Therapeutic applications of capsaicin in humans to target conditions of the respiratory system: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Various studies have explored potential therapeutic applications of capsaicin in human medicine, for example in pain, obesity, cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory disease. The aim of this scoping review was to identify and chart available evidence on therapeutic applications of capsaicin in humans using any mode of capsaicin delivery to treat conditions of the respiratory system. METHODS: Electronic bibliographic databases (Web of Science, PubMed, Medline, ScienceDirect, Embase, Scopus) were searched from inception to 2021 to identify experimental studies reporting clinical outcomes of therapeutic applications of capsaicin. Studies with or without control group published in peer-reviewed journals were included. Animal studies, studies of human cell lines, and physiological proof of concept studies were excluded. Reviewer pairs independently double-screened 2799 search results for inclusion. RESULTS: Twenty-three original studies were included. Capsaicin has been investigated for the treatment of non-allergic rhinitis (n = 15), nasal polyposis (n = 3), allergic rhinitis (n = 2), unexplained chronic cough (n = 2), and prevention of aspiration pneumonia (n = 1). Modes of delivery included intranasal application (nasal spray, soaked pads, solution), inhalation, ingestion, and aural ointment. Seventeen studies reported positive effects of capsaicin on clinical outcomes for rhinitis, nasal polyposis, chronic cough, and pneumonia. Sixteen studies reported on the safety of capsaicin, with no reports of significant adverse events and overall fair to good patient acceptability. CONCLUSION: While the evidence identified in this review has limited implications for clinical practice, studies support the general safety of capsaicin as administered in these studies and highlight emerging strands of research and clinical hypotheses which warrant further examination.

People's Willingness to Vaccinate Against COVID-19 Despite Their Safety Concerns: Twitter Poll Analysis.

BACKGROUND: On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization's Emergency Committee declared the rapid, worldwide spread of COVID-19 a global health emergency. Since then, tireless efforts have been made to mitigate the spread of the disease and its impact, and these efforts have mostly relied on nonpharmaceutical interventions. By December 2020, the safety and efficacy of the first COVID-19 vaccines were demonstrated. The large social media platform Twitter has been used by medical researchers for the analysis of important public health topics, such as the public's perception on antibiotic use and misuse and human papillomavirus vaccination. The analysis of Twitter-generated data can be further facilitated by using Twitter's built-in, anonymous polling tool to gain insight into public health issues and obtain rapid feedback on an international scale. During the fast-paced course of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Twitter polling system has provided a viable method for gaining rapid, large-scale, international public health insights on highly relevant and timely SARS-CoV-2-related topics. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to understand the public's perception on the safety and acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines in real time by using Twitter polls. METHODS: We developed 2 Twitter polls to explore the public's views on available COVID-19 vaccines. The surveys were pinned to the Digital Health and Patient Safety Platform Twitter timeline for 1 week in mid-February 2021, and Twitter users and influencers were asked to participate in and retweet the polls to reach the largest possible audience. RESULTS: The adequacy of COVID-19 vaccine safety (ie, the safety of currently available vaccines; poll 1) was agreed upon by 1579 out of 3439 (45.9%) Twitter users. In contrast, almost as many Twitter users (1434/3439, 41.7%) were unsure about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines. Only 5.2% (179/3439) of Twitter users rated the available COVID-19 vaccines as generally unsafe. Poll 2, which addressed the question of whether users would undergo vaccination, was answered affirmatively by 82.8% (2862/3457) of Twitter users, and only 8% (277/3457) categorically rejected vaccination at the time of polling. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to the perceived high level of uncertainty about the safety of the available COVID-19 vaccines, we observed an elevated willingness to undergo vaccination among our study sample. Since people's perceptions and views are strongly influenced by social media, the snapshots provided by these media platforms represent a static image of a moving target. Thus, the results of this study need to be followed up by long-term surveys to maintain their validity. This is especially relevant due to the circumstances of the fast-paced pandemic and the need to not miss sudden rises in the incidence of vaccine hesitancy, which may have detrimental effects on the pandemic's course.

Virtual and Augmented Reality Applications in Medicine: Analysis of the Scientific Literature.

