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The paradox of endurance training: higher coronary plaque prevalence found in lifelong athletes
21 Mar, 2023 | 13:42h | UTCSummary: The Master@Heart study aimed to investigate the relationship between lifelong endurance exercise and coronary atherosclerosis measured by computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) in a cohort of 191 lifelong master endurance athletes, 191 late-onset athletes, and 176 healthy non-athletes. All participants were male with a low cardiovascular risk profile.
The study found that lifelong endurance sport participation was not associated with a more favorable coronary plaque composition compared to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. In fact, lifelong endurance athletes exhibited a higher prevalence of coronary plaques, including more non-calcified plaques in proximal segments, than fit and healthy individuals with a similarly low cardiovascular risk profile.
Further research is needed to understand how these findings on CTCA might translate into clinical events in endurance athletes.
Article: Lifelong endurance exercise and its relation with coronary atherosclerosis – European Heart Journal
Commentaries:
Lifelong Endurance Exercise and Coronary Atherosclerosis – American College of Cardiology
MASTER@HEART: Long-term Endurance Athletes Not Immune to Atherosclerosis – TCTMD
RCT | Time-restricted eating not more effective than daily calorie restriction for managing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
21 Mar, 2023 | 13:38h | UTCSummary: The TREATY-FLD randomized clinical trial investigated the effects of time-restricted eating (TRE) versus daily calorie restriction (DCR) on intrahepatic triglyceride (IHTG) content and metabolic risk factors in patients with obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Participants were randomly assigned to either TRE (eating only between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm) or DCR (habitual meal timing) and instructed to maintain a diet of 1500 to 1800 kcal/d for men and 1200 to 1500 kcal/d for women for 12 months.
The study found that the IHTG content was reduced by 6.9% in the TRE group and 7.9% in the DCR group after 12 months, a difference that was not statistically significant. Furthermore, TRE did not produce additional benefits for reducing body weight, liver stiffness, or metabolic risk factors compared with DCR.
The study supports that the main focus of a diet for managing NAFLD is caloric restriction, which can be achieved both with a TRE strategy or without a TRE strategy with similar results.
Commentary on Twitter
TREATY-FLD RCT found that time-restricted eating did not produce additional benefits for reducing intrahepatic triglyceride content, body fat and metabolic risk factors vs daily-calorie-restriction among adults with obesity and NAFLD. https://t.co/it2n4o9Th1
— JAMA Network Open (@JAMANetworkOpen) March 17, 2023
M-A | Comparison of mental health symptoms before and during the covid-19 pandemic
21 Mar, 2023 | 13:40h | UTCEditorial: Mental health and the covid-19 pandemic – The BMJ
News Release: Study suggests little deterioration in mental health linked to the pandemic – BMJ Newsroom
Commentaries:
A patient’s perspective on mental health and the pandemic – The BMJ
World’s most comprehensive study on COVID-19 mental health – McGill University
M-A | The efficacy of Kangaroo-Mother care to the clinical outcomes of LBW and premature infants
21 Mar, 2023 | 13:35h | UTCSummary: Kangaroo-Mother Care (KMC) is a method that involves skin-to-skin contact between the mother and newborn, frequent exclusive or almost exclusive breastfeeding, and early discharge. KMC is an alternative to traditional care interventions for low birthweight (LBW) infants, and the World Health Organization has recommended its use for LBW infants for over a decade.
The authors conducted a meta-analysis including 17 randomized clinical trials involving 17,668 participants. They found that KMC can significantly reduce neonatal mortality, lower hypothermia and sepsis rates, and reduce the duration of hospital stay. The authors suggest that KMC should be promoted, popularized, and standardized in clinical practice.
Related:
Kangaroo mother care to reduce morbidity and mortality in low birthweight infants – Cochrane Library
Consensus on complementary feeding in pediatrics
21 Mar, 2023 | 13:30h | UTC
Suggested guidelines for the treatment of mycosis fungoides in countries with limited resources
21 Mar, 2023 | 13:29h | UTC
SR | Topical antibiotics modestly improve resolution of acute bacterial conjunctivitis
21 Mar, 2023 | 13:33h | UTCSummary: The Cochrane Review evaluated the benefits and potential side effects of antibiotic therapy in treating acute bacterial conjunctivitis. The authors included 21 randomized controlled trials, with a total of 8,805 participants. The trials evaluated the effectiveness of topical antibiotic treatments in the form of drops or ointments, and were heterogeneous in terms of eligibility criteria, antibiotic drug class, duration of treatment, and outcomes assessed.
