Effect of obstructive sleep apnea on postoperative delirium: a system review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: To investigate the impact of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on postoperative delirium (PD), and evaluate the effectiveness of positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy on PD among OSA patients. METHODS: We systematically searched Embase, Cochrane Library and PubMed databases from their establishment to November 27, 2022. A random-effects approach was employed to determine aggregated results. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were carried out to investigate heterogeneity. RESULTS: Sixteen eligible studies were included in the analysis. Thirteen studies revealed that OSA significantly elevated the likelihood of developing PD (OR = 1.71; 95%CI = 1.17 to 2.49; p = 0.005). Subgroup analysis according to delirium assessment scales showed that OSA did not exhibit an association with the incidence of PD assessed by the Confusion Assessment Method-Intensive Care Unit (OR = 1.14; 95%CI = 0.77 to 1.67; p = 0.51) but enhanced the likelihood of developing PD evaluated with other measurement scales (OR = 2.15; 95%CI = 1.44 to 3.19; p = 0.0002). Three additional studies explored the impact of PAP treatment on PD among OSA individuals, indicating no significant reduction in PD incidence with PAP use (OR = 0.58; 95%CI = 0.13 to 2.47; p = 0.46). CONCLUSIONS: OSA may not be a risk factor for PD in critically ill patients in the intensive care unit, but may increase the likelihood of developing PD among individuals receiving regular care in the ward postoperatively. The efficacy of PAP therapy in decreasing PD incidence among OSA patients remains debatable.

Clinical profile analysis and nomogram for predicting in-hospital mortality among elderly severe community-acquired pneumonia patients: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Severe community-acquired pneumonia is one of the most lethal forms of CAP with high mortality. For rapid and accurate decisions, we developed a mortality prediction model specifically tailored for elderly SCAP patients. METHODS: The retrospective study included 2365 elderly patients. To construct and validate the nomogram, we randomly divided the patients into training and testing cohorts in a 70% versus 30% ratio. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used in the training cohort to identify independent risk factors. The robustness of this model was assessed using the C index, ROC and AUC. DCA was employed to evaluate the predictive accuracy of the model. RESULTS: Six factors were used as independent risk factors for in-hospital mortality to construct the prediction model, including age, the use of vasopressor, chronic renal disease, neutrophil, platelet, and BUN. The C index was 0.743 (95% CI 0.719-0.768) in the training cohort and 0.731 (95% CI 0.694-0.768) in the testing cohort. The ROC curves and AUC for the training cohort and testing cohort (AUC = 0.742 vs. 0.728) indicated a robust discrimination. And the calibration plots showed a consistency between the prediction model probabilities and observed probabilities. Then, the DCA demonstrated great clinical practicality. CONCLUSIONS: The nomogram incorporated six risk factors, including age, the use of vasopressor, chronic renal disease, neutrophil, platelet and BUN, which had great predictive accuracy and robustness, while also demonstrating clinical practicality at ICU admission.

Differences in the clinical characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 patients in the epicenter and peripheral areas of the pandemic from China: a retrospective, large-sample, comparative analysis.

BACKGROUND: There is limited information on the difference in epidemiology, clinical characteristics and outcomes of the initial outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Wuhan (the epicenter) and Sichuan (the peripheral area) in the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was conducted to investigate the differences in the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients with COVID-19 between the epicenter and peripheral areas of pandemic and thereby generate information that would be potentially helpful in formulating clinical practice recommendations to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: The Sichuan & Wuhan Collaboration Research Group for COVID-19 established two retrospective cohorts that separately reflect the epicenter and peripheral area during the early pandemic. The epidemiology, clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients in the two groups were compared. Multivariate regression analyses were used to estimate the adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with regard to the outcomes. RESULTS: The Wuhan (epicenter) cohort included 710 randomly selected patients, and the peripheral (Sichuan) cohort included 474 consecutive patients. A higher proportion of patients from the periphery had upper airway symptoms, whereas a lower proportion of patients in the epicenter had lower airway symptoms and comorbidities. Patients in the epicenter had a higher risk of death (aOR=7.64), intensive care unit (ICU) admission (aOR=1.66), delayed time from illness onset to hospital and ICU admission (aOR=6.29 and aOR=8.03, respectively), and prolonged duration of viral shedding (aOR=1.64). CONCLUSIONS: The worse outcomes in the epicenter could be explained by the prolonged time from illness onset to hospital and ICU admission. This could potentially have been associated with elevated systemic inflammation secondary to organ dysfunction and prolonged duration of virus shedding independent of age and comorbidities. Thus, early supportive care could achieve better clinical outcomes.