BACKGROUND: Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) have recently become popular research themes. However, there are no published bibliometric reports that have analyzed the corresponding scientific literature in relation to the application of these technologies in medicine. OBJECTIVE: We used a bibliometric approach to identify and analyze the scientific literature on VR and AR research in medicine, revealing the popular research topics, key authors, scientific institutions, countries, and journals. We further aimed to capture and describe the themes and medical conditions most commonly investigated by VR and AR research. METHODS: The Web of Science electronic database was searched to identify relevant papers on VR research in medicine. Basic publication and citation data were acquired using the "Analyze" and "Create Citation Report" functions of the database. Complete bibliographic data were exported to VOSviewer and Bibliometrix, dedicated bibliometric software packages, for further analyses. Visualization maps were generated to illustrate the recurring keywords and words mentioned in the titles and abstracts. RESULTS: The analysis was based on data from 8399 papers. Major research themes were diagnostic and surgical procedures, as well as rehabilitation. Commonly studied medical conditions were pain, stroke, anxiety, depression, fear, cancer, and neurodegenerative disorders. Overall, contributions to the literature were globally distributed with heaviest contributions from the United States and United Kingdom. Studies from more clinically related research areas such as surgery, psychology, neurosciences, and rehabilitation had higher average numbers of citations than studies from computer sciences and engineering. CONCLUSIONS: The conducted bibliometric analysis unequivocally reveals the versatile emerging applications of VR and AR in medicine. With the further maturation of the technology and improved accessibility in countries where VR and AR research is strong, we expect it to have a marked impact on clinical practice and in the life of patients.

Clinical and radiological results after Internal Brace suture versus the all-inside reconstruction technique in anterior cruciate ligament tears 12 to 18 months after index surgery.

BACKGROUND: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury can lead to reduced function, meniscal lesions, and early joint degeneration. Preservation of a torn ACL using the Internal Brace technique might re-establish normal knee kinematics, avoid donor-site morbidity due to tendon harvesting, and potentially maintain proprioception of the knee. METHODS: Fifty subjects were recruited for this study between December 2015 and October 2016. Two groups of individuals who sustained a unilateral ACL rupture were included: those who underwent surgery with preservation of the injured ACL (Internal Brace technique; IB) and those who underwent ACL reconstruction using a hamstring tendon graft (all-inside technique; AI). Subjective self-administered scores were used: the German version of the IKDC Subjective Knee Form (International Knee Documentation Committee), the German version of the WOMAC (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index), SF-36 (short form), the German version of the KOOS (Knee Osteoarthritis Outcome Score), and the German version of themodified Lysholm Score by Lysholm and Gillquist. Anterior tibial translation was assessed using the KT-1000 Arthrometer (KT-1000 Knee Ligament Arthrometer, MEDmetric Corp., San Diego, CA, USA). Magnetic resonance evaluation was performed in all cases. RESULTS: Twenty-three subjects (46 %) were men, and the mean age was 34.7 years. The objective IKDC scores were "normal" in 15 and 14 patients, "nearly normal" in 11 and 7 patients, and "abnormal" in 1 and 2 patients, in the IB and AI groups, respectively. KT-1000 assessment showed a sideto-side difference of more than 3 mm on maximum manual testing in 11 (44 %) and 6 subjects (28.6 %) in the IB and AI groups, respectively. In the postoperative MRI, 20 (74 %) and 22 subjects (96 %) in the IB and AI groups had an intact ACL. Anterior tibial translation was significantly higher in the IB group compared with the AI group in the manual maximum test. CONCLUSIONS: Preservation of the native ACL with the Internal Brace primary repair technique can achieve comparable results to ACL reconstruction using Hamstring autografts over a short term. Clinically relevant limitations such as a higher incidence of pathologic laxity, with patients more prone to pivot-shift phenomenon were observed during the study period.

Functional performance testing and return to sport criteria in patients after anterior cruciate ligament injury 12-18 months after index surgery: A cross-sectional observational study.

OBJECTIVES: Objective return to sport (RTS) criteria after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury are lacking. Study purposes were (1) to report Limb Symmetry Index (LSI) values achieved in a test battery, (2) to detect how many subjects meet RTS criteria 12-18 months post-operative and (3) to identify whether patient-administered scores predict RTS criteria. DESIGN: Observer-blinded, cross-sectional observational study. SETTING: Traumacenter Linz, Austria. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty-eight subjects (48 females; mean (SD) age: 34.73 (10.8) years); Twenty-five had undergone ACL repair (IB), 21 ACL reconstruction (AI). Forty-two healthy subjects served as control. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants were evaluated using a single-leg hop test battery. The variable of interest was meeting the RTS criteria by reaching defined cut-off values. Logistic regression was used to investigate the relationship between subjective scores (IKDC, WOMAC, KOOS, Lysholm) and fulfillment of RTS criteria. Additionally, subjective physical activity and anterior knee translation were assessed. RESULTS: Thirty-six percent of IB patients and 28.6% of AI patients met RTS criteria. None of the included scores produced significant odds to predict RTS. CONCLUSIONS: Subjective scores, clinical examinations and fulfillment of RTS criteria did not differ significantly between groups. Maximum anterior translation revealed a significant difference (p = 0.009) in favor of the AI group.