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Over the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of enduring mental health on healthcare workers has become increasingly evident. This review focuses on post-pandemic mental health challenges faced by healthcare personnel in Latin America. This highlights the persistent burden on healthcare workers, especially women, which is exacerbated by economic disparities, inadequacies in the healthcare system, and ongoing occupational stressors. Our literature review, utilizing databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, scrutinized the mental health status of healthcare professionals in the region after the pandemic's peak. The analysis indicated sustained levels of psychological distress, with frontline workers and women continuing to be affected disproportionately. These findings emphasize the urgent need for personalized interventions to effectively address the complex mental health challenges in this context. This review advocates strategic interventions, including tailored psychological support, innovative diagnostics, and technological solutions, integrated into patient-centered care models. Such approaches aim to enhance the mental resilience and overall well-being of healthcare professionals across Latin America in the post-COVID era., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Disease severity identification using computational intelligence-based approaches is gaining popularity nowadays. Artificial intelligence and deep-learning-assisted approaches are proving to be significant in the rapid and accurate diagnosis of several diseases. In addition to disease identification, these approaches have the potential to identify the severity of a disease. The problem of disease severity identification can be considered multi-class classification, where the class labels are the severity levels of the disease. Plenty of computational intelligence-based solutions have been presented by researchers for severity identification. This paper presents a comprehensive review of recent approaches for identifying disease severity levels using computational intelligence-based approaches. We followed the PRISMA guidelines and compiled several works related to the severity identification of multidisciplinary diseases of the last decade from well-known publishers, such as MDPI, Springer, IEEE, Elsevier, etc. This article is devoted toward the severity identification of two main diseases, viz. Parkinson's Disease and Diabetic Retinopathy. However, severity identification of a few other diseases, such as COVID-19, autonomic nervous system dysfunction, tuberculosis, sepsis, sleep apnea, psychosis, traumatic brain injury, breast cancer, knee osteoarthritis, and Alzheimer's disease, was also briefly covered. Each work has been carefully examined against its methodology, dataset used, and the type of disease on several performance metrics, accuracy, specificity, etc. In addition to this, we also presented a few public repositories that can be utilized to conduct research on disease severity identification. We hope that this review not only acts as a compendium but also provides insights to the researchers working on disease severity identification using computational intelligence-based approaches.

This study explored the baseline knowledge and symptoms associated with endometriosis, educated women about endometriosis, and documented the improvement in endometriosis knowledge. A brief intervention with an educational brochure on endometriosis was administered among 303 female participants. A paired-sample t-test and one-way ANOVA were run to compute endometriosis knowledge scores. In total, 49.5% of the participants had consistent access to annual healthcare, 25.1% were healthcare workers, and 45.2% had an undergraduate education. The entire sample had a pre-test endometriosis knowledge score of 4.2 (SD = 2.48), and the score was 6.3 (SD = 2.3) on the post-test. One-way ANOVA yielded no significant improvement in knowledge scores across the groups with consistent and inconsistent access to annual healthcare, despite a significant overall increase in scores (t = 16.63, df = 302, p < 0.001). We identified a significant improvement in the knowledge concerning endometriosis. Educational strategies among women who are menstruating are essential for addressing diagnostic delays and bridging the endometriosis knowledge gap.

