World journal of methodology最新文献

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic digestive disease that requires continuous monitoring by healthcare professionals to determine the appropriate therapy and monitor short-term and long-term complications. The progressive development of information technology has enabled healthcare personnel to deliver care services to patients remotely. Therefore, various applications of telemedicine in IBD management have evolved, including telemonitoring, teleconsulting, teleducation, telenursing, telenutrition, and telepathology. While evidence has been provided for some telemedicine applications, targeted studies are still required. This review summarises the major studies that have evaluated telemedicine and its application in the management of IBD.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer worldwide and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a therapy where drugs aimed to slow or halt tumor development are injected into the artery supplying for HCC tissues. A comprehensive analysis of all the articles on TACE for HCC can give us a general understanding of the progress in this field and provide guidance for future research.

Aim: To analyze and visualize scientific results and research trends in TACE treatment for HCC.

Methods: The "Web of Science" database was used to identify articles regarding TACE for the treatment of HCC from 2012 to 2021. VOSviewer and CiteSpace were used to analyze the publications trends, collaboration between countries/insti-tutions/authors, and the co-occurrence of keywords, keyword bursts, and references.

Results: A total of 5728 original articles on TACE for HCC were retrieved. Regarding the volume of publications, the total number of yearly publications showed a generally increasing trend. China had the highest number of articles, while the United States achieved the highest Hirsch index and highest number of citations. The Sun Yat-sen University in China was most prolific institution. The most active author was Park, J.W from South Korea. The Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (234 articles) was the most productive journal. There is a growing trend toward international collaboration in TACE for HCC. Cluster networks of co-cited references suggested that practice guidelines and targeted therapies are an essential theme in this field. In addition, cluster analysis based on keyword co-occurrence identified the research topic "prediction of TACE treatment" as a hotspot, and propensity score matching can be used to help investigators conduct innovative studies in the future.

Conclusion: The results of our bibliometric analysis provide the latest trends and hot topics in TACE therapy for HCC.

The documentation of psychological trauma is obviously a challenge to clinicians while they are diving deep into remote events related to their clients or patients. The potential role of psychological trauma in the early developmental stages, and even the existence of adverse childhood experiences, is important to prove, yet it is difficult to do so. A diverse range of methods have been applied, all of which presumably benchmark a big therapeutic step; however, these enthusiastic methods frequently do not last for long. While hypnosis supporters, Freudian and Neo-Freudian disciples can be acute enough to enhance and uncover suppressed memories, modern psychiatry relies mostly on diversely structured interviews. Functional magnetic resonance and its related subtleties might help, but the questions that remain unanswered are numerous and confusing. Connecting early experiences with long-term memory while identifying psychological trauma its importance for the individual's growth trajectory; thus, it remains an intriguing issue.

Background: Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) has become an established method in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in gastroenterology; however, it has recently gained a growing role in hepatology.

Aim: To evaluate the role of EUS features, strain elastography (SE), and EUS-tissue acquisition in diagnosing hepatic focal lesions (HFLs) that could affect further management.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 215 patients with pancreatic, biliary, or gastrointestinal malignancies referred for EUS examination. HFLs were identified in 43 patients (20%), and EUS-guided tissue acquisition was performed from these lesions.

Results: EUS features were highly sensitive (100%) but much less specific (57%) in diagnosing HFLs; the overall accuracy was 94%. Real-time elastography was also very sensitive (97%) but less specific (67%) in diagnosing HFLs; however, the overall accuracy was 92%. EUS tissue acquisition was extremely sensitive (100%) and specific (100%), with a 100% overall diagnostic accuracy.

Conclusion: The diagnostic utility of EUS-guided tissue acquisition was extremely accurate in diagnosing HFLs. EUS characteristics and real-time SE accurately predicted the histological diagnosis of both benign and malignant HFLs.

Background: Quality of life (QoL) outcomes are a focal endpoint of cancer treatment strategies.

Aim: To externally validate the Moroccan Arabic version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QoL Questionnaire (QLQ) for colorectal cancer (CRC) patients (CR29).

Methods: Both Moroccan Arabic modules of QLQ-CR29 and QLQ-C30 were administered to Moroccan CRC. Psychometric properties were retested by measuring Cronbach's alpha coefficient for reliability and Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) to examine test-retest reproducibility. The multitrait-scaling analysis was performed to demonstrate the validity of the instrument and known-groups comparison was used to test the score's ability to discriminate between different groups of patients.

