Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

BMJ Open 2022 Jun 28;12(6):e058383. Epub 2022 Jun 28.

Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

Objective: To confirm the symptoms and signs for motor neuron disease (MND) in the Red Flag tool; to quantify the extent to which the key symptoms and signs are associated with MND; and to identify additional factors which may be helpful within the primary care setting in recognition of possible MND and triggering timely referral to neurology specialists.

Design: A nested case-control study.

Setting: 1292 UK general practices contributing to the QResearch primary care database, linked to hospital and mortality data. Read More

J Clin Psychopharmacol 2022 Jul-Aug 01;42(4):345-349. Epub 2022 Mar 28.

From the Department of Psychiatry, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.

Purpose/background: Limited numbers of studies have assessed the predictors of clozapine nonresponse. This study aimed to assess the demographic and clinical factors associated with an inadequate response to clozapine in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS).

Methods/procedures: Two hundred eighty-seven outpatients with TRS receiving clozapine for more than 1 year were divided into 2 groups based on the need for a second antipsychotic medication and/or electroconvulsive therapy after receiving clozapine in the maximum tolerable dose for at least 3 months. Read More

J Investig Med High Impact Case Rep 2022 Jan-Dec;10:23247096221109206

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, USA.

Acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) is a rare autosomal dominant inherited disease, predominantly seen in female patients, caused by mutations in the hydroxymethylbilane synthase gene. When impaired, elevated heme biosynthesis precursor levels accumulate in the liver, resulting in neurological symptoms, psychiatric disturbances, darkened urine color, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and ileus. We present a 22-year-old Hispanic female with diffuse abdominal pain and no bowel movements for 8 days. Read More

Gastroenterol Res Pract 2022 18;2022:8379579. Epub 2022 Jun 18.

Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens 15784, Greece.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and extragastric manifestations such as headache, fatigue, and dizziness. A prospective cohort study was conducted in a tertiary hospital in Athens, where patients with GI problems and extragastric symptoms were treated only for their GI problems, and improvement in extragastric manifestations was recorded. Inclusion criteria were an age older than 18 years, the presence of at least one of the three extragastric symptoms investigated in this study (headache, dizziness, and fatigue), and the concomitant presence of at least one gastrointestinal symptom (e. Read More

Low Urin Tract Symptoms 2022 Jun 27. Epub 2022 Jun 27.

Department of Women's Health Nursing & Midwifery, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.

Objectives: Women working in the medical field may be at risk for pelvic floor dysfunction due to high physical activity levels leading to increased abdominal pressure; however, the actual situation remains unknown. This study aimed to clarify the prevalence of symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction and its associated factors among Japanese women working in the medical field.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among female employees at a public hospital in Japan from July to August 2020. Read More

BMC Gastroenterol 2022 Jun 27;22(1):316. Epub 2022 Jun 27.

Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Primary Care & Family Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases (Peking Union Medical College Hospital), Beijing, 100730, China.

Background: Allied disorders of Hirschsprung's disease (ADHD) mainly present with bowel obstruction, intestinal dilatation, and chronic constipation, while recurrent spontaneous pneumoperitoneum was rarely reported. We aimed to report a case of recurrent spontaneous pneumoperitoneum caused by ADHD.

Case Presentation: A 59-year-old female patient presented with progressive and severe constipation in the past 30 years. Read More

Support Care Cancer 2022 Jun 28. Epub 2022 Jun 28.

Nursing Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey.

Objective: This study was conducted as a descriptive and cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence of constipation and the impact of constipation on quality of life in patients receiving outpatient chemotherapy.

Materials And Methods: The data of the study were collected from 252 patients who applied to the outpatient chemotherapy unit of a university hospital between January 2021 and March 2021. The data were collected using the "Patient Information Form," "Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status Scale," "Constipation Severity Scale (CSS)," "Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAC-QOL)," and "The Bristol Stool Form Scale" through face-to-face interview technique. Read More

PLoS One 2022 27;17(6):e0266754. Epub 2022 Jun 27.

Department of Oncology, Fenghua District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of oxycodone hydrochloride (OxyContin) rectal administration in cancer pain patients. This is geared towards providing the research evidence for a novel route of OxyContin administration.

Methods: Relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were searched in electronic databases, including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP database), Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM). Read More

Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2022 Jun 27. Epub 2022 Jun 27.

Centre for Neuroscience, Surgery and Trauma, Blizard Institute, Wingate Institute of Neurogastroenterology, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.

Background And Aims: To evaluate symptom presentation and underlying pathophysiology of colonic/anorectal dysfunction in females with functional constipation (FC) and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS)/hypermobility spectrum disorder (HSD) METHODS: Case-control study of 67 consecutive female patients with an established diagnosis of hEDS/HSD referred to a specialist centre for investigation of FC (Rome III criteria), age-matched (1:2 ratio) to 134 female controls with FC scoring 0 on the validated 5-point joint hypermobility questionnaire. Symptoms and results of colonic/anorectal physiology testing were compared. An independent series of 72 consecutive females with hEDS/HSD, referred to a separate hospital for investigation of FC, was used to validate physiological findings. Read More

Cureus 2022 May 23;14(5):e25261. Epub 2022 May 23.

