Infrared Thermography for the Evaluation of Inflammatory and Degenerative Joint Diseases: A Systematic Review

Cartilage ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1790S-1801S
Author(s):  
Guglielmo Schiavon ◽  
Gianluigi Capone ◽  
Monique Frize ◽  
Stefano Zaffagnini ◽  
Christian Candrian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Disease Progression ◽  
Infrared Thermography ◽  
Rheumatic Diseases ◽  
English Language ◽  
Response To Treatment ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Joint Diseases ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Post Evaluation

Objective Inflammation plays a central role in the pathophysiology of rheumatic diseases as well as in osteoarthritis. Temperature, which can be quantified using infrared thermography, provides information about the inflammatory component of joint diseases. This systematic review aims at assessing infrared thermography potential and limitations in these pathologies. Design A systematic review was performed on 3 major databases: PubMed, Cochrane library, and Web of Science, on clinical reports of any level of evidence in English language, published from 1990 to May 2021, with infrared thermography used for diagnosis of osteoarthritis and rheumatic diseases, monitoring disease progression, or response to treatment. Relevant data were extracted, collected in a database, and analyzed for the purpose of this systematic review. Results Of 718 screened articles 32 were found to be eligible for inclusion, for a total of 2094 patients. Nine studies reported the application to osteoarthritis, 21 to rheumatic diseases, 2 on both. The publication trend showed an increasing interest in the last decade. Seven studies investigated the correlation of temperature changes with osteoarthritis, 16 with rheumatic diseases, and 2 with both, whereas 2 focused on the pre-post evaluation to investigate treatment results in patients with osteoarthritis and 5 in patients with rheumatic diseases. A correlation was shown between thermal findings and disease presence and stage, as well as the clinical assessment of disease activity and response to treatment, supporting infrared thermography role in the study and management of rheumatic diseases and osteoarthritis. Conclusions The systematic literature review showed an increasing interest in this technology, with several applications in different joints affected by inflammatory and degenerative pathologies. Infrared thermography proved to be a simple, accurate, noninvasive, and radiation-free method, which could be used in addition to the currently available tools for screening, diagnosis, monitoring of disease progression, and response to medical treatment.

scholarly journals Systematic Review of the Surgical Outcomes of Elbow Plicae

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 232596712095516
Author(s):  
In-Ho Jeon ◽  
Hua Liu ◽  
Akriti Nanda ◽  
Hyojune Kim ◽  
Dong Min Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Radial Head ◽  
Surgical Outcomes ◽  
English Language ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Medical Subject Headings ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Residual Symptoms ◽  
Language Studies ◽  
Meta Analyses

Background: Surgical resection is usually required for symptomatic elbow plicae that have failed nonoperative therapy. However, evidence of surgical outcomes has not been presented. Purpose: To review the surgical outcomes for the treatment of synovial plicae in the radiocapitellar joint. Study Design: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: We searched the PubMed, Ovid/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, and Embase databases using keywords as well as Medical Subject Headings terms and Emtree ([(elbow OR humeroradial joint OR radiohumeral joint) AND (meniscus OR plica)] OR snapping elbow OR snapping triceps OR synovial fold syndrome OR synovial fringe) for English-language studies. We conducted a systematic review using PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. Results: A total of 14 articles comprising four level 5 and ten level 4 studies were identified, including 279 patients (284 elbows). The triggering factors reported for 58 patients were heavy labor (29 patients; 50.0%), sporting activities (17 patients; 29.3%), and nonspecific trauma (12 patients; 20.7%). Overall, 92 patients (33.0%) were administered a steroid injection before surgery. Arthroscopic plica resection was performed in 266 patients (95.3%). Intraoperatively, plicae were mostly found in the posterior (44.0%) and posterolateral (28.6%) sites, and chondromalacia of the radial head was observed in 25 patients (9.2%). Of the reported surgical outcomes, 67.7% showed a resolution of symptoms. However, 9.3% of patients had residual symptoms, which were likely associated with pre-existing radial head chondromalacia. The complication rate was reported as 1.8%. Conclusion: Symptomatic elbow plicae were mostly treated arthroscopically, with most of the results being favorable. Pre-existing chondromalacia and the underestimation of concomitant intra-articular abnormalities may yield an inferior outcome.

scholarly journals Biomarkers predictive of treatment response in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis: a systematic review

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 1759720X2110140
Author(s):  
Conor Magee ◽  
Hannah Jethwa ◽  
Oliver M. FitzGerald ◽  
Deepak R. Jadon
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Psoriatic Arthritis ◽  
Treatment Response ◽  
Unmet Need ◽  
Response To Treatment ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Original Research ◽  
Eligibility Criteria ◽  
Psoriatic Disease ◽  
Subsequent Response

