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BACKGROUND: Bacterial infections are considered a leading cause of hospitalization and death globally. There is still a need for a rapid and feasible biomarker for bacterial infections. Heparin-binding protein (HBP) was shown to be related to bacterial infections. The objective of the study is to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of HBP in bacterial infections. METHODS: Articles were screened in PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and Cochrane to recognize eligible studies. We included studies investigating the diagnostic accuracy of HBP and reported the necessary data to construct 2 × 2 tables. A univariate analysis was conducted to determine the pooled sensitivity and specificity, and a bivariate diagnostic random-effects model was used to calculate the optimal cut-off point. RESULTS: The analysis comprised sixteen studies in total. Plasma HBP showed a sensitivity of 0.90 (95% CI: [0.79, 0.96]) and a specificity of 0.87 (95% CI: [0.66, 0.96]) in diagnosing bacterial infections using blood samples. Pooling data from seven studies revealed that HBP in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has sensitivity and specificity of 96% (95% CI: [0.85, 0.99]), and 95% (95% CI: [0.89, 0.97]), respectively, for the diagnosis of bacterial meningitis. In urinary tract infections (UTI), urine-HBP was revealed to have a high diagnostic value in discriminating bacterial from non-bacterial UTI infection at a cut-off value of 32.868 ng/ml with sensitivity and specificity of 87%. CONCLUSION: HBP has shown a high diagnostic accuracy of bacterial infections, including UTI and meningitis. Further studies are needed to determine its prognostic value and whether it could guide antibiotic therapy.
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Proteínas Sanguíneas , Meningitis Bacterianas , Infecciones Urinarias , Humanos , Sensibilidad y Especificidad , Infecciones Urinarias/diagnóstico , Péptidos Catiónicos Antimicrobianos , Meningitis Bacterianas/diagnósticoRESUMEN
Pediatric pericarditis presents challenges in its management, necessitating effective therapeutic interventions. Colchicine, known for its efficacy in adults, requires further investigation for its application and safety in pediatric cohorts. A systematic search across renowned databases identified relevant literature on colchicine use in pediatric pericarditis. Twenty-nine articles underwent rigorous screening, with 18 studies meeting inclusion criteria. Data extraction, quality assessment, and synthesis were conducted meticulously. Included studies comprised case reports, case series, and retrospective cohort studies. Colchicine demonstrated efficacy in reducing recurrence rates and symptom burden, with doses ranging from 0.25 mg/day to 2 mg/day. Adverse events were minimal, predominantly gastrointestinal. Notably, nausea was the most common side effect reported. The safety profile of colchicine was favorable, with rare instances of hepatic and hematologic toxicity. Colchicine emerges as a promising therapeutic option for pediatric pericarditis, demonstrating efficacy in reducing recurrence rates and alleviating symptoms. Its favorable safety profile suggests potential as a preferred long-term therapy. However, further research, including randomized controlled trials, is warranted to confirm its efficacy and safety and explore potential combination therapies.
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BACKGROUND: Omega-3 may alleviate the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by reducing the C-reactive protein (CRP) level, a marker for systemic inflammation. Because the scientific evidence indicating such a role is inconsistent, we aimed to evaluate the effect of Omega-3 on CRP change and CRP level in patients with COVID-19. METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive search on four databases (PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Scopus). We included all RCTs comparing Omega-3 with a control group regarding their effect on the CRP levels in patients with COVID-19. We used version two of the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool to appraise the included studies. We extracted data to an online data extraction sheet. The primary outcomes were CRP change from baseline and CRP serum levels. RESULTS: We included four randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 274 patients in this study. The overall effect estimate favored Omega-3 over the control group in terms of CRP change from baseline (mean difference (MD) =- 2.53, 95% confidence interval (CI): - 4.40, - 0.66) and CRP serum levels at the end of the study (MD =- 6.24, 95% CI: - 11.93, - 0.54). CONCLUSION: Omega-3 showed promising effects on systemic inflammation by reducing CRP levels in COVID-19 patients. Based on this finding, we recommend Omega-3 for COVID-19 patients for its anti-inflammatory actions.
