METHODS: This prospective observational study was conducted at a a PMDT unit in Multan, Punjab, Pakistan. A total of 271 eligible culture positive DR-TB patients enrolled for treatment at the study site between January 2016 and May 2017 were followed till their treatment outcomes were recorded. World Health Organization's (WHO) defined criteria was used for categorizing treatment outcomes. The outcomes of cured and treatment completed were collectively placed as successful outcomes, while death, lost to follow-up (LTFU) and treatment failure were grouped as unsuccessful outcomes. Multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was employed for getting predictors of unsuccessful treatment outcomes. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
RESULTS: Of the 271 DR-TB patients analysed, nearly half (51.3%) were males. The patient's (Mean ± SD) age was 36.75 ± 15.69 years. A total of 69% patients achieved successful outcomes with 185 (68.2%) patients being cured and 2 (0.7%) completed therapy. Of the remaining 84 patients with unsuccessful outcomes, 48 (17.7%) died, 2 (0.7%) were declared treatment failure, 34 (12.5%) were loss to follow up. After adjusting for confounders, patients' age > 50 years (OR 2.149 (1.005-4.592) with p-value 0.048 and baseline lung cavitation (OR 7.798 (3.82-15.919) with p-value <0.001 were significantly associated with unsuccessful treatment outcomes.
CONCLUSIONS: The treatment success rate (69%) in the current study participants was below the target set by WHO (>75%). Paying special attention and timely intervention in patients with high risk of unsuccessful treatment outcomes may help in improving treatment outcomes at the study site.
METHOD: This cross-sectional study included 115 women recruited through their husbands who were patients at a selected government health clinic in Malaysia. A self-administered questionnaire containing the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 and items on health-related information, marital history, sexual history and perception of husband's ED was used to assess possible depression, anxiety and stress.
RESULTS: The prevalence of psychological morbidities was 28.7% (depression=17.4%, anxiety=25.2% and stress=10.4%). Most respondents were middle-aged [median (interquartile range)=44.0 (11.0) years], were employed (55.7%) and had a low income (81.7%). About 47.0% of the spouses had a medical problem. The mean marriage duration was 18.7 (standard deviation=7.9) years. Almost all (90.4%) had sexual intercourse (SI) within the previous month. The majority had moderate-to-high interest in SI (72.2%) with a frequency of one to two times per week (69.6%). The majority (75.7%) did not perceive their husband as having ED. Multiple logistic regression demonstrated that medical illness was significantly associated with anxiety (adjusted odds ratio=2.85, 95% confidence interval=1.11-7.29, P=0.029).
CONCLUSION: Psychological morbidities were present among the spouses of men with T2DM and ED. Psychological well-being was significantly affected by their medical illness. Despite their husband's ED, the women declared to have regular sexual relationships and did not perceive their husband as having erectile problems.
AIM: To evaluate the anti-tumour activity and toxicological effects of Orthosiphon stamineus extract formulation (ID: C5EOSEW5050ESA trademarked as Nuva-staticTM), and gemcitabine combination on pancreatic xenograft model.
METHODS: Mice were randomly divided into six groups of 6 mice each (n = 6) and given different treatments for 28 d. The study design consisted of a 2 x 3 factorial treatment structure, with gemcitabine (yes/no) by oral (at 1200 and 400 mg/kg per day). Human pancreatic cancer cells were injected subcutaneously into the flanks of athymic nude mice. C5EOSEW5050ESA (200 or 400 mg/kg per day) was administered orally, while gemcitabine (10 mg/kg per 3 d) was given intraperitoneally either alone or in combination treatment. Histopathological analyses of vital organs, tumour tissues, and incidence of lethality were analysed. Analyses of tumour necrosis and proliferation were determined by haematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemistry for Ki-67, respectively.
RESULTS: No signs of toxicity or damage to vital organs were observed in all treatment groups compared to the untreated group. C5EOSEW5050ESA at 200 mg/kg and gemcitabine combination had no additive antitumor effects compared to a single treatment. Remarkably, a comparably greater response in a reduction in tumour growth, Ki-67 protein expression, and necrosis was demonstrated by 400 mg/kg of C5EOSEW5050ESA and gemcitabine combination than that of the individual agents.
CONCLUSION: These results highlighted the synergistic activity of C5EOSEW5050ESA with gemcitabine to reduce pancreatic tumour growth in mice compared to a single treatment. Thus, this study provides valuable insights into using C5EOSEW5050ESA as a complementary treatment with gemcitabine for pancreatic cancer.
METHODS: PubMed, IEEE Xplore, Google Scholar, and Scopus were searched for relevant studies. All studies that used ML/DL to detect or early-predict the onset of sepsis in the adult population using EHRs were considered. Data were extracted and analyzed from all studies that met the criteria and were also evaluated for their quality.
RESULTS: This systematic review examined 1942 articles, selecting 42 studies while adhering to strict criteria. The chosen studies were predominantly retrospective (n = 38) and spanned diverse geographic settings, with a focus on the United States. Different datasets, sepsis definitions, and prevalence rates were employed, necessitating data augmentation. Heterogeneous parameter utilization, diverse model distribution, and varying quality assessments were observed. Longitudinal data enabled early sepsis prediction, and quality criteria fulfillment varied, with inconsistent funding-article quality correlation.
CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review underscores the significance of ML/DL methods for sepsis detection and early prediction through EHR data.