Correction to: The effect of corticosteroids on the mortality of patients with influenza pneumonia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Characteristics of Pulmonary Auscultation in Patients with 2019 Novel Coronavirus in China.

BACKGROUND: Effective auscultations are often hard to implement in isolation wards. To date, little is known about the characteristics of pulmonary auscultation in novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pneumonia. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to explore the features and clinical significance of pulmonary auscultation in COVID-19 pneumonia using an electronic stethoscope in isolation wards. METHODS: This cross-sectional, observational study was conducted among patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 at Wuhan Red-Cross Hospital during the period from January 27, 2020, to February 12, 2020. Standard auscultation with an electronic stethoscope was performed and electronic recordings of breath sounds were analyzed. RESULTS: Fifty-seven patients with average age of 60.6 years were enrolled. The most common symptoms were cough (73.7%) during auscultation. Most cases had bilateral lesions (96.4%) such as multiple ground-glass opacities (69.1%) and fibrous stripes (21.8%). High-quality auscultation recordings (98.8%) were obtained, and coarse breath sounds, wheezes, coarse crackles, fine crackles, and Velcro crackles were identified. Most cases had normal breath sounds in upper lungs, but the proportions of abnormal breath sounds increased in the basal fields where Velcro crackles were more commonly identified at the posterior chest. The presence of fine and coarse crackles detected 33/39 patients with ground-glass opacities (sensitivity 84.6% and specificity 12.5%) and 8/9 patients with consolidation (sensitivity 88.9% and specificity 15.2%), while the presence of Velcro crackles identified 16/39 patients with ground-glass opacities (sensitivity 41% and specificity 81.3%). CONCLUSIONS: The abnormal breath sounds in COVID-19 pneumonia had some consistent distributive characteristics and to some extent correlated with the radiologic features. Such evidence suggests that electronic auscultation is useful to aid diagnosis and timely management of the disease. Further studies are indicated to validate the accuracy and potential clinical benefit of auscultation in detecting pulmonary abnormalities in COVID-19 infection.

Prevention and treatment system of novel coronavirus infection in medical and health institutions: experience in West China Hospital of Sichuan University.

The novel coronavirus infection broke out in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, and progressed to a global pandemic. We describe the measures taken by West China Hospital of Sichuan University to address the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of the infection.

Multidetector computed tomography angiography prior to bronchial artery embolization helps detect culprit ectopic bronchial arteries and non-bronchial systemic arteries originating from subclavian and internal mammary arteries and improve hemoptysis-free early survival rate in patients with hemoptysis.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the average number of culprit arteries per patient, clinical success rate, and hemoptysis-free survival rate between hemoptysis patients with multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) angiography prior to bronchial artery embolization (BAE) and those without preprocedural MDCT angiography METHODS: This retrospective study was approved by the institutional review board with waiver of patient informed consent. From September 2012 to March 2017, 157 consecutive hemoptysis patients had been undergoing BAE. Among them, 106 patients received preprocedural MDCT angiography (MDCT group), while 51 patients did not receive preprocedural MDCT angiography (control group). The average number of culprit arteries per patient, clinical success rate, and hemoptysis-free survival rate were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The average number of culprit ectopic bronchial arteries and that of non-bronchial systemic arteries originating from the subclavian and internal mammary arteries per patient in the MDCT group were both significantly higher than those in the control group (0.15 ± 0.51 vs 0.04 ± 0.20, p = 0.022, and 0.17 ± 0.56 vs 0.08 ± 0.39, p = 0.040, respectively). The clinical success rate of BAE with preprocedural MDCT angiography tended to be higher than that without MDCT angiography (97.2 vs 88.2%, p = 0.057). Importantly, patients in the MDCT group had a significantly higher hemoptysis-free early survival rate compared to those in the control group (96.1 vs 86.7%, p = 0.031). CONCLUSIONS: Preprocedural MDCT angiography helps detect culprit ectopic bronchial arteries and non-bronchial systemic arteries originating from subclavian and internal mammary arteries during BAE, and can improve the hemoptysis-free early survival rate, which could be recommended as a regular examination prior to BAE in patients with hemoptysis. KEY POINTS: • Preprocedural MDCT angiography helps detect culprit ectopic bronchial arteries and NBSAs originating from subclavian and internal mammary arteries during BAE. • Conducting MDCT angiography prior to BAE can improve hemoptysis-free early survival rate in hemoptysis patients.