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Tratamiento Farmacológico de COVID-19 , Ácidos Grasos Omega-3 , Proteína C-Reactiva , Suplementos Dietéticos , Ácidos Grasos Omega-3/farmacología , Ácidos Grasos Omega-3/uso terapéutico , Humanos , Inflamación/tratamiento farmacológico , Ensayos Clínicos Controlados Aleatorios como AsuntoRESUMEN
Background and Aim: Severe alcoholic hepatitis (SAH) is a serious condition with few treatments. By modifying the gut-liver axis, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) was proposed as a treatment for SAH. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy of FMT versus the standard of care (SOC) in improving SAH patient survival rates. Methods: A thorough search of electronic databases was conducted till September 2023. The survival rates of SAH patients undergoing FMT versus SOC were compared. Using Review Manager 5.4, odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Results: The meta-analysis consisted of six studies with a total of 371 patients with SAH. Patients who received FMT had significantly higher survival rates at 1 and 3 months compared to those who received SOC, with pooled OR of 2.91 (95% CI: 1.56-5.42, P = 0.0008) and 3.07 (95% CI: 1.81-5.20, P < 0.0001), respectively. However, the survival advantage disappeared after 6 months (OR: 2.96, 95% CI: 0.99-8.85, P = 0.05) and 1 year of follow-up (OR: 1.81, 95% CI: 0.44-7.46, P = 0.41). Conclusion: This meta-analysis highlights the potential of FMT to significantly improve short-term survival rates in SAH patients. However, the survival benefit did not last 6-12 months. These findings call for additional research into the effectiveness of FMT over the long term, along with strategies for extending the survival benefit.
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Background: Mpox infection is a zoonotic illness that resembles smallpox. Vaccination is widely regarded as a vital effective method of preventing mpox, however, there is lack of consensus of effectiveness of a single dose of mpox vaccine in the current 2022-2023 outbreak. We pooled data from real-world studies to evaluate the efficacy of the JYNNEOS vaccination given as a single dosage. Method: We carried out a thorough literature search in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus up until August 2023. We estimated the pooled vaccine effectiveness (VE) for mpox using inverse variance method in a random-effects meta-analysis. We expressed the results as VE, 95% confidence interval (95% CI), and 95% prediction interval (95% PI) using R v4.3.0. We assessed influence, heterogeneity contribution, and influence of studies using several tests and conducted sensitivity analysis accordingly. We used Doi plot and Luis Furuya-Kanamori (LFK) index to evaluate publication bias. Results: With a total sample size of 35,326 individuals, we involved 11 studies in the meta-analysis. The VE of a single dose of JYNNEOS vaccine was 78.23% (95% CI: 62.79%-87.27%) by pooling data of 24,784 individuals over seven studies. The findings were heterogenous with a 95% PI of -32.14% to 96.41% depicting the expected range of VE in similar settings. Notably, VE increased to 83.02% (74.62%-88.64%) with a prediction interval of (44.67%-94.79) after sensitivity analysis by leaving out outliers. The results were robust in light of several sensitivity analyses. An asymmetric Doi plot with LFK index of -2.25 showed potential publication bias. Pooled prevalence of mpox infection among vaccinated individuals (breakthrough infection) in six studies was 2.19% (0.37%-5.32%). Conclusion: The present findings provide compelling evidence that a single dose of JUNNEOS vaccine can protect recipients from mpox infection. With a 78.23% estimated efficacy rate, the vaccine is thought to be a useful tool in preventing further spread of mpox. However, more research and ongoing surveillance are required to fully understand the reasons behind breakthrough infections and to improve immunization strategies for better protection against mpox.
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Background: The Vi-diphtheria toxoid typhoid conjugate vaccine (Vi-DT) has shown promising results in preventing typhoid fever in children under 2 years of age. However, a thorough assessment of its safety and immunogenicity is required to inform vaccination strategies. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the safety and immunogenicity of Vi-DT in children below 2 years. Methods: We systematically searched multiple databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, for relevant studies published up to September 2023. We included studies reporting on the safety and immunogenicity outcomes of Vi-DT compared to the control or Vi-tetanus toxoid conjugated vaccine (Vi-TT) in children below 2 years. We applied a random-effects model for meta-analysis using RevMan 5.4. We expressed the results as risk ratio (RR) with a 95% confidence interval (95%CI). Results: In this analysis, five studies were selected, encompassing 1,292 children under 2 years who received the Vi-DT vaccine. No significant difference in immediate reactions was observed within 30 min post-vaccination between Vi-DT and control groups (RR: 0.99 [95% CI: 0.19, 5.26]), nor between Vi-DT and Vi-TT groups. For solicited adverse events within 4 weeks, the VI-DT group showed no significant increase in adverse events compared to control (RR: 0.93 [95% CI: 0.78, 1.12]) or Vi-TT (RR: 0.86 [95% CI: 0.69, 1.07]). Similarly, within 7 days post-vaccination, risk ratios indicated no significant differences in adverse events between the groups. The 4-week seroconversion rate was significantly higher in the Vi-DT group compared to the control (RR: 1.99 [95% CI: 1.07, 3.69]), but no difference was found between Vi-DT and Vi-TT. Adverse events associated with typhoid conjugate vaccines were predominantly non-serious, including fever and injection site reactions. Serious adverse events were rare but included conditions like pneumonia and gastroenteritis. Conclusion: This meta-analysis highlights Vi-DT safety and immunogenicity in six to 24-month-old children. The findings support the use of this Vi-DT to expand typhoid vaccination in endemic regions, in line with WHO's strategy.
