Analysis of Recent Sleep Surgery Fellowship Training.

OBJECTIVE: Since 2011, otolaryngologists aiming to become certified in sleep medicine have had to complete an ACGME accredited sleep medicine fellowship. In addition to standard sleep medicine and sleep surgery fellowships, several institutions have developed hybrid ACGME sleep medicine programs that incorporate sleep surgery training. Our primary aims were to understand the balance between sleep medicine and surgical training requirements and the surgical volume of recent graduates across the three pathways. Our secondary aim was to assess their employment post-graduation. An improved understanding of the current state of sleep surgeon training could better inform both applicants and programs and be used to guide fellowship curriculum development. METHODS: Between 2017 and 2023, we identified 26 surgeons who completed a sleep focused fellowship. An anonymous survey was developed and emailed to them. The survey assessed clinic and operating balance, procedures completed during fellowship, and comfort with these procedures as attendings. Finally, the survey assessed the job prospects of graduates. Data were analyzed with Prism 10. RESULTS: There were 19 respondents with 52.6% completing a hybrid fellowship, 21.3% completing a sleep medicine fellowship, and 31.6% completing a sleep surgery fellowship. Approximately 84.8% completed ACGME accredited otolaryngology training prior to fellowship. The three most common surgeries were hypoglossal nerve stimulators, pharyngoplasty, and nasal surgeries. Respondents on average received 2.4 job offers, 55% returned to their residency institution, and 89.5% were in academics. CONCLUSION: Our survey demonstrates a wide variability in sleep-focused fellowships for surgeons, but the employment market for these trainees is robust. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: N/A Laryngoscope, 2024.

Factors Affecting Length of Stay of Patients in a General Psychiatric Hospital in Bahrain: A Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND:  Length of stay (LOS) in a psychiatric facility can be used as a measurement of the quality of healthcare. Prolonged stays impact the quality of life of psychiatric patients as well as have a huge burden on healthcare expenditures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study targeting 153 patients admitted to a general adult ward in a psychiatric hospital in Bahrain, with the final diagnosis based on ICD-10 criteria. The collected data was analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). RESULTS: The median LOS was 22 days. LOS among schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder as well as bipolar affective disorder was significantly longer than other groups. There was no significant difference among groups in terms of gender, age, marital status, social class, and alcohol or substance abuse. The presence of extrapyramidal side effects, history of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and the use of restraints during admission were associated with longer LOS. A higher number of previous admissions and number of current medications given during admission in the psychiatric hospital predicted a longer stay in the hospital. CONCLUSION: Future studies should focus on the effect of better treatment options as well as occupational rehabilitation in ensuring better outcomes for inpatients as well as shorter stays in a psychiatric hospital.

A Case Report of Ruptured Intracranial Dermoid Cyst.

Intracranial dermoid cysts, rare congenital lesions originating from ectodermal elements during neural tube closure, are explored in the context of a 45-year-old female presenting with a sudden-onset severe headache, nausea, and vomiting. A thorough neurological examination revealed no focal deficits, prompting a computed tomography scan that identified multiple extra-axial intracranial fat density lesions indicative of dermoid cysts. Laboratory and cerebrospinal fluid analysis confirmed inflammatory changes, characterized by an increased white blood cell count. Successful surgical intervention followed, resulting in the complete removal of the cyst and the patient's subsequent full recovery with the resolution of symptoms. This case highlights the intricate nature of intracranial dermoid cysts and underscores the critical importance of prompt recognition in effectively mitigating potential complications.

International Consensus Statement on Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

BACKGROUND: Evaluation and interpretation of the literature on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) allows for consolidation and determination of the key factors important for clinical management of the adult OSA patient. Toward this goal, an international collaborative of multidisciplinary experts in sleep apnea evaluation and treatment have produced the International Consensus statement on Obstructive Sleep Apnea (ICS:OSA). METHODS: Using previously defined methodology, focal topics in OSA were assigned as literature review (LR), evidence-based review (EBR), or evidence-based review with recommendations (EBR-R) formats. Each topic incorporated the available and relevant evidence which was summarized and graded on study quality. Each topic and section underwent iterative review and the ICS:OSA was created and reviewed by all authors for consensus. RESULTS: The ICS:OSA addresses OSA syndrome definitions, pathophysiology, epidemiology, risk factors for disease, screening methods, diagnostic testing types, multiple treatment modalities, and effects of OSA treatment on multiple OSA-associated comorbidities. Specific focus on outcomes with positive airway pressure (PAP) and surgical treatments were evaluated. CONCLUSION: This review of the literature consolidates the available knowledge and identifies the limitations of the current evidence on OSA. This effort aims to create a resource for OSA evidence-based practice and identify future research needs. Knowledge gaps and research opportunities include improving the metrics of OSA disease, determining the optimal OSA screening paradigms, developing strategies for PAP adherence and longitudinal care, enhancing selection of PAP alternatives and surgery, understanding health risk outcomes, and translating evidence into individualized approaches to therapy.

