Valve-in-Valve Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Versus Redo-Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement in Patients With Aortic Stenosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Aortic stenosis is a common and significant valve condition requiring bioprosthetic heart valves with transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) being strongly recommended for high-risk patients or patients over 75 years. This meta-analysis aimed to pool existing data on postprocedural clinical as well as echocardiographic outcomes comparing valve-in-valve (ViV)-TAVR to redo-surgical aortic valve replacement to assess the short-term and medium-term outcomes for both treatment methods. A systematic literature search on Cochrane Central, Scopus, and Medline (PubMed interface) electronic databases from inception to August 2023. We used odds ratios (OR) for dichotomous outcomes and mean differences (MD) for continuous outcomes. Twenty-four studies (25,216 patients) were pooled with a mean follow-up of 16.4 months. The analysis revealed that ViV-TAVR group showed a significant reduction in 30-day mortality (OR 0.50, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.43 to 0.58, p <0.00001), new-onset atrial fibrillation (OR 0.34, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.67, p = 0.002), major bleeding event (OR 0.28, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.45, p <0.00001) and lower rate of device success (OR 0.25, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.53, p = 0.0003). There were no significant differences between either group when assessing 1-year mortality, stroke, myocardial infarction, postoperative left ventricular ejection fraction, and effective orifice area. ViV-TAVR cohort showed a significantly increased incidence of paravalvular leaks, aortic regurgitation, and increased mean aortic valve gradient. ViV-TAVR is a viable short-term option for elderly patients with high co-morbidities and operative risks, reducing perioperative complications and improving 30-day mortality with no significant cardiovascular adverse events. However, both treatment methods present similar results on short-term to medium-term complications assessment.

Assessing the Efficacy of RADPAD Protection Drape in Reducing Radiation Exposure to Operators in the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

One of the leading environmental hazards, ionizing radiation, is linked to several detrimental health consequences in the body. RADPAD (Worldwide Innovations & Technologies, Inc., Kansas City, Kansas) is a sterile, lead-free, lightweight, disposable radiation protection shield. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the effectiveness of RADPAD protection drapes in the cardiac catheterization lab and how they can aid interventional cardiologists in becoming subjected to less scatter radiation. PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar were searched for studies discussing the efficacy of RADPAD protection drapes in reducing radiation exposure to operators in the cardiac catheterization laboratory. A random-effects model was used to pool odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for endpoints: primary operator exposure dose, dose area product (DAP), relative exposure, and screening time. Our analysis included 892 patients from six studies. Compared to the No-RADPAD group, primary operator exposure dose (E) was significantly lower in the RADPAD group (OR: -0.9, 95% CI: -1.36 to -0.43, I2 = 80.5%, p = 0.0001). DAP was comparable between both groups (OR: 0.008, 95% CI: -0.12 to -0.14, I2 = 0%, p = 0.9066). There was no difference in the relative exposure (E/DAP) (OR: -0.47, 95% CI: -0.96 to 0.02, I2 = 0%, p = 0.90) and screening time (OR: 0.13, 95% CI: 0.08 to 0.35, I2 = 0%, p = 0.22) between the two groups. The interventional cardiology laboratory is exposed to significantly less scatter radiation during procedures owing to the RADPAD protective drape. Consequently, all catheterization laboratories could be advised to employ RADPAD protective drapes.

