Search

Purpose: Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is a useful biomarker for early diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI). However, the diagnostic value of NGAL for predicting AKI in sepsis patients is unclear., Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched to identify research publications., Results: Twelve studies from 9 countries including a total of 1582 patients, of whom 315 (19.9%) developed AKI, were included in the study; plasma NGAL levels were significantly higher in adult sepsis patients with AKI than in those without AKI (mean difference, 274.65; 95% confidence interval [CI], 106.16-443.15; I(2) = 94%). Urine NGAL levels were not significantly different. The diagnostic odds ratio of plasma NGAL for predicting AKI in sepsis patients was 6.64 (95% CI, 3.80-11.58). The diagnostic accuracy of plasma NGAL was 0.881 (95% CI, 0.819-0.923) for sensitivity, 0.474 (95% CI, 0.367-0.582) for specificity, 0.216 (95% CI, 0.177-0.261) for positive predictive value and 0.965 (95% CI, 0.945-0.977) for negative predictive value., Conclusion: Plasma NGAL has a high sensitivity and a high negative predictive value for detection of AKI in adult sepsis patients. However, its low specificity and low positive predictive value could limit its clinical utility. The usefulness of urine NGAL was not revealed in this study., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of alveolar vertical distraction osteogenesis and autogenous bone grafting in terms of bone gain, bone resorption, and implant survival and success rates and investigate the relationship between bone gain and resorption after alveolar vertical distraction osteogenesis., Materials and Methods: A systematic search was done using MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and KoreaMed from inception to April 30, 2014. Supplementary manual searches of published full-text articles were also performed., Results: Searches of four electronic databases and manual searches resulted in 1,538 articles. After selection, four studies were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. The difference in bone gain at the end of distraction or bone grafting was statistically significant (weighted mean difference [WMD] 1.86, 95% CI 0.03 to 3.69, P = .05; heterogeneity: I(2) = 78%, P = .01). However, there was not a statistically significant difference between alveolar distraction osteogenesis and onlay bone grafting (WMD 0.30, 95% CI -0.99 to 1.59, P = .065). Bone resorption between the end of treatment and the time of implant placement was not statistically significant (WMD -0.12, 95% CI -1.10 to 0.85, P = .80; heterogeneity: I(2) = 78%, P = .01). A simple equation related to bone gain and resorption after alveolar vertical distraction was induced from these results., Conclusion: There was not a statistically significant difference between alveolar distraction osteogenesis and onlay bone grafting in terms of bone gain and bone resorption.

Purpose: It is unclear whether femoral tunnel length and obliquity differ after transtibial and independent femoral drilling techniques of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. This meta-analysis therefore compared femoral tunnel length and obliquity in patients who underwent ACL reconstruction by the transtibial, anteromedial (AM) portal, and outside-in (OI) techniques., Methods: In accordance with PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, all studies comparing femoral tunnel length and obliquity with various measurement tools-from direct measurement to imaging methods such as plain radiography, computed tomography, or magnetic resonance imaging-in patients who underwent reconstruction by the transtibial or independent femoral drilling (AM portal or OI) techniques were included., Results: Fourteen studies were included in the meta-analysis. The femoral tunnel length was 7.8 to 11.0 mm longer (P < .05) and coronal obliquity was 7.5° to 29.1° more vertical (P < .05) with the transtibial technique than with the AM portal or OI technique. Femoral tunnel and graft obliquity in the sagittal plane, however, did not differ significantly (P > .05)., Conclusions: ACL reconstruction using the AM portal and OI femoral drilling techniques resulted in a shorter length and greater coronal obliquity of the femoral tunnel than did the transtibial technique. However, these 3 femoral drilling techniques resulted in similar obliquities of the femoral tunnel and graft in the sagittal plane., Level of Evidence: Level III, meta-analysis., (Copyright © 2016 Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether or not perioperative administration of sodium bicarbonate had a preventive effect on cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury (CSA-AKI) as shown in randomized controlled trials., Design: The authors conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis using MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and KoreaMed., Setting: The authors searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and KoreaMed without language and date restrictions. They used both MeSH and free-text terms to identify relevant studies. Electronic searches were undertaken on July 31, 2014., Participants: Five randomized controlled studies included in this review., Measurements and Main Results: There were no differences in the development of CSA-AKI among patients in the sodium bicarbonate group compared with those in the control group (5 trials, 1,092 patients; n = 233 of 547 in sodium bicarbonate (SB) group versus 225 of 545 in control group (SC); risk ratio (RR), 0.95; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.74-1.22. Also, there were no statistical differences in in-hospital mortality (3 trials, 573 patients; n = 21 of 288 in SB versus 14 of 285 in SC; RR, 1.44; 95% CI, 0.76-2.72), need for renal replacement therapy (4 trials, 1,000 patients; n = 21 of 503 in SB versus 23 of 497 in SC; RR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.50-1.60), length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) (hours) (4 trials, n = 969 patients, weighted men difference (WMD), 2.17; 95% CI, -1.15-5.49), and length of ventilation (hours) (4 trials, 969 patients; WMD, 0.34; 95% CI,-0.80-1.48)., Conclusions: Perioperative administration of sodium bicarbonate did not reduce the rate of CSA-AKI in randomized controlled trials. Therefore, use of perioperative administration of sodium bicarbonate for the prevention of CSA-AKI is questionable., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The objective of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) in patients with dysphagia subsequent to stroke. A systematic search of the literature published by Medline (January 1, 1976 through June 21, 2013), EMBASE (January 1, 1985 through June 21, 2013), and the Cochrane Library (January 1, 1987 through June 21, 2013) was conducted for all relevant articles related to NIBS, dysphagia, and cerebrovascular disorders (CVD). Two reviewers (S.N.Y and S.B.P) independently evaluated the eligibility of retrieved data according to the selection criteria and assessed methodological quality of the studies using the 'assessing risk of bias' table recommended in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions (version 5.0.2). Six randomized controlled trials (59 intervention groups and 55 placebo groups) were identified as addressing the use of NIBS for dysphagia after CVD and were included in the meta-analysis. The function scale score improvement of dysphagia in patients treated with NIBS was statistically significant compared with that of patients who underwent sham stimulation (standardized mean difference = 1.08, 95 % confidence intervals = 0.29-1.88, p = 0.008; I (2) = 72 %). A subgroup analysis based on the type of intervention (three repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) studies and three transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) studies) revealed a statistically significant beneficial effect of NIBS compared with sham stimulation in the rTMS group, but not in the tDCS group. When the results were examined based on intervention site (ipsilesional vs. contralesional site stimulation), no statistically significant difference was noted between two groups. No complications of NIBS were reported in this analysis.

