Use of blood products during the first months of COVID-19 pandemic period: A single center report.

The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak exerted a serious effect on healthcare. Between 1st of January and May 31, 2020 due to the special regulations in Hungary, the number of reported COVID-19 infections were relatively low (3876 cases). The inpatient and outpatient care and the blood supply were significantly affected by the implemented regulations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of blood products amid the first five months of the pandemic situation. This investigation has observed a significant reduction of hospitalizations (37.35%). Analyzing individually the included units, pre-transfusion hemoglobin concentrations of transfused patients presented slight modifications, which were not statistically significant. The special regulations resulted major changes in the frequency of diagnoses at admissions in case of the Department of Surgery, while in case of the other specialities (Division of Hematology and Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Therapy), there were no major changes compared to pre-pandemic period. Considering each department separately, transfused red blood cell concentrates (RBC) per patient, and the proportion of transfused patients did not change significantly. However, the combination of these modifications resulted in the significant decrease in RBC transfusions (p < 0.0001) compared to the pre-pandemic baseline. With regard to platelet and fresh frozen plasma (FFP), their usage was significantly reduced (44.40% platelet concentrates and 34.27% FFP). Our results indicate that the pandemic had an important effect on the blood product usage at the included departments by introducing different patient care policies and the temporary deferral of the elective surgical interventions. Despite the challenging circumstances of blood collection and blood product supply, the hospitalized patients received adequate care.

Increased risk of adverse events in patients with low-on clopidogrel platelet reactivity after percutaneous coronary intervention: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Clinical evidence has been controversial regarding the influence of low platelet reactivity (LPR), ischemic and bleeding outcomes among patients receiving coronary stent implantation. Hence, the present study performed a meta-analysis to systematically evaluate the significance of LPR on adverse cardiovascular events. METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE and CENTRAL databases were searched up to November 2020 for relevant studies including patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. LPR was the exposed arm while the non-LPR group represented the control. The primary outcome of interest was bleeding risk including major and minor bleeding events. Secondary outcomes included all-cause mortality, repeated revascularization, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and stent thrombosis. Study-level outcomes were evaluated in random-effect models. RESULTS: A total of 20 studies with 19,064 patients were included. Pooled analysis showed that LPR was associated with an increased bleeding risk (relative risk [RR] 2.80, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.95-4.02, p < 0.01). Patients with LPR had a lower risk of non-fatal myocardial infarction (RR 0.59, 95% CI 0.38-0.91, p < 0.05) and of serious vascular events (RR 0.50, 95% CI 0.30-0.84, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Low platelet reactivity is associated with an increased bleeding risk of patients who underwent coronary stent implantation. The results suggest possible benefits of this marker in risk stratification, with potential improvement in risk prediction. There are potential advantages using combinations with other factors in prediction models, however, they require further study. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42019136393).

Paediatric Partial-Thickness Burn Therapy: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review of Randomised Controlled Trials.

BACKGROUND: Paediatric second-degree burn injuries are a significant source of medical challenges to the population that may cause severe, lifelong complications. Currently, there are dozens of therapeutic modalities and we aimed to summarise their reported outcomes and determine their effectiveness, compared to the widely used silver sulphadiazine (SSD). METHODS: We conducted the meta-analysis and systematic review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs), which investigated the performance of dressings in acute paediatric partial-thickness burns. The evaluated endpoints were time until wound closure, grafting and infection rate, number of dressing changes and length of hospitalisation. RESULTS: Twenty-nine RCTs were included in the qualitative and 25 in the quantitative synthesis, but only three trials compared SSD directly to the same intervention (Biobrane). Data analysis showed a tendency for faster healing times and a reduced complication rate linked to biosynthetic, silver foam and amnion membrane dressings. A substantial difference was found between the number of dressing changes associated with less pain, narcosis and treatment duration. CONCLUSIONS: Considerable between-study heterogeneity was caused by the unequal depth subcategory ratio and surface area of the injuries; therefore, no significant difference was found in the main outcomes. Further research is necessary to establish the most effective treatment for these burns.

