A Scoping Review of Wearable Technologies for Use in Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities and Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with intellectual disabilities (IDs) are at risk of diabetes mellitus (DM) and diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), which can lead to foot ulcers and lower-extremity amputations. However, cognitive differences and communication barriers may impede some methods for screening and prevention of DPN. Wearable and mobile technologies-such as smartphone apps and pressure-sensitive insoles-could help to offset these barriers, yet little is known about the effectiveness of these technologies among individuals with ID. METHODS: We conducted a scoping review of the databases Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science using search terms for DM, DPN, ID, and technology to diagnose or monitor DPN. Finding a lack of research in this area, we broadened our search terms to include any literature on technology to diagnose or monitor DPN and then applied these findings within the context of ID. RESULTS: We identified 88 articles; 43 of 88 (48.9%) articles were concerned with gait mechanics or foot pressures. No articles explicitly included individuals with ID as the target population, although three articles involved individuals with other cognitive impairments (two among patients with a history of stroke, one among patients with hemodialysis-related cognitive changes). CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with ID are not represented in studies using technology to diagnose or monitor DPN. This is a concern given the risk of DM complications among patients with ID and the potential for added benefit of such technologies to reduce barriers to screening and prevention. More studies should investigate how wearable devices can be used among patients with ID.

Associations of pelvic floor dysfunction and postnatal mental health: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Postpartum mental health conditions are common and can have devastating effects for both mother and infant. Adverse birth outcomes increase the risk of postnatal mental health conditions. Pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) is a common adverse pregnancy outcome that may be a risk factor for postnatal mental health conditions. There are many studies reporting associations between PFD and postnatal mental health conditions, but no reports have synthesised the current literature as it relates to pregnancy and the postpartum period. METHODS: A research librarian conducted systematic literature searches using terms concerning PFD, postnatal mental health conditions, and pregnancy. Searches were conducted within PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane, and Scopus. Two reviewers independently rated each study for inclusion and study quality. No studies were excluded based on quality. RESULTS: A total of 47 studies were included for review. Articles addressed sexual dysfunction (n = 11), incontinence (n = 21), perineal laceration (n = 13), pelvic organ prolapse (n = 2), and general pelvic floor symptoms (n = 2) and associations with postnatal mental health conditions. Two articles addressed more than one type of PFD. The majority (44 studies) reported associations between PFD and adverse postnatal mental health conditions. DISCUSSION: Most studies included for review found consistent associations between PFD and adverse mental health conditions. Healthcare providers should screen for PFD and postnatal mental health conditions early in the postpartum period. Future research should investigate whether the treatment of PFD can modify the associations between PFD and postnatal mental health conditions.

Intravenous Diltiazem Versus Metoprolol in Acute Rate Control of Atrial Fibrillation/Flutter and Rapid Ventricular Response: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized and Observational Studies.

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) and/or atrial flutter (AFL) with rapid ventricular response (RVR) is a condition that often requires urgent treatment. Although guidelines have recommendations regarding chronic rate control therapy, recommendations on the best choice for acute heart rate (HR) control in RVR are unclear. METHODS: A systematic search across multiple databases was performed for studies evaluating the outcome of HR control (defined as HR less than 110 bpm and/or 20% decrease from baseline HR). Included studies evaluated AF and/or AFL with RVR in a hospital setting, with direct comparison between intravenous (IV) diltiazem and metoprolol and excluded cardiac surgery and catheter ablation patients. Hypotension (defined as systolic blood pressure less than 90 mmHg) was measured as a secondary outcome. Two authors performed full-text article review and extracted data, with a third author mediating disagreements. Random effects models utilizing inverse variance weighting were used to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 test. RESULTS: A total of 563 unique titles were identified through the systematic search, of which 16 studies (7 randomized and 9 observational) were included. In our primary analysis of HR control by study type, IV diltiazem was found to be more effective than IV metoprolol for HR control in randomized trials (OR 4.75, 95% CI 2.50-9.04 with I2 = 14%); however, this was not found for observational studies (OR 1.26, 95% CI 0.89-1.80 with I2 = 55%). In an analysis of observational studies, there were no significant differences between the two drugs in odds of hypotension (OR 1.12, 95% CI 0.51-2.45 with I2 = 18%). CONCLUSION: While there was a trend toward improved HR control with IV diltiazem compared with IV metoprolol in randomized trials, this was not seen in observational studies, and there was no observed difference in hypotension between the two drugs.

Comparison of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in the assessment of myocardial viability: meta-analysis and systematic review.

