Medicine
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Review Meta Analysis
Distribution of Fatal Vibrio Vulnificus Necrotizing Skin and Soft-Tissue Infections: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Vibrio vulnificus necrotizing skin and soft tissue infections (VNSSTIs), which have increased significantly over the past few decades, are still highly lethal and disabling diseases despite advancing antibiotic and infection control practices. We, therefore, examined the spatiotemporal distribution of worldwide reported episodes and associated mortality rates of VNSSTIs between 1966 and 2014. The PubMed and Cochrane Library databases were systematically searched for observational studies on patients with VNSSTIs. ⋯ Even so, the pooled estimate of total mortality rates from the random-effects meta-analysis was as high as 37.2% (95% CI: 0.265-0.479). These data suggest that VNSSTIs are always an important public health problem and will become more critical and urgent because of global warming. Knowing the current distribution of VNSSTIs will help focus education, policy measures, early clinical diagnosis, and appropriate medical and surgical treatment for them.
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Review Meta Analysis
Probiotics for Preventing Late-Onset Sepsis in Preterm Neonates: A PRISMA-Compliant Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
The effect of probiotics on late-onset sepsis (LOS) in preterm neonates remains controversial. The authors systematically reviewed the literature to investigate whether enteral probiotic supplementation reduced the risk of LOS in preterm neonates in neonatal intensive care units. PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were systematically searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) regarding the effect of probiotics in preterm neonates. ⋯ Current evidence indicates that probiotic supplementation is safe, and effective in reducing the risk of LOS in preterm neonates in neonatal intensive care units. Further studies are needed to address the optimal probiotic organism, dosing, timing, and duration. High-quality and adequately powered RCTs regarding the efficacy and safety of the use of probiotics in extremely low birth weight infants are still warranted.
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Review Meta Analysis
Impact of Intracranial Pressure Monitoring on Prognosis of Patients With Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: A PRISMA Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
To evaluate the influences of using intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring on the prognosis of patients with severe traumatic brain injury. Systematic search were conducted in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Wanfang, and CNKI. The eligible studies were identified for pooling analysis under fixed- or random effects model. ⋯ However, ICP monitoring was not significant for hospital mortality (RR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.77-0.1.06), decreasing rate of pulmonary infection (RR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.76-1.14), rate of mechanical ventilation (RR = 1.02, 95% CI: 0.86-1.09), and duration of hospital stays (weighted mean difference (WMD) = 0.06, 95% CI: -0.03, 0.16). ICP monitoring may not reduce the risk of hospital mortality, but plays a role in decreasing the rate of electrolyte disturbances, rate of renal failure, and increasing favorable functional outcome. However, effect of other outcomes need to be further confirmed in the future randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with larger sample size.
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Observational Study
The Source and Credibility of Colorectal Cancer Information on Twitter.
Despite the rapid penetration of social media in modern life, there has been limited research conducted on whether social media serves as a credible source of health information. In this study, we propose to identify colorectal cancer information on Twitter and assess its informational credibility. We collected Twitter messages containing colorectal cancer-related keywords, over a 3-month period. ⋯ Among those, more frequently retweeted tweets contained more medically correct information than randomly selected tweets (90.7% vs 83.2%; P < 0.01). Our results demonstrate an interest in and an engagement with colorectal cancer information from a large number and variety of users. Coupled with the Internet's potential to increase social support, Twitter may contribute to enhancing public health and empowering users, when used with proper caution.
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Review Case Reports
Campylobacter Fetus Meningitis in Adults: Report of 2 Cases and Review of the Literature.
The zoonotic pathogen Campylobacter fetus is a rare cause of bacterial meningitis. Little is known about the clinical characteristics, predisposing factors and outcome of C fetus meningitis in adults. We report cases of C fetus meningitis in a nationwide cohort study of adult bacterial meningitis patients in the Netherlands and performed a review of the literature. ⋯ C fetus is a rare cause of bacterial meningitis and is associated with an immunocompromised state. Based on the apparent slow clinical response seen in this limited number of cases, the authors of this study recommend a prolonged course of antimicrobial therapy when C fetus is identified as a causative agent of bacterial meningitis. Cases appeared to do best with carbapenem therapy.