Medicina
-
Background and objectives: Thyroid nodules are a common finding in clinical practice and can be either benign or malignant. The aim of this study was to compare laboratory parameters between patients with malignant thyroid nodules and those with benign thyroid nodules. Materials and methods: A total of 845 patients were included, with 251 in the study group (malignant thyroid nodules) and 594 in the control group (benign thyroid nodules). ⋯ Routine laboratory tests prove most effective when combined with other diagnostic methods to identify thyroid cancer. Although not conclusive on their own, these tests significantly suggest and guide physicians to suspect malignancy in thyroid nodules. This affirmative answer to our question, "Can routine laboratory tests be suggestive in determining suspicions of malignancy in the case of thyroid nodules?" aligns with the results of our study.
-
Background: Whiplash is associated with a wide variety of clinical manifestations, including headache, neck pain, cervical rigidity, shoulder and back pain, paresthesia, vertigo, and temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). Previous studies reported that TMDs are more common in individuals with chronic whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) than in the general population; however, the pathophysiology and mechanism of this relationship are still not well understood. Methods: A PubMed and Ovid EMBASE review was performed to identify all studies addressing the trauma related cause and effect relationship between WAD and TMDs from January 2003 to March 2023. ⋯ The various included studies discussed different aspects of the association between WDA and TMDs, including changes in the coordination and amplitude of jaw opening, the severity of the associated symptoms/signs in cases of WAD, the degree of fatigue and psychological stress, difficulty in feeding, cervical and myofascial pain, changes in the MRI signal at various muscle points, muscle tenderness, and quality of life. Conclusions: In this review, we summarized the clinical evidence of any trauma related cause and effect relationship between whiplash and TMDs. An accurate screening of the previous literature showed that, in conclusion, the relationship between whiplash and TMDs is still unclear.
-
Background: Significant advances have been made in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) since the turn of the new millennium. However, most clinical trials were done in developed countries where minority ethnicities were underrepresented. Materials and Methods: To gauge the quality of research in CLL being done in Pakistan, we conducted a comprehensive literature search using PubMed, Clinicaltrials.gov, and Google Scholar on 14 January 2022 following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) recommendations. ⋯ None of the studies had patients on novel targeted agents. No pharmaceutical sponsored or funded clinical trials were found. Conclusions: Our review suggests that although small clinical studies continue to be performed across the country, multiple financial and logistical barriers need to be addressed for larger, more impactful clinical trials to be conducted that will help answer demographic-specific questions and decrease reliance on foreign studies.
-
Multicenter Study
Long-Term Retention Rate of Tofacitinib in Rheumatoid Arthritis: An Italian Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study.
Background: Tofacitinib (TOFA) was the first Janus kinase inhibitor (JAKi) to be approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, data on the retention rate of TOFA therapy are still far from definitive. Objective: The goal of this study is to add new real-world data on the TOFA retention rate in a cohort of RA patients followed for a long period of time. ⋯ Conclusions: TOFA demonstrated a long retention rate in RA in a real-world setting. This result, together with the safety data obtained, underscores that TOFA is a viable alternative for patients who have failed treatment with csDMARD and/or biologic DMARDs (bDMARDs). Further large, long-term observational studies are urgently needed to confirm these results.
-
Background and Objectives: Neck and shoulder injuries are common in Brazilian ju-jitsu (BJJ) athletes, and scapular dyskinesis (SD) is associated with these injuries. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of SD in BJJ athletes, their neck and shoulder function and strength, and the BJJ training period. Materials and Methods: Forty-eight BJJ athletes participated in the study. ⋯ Conclusions: SD was common among BJJ athletes, and more experienced BJJ athletes exhibited higher rates of SD. Shoulder rotational strength was weaker with SD. Further studies are necessary on the neck and shoulders of BJJ athletes with SD.