Immune response to influenza and pneumococcal vaccines in adults with inflammatory bowel disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 1429 patients.

BACKGROUND: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have a high risk for infection. Pneumonia related to influenza and pneumococcal infection is one of the most common infection-related complications in IBD. AIMS: To evaluate the immunogenicity of pneumococcal and influenza vaccination in patients with IBD receiving different treatments. METHODS: We searched four databases for studies evaluating seroprotection and seroconversion rates after influenza or pneumococcal vaccination in IBD on 20th October 2020. In the meta-analysis, odds ratios (OR) were calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: We included twelve studies (1429 patients with IBD) in this meta-analysis. The seroconversion rate after pneumococcal vaccination and the seroprotection rate after influenza vaccination were not significantly lower in patients receiving conventional immunosuppressive treatment compared to the non-immunosuppressed patients. Meanwhile, the seroconversion rate following pneumococcal vaccine was significantly lower in patients with anti-TNF mono- or combination therapy (OR = 0.28, CI: 0.15-0.53, and OR = 0.27, CI: 0.15-0.49, respectively). In the analysis of patients with IBD on conventional immunosuppressive monotherapy versus anti-TNF therapy, the seroprotection rate after influenza immunization did not differ between patients receiving either anti-TNF mono-or combination therapy (OR = 1.45, CI: 0.62-3.38 and OR = 0.91, CI: 0.37-2.22, respectively). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that the immunization against Pneumococcus and influenza is safe and immunogenic despite immunosuppression.

Weight reduction added to CPAP decreases blood pressure and triglyceride level in OSA: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with treatment-resistant hypertension and high cardiovascular risk. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) fails to reduce cardiovascular risks consistently. Obesity and OSA show reciprocal association and they synergistically increase hypertension via different pathways. Our meta-analysis aimed to assess the cardiovascular benefits of combining weight loss (WL) with CPAP (vs. WL or CPAP alone) in OSA. Outcomes included systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) and blood lipid parameters. We explored Medline, Embase, Cochrane, and Scopus. Eight randomized controlled studies (2627 patients) were included. The combined therapy decreased systolic BP more than CPAP alone. Weighted mean difference (WMD) for CPAP + WL versus CPAP was -8.89 mmHg, 95% confidence interval (95% CI; -13.67 to -4.10, p < 0.001) for systolic BP. For diastolic BP, this decrease was not significant. In case of blood lipids, the combined treatment decreased triglyceride levels more than CPAP alone (WMD = -0.31, 95% CI -0.58 to -0.04, p = 0.027). On the other hand, addition of CPAP to WL failed to suppress BP further. The certainty of evidence according to GRADE was very low to moderate. In conclusion, our results showed that the addition of WL to CPAP significantly improved BP and blood lipid values in OSA. On the other hand, the addition of CPAP to WL could not significantly improve BP or blood lipid values. Review protocol: PROSPERO CRD42019138998.

Implicit Mentalizing in Patients With Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Mentalizing is a key aspect of social cognition. Several researchers assume that mentalization has two systems, an explicit one (conscious, relatively slow, flexible, verbal, inferential) and an implicit one (unconscious, automatic, fast, non-verbal, intuitive). In schizophrenia, several studies have confirmed the deficit of explicit mentalizing, but little data are available on non-explicit mentalizing. However, increasing research activity can be detected recently in implicit mentalizing. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to summarize the existing results of implicit mentalizing in schizophrenia. METHODS: A systematic search was performed in four major databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Web of Science. Eleven publications were selected. Five studies were found to be eligible for quantitative synthesis, and 9 studies were included in qualitative synthesis. RESULTS: The meta-analysis revealed significantly lower accuracy, slower reaction time during implicit mentalizing in patients with schizophrenia. The systematic review found different brain activation pattern, further alterations in visual scanning, cue fixation, face looking time, and difficulties in perspective taking. DISCUSSION: Overall, in addition to the deficit of explicit mentalization, implicit mentalization performance is also affected in schizophrenia, if not to the same extent. It seems likely that some elements of implicit mentalization might be relatively unaffected (e.g., detection of intentionality), but the effectiveness is limited by certain neurocognitive deficits. These alterations in implicit mentalizing can also have potential therapeutic consequences.Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier: CRD42021231312.

