Celecoxib Decreases the Need for Rescue Analgesics after Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Meta-Analysis.

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the analgesic efficacy and adverse effects of celecoxib after total knee arthroplasty. Keywords in the PubMed and Scopus databases were used to find article abstracts. Each included clinical trial was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool, and we extracted data on postoperative pain assessment using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at rest, ambulation, and active range of motion, rescue analgesic intake, and adverse effects. Inverse variance tests with mean differences were used to analyze the numerical variables. The Mantel-Haenszel statistical method and the odds ratio were used to evaluate the dichotomous data. According to this qualitative assessment (n = 482), two studies presented conclusions in favor of celecoxib (n = 187), one showed similar results between celecoxib and the placebo (n = 44), and three clinical trials did not draw conclusions as to the effectiveness of celecoxib versus the placebo (n = 251). Moreover, the evaluation of the rescue analgesic intake showed that the patients receiving celecoxib had a lower intake compared to patients receiving a placebo (n = 278, I2 = 82%, p = 0.006, mean difference = -6.89, 95% IC = -11.76 to -2.02). In conclusion, the pooled analysis shows that administration of celecoxib alone results in a decrease in rescue analgesic consumption compared to a placebo after total knee surgery.

Analgesic Efficacy and Safety of Tapentadol Immediate Release in Bunionectomy: A Meta-Analysis.

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the analgesic effect of different doses of tapentadol immediate release (IR) and its adverse effects after a bunionectomy. Pubmed, Cochrane, Lilacs, Medline, and Imbiomed were used to identify abstracts of scientific publications related to the keywords of this systematic review (PROSPERO ID CRD42023437295). Moreover, the risk of bias in all included articles was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool. Data on the sum of pain intensity, total pain relief, global assessment, and adverse effects were extracted. The statistical method of inverse variance with means difference was used to evaluate the numerical data and the Mantel-Haenszel and Odd Ratio test to analyze the dichotomous data. In addition, the number needed to treat, the number needed to harm, and the 95% confidence intervals were calculated. A qualitative evaluation (n = 2381) was carried out according to the conclusions of the authors. Tapentadol (n = 1772) was more effective in relieving postoperative pain than the placebo (n = 609) after a bunionectomy. In addition, the analgesic efficacy of IR tapentadol (n = 1323) versus the placebo (n = 390) was evaluated in a total of 1713 patients using a global evaluation of the treatments. All three doses of IR tapentadol showed better results compared to the placebo after a bunionectomy. Finally, the adverse effects have a direct relationship with the dose, and the greatest number of adverse effects are most observed with tapentadol IR 100 mg (n = 2381). It is concluded that tapentadol IR (100 mg) leads to the best satisfaction score in this meta-analysis.

Analgesic Efficacy of COX-2 Inhibitors in Periodontal Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the analgesic efficacy of COX-2 inhibitors versus other drugs in periodontal surgery. Two researchers searched PubMed, Google Scholar, ACM Digital, BASE, EBSCOhost, Scopus, or Web of Science for clinical trials using various combinations of words. All articles that met the selection criteria were assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias tool. For data analysis, the inverse variance and mean difference statistical method was used with Review Manager 5.3 software for Windows. According to the conclusion of each study (qualitative evaluation), only one clinical trial had results in favor of a COX-2 inhibitor when compared to placebo, one clinical study informed that a COX-2 was better that an active control, four studies showed similar analgesic efficacy to active controls, and one clinical study informed the analgesic effect of one celecoxib-caffeine combination in comparison with celecoxib alone and placebo (n = 337). The COX-2 inhibitors showed a decrease in the rescue analgesic consumption (n = 138; I2 = 15%; mean difference = -0.31; 95%CIs = -0.6 to -0.01), and lower pain intensity at four hours (n = 178; I2 = 0%; mean difference = -2.25; 95%CIs = -2.94 to -1.55; p = 0.00001) when compared to active controls after periodontal surgery. In conclusion, the data indicate that COX-2 agents produce better pain relief in comparison to placebo and other drugs after periodontal surgery.

Antagonistic, synergistic, and additive antibacterial interaction between ciprofloxacin and amoxicillin against Staphylococcus aureus.

The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the interaction between ciprofloxacin and amoxicillin against beta-lactamase-producing Staphylococcus aureus. Concentration-dependent curves for each individual drug were carried out to obtain the mean inhibitory concentration in the agar well diffusion assay. Then, different ratios of the ciprofloxacin-amoxicillin combination (0.5:0.5, 0.8:0.2, 0.2:0.8, 0.9:0.1, 0.1:0.9, 0.95:0.05, and 0.05:0.95) were assessed. Data were analyzed using the isobolographic analysis and interaction index. The isobolographic evaluation shows that the 0.9:0.1 and 0.95:0.05 ratios of the ciprofloxacin-amoxicillin combination produced a synergistic antimicrobial interaction, the 0.8:0.2, 0.2:0.8, 0.1:0.9, and 0.05:0.95 proportions showed an additive antibacterial effect, and the 0.5:0.5 proportion induced antagonistic antimicrobial effects. The interaction index showed similar outcomes to the isobolographic analysis. In conclusion, the data of this study mainly show antimicrobial additive results of the ciprofloxacin-amoxicillin combination against beta-lactamase-producing S. aureus.

Local Tramadol Improves the Anesthetic Success in Patients with Symptomatic Irreversible Pulpitis: A Meta-Analysis.

Symptomatic irreversible pulpitis is a painful clinical condition with a broad inflammatory component. Dental anesthesia in these patients is affected by the inflammatory process, reporting a high incidence of anesthesia failure. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analytical evaluation was to determine the effect of pre-treatment with tramadol in patients with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis, as well as for pain control and adverse effects. This study was registered in PROSPERO (ID: CRD42021279262). PubMed was consulted to identify clinical investigations comparing tramadol and placebo/local anesthetics in patients with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis. Data about the anesthesia, pain control, and adverse effects were extracted. Both the anesthetic success index and the adverse effects of local tramadol and placebo were compared with the Mantel−Haenszel test and odds ratio. Data analysis showed that the local administration of tramadol increased the anesthetic success rate when compared to placebo in patients with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis (n = 228; I2 = 0; OR = 2.2; 95% CIs: 1.30 to 3.79; p < 0.004). However, local administration of tramadol increased the risk of adverse effects when compared to placebo/local anesthetics (n = 288; I2 = 0; OR = 7.72; 95% CIs: 1.37 to 43.46; p < 0.02). In conclusion, this study shows that the local administration of tramadol increases the anesthetic success index when compared to placebo in patients with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis.