Effects Of Short-term Treatment Research Articles

Urine metabolomics unravel the effects of short-term dietary interventions on oxidative stress and inflammation: a randomized controlled crossover trial

Dietary biomarkers in urine remain elusive when evaluating diet-induced oxidative stress and inflammation. In our previous study, we conducted a randomized controlled crossover trial to compare the short-term (4-weeks) effects of the balanced Korean diet (BKD) with Western diets, including the 2010 dietary guidelines for Americans (2010 DGA) and typical American diet (TAD), on various metabolic indices in obese Korean adults. Building on this work, the current research focuses on the impact of these dietary interventions on oxidative stress (d-ROMs and BAP) and inflammation (CRP, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, MCP-1) biomarkers in serum, and the concurrent urine metabolomes. Each dietary regimen was in silico and experimentally examined for their antioxidant levels using ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP assays, as well as total flavonoid (TFC) and total phenolic (TPC) contents. We assessed post-intervention variations in oxidative stress and inflammation biomarkers in serum, as well as the urine metabolite profiles for the participants (n = 48, average age: 41 years). Antioxidant contents and associated total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were significantly higher for the recommended diets (BKD and 2010 DGA) compared to TAD (p < 0.05). Butanol extracts from recommended diets (BKD and 2010 DGA) showed significantly higher antioxidant activity compared to TAD in ABTS (p < 0.01), DPPH, and FRAP (p < 0.05) assays. Consistent results were observed in total phenolic and flavonoid contents, mirroring their respective antioxidant activities. Following the intervention period, oxidative stress & inflammation markers in serum varied marginally, however, the urine metabolite profiles were clearly demarcated for the BKD and Western dietary groups (PC1 = 5.41%). For BKD group, the pre- and post-intervention urine metabolite profiles were clearly segregated (PLS2 = 2.93%). Compared to TAD, urine extracts from the recommended dietary group showed higher abundance of benzoic acid & phenolic derivatives (VIP > 0.7, p < 0.05). Metabolites associated with oxidative stress were observed higher in the urine samples from Western dietary groups compared to BKD. Urine metabolomics data delineated the post-intervention effects of three dietary interventions which corroborates the respective findings for their effects on metabolic indices.

Exploring short-term therapeutic Effects of Art Intervention on Emotional Expression: A Study on Grade 9 and 10 Students in Conflict-Affected Areas of Myanmar

Exploring short-term therapeutic Effects of Art Intervention on Emotional Expression: A Study on Grade 9 and 10 Students in Conflict-Affected Areas of Myanmar

Oxalic Acid Treatment: Short-Term Effects on Enzyme Activities, Vitellogenin Content, and Residual Oxalic Acid Content in House Bees, Apis mellifera L.

Honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) have to face many challenges, including Varroa destructor infestation, associated with viral transmission. Oxalic acid is one of the most common treatments against Varroa. Little is known about the physiological effects of oxalic acid, especially those on honeybees' immune systems. In this study, the short-term effects (0-96 h) of oxalic acid treatment on the immune system components (i.e., glucose oxidase, phenoloxidase, glutathione S-transferase, catalase activities, and vitellogenin contents) of house bees were preliminarily investigated. Oxalic acid contents of bee bodies and haemolymphs were also measured. The results confirm that oxalic acid is constitutively present in bee haemolymphs and its concentration is not affected by treatment. At 6 h after the treatment, a maximum peak of oxalic acid content was detected on bees' bodies, which gradually decreased after that until physiological levels were reached at 48 h. In the immune system, the oxalic acid treatment determined a peak in glucose oxidase activity at 48 h, indicating a potential defence response and an increase in vitellogenin content at 24 h. No significant changes were recorded in phenoloxidase, glutathione S-transferase, and catalase activities. These results suggest a time-dependent response to oxalic acid, with potential immune system activation in treated bees.

