The prevalence of restless legs syndrome (RLS) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS): a systematic review and meta-analysis-an update.

INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of restless legs syndrome (RLS) is reported to vary in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) in studies which are conducted in different populations. The goal of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to update the prevalence of RLS in MS cases. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and gray literature including references from identified studies and conference abstracts which were published up to June 2021. Data on the total number of participants, first author, country, disease duration, number of controls, mean patient age, male and female numbers, mean EDSS, and number of cases and/or controls with RLS were extracted from the included studies. RESULTS: The literature search revealed 855 articles; after deleting duplicates, 530 remained. For the meta-analysis, 75 studies were included (Fig. 1). In six articles, the authors did not differentiate between CIS and MS cases when reporting RLS cases. In total, 15,411 MS/CIS patients were evaluated and 4309 had RLS. The pooled prevalence of RLS was 28% (95% CI: 24-33%). The pooled prevalence of RLS in men was 22% (95% CI: 17-26%), and the pooled prevalence of RLS in women was 30% (95% CI: 25-35%). The pooled prevalence of RLS in controls was 8% (95% CI: 6-10%). CONCLUSION: The results of this systematic review and meta-analysis show that the pooled prevalence of RLS is 28% in MS cases and 8%. The pooled prevalence is higher in women than men (30% vs 22%).

Parkinson's disease and COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) are at higher risk of COVID-19 infection as most of them are at older age. The goal of this study is to update the pooled prevalence of COVID-19 infection in patients with PD. METHODS: Two researchers systematically searched PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and also gray literature including references of the included studies which were published before September 2021. We extracted data regarding the total number of participants, first author, publication year, the country of origin, mean age, number with COVID-19, symptoms, hospitalization, and death. RESULTS: We found 1693 articles by literature search; after deleting duplicates, 798 remained. Thirty articles remained for meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of COVID-19 infection in PD cases was 5% (95%CI: 4-6%) (I2 = 98.1%, P < 0.001). The pooled prevalence of fever in cases with PD was 4% (95%CI: 2-6%) (I2 = 96%, P < 0.001). The pooled prevalence of cough in cases with PD was 3% (95%CI: 2-4%) (I2 = 95.9%, P < 0.001). The pooled prevalence of hospitalization in cases with COVID-19 infection was 49% (95%CI: 29-52%) (I2: 93.5%, P < 0.001). The pooled prevalence of mortality in COVID-19 cases was 12% (95%CI: 10-14%) (I2 = 97.6%, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The results of this systematic review and meta-analysis show that the pooled prevalence of COVID-19 infection in PD cases is 5% besides hospitalization and mortality rates which are 49% and 12%.

Conditions of experienced stigma in people living with HIV in Iran: a qualitative comparative analysis.

Stigma against people living with HIV (PLWH) seriously affects their quality of life. Moreover it can lead them to hide their HIV status from others, which in turn endangers public health. Many studies dealing with HIV-related stigma focus on the consequences of this phenomenon and pay less attention to the social conditions which affect different types of HIV-related stigma (anticipated, internalized and enacted stigma [ES]). Therefore, in this study, we tried to achieve more understanding about effective causal conditions of various types of experienced stigma. First of all, data were collected from 19 PLWH, using semi-structured interviews from those who had visited the Counseling Center for Behavioral Diseases in Mashhad. Secondly, the data were analyzed by applying a mixture of two methods: thematic analysis and qualitative comparative analysis (Boolean Algebra). The analysis of the data reveals that a combination of informing family members about HIV status, lack of family support, and medical support lead to anticipated stigma; a combination of religious beliefs and poor self-esteem results in internalized stigma and a combination of lack of family support, mistreatment by community, poor self-esteem, poverty and no religious beliefs lead to ES.

The effect of low-level laser therapy on knee osteoarthritis: prospective, descriptive study.

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common joint disorders in the elderly which could be associated with considerable physical disability. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a descriptive, prospective study, 33 patients enrolled in the study from which 15 people were excluded due to incomplete course of treatment, leaving the total number of 18 patients with knee osteoarthritis. Gal-Al-As diode laser device was used as a source of low-power laser. Patients were performed laser therapy with a probe of LO7 with a wavelength of 810 nm and 50 mW output power in pulse radiation mode (F = 3,000, peak power = 80 W, Δt = 200 ns, density = 0.05 W/cm(2), dose = 6 J/cm(2), area = 1 cm(2)) and also a probe of MLO1K with a power output of 30 mW and a wavelength of 890 nm in pulse radiation mode (F = 3,000 Hz, peak power = 50 W, Δt = 200 ns, density = 0.017 W/cm(2), total dose = 10 J/cm(2)), and were given low-level laser therapy (LLLT) three times a week with a total number of 12 sessions. Data were analyzed using SPSS ver. 15, and the obtained data were reported as mean ± SD and frequency (%). To analyze the data, repeated measurement and marginal homogeneity approaches were used. RESULTS: In the current study, a significant reduction was observed regarding the nocturnal pain, pain on walking and ascending the steps, knee circumference, distance between the hip and heel, and knee to horizontal hip to heel distance at the end of the treatment course. CONCLUSIONS: In brief, the current study focuses on the fact that LLLT is effective in reducing pain in knee osteoarthritis.

