ABSTRACT
Background and Objective: Upper lip bite test [ULBT] is one of the various bedside tests used for prediction of difficult laryngoscopic intubation. However, its usefulness is not still very clear, and there is controversy regarding its accuracy. The aim of this systematic review was to determine the accuracy of the ULBT for predicting difficult airway including difficult laryngoscopy or difficult tracheal intubation
Methods: We searched the databases of PubMed, Scopus, and Google scholar for prospective studies published up until October 2016 assessing the accuracy of ULBT in comparison to Cormack-Lehane grading. The selected keywords were ''upper lip bite test'', ''upper lip catch test'', ''prediction'', ''difficult airway'', ''difficult laryngoscopy'', ''difficult intubation''. Inclusion criteria were studies assessing ULBT for prediction of difficult intubation, considering Cormack-Lehane grade III and IV as difficult airway, written in English, and reporting sensitivity, specificity, NPV, PPV, and accuracy. Exclusion criteria were studies not reporting accuracy or not having enough data for its calculation. Based on the mentioned criteria, 27 studies enrolling 18141 patients were included. This systematic review was performed based on the guidelines on conducting systematic reviews of diagnostic studies
Results: Prevalence of airway difficulties according to the direct laryngoscopic view varied from 2.8% to 27% and according to the ULBT was from 2% to 21%. In 11 of the 27 studies, sensitivity of ULBT in prediction of difficult airway was more than 70%. All of the studies except one showed a high specificity for ULBT [>85%]. Moreover, these studies indicated a high NPV. Accuracy of ULBT was >85% in 24 out of 27 studies
Conclusion: It appears that ULBT is a useful bedside test for evaluation of patient airway before the general anesthesia
ABSTRACT
Objectives: This study set out with the aim of evaluating the effect of conjugated linoleic acid [CLA] supplementation on quality of life in rectal cancer patients undergoing to preoperative chemoradiotherapy
Methods: In this study, 33 volunteer patients with rectal cancer treated with preoperative chemoradiotherapy were allocated in the CLA [n=16] and the placebo groups [n=17]. The CLA group and placebo groups received 3 gr CLA/d and 4 placebo capsules for 6 weeks respectively. Before and after intervention, quality of life of patients was assessed by EORTC QLQ-C30
Results: At the end of study, the mean scores of physical function, role function, and cognitive function enhanced significantly in the CLA group while reduced remarkably in the placebo group. Symptom scales improved in the CLA group at the end of study. Comparison of changes in fatigue, pain and diarrhea scores were statistically significant between two study groups [P<0.05]. When we compared the global health status scores between two groups, significant changes were observed [P<0.001]
Conclusion: It appears that CLA may be helpful in rectal cancer patients by improving global quality of life. Although, other clinical trials with large sample size are needed to achieve more precise results
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>It has been proposed that royal jelly has antioxidant properties and may improve oxidative stress and glycemic control. Therefore, we investigated the effects of royal jelly supplementation in diabetic females.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>In this pilot, parallel design randomized clinical trial, 50 female volunteers with type 2 diabetes were randomly allocated to the supplemented (25, cases) and placebo (25, cases) groups, based on random block procedure produced by Random Allocation Software, given a daily dose of 1,000 mg royal jelly soft gel or placebo, respectively, for 8 weeks. Before and after intervention, glycemic control indices, antioxidant and oxidative stress factors were measured.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After royal jelly supplementation, the mean fasting blood glucose decreased remarkably (163.05±42.51 mg/dL vs. 149.68±42.7 mg/dL). Royal jelly supplementation resulted in significant reduction in the mean serum glycosylated hemoglobin levels (8.67%±2.24% vs. 7.05%±1.45%, P=0.001) and significant elevation in the mean insulin concentration (70.28±29.16 pmol/L vs. 86.46±27.50 pmol/L, P=0.01). Supplementation significantly increased erythrocyte superoxidase dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities and decreased malondialdehyde levels (P<0.05). At the end of study, the mean total antioxidant capacity elevated insignificantly in both groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>On the basis of our findings, it seems that royal jelly supplementation may be beneficial in controlling diabetes outcomes. Further studies with larger sample size are warranted.</p>