The wildfire-like spread of COVID-19, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus-2, has resulted in a pandemic that has put unprecedented stress on the world’s healthcare systems and caused varying severities of socio-economic damage. As there are no specific treatments to combat the virus, current approaches to overcome the crisis have mainly revolved around vaccination efforts, preventing human-to-human transmission through enforcement of lockdowns and repurposing of drugs. To efficiently facilitate the measures implemented by governments, rapid and accurate diagnosis of the disease is vital. Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and computed tomography have been the standard procedures to diagnose and evaluate COVID-19. However, disadvantages, including the necessity of specialized equipment and trained personnel, the high financial cost of operation and the emergence of false negatives, have hindered their application in high-demand and resource-limited sites. Nanoparticle-based methods of diagnosis have been previously reported to provide precise results within short periods of time. Such methods have been studied in previous outbreaks of coronaviruses, including severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus and middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus. Given the need for rapid diagnostic techniques, this review discusses nanoparticle use in detecting the aforementioned coronaviruses and the recent severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus-2 to highlight approaches that could potentially be used during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: Atopic dermatitis remains a widespread problem affecting various populations globally. While numerous treatment options have been employed, pimecrolimus remains a potent and viable option. Recently, there has been increasing interest in comparing the safety and efficacy of pimecrolimus with its vehicle. Methods: The authors conducted a comprehensive search of several databases, including PubMed, COCHRANE, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Central, from inception to May 2022, using a wide search strategy with Boolean operators. The authors also employed backward snowballing to identify any studies missed in the initial search. The authors included randomized controlled trials in our meta-analysis and extracted data from the identified studies. The authors used Review Manager (RevMan) Version 5.4 to analyze the data, selecting a random-effects model due to observed differences in study populations and settings. The authors considered a P-value of 0.05 or lower to be statistically significant. Results: The authors initially identified 211 studies, of which 13 randomized controlled trials involving 4180 participants were selected for analysis. Our pooled analysis revealed that pimecrolimus 1% was more effective at reducing the severity of atopic dermatitis than its vehicles. However, no significant difference was observed in adverse effects between pimecrolimus and vehicle, except for pyrexia, nasopharyngitis, and headache, which were increased with pimecrolimus. Conclusion: Our meta-analysis showed that pimecrolimus 1% is more effective than vehicle, although the safety profile remains inconclusive. Pimecrolimus reduced the Investigator’s Global Assessment score, Eczema Area and Severity Index score, and severity of pruritus when compared to its vehicle, indicating a higher efficacy profile. This is one of the first meta-analyses to assess the efficacy and safety profile of pimecrolimus 1% against a vehicle and may assist physicians in making informed decisions.

Objectives: Examine the prevalence of cognitive impairment within Wave 1 of the Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging (TILDA) cohort and its relationship with comorbidities and lifestyle factors. The effect of cognitive impairment on quality-of-life scores was also investigated. Methods: A secondary cross-sectional analysis of data from Wave 1 of the TILDA cohort was undertaken. Results: Prevalence of cognitive impairment ranged between 5.8% and 51.2%, depending on the instrument used (Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE] and Montreal Cognitive Assessment [MoCA], respectively). Having hypertension (odds ratio [OR] 1.68; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.36–2.08), being a past or current smoker (OR 1.25; 95% CI 1.01–1.55) and having low physical activity (OR 2.04; 95% CI 1.64–2.53) increased the odds of being classified as cognitively impaired (MMSE <25). Similarly, being obese (OR 1.31; 95% CI 1.17–1.47), having hypertension (OR 1.42; 95% CI 1.27–1.57), and having diabetes (OR 1.71; 95% CI 1.40–2.09) increased the odds of cognitive impairment (MoCA <26). High cholesterol was associated with a protective effect (OR 0.79; 95% CI 0.63–0.98) under MMSE <25 classification while, problematic alcohol behavior reduced the odds of being classified as cognitively impaired using MoCA <26 by 35% (OR 0.65; 95% CI 0.55–0.76). Depression was not associated with increased odds of cognitive decline. Lastly, mean quality of life (QoL) scores decreases as severity of cognitive impairment increases from normal to moderate cognitive impairment (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Several modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline were identified, including smoking, low physical activity, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. Policies aimed at reducing the prevalence of these risk factors in the population might reduce the impact of cognitive decline on public health.

There is absence of updated population-level data for liver transplantation (LT) for combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC-CCA) and on the impact of current allocation practices, including the Median MELD at Transplant minus 3 (MMaT-3) policy era. Using the UNOS registry, we compared adult LT candidates and recipients with cHCC-CCA, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Outcomes included waitlist mortality (WM), waitlist dropout (WD), graft survival (GS), and patient survival (PS), analyzed using Kaplan-Meier, multivariable Cox regression, and Fine-Gray competing risk models stratified by policy era. 309 candidates had cHCC-CCA. At 3 years, cHCC-CCA had the lowest WM (4.6%) and WD (29.0%) compared with CCA (27.7%, 64.9%) and HCC (15.6%, 39.8%) (P < 0.001). After adjustment, cHCC-CCA was associated with reduced WD (HR 0.56, P = 0.008) and WM (HR 0.33, P = 0.028). Conversely, 15-year GS (25.5%) and PS (27.3%) were lowest for cHCC-CCA (both P < 0.001), with higher adjusted risk of graft loss (HR 1.79) and mortality (HR 1.67). Notably, cHCC-CCA post-LT survival improved from the pre-MMaT-3 to the post-MMaT-3 era. cHCC-CCA exhibits favorable waitlist, yet lower long-term post-LT survival compared with HCC and CCA. The improved outcomes observed in the MMaT-3 era suggest that refined selection may have optimized post-LT survival in cHCC-CCA.

Delayed presentation of traumatic hepatothorax: An anesthetic and surgical perspective - SAJCRR- Print ISSN No: - Online ISSN No:- 2319-1090 Article DOI No:- 10.18231/j.sajcrr.2024.001, Southeast Asian Journal of Case Report and Review-South Asian J Case Rep Rev