The review found that antibiotics likely improved clinical cure by 26% compared with placebo, with no evidence of serious systemic side effects reported in either the antibiotic or placebo group. Fluoroquinolones were found to have fewer ocular side effects compared to non-fluoroquinolones.
Overall, the review suggests that the use of topical antibiotics may be considered to achieve better clinical and microbiologic efficacy than placebo in treating acute bacterial conjunctivitis.
Article: Antibiotics versus placebo for acute bacterial conjunctivitis – Cochrane Library
Review | Enhanced recovery after surgery and chest tube management
21 Mar, 2023 | 13:26h | UTCEnhanced recovery after surgery and chest tube management – Journal of Thoracic Disease
Related:
Guidelines for the management of people with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in situ (Bowen disease)
21 Mar, 2023 | 13:27h | UTC
Two phase 3 trials of lebrikizumab for moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis
21 Mar, 2023 | 13:23h | UTCTwo Phase 3 Trials of Lebrikizumab for Moderate-to-Severe Atopic Dermatitis – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
News Release: Largest study to date of lebrikizumab supports its use for treatment of atopic dermatitis – George Washington University
Commentary: Lebrikizumab Effective for Adults, Teens With Atopic Dermatitis – HealthDay
Review | Gene Therapy for Hemophilia — Opportunities and Risks
21 Mar, 2023 | 13:25h | UTCGene Therapy for Hemophilia—Opportunities and Risks – Deutsches Ärzteblatt International
Pro-con debate | Should videolaryngoscopy be standard of care for tracheal intubation?
21 Mar, 2023 | 13:19h | UTCPro-Con Debate: Videolaryngoscopy Should Be Standard of Care for Tracheal Intubation – Anesthesia & Analgesia (free for a limited period)
RCT | Videolaryngoscopy improves first-pass tracheal intubation success compared with direct laryngoscopy
21 Mar, 2023 | 13:21h | UTC
SR | Systemic corticosteroid regimens for prevention of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants
21 Mar, 2023 | 13:14h | UTCSummary: Different timing and dosages of corticosteroids to prevent lung injury – Cochrane Library
Perspective | Perioperative medicine: what the future can hold for anesthesiology
21 Mar, 2023 | 13:18h | UTCPerioperative Medicine: What the Future Can Hold for Anesthesiology – Anesthesia & Analgesia (free for a limited period)
Review | Understanding outcomes after major surgery
21 Mar, 2023 | 13:17h | UTCUnderstanding Outcomes After Major Surgery – Anesthesia & Analgesia
SR | Postnatal phenobarbital for the prevention of intraventricular hemorrhage in preterm infants
21 Mar, 2023 | 13:15h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
👶What are the benefits and risks of #phenobarbital (a medicine used to control seizures) for preventing bleeding to the brain in #preterm #infants?
This @CochraneNeonate systematic review looks at the evidence from 10 studies with 792 babies.https://t.co/upqW8azhZP pic.twitter.com/wcpnjlu3t0
— The Cochrane Library (@CochraneLibrary) March 16, 2023
Single-arm study | Inaxaplin reduces proteinuria in patients with APOL1 variants and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis
21 Mar, 2023 | 13:11h | UTCInaxaplin for Proteinuric Kidney Disease in Persons with Two APOL1 Variants – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Inaxaplin Reduces Proteinuria in FSGS With APOL1 Variants – Renal & Urology News
Commentary on Twitter
Original Article: Inaxaplin for Proteinuric Kidney Disease in Persons with Two APOL1 Variants https://t.co/QHcvbYEmiz #nephrology #CKD pic.twitter.com/SLspl6Vagn
— NEJM (@NEJM) March 17, 2023
Review | The sonopartogram
21 Mar, 2023 | 13:12h | UTCThe sonopartogram – American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Analysis | Networks of care to strengthen primary healthcare in resource constrained settings
21 Mar, 2023 | 13:08h | UTCNetworks of care to strengthen primary healthcare in resource constrained settings – The BMJ
Review | Regional anesthesia as part of enhanced recovery strategies in pediatric cardiac surgery
21 Mar, 2023 | 13:09h | UTCRegional anesthesia as part of enhanced recovery strategies in pediatric cardiac surgery – Current Opinion in Anesthesiology (free for a limited period)
M-A | Analgesic effect of erector spinae plane block in adults undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy
21 Mar, 2023 | 13:06h | UTC
RCT | Closed-loop insulin delivery system enhances blood sugar control in young children with type 1 diabetes
20 Mar, 2023 | 13:54h | UTCSummary: The study enrolled 102 young children between ages 2 and 5, randomized in a 2:1 ratio to either a closed-loop control system of insulin delivery (“artificial pancreas”) or a standard care comparison group. During the 13 weeks of study follow-up, participants in the artificial pancreas group spent 12% more time within their target blood glucose range compared to the standard care group.