Internal Medicine, HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital, Orange Park, USA.

Hypothyroidism is a commonly encountered pathology within internal medicine. It commonly presents with symptoms of fatigue, weight gain, constipation, and dry skin. Long-standing uncontrolled hypothyroidism can manifest with atypical symptoms of dysphonia and even pericardial effusion. Read More

Radiol Case Rep 2022 Sep 17;17(9):2936-2939. Epub 2022 Jun 17.

Chronic Respiratory Diseases Research Center, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (NRITLD), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Currarino syndrome is an autosomal dominant hereditary disease defined as a triad of anorectal abnormality, sacral dysgenesis, and a presacral mass, primarily an anterior sacral meningocele. It is often seen in children and considered rare in adults. It is mostly found as an incidental finding. Read More

Front Aging Neurosci 2022 10;14:898149. Epub 2022 Jun 10.

Departmentof Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China.

Background: Non-motor symptoms, including sleep disorders and depression, are common in Parkinson's disease (PD). The purpose of our study is to explore the effect of sleep disorders, including the probable rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (pRBD) and the daytime sleepiness, on depressive symptoms in patients with early and prodromal PD.

Methods: A total of 683 participants who obtained from the Parkinson Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) were included, consisting of 423 individuals with early PD, 64 individuals with prodromal PD, and 196 healthy controls (HCs), who were followed up to 5 years from baseline. Read More

J Grad Med Educ 2022 Jun 13;14(3):311-317. Epub 2022 Jun 13.

is PM&R Assistant Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University Health System.

Background: Many residency programs utilize "home call" residents who answer hospital communications and place orders from home. Often, residents are required to live nearby and arrive in-person if needed. Residents work normal daytime work hours while on home call, which can last several nights. Read More

Drugs Aging 2022 Jun 27. Epub 2022 Jun 27.

Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, 85 E. Concord St, 1122, Boston, MA, 02118, USA.

As the population ages, spine-related pain is increasingly common in older adults. While medications play an important role in pain management, their use has limitations in geriatric patients due to reduced liver and renal function, comorbid medical problems, and polypharmacy. This review will assess the evidence basis for medications used for spine-related pain in older adults, with a focus on drug metabolism and adverse drug reactions. Read More

Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2022 Jun 25. Epub 2022 Jun 25.

Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb, 's Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands.

Background: Adverse drug reaction (ADR) reports in pharmacovigilance databases often contain coded information and large amounts of unstructured or semi-structured information in plain text format. The unstructured format and sheer volume of these data often render them neglected. Structural topic modelling (STM) represents a potentially insightful way of harnessing these valuable data and to detect grouping or themes in spontaneous reports to aid signal detection. Read More

BMJ Support Palliat Care 2022 Jun 24. Epub 2022 Jun 24.

Department of Clinical Pharmacy Research and Education, Osaka University, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Suita, Osaka, Japan.

Objectives: The initiation of peripherally acting μ-opioid receptor antagonists (PAMORAs) should be considered 2 weeks after conventional laxatives have failed to achieve an adequate response, and affected patients should be evaluated every 2 weeks thereafter. However, this guidance is difficult to implement in acute care hospitals. This study aimed to examine how naldemedine (PAMORA) should be introduced in combination with other laxatives in the acute care setting. Read More

J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2022 Jun 24. Epub 2022 Jun 24.

Department of Gastroenterology, Central Clinical School, Monash University and Alfred Health, Melbourne, Australia.

Background: Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) and the hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) can be challenging to diagnose and manage. Gastrointestinal symptoms and disorders of gut-brain interaction are common in this cohort and multifactorial in origin.

Aims: The primary aim of this review is to arm the gastroenterologist with a clinically useful understanding of HSD/hEDS, by exploring the association of gastrointestinal disorders with HSD/hEDS, highlighting current pathophysiological understanding and providing a pragmatic approach to managing these patients. Read More

Int J Qual Health Care 2022 Jun 24. Epub 2022 Jun 24.

Institute of Hospital and Health Care Administration, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, No.155, Sec.2, Linong Street, Taipei 112, Taiwan.

Background: Inappropriate management of medications is a major threat to homebound patients with chronic conditions. Despite many efforts in improving medication reconciliation in ambulatory and inpatient settings, little research has focused on home care settings. In 2016, Taiwan initiated the Integrated Home Health Care programme, which was intended to reduce potentially inappropriate medication management and risks of uncontrolled polypharmacy through the integration of different medication sources for chronic conditions among homebound patients. Read More

J Investig Med High Impact Case Rep 2022 Jan-Dec;10:23247096221106755

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, TX, USA.

Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is a common malignancy with steadily declining incidence rates and mortality, secondary to improved screening and lifestyle changes (eg, decreased smoking rates). The association between pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and CRC has been unclear in the past. However, multiple studies showed a positive association between PID and underlying malignancy (gynecologic and pelvic primarily). Read More

Nutrients 2022 Jun 16;14(12). Epub 2022 Jun 16.

State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.

Constipation is a common problem in sows and women during late pregnancy. Dietary fiber has potential in the regulation of intestinal microbiota, thereby promoting intestinal motility and reducing constipation. However, the effects of fibers with different physicochemical properties on intestinal microbe and constipation during late pregnancy have not been fully explored. Read More

Nutrients 2022 Jun 15;14(12). Epub 2022 Jun 15.

Health Technology Assessment Center, Evidence-Based Social Science Research Center, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.

To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of probiotics in the treatment of constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C), we searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing probiotic care versus placebos for patients with IBS-C in five comprehensive databases (March 2022). The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias Tool. RevMan 5. Read More

Molecules 2022 Jun 7;27(12). Epub 2022 Jun 7.

Oxidative Stress Cluster, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand.

var. Pakphai has been used in traditional Thai medicine for the treatment of flatulence and constipation and to relieve the inflammation caused by insect bites. Quercetin (Q), which is abundant in plant-based foods, has been found to exert anti-inflammatory properties. Read More

Microorganisms 2022 Jun 2;10(6). Epub 2022 Jun 2.

Biological Science Department, Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla, Puebla 72410, Mexico.

Traditional fermented foods and beverages play an important role in a range of human diets, and several experimental studies have shown their potential positive effects on human health. Studies from different continents have revealed strong associations between the microorganisms present in certain fermented foods (e.g. Read More

J Clin Med 2022 Jun 14;11(12). Epub 2022 Jun 14.

Department of Gynecological Oncology, Institute of Oncology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-569 Poznan, Poland.

The administration of probiotics to patients treated with chemo- and/or radiotherapy is assumed to be beneficial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of probiotic intake on the severity of selected gastrointestinal side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The searched databases included PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus from which twenty-one studies were included. Read More

J Clin Med 2022 Jun 10;11(12). Epub 2022 Jun 10.

Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 40201, Taiwan.

(1) Background/aims: Intragastric botulinum toxin A injection (IGBI) combined with diet control is a new and effective weight loss method for grade 2 obese patients. However, the application of IGIB on overweight or obese adults still needs further research to confirm its efficacy. (2) Methods: We retrospectively collected medical data from 1 July 2021 to 1 January 2022 from a total of 71 patients without diabetes who participated in the bariatric clinic with a body mass index (BMI) > 25 kg/m. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2022 Jun 20;23(12). Epub 2022 Jun 20.

Department of Biomaterials Science (BK21 FOUR Program) and Life and Industry Convergence Research Institute, College of Natural Resources & LifeScience, Pusan National University, Miryang 50463, Korea.

Complement component 3 (C3) contributes to neurogenesis, neural migration, and synaptic elimination under normal and disease conditions of the brain, even though it has not been studied in the enteric nervous system (ENS). To determine the role of C3 in the regulatory mechanism of ENS during C3 deficiency-induced constipation, the changes in the markers of neuronal and interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs), the markers for excitatory and inhibitory transmission of ENS, and expression of C3 receptors were analyzed in the mid colon of C3 knockout (KO) mice at 16 weeks of age. Prominent constipation phenotypes, including the decrease in stool parameters, changes in the histological structure, and suppression of mucin secretion, were detected in C3 KO mice compared to wildtype (WT) mice. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022 Jun 20;19(12). Epub 2022 Jun 20.

Department of Emergency Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Keelung, Keelung City 204, Taiwan.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected emergency department (ED) usage. This study examines changes in the number of ED visits for gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding and nonemergency GI conditions, such as acute gastroenteritis (AGE) and constipation, before the pandemic and at the peak and slack periods of the pandemic in Taiwan. This retrospective observational study was conducted at a referral medical center in northern Taiwan. Read More

Brain Sci 2022 Jun 14;12(6). Epub 2022 Jun 14.

Department of Neuro-Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Northwest University, Xi'an 710082, China.

Neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease (NIID) is a rare and slowly progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by the presence of eosinophilic neuronal intranuclear inclusions. The clinical manifestations of NIID are diverse, and the most common initial feature in cases of sporadic NIID is dementia. Herein, we report an adult female with keratitis as the initial presentation with subsequent bilateral limb tremor, gait disturbances, overemotional behavior, sweating and constipation. Read More

Children (Basel) 2022 May 25;9(6). Epub 2022 May 25.

Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.

Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia type 2 (MEN2) is a genetic cancer syndrome for which there are limited data pertaining to the quality of life and psychosocial experiences of persons affected. Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a rare disease of the thyroid gland often associated with MEN2. MTC often progresses slowly and may present with a myriad of physical symptoms including hair loss, sleep disturbance, fatigue, weight changes, heart palpitations, and constipation or diarrhea. Read More