Gene Expression and Chondrogenic Potential of Cartilage Cells: Osteoarthritis Grade Differences.

Recent data suggest that cells isolated from osteoarthritic (OA) cartilage express mesenchymal progenitor cell (MPC) markers that have the capacity to form hyaline-like cartilage tissue. Whether or not these cells are influenced by the severity of OA remains unexplored. Therefore, we analyzed MPC marker expression and chondrogenetic potential of cells from mild, moderate and severe OA tissue. Human osteoarthritic tibial plateaus were obtained from 25 patients undergoing total knee replacement. Each sample was classified as mild, moderate or severe OA according to OARSI scoring. mRNA expression levels of MPC markers-CD105, CD166, Notch 1, Sox9; mature chondrocyte markers-Aggrecan (Acan), Col II A1, hypertrophic chondrocyte and osteoarthritis-related markers-Col I A1, MMP-13 and ALPL were measured at the tissue level (day 0), after 2 weeks of in vitro expansion (day 14) and following chondrogenic in vitro re-differentiation (day 35). Pellet matrix composition after in vitro chondrogenesis of different OA-derived cells was tested for proteoglycans, collagen II and I by safranin O and immunofluorescence staining. Multiple MPC markers were found in OA cartilage resident tissue within a single OA joint with no significant difference between grades except for Notch1, which was higher in severe OA tissues. Expression levels of CD105 and Notch 1 were comparable between OA cartilage-derived cells of different disease grades and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BM-MSC) line (healthy control). However, the MPC marker Sox 9 was conserved after in vitro expansion and significantly higher in OA cartilage-derived cells compared to its levels in the BM-MSC. The in vitro expansion of cartilage-derived cells resulted in enrichment while re-differentiation in reduction of MPC markers for all three analyzed grades. However, only moderate OA-derived cells after the in vitro chondrogenesis resulted in the formation of hyaline cartilage-like tissue. The latter tissue samples were also highly positive for collagen II and proteoglycans with no expression of osteoarthritis-related markers (collagen I, ALPL and MMP13). MPC marker expression did not differ between OA grades at the tissue level. Interestingly after in vitro re-differentiation, only moderate OA-derived cells showed the capacity to form hyaline cartilage-like tissue. These findings may have implications for clinical practice to understand the intrinsic repair capacity of articular cartilage in OA tissues and raises the possibility of these progenitor cells as a candidate for articular cartilage repair.

Prescribing patterns of psychotropic medications in psychiatric disorders: a descriptive study from Palestine.

Background The practice patterns of psychiatrists have changed over the last two decades. Objectives This study describes the pattern of prescribing psychotropic drugs in treating common psychiatric disorders, and investigates the rate of polypharmacy and potential drug-drug interactions. Setting Psychiatry governmental outpatient clinic in the north of West Bank, Palestine. Methods Cross-sectional study that included all prescriptions which were issued over the period October 2018 to January 2019, for patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorders, and checked for the presence and the grade of potential drug-drug interactions using "Medscape drug interactions checker". Main outcome measure Prescribing patterns of psychotropic drugs. Results A total of 1045 prescriptions were examined. The mean age of the patients was 47.3 years (SD = 13.6), two-thirds of the patients (64.5%) were males. Fifty-two percent of the patients were diagnosed with schizophrenia while 15.2% were diagnosed with depression. The later third was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, schizoaffective and anxiety disorders (15.8%, 11.1% and 5.1% respectively). The most commonly prescribed drugs were typical antipsychotics for schizophrenia, bipolar and schizoaffective disorders, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for depression and tricyclic anti-depressants for anxiety. Polypharmacy was found in 877 prescriptions (84%), and drug-drug interactions (DDIs) were identified in 823 (94%) prescriptions. The DDIs were classified as minor (4, 0.5%), significant (418, 50.8%) and serious (401, 48.7%). Conclusions Our results suggest that the pharmacotherapy of psychiatric disorders in Palestine may not be in accordance to international guidelines and the incidence of polypharmacy and DDIs is high.