Systemic Manifestations of COPD and the Impact of Dual Bronchodilation with Tiotropium/Olodaterol on Cardiac Function and Autonomic Integrity.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has significant systemic manifestations, including cardiovascular morbidity. The main aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of short-term COPD treatment with tiotropium/olodaterol (TIO/OLO) 5/5 μg on cardiac function and autonomic integrity. Methods: Twenty-nine patients with newly diagnosed moderate-to-severe COPD were enrolled. We performed pulmonary function tests, cardiac magnetic resonance, cardiac 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (123I-MIBG) imaging and analysis of blood biomarkers on our study subjects. The correlations between the tests' results were evaluated at baseline. The changes in pulmonary and cardiac parameters from baseline through 12 weeks were assessed. Results: Significant associations between pulmonary function tests' results and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), as well as interleukin-22 (IL-22), were observed at baseline. Treatment with TIO/OLO significantly improved lung function as measured by spirometry and body plethysmography. Moreover, we found that the cardiac index increased from 2.89 (interquartile range (IQR) 1.09) to 3.21 L/min/m2 (IQR 0.78) (p = 0.013; N = 18) and the late heart-to-mediastinum ratio improved from 1.88 (IQR 0.37) to 2 (IQR 0.41) (p = 0.026; N = 16) after 12 weeks of treatment. Conclusions: Treatment with TIO/OLO improves lung function and positively impacts cardiac function and autonomic integrity, suggesting that dual bronchodilation might have a potential in decreasing the risk for cardiac events in COPD. Hs-CRP and IL-22 might be beneficial in determining the intensity of systemic inflammation in COPD. Further research with a larger cohort is needed to enhance the initial results of this study.

Executive function performance in children and adolescent patients with narcolepsy type 1

ObjectiveThe executive function profile in patients with narcolepsy type 1 (NT1) has been mentioned; however, limited research exists on children and adolescent patients with NT1.This study aims to assess executive function in children and adolescent patients with NT1 in China, examine potential influencing factors and evaluate the short-term treatment effect on executive function. Methods53 NT1 patients (36 males, age 12.2 ± 3.4 years) and 37 healthy controls (23 males, age 12.2 ± 2.5 years) underwent self-reported measures assessing subjective sleepiness, depression, anxiety and sleep quality. A comprehensive neuropsychological test was administered to assess executive function domains, including processing speed, inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility and working memory. These assessments were repeated in NT1 patients after three-day regular drug treatment. ResultsNT1 patients exhibited higher levels of excessive daytime sleepiness, depression, anxiety, and poor sleep quality compared to healthy controls. Patients showed impaired processing speed, inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility (p < 0.05), whereas working memory was unaffected (p > 0.05). Regression analysis revealed that parameters from sleep monitoring, such as sleep efficiency and sleep latency, were correlated with executive function performance after controlling for age, gender, and education years. The short-term treatment led to improvements in inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and working memory. ConclusionThe findings showed that executive function was impaired among children and adolescent patients with NT1, which was associated with objective sleep parameters. Furthermore, this study emphasizes the necessity of neuropsychological assessments and early interventions among children and adolescent NT1 patients.

Effects of ebselen addition on emotional processing and brain neurochemistry in depressed patients unresponsive to antidepressant medication

Lithium is an effective augmenting agent for depressed patients with inadequate response to standard antidepressant therapy, but numerous adverse effects limit its use. We previously reported that a lithium-mimetic agent, ebselen, promoted a positive emotional bias—an indicator of potential antidepressant activity in healthy participants. We therefore aimed to investigate the effects of short-term ebselen treatment on emotional processing and brain neurochemistry in depressed patients with inadequate response to standard antidepressants. We conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled 7-day experimental medicine study in 51 patients with major depressive disorder who were currently taking antidepressants but had an inadequate response to treatment. Participants received either ebselen 600 mg twice daily for seven days or identical matching placebo. An emotional testing battery, magnetic resonance spectroscopy and depression and anxiety rating scales were conducted at baseline and after seven days of treatment. Ebselen did not increase the recognition of positive facial expressions in the depressed patient group. However, ebselen increased the response bias towards fear emotion in the signal detection measurement. In the anterior cingulate cortex, ebselen significantly reduced the concentrations of inositol and Glx (glutamate+glutamine). We found no significant differences in depression and anxiety rating scales between visits. Our study did not find any positive shift in emotional bias in depressed patients with an inadequate response to antidepressant medication. We confirmed the ability of ebselen to lower inositol and Glx in the anterior cingulate cortex. These latter effects are probably mediated through inhibition of inositol monophosphatase and glutaminase respectively.

