Management of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: An evidence-based clinical practice review

AIM: To build a consensus among Chilean specialists on the appropriate management of patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in clinical practice.METHODS: NAFLD has now reached epidemic proportions worldwide. The optimal treatment for NAFLD has not been established due to a lack of evidence-based recommendations. An expert panel of members of the Chilean Gastroenterological Society and the Chilean Hepatology Association conducted a structured analysis of the current literature on NAFLD therapy. The quality of the evidence and the level of recommendations supporting each statement were assessed according to the recommendations of the United States Preventive Services Task Force. A modified three-round Delphi technique was used to reach a consensus among the experts.RESULTS: A group of thirteen experts was established. The survey included 17 open-ended questions that were distributed among the experts, who assessed the articles associated with each question. The levels of agreement achieved by the panel were 93.8% in the first round and 100% in the second and third rounds. The final recommendations support the indication of lifestyle changes, including diet and exercise, for all patients with NAFLD. Proven pharmacological therapies include only vitamin E and pioglitazone, which can be used in nondiabetic patients with biopsy-proven nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (the progressive form of NAFLD), although the long-term safety and efficacy of these therapies have not yet been established.CONCLUSION: Current NAFLD management is rapidly evolving, and new pathophysiology-based therapies are expected to be introduced in the near future. All NAFLD patients should be evaluated using a three-focused approach that considers the risks of liver disease, diabetes and cardiovascular events.     

一例非小细胞肺癌患者癌因性疲乏杵针疗法的循证护理

背景　癌因性疲乏（CRF）是影响癌症患者生活质量的重要因素,杵针疗法兼具针灸与按摩的双重功效,符合干预CRF的中医理论和思路,但缺乏一线临床的直接证据。目的　评价对1例非小细胞肺癌患者的CRF进行杵针护理干预的临床有效性及安全性,为CRF探索新的护理干预措施。方法　选取2019-02-25成都中医药大学附属医院收治的非小细胞肺炎患者1例为研究对象,应用循证护理的思路,结合杵针疗法的临床实践经验和患者的个人意愿,提出CRF的杵针护理问题,检索相关文献并对重要文献进行分析,然后制定实施CRF杵针护理干预并评估效果。结果　经文献检索及筛选后共纳入7篇重要参考文献,均为杵针护理干预CRF提供了理论支持,但缺乏杵针护理干预CRF的直接病例研究。按照患者的个体化杵针护理干预方案完成治疗并对患者的CRF状况进行评估,结果显示,杵针护理能够有效缓解患者的CRF程度,改善患者的生活质量,但是停止杵针护理后的远期疗效尚不够理想。结论　在处理该例非小细胞肺癌患者的CRF问题中,杵针护理干预安全有效,长期实施可能实现CRF的远期缓解,有望成为CRF新的中医护理干预手段。     

上海市社区医务人员循证慢性病防控证据获取能力自我认知实证研究

背景　目前慢性病防控形势依然严峻,提升社区医务人员慢性病防控能力迫在眉睫。循证慢性病防控作为一种提升医务人员慢性病防控能力的手段在西方国家已取得了一定成效,但在我国却鲜有研究。目的　探讨社区医务人员慢性病防控证据的获取途径、能力及影响因素,为提升社区医务人员循证慢性病防控能力提供理论依据。方法　于2019年4-7月,采用分层抽样的方法,以上海市75家社区卫生服务机构的975例医务人员为研究对象,对其进行问卷调查。问卷内容包括个人基本信息、循证基本认知情况、慢性病防控证据获取途径、慢性病防控证据获取能力。慢性病防控证据获取途径和慢性病防控证据获取能力由被调查者依据Likert 7级评分自评。采用多元线性逐步回归分析社区医务人员循证慢性病防控证据获取能力的影响因素。结果　892例（91.5%）社区医务人员的问卷被有效回收。临床指南为被调查医务人员获取慢性病防控证据的最常用途径,自评得分为（4.583±1.177）分。被调查对象自评获得的循证慢性病防控证据精准有效平均得分为（4.312±0.979）分,能获取针对慢性病危险因素的证据平均得分为（4.244±1.028）分,能应用针对慢性病危险因素的证据平均得分为（4.280±0.995）分。多元线性逐步回归分析结果显示,单位是否为大学附属是社区医务人员获得的循证慢性病防控证据精准有效、能获取针对慢性病危险因素的证据、能应用针对慢性病危险因素的证据的影响因素（P<0.05）。结论　所在社区卫生服务机构是否为大学附属是社区医务人员循证慢性病防控证据获取能力的主要影响因素,社区应重视慢性病防控证据获取途径的提供,并加强对医务人员慢性病防控证据获取及利用能力的培养。     

加速康复外科在腹腔镜胃癌手术中的应用

目的探讨加速康复外科(Enhanced recovery after surgery,ERAS)在腹腔镜胃癌根治术中的具体应用。方法回顾性分析2015年1月～2018年6月在台州医院胃肠外科手术治疗的279例胃癌患者临床资料,所有病例均行腹腔镜胃癌D2根治术,其中122例应用加速康复外科理念治疗(ERAS组),157例按照传统围手术期治疗方案(传统组),比较两组手术时间、术中出血量、肛门排气时间、术后进食时间、平均住院费用、平均住院时间、引流管数量、术后30 d内并发症及非计划再住院发生状况。结果 ERAS组与传统组患者手术时间、术中出血量比较无显著性差异(P0.05)。相比于传统组患者,ERAS组患者肛门排气时间缩短,术后进食时间提前,平均住院费用下降,平均住院时间缩短,引流管数量减少(P0.05)。ERAS组与传统组患者30 d内并发症发生率、30 d内非计划再住院率比较,差异无统计学意义(P0.05)。结论腹腔镜胃癌手术应用ERAS是安全、有效的,有助于加速患者康复。     