The effect of corticosteroids on mortality of patients with influenza pneumonia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The effect of corticosteroids on clinical outcomes in patients with influenza pneumonia remains controversial. We aimed to further evaluate the influence of corticosteroids on mortality in adult patients with influenza pneumonia by comparing corticosteroid-treated and placebo-treated patients. METHODS: The PubMed, Embase, Medline, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and Information Sciences Institute (ISI) Web of Science databases were searched for all controlled studies that compared the effects of corticosteroids and placebo in adult patients with influenza pneumonia. The primary outcome was mortality, and the secondary outcomes were mechanical ventilation (MV) days, length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU LOS), and the rate of secondary infection. RESULTS: Ten trials involving 6548 patients were pooled in our final analysis. Significant heterogeneity was found in all outcome measures except for ICU LOS (I2 = 38%, P = 0.21). Compared with placebo, corticosteroids were associated with higher mortality (risk ratio [RR] 1.75, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.30 ~ 2.36, Z = 3.71, P = 0.0002), longer ICU LOS (mean difference [MD] 2.14, 95% CI 1.17 ~ 3.10, Z = 4.35, P < 0.0001), and a higher rate of secondary infection (RR 1.98, 95% CI 1.04 ~ 3.78, Z = 2.08, P = 0.04) but not MV days (MD 0.81, 95% CI - 1.23 ~ 2.84, Z = 0.78, P = 0.44) in patients with influenza pneumonia. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with influenza pneumonia, corticosteroid use is associated with higher mortality. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO (ID: CRD42018112384 ).

Nighttime is associated with decreased survival for out of hospital cardiac arrests: A meta-analysis of observational studies.

INTRODUCTION: The relationship between time of day and the clinical outcomes of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remains inconclusive. We undertook a meta-analysis to assess the available evidence on the relationship between nighttime and prognosis for patients with OHCA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PubMed and EMBASE were searched through June 20, 2018, to identify all studies assessing the relationship between nighttime and prognosis for patients with OHCA. Random effects modes were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Eight observational studies met the inclusion criteria. Meta-analysis of 8 studies showed that compared with nighttime, the daytime OHCA patients had higher 1-month/in-hospital survival (OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.15-1.37; P = 0.00), with high heterogeneity among the studies (I2 = 82.8%, P = 0.00). CONCLUSIONS: Patients who experienced OHCA during the nighttime had lower 1-month/in-hospital survival than those with daytime OHCA. In addition to arrest event and pre-hospital care factors, patients' comorbidity and hospital-based care may also be responsible for lower survival at night.

Can corticosteroids reduce the mortality of patients with severe sepsis? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The effects of corticosteroids on clinical outcomes of patients with sepsis remains controversial. We aimed to further determine the effectiveness of corticosteroids in reducing mortality in adult patients with severe sepsis by comparison with placebo. METHODS: Pubmed, Embase, Medline, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) as well as the Information Sciences Institute (ISI) Web of Science were searched for all controlled studies that compared corticosteroids and placebo in adult patients with severe sepsis. The primary outcome was the mortality 28-day mortality and the secondary outcomes were mortality at longest follow up, occurrence, and reoccurrence of septic shock. RESULTS: A total of 19 trials involving 7035 patients were pooled in our final analyses. No significant heterogeneity was found in any of the outcome measures. Compared with placebo, corticosteroids were associated with a lower 28-day mortality (RR 0.91, 95% CI 0.85-0.98, Z = 2.57, P = 0.01) both in patients having sepsis and in those who developed septic shock (RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.85-0.99, Z = 2.19, P = 0.03), while no significant difference was found in mortality with the longest follow up in patients either having sepsis (RR 0.94, 95% CI 0.89-1.00, Z = 1.93, P = 0.05), or occurrence (RR 0.83, 95% CI 0.56-1.24, Z = 0.90, P = 0.37) or reoccurrence of septic shock (RR 1.08, 95% CI 1.00-1.16, Z = 1.89, P = 0.06). CONCLUSIONS: Corticosteroids were effective in reducing the 28-day mortality in patients with severe sepsis and in those with septic shock.

The effect of hyperoxia on mortality in critically ill patients: a systematic review and meta analysis.