Myasthenia Gravis and COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Introduction: Patients with myasthenia gravis (MG), an autoimmune disease affecting the neuromuscular junction, exhibits varying rates of COVID-19 infection across different studies. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to estimate the pooled prevalence of COVID-19 infection in individuals with MG. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and gray literature, including references to the research published before October 2021. The total number of participants, the first author, the publication year, the country of origin, the number of MG patients, their symptoms, hospitalization rates, and deaths were all extracted as study data. Results: Our literature search yielded 253 articles, of which 75 remained after removing duplicates. Finally, 18 articles were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of COVID-19 infection in MG cases was found to be 2% (95% CI, 1%, 3%; I2=85%, P<0.001). Additionally, the pooled prevalence of hospitalization among those with COVID-19 infection was 43% (95% CI, 26%, 60%; I2=97.6%; P<0.001), and the pooled prevalence of MG exacerbation was 33% (95% CI, 20%, 46%; I2=92.6%; P<0.001). Conclusion: In summary, this systematic review and meta-analysis reveal that the pooled prevalence of COVID-19 infection in individuals with MG is 2%.

Olfactory dysfunction in patients with Parkinson's disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neuro-degenerative disease and olfactory dysfunction is considered as an important issue in these patients. The prevalence of olfactory dysfunction in patients with PD was reported variously in previous studies. Therefore, we designed this systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the pooled prevalence of olfactory dysfunction in patients with PD. Methods: Two expert researchers systematically searched PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, Web of Science, Google Scholar, references of the papers, and conference abstracts. The titles and abstracts of the potential studies were evaluated after deleting the duplicates. We extracted data regarding the total number of participants, first author, publication year, the country of origin, mean age, mean disease duration, female/male, number with olfactory dysfunction, and name of the test. We evaluated the risk of potential bias by the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale (adapted for cross-sectional studies). All statistical analyses were done using Stata software. To determine heterogeneity between the findings of included studies, inconsistency (I2) was calculated. We applied random effect model when I2 was more than 50%. P-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The literature search revealed 1546 studies; after deleting duplicates, 894 remained. Finally, twelve studies remained for meta-analysis. Studies were published between years of 2009 to 2021, the sample size of studies ranged between 30 and 2097, and the mean age ranged between 61 and 70 years. The pooled prevalence of olfactory dysfunction in patients with PD was estimated as 64% [95% confidence interval (CI): 44-84, I2 = 99.7%, P < 0.001]. The pooled prevalence of olfactory dysfunction using Sniffin's test was 67% (95% CI: 51-83) and using other tests was 60% (95% CI: 28-92). Conclusion: The results of this systematic review and meta-analysis showed that the pooled prevalence of olfactory dysfunction in patients with PD was 64% which should be considered by physicians.

Curcumin effects on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A systematic review.

Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common disease of the lungs known as the third reason for death worldwide. Frequent COPD exacerbations compel health care workers to apply interventions that are not adverse effect free. Accordingly, adding or replacing Curcumin, a natural meal flavoring, may indicate advantages in this era by its antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory effects. Methods: The PRISMA checklist was employed for the systematic review study. On June 3, 2022, PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched for studies associated with COPD and Curcumin in the last 10 years. Duplicate or non-English publications and articles with irrelevant titles and abstracts were excluded. Also, preprints, reviews, short communications, editorials, letters to the editor, comments, conference abstracts, and conference papers were not included. Results: Overall, 4288 publications were found eligible, after the screening, 9 articles were finally included. Among them, one, four, and four in vitro, in vivo, and both in vivo and in vitro research exist respectively. According to the investigations, Curcumin can inhibit alveolar epithelial thickness and proliferation, lessen the inflammatory response, remodel the airway, produce ROS, alleviate airway inflammation, hinder emphysema and prevent ischemic complications. Conclusion: Consequently, the findings of the current review demonstrate that Curcumin's modulatory effects on oxidative stress, cell viability, and gene expression could be helpful in COPD management. However, for data confirmation, further randomized clinical trials are required.

Efficacy of Laryngeal Mask Airway Compared to Endotracheal Tube: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: In patients under general anesthesia, the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) is a valuable alternative to endotracheal intubation to maintain the airway. In this study, we compared the efficacy of LMA with an endotracheal tube (ETT) in plastic and reconstructive surgeries over 2 h on thorax and abdomen under general anesthesia in Hazrat Fatemeh Hospital in Tehran, Iran, in 2020. Methods: This randomized clinical trial was performed on a sample size of 80, randomly assigned to two groups. The main variables included the ease of placement, recurrent carbon dioxide content, arterial oxygen saturation, and laryngeal and tracheal spasm. In addition, the sub-variables entailed the mean duration of anesthesia, nausea and vomiting, sore throat, and abdominal distension. The obtained data were analyzed by the SPSS software version 25. Results: In the present study, 76 patients were female. Mean age, recurrent carbon dioxide, arterial oxygen saturation, laryngeal and tracheal spasm, the mean duration of anesthesia, nausea and vomiting, sore throat, and abdominal distension were not significantly different between the two groups. Conclusions: The results of this study showed that the classic laryngeal mask could be used as a means of airway control in general anesthesia for long-term surgeries of more than 2 h.