Background: Of all central nervous systems tumors, 10-20% are located in the brainstem; diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is diagnosed in 80% of them. With over five decades of clinical trial testing, there are no established therapeutic options for DIPG. This research article aims to collate recent clinical trial data and provide a landscape for the most promising therapies that have emerged in the past five years., Methods: PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane were systematically searched using the following keywords: Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, Pontine, Glioma, Treatment, Therapy, Therapeutics, curative, and/or Management. Both adult and pediatric patients with newly diagnosed or progressive DIPG were considered in the clinical trial setting. The risk of bias was assessed using the ROBINS-I tool., Results: A total of 22 trials were included reporting the efficacy and safety outcomes among patients. First, five trials reported outcomes of blood-brain barrier bypass via single or repeated-dose intra-arterial therapy or convection-enhanced delivery. Second, external beam radiation regimens were assessed for safety and efficacy in three trials. Third, four trials administered intravenous treatment without using chemotherapeutic regimens. Fourth, eight trials reported the combinations of one or more chemotherapeutic agents. Fifth, immunotherapy was reported in two trials in an adjuvant monotherapy in the post-radiotherapy setting., Conclusion: This research article captures a clinical picture of the last five years of the direction toward which DIPG research is heading. The article finds that re-irradiation may prolong survival in patients with progressive DIPG; it also instills that insofar palliative radiotherapy has been a key prognostic choice.

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men worldwide, making up 21% of all cancer cases. With 345,000 deaths per year owing to the disease, there is an urgent need to optimize prostate cancer care. This systematic review collated and synthesized findings of completed Phase III clinical trials administering immunotherapy; a current clinical trial index (2022) of all ongoing Phase I-III clinical trial records was also formulated. A total of four Phase III clinical trials with 3588 participants were included administering DCVAC, ipilimumab, personalized peptide vaccine, and the PROSTVAC vaccine. In this original research article, promising results were seen for ipilimumab intervention, with improved overall survival trends. A total of 68 ongoing trial records pooling in 7923 participants were included, spanning completion until June 2028. Immunotherapy is an emerging option for patients with prostate cancer, with immune checkpoint inhibitors and adjuvant therapies forming a large part of the emerging landscape. With various ongoing trials, the characteristics and premises of the prospective findings will be key in improving outcomes in the future.

Acute pancreatitis is the acute inflammation of the pancreas; 30% of cases may progress to pancreatic necrosis. The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of inflammatory biomarkers (C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)) in detecting pancreatic necrosis in adults with confirmed acute pancreatitis within 14 days of symptom onset and without organ failure. A systematic search was conducted across the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL), Cochrane, Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science until May 30, 2022, with the following keywords: acute disease, biomarkers, C-reactive protein, calcitonin, differential, diagnosis, lactate dehydrogenase, pancreatitis, acute necrotizing, necrosis, sensitivity, specificity. Statistical analysis was conducted in RevMan 5.4.1 (Cochrane). Five studies pooling 645 participants were included of which 59.8% were males, with a mean age of 49 years. CRP was the best cutoff at 279 mg/L (χ2 = 47.43, p < 0.001), followed by 200 mg/L (χ2 = 36.54, p < 0.001). LDH was cut off at 290 units/L (χ2 = 51.6, p < 0.001), whereas PCT did not display the most reliable results at 0.05 ng/mL. Inflammatory biomarkers are scalable diagnostic tools that may confer clinical value by decreasing the mortality of acute pancreatitis sequelae.

Amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques and aggregated tau are two core mechanisms that contribute to the clinical deterioration of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Recently, targeted-Aβ plaque reduction immunotherapies have been explored for their efficacy and safety as AD treatment. This systematic review critically reviews the latest evidence of Donanemab, a humanized antibody that targets the reduction in Aβ plaques, in AD patients. Comprehensive systematic search was conducted across PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL Plus, Web of Science, Cochrane, and Scopus. This study adhered to PRISMA Statement 2020 guidelines. Adult patients with Alzheimer’s disease being intervened with Donanemab compared to placebo or standard of care in the clinical trial setting were included. A total of 396 patients across four studies received either Donanemab or a placebo (228 and 168 participants, respectively). The Aβ-plaque reduction was found to be dependent upon baseline levels, such that lower baseline levels had complete amyloid clearance (<24.1 Centiloids). There was a slowing of overall tau levels accumulation as well as relatively reduced functional and cognitive decline noted on the Integrated Alzheimer’s Disease Rating Scale by 32% in the Donanemab arm. The safety of Donanemab was established with key adverse events related to Amyloid-Related Imaging Abnormalities (ARIA), ranging between 26.1 and 30.5% across the trials. There is preliminary support for delayed cognitive and functional decline with Donanemab among patients with mild-to-moderate AD. It remains unclear whether Donenameb extends therapeutic benefits that can modify and improve the clinical status of AD patients. Further trials can explore the interplay between Aβ-plaque reduction and toxic tau levels to derive meaningful clinical benefits in AD patients suffering from cognitive impairment.