Aims: The ability to predict response to treatment remains a key unmet need in psoriatic disease. We conducted a systematic review of studies relating to biomarkers associated with response to treatment in either psoriasis vulgaris (PsV) or psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Methods: A search was conducted in PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane library from their inception to 2 September 2020, and conference proceedings from four major rheumatology conferences. Original research articles studying pre-treatment biomarker levels associated with subsequent response to pharmacologic treatment in either PsV or PsA were included. Results: A total of 765 articles were retrieved and after review, 44 articles (22 relating to PsV and 22 to PsA) met the systematic review’s eligibility criteria. One study examined the response to methotrexate, one the response to tofacitinib and all the other studies to biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Whilst several studies examined the HLA-C*06 allele in PsV, the results were conflicting. Interleukin (IL)-12 serum levels and polymorphisms in the IL-12B gene show promise as biomarkers of treatment response in PsV. Most, but not all, studies found that higher baseline levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) were associated with a better clinical response to treatment in patients with PsA. Conclusion: Several studies have identified biomarkers associated with subsequent response to treatment in psoriatic disease. However, due to the different types of biomarkers, treatments and outcome measures used, firm conclusions cannot be drawn. Further validation is needed before any of these biomarkers translate to clinical practice.

scholarly journals Current status of wet lab and cadaveric simulation in urological training: A systematic review

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Al-Jabir ◽  
Abdullatif Aydin ◽  
Hussain Al-Jabir ◽  
M. Shamim Khan ◽  
Prokar Dasgupta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
English Language ◽  
In Vivo Studies ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Cadaveric Simulation ◽  
Randomized Controlled Studies ◽  
Wet Lab ◽  
Urological Training

Introduction: We undertook a systematic review of the use of wet lab (animal and cadaveric) simulation models in urological training, with an aim to establishing a level of evidence (LoE) for studies and level of recommendation (LoR) for models, as well as evaluating types of validation. Methods: Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases were searched for English-language studies using search terms including a combination of surgery, surgical training, and medical education. These results were combined with wet lab, animal model, cadaveric, and in-vivo. Studies were then assigned a LoE and LoR if appropriate as per the education-modified Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine classification. Results: A total of 43 articles met the inclusion criteria. There was a mean of 23.1 (±19.2) participants per study with a median of 20. Overall, the studies were largely of low quality, with 90.7% of studies being lower than 2a LoE (n=26 for LoE 2b and n=13 for LoE 3). The majority (72.1%, n=31) of studies were in animal models and 27.9% (n=12) were in cadaveric models. Conclusions: Simulation in urological education is becoming more prevalent in the literature, however, there is a focus on animal rather than cadaveric simulation, possibly due to cost and ethical considerations. Studies are also predominately of a low LoE; more higher LoEs, especially randomized controlled studies, are needed.

scholarly journals The effect of hemodilution on free flap survival: A systematic review of clinical and experimental studies

2020 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 457-466
Author(s):  
Matteo Amoroso ◽  
Peter Apelgren ◽  
Anna Elander ◽  
Karin Säljö ◽  
Lars Kölby
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Literature Search ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Free Flaps ◽  
Risk Of Bias ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Grade Scale ◽  
Reconstructive Microsurgery ◽  
The Cochrane Library

BACKGROUND: Acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) has been proposed as a microsurgical technique to improve blood flow in free flaps. OBJECTIVE: Here, we present the first systematic review of clinical and experimental studies on the effect of ANH. METHODS: We performed a systematic literature search of PubMed, Medline, the Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, and ClinicalTrials.gov using search strategies and a review process in agreement with the PRISMA statement and the Cochrane Handbook for systematic reviews of interventions. PICO criteria were defined before bibliometric processing of the retrieved articles, which were analyzed with the SYRCLE RoB tool for risk of bias and the GRADE scale for level of evidence. RESULTS: We retrieved 74 articles from the literature search, and after processing according to PICO criteria, only four articles remained, all of which were experimental. The rating for risk of bias was uncertain according to SYRCLE RoB results, and the level of evidence was low according to GRADE evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: There is no clinical evidence for the effect of ANH on microcirculation in free flaps, and experimental studies provide weak evidence supporting the use of hemodilution in reconstructive microsurgery.

