Systematic Review of Patient Decision Aids for Stroke Prevention Therapy in Atrial Fibrillation Management.

Background: Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is a major cause of stroke. Oral anticoagulation can reduce the risk of AF-associated stroke by 65% but it remains underused. Stroke prevention therapy in patients with AF has been considered a good target for shared decision making with patient decision aids as it is a long-term, preference-sensitive decision with known risk-benefit trade-offs. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize published literature on the effectiveness of patient decision aids on the choice of and adherence to stroke prevention therapy in individuals with AF. Methods: We conducted a structured literature search for prospective studies evaluating decision aids for AF stroke prevention therapy in adult patients with nonvalvular AF. We included studies that compared those exposed to a decision aid with a control condition for outcomes including choice of therapy, adherence, decisional conflict and patient knowledge. Quantitative meta-analysis was not feasible due to excessive between-study heterogeneity. Results: Eight studies met inclusion and exclusion criteria. Six studies were randomized clinical trials and two were pre-post comparisons. Of the 8 studies, each evaluated a different decision aid, with only three including all contemporary oral anticoagulant drugs. All decision aids improved AF knowledge compared to baseline or control and decision aids reduced decisional conflict in four of six studies. However, there were inconsistent effects of the studied decision aids on initiation of oral anticoagulation. Adherence to initial stroke prevention therapy choice appeared to benefit from decision aid use in 2 studies that addressed this issue. Conclusions: Decision aids for stroke prevention increased AF patients' knowledge and decisional confidence but had variable impacts on choice of and adherence to stroke prevention therapy. The results highlight the need for well-designed decision aids that present patients with all contemporary therapeutic options.

Measurements of Postmenopausal Serum Estradiol Levels and Cardiovascular Events: A Systematic Review.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among female patients and its likelihood increases following menopause. However, whether estradiol levels are related to CVD remains unknown. We aimed to determine the association between serum estradiol levels and cardiovascular (CV) events in postmenopausal females. Methods: Electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase) were searched systematically from inception to October 2022. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they included the following: (i) postmenopausal females; (ii) examination of the association between total serum estradiol levels and CV events (CV mortality, CVD, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, stroke, venous thromboembolism, heart failure, and CV hospitalization); (iii) original data (randomized controlled trial, quasi-experimental, cohort, case-control, or cross-sectional study). A narrative synthesis was completed because the data were not amenable to meta-analysis. Results: Of the 9026 citations retrieved, 8 articles were included, representing a total of 5635 women. The risk-of-bias was fair, and considerable heterogeneity was present. In those not using menopausal hormone therapy, 3 studies demonstrated mixed results between estradiol levels and risk of coronary heart disease, and 1 study showed that higher estradiol levels were associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction. No significant associations were present between estradiol levels and the remaining events (ie, CV mortality, heart failure, CVD, and stroke). Conclusions: The association between serum estradiol levels and CV events in postmenopausal females remains unclear. Further studies assessing this association are warranted, given the elevated CVD risk in this population.

Contexte: Les maladies cardiovasculaires (MCV) sont la principale cause de décès chez les femmes et leur probabilité augmente après la ménopause. Cependant, on ne sait pas encore si le taux d'estradiol est lié aux MCV. Nous avons tenté d'établir le lien entre le taux d'estradiol sérique et les événements cardiovasculaires (CV) chez les femmes post-ménopausées. Méthodologie: Nous avons consulté systématiquement des bases de données électroniques (MEDLINE, Embase) de leur création jusqu'en octobre 2022. Les études admissibles devaient comprendre les éléments suivants : i) femmes post-ménopausées; ii) examen du lien entre le taux total d'estradiol sérique et les événements CV (décès d'origine CV, MCV, coronaropathie, infarctus du myocarde, accident vasculaire cérébral (AVC), thromboembolie veineuse, insuffisance cardiaque et hospitalisation pour une cause CV); iii) données originales (essai contrôlé randomisé; études quasi expérimentales, de cohorte, cas-témoins ou transversales). Une synthèse narrative a été réalisée parce que les données ne se prêtaient pas à une méta-analyse. Résultats: Parmi les 9 026 citations relevées, 8 articles ont été retenus, représentant un total de 5 635 femmes. Le risque de biais était raisonnable, et une très grande hétérogénéité était présente. Chez les femmes qui ne suivaient pas d'hormonothérapie ménopausique, trois études ont affiché des résultats variables quant au lien entre le taux d'estradiol et le risque de coronaropathie, et une étude a montré que des taux élevés d'estradiol étaient associés à un risque accru d'infarctus du myocarde. Aucun lien notable n'a été observé entre le taux d'estradiol et les autres événements (c.-à-d. décès d'origine CV, insuffisance cardiaque, MCV et AVC). Conclusions: Le lien entre le taux d'estradiol sérique et les événements CV chez les femmes post-ménopausées n'a pas été élucidé. D'autres études sont nécessaires pour évaluer ce lien en raison du risque élevé de MCV au sein de cette population.

