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Pulmonary function test and computed tomography features during follow-up after SARS, MERS and COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
No full textBackground
The COVID-19 pandemic follows severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus epidemics. Some survivors of COVID-19 infection experience persistent respiratory symptoms, yet their cause and natural history remain unclear. Follow-up after SARS and MERS may provide a model for predicting the long-term pulmonary consequences of COVID-19.
Methods
This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to describe and compare the longitudinal pulmonary function test (PFT) and computed tomography (CT) features of patients recovering from SARS, MERS and COVID-19. Meta-analysis of PFT parameters (DerSimonian and Laird random-effects model) and proportion of CT features (Freeman-Tukey transformation random-effects model) were performed.
Findings
Persistent reduction in the diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide following SARS and COVID-19 infection is seen at 6 months follow-up, and 12 months after MERS. Other PFT parameters recover in this time. 6 months after SARS and COVID-19, ground-glass opacity, linear opacities and reticulation persist in over 30% of patients; honeycombing and traction dilatation are reported less often. Severe/critical COVID-19 infection leads to greater CT and PFT abnormality compared to mild/moderate infection.
Interpretation
Persistent diffusion defects suggestive of parenchymal lung injury occur after SARS, MERS and COVID-19 infection, but improve over time. After COVID-19 infection, CT features are suggestive of persistent parenchymal lung injury, in keeping with a post-COVID-19 interstitial lung syndrome. It is yet to be determined if this is a regressive or progressive disease
Systematic review of donor and recipient predictive biomarkers of response to faecal microbiota transplantation in patients with ulcerative colitis.
No full textBACKGROUND
Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has previously been explored as a treatment for ulcerative colitis (UC) however, biomarkers that predict and / or are associated with clinical response are poorly defined. The aim of this systematic review was to identify donor and recipient clinical, microbial and metabolomic predictive biomarkers of response to FMT in UC.
METHODS
A systematic search of the relevant literature of studies exploring FMT in UC was conducted. Data on microbial diversity, taxonomic changes, metabolic changes, donor and recipient microbiota relationship and baseline predictors was examined.
FINDINGS
2852 studies were screened, and 25 papers were included in this systematic review. Following FMT, alpha diversity was seen to increase in responders along with increases in the abundance of Clostridiales clusters (order) and Bacteroides genus. Metabolomic analysis revealed short chain fatty acid (SCFA) production as a marker of FMT success. Donors or FMT batches with higher microbial alpha diversity and a greater abundance of taxa belonging to certain Bacteroides and Clostridia clusters were associated with clinical response to FMT. Baseline clinical predictors of response in patients with UC included younger age, less severe disease and possibly shorter disease duration. Baseline recipient microbial predictors at response consisted of higher faecal species richness, greater abundance of Candida and donor microbial profile similarity.
INTERPRETATION
Distinct changes in gut microbiota profiles post-FMT indicate that certain baseline characteristics along with specific microbial and metabolomic alterations may predispose patients towards a successful therapeutic outcome. Opportunities towards a biomarker led precision medicine approach with FMT should be explored in future clinical studies.
FUNDING
There no specific funding to declare
Acute-on-chronic liver failure: A 20-year retrospective review of a tertiary paediatric liver centre.
No full textAIM
Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is an acute deterioration of pre-existing chronic liver disease related to a precipitating event. We characterised paediatric ACLF at Birmingham Children's Hospital (BCH) utilising European Association of Liver Disease CLIF criteria, including prevalence, triggers and outcomes.
METHODS
All BCH patients from 2000 to 2020 with CLD who underwent initial liver transplant or died on the transplant waiting list or whilst too unwell to be listed were reviewed.
RESULTS
From 2000 to 2020, 24 (4%) children with ACLF were identified. Death occurred in 18 (75%). Transplant occurred in 9 (36%), 3 of which died. ACLF triggers were sepsis organism negative 11 (46%), sepsis organism positive 8 (33%) and GI bleed 5 (17%). Bilirubin at the time of transplant/death in those with ACLF who lived compared with those who died was 529 umol/L (381) versus 665 (210) (p=0.38), creatinine 138 umol/L (147) versus 67 (46) (p=0.41), PT 33 sec (14) versus (32 (15) (p = 0.72), Grade 3, 4 hepatic encephalopathy 1 (17%) versus 10 (56%) (p = 0.17), vasopressor use 1 (17%) versus 17 (94%) (p = 0.001) and ventilation 3 (50%) versus 17 (94%) (p = 0.035).
CONCLUSION
Acute-on-chronic liver failure whilst infrequent has high rates of mortality. The use of vasopressors and ventilation is more frequent in those who die from ACLF
A rare presentation of a rare disease: cold haemagglutination disease as the first manifestation of IgM myeloma.
No full textAdmission patterns and outcomes of postoperative oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer patients admitted to critical care in the UK: An analysis of the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre Case Mix Programme database.