Cardiovascular outcomes of emergent vs elective transcatheter aortic valve replacement in severe aortic stenosis: regression matched meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has been highly increased as the recommended option for patients with a high surgical risk. This study aims to commit a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the outcomes in severe aortic stenosis patients following emergency transcatheter aortic valve replacement (emergent TAVR) compared to elective TAVR or eBAV followed by elective TAVR. METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature search of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, CINAHL, Science Direct, and Google Scholar. We included nine studies in the latest analysis that reported the desired outcomes. Outcomes were classified into primary outcomes: 30-day all-cause mortality and 30-day readmission rate, and secondary outcomes, which were further divided into (a) peri-procedural outcomes, (b) vascular outcomes, and (c) renal outcomes. Statistical analysis was performed using Stata v.17 (College State, TX) software. RESULTS: A total of 44,731 patients with severe aortic stenosis were included (emergent TAVR n = 4502; control n = 40045). 30-day mortality was significantly higher in the emergent TAVR group (OR: 2.62; 95% CI = 1.76-3.92; P < 0.01). Regarding post-procedural outcomes, the length of stay was significantly higher in the emergent TAVR group (Hedges's g: +4.73 days; 95% CI = +3.35 to +6.11; P < 0.01). With respect to vascular outcomes, they were similar in both groups. Regarding renal outcomes, both acute kidney injury (OR: 2.52; 95% CI = 1.59-4.00; P < 0.01) and use of renal replacement therapy (OR: 2.33; 95% CI = 1.87-2.91; P < 0.01) were significantly higher in emergent TAVR group as compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that despite increased 30-day mortality and worse renal outcomes, the post-procedural outcomes were similar in emergent and elective TAVR groups. The increased mortality and worse renal outcomes are likely due to hemodynamic instability in the emergent group. The similarity of post-procedural outcomes is evidence of the safety of TAVR even in emergent settings.

Diagnostic accuracy of tests for tuberculous pericarditis: A network meta-analysis.

Tuberculous pericarditis (TBP) is a relatively uncommon but potentially fatal extrapulmonary manifestation of tuberculosis. Despite its severity, there is no universally accepted gold standard diagnostic test for TBP currently. The objective of this study is to compare the diagnostic accuracy of the most commonly used tests in terms of specificity, sensitivity, negative predictive value (NPV), and positive predictive value (PPV), and provide a summary of their diagnostic accuracies. A comprehensive literature review was performed using Scopus, MEDLINE, and Cochrane central register of controlled trials, encompassing studies published from start to April 2022. Studies that compared Interferon Gamma Release Assay (IGRA), Xpert MTB/RIF, Adenosine Deaminase levels (ADA), and Smear Microscopy (SM) were included in the analysis. Bayesian random-effects model was used for statistical analysis and mean and standard deviation (SD) with 95% confidence intervals were calculated using the absolute risk (AR) and odds ratio (OR). Rank probability and heterogeneity were determined using risk difference and Cochran Q test, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity were evaluated using true negative, true positive, false positive, and false negative rates. Area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) was calculated for mean and standard error. A total of seven studies comprising 16 arms and 618 patients were included in the analysis. IGRA exhibited the highest mean (SD) sensitivity of 0.934 (0.049), with a high rank probability of 87.5% for being the best diagnostic test, and the AUROC was found to be 94.8 (0.36). On the other hand, SM demonstrated the highest mean (SD) specificity of 0.999 (0.011), with a rank probability of 99.5%, but a leave-one-out analysis excluding SM studies revealed that Xpert MTB/RIF ranked highest for specificity, with a mean (SD) of 0.962 (0.064). The diagnostic tests compared in our study exhibited similar high NPV, while ADA was found to have the lowest PPV among the evaluated methods. Further research, including comparative studies, should be conducted using a standardized cutoff value for both ADA levels and IGRA to mitigate the risk of threshold effect and minimize bias and heterogeneity in data analysis.

Comparative Safety and Efficacy of Low/Moderate-Intensity Statin plus Ezetimibe Combination Therapy vs. High-Intensity Statin Monotherapy in Patients with Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease: An Updated Meta-Analysis.

AIM: Statin therapy is considered the gold standard for treating hypercholesterolemia. This updated meta-analysis aims to compare the efficacy and safety of a low/moderate-intensity statin in combination with ezetimibe compared with high-intensity statin monotherapy in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). METHODS: A systematic search of two databases (PubMed and Cochrane CENTRAL) was conducted from inception to January 2023 and a total of 21 randomized clinical trials (RCTs) were identified and included in the analysis. Data were pooled using Hedges's g and a Mantel-Haenszel random-effects model to derive standard mean differences (SMDs) and 95% confidence intervals (Cis). The primary outcome studied was the effect of these treatments on lipid parameters and safety events. RESULTS: The results revealed that combination therapy was more effective in reducing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels (SMD= - 0.41; CI - 0.63 to - 0.19; P = 0.0002). There was no significant change in the levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), Apo A1, or Apo B. The safety of these treatments was assessed by the following markers alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and creatine phosphokinase (CK), and a significant difference was only observed in CK (SMD: - 0.81; CI - 1.52 to - 0.10; P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis demonstrated that the use of low/moderate-intensity statin combination therapy significantly reduced LDL-C levels compared with high-intensity statin monotherapy, making it preferable for patients with related risks. However, further trials are encouraged to evaluate potential adverse effects associated with combined therapy.

