Vitamin D Supplementation for Patients with Dysmenorrhoea: A Meta-Analysis with Trial Sequential Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials.

Vitamin D reduces prostaglandin levels and inflammation, making it a promising treatment option for dysmenorrhoea. However, its effects on pain intensity in different types of dysmenorrhoea remain unclear. We examined whether vitamin D supplementation decreases pain intensity in patients with dysmenorrhoea. The Cochrane Library, Embase, Google Scholar, Medline, and Scopus databases were searched from inception to 30 December 2023. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating vitamin D supplementation effects on such patients were included. The primary and secondary outcomes were measured by the changes in pain intensity and rescue analgesic use, respectively. Pooled mean differences and rate ratios were calculated using a random-effect model; trial sequential analysis (TSA) was also performed. Overall, 11 studies involving 687 participants were included. Vitamin D supplementation significantly decreased pain intensity in patients with dysmenorrhoea compared with controls (pooled mean difference, -1.64; 95% confidence interval, -2.27 to -1.00; p < 0.001; CoE, moderate; I2 statistic, 79.43%) and indicated substantial heterogeneity among the included studies. TSA revealed that the current RCTs provide sufficient information. In subgroup analyses, vitamin D supplement reduced primary dysmenorrhoea pain but not secondary dysmenorrhoea pain. In conclusion, although substantial heterogeneity persists, vitamin D supplementation decreased pain intensity in patients with dysmenorrhea, especially in those with primary dysmenorrhoea.

Effectiveness and safety of tourniquet utilization for civilian vascular extremity trauma in the pre-hospital settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Tourniquets (TQ) have been increasingly adopted in pre-hospital settings recently. This study examined the effectiveness and safety of applying TQ in the pre-hospital settings for civilian patients with traumatic vascular injuries to the extremities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We systematically searched the Ovid Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases from their inception to June 2023. We compared pre-hospital TQ (PH-TQ) use to no PH-TQ, defined as a TQ applied after hospital arrival or no TQ use at all, for civilian vascular extremity trauma patients. The primary outcome was overall mortality rate, and the secondary outcomes were blood product use and hospital stay. We analyzed TQ-related complications as safety outcomes. We tried to include randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized studies (including non-RCTs, interrupted time series, controlled before-and-after studies, cohort studies, and case-control studies), if available. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) were calculated and the certainty of evidence was assessed using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology. RESULTS: Seven studies involving 4,095 patients were included. In the primary outcome, pre-hospital TQ (PH-TQ) use significantly decrease mortality rate in patients with extremity trauma (odds ratio [OR], 0.48, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.27-0.86, I2 = 47%). Moreover, the use of PH-TQ showed the decreasing trend of utilization of blood products, such as packed red blood cells (mean difference [MD]: -2.1 [unit], 95% CI: -5.0 to 0.8, I2 = 99%) or fresh frozen plasma (MD: -1.0 [unit], 95% CI: -4.0 to 2.0, I2 = 98%); however, both are not statistically significant. No significant differences were observed in the lengths of hospital and intensive care unit stays. For the safety outcomes, PH-TQ use did not significantly increase risk of amputation (OR: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.43 to 1.68, I2 = 60%) or compartment syndrome (OR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.37 to 2.35, I2 = 0%). The certainty of the evidence was very low across all outcomes. CONCLUSION: The current data suggest that, in the pre-hospital settings, PH-TQ use for civilian patients with vascular traumatic injury of the extremities decreased mortality and tended to decrease blood transfusions. This did not increase the risk of amputation or compartment syndrome significantly.

Risk of Bleeding Following Non-Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulant Use in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke Treated With Alteplase.