No full textSurgery for head and neck malignancy may be complex with postoperative admission to critical care units (CCUs) often required. There are, however, increasing demands on this resource. We examined a national intensive care database to assess patterns of admission and outcomes for patients following surgery for malignancies of the oral cavity and oropharynx. An analysis was performed of the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre (ICNARC) Case Mix Programme database. Data were extracted on case mix and outcomes for patients coded as 'malignant neoplasm of the oropharynx requiring surgery' admitted to critical care between 2010 and 2019. Data included admission numbers, demographics, comorbidities, physiology scores, and outcomes including length of stay and mortality. There were 9,843 admissions for patients with malignancies of the oral cavity and oropharynx from 156 CCUs over the ten-year period. Admissions increased from 486 in 2010 to 1,381 in 2019. These admissions accounted for 0.42% of overall admissions in 2010 and 0.78% in 2019. The median age of patients was 63 years and 63.5% were male. The median length of stay in critical care was 38 hours (Interquartile range (IQR) 20.4, 64.3 hours). The median length of total hospital stay was 15 days (IQR 10, 23 days). Mortality in critical care was low (0.7%). Admissions to CCUs following surgery for malignancies of the oral cavity and oropharynx have increased over the last decade but remain low overall. With increasing demand for this resource, ongoing monitoring of utilisation is important
Factors associated with and impact of open conversion on the outcomes of minimally invasive left lateral sectionectomies: An international multicenter study.
No full textBACKGROUND
Despite the rapid advances that minimally invasive liver resection has gained in recent decades, open conversion is still inevitable in some circumstances. In this study, we aimed to determine the risk factors for open conversion after minimally invasive left lateral sectionectomy, and its impact on perioperative outcomes.
METHODS
This is a post hoc analysis of 2,445 of 2,678 patients who underwent minimally invasive left lateral sectionectomy at 45 international centers between 2004 and 2020. Factors related to open conversion were analyzed via univariate and multivariate analyses. One-to-one propensity score matching was used to analyze outcomes after open conversion versus non-converted cases.
RESULTS
The open conversion rate was 69/2,445 (2.8%). On multivariate analyses, male gender (3.6% vs 1.8%, P = .011), presence of clinically significant portal hypertension (6.1% vs 2.6%, P = .009), and larger tumor size (50 mm vs 32 mm, P < .001) were identified as independent factors associated with open conversion. The most common reason for conversion was bleeding in 27/69 (39.1%) of cases. After propensity score matching (65 open conversion vs 65 completed via minimally invasive liver resection), the open conversion group was associated with increased operation time, blood transfusion rate, blood loss, and postoperative stay compared with cases completed via the minimally invasive approach.
CONCLUSION
Male sex, portal hypertension, and larger tumor size were predictive factors of open conversion after minimally invasive left lateral sectionectomy. Open conversion was associated with inferior perioperative outcomes compared with non-converted cases
A guideline for the haematological management of major haemorrhage: a British Society for Haematology Guideline.
No full textReverse-Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Has High Accuracy for Detecting Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 in Saliva and Nasopharyngeal/Oropharyngeal Swabs from Asymptomatic and Symptomatic Individuals.
No full textPrevious studies have described reverse-transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) for the rapid detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swab and saliva samples. This multisite clinical evaluation describes the validation of an improved sample preparation method for extraction-free RT-LAMP and reports clinical performance of four RT-LAMP assay formats for SARS-CoV-2 detection. Direct RT-LAMP was performed on 559 swabs and 86,760 saliva samples and RNA RT-LAMP on extracted RNA from 12,619 swabs and 12,521 saliva samples from asymptomatic and symptomatic individuals across health care and community settings. For direct RT-LAMP, overall diagnostic sensitivity (DSe) was 70.35% (95% CI, 63.48%-76.60%) on swabs and 84.62% (95% CI, 79.50%-88.88%) on saliva, with diagnostic specificity of 100% (95% CI, 98.98%-100.00%) on swabs and 100% (95% CI, 99.72%-100.00%) on saliva, compared with quantitative RT-PCR (RT-qPCR); analyzing samples with RT-qPCR ORF1ab C values of ≤25 and ≤33, DSe values were 100% (95% CI, 96.34%-100%) and 77.78% (95% CI, 70.99%-83.62%) for swabs, and 99.01% (95% CI, 94.61%-99.97%) and 87.61% (95% CI, 82.69%-91.54%) for saliva, respectively. For RNA RT-LAMP, overall DSe and diagnostic specificity were 96.06% (95% CI, 92.88%-98.12%) and 99.99% (95% CI, 99.95%-100%) for swabs, and 80.65% (95% CI, 73.54%-86.54%) and 99.99% (95% CI, 99.95%-100%) for saliva, respectively. These findings demonstrate that RT-LAMP is applicable to a variety of use cases, including frequent, interval-based direct RT-LAMP of saliva from asymptomatic individuals who may otherwise be missed using symptomatic testing alone
Temporal trends in associations between severe mental illness and risk of cardiovascular disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
No full textBACKGROUND
Severe mental illness (SMI; schizophrenia, bipolar disorders (BDs), and other nonorganic psychoses) is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and CVD-related mortality. To date, no systematic review has investigated changes in population level CVD-related mortality over calendar time. It is unclear if this relationship has changed over time in higher-income countries with changing treatments.
