Effect of low-dose intravenous dexamethasone on post-lumbar discectomy pain: Randomized and Double blind study

The Pain is the most common complaint in various diseases. Postoperative pain is common complication and spatially in elderly patient because of exacerbation of heard and vessel was impotents. The aim of this study was evaluation of the effect of low-dose IV dexamethasone on postoperative pain in patients with lumbar discectomy.  In a clinical trial that studied in neurosurgery wards of Shohada and Imam Reza hospitals affiliated to the Tabriz University of Medical Sciences on patients underwent lumbar discectomy, the effect of low-dose IV dexamethasone on postoperative pain was evaluated. 80 patients divided in 2 equal groups, we used IV morphine (present routine treatment) in group A and IV morphine in addition to 8mg IV dexamethasone in group B, for reducing post lumbar discectomy pain. 21 patients in group A, & 22 in group B were male and 19 patients in group A & and 18 in group B were female (P=0.823). Mean age of patients in groups A and B was 39.32 and 39.22 years, respectively (P=0.945). Mean of pain score (VAS) at 6 hours post-operation in group A and B was 6.97 and 6.75, respectively (P=0.065). VAS at 12, 18 or 24 hours post-operation in both groups didn't differ significantly, too (P>0.05). We didn't observe any significant reduction in post lumbar discectomy pain after adding 8 mg dexamethasone into morphine. Regarding other studies, it seems that higher doses of dexamethasone should be used to achieve a significant pain reduction

A systematic review of sarcopenia prevalence and associated factors in people living with human immunodeficiency virus

People living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PLWH) appear to be at an increased risk of sarcopenia, which can have a devastating effect on their life due to consequences such as physical disability, poor quality of life, and finally death. This systematic review examined sarcopenia prevalence and its associated factors in PLWH. A systematic search was conducted using the keywords in the online databases including Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane databases from the dates of inception up to May 2022. The retrieved articles underwent a two-step title/abstract and full-text review process, and the eligible papers were selected and included in the qualitative synthesis. Data relating to the study population, purpose of study, gender, age, race, body mass index, medical history, paraclinical results and antiretroviral therapy as associated factors of sarcopenia were extracted. In addition, the prevalence of sarcopenia in PLWH and its promoting and reducing factors were also extracted. We reviewed the 14 related studies for identifying of sarcopenia prevalence and its associated factors in PLWH. The total number of PLWH in all the reviewed studies was 2592. There was no criterion for the minimum number of people with HIV and the lowest number of PLWH was 27, and the highest number was 860. Some studies reported a significantly higher prevalence of sarcopenia in HIV-infected individuals compared with HIV-negative controls as follows: 24.2–6.7%, 15–4% and 10–6%, respectively. We showed that, age (30–50 years), being female, >5 years post-HIV diagnosis, multiple vertebral fractures, cocaine/heroin use and lower gamma-glutamyl transferase level were the main promoting factors of sarcopenia. Higher educational level, employment, physical exercise, calf circumference >31 cm, and gait speed >0.8 m/s were also factors to reduce sarcopenia. Sarcopenia prevalence in PLWH is higher than HIV-negative population. Given the importance and prevalence of sarcopenia among PLWH and its associated consequences (i.e., mortality and disability), determining its risk factors is of great importance. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society on Sarcopenia, Cachexia and Wasting Disorders

Relationship of Pears’ Dielectric Properties and Rates of Pears’ Bruise

Nowadays, dielectric materials, as one of the nondestructive methods, have drawn the researchers’ attention to their diverse array of advantages to the other methods. Before loading and storage, 120 pears were examined under CT-Scan and 81 pears with zero bruise were selected followed by subjecting them to quasi-static and dynamic loading and a 10 day storage period was chosen to investigate the bruise levels and their relationships with dielectric constant. At the end of the storage period, the fruits were measured in their dielectric constant after their bruise levels were determined in CT-Scans. The measurements were undertaken in capacitor plate distances of 8, 11 and 14 cm for input voltages of 6, 10 and 14 V and input voltage frequencies of 20, 60 and 100 KHz for two fruit placement directions. The results showed that the highest dielectric constant, 5.4868, belonged to broad-edge compressive plate for a plate capacitor distance of 8cm and subject to a 130N loading and a bruise level equal to 39.563; moreover, the lowest dielectric constant, 5.01651, was found belonging to longitudinal placement direction and subject to a 350 g loading weight exerted in the form of impact for a decay level equal to 5.147. The final result was that the bruise level increases and moisture content decrease with the elevation of the compression force following which the dielectric constant demonstrates higher values

The Relationship between Perceived Sleep Quality, Polysomnographic Measures and Depressive Symptoms in Chemically-Injured Veterans: A Pilot Study.