BACKGROUND: Studies investigating the role of hyperoxia in critically ill patients have reported conflicting results. We did this analysis to reveal the effect of hyperoxia in the patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: Electronic databases were searched for all the studies exploring the role of hyperoxia in adult patients admitted to ICU. The primary outcome was mortality. Random-effect model was used for quantitative synthesis of the adjusted odds ratio (aOR). RESULTS: We identified 24 trials in our final analysis. Statistical heterogeneity was found between hyperoxia and normoxia groups in patients with mechanical ventilation (I2 = 92%, P < 0.01), cardiac arrest(I2 = 63%, P = 0.01), traumatic brain injury (I2 = 85%, P < 0.01) and post cardiac surgery (I2 = 80%, P = 0.03). Compared with normoxia, hyperoxia was associated with higher mortality in overall patients (OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.12~1.33), as well as in the subgroups of cardiac arrest (OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.08~1.57) and extracorporeal life support (ELS) (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.03~2.02). CONCLUSIONS: Hyperoxia would lead to higher mortality in critically ill patients especially in the patients with cardiac arrest and ELS.

The effect of aspirin in preventing the acute respiratory distress syndrome/acute lung injury: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The effects of aspirin in preventing the occurrence of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)/acute lung injury (ALI) among adult patients are controversial. We aimed to further determine the effectiveness of aspirin in reducing the rate of ARDS/ALI. METHODS: The Pubmed, Embase, Medline, ClinicalTrials.gov, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) as well as the Information Sciences Institute (ISI) Web of Science were searched for all controlled studies that research the role of aspirin in adult patients who have the risk of ARDS/ALI. The outcomes were the ARDS/ALI rate and the mortality. Cochrane systematic review software, Review Manager (RevMan), the R software for statistical computing version 3.2.0, and the metafor package were used to test the hypothesis by Mann-Whitney U test. The heterogeneity test and sensitivity analyses were conducted, and random-effects or fixed-effects model was applied to calculate odds ratio (OR) and mean difference (MD) for dichotomous and continuous data, respectively. RESULTS: Six trials involving 6562 patients were pooled in our final study. No significant heterogeneity was found in outcome measures. Aspirin could reduce the rate of ARDS/ALI (OR 0.71, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.58-0.86) but not the mortality (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.71-1.07). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with risk of ARDS/ALI, aspirin could provide protective effect on the rate of ARDS/ALI, but it could not reduce the mortality.

The effect of high-flow nasal cannula in reducing the mortality and the rate of endotracheal intubation when used before mechanical ventilation compared with conventional oxygen therapy and noninvasive positive pressure ventilation. A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The effects of high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) on adult patients when used before mechanical ventilation (MV) are unclear. We aimed to determine the effectiveness of HFNC when used before MV by comparison to conventional oxygen therapy (COT) and noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV). METHODS: The Pubmed, Embase, Medline, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) as well as the Information Sciences Institute (ISI) Web of Science were searched for all the controlled studies that compared HFNC with NIPPV and COT when used before MV in adult patients. The primary outcome was the rate of endotracheal intubation and the secondary outcomes were intensive care unit (ICU) mortality and length of ICU stay (ICU LOS). RESULTS: Eight trials with a total of 1084 patients were pooled in our final studies. No significant heterogeneity was found in outcome measures. Compared both with COT and NIPPV, HFNC could reduce both of the rate of endotracheal intubation (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.38-0.99, P=0.05; OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.31-0.73, P=0.0006) and ICU mortality (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.24-0.93, P=0.03; OR 0.36, 95% CI 0.20-0.63, P=0.0004). As for the ICU LOS, we did not find any advantage of HFNC over COT or NIPPV. CONCLUSIONS: When used before MV, HFNC can improve the prognosis of patients compared both with the COT and NIPPV.

