Meditation and Its Mental and Physical Health Benefits in 2023.

This article discusses the power of meditation and how beneficial it is for the body. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has shown many positive brain changes and improved several brain functions. Meditation has several benefits improving the immune system and inflammatory processes by decreasing cytokine; appropriate telomere shortening also has helped healthy aging. Regarding physical health, meditation has been beneficial in various multi-factorial diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and fibromyalgia. It has also helped bring down blood cholesterol levels and increase high-density lipoproteins (HDL) levels. Improvement was also seen in systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Mental health is another aspect influenced by meditation, as positive emotion brought about by meditation helps address various mental problems like social anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression. Overall, it seems to have some impact in all health areas. However, the magnitude of its effect is not known. More diverse and detailed studies should yield more beneficial clinical outcomes.

Adverse Side Effects of Crizotinib in the Treatment of Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase-Mutated Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, with the majority consisting of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Genetic mutations present an opportunity for targeted therapy, in addition to current mainstay treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Overall, 5% of NSCLCs have an anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) mutation, often prevalent in a younger population. Crizotinib is an ALK inhibitor that was approved to treat ALK-mutated advanced NSCLC. While common side effects such as nausea, fatigue, and diarrhea are mostly well tolerated, adverse side effects can lead to treatment discontinuation or adjustment or can be fatal. This systematic review used articles searched on Google Scholar and PubMed which were assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. This yielded nine papers consisting of randomized controlled trials and cohort studies. Side effects resulting in cessation of treatment or dose reduction included liver dysfunction, nausea, neutropenia, and QT prolongation. This review showed that crizotinib has a better side effect profile than chemotherapy in ALK-positive NSCLC, even though toxicities leading to treatment withdrawal are present. Adverse effects were tackled by dose reduction, temporary withdrawal from treatment, and close monitoring.

A Systematic Review of Quantitative and Qualitative Results of Randomized Controlled Trials Assessing the Effect of Yoga in Adult Women With Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: What Is Known So Far.

Yoga has been increasingly practiced in recent years, with many of its practitioners being female. Adults may seek a complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modality, such as yoga, to attempt to alleviate symptoms related to mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Our goal for this systematic review was to collect and analyze all available data from quantitative and qualitative reports of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted over the past 10 years on the impact of yoga on women diagnosed with PTSD. We included RCTs with the adult female population in which yoga was practiced for more than one week. We searched the databases PubMed, PubMed Central (PMC), and MEDLINE on June 11, 2022, Embase on June 12, 2022, and Science Direct on June 13, 2022, to find relevant articles. With the Cochrane RoB2 tool and Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) criteria, we checked for their quality, after which we selected 13 high-quality reports comprising seven original study designs and a total of 496 women. Of the 13 reports, nine evaluated effectiveness, four assessed feasibility, three explored acceptability, and four identified qualitative themes. We compared the results based on the assessed themes. Our results found yoga effective, feasible, acceptable, and a viable interoceptive pathway for emotional and personal growth. Limitations in our study include insufficient papers with large sample sizes and not including papers other than RCTs. With our research, we hope to present healthcare providers with research-based data on the effects of yoga so that they may better navigate its role in therapy as the trend of seeing more patients taking an interest in such alternative approaches rises.

Re-defining the Gut Heart Axis: A Systematic Review of the Literature on the Role of Gut Microbial Dysbiosis in Patients With Heart Failure.

Heart failure (HF) contributes to the cardiovascular health burden worldwide. Patients with heart failure have been recently studied to possess unique changes in the gut microbiome that affect immune homeostasis and metabolism. In this systematic review of the literature, we aim to identify the impact of gut dysbiosis on heart failure. We used Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines to conduct our systematic review. We searched the literature on databases such as PubMed, PubMed Central (PMC), Medline, and ScienceDirect. Ten articles were included for review. There were significant differences in the gut microbiome composition in heart failure. Relative abundance of Ruminococcus gnavus, Escherichia Shigella, Streptococcus sp, Veillonella sp, and Actinobacteria, and relative depletion of Eubacterium, Prevotella, Faecalibacterium, SMB53, and Megamonas. The composition varied according to age, heart failure stage, and decompensation level. The composition remained unaltered with ejection fraction. There was an increased expression of genes responsible for the metabolism of amino acids, carbohydrates, choline trimethylamine-lyase (TMA-lyase), lipopolysaccharide (LPS) biosynthesis, tryptophan, and lipid metabolism. The resultant changes affected the levels of metabolites, such as trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), indoxyl sulfate (IS), and LPS, and inflammatory markers in the feces and plasma, which contributed to heart failure. These biomarkers of heart failure could serve as targets for the prevention and treatment of heart failure. Patients with heart failure harbor a unique constellation of gut microbiota that affect the pathogenesis of heart failure. Further studies are needed to understand the causal relationship between dysbiosis and heart failure.

