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04; p = .43), and QoL (WMD = -0.01; p = .70).Conclusions The study suggested that MetS may be one of the risk factors for the clinical progress of BPH. However, further study is warranted to support these results.Context Long-term patient survival in cancer is affected by drug resistance. Honokiol (HNK) is a small-molecule polyphenol isolated from the bark and seed cones of Magnolia officinalis. HNK has been shown to enhance the effects of chemotherapy and inhibit drug resistance in preclinical models. HNK was well tolerated in multiple animal models when administered orally, intravenously (IV), and via intraperitoneal route. However, there are limited human data on the use of HNK in general, and specifically via IV (HNK-IV) in cancer. Objective We aim to assess the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of HNK-IV in patients with drug-resistant tumors. Methods This is a case study of 2 cancer patients who utilized HNK-IV as part of their cancer treatment regimen. The initial infusion of HNK was 10 mg/kg body weight, and subsequent treatments were increased up to 50 mg/kg according to individual tolerance, over 2 weeks. Results Positive clinical response was achieved in both patients, including improved symptoms and quality of life. No serious adverse side effects occurred, and there were no adverse effects on laboratory parameters (complete blood count, kidney, and liver function). Transient sedation and minor nausea were noted and resolved postinfusion. Conclusions This is the first report of HNK-IV in human patients. Given the positive clinical results, safety, and tolerability, the use of HNK-IV warrants further investigation regarding optimum formulation, and its use as adjunctive therapy in cancer patients.Objectives Distress with self-perceived changes in appearance and function can result in body image disturbance (BID), which is common in head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors and a major source of psychosocial morbidity. To address the lack of psychometrically sound patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) of HNC-related BID, we aim to create and validate the Inventory to Measure and Assess imaGe disturbancE-Head & Neck (IMAGE-HN). Study design Survey study. Setting Multiple academic centers. Subjects and methods Following item development, HNC survivors from 4 academic centers completed the IMAGE-HN. Item responses were psychometrically analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Rasch analysis. Results Item development resulted in a 31-item PROM consisting of 5 individual domains and a global domain. In total, 305 HNC survivors of diverse ages, HNC subsites, and reconstructive paradigms completed the initial items. After removal of 3 items for local dependence, CFA confirmed the unidimensionality and local independence (item residual correlations less then |0.20|) for each domain. Rasch analysis indicated acceptable fit (infit and outfit mean squares less then 2.0), monotonicity of all rating scale categories, and low person misfit ( less then 4%). Person separation indices and person reliability were adequate for each domain except appearance concealment, which was removed (4 items). This resulted in the IMAGE-HN, a psychometrically acceptable 24-item PROM of HNC-related BID consisting of a global scale and 4 subscales measuring unique constructs and comprised independent items. Conclusions IMAGE-HN is a novel, psychometrically sound, multidomain PROM of HNC-related BID for use in clinical and research settings.In Latin-America, with 603 million inhabitants, the average prevalence of asthma is estimated at 17%, but with wide fluctuations, ranging from 5% in some cities (Mexico) to 30% in Costa Rica. The risk of severe exacerbations seems to be higher in Latin America compared with other regions. A majority of patients uses daily quick-relief medication, with the belief that it is the most important treatment because of its rapid onset of action; without treating the underlying inflammation. Overuse of short-acting beta2 agonists (SABAs) is associated with increased risk of asthma deaths in a dose-response manner. Beta2 agonists increase the severity of asthma through enhanced bronchial hyperresponsiveness and reduced lung function. Also, it has been shown that overreliance on SABA delays recognition of a potentially life-threatening asthma attack. We believe that overreliance on SABA in asthma is also an important public health issue. The fact that SABA use in GINA is not supported by a randomized trial but by an anonymous paper; makes us guess that we use SABA just because we are used to do so. In 2019 GINA strategy introduces one of the most important changes in the management of Asthma in the past 30 years, highlighting anti-inflammatory reliever therapy. A combination of low dose ICS/fast action bronchodilator will not only treat symptoms, but more importantly the underlying inflammation, protecting patients from preventable asthma attacks. After 50 years of a SABA centric approach in asthma management, it is time to leave behind a treatment based just on the bronchodilation and tackle the inflammation.This article summarizes the latest Italian Medical Oncology Association (AIOM) guidelines on the management of cancer-related and chemotherapy-related anemia with a particular attention to the use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents and iron supplementation.The placenta works as a selective barrier, protecting the fetus from potential infections that may affect the maternal organism during pregnancy. In this review, we will discuss several challenging infections that are common within Latin American countries and that may affect the maternal-fetal interface and pose risks to fetal development. Specifically, we