AIM: Contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance (Ce-CMR) and Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) are frequently utilized in clinical practice to assess myocardial viability. However, studies evaluating direct comparison between Ce-CMR and FDG-PET have a smaller sample size, and no clear distinction between the two imaging modalities has been defined. To address this gap, we conducted a meta-analysis of studies comparing Ce-CMR and FDG-PET for the assessment of myocardial viability. METHODS: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science databases from their inception to 4/20/2022 with search terms "viability" AND "heart diseases" AND "cardiac magnetic resonance imaging" AND "positron-emission tomography." We extracted patient characteristics, segment level viability assessment according to Ce-CMR and FDG-PET, and change in regional wall motion abnormalities (RWMA) at follow-up. RESULTS: We included four studies in the meta-analysis which provided viability assessment with Ce-CMR and FDG-PET in all patients and change in RWMA at follow-up. There were 82 patients among the four included studies, and 585 segments were compared for viability assessment. There were 59 (72%) males, and mean age was 65 years. The sensitivity (95% confidence interval-CI) and specificity (CI) of Ce-CMR for predicting myocardial recovery were 0.88 (0.66-0.96) and 0.64 (0.49-0.77), respectively. The sensitivity (CI) and specificity (CI) of FDG-PET for predicting myocardial recovery were 0.91 (0.63-0.99) and 0.67 (0.49-0.81), respectively. CONCLUSION: FDG-PET and Ce-CMR have comparable diagnostic parameters in myocardial viability assessment and are consistent with prior research.

Synthesizing 30-years of adult medicaid dental policy research: A scoping review to identify gaps and opportunities.

Objective: Despite the importance of Medicaid for the oral health of low-income adults, the extent to which Medicaid dental policy variation influences outcomes is unknown. This study aims to review the evidence evaluating adult Medicaid dental policies to synthesize conclusions and motivate future research. Data sources: A comprehensive search of academic literature published in English between 1991 and 2020 was conducted to identify studies which evaluated an adult Medicaid dental policy for its effect on outcomes. Studies strictly involving children, policies not related to adult Medicaid dental coverage, and non-evaluation studies were excluded. The data analysis identified the policies, outcomes, methods, populations, and conclusions of the included studies. Results: Among the 2731 unique articles extracted, 53 met the inclusion criteria. 36 studies evaluated the effect of expanding Medicaid dental coverage, which was found to consistently increase dental service visits (21 studies) and reduce unmet dental needs (4 studies). Provider density, reimbursement rates, and level of benefits appear to influence the effect of expanding Medicaid dental coverage. The evidence for changing Medicaid benefits and reimbursement rates were mixed for its impact on provider participation and emergency dental services. Few studies examined how adult Medicaid dental policies impact health outcomes. Conclusions: Most of the recent research has focused on evaluating the effect of expanding or reducing Medicaid dental coverage on dental service utilization. Future research investigating the impact of adult Medicaid dental policies on clinical, health, and wellness outcomes remains warranted. Clinical significance: Low-income adults are responsive to Medicaid dental policy changes and utilize more care with more generous coverage. Less is known about how these policies influence health.

Impact of Infectious Diseases Consultation on the Outcome of Patients With Enterococcal Bacteremia: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: Enterococcal bacteremia carries significant mortality. While multiple studies have evaluated the impact of infectious disease consultation (IDC) on this condition, these studies were limited by the low numbers of patients enrolled. This systemic literature review and meta-analysis was conducted to determine whether IDC is associated with a mortality benefit among patients with enterococcal bacteremia. Methods: We performed a systematic literature search using 5 databases for studies evaluating IDC among patients with enterococcal bacteremia. We conducted a meta-analysis to assess whether IDC was associated with reduced mortality. Random-effects models were used to calculate pooled odds ratios (pORs). Heterogeneity was evaluated using I 2 estimation and the Cochran's Q statistic test. Results: The systematic literature review revealed 6496 reports, from which 18 studies were evaluated in the literature review and 16 studies in the meta-analysis. When all studies were pooled, the association between IDC and mortality was not statistically significant with a pOR of 0.81 (95% CI, 0.61-1.08) and substantial heterogeneity (I 2 = 58%). When the studies were limited to those reporting multivariate analysis including IDC, there was a significant protective effect of IDC (pOR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.24-0.68) without heterogeneity (I 2 = 0%). Some studies also showed additional benefits to IDC, including appropriate antibiotic therapy and improved diagnostic use. Conclusions: IDC was associated with 60% lower odds of mortality when patients were well-matched, potentially through improvement in the care of patients with enterococcal bacteremia. IDC should be considered part of routine care for patients with enterococcal bacteremia.

Positive deviance in infection prevention and control: A systematic literature review.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) remain a major challenge. Various strategies have been tried to prevent or control HAIs. Positive deviance, a strategy that has been used in the last decade, is based on the observation that a few at-risk individuals follow uncommon, useful practices and that, consequently, they experience better outcomes than their peers who share similar risks. We performed a systematic literature review to measure the impact of positive deviance in controlling HAIs. METHODS: A systematic search strategy was used to search PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, and Embase through May 2020 for studies evaluating positive deviance as a single intervention or as part of an initiative to prevent or control healthcare-associated infections. The risk of bias was evaluated using the Downs and Black score. RESULTS: Of 542 articles potentially eligible for review, 14 articles were included for further analysis. All studies were observational, quasi-experimental (before-and-after intervention) studies. Hand hygiene was the outcome in 8 studies (57%), and an improvement was observed in association with implementation of positive deviance as a single intervention in all of them. Overall HAI rates were measured in 5 studies (36%), and positive deviance was associated with an observed reduction in 4 (80%) of them. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections were evaluated in 5 studies (36%), and positive deviance containing bundles were successful in all of them. CONCLUSIONS: Positive deviance may be an effective strategy to improve hand hygiene and control HAIs. Further studies are needed to confirm this effect.