Importance: Current guidelines advise against intravenous alteplase therapy for treatment of acute ischemic stroke in patients previously treated with non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs). Objective: To evaluate the risk of bleeding and mortality after alteplase treatment for acute ischemic stroke among patients treated with NOACs compared to those not treated with NOACs. Design, Setting, and Participants: This nationwide, population-based cohort study was conducted in Taiwan using data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database from January 2011 through November 2020 and included 7483 patients treated with alteplase for acute ischemic stroke. A meta-analysis incorporating the results of the study with those of previous studies was performed, and the review protocol was prospectively registered with PROSPERO. Exposures: NOAC treatment within 2 days prior to stroke, compared to either no anticoagulant treatment or warfarin treatment. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was intracranial hemorrhage after intravenous alteplase during the index hospitalization (the hospitalization subsequent to alteplase administration). Secondary outcomes were major bleeding events and mortality during the index hospitalization. Propensity score matching was used to control potential confounders. Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) of outcome events. Meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model. Results: Of the 7483 included patients (mean [SD] age, 67.4 [12.7] years; 2908 [38.9%] female individuals and 4575 [61.1%] male individuals), 91 (1.2%), 182 (2.4%), and 7210 (96.4%) received NOACs, warfarin, and no anticoagulants prior to their stroke, respectively. Compared to patients who were not treated with anticoagulants, those treated with NOACs did not have significantly higher risks of intracranial hemorrhage (risk difference [RD], 2.47% [95% CI, -4.23% to 9.17%]; OR, 1.37 [95% CI, 0.62-3.03]), major bleeding (RD, 4.95% [95% CI, -2.56% to 12.45%]; OR, 1.69 [95% CI, 0.83-3.45]), or in-hospital mortality (RD, -4.95% [95% CI, -10.11% to 0.22%]; OR, 0.45 [95% CI, 0.15-1.29]) in the propensity score-matched analyses. Furthermore, the risks of bleeding and mortality were not significantly different between patients treated with NOACs and those treated with warfarin. Similar results were obtained in the meta-analysis. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study with meta-analysis, compared to no treatment with anticoagulants, treatment with NOACs prior to stroke was not associated with a higher risk of intracranial hemorrhage, major bleeding, or mortality in patients receiving intravenous alteplase for acute ischemic stroke.

Validation of ICD-10-CM Diagnostic Codes for Identifying Patients with ST-Elevation and Non-ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction in a National Health Insurance Claims Database.

Purpose: Distinguishing ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) is crucial in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) research due to their distinct characteristics. However, the accuracy of International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) codes for STEMI and NSTEMI in Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) database remains unvalidated. Therefore, we developed and validated case definition algorithms for STEMI and NSTEMI using ICD-10-CM and NHI billing codes. Patients and Methods: We obtained claims data and medical records of inpatient visits from 2016 to 2021 from the hospital's research-based database. Potential STEMI and NSTEMI cases were identified using diagnostic codes, keywords, and procedure codes associated with AMI. Chart reviews were then conducted to confirm the cases. The performance of the developed algorithms for STEMI and NSTEMI was assessed and subsequently externally validated. Results: The algorithm that defined STEMI as any STEMI ICD code in the first three diagnosis fields had the highest performance, with a sensitivity of 93.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 91.7-95.2%), a positive predictive value (PPV) of 89.4% (95% CI, 87.1-91.4%), and a kappa of 0.914 (95% CI, 0.900-0.928). The algorithm that used the NSTEMI ICD code listed in any diagnosis field performed best in identifying NSTEMI, with a sensitivity of 82.6% (95% CI, 80.7-84.4%), a PPV of 96.5% (95% CI, 95.4-97.4), and a kappa of 0.889 (95% CI, 0.878-0.901). The algorithm that included either STEMI or NSTEMI ICD codes listed in any diagnosis field showed excellent performance in defining AMI, with a sensitivity of 89.4% (95% CI, 88.2-90.6%), a PPV of 95.6% (95% CI, 94.7-96.4%), and a kappa of 0.923 (95% CI, 0.915-0.931). External validation confirmed these algorithms' efficacy. Conclusion: Our results provide valuable reference algorithms for identifying STEMI and NSTEMI cases in Taiwan's NHI database.