Dietary supplementation of transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 channel agonists reduces serum total cholesterol level: a meta-analysis of controlled human trials.

Abnormal cholesterol level is a major risk factor in the development of atherosclerosis, which is a fundamental derangement in cardiovascular diseases. Any efforts should be undertaken to lower blood cholesterol levels. Among dietary interventions, capsaicinoid supplementation is also considered as a novel cholesterol-lowering approach, but human studies concluded contradictory results about its effectiveness. The present meta-analysis aimed at determining the effects of capsaicinoids on serum lipid profile in humans. We searched the PubMed, EMBASE, and CENTRAL databases from inception to February 2021. We included 10 controlled studies, which involved 398 participants. We found that dietary capsaicinoid supplementation alone or in combination with other substances significantly (p = 0.004 and 0.001, respectively) reduced serum total cholesterol level compared to controls with an overall standardized mean difference of -0.52 (95% confidence interval: -0.83, -0.21). Capsaicinoids also decreased low-density lipoprotein level significantly (p = 0.035), whereas no effect was observed on serum levels of high-density lipoprotein and triglycerides. Our findings provide novel quantitative evidence for the efficacy of dietary capsaicin supplementation in lowering serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein levels in humans. To validate our conclusion, further randomized controlled trials in a diverse population of adult humans receiving dietary capsaicinoid supplementation are warranted.

Predictive Performance of Serum S100B Versus LDH in Melanoma Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Currently, no consensus on the use of blood tests for monitoring disease recurrence in patients with resected melanoma exists. The only meta-analysis conducted in 2008 found that elevated serum S100B levels were associated with significantly worse survival in melanoma patients. Serum LDH is an established prognostic factor in patients with advanced melanoma. OBJECTIVE: To compare the discriminative and prognostic ability of serum S100B with that of serum LDH in patients with melanoma. METHODS: This systematic review and meta-analysis were reported in accordance with the PRISMA Statement. The study protocol was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; CRD42019137138). RESULTS: A quantitative analysis of data from 6 eligible studies included 1,033 patients with cutaneous melanoma. The discriminative ability of serum S100B at identifying disease relapse [pooled Area Under the ROC (AUROC) 78.64 (95% CI 70.28; 87.01)] was significantly greater than the discriminative ability of serum LDH [AUROC 64.41 (95% CI 56.05; 7278)] (p=0.013). Ten eligible studies with 1,987 patients were included in the risk of death analysis. The prognostic performance of serum S100B [pooled estimate of adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.78 (95% CI 1.38; 2.29)] was independent but not superior to that of serum LDH [HR 1.60 (95% CI 1.36; 2.29)]. LIMITATIONS: A relatively small number of articles were eligible and there was considerable heterogeneity across the included studies. CONCLUSIONS: Serum biomarkers may provide relevant information on melanoma patient status and should be further researched. Serum S100B is a valid marker for diagnosis of melanoma recurrence. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: The study protocol was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; CRD42019137138).

Prevalence and Prognostic Significance of Hyponatremia in Patients With Lung Cancer: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: The prevalence of hyponatremia is highly variable among patients with lung cancer. However, its prevalence and prognostic significance in subgroups of patients with lung cancer have not yet been evaluated in a meta-analysis. Methods: We have registered our meta-analysis and review protocol to the PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews, with the following registration number: CRD42020167013. A systematic search was done in the following sources: MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, Web of Science, ClinicalTrials.gov, a WHO Global Health Library. Results: We identified a total of 8,962 potentially eligible studies, and we included 31 articles in our evaluation. The prevalence of hyponatremia in patients with lung cancer varied between 3 and 94.8% with an average of 25% without any significant differences between the following subgroups: histotype, gender, age, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) state, and the extent of disease. The overall survival (OS) was significantly lower in hyponatremic compared to normonatremic patients at 10 months [RR.59 (95% CI.47-0.74), p < 0.001] and at 20 months [RR.44 (95% CI.33-0.59), p < 0.001], with worse survival rates in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) [RR.27 (95% CI.12-0.44), p < 0.001] than in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) [RR.42 (95% CI.27-0.57), p < 0.001]. If hyponatremia was corrected, OS at 10 months was significantly higher than in the uncorrected hyponatremia group [RR 1.83 (95% CI 1.37-2.44), p < 0.001], but, at 20 months, no statistically significant difference could be found between these subgroups [RR 2.65 (95% CI.94-7.50), p = 0.067]. Conclusions: Patients with lung cancer diagnosed with hyponatremia, especially patients with NSCLC, seem to have significantly lower survival rates than normonatremic patients. If hyponatremia remains uncorrected, the mortality rates might be even higher.

Effect of ivabradine in heart failure: a meta-analysis of heart failure patients with reduced versus preserved ejection fraction.

In clinical trials of heart failure reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), ivabradine seemed to be an effective heart rate lowering agent associated with lower risk of cardiovascular death. In contrast, ivabradine failed to improve cardiovascular outcomes in heart failure preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) despite the significant effect on heart rate. This meta-analysis is the first to compare the effects of ivabradine on heart rate and mortality parameters in HFpEF versus HFrEF. We screened three databases: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library. The outcomes of these studies were mortality, reduction in heart rate, and left ventricular function improvement. We compared the efficacy of ivabradine treatment in HFpEF versus HFrEF. Heart rate analysis of pooled data showed decrease in both HFrEF (-17.646 beats/min) and HFpEF (-11.434 beats/min), and a tendency to have stronger bradycardic effect in HFrEF (p = 0.094) in randomized clinical trials. Left ventricular ejection fraction analysis revealed significant improvement in HFrEF (5.936, 95% CI: [4.199-7.672], p < 0.001) when compared with placebo (p < 0.001). We found that ivabradine significantly improves left ventricular performance in HFrEF, at the same time it exerts a tendency to have improved bradycardic effect in HFrEF. These disparate effects of ivabradine and the higher prevalence of non-cardiac comorbidities in HFpEF may explain the observed beneficial effects in HFrEF and the unchanged outcomes in HFpEF patients after ivabradine treatment.

The Hypothermic Effect of Hydrogen Sulfide Is Mediated by the Transient Receptor Potential Ankyrin-1 Channel in Mice.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been shown in previous studies to cause hypothermia and hypometabolism in mice, and its thermoregulatory effects were subsequently investigated. However, the molecular target through which H2S triggers its effects on deep body temperature has remained unknown. We investigated the thermoregulatory response to fast-(Na2S) and slow-releasing (GYY4137) H2S donors in C57BL/6 mice, and then tested whether their effects depend on the transient receptor potential ankyrin-1 (TRPA1) channel in Trpa1 knockout (Trpa1-/-) and wild-type (Trpa1+/+) mice. Intracerebroventricular administration of Na2S (0.5-1 mg/kg) caused hypothermia in C57BL/6 mice, which was mediated by cutaneous vasodilation and decreased thermogenesis. In contrast, intraperitoneal administration of Na2S (5 mg/kg) did not cause any thermoregulatory effect. Central administration of GYY4137 (3 mg/kg) also caused hypothermia and hypometabolism. The hypothermic response to both H2S donors was significantly (p < 0.001) attenuated in Trpa1-/- mice compared to their Trpa1+/+ littermates. Trpa1 mRNA transcripts could be detected with RNAscope in hypothalamic and other brain neurons within the autonomic thermoeffector pathways. In conclusion, slow- and fast-releasing H2S donors induce hypothermia through hypometabolism and cutaneous vasodilation in mice that is mediated by TRPA1 channels located in the brain, presumably in hypothalamic neurons within the autonomic thermoeffector pathways.