Outcomes of Preprocedural Pulmonary Hypertension on All-Cause and Cardiac Mortality in Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation: A Systematic Review.

Patients with symptomatic aortic stenosis (AS) commonly have an associated finding of pulmonary hypertension (PH), and it has been previously shown to have increased morbidity and mortality following surgical aortic valve repair (SAVR) as well as transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). There are no guidelines stating the cut-off point for PH at which the patient can safely undergo TAVI with benefits outweighing the risks. This is partly due to the lack of uniformity in the PH definition used in various studies. This systematic review sought to study the effect of preprocedural pulmonary hypertension on early and late all-cause and cardiac mortality in patients undergoing TAVI. We performed a systematic review of studies comparing patients with AS undergoing TAVI having PH. The review was undertaken as per Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Articles were identified from PubMed, Pubmed Central (PMC), Cochrane, and Medline on January 10, 2022, for literature published until January 10, 2022. MeSH strategy was used on PubMed to search the literature, and filters were applied to search only Observational Studies, randomized controlled trials (RCT), and meta-analysis. A total of 170 unique articles were identified and screened. Of the 33 full-text articles that were reviewed, 18 articles, including duplicates, were excluded. Fifteen articles fulfilled the selection criteria and were included in this review. The study design included two meta-analyses, one randomized control trial, one prospective cohort study, and 11 retrospective cohort studies. The studies involved a total of approximately 30,000 patients. The observational studies in our review were of good to fair quality, the RCT had a low to moderate bias, and the meta-analysis was of moderate quality. Baseline PH and persistence of PH post-TAVI are strongly associated with all-cause and cardiac mortality. Few studies have shown that a decrease in post-TAVI PH carries mortality benefits. Therefore, efforts should be made to identify mechanisms of persistent PH post-TAVI and whether interventions to reduce PH pre-TAVI will have any clinical implications or not by conducting RCT.

Parkinson's Neuropathology Puzzle: A Systematic Review Uncovering the Pathological Culprits Behind the Neurological Disease.

Being one of the most prevalent progressive neurodegenerative disorders (falling second only to Alzheimer's disease) with a clinical pattern affecting millions of lives all over the world, Parkinson's disease (PD) has never failed to attract a formidable interest from the vast majority of neurologists and researchers worldwide. This review article will analyze the pathophysiology, etiology, genetics, and pathological stages of Parkinson's disease with their corresponding clinical sequels. A review article was conducted using research databases including PubMed, PubMed Central, Springer, and Elsevier. The research articles reviewed using databases were written in English, German, Japanese, and Chinese and published within the preceding 50 years. Based on the article's findings, we concluded that Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder with a variety of motor and non-motor symptoms that are influenced by a cascade of pathological neuronal abnormalities such as Lewy neurites and Lewy bodies that gradually build up with an eventual consequence of neurodegeneration of dopamine-secreting neurons. Multiple genetic mutations, pathophysiological events, and environmental factors act as the foundation to initiate that cascade.

An Overview of Safety and Efficacy Between Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-Prolyl-Hydroxylase Inhibitors and Erythropoietin-Stimulating Agents in Treating Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients.

Anemia is one of the common complications in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Erythropoietin and iron deficiencies are the major causes to develop anemia in CKD patients. Untreated anemia is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Erythropoietin-stimulating agents (ESA) with iron supplementation are the standard for treating renal anemia. Although ESA with iron supplementation is an effective therapy in maintaining serum hemoglobin (Hb) levels, it increases the risk of several life-threatening adverse events such as hypertension, thromboembolism, cardiovascular morbidity, and mortality with long-term use. Therefore, effective alternate therapy with better safety and efficacy is needed to treat renal anemia. The newer oral therapy hypoxia-inducible factor-prolyl-hydroxylase inhibitors (HIF-PHI) can potentially be an effective alternative therapy in treating renal anemia. This review article compares the safety and efficacy between HIF-PHI and ESA in treating anemia in CKD patients. We conducted a comprehensive literature review of articles, including clinical trials, meta-analyses, and reviews, that compared the safety and efficacy between HIF-PHI and ESA. Studies have shown that the newer oral therapy, HIF-PHI, was non-inferior to ESA to maintain serum Hb levels in CKD patients. Moreover, the adverse event profile was almost similar in both groups. However, as the studies we reviewed have small sample sizes and short duration periods, the long-term effectiveness and safety of HIF-PHI over ESA in treating renal anemia cannot be established.