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BACKGROUND: Sepsis remains a leading cause of death worldwide. In this context, heparin-binding protein (HBP) has emerged as a possible biomarker, drawing significant attention for its diagnostic and prognostic usefulness in septic patients. Despite this advancement, the literature yields conflicting results. This study is intended to critically evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic value of HBP in critically ill septic patients. METHODS: We searched multiple databases, including PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and EBSCO, to identify relevant studies on April 27, 2023. We included studies investigating sepsis or its severe outcomes that reported HBP levels and the required data to create 2â ×â 2 tables. We used R version 4.2.2 and R Studio to analyze the pooled diagnostic accuracy outcomes. The diagmeta package was utilized to calculate the optimum cutoff value. RESULTS: In our meta-analysis, we incorporated 28 studies including 5508 patients. The analysis revealed that HBP has a sensitivity of 0.71 (95% CI: 0.60; 0.79) and a specificity of 0.68 (95% CI: 0.51; 0.81) in diagnosing sepsis, respectively. HBP demonstrated moderate prognostic accuracy for mortality at a cutoff value of 161.415 ng/mL, with a sensitivity and specificity of 72%, and for severe sepsis outcomes at a cutoff value of 58.907 ng/mL, with a sensitivity and specificity of 71%. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate a relatively moderate diagnostic and prognostic accuracy of HBP for sepsis. Future studies are required to verify the accuracy of HBP as a biomarker for sepsis.
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Biomarcadores , Proteínas Sanguíneas , Sepsis , Humanos , Sepsis/diagnóstico , Sepsis/mortalidad , Sepsis/sangre , Pronóstico , Biomarcadores/sangre , Proteínas Sanguíneas/análisis , Péptidos Catiónicos Antimicrobianos/sangre , Sensibilidad y Especificidad , Enfermedad Crítica/mortalidad , Proteínas Citotóxicas Formadoras de PorosRESUMEN
Objective: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of available trials regarding the outcomes of ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation in patients with non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NIDCM). Methods: A comprehensive database search of large four electronic databases, including PubMed, Cochrane, Scopus, and Institute for Scientific Information network meta-analysis, identified five studies enrolling 666 patients for patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM) underwent catheter ablation (CA) for VT. The short-term outcomes assessed included procedural success, VT non-inducibility and procedural complications, whereas the long-term outcomes assessed included VT recurrence, heart transplantation, antiarrhythmic drugs (AAD) use after ablation and death. Results: A total of 5 observational studies reported outcomes in 666 patients with NIDCM undergoing VT CA. The complete procedural success was moderately high; 65.5% of the patients (95% CI 0.402- 0.857, p < 0.001) and the procedural complications occurred in 5.8% of the patients (95% CI 0.040-0.076, P = 0.685). Epicardial mapping and ablation were performed among 61.5% and 37% of patients with NIDCM respectively. During a follow up period of 12 to 45 months, there were VT recurrence in 34.2% of the patients (95% CI 0.301-0.465, p < 0.080), death in 20.2% of the patients (95% CI 0.059-0.283, p < 0.017) and heart transplantation in 12.9% of the patients (95% CI -0.026-0.245, P < 0.012). Conclusion: Ventricular tachycardia CA is effective and safe approach for management of patients with NIDCM with the epicardial approach to be considered as initial strategy especially in presence of ECG and CMR findings suggestive of epicardial substrate. A multicenter randomized trial is crucial to look at the short- and long-term outcomes of VT ablation in NIDCM especially with the advances in mapping and ablation techniques and predictors of success.
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BACKGROUND: Several studies have demonstrated that complete revascularisation improves clinical outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and multivessel coronary disease. However, the optimal timing of non-culprit lesion revascularisation remains controversial. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the effect of timing of complete revascularisation on cardiovascular outcomes in patients with STEMI and multivessel coronary artery disease. METHODS: Searches of PubMed, the Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.gov and the reference lists of relevant papers were conducted covering the period from 2004 to 2019. A pairwise analysis was performed to compare the difference in clinical outcome between early complete revascularisation (index procedure or index hospitalisation) and delayed complete revascularisation (after discharge) in patients with STEMI.The primary endpoint was the incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE), which was defined as the composite of all-cause mortality, recurrent myocardial infarction, unplanned repeated revascularisation and cardiovascular death. RESULTS: Twelve studies including a total of 7596 patients were identified. The MACE rate was 10.37% in early complete revascularisation compared with 18.17% in culprit only (p=0.01). When complete revascularisation was delayed, the MACE rate was 11.81% after complete revascularisation compared with 17.21% in culprit-only percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (p=0.01). A meta-regression analysis demonstrated no relationship between timing of complete revascularisation and reduction in MACE relative to culprit-only PCI (p=0.862). CONCLUSION: In patients with STEMI treated by primary PCI and multivessel disease, there is a benefit of complete revascularisation over culprit-only PCI whether non-culprit revascularisation is performed early in hospital or delayed as an elective procedure. We have not demonstrated a relationship between timing of complete revascularisation and MACE. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42021226789.