Outcomes of a Reimplanted Talus After a Total Open Extrusion.

Total traumatic extrusion of the talus is a severe and disabling ankle injury that requires a high energy trauma. Many treatment options exist and none of them guarantee a successful result. Here, we present the case of a 67-year-old woman who experienced an open total traumatic extrusion of the talus. Based on the principles of open fracture management, we have realized an early administration of antibiotics and tetanus toxoid booster followed by an urgent debridement of the wound. Next, the talus was reimplanted and fixed with a K-wire. This allowed us to avoid the common complication and achieving good clinical outcomes. In our opinion, this is an encouraging and reasonable treatment option unless the talus is grossly contaminated or missing.

Ambulatory Pharmacotherapy of Five Psychiatric Disorders in Bahrain: a Descriptive Study.

We examined the outpatient prescription pattern of psychotropic drugs used for the treatment of five major psychiatric diseases in Bahrain. Setting outpatient department of the main psychiatric hospital in Bahrain. Methods This was a retrospective, cross-sectional study in which we targeted randomly selected prescriptions (n = 992, 56.1% males, 43.9% females) from 1st of January until 31st of December, 2017. Main outcome measure the types of outpatient psychotropic drugs prescribed by the physicians. Results The pharmacotherapy of schizophrenia consisted of atypical anti-psychotics (92.8%), or typical anti-psychotics (17.8%). The anti-depressants used were: Selective-serotonin reuptake inhibiters (SSRIs) (41.6%), Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibiters (SNRIs) (34.5%), tricyclic anti-depressants (TCAs) (12.8%), and atypical anti-depressants (10.6%). Combination anti-depressants was employed in (12.4%) of cases. The pharmacotherapy for anxiety disorders was composed of benzodiazepines (59.5%), atypical anti-psychotics (45.2%), SSRIs (40.5%), SNRIs (28.6%), TCAs (14.3%), and anti-convulsants (16.7%) and atypical anti-psychotics (7.1). The medications prescribed for bipolar disorder were atypical anti-psychotics (78.6%), anti-convulsants (66.5%), benzodiazepines (27.7%), typical anti-psychotics (8.9%) and lithium (6.7%). Schizoaffective disorder patients received atypical anti-psychotics (97.3%), anti-convulsants (47.8%), benzodiazepines (27.4%), SNRIs (25.7%), SSRIs (15%), typical anti-psychotics (10.6%), atypical anti-depressants (10.6%) and TCAs (6.2%). A combination of antipsychotics and anti-depressants was employed in 33.6% and 4.7% of all subjects regardless of the diagnosis, respectively. Conclusions With a few exceptions, the pharmacotherapy of psychiatric diseases in Bahrain was in line with the latest recommendations. However, psychotropic polypharmacy was observed and calls for immediate attention.

Negative Pressure Wound Therapy With Instillation and Dwell Time Used to Treat a Complex Open (Terrible Triad) Injury of the Elbow: A Case Report.

INTRODUCTION: Treating a complex elbow injury known as the terrible triad, combined with a severe soft tissue trauma, is challenging for most orthopedic surgeons and can lead to permanent disabilities and poor functional outcomes if reconstruction is inadequate. CASE REPORT: A 75-year-old male with a history of high blood pressure was injured in an accident involving agricultural equipment and presented with a triad injury of the left elbow: a posterolateral dislocation combined with fractures of the radial head (Mason-Johnson Type II) and ulnar coronoid process (Morrey Type 1). Fractures to the radial head and ulnar coronoid process and injuries to the lateral collateral ligament and triceps tendon were repaired, and a local skin flap was preserved to provide adequate soft tissue coverage. A hinged external fixator was applied to maintain elbow alignment and allow early mobilization. Traditional negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) was applied on the remaining skin defects; when local necrosis and septic arthritis of the elbow were noted, NPWT with instillation and dwell time (NPWTi-d) was initiated. Once a viable wound bed was obtained, a split-thickness skin graft was used to provide total coverage. All wounds and fractures were healed within 8 weeks, the external fixator was removed, and free elbow joint mobilization was allowed. At 3 months, the authors obtained 100°/30°/0° of elbow range of motion with a DASH 3 at 30. At 6 months, the elbow range of motion reached 120°/20°/0° with a clear improvement of DASH score (DASH 6 at 14.2). CONCLUSIONS: Management of this complex elbow injury that featured NPWTi-d contributed to a good result and facilitated coverage of an extensive loss of skin and soft tissue; more importantly, the patient experienced limited discomfort. A larger prospective study is required to support general recommendations for this approach to similar injury.

