Early oral feeding and its impact on postoperative outcomes in head and neck cancer surgery: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Early oral feeding has been previously postulated to contribute to developing postoperative complications following head and neck reconstructive surgeries using free flaps. This study assessed the association between the timing of oral feeding (early vs. late) and postoperative complications and length of hospital stay among these patients. METHOD: PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, and Web of Science were searched using terms such as "oral feeding" and "head or neck cancer." We utilized RevMan software version 5.4 for the analysis. The study defined early oral feeding as feeding within 5-day post-operation, while late oral feeding was defined as feeding after the fifth postoperative day. Five papers that met the inclusion criteria were included in the analysis, with 1097 patients. RESULTS: The results showed that early feeding was not significantly associated with postoperative fistulas (RR 0.49, 95% CI 0.23 to 1.05, p-value = 0.07), hematoma/seroma (RR 0.71, 95% CI 0.33 to 1.51, p-value = 0.38), or flap failure (RR 0.84, 95% CI = 0.38 to 1.87, p-value = 0.67). However, early oral feeding was significantly associated with shorter hospital stays than late oral feeding (MD -3.18, 95% CI -4.90 to -1.46, p-value = 0.0003). CONCLUSION: No significant difference exists between early and late oral feeding regarding the risk of postoperative complications in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients who underwent free flap reconstruction surgery. However, early oral feeding is significantly associated with a shorter hospital stay than late oral feeding. Thus, surgeons should consider implementing early oral feeding after free flap reconstruction in HNC patients.

The relationship between anxiety and irritable bowel syndrome symptoms among females: A cross-sectional study in Egypt.

There is a scarcity of studies focusing on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and anxiety in Egypt. Accordingly, our study aimed to assess the association between anxiety and IBS symptomatology among Egyptian females. Three hundred eighty-three females (145 IBS and 238 controls) were included in the study, and data were obtained using structured predesigned questionnaires. IBS and anxiety symptoms were assessed according to the Rome IV criteria and the Arabic version of the beck anxiety inventory, respectively. Both IBS and non-IBS groups showed increased anxiety during the pandemic, without a significant difference between both groups (P value = .657). Higher levels of education were significantly associated with severe anxiety (P value = .031). Multivariate analysis of IBS patients showed that intermediate education was significantly associated with 75% lower odds for increased IBS symptoms compared with illiterate or read-and-write IBS patients [odds ratio (OR): 0.25, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.06-0.95, P value = .042]. Urban residence was significantly associated with 13.5 times greater odds of increased IBS symptoms, compared with rural residence (OR: 13.48, 95% CI 3.55-51.25, P value < .001). Moreover, patients who lost their job during the pandemic were 12.9 times more likely to have increased symptoms (OR: 12.89, 95% CI 1.84-90.15, P value = 0.01). A unit increase in patients age and beck anxiety inventory score was associated with 68% and 75% greater odds for increased IBS symptoms, respectively (OR: 1.68, 95% CI 1.12-2.53, P value = .012; OR: 1.75, 95% CI 1.08-2.84, P value = .024). Increasing anxiety is associated with increased IBS symptoms. Therefore, IBS patients should be screened for anxiety, and the role of psychiatric management of anxiety in the amelioration of IBS symptoms must be explored.

Association between insomnia and the incidence of myocardial infarction: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Insomnia has been closely associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) including myocardial infarction (MI). Our study aims to assess the eligibility of insomnia as a potential risk factor for MI. METHODS: PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched using terms; such as "Insomnia" and "MI." Only observational controlled studies with data on the incidence of MI among insomniacs were included. Revman software version 5.4 was used for the analysis. RESULTS: Our pooled analysis showed a significant association between insomnia and the incidence of MI compared with noninsomniacs (relative risk [RR] = 1.69, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.41-2.02, p < .00001). Per sleep duration, we detected the highest association between ≤5 h of sleep, and MI incidence compared to 7-8 h of sleep (RR = 1.56, 95% CI = 1.41-1.73). Disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep were associated with increased MI incidence (RR = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.04-1.23, p = .003). However, subgroup analysis of nonrestorative sleep and daytime dysfunction showed an insignificant association with MI among both groups (RR = 1.06, 95% CI = 0.91-1.23, p = .46). Analysis of age, follow-up duration, sex, and comorbidities showed a significant association in insomniacs. CONCLUSION: Insomnia and ≤5 h of sleep are highly associated with increased incidence of MI; an association comparable to that of other MI risk factors and as such, it should be considered as a risk factor for MI and to be incorporated into MI prevention guidelines.