safety of PEI. A SR on cost-effectiveness was also performed. The SRs were conducted according to the methodology developed by the Cochrane Collaboration with reporting in accordance with the PRISMA statement. A cost-minimization analysis was carried out using a decision tree model. Assuming equal effectiveness between two minimally invasive techniques (PEI and radiofrequency ablation (RFA)), the model compared the costs of the alternatives with a horizon of six months and from the perspective of the Spanish National Health System. RESULTS: The search identified three RCTs (n=157) that evaluated PEI versus RFA in patients diagnosed with benign thyroid nodules: ninety-six patients with predominantly cystic nodules and sixty-one patients with solid nodules. No evidence was found on other techniques or thyroid nodular pathology. No statistically significant differences were observed between PEI and RFA in volume reduction (%), symptom score, cosmetic score, therapeutic success and major complications. No economic evaluations were identified. The cost-minimization analysis estimated the cost per patient of the PEI procedure at €326 compared to €4781 for RFA, which means an incremental difference of -€4455. CONCLUSIONS: There are no differences between PEI and RFA regarding their safety and effectiveness, but the economic evaluation determined that the former option is cheaper.

Prognostic Impact of Sarcopenia in Patients with Advanced Prostate Carcinoma: A Systematic Review.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common cancer in men and the fifth leading cause of death from cancer. The possibility of sarcopenia being a prognostic factor in advanced PCa patients has recently become a subject of interest. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prognostic value of sarcopenia in advanced prostate carcinoma. A systematic review was conducted in Medline, EMBASE, and Web of Science (March, 2021). The quality of studies was assessed using the Quality in Prognosis Studies tool. Meta-analyses for overall, cancer-specific, and progression-free survival were performed. Nine studies (n = 1659) were included. Sarcopenia was borderline associated with a shorter overall survival (HR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.44, P = 0.04, I2 = 43%) but was significantly associated with progression-free survival (HR = 1.61, 95% CI: 1.26, 2.06, P < 0.01; k = 3; n = 588). Available evidence supports sarcopenia as an important prognostic factor of progression-free survival in patients with advanced PCa. However, sarcopenia has a weak association with a shorter overall survival. The evidence on the role of sarcopenia in prostate-cancer-specific survival is insufficient and supports the need for further research. Patient summary: The literature was reviewed to determine whether the loss of muscle mass (sarcopenia) affects the survival in patients with advanced PCa. Patients with advanced PCa and sarcopenia were found to have a shorter progression-free survival (the length of time during and after treatment of a cancer that the patient lives with the disease but it does not get worse), but sarcopenia did not have much influence on the overall survival and cancer-specific survival (the length of time from either the date of diagnosis or the start of treatment to the date of death due to the cancer).

Molecular Biomarkers for the Detection of Clinically Significant Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Context: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common type of cancer in men. Individualized risk stratification is crucial to adjust decision-making. A variety of molecular biomarkers have been developed in order to identify patients at risk of clinically significant PCa (csPCa) defined by the most common PCa risk stratification systems. Objective: The present study aims to examine the effectiveness (diagnostic accuracy) of blood or urine-based PCa biomarkers to identify patients at high risk of csPCa. Evidence acquisition: A systematic review of the literature was conducted. Medline and EMBASE were searched from inception to March 2021. Randomized or nonrandomized clinical trials, and cohort and case-control studies were eligible for inclusion. Risk of bias was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 (QUADAS-2) tool. Pooled estimates of sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve were obtained. Evidence synthesis: Sixty-five studies (N = 34 287) were included. Not all studies included prostate-specific antigen-selected patients. The pooled data showed that the Prostate Health Index (PHI), with any cutoff point between 15 and 30, had sensitivity of 0.95-1.00 and specificity of 0.14-0.33 for csPCa detection. The pooled estimates for SelectMDx test sensitivity and specificity were 0.84 and 0.49, respectively. Conclusions: The PHI test has a high diagnostic accuracy rate for csPCa detection, and its incorporation in the diagnostic process could reduce unnecessary biopsies. However, there is a lack of evidence on patient-important outcomes and thus more research is needed. Patient summary: It has been possible to verify that the application of biomarkers could help detect prostate cancer (PCa) patients with a higher risk of poorer evolution. The Prostate Health Index shows an ability to identify 95-100 for every 100 patients suffering from clinically significant PCa who take the test, preventing unnecessary biopsies in 14-33% of men without PCa or insignificant PCa.