Management of a Severe Degloving Injury With a Type 2 Open Tibia Fracture Using Negative Pressure Wound Therapy With Instillation and Dwell Time.

INTRODUCTION: Severe lower extremity trauma cases are challenging for most orthopedic surgeons if a degloving injury with open fracture is associated, especially in the elderly population. The management of the soft tissue is essential for bone union and reduction of infection. CASE REPORT: The authors present the case of an 87-year-old female admitted to their department after a road accident in which she sustained an open fracture of the distal tibia classified as Gustilo-Anderson Type II, a closed fracture of the lateral malleoli, and a degloving of the posterior and lateral aspect of the left leg. After antibiotic delivery, she underwent surgical debridement and wound irrigation, 5 hours after the accident. The avulsed skin flap was conserved, the fracture of the lateral malleoli was fixed using the minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis technique, and an external fixation was applied for the distal tibia fracture. After 1 week, the necrotic skin flap and muscle were excised, and negative pressure wound therapy with instillation and dwell time (NPWTi-d) was applied for 9 days. Once granulation tissue with healthy wound edges was obtained, a split-thickness skin graft was used to provide total coverage. After 8 weeks, external fixation was replaced by a plaster cast. Eight weeks later, all wounds and fractures were healed, and the patient was able to return to their daily activities. CONCLUSIONS: The authors' main goal was achieved: preserving the architecture of the leg, achieving bone union, and avoiding infection. A large part of this good result comes back to NPWTi-d, a promising treatment that grants clinical benefit for the patient and surgeon. Additional research and larger prospective studies are required before giving a strict recommendation.

Management of a High-Energy Soft Tissue Injury of the Lower Extremity Using Negative Pressure Wound Therapy With Instillation and Dwell Time and a Reticulated Open Cell Foam Dressing.

INTRODUCTION: Soft tissue injuries of the lower extremity are the result of high-energy trauma, such as road accidents, and remain challenging for most orthopedic surgeons. Proper selection of the treatment is important considering the risk of delayed necrosis and wound sepsis. Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has improved complex wound treatment since 1997, but all treatments present advantages and limits. CASE REPORT: A 21-year-old male presented with a high-energy soft tissue injury of the lower extremity. Three days after surgical debridement, complete skin necrosis developed. Successive surgical debridement was done in combination with traditional NPWT for 2 weeks; yet the wound did not progress toward healing, and the bone remained exposed. Negative pressure wound therapy with instillation and dwell time (NPWTi-d) was used with a novel reticulated open cell foam dressing (ROCF-CC) because further surgical debridement was not possible, and the use of NPWT was not recommended by the French high authority for health. Growth of granulation tissue was fast (9 days), even over the bone, without any surgical debridement and despite the presence of nonviable and fibrinous tissue. After that, traditional NPWT was discontinued and a split-thickness skin graft then was used to cover the defects. Four weeks following the accident, all wounds were completely healed. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical debridement remains irreplaceable; however, when debridement is not feasible, NPWTi-d with ROCF-CC might be the treatment of choice. This strategy allowed the authors to ensure coverage of an extensive loss of soft tissue when the traditional NPWT limit was reached.

Mechanistic effects of mesenchymal and hematopoietic stem cells: New therapeutic targets in myocardial infarction.