Too Little, Not Enough: Impact of Safety Nets on Food Security Among Households with Disabled Members in Nigeria.

This study assessed the impact of safety nets on food insecurity in households with people with disabilities (PWD) in Nigeria. Using data from the 2019 Nigeria General Household Survey, we assessed the risk of experiencing food insecurity among households and the moderating role of safety nets using households without PWDs as a reference. PWD households were three times more likely to experience severe food insecurity compared to households without PWDs. The impact of the safety net program on the risk of food insecurity showed that receiving social benefits had little effect among households with disabled members experiencing severe food insecurity.

Gender disparities and predictors of in-hospital mortality with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) is classically associated with significant gender disparities, such that it is more prevalent in females, but the clinical outcomes are worse for male patients. The goal of this study was to assess contemporary gender disparities in clinical outcomes of TCM hospitalizations and to determine predictors of male in-hospital mortality. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis involving adult hospitalizations for TCM in the U.S between 2016 and 2020. Multivariable Logistic regression was used to estimate Odds Ratio (OR) for in-hospital mortality between the two genders. Univariable Cox regression was performed to identify predictors associated with in-hospital mortality for male hospitalizations. All factors from the univariable analysis with p < 0.20 were included in a multivariable Cox regression model. RESULTS: A total of 199,920 patients with TCM were identified. Female patients with TCM had 50% lower risk of in-hospital mortality compared to male patients (Adjusted OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.46-0.55, p < 0.001). Older age, higher Charlson comorbidity index, history of intracranial hemorrhage, cardiac arrest, need for vasopressor agents, mechanical intubation, and cardiogenic shock without the use of temporary mechanical circulatory support (MCS) were associated with higher in-hospital male mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Although TCM is more prevalent among females, gender disparities exist in the clinical outcomes of TCM patients. Cardiac arrest and cardiogenic shock without the use of temporary MCS were found to be the most significant predictors of male in-hospital mortality. Cardiogenic shock with use of temporary MCS did not lead to higher male in-hospital mortality.

Acute venous thromboembolism plasma and red blood cell metabolomic profiling reveals potential new early diagnostic biomarkers: observational clinical study.

BACKGROUND: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a leading cause of cardiovascular mortality. The diagnosis of acute VTE is based on complex imaging exams due to the lack of biomarkers. Recent multi-omics based research has contributed to the development of novel biomarkers in cardiovascular diseases. Our aim was to determine whether patients with acute VTE have differences in the metabolomic profile compared to non-acute VTE. METHODS: This observational trial included 62 patients with clinical suspicion of acute deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, admitted to the emergency room. There were 50 patients diagnosed with acute VTE and 12 with non-acute VTE conditions and no significant differences were found between the two groups for clinical and demographic characteristics. Metabolomics assays identified and quantified a final number of 91 metabolites in plasma and 55 metabolites in red blood cells (RBCs). Plasma from acute VTE patients expressed tendency to a specific metabolomic signature, with univariate analyses revealing 23 significantly different molecules between acute VTE patients and controls (p < 0.05). The most relevant metabolic pathway with the strongest impact on the acute VTE phenotype was D-glutamine and D-glutamate (p = 0.001, false discovery rate = 0.06). RBCs revealed a specific metabolomic signature in patients with a confirmed diagnosis of DVT or PE that distinguished them from other acutely diseased patients, represented by 20 significantly higher metabolites and four lower metabolites. Three of those metabolites revealed high performant ROC curves, including adenosine 3',5'-diphosphate (AUC 0.983), glutathione (AUC 0.923), and adenine (AUC 0.91). Overall, the metabolic pathway most impacting to the differences observed in the RBCs was the purine metabolism (p = 0.000354, false discovery rate = 0.68). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that metabolite differences exist between acute VTE and nonacute VTE patients admitted to the ER in the early phases. Three potential biomarkers obtained from RBCs showed high performance for acute VTE diagnosis. Further studies should investigate accessible laboratory methods for the future daily practice usefulness of these metabolites for the early diagnosis of acute VTE in the ER.