The credibility of subgroup analyses reported in stroke trials is low: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Subgroup analyses are widely used to evaluate the heterogeneity of treatment effects in randomized clinical trials. However, there is a limited investigation of the quality of prespecified and reported subgroup analyses in stroke trials. This study evaluated the credibility of subgroup analyses in stroke trials. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We searched Medline/PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and the Web of Science from inception to 24 March 2021. Three reviewers screened, extracted, and analyzed the data from the publications. Primary publications of stroke trials that reported at least one subgroup effect and had published corresponding study protocols were included. The Instrument for Assessing the Credibility of Effect Modification Analyses (ICEMAN) was used to examine the quality of the subgroup effects reported, with each subgroup effect assigned a credibility rating ranging from very low to high. Subgroup effects with two or more "definitely no" responses received a low credibility rating. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk-of-Bias tool for randomized trials version 2. RESULTS: Seventy-four articles met the inclusion criteria and reported a combined total of 647 subgroup effects. The median sample size was 1264 (interquartile range (IQR): 380-3876), and the median number of subgroups prespecified in the protocol was 6 (IQR: 2-10). Sixty-one (82%) studies used the univariate test of interaction. Of the total 647 subgroup effects reported in these studies, 319 (49%) were reported in acute stroke trials, while 423 (65%) had low credibility. CONCLUSION: The quality of subgroup analysis reporting in stroke trials remains poor. More effort is needed to train trialists on the best methods for designing and performing subgroup analyses, and how to report the results. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: We prospectively registered the review with International Prospective Register for Systematic Reviews (registration number: CRD42020223133).

Health State Utility Values in People With Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background Health state utility values are commonly used to provide summary measures of health-related quality of life in studies of stroke. Contemporaneous summaries are needed as a benchmark to contextualize future observational studies and inform the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving post-stroke quality of life. Methods and Results We conducted a systematic search of the literature using Medline, EMBASE, and Web of Science from January 1995 until October 2020 using search terms for stroke, health-related quality of life, and indirect health utility metrics. We calculated pooled estimates of health utility values for EQ-5D-3L, EQ-5D-5L, AQoL, HUI2, HUI3, 15D, and SF-6D using random effects models. For the EQ-5D-3L we conducted stratified meta-analyses and meta-regression by key subgroups. We screened 14 251 abstracts and 111 studies met our inclusion criteria (sample size range 11 to 12 447). EQ-5D-3L was reported in 78% of studies (study n=87; patient n=56 976). The pooled estimate for EQ-5D-3L at ≥3 months following stroke was 0.65 (95% CI, 0.63-0.67), which was ≈20% below population norms. There was high heterogeneity (I2>90%) between studies, and estimates differed by study size, case definition of stroke, and country of study. Women, older individuals, those with hemorrhagic stroke, and patients prior to discharge had lower pooled EQ-5D-3L estimates. Conclusions Pooled estimates of health utility for stroke survivors were substantially below population averages. We provide reference values for health utility in stroke to support future clinical and economic studies and identify subgroups with lower healthy utility. Registration URL: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/. Unique Identifier: CRD42020215942.

The Post Hurricane Harvey Respiratory Protection Training Program.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the effectiveness of an outreach program which included safety training and the distribution of personal protection kits in the Houston area in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. METHODS: Outreach: 71 volunteers conducted training sessions at 19 different sites and distributed a total of 1187 kits. Follow-up study: We conducted telephonic interviews to collect data on respiratory symptoms and obtain perceptions of the quality of the safety training provided among 83 participants. RESULTS: Participants reported an increase in airway symptoms four weeks after Hurricane Harvey. Outreach efforts were felt to be effective by a majority of participants. CONCLUSION: Future studies may adopt some of the best practices from our training efforts in terms of utilizing a combination of verbal demonstrations and written training guidelines on proper respirator usage.

Dietary Interventions and Type 2 Diabetes in Youth: a Fresh Look at the Evidence.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The incidence of type 2 diabetes among children and adolescents has sharply increased, highly influenced by prevalence of obesity in youth. Here, we provide an overview of the pathogenesis of diabetes, and summarize recent dietary interventions investigating effects of diet on metabolic risk factors in overweight and obese youth. RECENT FINDINGS: Seven dietary interventions were identified randomly assigning participants to weekly or bi-weekly dietary counseling sessions over 12-24-week period, with mixed results. Four interventions showed significant reductions in fasting insulin and insulin resistance levels relative to baseline concentrations ranging from 26 to 50%. Recent evidence is mixed, with four studies showing improvements to insulin concentrations and insulin resistance in obese children and adolescents associated with energy restriction and/or change to carbohydrate consumption. Further work is needed to investigate long-term effects of dietary factors including carbohydrate quality and energy restriction on metabolic health and diabetes prevention early in life.