Occult Metastasis in Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 130 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-77
Author(s):  
Daniel D. Sharbel ◽  
Mary Abkemeier ◽  
Michael W. Groves ◽  
William G. Albergotti ◽  
J. Kenneth Byrd ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Squamous Cell ◽  
Distant Metastasis ◽  
Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Elective Neck Dissection ◽  
Occult Metastasis ◽  
Level Of Evidence

Objective: The incidence of occult metastasis (OM) in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is still widely debated. In this systematic review, we aim to determine the rate of OM in laryngeal SCC, its impact on recurrence, and the role of elective neck dissection (END) in the management of the clinically negative neck. Methods: A systematic review of the English-language literature in Web of Science, PubMed, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Library databases on occult metastasis in laryngeal SCC from 1977 to 2018 was conducted. Studies evaluating occult metastasis (OM) in patients with laryngeal SCC with clinically negative necks undergoing surgery were included. Studies evaluating other head and neck subsites, clinically node positive, and salvage patients were excluded. Results: Twenty-one articles with a total of 5630 patients were included. The overall rate of OM was 20.5% and was 23% and 12.2% in supraglottic and glottic tumors, respectively. The OM rate in T1-T2 tumors was 13% and 25% in T3-T4 tumors. T3-T4 tumors had significantly greater odds of developing OM compared to T1-T2 tumors (Odds Ratio [OR] = 2.61, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 1.92-3.55, P < .00001). Patients with OM were more likely to develop distant metastasis (OR = 5.65, 95% CI = 3.36-9.51, P < .00001). Conclusions: Patients with advanced T-stage laryngeal SCC should undergo elective neck treatment. More aggressive treatment for patients with history of OM should be considered due to the risk of subsequent regional and distant metastasis. Level of Evidence: II

scholarly journals Safety and Efficacy of Therapeutic Taping in Primary Dysmenorrhea: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bandara EMIA ◽  
Kularathne WNI ◽  
K Brain ◽  
Weerasekara I
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Adult Women ◽  
Primary Dysmenorrhea ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Effective Measure ◽  
Safety And Efficacy ◽  
Pain Anxiety

Abstract Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is a common gynecological complaint among adolescents and adult women. Various pharmacological and alternative therapies such as therapeutic taping have been used as a treatment of PD. Although several studies have been conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of therapeutic taping in PD, these studies have not provided adequate level of evidence related to the safety and efficacy of therapeutic taping in PD. Hence, a systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of therapeutic taping in PD. The following databases; Medline, Cochrane Library, Embase, PEDro, CINAHL and any other gray literature sources were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that used therapeutic taping to treat PD from inception to June 2021 with the language restricted to English. Independently screened articles by two reviewers were extracted according to the study objectives. A total of nine studies were included in the systematic review, involving 577 participants. Three studies were eligible for meta-analysis to find the pooled effect of taping on pain intensity. The review indicates that therapeutic taping is an effective measure in improving pain, anxiety and quality of life of women with PD. Meta-analysis conducted to compare the effect of elastic therapeutic taping (ETT) to sham taping showed that the ETT is an effective measure in improving pain among women with PD (MD = -3.12 (95% CI -5.64, -0.60); p=0.02; I2=95 %). The quality of the studies was assessed using the PEDro scale and the included RCTs indicated a fair to good level of quality. Our systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated that therapeutic taping is an effective intervention for PD. However, RCTs with higher quality and larger sample sizes are necessary to verify the current results of the review.

scholarly journals Efficacy and safety of microbiota transfer therapy for the management of autism spectrum disorder in children: a systematic review

F1000Research ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 48
Author(s):  
Pablo Daniel Estrella Porter ◽  
Luis Eduardo Guzmán Freire ◽  
Joseth Paulina Adatty Molina ◽  
María Verónica Burneo Raza ◽  
Henry Alejandro Carrión Celi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Nervous System Development ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Efficacy And Safety ◽  
Level Of Evidence

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition associated with an unclear etiologic mechanism. Following suggestions in the literature of a close relation between the gut microbiota and the central nervous system development, neuroimmune and neuroendocrine systems, new theories and strategies of the management of ASD in children focus on the brain-gut axis via microbiota transfer therapy. Despite the regular appearance in the news, the level of evidence supporting this intervention is unclear and to this date, no systematic review on this issue has been published. Methods: We conducted a systematic literature review of the efficacy and safety of microbiota transfer therapy for the management of ASD in children. MEDLINE via PubMed, LILACS IBECS via BVS, EMBASE via Ovid, Scopus and Cochrane Library were searched on 19th April 2018. Results: One single study published in 2017 was identified. The intervention group included 18 patients and showed significant clinical improvements in the gastrointestinal and ASD-related symptoms. The clinical procedure was reported as safe and well-tolerated with some transitory adverse effects. Conclusions: The causality and correlation of the intervention and the expected outcomes cannot be assumed with current evidence. In addition, recommendations about the effectiveness or safety of microbiota transfer therapy in children with ASD cannot be currently issued. Randomized controlled trials and clinical protocols for the intervention are needed.