Angiotensin-Neprilysin inhibition in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: The effect of sacubitril/valsartan on patients with heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a topic of ongoing debate. METHODS: Medline was queried from inception through the last week of May 2023 for randomized studies assessing the effects of sacubitril/valsartan in patients with HFpEF. For continuous outcomes, we pooled either the geometric mean ratios (gMR) or weighted mean difference (WMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). For dichotomous outcomes, we pooled Risk ratios (RR) with 95% CI. RESULTS: Four trials were included (N=8,129). Compared to the control, sacubitril/valsartan was associated with a reduction in NT-proBNP levels (gMR: 0.84, 95% CI 0.80, 0.88) and improvement in KCCQ score (WMD: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.02, 1.67). We observed no differences for HF hospitalization (RR: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.79, 1.01), cardiovascular mortality (RR: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.52, 1.32), all-cause mortality (RR: 0.99, 95% CI: 0.86-1.13) and improvement (RR: 1.15, 95% CI: 0.93, 1.42) or worsening (RR: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.78, 1.09) of NYHA class between the sacubitril/valsartan and comparator group. Sacubitril/valsartan was generally safe, and patients were less likely to have a ≥50% decline in eGFR compared to control (RR: 0.60, 95% CI: 0.39, 0.92). CONCLUSION: Pooled analysis suggests that sacubitril/valsartan reduces natriuretic peptide levels and improves the quality of life in patients with HFpEF, which may translate into better clinical outcomes as observed by a numerical trend towards improvement in major HF outcomes with sacubitril/valsartan therapy.

Prevalence of the medical student syndrome among health professions students and its effects on their academic performance.

Medical student syndrome (MSS) is health-related anxiety while studying a specific disease that leads to stress and anxiety. The study aims to determine the prevalence of MSS among health professions students to identify its effect on the student academic performance and to recognize the awareness of MSS among health professions students. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study where 544 students from King Saud University health colleges were included and filled in a self-reported designed questionnaire. We used validated scale of short health anxiety inventory closed-ended items to measure the prevalence of MSS. All statistical analyses were performed using the statistical package for social sciences statistical software package. The results showed that 8.5% of the health colleges students were affected by MSS. The students with the medical syndrome had higher levels of anxiety (anxiety-odd ratio [OR] = 1.3, P = .35; anxiety-OR = 1.57, P = .27) and hypochondriac issues (hypochondria-OR = 2.93, P = .03; hypochondria-OR = 2.61, P = .14) than other students. Concerning to MSS negative consequences, students who experienced medical syndrome most of the time and always were 1.43 and 1.45 times more likely to experience anxiety. As a result of the medical syndrome, students with a grade point average decrease of <0.20 are 3.37 times more likely to develop a hypochondriac problem than students with no grade point average decrease (OR = 3.37; P = .04). Third-year students reported more anxiety and hypochondria symptoms than other-year students. In conclusion, MSS is a growing problem in health colleges. This study showed that, academic performance was affected for the students who have MSS. The prevention of this phenomenon may be greatly enhanced by reassurance and discussions about this syndrome.

Outcomes of Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair Using the MitraClip System in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation. A Meta-Analysis.

Transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR) with the MitraClip system is now approved for degenerative and functional mitral regurgitation (MR). Atrial fibrillation (AF) is commonly seen in MR. In our study, we perform a pooled analysis of the existing data to investigate the outcomes of MitraClip in patients with versus without AF. We conducted a systematic search of PubMed, Google Scholar, and SCOPUS databases through December, 2022 for studies comparing the outcomes of TMVR using the MitraClip in patients with preexisting AF versus those without AF. A meta-analysis was performed to investigate the primary outcomes of all-cause mortality and heart failure (HF) hospitalization. Secondary outcomes were cardiovascular mortality, in-hospital mortality, stroke, New York Heart Association class I or II at follow-up, length of hospital stay, and procedural time. A total of 10 studies (n = 24,111; AF = 12,789; no AF = 11,322) were included in the final analysis. Preexisting AF was associated with higher overall all-cause mortality (odds ratio 1.55, 95% confidence interval 1.32 to 1.83, p <0.0002) and higher overall HF hospitalization rate (odds ratio 1.3, 95% confidence interval 1.08 to 1.56, p <0.0154). There was no statistically significant difference in cardiovascular mortality, in-hospital mortality, stroke, length of hospital stay, procedural time, or New York Heart Association class I/II at follow-up comparing AF versus no AF. The presence of AF in patients who underwent TMVR with MitraClip is associated with higher all-cause mortality and HF hospitalization. This should be taken into consideration in the management of MR patients.