The closed-loop group experienced two cases of severe hypoglycemia, while the standard-care group had one case. In the closed-loop group, one case of diabetic ketoacidosis occurred due to a problem with the insulin pump.
Article: Trial of Hybrid Closed-Loop Control in Young Children with Type 1 Diabetes – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
News Releases:
Commentary on Twitter
In children 2 to younger than 6 years of age with type 1 diabetes, a closed-loop control system was associated with a greater percentage of time in the target glycemic range than standard care. https://t.co/rAOLXRNuub#pediatrics #T1D pic.twitter.com/Nzwl3aFr1w
— NEJM (@NEJM) March 17, 2023
Cohort Study | Early childhood respiratory infections linked to increased risk of premature respiratory disease mortality in adulthood
20 Mar, 2023 | 13:52h | UTCSummary: The study aimed to determine the link between lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in early childhood and premature adult death from respiratory disease. The study used data from a nationally representative cohort recruited at birth in Great Britain in 1946 and followed participants across eight decades.
After adjusting for multiple markers of childhood social disadvantage and adult smoking, the study found that individuals who had an LRTI by age 2 years were 93% more likely to die prematurely from respiratory disease as adults than those who did not have early childhood LRTI, accounting for one-fifth of these deaths and an estimated 179,188 excess deaths across England and Wales between 1972 and 2019.
However, it is important to note that this observational study cannot establish causality, but rather suggests that early childhood LRTI is a marker of increased risk of respiratory-cause deaths later in life.
News Release: Respiratory disease in early childhood linked to higher risk of death for adults – Imperial College London
Commentaries:
Childhood bronchitis, pneumonia tied to premature respiratory death in adults – CIDRAP
Early childhood lower respiratory tract infection: a key determinant of premature adult respiratory mortality – The Lancet (free registration required)
Commentary from the author on Twitter (thread – click for more)
1/ Great to see the interest in our @TheLancet paper linking lower respiratory tract infections in early childhood to the risk of premature adult death from respiratory disease across Great Britain.
A🧵exploring our study (1/21)
Full paper link below:https://t.co/LlGQJC1wAP
— James P Allinson (@JPAllinson) March 11, 2023
COVID-19 pandemic measures may have caused reduced cognitive abilities among German students, study shows
20 Mar, 2023 | 13:50h | UTCSummary: This study investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the cognitive abilities of secondary school students in Germany. The study compared the intelligence test performance of 424 students in Grades 7 to 9, tested after the first six months of the pandemic, to the results of two highly comparable student samples tested in 2002 and 2012.
The study found that the 2020 sample had substantially lower intelligence test scores than both the 2002 and 2012 samples. The study also retested the 2020 sample after another full school year of COVID-19-affected schooling in 2021 and found no signs of catching up to previous cohorts or further declines in cognitive performance.
It can be inferred from the article that the lower intelligence test scores of the 2020 sample may have been caused by the prolonged disruption of regular schooling due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including lockdowns and school closures.
The study highlights the potential negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the cognitive abilities of secondary school students and suggests that these consequences should be taken into account when conducting intelligence assessments in the post-pandemic era. It also recommends that appropriate compensatory measures be implemented to address any learning loss or cognitive deficits that may have resulted from the disruption of regular schooling during the pandemic.