Dental implants survival after nasal floor elevation: a systematic review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduardo Anitua ◽  
Beatriz Anitua ◽  
Mohammad Hamdan Alkhraisat ◽  
Laura Piñas ◽  
Asier Eguia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Case Reports ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Lateral Approach ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Good Survival ◽  
Quality Level ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Nasal Floor

Purpose The aim of this work is to assess the clinical outcomes of implants placed after a nasal floor elevation procedure. Methods A systematic review was conducted using four electronic databases; Medline (Pubmed), Cochrane library, DOAJ and SCOPUS, following the PRISMA statement recommendations to answer the PICO question: “In patients undergoing dental implant placement in the maxillary anterior region (P), Do implants placed after nasal floor elevation (I) have a different survival (O) from those implants placed without grafting procedures (C)?. The study was pre-registered in PROSPERO (CRD42021229479). Included articles quality was assessed using the “NIH quality assessment tool”, “The Newcastle-Ottawa scale” and “JBI critical appraisal tools for case reports''. Results Twelve articles were finally selected, including 151 patients and 460 implants. The weighted mean follow-up was 32.2 months, and the weighted survival rate after this period was 97.64% (range 89.2-100%). No statistical differences could be inferred between the treatments performed in one-stage or two-stage, following a lateral approach or a transcrestal approach or using different grafting materials. A great heterogeneity was found in terms of study design and methodological aspects. For this reason, a quantitative analysis followed by meta-analysis was not possible. Conclusion Within the limitations of this study, implants placed after a nasal floor elevation present a good survival and a low range of complications. In absence of randomized studies, the level of evidence was low, attending the GRADE system and based on the study quality level, the strength of evidence attending the SORT taxonomy was B.

Oral Status of Elderly Patients in Long-Term Care Facilities: A Systematic Review

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Antonio Ruiz-Roca ◽  
Dora Martin-Fuentes ◽  
Yolanda Martinez-Beneyto ◽  
Ricardo Elias Oñate-Sanchez
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
Elderly Patients ◽  
Soft Tissues ◽  
Oral Health Status ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Term Care

Abstract Background: elderly patients who spend long periods hospitalised or those who are in a situation of institutionalisation represent a risk group in this regard, since many of them suffer a degree of dependence and need help to perform the basic personal care tasks. It is therefore important to learn more about the oral health status of this group of patients in order to make a proper assessment of the situation as well as to develop protocols for its management. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review to ascertain the oral health status of elderly patients institutionalised or hospitalised for a long period of time.Methods: a systematic review of the literature published in three different databases (PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library) was conducted, with 12 different combinations of keywords based on the following selection criteria: studies published in the last 5 years, in English and/or Spanish and/or Portuguese, with samples of ≥30 patients, performed in patients older than 65 years, admitted to any type of institution and/or care centre for at least 7 days and in which the state of hard and/or soft tissues of the oral cavity were assessed in some way. The selected articles were subjected to a thorough analysis.Results: The search strategy covered 1,014 articles: 689 from Pubmed and 325 from Cochrane Library. After applying the eligibility criteria, five articles were selected for our review. The level of evidence of the articles was3, with a sample consisting of 773 patients in which most of them were women with an average age older than 70 years old.Conclusions: the oral health of patients aged more than 65 is worse than that of the rest of the population. Long-term in hospitals or being institutionalised in a retirement home makes this group susceptible to a worsening of their oral health status. It is necessary to develop protocols for the oral health care of these patients, accompanied by training programmes for the personnel.

Randomized Controlled Trials of Headache Treatments in Pregnancy: A Systematic Review

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa T. Bushman ◽  
Gabriella Cozzi ◽  
Rachel G. Sinkey ◽  
Catherine H. Smith ◽  
Michael W. Varner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
At Risk ◽  
English Language ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Headache Diagnosis ◽  
Registration Number ◽  
In Pregnancy

Abstract Objective Headaches affect 88% of reproductive-aged women. Yet data are limited addressing treatment of headache in pregnancy. While many women experience improvement in pregnancy, primary and secondary headaches can develop. Consequently, pregnancy is a time when headache diagnosis can influence maternal and fetal interventions. This study was aimed to summarize existing randomized control trials (RCTs) addressing headache treatment in pregnancy. Study Design We searched PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, ClinicalTrials.gov, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and SCOPUS from January 1, 1970 through June 31, 2019. Studies were eligible if they were English-language RCTs addressing treatment of headache in pregnancy. Conference abstracts and studies investigating postpartum headache were excluded. Three authors reviewed English-language RCTs addressing treatment of antepartum headache. To be included, all authors agreed each article to meet the following criteria: predefined control group, participants underwent randomization, and treatment of headache occurred in the antepartum period. If inclusion criteria were met no exclusions were made. Our systematic review registration number was CRD42019135874. Results A total of 193 studies were reviewed. Of the three that met inclusion criteria all were small, with follow-up designed to measure pain reduction and showed statistical significance. Conclusion Our systematic review of RCTs evaluating treatment of headache in pregnancy revealed only three studies. This paucity of data limits treatment, puts women at risk for worsening headache disorders, and delays diagnosis placing both the mother and fetus at risk for complications.

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