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The current meta-analysis was conducted to determine the predictors of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in patients with sepsis. The present meta-analysis was conducted in accordance with the MOOSE (Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) guidelines. We conducted a systematic search using the PubMed, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE databases for studies published between 1 January 2000 and 28 February 2023 that assessed the predictors of ARDS in patients with sepsis. We used key terms such as "predictors," "acute respiratory distress syndrome," and "sepsis" to search for relevant articles. Our search was limited to human studies published in English. A total of six studies were included in this meta-analysis. Of the six studies, four were retrospective and two were prospective. The pooled incidence of ARDS was 11.27%. We identified six factors with a consistent and statistically significant association with ARDS, including sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score, pulmonary sepsis, smoking, pancreatitis, and C-reactive protein. Age, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were not found to be significantly associated with ARDS in this patient population. It is important for healthcare providers to consider these predictors when assessing patients with sepsis and septic shock to identify those at high risk for developing ARDS and implement appropriate preventive measures.
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Objectives The objective is to assess the overall quality of life (QoL) in patients who had undergone renal transplant within the last three years and correlate this index with various demographic variables such as age, gender, marital status, and education level and to correlate the QoL score calculated vs. the health status perceived by the patients themselves Materials and methods This was an analytical cross-sectional study, carried out over a period of five months. A total of 123 patients were targeted among which data from 79 patients were gathered including all the patients that underwent kidney transplantation in the past three years at a renal transplant center in CMH, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Non- Probability convenience sampling was used, and data were collected using the WHOQOL-BREF tool that contained 25 questions targeted to four domains (physical, psychological, social, and environmental). The Questionnaire was administered over the phone with proper consent taken beforehand. Data were analyzed using Excel and SPSS version 23. Results A total of 79 patients were administered the questionnaire with the mean age of our study population being 35±11 years out of which 84.5% were male and 15.5% were female. Patients received the kidney from relative donors (98.4%) with the highest percentage being sister donors (30.9%). The majority of patients reported from Punjab (54.4%), with the rest from far-flung rural areas. An estimated 62.5% of the patients presented with other systemic/psychological disorders such as DM+, IHD, HTN, Hepatitis C, depression, etc. The mean global score of these patients was 79.21 which can be broken down into four domains, physical domain 80.40, psychological domain 78.99, social domain 82.70, and environmental domain 74.75. Conclusion In a developing country such as Pakistan, with most of the patients belonging to lower or middle socioeconomic groups, we believe that the patient's own sense of QoL is overshadowed by the mere exuberance of being given a second chance at life which was portrayed by the discrepancies in the perceived vs actual QoL graph. One common recurring theme that was noticed whilst interviewing the patients was that the difficulties they might have faced post-transplant paled in comparison to how grateful they were to live another day. A positive trend was noticed between the time since transplant and the QoL score which could be attributed to various factors such as the use of aggressive immunosuppressants, fear of injury, fear of transplant rejection, etc. in the first-year post-transplant. Demographic variables such as income, age, location, etc. did not affect the scores of these patients on a great scale. The present study aims to guide clinicians in the improvement of long-term outcomes of renal transplantation in Pakistan.
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INTRODUCTION: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease of joints which if untreated can lead to a permanent disability of joints. Obesity plays an important role in the morbidity of OA. Since there is no curative treatment for OA, several researches focusing on nonpharmacological intervention for OA have come forth. Triad of education, exercise, and weight loss has been gaining popularity as a first-line nonpharmacological treatment for OA. This article measures the number of OA patients, irrespective of age and gender, who have received weight-loss counseling from their physicians and it also studies patients' willingness to lose weight after being counseled. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was conducted from 10th June 2020 to 10th July 2020. Diagnosed cases of OA were included and their consent was taken. A self-administered questionnaire was used which included questions asking if they have ever received weight-loss counseling and if they will try to lose weight on being advised by their physician. Data were collected from the participants using google forms and analyzed using SPSS-22. RESULTS: Out of 199 OA patients included in our study, only 28 (14%) participants received weight loss and exercise counseling from their physicians. A positive response was observed in 175 (87.9%) participants out of 199 who reported that they would exercise and practice a healthy lifestyle to lose weight if they were advised properly. CONCLUSION: Results of our study showed that the total number of OA patients receiving advice from their treating physician regarding weight loss is less. However, the majority of the patients were willing to exercise and control their weight if advised properly by their physician.
