Lactobacillus Reuteri DSM 17938 in Infantile Colic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background. Infantile colic, defined as paroxysmal, excessive, and consolable crying without an identifiable cause. It is common in the first 3 months of life. There have been many RCT studies conducted. A systematic synthesis is required to summarize the results of these RCTs. This study was aimed to systematically analyze the benefits of Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 for infantile colic. Methods. This systematic review and meta-analysis used keywords: (“infantile colic” OR “abdominal cramps” OR “abdominal cramp” OR “infant colic”) AND “lactobacillus reuteri” AND (placebo OR placebos) AND (“randomized controlled trial” OR RCT). The databases used were: pubmed, science direct, and google scholar. Meta-analysis was conducted to combine the articles. The eligibility criteria were: patient with infantile colic, intervention with L. reuteri DSM 17938, control was placebo, RCT study design, outcome with dichotomous scale, all races, all ethnicities, all countries, all genders, in English, and not limited by year. Results. The search resulted in 800 articles. After reducing duplication, the number of articles was 747. Screening with titles and abstracts resulted in 13 full teks articles. Six articles fitted the eligibility criteria. The results of the meta-analysis were as follows. The forest plot showed that the combined effect of the six articles showed an RR of 0.47 and was statistically significant (p <0.001). Conclusion. Based on the results of this meta-analysis, L. reuteri DSM 17938 is recommended for infants with infantile colic. There were no significant side effects with the use of L. reuteri DSM 17938 on infantile colic.

Systematic synthesis and multi-criteria evaluation of transmission topologies for electric vehicles

The focus on the expansion of the electrification of vehicles becomes stronger. Thus, the development process of powertrains of those cars needs to be more dynamic to react to the new challenges. One way to accelerate the development is to automate predevelopment and evaluation at an early stage. An automated method to synthesize transmission topologies and pre-design gears for the generated topologies for electric vehicles is presented within this paper. The method contains two internal evaluations—one after the topology synthesis and the second after the initial design of the gears. The results of the method are gear ratios and gear data for the single transmission steps of each topology. The inputs and boundary conditions can be easily changed and fitted to specific requirements for all use-cases. Here, the process is explained, and the methods' results are validated using state-of-the-art passenger vehicle transmission. As for electric trucks, no state-of-the-art electric powertrains exist; the method is subsequently applied to find topologies for a heavy-duty truck. Extracts of the results are presented. The application for trucks is carried out within the publicly funded research project “Concept ELV2”. In general, the method is capable of synthesizing transmissions for any given vehicle and motor combination.

Function of nutraceuticals in the intestinal modulation of animals with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH): a systematic review

Recent studies have observed the role of intestinal microbiota in the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic steatosis (NASH) and described the relationship between alterations in microbiota (called dysbiosis) with inadequate dietary practices and obesity. Through systematic synthesis this review aims to establish which nutraceuticals can be used in the intestinal modulation of animal models with NASH. Based on the search of MeSH and Decs descriptors, searches were performed on the PubMed, Web of Science and LILACS database using the keywords "Microbiota"; "Gastrointestinal Microbioma"; "Disbiosis"; "Bacterial Translocation"; "Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease"; "NAFLD", "Nutraceuticals" and "Dietetic Supplements". After the methodological screening, seven studies were included. A total of 246 male Sprangue Dawley rats with a mean age of four to eight weeks were evaluated. More than half of the studies (57.1%) used probiotics as nutraceuticals, 28.7% of the researches used tomato products and 14.3% used symbiotics. The results suggest positive effects of probiotics, tomato products and symbiotics in the composition and functions of microorganisms resident in the intestines of animals with NASH, micro according to different mechanisms. Modulation of intestinal microbiota may contribute to minimize the development and progression of NASH.