Results: In total, 221 patients were included in our study and 34 patients completed the questionnaire twice. The Urinary Frequency scale and Stool Frequency scale had good internal consistency with alpha Cronbach coefficients of 0.79 and 0.83 respectively, while the same coefficients were moderately lower for the Blood and Mucus in Stool scale (0.61) and the Body Image scale (0.67). The ICCs ranged from 0.88 to 1 indicating good to excellent reproducibility. In multitrait scaling analyses, the criterion for item convergent and divergent validity was satisfactory. The known-group comparison showed statistically significant differences between patients according to age, gender, stoma status, tumor location, and radiotherapy.

Conclusion: The Moroccan Arabic version of the EORTC QLQ-CR29 is a valid and reliable tool that can be used safely for research and clinical purposes in Moroccan CRC patients.

Compensated liver cirrhosis (CLC) is defined as cirrhosis with one or more decompensating events, such as ascites, variceal haemorrhage, or hepatic encephalopathy. Patients with CLC are largely asymptomatic with preserved hepatic function. The transition from CLC to decompensated cirrhosis occurs as a result of a complex interaction between multiple predisposing and precipitating factors. The first decompensation event in CLC patients is considered a significant turning point in the progression of cirrhosis, as it signals a drastic decline in median survival rates from 10-12 years to only 1-2 years. Furthermore, early cirrhosis has the potential to regress as liver fibrosis is a dynamic condition. With the advent of effective non-invasive tools for detecting hepatic fibrosis, more and more patients with CLC are currently being recognised. This offers clinicians a unique opportunity to properly manage such patients in order to achieve cirrhosis regression or, at the very least, prevent its progression. There are numerous emerging approaches for preventing or delaying decompensation in CLC patients. A growing body of evidence indicates that treating the underlying cause can lead to cirrhosis regression, and the use of non-selective beta-blockers can prevent decompensation by lowering portal hypertension. Additionally, addressing various cofactors (such as obesity, diabetes, dyslipidaemia, and alcoholism) and precipitating factors (such as infection, viral hepatitis, and hepatotoxic drugs) that have a detrimental impact on the natural course of cirrhosis may benefit patients with CLC. However, high-quality data must be generated through well-designed and adequately powered randomised clinical trials to validate these disease-modifying techniques for CLC patients. This article discussed the natural history of CLC, risk factors for its progression, and therapeutic approaches that could alter the trajectory of CLC evolution and improve outcomes.

Background: The anteromedial meniscofemoral ligament (AMMFL) is a very rare entity, commonly unrecognized and underreported. Although it was not proved to be a cause of anterior knee pain, concerns have been raised on the relationship between the presence of this structure and medial meniscus injury secondary to its abnormal motion. Regarding histologic examination, some studies have shown meniscus-like fibrocartilage, while others have identified it as ligament-like collagenous fibrous connective tissue.

Case summary: We report the case of a 34-year-old ballerina with an AMMFL associated with a torn medial meniscus of both knees. Surgery was performed to treat the meniscal injury and two biopsies of each AMMFL were taken in different locations to define the histopathological composition. Histologic examination revealed fibrocartilaginous tissue compatible with meniscus. Follow-up evaluation one year after surgery evidenced full remission of symptoms and the patient had resumed her athletic activities.

Conclusion: Clinical, magnetic resonance imaging, arthroscopic, and histological features have been carefully described to better characterize the AMMFL.

Background: Marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) is an indolent non-Hodgkin B cell lymphoma with various architectural pattern including perifollicular, follicular colonization, nodular, micronodular, and diffuse patterns. A sclerotic variant has not been previously reported and represents a diagnostic pitfall.

Case summary: A 66-year-old male developed left upper extremity swelling. Chest computed tomography (CT) in September 2020 showed 14 cm mass in left axilla. Needle core biopsy of axillary lymph node showed sclerotic tissue with atypical B lymphoid infiltrate but was non-diagnostic. Excisional biopsy was performed for diagnosis and showed extensive fibrosis and minor component of infiltrating B cells. Flow cytometry showed a small population of CD5-, CD10-, kappa restricted B cells. Monoclonal immunoglobulin heavy chain and light chain gene rearrangement were identified. Upon being diagnosed with MZL, patient was treated with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone and achieved complete remission by positron emission tomography/CT.

Conclusion: This is an important case report because by morphology this case could have easily been overlooked as non-specific fibrosis with chronic inflammation representing a significant diagnostic pitfall. Moreover, this constitutes a new architectural pattern. While sclerotic lymphomas have rarely been described (often misdiagnosed as retroperitoneal fibrosis), we do not know of any cases describing this architectural presentation of MZL.