Chronic neuropathic pain is secondary to other musculoskeletal pain. The following study aimed to determine the frequency of chronic neuropathic pain and its association with depression in the elderly. A cross-sectional survey was carried out on 306 participants at the National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine (NIRM) Hospital, in Islamabad over a period of 6 months from September 2017 to February 2018. Population of ? 60 years of age with chronic pain for >6 months were included, whereas patients with malignant origin of pain, intermittent pain and psychological pain were excluded. Data was collected by using DN4 and DASS Questionnaires were analysed by SPSS. Of the 271 participants with the mean age of 66 +/- 5.8 years, 216 (79.9%) were male. The frequency of patients suffering from chronic neuropathic pain was 53.9%. Data showed among the elderly a strong association of chronic neuropathic pain with anxiety and stress (P0.05).
Background: Pediatric heart failure (PHF) remains a major contributor to morbidity and mortality, yet standardized diagnostic and prognostic frameworks–particularly those leveraging left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)–are not well-established. This study evaluates clinical profiles, therapeutic interventions, and mortality outcomes across LVEF thresholds while identifying an optimal cutoff to refine risk stratification in PHF. Methods: This multicenter retrospective cohort study analyzed 1449 PHF patients (aged 1–18 years) across 30 tertiary centers (2013–2022). LVEF stratification employed conventional thresholds (50%, 55%) and an ROC-optimized cutoff (53%, derived via Youden index maximization). The primary outcome was in-hospital all-cause mortality. Multivariable logistic regression models, adjusted for clinical covariates, evaluated mortality predictors. The discriminative performance of LVEF thresholds was compared using area under the curve (AUC) analysis. Results: Distinct clinical profiles, etiologies, and treatments were observed across LVEF strata (50% vs. 55%; p < 0.05). A data-driven optimized LVEF threshold of 53% was identified for mortality prediction, demonstrating superior diagnostic accuracy with enhanced sensitivity and specificity across age groups. Multivariate analysis revealed LVEF ≥ 55% as protective (OR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.68–0.96, p = 0.003), while ≥50% was non-significant (OR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.74–1.12, p = 0.06). Elevated BNP (OR = 2.78, p < 0.001) and NT-proBNP (OR = 2.34, p < 0.001) strongly correlated with mortality risk. Age and sex showed no significant association with outcomes. Conclusion: In conclusion, an LVEF of 53% emerged as the optimal pediatric threshold for mortality prediction, outperforming conventional cutoffs of 50% and 55%. The integration of LVEF with biomarkers (BNP/NT-proBNP) provides a robust prognostic framework, underscoring the necessity for pediatric-specific LVEF criteria and multidimensional risk assessment in PHF management.
Background: Outcomes regarding the conventional surgical and conservative treatment for the lobar intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) have not been previously compared. The current meta-analysis was designed to review and compile the evidence regarding the management of patients with lobar intracerebral hemorrhage.Methods: Online electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase, Medline, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar, were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Studies were selected on the basis of the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Trials with CT-confirmed lobar intracerebral hemorrhage patients of which treatment regimen was started within 72 h following the stroke were included. Low quality trials were excluded. Death or dependence was defined as primary outcome and death at the end of the follow up was the secondary outcome.Results: One hundred five RCTs were screened and 96 articles were excluded on the basis of Nine articles were assessed for the eligibility and 7 trials were included that involved 1,102 patients. The Odds ratio (OR) for the primary outcome was 0.80 (95% CI, 0.62–1.04, p = 0.09) and for the secondary outcome was 0.79 (95%CI, 0.60–1.03, p = 0.09).Conclusion: Our findings suggested that surgical treatments did not significantly improve the functional outcome as compared with the conservative medical management for patients with lobar ICH.
The mortality of stroke increases on weekends and during off-hour periods. We investigated the effect of off-hour admission on the outcomes of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) patients. We retrospectively analyzed a prospective cohort of ICH patients, admitted between January 2017 and December 2019 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University. Acute ICH within 72 h after onset with a baseline computed tomography and 3-month follow-up were included in our study. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed for calculating the odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the outcome measurements. Of the 656 participants, 318 (48.5%) were admitted during on-hours, whereas 338 (51.5%) were admitted during off-hours. Patients with a poor outcome had a larger median baseline hematoma volume, of 27 mL (interquartile range 11.1–53.2 mL), and a lower median time from onset to imaging, of 2.8 h (interquartile range 1.4–9.6 h). Off-hour admission was significantly associated with a poor functional outcome at 3 months, after adjusting for cofounders (adjusted OR 2.17, 95% CI 1.35–3.47; p = 0.001). We found that patients admitted during off-hours had a higher risk of poor functional outcomes at 3 months than those admitted during working hours.
1 January 2019 in Journal of Riphah College of Rehabilitation Sciences
Introduction: Lumbar stabilization and McKenzie exercises are becoming a popular trend for managing chronic low back pain though it is currently not known whether lumbar stabilization exercises produce better results in improving functional status compared to McKenzie approach. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the McKenzie approach versus lumbar stabilization in the treatment of chronic low back pain. Material & Methods: This was a randomized controlled trial. Lottery method was used to randomly divide individuals who fulfilled inclusion criteria into 2 groups. Assessments of the patients were done in OPD. Baseline assessment was done on day 1 and post intervention assessment was done after 2 weeks. A total of 8 treatment sessions spread across 2 weeks were given (4 days per week). Data were assessed at baseline level and post intervention. Data was entered and analysed by SPSS version 21. Results: A total of 28 females and 02 males (mean age of 50.88 ±12.29) participated in the study. After 02 weeks of intervention, both treatment groups showed improvement in decreasing pain and improving functional status. The lumber stabilization group showed significant gains on Numeric Pain Rating Scale and (p=0.001) and Modified Oswestry Disability Index (p=0.001) compared to the Mckenzie group. Conclusion: Patients in both lumber stabilisation and McKenzie groups showed significant improvement, however, the patients in lumbar stabilization group were superior than the patients in McKenzie group on the selected outcomes.