We conducted a meta-analysis to review the diagnostic accuracy of the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) among patients with mood disorders. We used a bivariate random effects model to calculate summary sensitivity and specificity. Twenty-one studies were included. At the standard or modified cutoff value of 7, summary sensitivity was .62 and summary specificity was .85. When we pooled 11 studies including both patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and those with unipolar depression, the summary sensitivity was .76 and summary specificity was .81. However, among the six studies that excluded patients with known BD, the summary sensitivity was significantly reduced to .37 and summary specificity was .88. There were no significant differences on the diagnostic accuracy of the MDQ between studies from Eastern and Western countries after adjusting for various clinical correlates. The overall diagnostic accuracy of the MDQ was relatively good. However, when the MDQ is applied among patients with depression without previous diagnoses of BD, its sensitivity was significantly reduced. This suggests that when the MDQ is applied among this population, its optimal cutoff value should be adjusted to enhance its sensitivity., (© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Surgical resection is not indicated in patients with portal hypertension in the current guideline of Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage. We report a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the impact of clinically significant portal hypertension on survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following hepatectomy. Searched data in PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were reviewed and 11 publications were included in the meta-analysis. The inclusion criteria of clinically significant portal hypertension were esophageal varices and/or thrombocytopenia with splenomegaly. Pooled data were extracted and computed into odds ratios (ORs) for clinical outcome and hazard ratios (HRs) for overall survival. The final pooled data were composed of 2,285 patients. There were 775 patients with clinically significant portal hypertension (PHT group) and 1,510 patients without clinically significant portal hypertension (non-PHT group). Pooled proportion of mortality was 6.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.032-0.116) in PHT group and 2.8% (95% CI 0.014-0.054) in the non-PHT group. The pooled proportion of morbidity was 41.7% (95% CI 0.274-0.575) in PHT group and 34.7% (95% CI 0.243-0.467) in non-PHT group. Pooled data confirmed a significantly higher postoperative mortality in the PHT group, with OR 3.02 (P < 0.001). The PHT group also demonstrated significantly higher occurrence of postoperative complications (OR 1.39, P = 0.008), liver-related morbidity (OR 3.10, P < 0.00001), and liver failure (OR 2.14, P = 0.0005) compared to the non-PHT group. According to the overall survival, pooled analysis demonstrated that the PHT group demonstrated poorer survival than the non-PHT group (HR 1.48, P = 0.007). The analyses support significantly higher rates of postoperative mortality, complications, liver-related morbidity, liver failure, and poorer overall survival in PHT group compared with the non-PHT group. Surgical resection should be selected carefully with strict surgical strategy in patients with clinically significant portal hypertension when surgical resection is planned., (© 2014 Japanese Society of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery.)

Background and Purpose: There is a scarcity of information on the epidemiology and natural course of moyamoya disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the nationwide epidemiological features of moyamoya disease in Korea, including incidence, prevalence, and survival., Methods: We used the data from nationwide, population-based Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service claims database and Rare Intractable Disease registration program, which includes physician-certified diagnoses based on uniform criteria for moyamoya disease from 2007 to 2011. Age-specific incidence and prevalence were calculated, and survival was examined using Kaplan-Meier method., Results: The total number of patients with moyamoya disease was 8154 in 2011, with a female-to-male ratio of 1.8. The incidence from 2007 to 2011 was 1.7 to 2.3/10(5), and the prevalence in 2011 was 16.1/10(5). In total, 66.3% of patients aged 0 to 14 years underwent surgery, whereas only 21.5% in the older than 15 years age group underwent surgery. The 1- and 5-year survival rates of adult patients were 96.9% and 92.9%, respectively, and of child patients were 99.6% and 99.3%, respectively., Conclusions: The prevalence and incidence presented in this study are higher than those in previous studies. This study demonstrates that the burden of moyamoya disease in Korea is substantial.

Aim: The aim of this study was to estimate the national rates of induced abortion in South Korea, where no quantitative national studies of abortion exist because the procedure is illegal., Materials and Methods: A survey of 25 hospitals and 176 private clinics that provide induced abortions was conducted in 2005. The data were analyzed to estimate the nationwide rate of induced abortion. Indirect estimation methodology was used to calculate the number of annual induced abortions., Results: In 2005, an estimated 342 433 induced abortions were performed in South Korea at a rate of 29.8 per 1000 women aged 15-44years. We observed that the abortion rate was higher in single women (31.6 per 1000 women) than in married women (28.6 per 1000 women)., Conclusions: A significant number of induced abortions occur in both cohorts of married and unmarried women. To prevent serious physical harm to patients, the government should reconsider the practicality of the current statutes that prohibit women from seeking abortions from a qualified provider., (© 2011 The Authors. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research © 2011 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.)