Myocardial infarction (MI) results in dysfunction and irreversible loss of cardiomyocytes and is of the most serious health threats today. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have been explored as promising cell therapy in MI and regenerative therapy. Recently, reports investigated the potential therapeutic effects of MSCs or HSCs transplantation after MI in numerous experimental and clinical studies; however, their results are controversy and needs more explorations. The current review is an attempt to clarify the therapeutic potentials of MSCs and HSCs in MI therapy, as well as their possible effects; especially the paracrine one and the exosome-derived stem cell among animal models as well as clinical trials conducted within the last 10 years. In this context, various sources of MSCs and HSCs have been addressed in helping cardiac regeneration by either revitalizing the cardiac stem cells niche or revascularizing the arteries and veins of the heart. In addition, both MSCs and HSCs could produce paracrine mediators and growth factors which led to cardiomyocytes protection, angiogenesis, immunemodulation, antioxidants, anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory, antifibrotic, as well as increasing cardiac contractility. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs), post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression, and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), a miRNA sponge, are recent stem cell-derived mediators can be promising targets of MSCs and HSCs through their paracrine effects. Although MSCs and HSCs have achieved considerable achievements, however, some challenges still remain that need to be overcome in order to establish it as a successful technique. The present review clarified the mechanistic potentials of MSCs and HSCs especially paracrine effects involved in MI including human and animal studies and the challenges challenges regarding type, differentiation, route, and number of injections.

Progenitor Cells from Cartilage: Grade Specific Differences in Stem Cell Marker Expression.

Recent research has confirmed the presence of Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-like progenitors (MPC) in both normal and osteoarthritic cartilage. However, there is only limited information concerning how MPC markers are expressed with osteoarthritis (OA) progression. The purpose of this study was to compare the prevalence of various MPC markers in different OA grades. Human osteoarthritic tibial plateaus were obtained from ten patients undergoing total knee replacement. Each sample had been classified into a mild or severe group according to OARSI scoring. Tissue was taken from each specimen and mRNA expression levels of CD105, CD166, Notch 1, Sox9, Acan and Col II A1 were measured at day 0 and day 14 (2 weeks in vitro). Furthermore, MSC markers: Nucleostemin, CD90, CD73, CD166, CD105 and Notch 1 were studied by immunofluorescence. mRNA levels of MSC markers did not differ between mild and severe OA at day 0. At day 14, protein analysis showed that proliferated cells from both sources expressed all 6 MSC markers. Only cells from the mild OA subjects resulted in a significant increase of mRNA CD105 and CD166 after in vitro expansion. Moreover, cells from the mild OA subjects showed significantly higher levels of CD105, Sox9 and Acan compared with those from severe OA specimens. Results confirmed the presence of MSC markers in mild and severe OA tissue at both mRNA and protein levels. We found significant differences between cells obtained from mild compared to severe OA specimens suggests that mild OA derived cells may have a greater MSC potential.

Fentanyl effects on breath generation in C57BL/6J and A/J mouse strains.

We examined the effect of fentanyl on chemoresponsiveness in mouse strains divergent in the expression of spontaneous and post-hypoxic pauses. Frequency and tidal volume were recorded with plethysmography in A/J and C57BL/6J (B6) male mice. Mice selected at random received an intraperitoneal (IP) injection of either saline, low dose fentanyl (LDF = 0.04 mg/kg), or high dose fentanyl (HDF = 0.4 mg/kg) under hypoxia (8% O2) or hyperoxia (100%O2). LDF produced a decrease in frequency during hypoxia in B6, but not A/J, mice. HDF significantly decreased frequency and tidal volume in both strains under hypoxia and hyperoxia (p<0.01); naloxone, an opioid antagonist, reversed this response. The acute administration of fentanyl at any dose did not promote apneas in strains of mice exhibiting regular or irregular respiratory patterns. However, higher doses depressed respiratory frequency in both strains. The B6 mice responded with a depressive response to hypoxia that did not recover with reoxygenation, but did recover with time or naloxone.

[Negative pressure therapy in traumatology]. / La thérapie par pression négative en traumatologie.

The treatment of complex wounds in traumatology is a source of concern for nurses. Negative pressure therapy constitutes a solution for difficult-to-treat situations in the framework of open fractures and loss of limb tissue.

Negative pressure wound therapy with saline instillation: 131 patient case series.

Negative pressure wound therapy combined with timed, cyclical instillation (NPWTi) of topical wound solutions has been recently presented as a new adjunctive modality for treating wounds with signs of infection. Normal saline, antiseptics and antimicrobials all have been proposed in scientific and clinical studies as potentially effective when used with NPWTi for treating heavily infected wounds. This is a prospective clinical study of 131 patients with 131 wounds treated with NPWTi using saline between January 2012 and December 2012 in two orthopaedic centres and one surgical wound healing centre in France. Saline was exclusively used. Results were favourable: in 98% of the cases, the wounds could be closed after debridement and following the use of NPWTi. Mean duration of NPWTi was 12·19 days. This does not preclude the need for treating the biofilm appropriately with more active antibacterial products when biofilm has been documented.