Efficacy of Alternative Medicaments for Pulp Treatment in Primary Teeth in the Short Term: A Meta-analysis

ObjectiveThis systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the overall, clinical, and radiographical success rates of alternative pulpotomy medicaments in primary teeth.MethodsA systematic search of five databases was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Prospective clinical trials using alternative pulpotomy medicaments in children were included. The outcome measures were overall, clinical, and radiographic success, expressed in percentages and converted to odds ratios. Fifteen articles were included in the meta-analysis.ResultsCombined odds ratios for overall, clinical, and radiographic success was 0.55 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.12-2.41; P = .42; I² = 76%), 1.03 (95% CI: 0.57-1.86; P = .92; I² = 0%), and 0.84 (95% CI: 0.54-1.47; P = .66; I² = 34%), respectively. The results suggest an inconclusive outcome in the success rate of alternative medicaments.ConclusionsThere is insufficient evidence to support the efficacy of alternative pulpotomy medicaments for use in primary teeth. Further robust studies are required before such alternative medicaments should be used in clinical practice.     

Reducing the Probability of False Positives in Malingering Detection of Social Security Disability Claimants

The Symptom Validity Scale (SVS) for low-functioning individuals (Chafetz, Abrahams, & Kohlmaier, 2007) employs embedded indicators within the Social Security Psychological Consultative Examination (PCE) to derive a score validated for malingering against two criterion tests: Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM) and Medical Symptom Validity Test (MSVT). When any symptom validity test is used with Social Security claimants there is a known rate of mislabeling (1-specificity), essentially calling a performance biased (invalid) when it is not, also known as a false-positive error. The great costs of mislabeling an honest claimant necessitated the present study, designed to show how multiple positive findings reduce the potential for mislabeling. This study utilized a known-groups design to address the impact of using multiple embedded indicators within the SVS on the diagnostic probability of malingering. Using four SVS components, Sequence, Ganser, and Coding errors, along with Reliable Digit Span (RDS), the positive predictive power was computed directly or by the chaining of likelihood ratios. The posterior probability of malingering increased from one to two to three failed indicators. With three failed indicators, there were essentially no false positive errors, and the total SVS score was in the range consistent with Definite Malingering, as shown in Chafetz et al. (2007). Thus, in a typical PCE when an examiner might have only a few embedded indicators, more confidence in a diagnosis of malingering might be obtained with a finding of multiple failures.     

The Push-Turn-Taptap Task Outperforms Measures of Executive Functioning in Predicting Declines in Functionality: Evidence-Based Approach to Test Validation

Performance on the Push-Turn-Taptap (PTT) task has been shown to be a strong predictor of concurrent everyday functioning. This study utilized a prospective, longitudinal design to evaluate the PTT task for predicting future performance on a behavioral assessment of everyday functioning. The PTT task was compared to other measures of executive functioning as well as general cognition in terms of administration time and ability to identify participants who evidenced functional decline. A total of 50 community-dwelling older adults (ages 58–87) completed the PTT task, Mattis Dementia Rating Scale, Geriatric Depression Scale, Behavioral Dyscontrol Scale, Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System, and Timed Instrumental Activities of Daily Living. Baseline PTT performance (a) was highly correlated with an objective measure of everyday functioning after approximately one year (r?=??.497, p?<?.001), (b) was associated with changes in follow-up functioning, F(3, 46)?=?3.15, p?=?.03, (c) was a better predictor of future functional status than a longer battery of EF, and (d) reliably identified individuals with the greatest magnitude of functional decline. The PTT tasks may provide a particularly advantageous method of predicting future changes in everyday functioning in older adults.     

Correlates of root caries experience in middle-aged and older adults in the Northwest Practice-based REsearch Collaborative in Evidence-based DENTistry research network

BackgroundThe authors examined the correlates of root caries experience for middle-aged adults (aged 45–64 years) and older adults (65 years and older) to test the hypothesis that the factors related to root caries are different for middle-aged adults than they are for older adults.MethodsThe authors conducted an observational cross-sectional study that focused on adult patients aged 45 to 97 years recruited from the Northwest Practice-based REsearch Collaborative in Evidence-based DENTistry research network (N = 775). The outcome variable was any root caries experience (no/yes). The authors hypothesized that sociodemographic, intra- oral and behavioral factors were root caries correlates. The authors used Poisson regression models to generate overall and age-stratified prevalence ratios (PRs) of root caries, and they used generalized estimating equations to account for practice-level clustering of participants.ResultsA total of 19.6 percent of adults had any root caries. A dentist’s assessment that the patient was at high risk of developing any caries was associated with greater prevalence of root caries experience in both middle-aged adults (PR, 2.70; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.63–4.46) and older adults (PR, 1.87; 95 percent CI, 1.19–2.95). The following factors were associated significantly with increased root caries prevalence but only for middle-aged adults: male sex (P = .02), self-reported dry mouth (P < .001), exposed roots (P = .03) and increased frequency of eating or drinking between meals (P = .03). No other covariates were related to root caries experience for older adults.ConclusionsWithin a practice-based research network, the factors associated with root caries experience were different for middle-aged adults than they were for older adults. Research is needed to identify relevant root caries correlates for adults 65 years and older.Practical ImplicationsInterventions aimed at preventing root caries are likely to be different for middle-aged adults than for older adults. Dentists should use root caries prevention programs that address appropriate aged-based risk factors.