Can body mass index predict clinical outcomes for patients with acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome? A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The effects of body mass index (BMI) on the prognosis of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are controversial. We aimed to further determine the relationship between BMI and the acute outcomes of patients with ARDS. METHODS: We searched the Pubmed, Embase, Medline, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and ISI Web of Science for trials published between 1946 and July 2016, using "BMI" or "body mass index" or "overweight" or "obese" and "ARDS" or "ALI" or "acute respiratory distress syndrome" or "acute lung injury", without limitations on publication type or language. Heterogeneity and sensitivity analyses were conducted, and a random-effects model was applied to calculate the odds ratio (OR) or mean difference (MD). Review Manager (RevMan) was used to test the hypothesis using the Mann-Whitney U test. The primary outcome was unadjusted mortality, and secondary outcomes included mechanical ventilation (MV)-free days and length of stay (LOS) in the intensive care unit (ICU) and in hospital. RESULTS: Five trials with a total of 6268 patients were pooled in our final analysis. There was statistical heterogeneity between normal-weight and overweight patients in LOS in the ICU (I 2 = 71%, χ 2 = 10.27, P = 0.02) and in MV-free days (I 2 = 89%, χ 2 = 18.45, P < 0.0001). Compared with normal weight, being underweight was associated with higher mortality (OR 1.59, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.22, 2.08, P = 0.0006), while obesity and morbid obesity were more likely to result in lower mortality (OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.57, 0.80, P < 0.00001; OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.56, 0.93, P = 0.01). MV-free days were much longer in patients with morbid obesity (MD 2.64, 95% CI 0.60, 4.67, P = 0.01), but ICU and hospital LOS were not influenced by BMI. An important limitation of our analysis is the lack of adjustment for age, sex, illness severity, comorbid illness, and interaction of outcome parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity and morbid obesity are associated with lower mortality in patients with ARDS.

The effect of sedation and/or analgesia as rescue treatment during noninvasive positive pressure ventilation in the patients with Interface intolerance after Extubation.

BACKGROUND: Sedation and/or analgesia can relieve the patient-ventilator asynchrony. However, whether sedation and/or analgesia can benefit the clinical outcome of the patients with interface intolerance is still unclear. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed on patients with interface intolerance who received noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) after extubation in seven intensive care units (ICU) of West China Hospital, Sichuan University. The primary outcome was rate of NIPPV failure (defined as need for reintubation and mechanical ventilation); Secondary outcomes were hospital mortality rate and length of ICU stay after extubation. RESULTS: A total of 80 patients with oral-nasal mask (90%) and facial mask (10%) were included in the analysis. 41 out of 80 patients received sedation and/or analgesia treatment (17 used analgesia, 11 used sedation and 13 used both) at some time during NIPPV. They showed a decrease of NIPPV failure rate, (15% vs. 38%, P = 0.015; adjusted odd ratio [OR] 0.29, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.10-0.86, P = 0.025), mortality rate (7% vs. 33%, P = 0.004; adjusted OR 0.14, 95% CI 0.03-0.60, P = 0.008), and the length of ICU stay after extubation. CONCLUSION: This clinical study suggests that sedation and/or analgesia treatment can decrease the rate of NIPPV failure, hospital mortality rate and ICU LOS in patients with interface intolerance after extubution during NIPPV.

Can high-flow nasal cannula reduce the rate of reintubation in adult patients after extubation? A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The effects of high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) on adult patients after extubation remain controversial. We aimed to further determine the effectiveness of HFNC in comparison to noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) and conventional oxygen therapy (COT). METHODS: The Pubmed, Embase, Medline, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trails (CENTRAL) as well as the Information Sciences Institute (ISI) Web of Science were searched for all the controlled study comparing HFNC with NIPPV and COT in adult patients after extubation. The primary outcome was rate of reintubation and the secondary outcomes were intensive care unit (ICU) mortality and length of ICU stay (ICU LOS). RESULTS: Eight trials with a total of 2936 patients were pooled in our final studies. No significant heterogeneity was found in outcome measures. Compared with COT, HFNC was associated with lower rate of reintubation (Z = 2.97, P = 0.003), and the same result was found in the comparison between HFNC and NIPPV (Z = 0.87, P = 0.38). As for the ICU mortality and ICU LOS, we did not find any advantage of HFNC over COT or NIPPV. CONCLUSIONS: In patients after extubation, HFNC is a reliable alternative of NIPPV to reduce rate of reintubation compared with COT.

Tumour markers in rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease.

OBJECTIVES: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is the most common pulmonary extra-articular manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but the pathogenesis of RA-ILD is unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the tumour markers levels in patients of rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD) and to explore the diagnostic value of serum tumour markers for RA-ILD. METHODS: Twenty-eight patients with RA-ILD and 83 patients with RA only were included. Serum levels of tumour markers carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen (CA) 15-3, CA125, and CA19-9 were measured. RESULTS: Tumour markers CA15-3, CA125 and CA19-9 were increased in RA-ILD patients compared with RA without ILD patients. Logistic regression analysis revealed that older age (OR=1.06, 95% CI=[1.02-1.11]) and higher CA125 (OR=1.03, 95% CI=[1.01-1.05]) related to the increased risk of RA-ILD. ROC curve analysis showed the relationship between CA125 and RA-ILD was moderate (area under ROC curve (AUC)=0.78, 95% CI=[0.68-0.88]). In addition, CA125 levels above the normal reference (<35 U/ml) raised the risk of RA-ILD (OR=6.00, 95% CI=[2.37-15.16]). CONCLUSIONS: RA patient with older age and elevated tumour markers especially CA125 levels should be evaluated to check whether there is a potential of ILD.