Nearly 35 million people worldwide live with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The prevalence of the disease is expected to rise two-fold by 2050. With only symptomatic treatment options available, it is essential to understand the developments and existing evidence that aims to target brain pathology and dementia outcomes. This scoping systematic review aimed to collate existing evidence of CT1812 for use in patients with AD and summarize the methodologies of ongoing trials. Adhering to PRISMA Statement 2020 guidelines, PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, and ClinicalTrials.gov were systematically searched through up to 15 November 2022 by applying the following keywords: CT1812, Alzheimer's disease, dementia, and/or sigma-2 receptor. Three completed clinical trials were included along with three ongoing records of clinical trials. The three completed trials were in Phases I and II of testing. The sample size across all three trials was 135. CT1812 reached endpoints across the trials and obtained a maximum concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid with 97-98% receptor occupancy. The findings of this systematic review must be used with caution as the results, while mostly favorable so far, must be replicated in higher-powered, placebo-controlled Phase II-III trials., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Chronic urticaria is a debilitating skin condition that is defined as itchy hives at least twice a week and lasting for six or more weeks, with or without angioedema. Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is a form of disease that is witnessed in two-thirds of those with chronic urticaria. This meta-analysis explores the efficacy of differential dosages of omalizumab for outcomes of weekly itching scores, weekly wheal scores, urticarial assessment score 7 (UAS7), and responder rates. Adhering to PRISMA Statement 2020 guidelines, a systematic search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science was conducted until 15 September 2022. A combination of the following keywords was used: omalizumab and chronic urticaria. Data comprising clinical trial ID, name, author/year, country, dosage and time of intervention, inclusion criteria, mean age, female gender, and racial grouping information were obtained. The meta-analytical outcomes were analyzed in RevMan 5.4. The risk-of-bias assessment was conducted using version 2 of the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials (RoB 2). A total of 10 trials comprising 1705 patients with CSU were included. Notably, 1162 belonged to the intervention group, while 543 were controls. A total of 70.4% of the participants were female in the intervention group, while 65.6% of them were female in the control group. The overall mean age was 38.64 ± 10.66 years. Weekly itch score outcomes were most notable with 150 mg dosage (Cohen’s d = −2.6, 95% CI = −4.75, −0.46, p = 0.02). The weekly wheal score outcomes had the largest effect size with 300 mg dosage (Cohen’s d = −1.45, 95% CI = −2.2, −0.69, p = 0.0002). For UAS7 outcomes, the largest effect size was yielded with 150 mg dosage (Cohen’s d = −6.92, 95% CI: −10.38, −3.47, p < 0.0001). The response rate to omalizumab had a likelihood of being higher with 300 mg of intervention compared to placebo (OR = 8.65, 95% CI = 4.42, 16.93, p < 0.0001). Well-rounded urticarial symptom resolution was observed with 150 mg and 300 mg dosages of omalizumab. Improvement of UAS7 was more comparable with 150 mg dosage, whereas the chance of response to treatment was higher with 300 mg dosage. Our findings support omalizumab as an effective intervention for adult and pediatric populations that are resistant to many therapies, including high-dose H1-antihistamines.