Efficacy of second generation antipsychotics in treating acute mixed episodes in bipolar disorder: a meta-analysis of placebo-controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: The literature on the treatment mixed episodes in Bipolar Disorder [BD] is sparse. Second generation antipsychotics [SGA] have documented efficacy in mania, but not mixed episodes. The objective of this meta-analysis was to ascertain the efficacy of SGA, either as mono- and/or adjunctive therapy, in the treatment of acute mixed episodes of BD, compared to placebo. METHODS: A MEDLINE search for English language publications of randomized controlled trials [RCTs] comparing SGA with placebo in the treatment of an acute manic/mixed episode of BD, during the period 1990-2012, was performed using the terms 'atypical antipsychotics', 'SGA', 'mixed episodes', 'dysphoric mania' and each SGA independently. 9 RCTs reporting data on 1289 mixed episode patients treated with aripiprazole, asenapine, olanzapine, paliperidone-ER, risperidone, and ziprasidone, either as monotherapy or as adjunctive therapy, versus placebo, for 3-6 weeks, were included in the meta-analysis. We extracted data on the number of patients, SGA, duration of study and mean change in mania and depression scores from baseline to endpoint. Standardized mean difference between SGA and placebo for the mean baseline-to-endpoint change in mania and depression rating scores was calculated, with a 95% confidence limit. RESULTS: SGA, either alone or in combination with mood stabilizers, had superior efficacy in treating manic symptoms of mixed episodes compared to placebo (-0.41, 95% CI -0.53, -0.30; overall effect p<0.00001). SGA were equally effective for manic symptoms in mixed episodes and pure mania (p=0.99). SGA had superior efficacy in treating depressive symptoms of mixed episodes (-0.30, 95% CI -0.47, -0.13; p<0.001) compared to placebo in two trials reporting this information. LIMITATIONS: Thirteen relevant studies could not be included as data for mixed-episodes were not presented separately. CONCLUSIONS: SGA are effective in treating acute mixed episodes of BD, with predominant manic symptoms. Their efficacy in treating depressed mixed episodes remains unclear.

Comparative efficacy of escitalopram in the treatment of major depressive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Escitalopram is an allosteric selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) with some indication of superior efficacy in the treatment of major depressive disorder. In this systematic review, we critically evaluate the evidence for comparative efficacy and tolerability of escitalopram, focusing on pooled and meta-analysis studies. METHODS: A literature search was conducted for escitalopram studies that quantitatively synthesized data from comparative randomized controlled trials in MDD. Studies were excluded if they did not focus on efficacy, involved primarily subgroups of patients, or synthesized data included in subsequent studies. Outcomes extracted from the included studies were weighted mean difference or standard mean difference, response and remission rates, and withdrawal rate owing to adverse events. RESULTS: The search initially identified 24 eligible studies, of which 12 (six pooled analysis and six meta-analysis studies) met the criteria for review. The pooled and meta-analysis studies with citalopram showed significant but modest differences in favor of escitalopram, with weighted mean differences ranging from 1.13 to 1.73 points on the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale, response rate differences of 7.0%-8.3%, and remission rate differences of 5.1%-17.6%. Pooled analysis studies showed efficacy differences compared with duloxetine and with serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors combined, but meta-analysis studies did not. The effect sizes of the efficacy differences increased in the severely depressed patient subgroups. CONCLUSION: Based on pooled and meta-analysis studies, escitalopram demonstrates superior efficacy compared with citalopram and with SSRIs combined. Escitalopram shows similar efficacy to serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors but the number of trials in these comparisons is limited. Efficacy differences are modest but clinically relevant, especially in more severely depressed patients.

Angioleiomyoma in the ankle mimicking tarsal tunnel syndrome: a case report and review of the literature.

We present the case of a 64-year-old woman with a subcutaneous vascular leiomyoma in the tarsal tunnel in the ankle. The patient presented with pain of several years' duration in the medial aspect of the ankle in the retromalleolar region corresponding to the tarsal tunnel and associated with a subcutaneous mass. We report the clinical manifestation, the imaging and histopathologic features, and a review of the literature. Vascular leiomyomas are part of the differential diagnosis of painful subcutaneous masses in the lower extremity.