Imagining a better world: assessing the immediate and delayed effects of imagined contact on attitudes toward refugees in elementary school.

Preparing host-society children for contact with refugees coming into their classes poses a new and important challenge for countries with little prior experience in integration. Imagined contact is a prejudice-reduction intervention that can be particularly useful in this context. However, its long-term effects and potential age-related variations in its efficacy among primary school children remain understudied. This study investigated the short-term and long-term effects of an imagined contact school intervention on the change in attitudes and contact intentions of 1,544 children aged 7-15. Of these, 827 participated in a four-session-long intervention delivered by their teachers within their regular classes, while 717 served as a comparison group. Short-term effects were assessed approximately one week after the last intervention session, with long-term effects evaluated around two and a half months later. Our findings indicate that the imagined contact intervention instigates positive changes in intergroup attitudes and contact intentions in both the short term and long term, but only for the children in the lower grades of primary school. While the durability of these effects among younger participants holds promise for future use of imagined contact in schools, we also scrutinize potential developmental and methodological explanations of the absence of expected intervention effects among older children.

The short and long-term efficacy of nurse-led interventions for improving blood pressure control in people with hypertension in primary care settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundPrevious systematic reviews suggest that nurse-led interventions improve short-term blood pressure (BP) control for people with hypertension. However, the long-term effects, adverse events, and appropriate target BP level are unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of nurse-led interventions.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, and CINAHL, as well as three Japanese article databases, as relevant randomized controlled trials from the oldest possible to March 2021. This search was conducted on 17 April 2021. We did an update search on 17 October 2023. We included studies on adults aged 18 years or older with hypertension. The treatments of interest were community-based nurse-led BP control interventions in addition to primary physician-provided care as usual. The comparator was usual care only. Primary outcomes were long-term achievement of BP control goals and serious adverse events (range: 27 weeks to 3 years). Secondary outcomes were short-term achievement of BP control goals and serious adverse events (range: 4 to 26 weeks), change of systolic and diastolic BP from baseline, medication adherence, incidence of hypertensive complications, and total mortality.ResultsWe included 35 studies. Nurse-led interventions improved long-term BP control (RR 1.10, 95%CI 1.03 to 1.18). However, no significant differences were found in the short-term effects of nurse-led intervention compared to usual care about BP targets. Little information on serious adverse events was available. There was no difference in mortality at both terms between the two groups. Establishing the appropriate target BP from the extant trials was impossible.ConclusionsNurse-led interventions may be more effective than usual care for achieving BP control at long-term follow-up. It is important to continue lifestyle modification for people with hypertension. We must pay attention to adverse events, and more studies examining appropriate BP targets are needed. Nurse-led care represents an important complement to primary physician-led usual care.

Observe, Practice, and Improve? Enhancing Sidestep Cutting Execution in Talented Female Soccer Players: A Four-Week Intervention Program With Video Instruction.

Nijmeijer, EM, Kempe, M, Elferink-Gemser, MT, and Benjaminse A. Observe, practice and improve? Enhancing sidestep cutting (SSC) execution in talented female soccer players: A four-week intervention program with video instruction. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2024-Implicit learning has the potential to improve movement execution and reduce injury risk. Previous research showed beneficial effects of short-term interventions with implicit learning in male athletes. However, research on long-term interventions in female athletes is lacking. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of a 4-week intervention with video instruction on movement execution of SSC, a task that is highly related with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury risk, in female athletes. Twenty talented adolescent female soccer players were part of the control (CTRL, n = 10) or video instruction (VIDEO, n = 10) group. All subjects practiced 4 weeks and received general task instructions. In addition, the VIDEO group received expert video instruction during practice. Lower extremity kinematics and kinetics and vertical ground reaction force of SSC were examined during baseline, immediate post, and 1-week retention tests. After nonlinear registration, differences between each subject and the expert she had seen were determined. These differences were analyzed with SPM1D 2-way ANOVA. No interaction effects between time and group were found (p > 0.05). Main effects of time were found in the frontal plane. In particular, smaller deviations of subjects compared with the seen expert of the knee adduction (p = 0.005, 97.9-100% stance phase [SP]) and hip abduction (p = 0.005, 11.5-13.8% SP) and adduction (p < 0.001, 33.4-87.7% SP) moments were found in immediate post compared with baseline. These frontal plane short-term improvements, replicating earlier findings in both sexes, may lower ACL injury risk. The large observed interindividual differences over time may have concealed the long-term effects of video instruction at the group level.

