The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the clinical use of MRI for the evaluation of acute appendicitis during pregnancy. The searches were conducted by two independent researchers (MK, MS) to find the relevant studies published from 1/1/2009 until end of 30/12/2018. We searched for published literature in the English language in MEDLINE via PubMed, EMBASETM via Ovid, The Cochrane Library, and Trip database. For literature published in other languages, we searched national databases (Magiran and SID), KoreaMed, and LILACS. The keywords used in the search strategy are Pregnancy [MeSH], Pregnant [MeSH] OR—Magnetic resonance imaging [MeSH] OR—Appendicitis [MeSH] OR—Ultrasound, [MeSH] OR, imaging, MRI [MeSH] OR"،" and Right lower quadrant pain [MeSH]. The risk of bias of every article was evaluated by using QUADAS-2. On the basis of the results from the 2 × 2 tables, pooled measures for sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and area under the curves (AUC) along with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using the DerSimonian Lair methodology. As many as 1164 studies were selected. After analyzing the correspondence of the studies with the required criteria, 19 studies were selected for the final review. For appendicitis in pregnancy, the MRI sensitivity was 91.8% at the 95% confidence interval of (95% CI 87.7–94.9%). At the confidence interval of 95%, the specificity was 97.9% (95% CI 0.97.2–100%). The risk of bias in the studies conducted was measured using the QUADAS-2 tool. MRI has high sensitivity and specificity (91.8%, 97.9% respectively) for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in pregnant patients with clinically suspected appendicitis. It is an excellent imaging technique in many instances, which does not expose a fetus, or the mother, to ionizing radiation, making it an excellent option for pregnant patients with suspected acute appendicitis.

Background Death and the anxiety of it becomes more apparent when confronted with a chronic disease. The aim of this study was to determine the level of death anxiety among patients with depression and schizophrenia, and the relationship between severity of the symptoms and death anxiety in these patients. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 29 patients with a depressive disorder, 18 with schizophrenia spectrum disorder and 31 healthy subjects, through face-to-face interviews. The general severity of the psychiatric disorder was measured using the Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI). The severity of depressive symptoms was measured using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Psychosocial performance was measured using the personal and social performance scale (PSP). To evaluate death anxiety, the Bochum Questionnaire on attitude to death and death anxiety 2.0 (BOFRETTA 2.0) was used. One-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation tests were used to analyze the data. Results Regarding the BOFRETTA attitude scale, the schizophrenic patients (23.1±9.12) showed significantly higher scores than healthy subjects (18.4 ±4.56) and depressive patients (19.8 ± 5.20) (p<0.050). The healthy controls achieved the least scores of BOFRETTA anxiety scale followed by depressive (30.67±10.33) and schizophrenic patients (31.30±12.18). However, there were no significant between-group differences regarding this scale. We found significant correlations of all BOFRETTA dimensions (attitude, anxiety, sum score) with CGI, PSP and BDI. Conclusion There was a significant relationship between the severity of symptoms and death anxiety in both depressed and schizophrenic patients. However, the latter showed a more negative attitude towards death.

Aim. Given the potential for physiological alterations in the gastrointestinal tract following appendix removal, which may influence carcinogenesis, we embarked on a systematic review and meta-analysis to explore the possible association between appendectomy and the subsequent risk of colorectal cancer (CRC).Methods. Our systematic investigation utilized sources including the Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Web of Science, covering research up to February 1, 2023. We assessed the impact of appendectomy on colorectal cancer, employing a random effects model to calculate the pooled hazard ratio (HR) for developing CRC post-appendectomy and its 95 % confidence interval (CI).Results. This review and meta-analysis incorporated a total of 10 studies, comprising 1,001,693 cases of appendectomy and 39,463 instances of CRC. The meta-analysis revealed a pooled HR of 1.04 (95 % CI: 1.0–1.08) for developing CRC following appendectomy. Notably, the HR for CRC development increased to 1.20 (95 % CI: 0.69–1.69) when considering only cases with more than 10 years of follow-up.Conclusion. The findings indicate a marginally increased risk of colorectal cancer in cases without a specified follow-up period. However, this elevated risk did not persist over the long term (exceeding 10 years). The heterogeneity of the included studies appears to have influenced our results. Nevertheless, it is advisable for physicians to weigh the potential benefits of alternative therapies and consider the future complications that may arise from an unnecessary appendectomy.

Urinary tract stones are the most common causes of urinary tract obstruction, leading to patient hospitalization in the emergency room. This study is aimed to evaluate the use of the mean resistance index (mRI) to predict hydronephrosis in patients admitted for acute renal colic. This prospective study was performed on 100 patients who were admitted to the emergency department (ED) with unilateral renal colic (RC) problem. At the first visit, the following was done for all patients: 1. blood was taken from them for laboratory studies; 2. ECG and cardiological test; 3. plain film of the urinary tract; 4. аbdominal US; 5. bilateral color doppler ultrasound (CDUS) with renal RI measurement. Based on the information collected at different times during the experiment, patients were divided into two groups: the group that showed signs of dilatation (group A) and the group with hydronephrosis (group B). The obtained data were analyzed statistically by SPSS version 20. A mRI with a 0.68 cut off value was the most accurate (AUC:0.878), and Sensitive (90%) cut-off value for prediction of hydronephrosis development among patients presenting with RC and renal stone. This cut-off value also provided the highest positive (94%) and negative (76%) predictive values. CDUS with RI measurement is an easy and non-invasive method that provides useful information about urinary tract obstruction stones in patients with unilateral RC. In our study, this method was able to predict successfully the onset of acute renal dilatation. This was done with different levels of sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and diagnostic efficiency that were higher than ultrasound. Daily use of CDUS in ED can improve ultrasound, especially when other methods are contraindicated. For example, the methods by which the patient is exposed to radiation (pregnancy, allergies, renal failure, etc.) or intravenous injection of contrast agents (urography and CT).