Effect of ondansetron compared to lidocaine and placebo for reducing propofol injection pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

OBJECTIVE: Propofol is the most commonly used intravenous anesthetic medication and is most commonly associated with post-operative pain. Several drugs are investigated to reduce post-operative pain caused by propofol injection. Ondansetron is a potent anti-emetic drug showing promising results as an analgesic. This meta-analysis aims to compare the efficacy of ondansetron to placebo and lidocaine in reducing post-operative pain caused by propofol injection. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched for relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) till May 2022. We conducted a meta-analysis using RevMan software version 5.4, and we assessed the quality of included RCTs using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. RESULTS: In our study, we included 23 RCTs with 2957 participants. Compared to placebo, ondansetron significantly increased the rate of no pain [risk ratio (RR) = 2.36, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.39-4.01)], and reduced moderate [RR = 0.39, 95% CI (0.30-0.52)] and severe pain [RR = 0.34, 95% CI (0.24-0.50)]. Furthermore, ondansetron significantly reduced PONV [RR = 0.73, 95% CI (0.58, 0.91)]. On the other hand, ondansetron showed an inferior efficacy to lidocaine regarding the incidence of no, moderate, and severe pain. CONCLUSION: Ondansetron is effective in reducing post-operative propofol-induced pain. However, lidocaine is more effective than it.

Ticagrelor Versus Prasugrel in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Limited data comparing prasugrel and ticagrelor in acute coronary syndrome are available. Online databases, including MEDLINE and Cochrane Central, were queried to compare these drugs. The primary outcomes of this meta-analysis are myocardial infarction (MI), all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, noncardiovascular mortality, stent thrombosis, and stroke. The secondary outcome is major bleeding. A total of 9 studies, including 94,590 patients (prasugrel group = 32,759; ticagrelor group = 61,831), were included in this meta-analysis. The overall mean age was 62.73 years, whereas the mean age for the ticagrelor and prasugrel groups was 63.80 and 61.65 years, respectively. Prasugrel is equally effective as compared with ticagrelor in preventing MI. There was no difference between the 2 groups regarding all-cause mortality, stent thrombosis, stroke, or major bleeding. In patients with acute coronary syndrome, prasugrel is equally effective when compared with ticagrelor in preventing MI.

Coronary Intra-orbital Atherectomy Complications and Procedural Failure: Insight From the Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) Database.

BACKGROUND: The Diamondback 360® Coronary Orbital Atherectomy System (Cardiovascular Systems Inc., St. Paul, MN) is the first and only orbital atherectomy system approved by the US FDA for the treatment of severely calcified lesions. While the device has proven to be safe in clinical trials, real-world data are minimal. METHODS: The Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database was queried for reports on the Diamondback 360® Coronary from January 2019 to January 2022. RESULTS: A total of 566 events were reported during the study period. After the exclusion of duplicate reports, the final cohort included 547 reports. The most common mode of failure was break or separation of a device part (40.4%, n = 221) mainly due to breaking in the tip of the ViperWire (66.1%), driveshaft (22.7%), or crown (12.2%). The most common vessel associated with events was the left anterior descending artery (31.4%), followed by the right coronary artery (26.9%), left circumflex (21.6%), and left main coronary artery (6.4%). The most common clinical adverse outcome was perforation (33.0%, n = 181) with 23.7% resulting in cardiac tamponade. Most perforation cases were treated by covered stent (44.2%), surgery (30.5%), stent (98%), and balloon angioplasty (9%). There were 89 (16.3%) events of death with 67% due to perforation (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our study provided a glimpse of real-world adverse outcomes and common modes of failure due to orbital atherectomy. The most common mode of failure was the break or separation of a device part and the most common complication was perforation according to the MAUDE database. It will help physicians to anticipate complications and escalate care appropriately.