Diabetes distress and diabetes burnout explored in various areas of life in patients with type 1 diabetes: effect of short-term psychological intervention.

Diabetes distress (DD) and diabetes burnout (DB) are recognized psychological phenomena in patients with T1DM (type 1 diabetes mellitus). Still, there is an urgent need to create professional psychological intervention procedures to provide patients with adequate care. The aim of the study was to assess the level of DD and DB in T1DM patients at baseline and after 5 of sessions psychological intervention in the group of participants who applied for help. 34 T1DM patients who requested psychological support (22 females, 12 males) and 30 patients in a control group (14 females, 16 males) participated in the study. At baseline clinical test results between groups were compared. Next, in the studied group measurements were repeated after a set of five psychological face-to-face individual interventions which lasted 30-60 min each. They were support sessions with elements of cognitive-behavioral interventions done by clinical psychologists. Session 1: introduction, interview and collection of test results; session 2-4: work on the indicated by the patient and test results most problematic aspect of diabetes, session 5: a summary and plan for further treatment if needed. The control group results were obtained only at baseline. Research tools: DDS; PAID, Diabetes Burnout test by Polonsky. At the baseline, significant differences were observed between the studied group and control group: in DB/DD levels: DB (3.9 ± 1.7 vs 2.4 ± 1.6; p < 0.001); DDS (3.2 ± 1.0 vs 2.7 ± 1.0; p = 0.064); PAID (62.3 ± 14.1vs 34.4 ± 21.0; p < 0.001). There were also group differences in HbA1c levels (8.7 ± 2.4 vs 7.3 ± 1.5; p = 0.028). After psychological interventions, there was a significant improvement in DB (3.9 ± 1.7vs 2.9 ± 1.2; p < 0.001; DDS (3.2 ± 1 vs 3.0 ± 0.7; p = 0.03); PAID (62.3 ± 14.1 vs 51.8 ± 12.5; p < 0.001). DD and DB constitute a significant problem in the group of T1DM patients, but providing appropriate specialist care may help them accept diabetes and improve life satisfaction, as well as regain control over their diabetes management.

Short-Term Effects Of Dry Heat Treatment (Fluidotherapy) In The Management Of Breast Cancer Related Lymphedema: A Randomized Controlled Study

BackgroundTo investigate whether fluidotherapy added to complete decongestive therapy (CDT) would provide additional contribution to edema reduction in patients with breast cancer related lymphedema (BCRL). Material and MethodsThirthy-two patients with unilateral BCRL were randomly divided into 2 groups: standard treatment with CDT only (Group 1) and CDT + fluidotherapy (Group 2). All patients underwent phase 1 CDT, which included manual lymphatic drainage, multilayer bandaging, supervised exercises and skin care for a total of 15 sessions, 5 times a week for 3 weeks. Only Group 2 received a total of 15 sessions application of fluidotherapy. Before and after CDT, patients were evaluated for extremity volumes and excess volumes, according to circumferencial measurements of the extremity. Arm pain was evaluated with Visual Analaogue Scale (VAS-Pain). ResultsSeventeen patients in Group 1 and 15 patients in Group 2 completed the study. Patients' demographic data and volume measurements were similar at the beginning of the treatment. Limb volumes of both groups were significantly reduced after treatment (P < .001 for both group). Pain significantly decreased (P = .001 for both group). No adverse reactions were recorded. The mean change in volume measurements and VAS-Pain scores of patients in CDT+fluidotherapy group before and after treatment were significantly higher than those in only CDT group (P = .028, P = .020 respectively). ConclusionFluidotherapy added to CDT reduced pain and edema severity more than standard CDT in the patients with BCRL. As a noninvasive, novel, and effective method, fluidotherapy may be a promising treatment modality for the treatment of lymphedema.