It Is High Time for Personalized Dietary Counseling in Celiac Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Body Composition.

The body composition of patients with celiac disease (CD), on which the effects of a gluten-free diet (GFD) are controversial, differs from that of the average population. In this study, we aimed to compare the body composition across CD patients before a GFD, CD patients after a one-year GFD and non-celiac control subjects. A systematic search was conducted using five electronic databases up to 15 July 2021 for studies that reported at least one of the pre-specified outcomes. In meta-analyses, weighted mean differences (WMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. A total of 25 studies were eligible for systematic review, seven of which were included in meta-analysis. During a ≥1-year GFD, fat mass of CD patients, compared to that at baseline, significantly increased (WMD = 4.1 kg, 95% CI = 1.5 to 6.6, three studies). In CD patients after a ≥1-year GFD, compared to non-celiac controls, fat mass (WMD = -5.8 kg, 95% CI = -8.7 to -2.9, three studies) and fat-free mass (WMD = -1.9 kg, 95% CI = -3.0 to -0.7, three studies) were significantly lower. In conclusion, body composition-related parameters of CD patients differ from that of the non-celiac control subjects even after a longstanding GFD.

Combined use of indomethacin and hydration is the best conservative approach for post-ERCP pancreatitis prevention: A network meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP) is a life-threatening complication. Given the lack of a causative treatment for pancreatitis, it is of vital importance to minimize this risk of PEP. Multi-target preventive therapy may be the best choice for PEP prevention as disease development is multifactorial. AIM: We aimed to assess the efficacy of a combination of indomethacin and hydration - type and amount - for PEP prevention via a network meta-analysis. METHODS: Through a systematic search in three databases, we searched all randomized controlled trials involving hydration and indomethacin and ranked the PEP preventive efficacy with a Bayesian network meta-analysis using the PRISMA for Network Meta-Analyses (PRISMA-NMA) guideline. The RoB2 tool was used for risk of bias assessment, surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) for ranking and PROSPERO for the study protocol [reg. no. CRD42018112698]. We used risk ratios (RR) for dichotomous data with 95% credible intervals (95% CrI). RESULTS: The quantitative analysis included 7559 patients from 24 randomized controlled trials. Based on the SUCRA values, a combination of lactated Ringer's and indomethacin is more effective than single therapy with a 94% certainty. The percent relative risk ratios estimate preventive efficacy 70-99% higher for combinations than single therapies. Aggressive hydration with indomethacin (SUCRA 100%) is also significantly more effective than all other interventions (percent relative effect 94.3-98.1%). CONCLUSIONS: A one-hit-on-each-target therapeutic approach is recommended in PEP prevention with an easily accessible combination of indomethacin and aggressive hydration for all average and high-risk patients without contraindication.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor as a diagnostic and predictive biomarker in sepsis: meta-analysis of clinical trials.

The hunt for useful sepsis biomarkers is ongoing. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) was implicated as a biomarker in sepsis, but its diagnostic and prognostic value has remained unclear in human studies. Here, we aimed at clarifying the value of MIF as a sepsis biomarker with the meta-analysis of clinical trials. PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases were searched until December 2019. From the included studies, blood MIF levels and indicators of disease severity were extracted in septic and control patient groups. Twenty-one eligible studies were identified, including data from 1876 subjects (of which 1206 had sepsis). In the septic patients, blood MIF levels were significantly higher than in healthy controls with a standardized mean difference (SMD) of 1.47 (95% confidence interval, CI: 0.96-1.97; p < 0.001) and also higher than in patient groups with nonseptic systemic inflammation (SMD = 0.94; CI: 0.51-1.38; p < 0.001). Markedly greater elevation in blood MIF level was found in the more severe forms of sepsis and in nonsurvivors than in less severe forms and in survivors with SMDs of 0.84 (CI: 0.45-1.24) and 0.75 (CI: 0.40-1.11), respectively (p < 0.001 for both). In conclusion, blood MIF level is more elevated in systemic inflammation caused by infection (i.e., sepsis) compared to noninfectious causes. In more severe forms of sepsis, including fatal outcome, MIF levels are higher than in less severe forms. These results suggest that MIF can be a valuable diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in sepsis given that well-designed clinical trials validate our findings.

