European journal of clinical investigation
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Aug 2023
ReviewFlaws and uncertainties in pandemic global excess death calculations.
Several teams have been publishing global estimates of excess deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, we examine potential flaws and underappreciated sources of uncertainty in global excess death calculations. Adjusting for changing population age structure is essential. ⋯ Data to-date suggest a death deficit among children during the pandemic and marked socioeconomic differences in deaths, widening inequalities. Finally, causal explanations require great caution in disentangling SARS-CoV-2 deaths, indirect pandemic effects and effects from measures taken. We conclude that excess deaths have many uncertainties, but globally deaths from SARS-CoV-2 may be the minority of calculated excess deaths.
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Aug 2023
ReviewDeep brain stimulation of fornix in Alzheimer's disease: from basic research to clinical practice.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most common progressive neurodegenerative diseases associated with the degradation of memory and cognitive ability. Current pharmacotherapies show little therapeutic effect in AD treatment and still cannot prevent the pathological progression of AD. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has shown to enhance memory in morbid obese, epilepsy and traumatic brain injury patients, and cognition in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients deteriorates during DBS off. ⋯ Moreover, the current stereotaxic technique and various evaluation methods have provided references for the operator to select accurate stimulation points. Related adverse events and relatively higher costs in DBS have been emphasized. In this article, we summarize and update the research progression on fornix DBS in AD and seek to provide a reliable reference for subsequent experimental studies on DBS treatment of AD.
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Aug 2023
Review Meta AnalysisMeta-analysis of Factors Associated with Antidiabetic Drug Prescribing for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.
There is a lack of consensus on prescribing alternatives to initial metformin therapy and intensification therapy for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) management. This review aimed to identify/quantify factors associated with prescribing of specific antidiabetic drug classes for T2DM. ⋯ Several factors were identified as potential determinants of antidiabetic drug prescribing. The magnitude and significance of each factor differed by antidiabetic class. Patient's age and baseline BMI had the most significant association with the choice of four out of the seven studied antidiabetic drugs followed by the baseline HbA1c and kidney-related problems which had an impact on three studied antidiabetic drugs, whereas sex had the least impact on prescribing decision as it was associated with GLP1-RA and thiazolidinedione only.
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Aug 2023
Letter ReviewThe definition of long COVID used in interventional studies.
There has been little consensus for a specific definition of long COVID, though several organizations have created varying ones. We sought to examine the definition of long COVID used in ongoing clinical trials. ⋯ Standardized definitions of long COVID should be applied in studies assessing this condition to unify and harmonize research on this topic.