Acute Ischaemic Stroke in Patients Treated with Direct Oral Anticoagulants: Potential Causes, Clinical Characteristics, and Short-Term Outcomes.

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) are the first-line treatment for primary and secondary acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) prevention in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF), but a significant percentage of patients develop AIS despite being treated with DOAC. As the number of DOAC-treated patients is growing, so is the number of patients with AIS on DOAC. The aim of the study was to assess the incidence of AIS with prestroke DOAC treatment among patients hospitalised in the University Hospital in Kraków, to analyse the clinical characteristics of AIS occurring in patients on DOAC, and to identify potential causes of treatment ineffectiveness in this group. In the study, we included all patients hospitalised in the Department of Neurology of the University Hospital in Kraków within one year (July 2022 to June 2023) with the diagnosis of AIS. The group was divided into two subgroups of patients with and without prestroke DOAC treatment. Based on medical files, we retrospectively analysed the profile of cardiovascular risk factors, stroke severity (assessed with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, NIHSS), use of causative stroke treatment and short-term outcomes (defined as NIHSS score, modified Rankin scale (mRS) score at discharge, in-hospital mortality, and secondary intracerebral haemorrhage among patients treated with mechanical thrombectomy, MT). Within the DOAC-treated subgroup, we looked for potential causes of AIS occurring despite DOAC treatment (valvular AF, poor adherence to treatment, underdosing, other prothrombotic conditions, aetiology of stroke other than thromboembolic, and drug-drug interactions). In the study, we included 768 AIS patients. 109 (14.2%) had a history of prestroke DOAC treatment. A potential cause of DOAC treatment failure was identified in the majority of them (n = 63, 57.8%). Patients with prestroke DOAC treatment had worse functional condition before stroke and higher stroke severity on admission but similar short-term outcomes and similar short-term effects of treatment with MT. DOAC (+) and DOAC (-) patients had different profiles of cardiovascular risk factors and different factors associated with short-term outcome. Conclusions and Clinical Implications. A potential cause of AIS occurring in DOAC-treated patients can be identified in most cases and in many of them prevented.

Study on the Influence of UV Light on Selective Antibacterial Activity of Silver Nanoparticle Synthesized Utilizing Protein/Polypeptide-Rich Aqueous Extract from The Common Walkingstick, Diapheromera femorata.

Common walkingstick (Diapheromera femorata) aqueous extract (CWSAE) can induce the synthesis of useful bionanomaterials. CWSAE is rich in water-soluble organic compounds such as proteins and polypeptides that function as reducing/stabilizing agents for nanoparticle formation from Ag+ ion precursors. The synthesized AgNPs exhibited a moderately uniform size, with the majority falling within the range of 20-80 nm. These AgNPs were UV-treated and tested as antibacterial agents to inhibit the growth of four pathogenic bacteria (Burkholderia cenocepacia K-56, Klebsiella pneumoniae ST258, Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1, and Staphylococcus aureus USA300), as well as one common bacterium (Escherichia coli BW25113). The disk diffusion test demonstrated that the UV-treated AgNPs significantly and selectively inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus USA300 and P. aeruginosa, while showing a small effect on the other two species. This suggests the potential application of green-chemically synthesized AgNPs as selective antibacterial agents. Furthermore, we studied the effects of short-term (1-2 min) and long-term (5-30 min) UV treatment on the selective cytotoxicity of the AgNPs and found that the cytotoxicity of the AgNPs could depend on the duration of UV exposure against certain bacteria.

Current practice, guideline adherence, and barriers to implementation for Achilles tendinopathy rehabilitation: a survey of physical therapists and people with Achilles tendinopathy

ObjectiveTo explore clinical practice patterns of physical therapists (PTs) who treat people with Achilles tendinopathy (AT), and identify perceived barriers and facilitators for prescribing and engaging with therapeutic exercise among...

Short-Term Effect of Auditory Stimulation on Neural Activities: A Scoping Review of Longitudinal Electroencephalography and Magnetoencephalography Studies.