Objective: Sleep complaints are common among Iranian chemically-injured veterans. The growing body of research has investigated (in) equalities between such subjective complaints and objective sleep records. Moreover, sleep complaints are associated with depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms, also, have been frequently reported in chemically-injured veterans. Therefore, the purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the relationship between perceived sleep quality, polysomnographic measures and depressive symptoms in Iranian veterans with chemical injuries. Methods: In this pilot study, 35 Iranian veterans with chemical injuries complaining of a sleep problem were selected. Initially, participants were evaluated via all-night polysomnography, then, they completed the research questionnaires. Collected data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficients. Results: Data analyses showed that there was no significant correlation between many of self-reposted variables and polysomnogaphic recordings, h wever, remarkable relationships were found between the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Beck Depression Inventory scores. Conclusion: The findings indicated that sleep complaints of chemically-injured veterans are not equivalent to objective sleep disturbances, however, these complaints are largely associated with level of depression. This study emphasizes the important role of mood in sleep evaluation. Further, the findings suggest using a combination of both subjective and objective measures for accurate assessment of sleep quality in Iranian veterans with chemical injuries (i.e., multimethod approach)

COVID-19 mortality in patients with immunodeficiency and its predictors: a systematic review

Introduction Patients with immunodeficiency are usually more prone to worse outcomes of infectious diseases. However, there are some disagreements in the context of COVID-19, for example, in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Herein, we aimed to systematically review the risk and predictors of COVID-19 mortality in people with primary or secondary immunodeficiency. Methods PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Science Direct were searched. We followed a two-step screening process to identify eligible results. We first reviewed the title and abstract of the records and the unqualified studies were removed. Then, their full texts were evaluated based on their coherence with the purpose and inclusion/exclusion criteria, and those eligible for qualitative synthesis were included. Results Twenty-two articles were included, which investigated a total of 109,326 with primary or secondary immunodeficiencies. Three studies investigated the pediatric and infant population, while other studies were conducted on the adult population. Overall, studies on both primary and secondary immunodeficiency conflicted as some reported higher and some mentioned lower mortality rates in patients with immunodeficiency. Conclusions Overall, there were two points of view in both types of immunodeficiencies. The first is the classical viewpoint that all immunodeficient patients are at a higher risk of infection leading to a higher mortality rate. The second types of studies found that immunodeficiency might play a less important or even an inverse role in mortality rates by lowering the severity of the inflammatory response. However, it is important to take note to comorbidities, such as DM, HTN, CAD, ESRD, history of lower respiratory infection, etc., and demographic factors, such as obesity and age > 70 years, as they appear to influence the mortality rate, especially in patients with secondary immunodeficiency.publishedVersio

COVID-19 in pediatrics: The current knowledge and practice

International audienceIntroduction: SARS-CoV-2 is the novel coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome and could afflict individuals from all walks of life. Children are usually asymptomatic or represent non-specific mild to moderate symptoms; therefore, they often remain undiagnosed and could be potential reservoirs and silent carriers of the virus. Despite the global attention to COVID-19 and its importance in public health, some clinical and paraclinical aspects of this disease in children are still unclear. Thus, we conducted a comprehensive systematic review of available literature to reflect on the current knowledge and practice of the disease among children. Methods: This study was a systematic review of current evidence conducted in October 2020. We performed a systematic search using the keywords in online databases. The investigation adheres to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist to ensure the reliability and validity of extracted literature and results. Results: We selected and reviewed 23 most related studies out of 1744 identified paper in an initial online search based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the present review; of whom, 13 were original research studies, and 10 were a letter to the editors, commentaries, viewpoints, consensus statements, and perspectives. Although due to the origin of the current pandemic, China was the country with the most publications (14 articles), data from several countries have beenincluded in this review. Conclusion: COVID-19 can also affect children and cause systemic disease with several internal organ involvements. However, the prevalence, severity, and diversity of the symptoms in children are less than in adults. Cough and fever appear to be some of the most common symptoms, followed by other symptoms such as gastrointestinal manifestations. Comorbidities increase the risk of severe COVID-19 in children, and those without underlying conditions are very unlikely to suffer from severe disease. Mental health issues such as anxiety and depression due to the isolated situation caused by pandemics are common findings in children of early ages and should be seriously considered in current practice