Telehealth impact on biomedical, psychosocial, and behavioural outcomes in patients with diabetes older than 50 years: A systematic synthesis without meta-analysis

Background Elderly people with diabetes are among high-risk groups that require more attention. With the increasing use of technology in healthcare, much emphasis has been placed on telehealth because of its potential to reduce unnecessary healthcare services consumption. We aimed to review and analyse the evidence of various interventions on the effect of using telehealth on biomedical, behavioural, and psychosocial outcomes in patients with diabetes over 50 years. Methods The search method of this systematic synthesis without meta-analysis was guided by the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews (PRISMA) and the new reporting guideline synthesis without meta-analysis (SWiM) in systematic reviews. A coherent search strategy was designed to retrieve articles in databases such as PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov from inception to June 2020. We excluded articles with eligibility criteria of the age of under 50 years old and studies conducted on patients with gestational diabetes. The outcomes were categorized into biomedical, behavioural, and psychosocial outcomes. The methodology of articles was evaluated by the Standard Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool in Revman 5.3 software. Findings Overall, 18 studies with 8273 patients with diabetes over the age of 50 were included in this systematic review. Biomedical outcomes such as blood sugar tests and cholesterol tests had significant improvement by using telehealth. Frequency of self-monitored blood glucose (SMBG) and self-efficacy were behavioural outcomes that increased by telehealth utilization. Telehealth had a positive impact on psychosocial outcomes like depression, quality of life (QoL), cognitive decline, and social support. Interpretation Telehealth has the ability to improve multiple outcomes such as behavioural and psychosocial outcomes in health services consumers. Due to varied telehealth interventions and follow-up durations, firm conclusions cannot be reached. As the research investigations studied in the present study were of different kinds and had used different follow-up periods, there is a need for further rigorous studies which consider socio-economic, cultural, and clinical differences.

Deaths from cardiovascular disease involving anticoagulants: a systematic synthesis of coroners’ case reports

BackgroundThe global burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is forecast to increase, and anticoagulants will remain important medicines for its management. Coroners' Prevention of Future Death reports (PFDs) provide valuable insights that may enable safer and more effective use of these agents.AimTo identify CVD-related PFDs involving anticoagulants.Design and SettingRetrospective observational study of coronial case reports in England and Wales between 2013 and 2019.MethodWe screened 3037 PFDs for eligibility and included PFDs where CVD and an anticoagulant caused or contributed to the death. We descriptively analysed included cases and used content analysis to assess concerns raised by coroners and who responded to them.ResultsWe identified 113 cardiovascular disease-related PFDs involving anticoagulants. Warfarin (36%), enoxaparin (11%), and rivaroxaban (11%) were the most common anticoagulants reported. Concerns most frequently raised by coroners included poor systems (31%), poor communication (25%), and failures to keep accurate medical records (25%). These concerns were most often directed to NHS trusts (29%), hospitals (10%), and general practices (8%). Nearly two-thirds (60%) of PFDs had not received responses from such organisations, which are mandatory under regulation 28 of the Coroners' (Investigations). We created a publicly available tool, https://preventabledeathstracker.net/, which displays coroners’ reports in England and Wales to streamline access and identify important lessons to prevent future deaths.ConclusionNational organisations, healthcare professionals, and prescribers should take actions to address the concerns of coroners’ in PFDs to improve the safe use of anticoagulants in patients with cardiovascular disease.

TOWARDS A MULTI-DIMENSIONAL THEORY OF TEMPORAL CONTROL IN THE GIG ECONOMY

This paper proposes a multi-dimensional theory of temporal control in the gig economy. Specifically, we focus on different types of platform-based temporal control and their respective effects on (a) workers’ autonomy, (b) value of free time, and (c) their social and political connectedness. Theoretically, we draw on the sociology of time and normative time literature in political theory. Empirically, the framework is informed by the synthesis of the literature about algorithms in the gig economy, with particular attention to the methods of temporal control. Meanwhile, we draw insights from a larger comparative project that examines algorithmic labor control and resistance across ride-hailing platforms (Uber and Lyft), TaskRabbit, and delivery platforms (DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Instacart) in the United States. The project interviewed 50 gig workers between 2017 and 2020. Through a systematic synthesis of primary and secondary materials, this paper contributes to understanding temporalities and work autonomy in the gig economy, and more broadly, flexible workplaces where the boundaries between work and non-work time become blurred.