Cerebral anatomical changes in female asthma patients with and without depression compared to healthy controls and patients with depression.

BACKGROUND: Population-based studies have demonstrated that asthma patients with depression symptoms are more likely to have poor asthma control and worse asthma outcomes. However, the underlying mechanism of the relationship between asthma and depression is still unclear. The present study aimed to examine the cerebral anatomical changes in female asthma patients with and without depression. METHODS: Using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and a voxel-based morphometry technique, the primary effects of and the interaction between asthma and depression were analyzed. The cerebral gray matter volume (GMV) was compared between the groups. Correlation analyses between the GMV value of the brain regions and the clinical parameters were completed. RESULTS: The interaction effect of asthma and depression was found on the right superior temporal gyrus (STG) and the left middle temporal gyrus. Patients with both asthma and depression showed less GMV in the right STG, the bilateral precuneus, and the right superior frontal gyrus compared to patients with asthma only. The GMV of the right STG showed a decrement form among the asthma only group, healthy controls and asthma plus depression group. In patients with asthma and depression, the volume of the right STG was positively correlated with PD20 (r = 0.714, p = 0.047) and negatively correlated with the nocturnal awakening score in the Asthma Control Test (r = -0.061, p = 0.038). CONCLUSION: Current findings provided convergent evidence to support the critical role of the right STG in the brain mechanism that mediates asthma and depression.

Can non-invasive positive pressure ventilation prevent endotracheal intubation in acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome? A meta-analysis.

The role of non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) in acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate whether NIPPV could prevent endotracheal intubation and decrease mortality rate in patients with ALI/ARDS. Randomized controlled trials (RCT) which reported endotracheal intubation and mortality rate in patients with ALI/ARDS treated by NIPPV were identified in Pubmed, Medline, Embase, Central Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, reference lists and by manual searches. Fixed- and random-effects models were used to calculate pooled relative risks. This meta-analysis included six RCT involving 227 patients. The results showed that endotracheal intubation rate was lower in NIPPV (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.44-0.80, z = 3.44, P = 0.0006), but no significant difference was found either in intensive care unit (ICU) mortality (95% CI: 0.45-1.07, z = 1.65, P = 0.10) or in hospital mortality (95% CI: 0.17-1.58, z = 1.16, P = 0.25). Only two studies discussed the aetiology of ALI/ARDS as pulmonary or extra-pulmonary, and neither showed statistical heterogeneity (I(2) = 0%, χ(2) = 0.31, P = 0.58), nor a significant difference in endotracheal intubation rate (95% CI: 0.35-9.08, z = 0.69, P = 0.49). In conclusion, the early use of NIPPV can decrease the endotracheal intubation rate in patients with ALI/ARDS, but does not change the mortality of these patients.

Effectiveness of mandibular advancement devices in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and the impact of different body positions on treatment： A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy of mandibular advancement device (MAD) for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and explore the effect of different positions on MAD for OSA. METHODS: The Embase, PubMed, Medline, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for relevant studies evaluating the effect of MAD on the treatment of OSA from database inception to November 2022. The Bayesian random-effects mode was used to calculate the pooled outcome. Subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis were applied to investigate the heterogeneity. RESULTS: A total of 6 studies enrolling 643 patients were eligible for further analysis. MAD treatment led to improvements in total apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) for both positional OSA(POSA) and Non-POSA groups, but there was no significant difference in the effect of MAD on Non-POSA and POSA (MD = -1.46,95%CI [-4.89,1.97], P = 0.40). In the supine position, AHI improvement after MAD treatment in POSA group was more than that in Non-POSA group by 15 events/hour in average (MD = 14.82, 95%CI [11.43,18.22], P＜0.00001), while in the non-supine position, the change of AHI in Non-POSA group was significantly better than that in POSA group by approximately 8 events/hour (MD = -7.55,95%CI[-10.73,-4.38],p < 0.00001). CONCLUSION: MAD is more suitable for POSA compared to Non-POSA in patients with habitual sleep in the supine or supine predominant position. While for patients with habitual sleep in the non-supine position, MAD is an effective treatment option for Non-POSA.