Alagille syndrome (ALGS) is a rare, debilitating inheritable disease that is associated with refractory pruritus due to chronic cholestasis. The following systemic review and meta-analysis presents the latest evidence for ileal bile acid transport (IBAT) blockers in AGLS patients in order to improve their efficacy. This study adhered to PRISMA 2020 Statement guidelines. A systematic search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, and the Cochrane library was conducted from inception until 23 October 2022. A combination of the following keywords was used: Alagille syndrome, therapeutics, treatment, therapy. Meta-analytical outcomes included effect directions of end-line changes in serum bile acids (sBAs), Itch Scale scores (ItchRO), Multidimensional Fatigue Scale scores, pediatric quality of life (QL), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and total bilirubin. A total of 94 patients across four trials were enrolled and received maralixibat, odevixibat, or a placebo. There was a significant reduction in ItchRO scores by 1.8 points, as well as in sBAs by 75.8 μmol/L. Both the Multidimensional Fatigue Scale and Pediatric QL scale were also improved by 11.4 and 8.3 points, respectively. However, ALT levels were raised by 40 U/L. The efficacy of IBAT inhibitors across current trials was noted. Future trials may focus on the optimization of dosing regimens, considering gastrointestinal side effects and drug-induced ALT elevation in AGLS patients.

Dental procedures have posed challenges in managing anticoagulated patients due to early reports of oral hemorrhage. This study aims to evaluate the risks of postoperative bleeding with the local application of tranexamic acid. A systematic search was conducted until 31 March 2022, with keywords including tranexamic acid, oral hemorrhage, dental, and/or coagulation. The following databases were searched: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL Plus, and Cochrane Library. Statistical analysis was conducted using Review Manager 5.4. In total, 430 patients were pooled in with the local application of tranexamic acid using mouthwash, irrigation, and compression with a gauze/gauze pad. The mean age was 61.8 years in the intervention group and 58.7 in the control group. Only 4 patients in the intervened group out of the 210 discontinued the trial due to non-drug-related adverse events. The risk difference was computed as -0.07 ( p = 0.05), meaning that patients administered with local antifibrinolytic therapy for postoperative bleeding reduction for dental procedures were at a 7% less risk of oral bleeding. Current evidence on managing anticoagulated patients undergoing dental or oral procedures remains unclear. The present study presents favorable outcomes of postoperative bleeding with local tranexamic acid used in the postoperative period.

Acute heart failure (AHF) is a major public health concern, affecting 26 million worldwide. Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are a class of glucose-lowering drugs, comprising canagliflozin, dapagliflozin, and empagliflozin that are being explored for AHF. We aim to meta-analyze the effectiveness of SGLT2 inhibitors compared to placebo for primary outcomes including all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, heart failure events, symptomatic improvement, and readmissions. Our secondary outcome is the risk of serious adverse events. This meta-analysis has been designed in accordance with the PRISMA Statement 2020. A systematic search across PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library was conducted through August 13, 2022. The following keywords were utilized: sglt2, sodium-glucose transporter 2 inhibitors, sglt2 inhibitors, decompensated heart failure, de-novo heart failure, and/or acute heart failure. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with adult patients (>18 years), hospitalized with de-novo AHF, acutely decompensated chronic heart failure with reduced, borderline, or preserved ejection, and receiving SGLT2 inhibitors were included. A quantitative analytical methodology was applied where the standardized mean difference (SMD) applying 95% confidence intervals (CI) for continuous outcomes and risk ratio (RR) with 95% CI was yielded. All tests were carried out on Review Manager 5.4 (Cochrane). In total, three RCTs were included pooling in a total of 1831 patients where 49.9% received SGLT2 inhibitors. The mean age was 72.9 years in the interventional group compared to 70.6 years in the placebo. Only 33.7% of the sample was female. The follow-up spanned 2−9 months. Heart failure events were reduced by 62% in the interventional group (RR = 0.66, p < 0.0001). readmissions had a reduced risk of 24% with SGLT2 inhibitors (RR = 0.76, p = 0.03). We assessed the efficacy and safety of SGLT2 inhibitors in preventing complications post-AHF. The odds of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, heart failure events, and re-admissions rates were substantially reduced within the first 1−9 months of hospitalization.