METHODS AND FINDINGS
To address this gap, a systematic review was conducted, to assess the association between SMI and CVD including temporal change. Seven databases were searched (last: November 30, 2021) for cohort or case-control studies lasting ≥1 year, comparing frequency of CVD mortality or incidence in high-income countries between people with versus without SMI. No language restrictions were applied. Random effects meta-analyses were conducted to compute pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and rate ratios, pooled standardised mortality ratios (SMRs), pooled odds ratios (ORs), and pooled risk ratios (RRs) of CVD in those with versus without SMI. Temporal trends were explored by decade. Subgroup analyses by age, sex, setting, world region, and study quality (Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS) score) were conducted. The narrative synthesis included 108 studies, and the quantitative synthesis 59 mortality studies (with (≥1,841,356 cases and 29,321,409 controls) and 28 incidence studies (≥401,909 cases and 14,372,146 controls). The risk of CVD-related mortality for people with SMI was higher than controls across most comparisons, except for total CVD-related mortality for BD and cerebrovascular accident (CVA) for mixed SMI. Estimated risks were larger for schizophrenia than BD. Pooled results ranged from SMR = 1.55 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.33 to 1.81, p < 0.001), for CVA in people with BD to HR/rate ratio = 2.40 (95% CI: 2.25 to 2.55, p < 0.001) for CVA in schizophrenia. For schizophrenia and BD, SMRs and pooled HRs/rate ratios for CHD and CVD mortality were larger in studies with outcomes occurring during the 1990s and 2000s than earlier decades (1980s: SMR = 1.14, 95% CI: 0.57 to 2.30, p = 0.71; 2000s: SMR = 2.59, 95% CI: 1.93 to 3.47, p < 0.001 for schizophrenia and CHD) and in studies including people with younger age. The incidence of CVA, CVD events, and heart failure in SMI was higher than controls. Estimated risks for schizophrenia ranged from HR/rate ratio 1.25 (95% CI: 1.04 to 1.51, p = 0.016) for total CVD events to rate ratio 3.82 (95% CI: 3.1 to 4.71, p < 0.001) for heart failure. Incidence of CHD was higher in BD versus controls. However, for schizophrenia, CHD was elevated in higher-quality studies only. The HR/rate ratios for CVA and CHD were larger in studies with outcomes occurring after the 1990s. Study limitations include the high risk of bias of some studies as they drew a comparison cohort from general population rates and the fact that it was difficult to exclude studies that had overlapping populations, although attempts were made to minimise this.
CONCLUSIONS
In this study, we found that SMI was associated with an approximate doubling in the rate ratio of CVD-related mortality, particularly since the 1990s, and in younger groups. SMI was also associated with increased incidence of CVA and CHD relative to control participants since the 1990s. More research is needed to clarify the association between SMI and CHD and ways to mitigate this risk
Timing of high-dose methotrexate CNS prophylaxis in DLBCL: a multicenter international analysis of 1384 patients.
No full textProphylactic high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) is often used for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients at high risk of central nervous system (CNS) relapse, despite limited evidence demonstrating efficacy or the optimal delivery method. We conducted a retrospective, international analysis of 1384 patients receiving HD-MTX CNS prophylaxis either intercalated (i-HD-MTX) (n = 749) or at the end (n = 635) of R-CHOP/R-CHOP-like therapy (EOT). There were 78 CNS relapses (3-year rate 5.7%), with no difference between i-HD-MTX and EOT: 5.7% vs 5.8%, P = .98; 3-year difference: 0.04% (-2.0% to 3.1%). Conclusions were unchanged on adjusting for baseline prognostic factors or on 6-month landmark analysis (n = 1253). In patients with a high CNS international prognostic index (n = 600), the 3-year CNS relapse rate was 9.1%, with no difference between i-HD-MTX and EOT. On multivariable analysis, increasing age and renal/adrenal involvement were the only independent risk factors for CNS relapse. Concurrent intrathecal prophylaxis was not associated with a reduction in CNS relapse. R-CHOP delays of ≥7 days were significantly increased with i-HD-MTX vs EOT, with 308 of 1573 (19.6%) i-HD-MTX treatments resulting in a delay to subsequent R-CHOP (median 8 days). Increased risk of delay occurred in older patients when delivery was later than day 10 in the R-CHOP cycle. In summary, we found no evidence that EOT delivery increases CNS relapse risk vs i-HD-MTX. Findings in high-risk subgroups were unchanged. Rates of CNS relapse in this HD-MTX-treated cohort were similar to comparable cohorts receiving infrequent CNS prophylaxis. If HD-MTX is still considered for certain high-risk patients, delivery could be deferred until R-CHOP completion