COVID-19 mortality and its predictors in the elderly: A systematic review

Background and Aims Older people have higher rates of comorbidities and may experience more severe inflammatory responses; therefore, are at higher risk of death. Herein, we aimed to systematically review the mortality in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients and its predictors in this age group. Methods We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Science Direct using relevant keywords. Retrieved records underwent a two-step screening process consisting of title/abstract and full-text screenings to identify the eligible studies. Results Summarizing findings of 35 studies demonstrated that older patients have higher mortality rates compared to the younger population. A review of articles revealed that increasing age, body mass index, a male gender, dementia, impairment or dependency in daily activities, presence of consolidations on chest X-ray, hypoxemic respiratory failure, and lower oxygen saturation at admission were risk factors for death. High d-dimer levels, 25-hydroxy vitamin D serum deficiencies, high C-reactive protein (≥5 mg/L) levels plus any other abnormalities of lymphocyte, higher blood urea nitrogen or lactate dehydrogenase, and higher platelet count were predictors of poor prognosis and mortality in the elderly. Studies have also shown that previous treatment with renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system inhibitors, pharmacological treatments of respiratory disorders, antibiotics, corticosteroids, vitamin K antagonist, antihistamines, azithromycin, Itolizumab (an anti-CD6 monoclonal antibody) in combination with other antivirals reduces COVID-19 worsening and mortality. Vaccination against seasonal influenza might also reduce COVID-19 mortality. Conclusion Overall, a critical consideration is necessary for the care and management of COVID-19 in the aged population considering the drastic contrasts in manifestation and prognosis compared to other age groups. Mortality from COVID-19 is independently associated with the patient's age. Elderly patients with COVID-19 are more vulnerable to poor outcomes. Thus, strict preventive measures, timely diagnosis, and aggressive therapeutic/nontherapeutic care are of great importance to reduce acute respiratory distress syndrome and severe complications in older people.publishedVersio

Impact of COVID ‐19 pandemic on routine vaccination coverage of children and adolescents: A systematic review

International audienceScientists and healthcare workers have expressed their concerns on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on vaccination coverage in children and adolescents. Therefore, we aimed to systematically review the studies addressing this issue worldwide

A systematic review of sarcopenia prevalence and associated factors in people living with human immunodeficiency virus

Abstract People living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PLWH) appear to be at an increased risk of sarcopenia, which can have a devastating effect on their life due to consequences such as physical disability, poor quality of life, and finally death. This systematic review examined sarcopenia prevalence and its associated factors in PLWH. A systematic search was conducted using the keywords in the online databases including Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane databases from the dates of inception up to May 2022. The retrieved articles underwent a two‐step title/abstract and full‐text review process, and the eligible papers were selected and included in the qualitative synthesis. Data relating to the study population, purpose of study, gender, age, race, body mass index, medical history, paraclinical results and antiretroviral therapy as associated factors of sarcopenia were extracted. In addition, the prevalence of sarcopenia in PLWH and its promoting and reducing factors were also extracted. We reviewed the 14 related studies for identifying of sarcopenia prevalence and its associated factors in PLWH. The total number of PLWH in all the reviewed studies was 2592. There was no criterion for the minimum number of people with HIV and the lowest number of PLWH was 27, and the highest number was 860. Some studies reported a significantly higher prevalence of sarcopenia in HIV‐infected individuals compared with HIV‐negative controls as follows: 24.2–6.7%, 15–4% and 10–6%, respectively. We showed that, age (30–50 years), being female, >5 years post‐HIV diagnosis, multiple vertebral fractures, cocaine/heroin use and lower gamma‐glutamyl transferase level were the main promoting factors of sarcopenia. Higher educational level, employment, physical exercise, calf circumference >31 cm, and gait speed >0.8 m/s were also factors to reduce sarcopenia. Sarcopenia prevalence in PLWH is higher than HIV‐negative population. Given the importance and prevalence of sarcopenia among PLWH and its associated consequences (i.e., mortality and disability), determining its risk factors is of great importance

Supplemental material - Telemedicine technologies and applications in the era of COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review

Supplemental material for Telemedicine technologies and applications in the era of COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review by Esmaeil Mehraeen, Seyed Ahmad Seyed Alinaghi, Mohammad Heydari, Amirali Karimi, Abdollah Mahdavi, Mehrnaz Mashoufi, Arezoo Sarmad, Peyman Mirghaderi, Ahmadreza Shamsabadi, Kowsar Qaderi, Pegah Mirzapour, Amirata Fakhfouri, Hadiseh Azadi Cheshmekabodi, Kimia Azad, Seyed Ali Bagheri Zargande, Shahram Oliaei, Parisa Yousefi Konjdar, Farzin Vahedi, Tayebeh Noori in Health Informatics Journal</p