Explored through EEG/MEG, auditory stimuli function as a suitable research probe to reveal various neural activities, including event-related potentials, brain oscillations and functional connectivity. Accumulating evidence in this field stems from studies investigating neuroplasticity induced by long-term auditory training, specifically cross-sectional studies comparing musicians and non-musicians as well as longitudinal studies with musicians. In contrast, studies that address the neural effects of short-term interventions whose duration lasts from minutes to hours are only beginning to be featured. Over the past decade, an increasing body of evidence has shown that short-term auditory interventions evoke rapid changes in neural activities, and oscillatory fluctuations can be observed even in the prestimulus period. In this scoping review, we divided the extracted neurophysiological studies into three groups to discuss neural activities with short-term auditory interventions: the pre-stimulus period, during stimulation, and a comparison of before and after stimulation. We show that oscillatory activities vary depending on the context of the stimuli and are greatly affected by the interplay of bottom-up and top-down modulational mechanisms, including attention. We conclude that the observed rapid changes in neural activitiesin the auditory cortex and the higher-order cognitive part of the brain are causally attributed to short-term auditory interventions.

Short-term effects of preoperative nutritional intervention in lung surgery for malignant tumors: a single-center prospective study.

Preoperative malnutrition is a risk factor for postoperative morbidity and mortality inpatients with lung cancer. Assessing the preoperative nutritional status should be considered essential for patients scheduled to undergo lung surgery. This prospective study aimed to investigate whether preoperative nutritional intervention improves the nutritional conditions and short-term postoperative outcomes. The primary endpoints included safety, feasibility and short-term therapeutic efficacy of preoperative nutritional intervention. Patients with clinical stage I-III non-small cell lung cancer (histologically proven or suspected) were screened. Patient enrollment was conducted between January 2021 and December 2022. A total of 15 patients were included in the analysis. Patients with a preoperative prognostic nutritional index of < 45 were considered eligible. All participants received preoperative nutritional intervention. The trajectories of prognostic nutritional index and the incidence of postoperative complication rates in the intervention group were investigated. No adverse events were observed during the nutritional intervention. The pre-intervention and post-intervention prognostic nutritional indices were 42.2 (39.8-44.5), and 43.1 (41.4-45.9), respectively (p = 0.04). The postoperative complication rate was 26.7% (n = 15). This is the first prospective study to report the preoperative trajectories of prognostic nutritional index in patients undergoing lung cancer surgery. Our results suggest the safety and feasibility of preoperative nutritional intervention. Further research, such as randomized clinical trials, is warranted to investigate clinical efficacy and optimal nutritional interventions for lung surgery for malignant tumors.

The Effect of Short-Term Hyperbaric Treatment on Long COVID Symptoms: A Pilot Study

The Effect of Short-Term Hyperbaric Treatment on Long COVID Symptoms: A Pilot Study

Short-term Effects of Non-invasive Physical Plasma Treatment on Genomic Stability.

The application of non-invasive physical plasma (NIPP) generates reactive oxygen species. These can lead to chemical oxidation of cellular molecules including DNA. On the other hand, NIPP can induce therapeutically intended apoptosis, which also leads to DNA fragmentation in the late phase. Therefore, to assess unwanted genotoxic effects, the formation of DNA damage was investigated in this study in discrimination from apoptotic processes. Mutation events after NIPP application were analyzed in CCL-93 fibroblast cells using the hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase assay. Additionally, DNA single-strand breaks (SSB) and double-strand breaks (DSB) were quantified by performing the alkaline comet assay, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling assay. DSBs were quantified by phospho-histone 2AX-p53-binding protein 1 co-localization DSB focus assay. The data were compared with cell death quantification by the caspase-3/7 apoptosis assay. Treatment with NIPP led to exceedingly rapid damage to genomic DNA and the appearance of DNA SSBs and DSBs in the initial 4 h. However, damage decreased again within the first 4-8 h, then the late phase began, characterized by DNA DSB and increasing caspase-3/7 activation. Although NIPP treatment leads to extremely rapid damage to genomic DNA, this damage is reversed very quickly by efficient DNA-repair processes. As a consequence, only those cells whose genome damage can be repaired actually survive and proliferate. Persistent genotoxic effects were not observed in the cell system used.