Ofatumumab is a monoclonal antibody that reduces the level of B cells that alter the progression of relapsing multiple sclerosis. Originally approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in August 2020, this meta-analysis determines the outcomes of four randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for endline outcomes of Gadolinium-enhancing T1 lesions on MRI scans reported as Cohen’s d and relapse rate reported as risk ratio. All four RCTs reported favorable findings of gadolinium-enhancing T1 lesions (Cohen’s d = −0.44, p < 0.00001). The relapse rate was reduced by 46% post ofatumumab administration (RR = 0.54, p < 0.00001). With 14 ongoing trials in this area, more data is required to consolidate our findings.

Introduction : Lumbar disc surgery is a common procedure for patients with lower back pain associated with lumbar disc herniation. This study aims to evaluate the impact of active physiotherapeutic rehabilitation on global/functional improvement and subjective pain score reduction among patients 1-2 months following lumbar disc surgery. The outcomes of this study are to assess the impact of active physiotherapeutic rehabilitation on functional improvement and subjective improvement in pain behavior post active rehabilitation. The outcomes are measured as pain assessed using the visual analog scale, global measurement of improvement, back pain functional status, and return to work. Methods: Databases, including MEDLINE/PubMed (10 June 1996, 2022), Web of Science (10 June 1997, 2022), Scopus (15 March, 10 June 2004, 2022), CINAHL Plus (10 June 1961, 2022), and Cochrane (10 June 1993, 2022) were reviewed without any language restrictions. All studies were systematically screened; however, only randomized controlled trials were eligible against the inclusion/exclusion criteria. All statistical tests were conducted in Review Manager (RevMan) 5.4. The quality of studies was appraised using the grading of recommendations assessment, development, and evaluation (GRADE) approach and the risk-of-bias 2 (RoB 2) tool. Results: Fifteen articles were identified, enrolling a total of 2188 patients, where the majority of active rehabilitation interventions continued for 3 months. All these interventions began 1-2 months postoperatively, and quantitative findings were presented as mean scores. The subjective pain scores were significantly lower in the interventional group, with a mean difference (MD) of -7.01 ( p = 0.004). The pain disability score was considerably lower in the interventional group, with an MD of -3.94 ( p = 0.002). Global improvement was higher in the interventional group (OR = 1.94, p = 0.0001). Conclusions : This study presents significant improvement in all parameters concerning pain and functionality. Postoperative rehabilitation requires optimization concerning timing, duration, intensity, and associated components to benefit patients post lumbar disc surgery.

This commentary aims to highlight some of the major issues (with possible solutions) that the Latin American region is currently dealing with in managing post-COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis. Overall, there is little evidence for successful long-term COVID-19 follow-up treatment. The lack of knowledge regarding proper treatment is exacerbated in Latin America by a general lack of resources devoted to healthcare, and a lack of availability and access to multidisciplinary teams. The discussion suggests that better infrastructure (primarily multicenter cohorts of COVID-19 survivors) and well-designed studies are required to develop scientific knowledge to improve treatment for the increasing prevalence of pulmonary fibrosis in Latin America.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic greatly impacted traditional health structures, posing new challenges in an unprecedented health crisis. Telemedicine services were implemented in countries with robust digital platforms to reduce hospital attendance while continuing to provide medical care. This study aims to determine how telemedicine services have been used as a tool to ensure the right to health in Latin America during the pandemic., Materials and Methods: We conducted a narrative review in which words such as telemedicine, COVID-19, Latin America, access, and right to health, were searched on scientific medical datasets such as PubMed and SciELO. Additionally, we reviewed legislation in the Latin American health domain regarding the administration and transmission of digital data., Results and Conclusions: Several countries have used telemedicine to reduce the saturation of healthcare systems and increase patient access. Issues such as broadband access for low-income populations and adequate legal regulations for transmitting and storing confidential data must be addressed to improve telemedicine use in Latin America.