Therapeutic Outcomes Following Isolated Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Repair: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is traditionally treated surgically, but isolated transcatheter tricuspid valve repair (ITTVR) offers a less invasive option. This study conducts a meta-analysis and systematic review to evaluate ITTVR outcomes in patients with TR. Database searches until March 2023 identified studies assessing ITTVR safety and efficacy in moderate/severe TR patients. Primary outcomes analyzed were severe TR, NYHA functional class improvement, and 6-minute walking distance. Meta-analyses used Risk ratio (RR) or mean difference with a random effects model. The review included 25 studies with 2421 patients. ITTVR improved NYHA functional class (RR: 3.262), reduced TR severity (RR: 0.303), and enhanced 6-minute walking distance (MD: +47.077 m). Echocardiographic parameters improved, including reductions in TR vena contracta, TR EROA, septolateral tricuspid annular diameter, RVEDD, RV FAC, and TAPSE. LVEF and PASP showed no significant changes. ITTVR improves functional outcomes and echocardiographic parameters in TR patients.

Predictors and Outcomes of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in COVID-19 Patients With ARDS: A Propensity-Matched Analysis of National Inpatient Sample.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a significant treatment modality for COVID-19 patients on ventilators. The current data is limited for understanding the indicators and outcomes of ECMO in COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database from 2020 was queried in this study. Among 1,666,960 patients admitted with COVID-19, 99,785 (5.98%) patients developed ARDS, and 60,114 (60.2%) were placed on mechanical ventilation. Of these mechanically ventilated COVID-ARDS patients, 2580 (4.3%) were placed on ECMO. Patients with ECMO intervention had higher adjusted odds (aOR) of blood loss anemia (aOR 9.1, 95% CI: 6.16-13.5, propensity score-matched (PSM) 42% vs 5.4%, P < 0.001), major bleeding (aOR 3.79, 95% CI: 2.5-5.6, PSM 19.9% vs 5.9%, P < 0.001) and acute liver injury (aOR 1.7, 95% CI: 1.14-2.6 PSM 14% vs 6%, P = 0.009) compared to patients without ECMO intervention. However, in-hospital mortality, acute kidney injury, transfusions, acute MI, and cardiac arrest were insignificant. On subgroup analysis, patients placed on veno-arterial ECMO had higher odds of cardiogenic shock (aOR 13.4, CI 3.95-46, P < 0.0001), cardiac arrest (aOR 3.5, CI 1.45-8.47, P = 0.0057), acute congestive heart failure (aOR 4.18, CI 1.05-16.5, P = 0.042) and lower odds of major bleeding (aOR 0.26, CI 0.07-0.92). However, there was no significant difference in mortality, intracranial hemorrhage, and acute MI. Further studies are needed before considering COVID-19 ARDS patients for placement on ECMO.

Meta-Analysis of Efficacy and Safety of Intravenous Iron in Patients With Iron Deficiency and Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction.

Iron deficiency is an independent risk factor for heart failure (HF) exacerbation. We aim to study the safety and efficacy of intravenous (IV) iron therapy in patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). A literature search was conducted on MEDLINE (Embase and PubMed) using a systematic search strategy by PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) until October 2022. CRAN-R software (The R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria) was used for statistical analysis. The quality assessment was performed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. We included 12 studies with a total of 4,376 patients (IV iron n = 1,985 [45.3%]; standard of care [SOC] n = 2,391 [54.6%]). The mean age was 70.37 ± 8.14 years and 71.75 ± 7.01 years in the IV iron and SOC groups, respectively. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality (risk ratio [RR] 0.88, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.74 to 1.04, p <0.15). However, HF readmissions were significantly lower in the IV iron group (RR 0.73, 95% CI 0.56 to 0.96, p = 0.026). Non-HF cardiac readmissions were not significantly different between the IV iron and SOC groups (RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.82 to 1.02, p = 0.12). In terms of safety, there was a similar rate of infection-related adverse events in both arms (RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.74 to 1, p = 0.05). IV iron therapy in patients with HFrEF is safe and shows a significant reduction in HF hospitalizations compared with SOC. There was no difference in the rate of infection-related adverse events. The changing landscape of HFrEF pharmacotherapy in the last decade may warrant a re-demonstration of the benefit of IV iron with current SOC. The cost-effectiveness of IV iron use also needs further study.