Transversus Abdominis Plane Block Appears to Be Effective and Safe as a Part of Multimodal Analgesia in Bariatric Surgery: a Meta-analysis and Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.

PURPOSE: Pain after bariatric surgery can prolong recovery. This patient group is highly susceptible to opioid-related side effects. Enhanced Recovery After Surgery guidelines strongly recommend the administration of multimodal medications to reduce narcotic consumption. However, the role of ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane (USG-TAP) block in multimodal analgesia of weight loss surgeries remains controversial. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic search was performed in four databases for studies published up to September 2019. We considered randomized controlled trials that assessed the efficacy of perioperative USG-TAP block as a part of multimodal analgesia in patients with laparoscopic bariatric surgery. RESULTS: Eight studies (525 patients) were included in the meta-analysis. Pooled analysis showed lower pain scores with USG-TAP block at every evaluated time point and lower opioid requirement in the USG-TAP block group (weighted mean difference (WMD) = - 7.59 mg; 95% CI - 9.86, - 5.39; p < 0.001). Time to ambulate was shorter with USG-TAP block (WMD = - 2.22 h; 95% CI - 3.89, - 0.56; p = 0.009). This intervention also seemed to be safe: only three non-severe complications with USG-TAP block were reported in the included studies. CONCLUSION: Our results may support the incorporation of USG-TAP block into multimodal analgesia regimens of ERAS protocols for bariatric surgery.

Ultrafiltration is better than diuretic therapy for volume-overloaded acute heart failure patients: a meta-analysis.

Studies on the effectiveness of ultrafiltration (UF) in patients hospitalized with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) have led to heterogeneous study outcomes. This meta-analysis aimed to assess the impact of UF therapy in ADHF patients. We searched the medical literature to identify well-designed studies comparing UF with the usual diuretic therapy in this setting. Systematic evaluation of 8 randomized controlled trials enrolling 801 participants showed greater fluid removal (difference in means 1372.5 mL, 95% CI 849.6 to 1895.4 mL; p < 0.001), weight loss (difference in means 1.592 kg, 95% CI 1.039 to 2.144 kg; p < 0.001) and lower incidences of worsening heart failure (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.43 to 0.94, p = 0.022) and rehospitalization for heart failure (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.36 to 0.82, p = 0.003) without a difference in renal impairment (OR 1.386, 95% CI 0.870 to 2.209; p = 0.169) or all-cause mortality (OR 1.13, 95% CI 0.75 to 1.71, p = 0.546). UF increases fluid removal and weight loss and reduces rehospitalization and the risk of worsening heart failure in congestive patients, suggesting ultrafiltration as a safe and effective treatment option for volume-overloaded heart failure patients.

Efficacy of Biologics Targeting Tumour Necrosis Factor-alpha, Interleukin-17 -12/23, -23 and Small Molecules Targeting JAK and PDE4 in the Treatment of Nail Psoriasis: A Network Meta-analysis.

The comparative efficacy of registered anti-psoriatic biologics and small molecules in treating nail symptoms has not been systematically evaluated. The aim of this study was to perform a network meta-analysis to determine the efficacy of biologics and small mole-cules in nail psoriasis. A Bayesian network meta- analysis of 17 randomized clinical trials (a total of 6,053 nail psoriatic patients) was performed, comparing the short-term (week 10-16) efficacy of biologics and small molecules in the treatment of nail psoriasis. All active treatments were found to be superior to place-bo. Ixekizumab 80 mg every 4 weeks (Nail Psoriasis Severity Index (NAPSI) % improvement, Surface Under the Cumulative Ranking (SUCRA)=0.92) and etanercept 50 mg twice weekly (probability of achiev-ing NAPSI 50, SUCRA=0.82) proved the best short-term treatment options. However, efficacy end-points in psoriasis trials were not optimized for nail assessment, and outcome parameters were highly heterogeneous, limiting comparability. In conclusion, outcome parameters and efficacy endpoints of nail psoriasis trials should be standardized.