will focus on emerging infectious diseases including the arboviruses, malaria, leishmaniasis, and the bacterial foodborne disease caused by Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli. We will also highlight some topics of interest currently being studied by research groups that comprise an international effort aimed at filling the knowledge gaps in this field. These topics address the relationship between exposure to microorganisms and placental abnormalities, congenital anomalies, and complications of pregnancy. Abbreviations ADE antibody-dependent enhancement; CCL2 monocyte chemoattractant protein-1; CCL3 macrophage inflammatory protein-1 α; CCL5 chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 5; CHIKV chikungunya virus; DCL diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis; DENV dengue virus; Gb3 glycolipid globotriaosylceramyde; HIF hypoxia-inducible factor; HUS hemolytic uremic syndrome; IFN interferon; Ig immunoglobulins; IL interleukin; IUGR intrauterine growth restriction; LCL localized cutaneous leishmaniasis; LPS lipopolysaccharid; MCL mucocutaneous leishmaniasis; NO nitric oxide; PCR polymerase chain reaction; PGF placental growth factor; PM placental malaria; RIVATREM Red Iberoamericana de Alteraciones Vasculares em transtornos del Embarazo; sVEGFR soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor; STEC shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli; stx shiga toxin protein; TNF tumor necrosis factor; TOAS T cell original antigenic sin; Var2CSA variant surface antigen 2-CSA; VEGF vascular endothelial growth factor; VL visceral leishmaniasis; WHO world health organization; YFV yellow fever virus; ZIKV Zika virus.Background Exercise tolerance is an important endpoint in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) clinical trials. Little is known about the comparative measurement properties of constant work rate cycle ergometry (CWRCE) and the endurance shuttle walking test (ESWT). The objective of this sub-analysis of the TORRACTO® study was to directly compare the endurance measurement properties of CWRCE and ESWT in patients with COPD in a multicentre, multinational setting. We predicted that both tests would be similarly reliable, but that the ESWT would be more responsive to bronchodilation than CWRCE. Methods This analysis included 151 patients who performed CWRCE and ESWT at baseline and week 6 after receiving once-daily placebo, tiotropium/olodaterol (T/O) 2.5/5 μg or T/O 5/5 μg. Reproducibility was assessed by comparing their respective performance at baseline and week 6 in the placebo group. Responsiveness to bronchodilation was assessed by comparing endurance time at week 6 with T/O with baseline values andClinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT01525615. The reviews of this paper are available via the supplemental material section.Objective Peritonsillar abscesses (PTAs) are common emergency consultations for otolaryngologists. Medical management alone may offer satisfactory treatment without the risk associated with surgical drainage. Therefore, we performed a systematic review of medical treatment alone compared to surgical drainage for the treatment of PTA. Data sources MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane CENTRAL, and ClinicalTrials.gov. Review methods Studies comparing the outcomes of medically treated to surgically treated patients were included. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. All screening and data extraction were completed by 2 independent reviewers. Meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed. Results Ten cohort studies and 2 randomized studies were included (ntotal = 33,468). Study quality was low, with only 1 study providing multivariable analysis. The combined rate of treatment failure in patients initially treated with medical management alone was 5.7% compared to 5.5% in the surgical group. There was no statistically significant difference in the odds of treatment failure between interventions through random-effects meta-analysis (odds ratio [OR], 1.10; 95% CI, 0.53-2.26; I 2 = 41%; P = .13). Subgroup analysis excluding pediatric-specific studies revealed similar odds of treatment failure when initially managed with medical intervention (OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.56-1.50; P = .39; I 2 = 0%). Conclusion Meta-analysis of available studies demonstrated no difference in odds of treatment failure for patients with PTA managed through medical intervention alone compared to surgical intervention. Tanshinone I cell line These findings should be interpreted with caution due to high probability of bias and overall low quality of studies.Objective Existing evidence highlights the importance of modeling differential therapist effectiveness when studying psychotherapy outcome. However, no study to date examined whether this assertion applies to the study of within-patient effects in mechanisms of change. The study investigated whether therapist effects should be modeled when studying mechanisms of change on a within-patient level.Methods We conducted a Monte Carlo simulation study, varying patient- and therapist level sample sizes, degree of therapist-level nesting (intra-class correlation), balanced vs. unbalanced assignment of patients to therapists, and fixed vs random within-patient coefficients. We estimated all models using longitudinal multilevel and structural equation models that ignored (2-level model) or modeled therapist effects (3-level model).Results Across all conditions, 2-level models performed equally or were superior to 3-level models. Within-patient coefficients were unbiased in both 2- and 3-level models. In 3-level models, standard errors were biased when number of therapists was small, and this bias increased in unbalanced designs.