Effectiveness of Catheter Ablation in Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction, Stroke, Quality of Life, All-Cause Mortality, Sinus Rhythm Maintenance, and Hospitalization Rates as Compared to Medical Therapy.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) in the setting of heart failure (HF) accounts for a significant proportion of mortality. AF can be managed either with rate control or rhythm control strategies. Rate control involves the use of beta blockers or calcium channel blockers. Rhythm control methods use antiarrhythmic drugs or catheter ablation (CA) to abolish the rhythm. Articles from PubMed and Google Scholar were chosen for review. The literature was reviewed for data from the last 10 years to be chosen for interpretation. Clinical trials, meta-analyses, and systematic analysis were included in this study. Various health parameters such as all-cause mortality, hospitalization rates, sinus rhythm (SR) maintenance, quality of life improvement, stroke risk, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) improvement, and healthcare costs were analyzed. We demonstrated that CA was superior to medical therapy in reducing all-cause mortality and hospitalization. It leads to significant improvement in LVEF as SR was maintained consistently. Overall, quality of life improved in those who underwent ablation as compared to those who did not. Stroke risk reduction was seen in observational studies only. We recommend CA as first-line therapy for treating patients with AF in the setting of HF. More clinical trials are needed to determine the effectiveness of ablation in reducing stroke risk.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Athletes: A Primary Level of Prevention.

Primary prevention of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) refers to the use of pharmacological or interventional therapy and healthy lifestyle modifications to prevent sudden cardiac death (SCD) in patients who have not experienced symptomatic, life-threatening persistent ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation or SCA but are considered to be at a higher risk. This review provides an overview of the physiological heart changes and distinct electrical manifestations, the etiology of SCA, and screening methods and interventions for the prevention of SCA in athletes. The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association (AHA) Guidelines recommend screening with a 14-point history and physical examination. In most cases, a thorough clinical evaluation along with an ECG is sufficient for screening. Athletes with heart diseases leading to SCD are urged not to compete. Further decisions are taken following the European Society of Cardiology and the AHA's current workout recommendations. Early detection of cardiac disease allows for individualized risk evaluation and treatment, which has been shown to reduce mortality rates in athletes.

The Risk of Fatal Arrhythmias Associated With Sertraline in Patients With Post-myocardial Infarction Depression.

Sertraline is a first-line antidepressant and the most commonly used in the treatment of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) in major depression. It is preferred due to its central and peripheral actions on the serotonergic system in patients with mental health issues as well as cardiovascular disease, particularly post-myocardial infarction depression. Some of the feared adverse effects include QT prolongation, arrhythmias including Torsades de pointed, and sudden cardiac death, which are associated with older antidepressants and are rarely seen with SSRIs, including sertraline. We tried to understand the risks associated with sertraline use in cardiac patients. We reviewed all the relevant information from inception up to July 2022 regarding the risks of sertraline use in cardiovascular diseases, particularly with a focus on post-myocardial infarction depression, and gathered around 500 articles in our research and narrowed it down to 37 relevant articles. The database used was PubMed and the keywords used are sertraline, arrhythmia, major depression, post-myocardial infarction, and ventricular tachycardia. We carefully screened all relevant articles and found articles supporting and refuting the effects of sertraline in increasing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. We concluded that there is a significant variability due to confounding factors affecting individual cases. Overall, sertraline has no increased risk in comparison with other antidepressants and a comparatively preferable safety profile to other SSRIs like citalopram in general cases. Any patient with a high risk of arrhythmias due to any etiology should receive a screening ECG before sertraline prescription for baseline QT interval and genotyping for any serotonin transporter/receptor variations. Patients should also be periodically monitored for drug-drug interactions while on therapy. We encourage further research, including randomized clinical trials and post-marketing surveillance regarding the use of sertraline in high-risk cases.