Mass spectrometric analysis of bioactive conditioned media of bacteria isolated from reptilian gut.

Aim: To determine whether selected gut bacteria of crocodile exhibit antibacterial properties. Materials & methods: Two bacteria isolated from Crocodylus porosus gut were used, namely: Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Aeromonas dhakensis. Conditioned media were tested against pathogenic bacteria and metabolites were analyzed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Results & conclusion: Antibacterial assays revealed that conditioned media showed potent effects against pathogenic Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. LC-MS revealed identity of 210 metabolites. The abundant metabolites were, N-Acetyl-L-tyrosine, Acetaminophen, Trans-Ferulic acid, N, N-Dimethylformamide, Pyrocatechol, Cyclohexanone, Diphenhydramine, Melatonin, Gamma-terpinene, Cysteamine, 3-phenoxypropionic acid, Indole-3-carbinol, Benzaldehyde, Benzocaine, 2-Aminobenzoic acid, 3-Methylindole. These findings suggest that crocodile gut bacteria are potential source of novel bioactive molecules that can be utilized as pre/post/antibiotics for the benefit of human health.

Crocodiles thrive in unsanitary conditions, feed on rotten meat, and endure conditions that are detrimental to human health. In addition to their immune system, we speculate that their microbial gut flora produce substances contributing to their "hardiness" and "longevity". Herein, we showed that selected bacteria isolated from crocodile gut produced potent antibacterial properties against multiple drug-resistant pathogenic Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. LC­MS/MS revealed the identity of gut microbial metabolites. These findings suggest that analyses of crocodile gut bacteria may reveal potential drug leads that can be utilized as probiotics/pre/post/antibiotics for the benefit of human health, however intensive future research is needed to realize these expectations.

Resection of Accessory Parotid Gland Tumors: A Multidisciplinary Feat and Review of Literature.

Accessory parotid lobe tumors are very rare. For any mass occupying the mid-cheek, tumors of the accessory parotid gland should be strongly suspected. These tumors are properly evaluated using ultrasonography, computed tomography, and fine needle aspiration cytology. Different surgical approaches are mentioned in the literature for the resection of these parotid lesions. These surgical approaches are often accompanied by the extracapsular dissection of the tumor. The extracapsular dissection of the tumor is an adequate technique to resect tumors of the accessory lobe of the parotid.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prevalence and Outcomes of Cardiac Metastasis of Neuroendocrine Malignancies.

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are a rare group of malignancies which are aggressive and widely metastatic. Cardiac metastases (CMs) are rarely reported because of NET. We aim to analyze the available literature to study the proportional prevalence of CM because of NET and its location and effect on the ejection fraction (EF) and survival rate. Our search strategy and meta-analysis are in line with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) AMSTAR-2 (Assessing the methodological quality of systematic Reviews-2) Guidelines. A literature search was conducted on MEDLINE (EMBASE and PubMed) for randomized clinical trials, pilot trials, and retrospective and prospective studies. Statistical analysis was performed using the CRAN-R software (https://CRAN.R-project.org/doc/FAQ/R-FAQ.html). The quality assessment of the included articles was performed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. A total of 16,685 patients were included in the study. The mean age of patients included in the study was 61.28 ± SD 9.89 years. Of these, 257 patients had a total of 283 CM. Metastasis was mainly located in the left ventricle with a pooled proportion of 0.48, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.4 to 0.56, pericardium: 0.34, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.53, right ventricle 0.28, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.44, interventricular septum 0.25, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.37, left atrium 0.1, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.26 and right atrium 0.05, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.20. Decrease in EF at the time of CM diagnosis was the effect most consistently reported in patients with CM. Pooled mean survival was 35.89, 95% CI 8.27 to 155.68 months after the diagnosis of CM. CM due to NET was <2% and the left ventricle is the most common metastatic location, followed by the pericardium. Decreased EF was the most common clinical picture observed. Further studies are needed to analyze the clinical impact of NET CM.