Menthol can be safely applied to improve thermal perception during physical exercise: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Menthol is often used as a cold-mimicking substance to allegedly enhance performance during physical activity, however menthol-induced activation of cold-defence responses during exercise can intensify heat accumulation in the body. This meta-analysis aimed at studying the effects of menthol on thermal perception and thermophysiological homeostasis during exercise. PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar databases were searched until May 2020. Menthol caused cooler thermal sensation by weighted mean difference (WMD) of - 1.65 (95% CI, - 2.96 to - 0.33) and tended to improve thermal comfort (WMD = 1.42; 95% CI, - 0.13 to 2.96) during physical exercise. However, there was no meaningful difference in sweat production (WMD = - 24.10 ml; 95% CI, - 139.59 to 91.39 ml), deep body temperature (WMD = 0.02 °C; 95% CI, - 0.11 to 0.15 °C), and heart rate (WMD = 2.67 bpm; 95% CI - 0.74 to 6.09 bpm) between the treatment groups. Menthol improved the performance time in certain subgroups, which are discussed. Our findings suggest that different factors, viz., external application, warmer environment, and higher body mass index can improve menthol's effects on endurance performance, however menthol does not compromise warmth-defence responses during exercise, thus it can be safely applied by athletes from the thermoregulation point of view.

Obesity is a risk factor for developing critical condition in COVID-19 patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The disease course of COVID-19 varies from asymptomatic infection to critical condition leading to mortality. Identification of prognostic factors is important for prevention and early treatment. We aimed to examine whether obesity is a risk factor for the critical condition in COVID-19 patients by performing a meta-analysis. The review protocol was registered onto PROSPERO (CRD42020185980). A systematic search was performed in five scientific databases between 1 January and 11 May 2020. After selection, 24 retrospective cohort studies were included in the qualitative and quantitative analyses. We calculated pooled odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in meta-analysis. Obesity was a significant risk factor for intensive care unit (ICU) admission in a homogenous dataset (OR = 1.21, CI: 1.002-1.46; I2 = 0.0%) as well as for invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) (OR = 2.05, CI: 1.16-3.64; I2 = 34.86%) in COVID-19. Comparing body mass index (BMI) classes with each other, we found that a higher BMI always carries a higher risk. Obesity may serve as a clinical predictor for adverse outcomes; therefore, the inclusion of BMI in prognostic scores and improvement of guidelines for the intensive care of patients with elevated BMI are highly recommended.

Probiotics have beneficial metabolic effects in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

Probiotics have been reported to have a positive impact on the metabolic control of patients with type 2 diabetes. We aimed to systematically evaluate the effects of probiotics on cardiometabolic parameters in type 2 diabetes based on randomized controlled studies. MEDLINE, Embase, and CENTRAL databases were reviewed to search for randomized controlled trials that examined the effects of probiotic supplementation on cardiometabolic parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes. 32 trials provided results suitable to be included in the analysis. The effects of probiotics were calculated for the following parameters: BMI, total cholesterol levels, LDL, triglycerides, HDL, CRP, HbA1c levels, fasting plasma glucose, fasting insulin levels, systolic and diastolic blood pressure values. Data analysis showed a significant effect of probiotics on reducing total cholesterol, triglyceride levels, CRP, HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose, fasting insulin levels, and both systolic and diastolic blood pressure values. Supplementation with probiotics increased HDL levels however did not have a significant effect on BMI or LDL levels. Our data clearly suggest that probiotics could be a supplementary therapeutic approach in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients to improve dyslipidemia and to promote better metabolic control. According to our analysis, probiotic supplementation is beneficial in type 2 diabetes mellitus.