The Effects of Proton Pump Inhibitors in Acid Hypersecretion-Induced Vitamin B12 Deficiency: A Systematic Review (2022).

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is the most common disease, for which proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are a widely used class of drugs. Due to their efficacy and relative safety profile, PPIs are used chronically by GERD patients. Although it is a safe drug, particular attention focuses on the long-term adverse effects of PPI. The association with vitamin deficiencies has received additional focus since chronic PPI treatment increases the incidence of vitamin B12 deficiency, especially in the elderly. However, numerous studies regarding the establishment of an association between PPI and vitamin B12 status revealed conflicting results. In this systematic review, we systematically examined observational studies that focused on the impact of chronic PPI effects on vitamin B12 absorption and diagnostic biomarkers of vitamin B12 deficiency. Our review showed significant changes in diagnostic biomarkers of vitamin B12 status in long-term PPI users, including elevated homocysteine and methylmalonic acid (MMA) concentration levels defining cellular vitamin B12 deficiency. Although there is uncertainty regarding the exact mechanism, it supports the concept that long-term intake of PPI can have clinical implications for vitamins.

Gastrointestinal Microbiota and Breast Cancer Chemotherapy Interactions: A Systematic Review.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women besides basal cell and squamous cell skin cancer. The current systemic therapy guidelines for this heterogeneous disease are mainly based on the molecular subtypes. However, more research is required to improve rates of therapy resistance and prevent side effects. Previous studies have shown that the human gut microbiota may have an important role in carcinogenesis as well as therapy outcomes, but this factor has not yet been integrated into therapy protocols. This systematic review aims to analyze how response rates and side effect profiles of breast cancer systemic therapies may be affected by the gastrointestinal microbiota. A literature search was performed using multiple databases and keywords related to gastrointestinal microbiota, breast cancer, and anticancer drugs. Studies were excluded if they primarily focused on diseases other than breast cancer. Abstracts, reviews, meta-analyses, and animal experiments were also excluded. After screening, nine studies met all selection criteria and included a total of 566 participants. Most studies described the impact of the gut microbiota on therapy response, but a few additionally discussed chemotherapy side effects, probiotics, or antibiotics. In general, diversity and specific microbiota were linked to chemotherapy response as well as prognosis. Microbiota diversity was also predictive of side effects such as neurological symptoms, weight gain, and constipation. The diversity and composition of gastrointestinal microbiota may serve as biomarkers and provide pathways for the optimization of chemotherapy in breast cancer patients.

Poststroke Depression, An Underrated Clinical Dilemma: 2022.

It is known that the majority of patients are prone to develop depression following a stroke. Several biological factors, including the disruption of the hypothalamic and adrenal axis and changes in cortisol and interleukin 6 (IL6), are said to have an essential role in its development. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans point toward white matter lesions and lacunar infarcts as the primary pathological culprit. People affected by poststroke depression (PSD) are more likely to commit suicide or develop another ischemic event after the initial episode, which can likely increase the mortality related to PSD and stroke. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the mainstay of treatment for PSD. However, it has a poor safety profile and is not very productive, making the use of SSRIs controversial, and further studies are required to prove its benefits concerning PSD. This literature review discusses the importance of PSD, how it impacts the quality of life of people affected by stroke, and its treatment.

Obesity and Coronary Artery Disease: An Updated Systematic Review 2022.

The primary goal is to identify the pathogenesis of cardiovascular illnesses in obese patients. Articles were extracted using the MeSH search approach from PubMed and Google Scholar databases. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were used, and duplicates were eliminated. Eight publications were finally included in this research study after two authors independently completed the quality check appraisal. Seven observational studies and one narrative review were found in our search. The publications evaluated the risk of coronary artery disease in metabolically healthy obese people with that of unhealthy obese adults and evaluated the effects of adipose tissue-mediated inflammation. Additionally, they offered several explanations for the obesity problem. Studies have indicated that adipocytokines and their pro-inflammatory cytokines have significantly affected the development of cardiovascular disease in obese subjects. The relationship between metabolically unhealthy people with increased risk for coronary artery disease (CAD) is unclear. It has also been shown that metabolically healthy obese persons are still at risk for developing coronary artery disease (CAD), as explained in certain studies in which inflammation plays a vital role in obese people. There hasn't been much data on the advantages of being physically active in overweight people, but obese people have to change their lifestyle as a first measure.