Short-term and long-term efficacy in robot-assisted treatment for mid and low rectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

ObjectiveThis study aims to conduct a meta-analysis to evaluate the short-term and long-term therapeutic effects of robot-assisted laparoscopic treatment in patients with mid and low rectal cancer.MethodsA comprehensive search strategy was employed to retrieve relevant literature from PubMed, NCBI, Medline, and Springer databases, spanning the database inception until August 2023. The focus of this systematic review was on controlled studies that compared the treatment outcomes of robot-assisted (Rob) and conventional laparoscopy (Lap) in the context of mid and low rectal cancer. Data extraction and literature review were meticulously conducted by two independent researchers (HMW and RKG). The synthesized data underwent rigorous analysis utilizing RevMan 5.4 software, adhering to established methodological standards in systematic reviews. The primary outcomes encompass perioperative outcomes and oncological outcomes. Secondary outcomes include long-term outcomes.ResultA total of 11 studies involving 2239 patients with mid and low rectal cancer were included (3 RCTs and 8 NRCTs); the Rob group consisted of 1111 cases, while the Lap group included 1128 cases. The Rob group exhibited less intraoperative bleeding (MD = −40.01, 95% CI: −57.61 to −22.42, P < 0.00001), a lower conversion rate to open surgery (OR = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.09 to 0.82, P = 0.02), a higher number of harvested lymph nodes (MD = 1.97, 95% CI: 0.77 to 3.18, P = 0.001), and a lower CRM positive rate (OR = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.23 to 0.95, P = 0.04). Additionally, the Rob group had lower postoperative morbidity rate (OR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.53 to 0.82, P < 0.0001) and a lower occurrence rate of complications with Clavien–Dindo grade ≥ 3 (OR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.39 to 0.90, P = 0.02). Further subgroup analysis revealed a lower anastomotic leakage rate (OR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.45 to 0.97, P = 0.04). No significant differences were observed between the two groups in the analysis of operation time (P = 0.42), occurrence rates of protective stoma (P = 0.81), PRM (P = 0.92), and DRM (P = 0.23), time to flatus (P = 0.18), time to liquid diet (P = 0.65), total hospital stay (P = 0.35), 3-year overall survival rate (P = 0.67), and 3-year disease-free survival rate (P = 0.42).ConclusionRobot-assisted laparoscopic treatment for mid and low rectal cancer yields favorable outcomes, demonstrating both efficacy and safety. In comparison to conventional laparoscopy, patients experience reduced intraoperative bleeding and a lower incidence of complications. Notably, the method achieves comparable short-term and long-term treatment results to those of conventional laparoscopic surgery, thus justifying its consideration for widespread clinical application.

Assessment of short-term effect of platelet-rich plasma treatment of tendinosis using texture analysis of ultrasound images.

Computer-aided diagnosis (i.e., texture analyses) tools are becoming increasingly beneficial methods to monitor subtle tissue changes. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate short-term effect of platelet rich plasma (PRP) treatment in supraspinatus and common extensor of the forearm tendinosis by using texture analysis of ultrasound (US) images as well as by clinical questionnaires. Thirteen patients (7 male and 6 female, age 36-60 years, mean age 51.2 ± 5.2) were followed after US guided PRP treatment for tendinosis of two tendons (9 patients with lateral epicondylitis and 4 with supraspinatus tendinosis). Clinical and US assessment was performed prior to as well as 3 months after PRP treatment with validated clinical questionnaires. Tissue response in tendons was assessed by using gray level run length matrix method (GLRLM) of US images. All patients improved of tendinosis symptoms after PRP treatment according to clinical questionnaires. Almost all GLRLM features were statistically improved 3 months after PRP treatment. GLRLM-long run high gray level emphasis (LRLGLE) revealed the best moderate positive and statistically significant correlation after PRP (r = 0.4373, p = 0.0255), followed by GLRLM-low gray level run emphasis (LGLRE) (r = 0.3877, p = 0.05). Texture analysis of tendinosis US images was a useful quantitative method for the assessment of tendon remodeling after minimally invasive PRP treatment. GLRLM features have the potential to become useful imaging biomarkers to monitor spatial and time limited tissue response after PRP, however larger studies with similar protocols are needed.