Accuracy of individual signs and symptoms and case definitions for the diagnosis of influenza in different age groups: a systematic review with meta-analysis

Objective
The objective of this study is to perform a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of the accuracy of signs, symptoms and case definitions for the diagnosis of influenza.

Design
Systematic review and meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy.

Setting
Inpatient or outpatient setting.

Participants
Three databases (PubMed, CINAHL and EMBASE) were searched through February 2024 for studies of clinical diagnosis of influenza using prospective data collection and a high-quality reference standard. Data were abstracted by researchers working in parallel and resolving discrepancies by discussion.

Primary and secondary outcome measures
Quality was assessed using QUADAS-2. Summary estimates (or ranges) of sensitivity and specificity, likelihood ratio (LR), the Youden Index and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve were calculated.

Results
The final meta-analysis included 67 studies, each with between 119 and 155 866 participants. Most were judged to be low risk of bias. The signs and symptoms with the highest overall accuracy for all studies based on the Youden Index were any fever (0.32), overall clinical impression (0.28), coryza (0.25), cough and fever (0.25), and measured fever (0.25). Accuracy varied widely by age group. Only the overall clinical impression had a positive LR greater than 2.0. Cough was the most sensitive finding (0.92) with a negative LR of 0.28 in adults. The absence of any fever also had a low negative LR (0.30). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) definition of influenza-like illness (ILI) had good specificity but poor sensitivity in adults, while in infants, it had good sensitivity but widely varying specificity. The European CDC and WHO case definitions for ILI had modest sensitivity and specificity.

Conclusions
Individual signs and symptoms, their combinations, and ILI case definitions have very limited accuracy for identifying persons with influenza. More accurate surveillance and diagnosis will require the development and validation of accurate risk scores or greater use of point-of-care testing.

Leggi
Marzo 2025

Medicinal CANnabis (CBD/THC) to prevent the symptoms and side effects of chemotherapy in people with advanced CANcer (CANCAN): protocol for a phase II, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Introduction
Many chemotherapy agents used to treat advanced cancer are inherently mucotoxic, causing breakdown of the gastrointestinal mucosa (gastrointestinal mucositis (GI-M)) and lead to a constellation of secondary complications including diarrhoea, malnutrition, anorexia, pain, fatigue and sleep disturbances. These symptoms are usually managed individually, leading to polypharmacy and its associated risks. The endocannabinoid system regulates numerous biological and behavioural processes associated with chemotherapy side effects, suggesting its modulation could control these symptoms. Therefore, the CANnabinoids in CANcer (CANCAN) therapy trial is a phase II, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that aims to determine the efficacy of medicinal cannabis in minimising GI-M and its associated symptom burden.

Methods and analysis
The CANCAN trial is being conducted at four Australian sites: the Royal Adelaide Hospital, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Flinders Medical Centre and the Lyell McEwin Hospital. Adults (n=176) diagnosed with a solid tumour or a haematological cancer scheduled to receive mucotoxic chemotherapy will be eligible. Participants will be randomised 1:1 to receive either the investigational product (IP) or placebo, both delivered as sublingual wafers. The active IP contains cannabidiol (300 mg/day) and 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (5–20 mg/day, titrated by the participant). The primary outcome is GI-M burden, determined by the Mucositis Daily Questionnaire. Secondary and tertiary outcomes include overall symptom burden (Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale), anorexia (Average Functional Assessment of Anorexia/Cachexia Therapy), depression/anxiety (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), financial toxicity (Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy COmprehensive Score for financial Toxicity), quality of life (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Core Quality of Life Questionnaire), incidence of chemotherapy dose reductions/modifications, cumulative dose of chemotherapy administered, incidence/length of hospitalisation, the use of supportive care, and the cost-benefit of the IP. The CANCAN trial prioritises patient experiences by focusing on patient-reported outcome measures and administering medicinal cannabis during active treatment to prevent symptoms that occur secondary to mucositis.

Ethics and dissemination
The protocol has been approved by Central Adelaide Local Health Network Human Research Ethics Committee (2022HRE00037). All participants will be required to provide written or digitally authorised informed consent. Trial results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals, and at scientific conferences.

Trial registration number
ACTRN12622000419763.

Leggi
Marzo 2025

Effectiveness of hand-arm bimanual intensive therapy including lower extremities in the rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy: a systematic review protocol

Introduction
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a paediatric disorder with permanent impairment of movement and posture with a prevalence of about 2.11 in 1000 births in the world. Given the therapeutic effect of hand-arm bimanual intensive therapy including lower extremities (HABIT-ILE) in children with CP, a systematic review of the available literature on this topic is warranted. The objective of this study is to systematically review the effectiveness of HABIT-ILE on upper extremity, lower extremity and trunk outcomes within the domains of body functions and structures, activity and participation of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health in children with CP.

Methods and analysis
This study will be conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Searches will be conducted in six databases: MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, OT seeker and Web of Science for available published literature. The grey literature sources will include WorldCat, National Technical Information Service, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Open Grey, WHO and OpenDOAR. Manual searches of citations of included papers will be performed to collect all experimental studies of HABIT-ILE in children with CP. The level of evidence for included articles will be classified according to the level of evidence in the guidelines for systematic reviews on the American Occupational Therapy Association website. Based on the study design of the included articles, the risk of bias will be assessed using the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool, the Cochrane Risk Of Bias In Non-randomised Studies – of Interventions tool and the quality assessment tool recommended by the American Occupational Therapy Association. In order to synthesise the data, narrative synthesis will be used, along with meta-analysis, if available.

Ethics and dissemination
As this study only reviewed previously published articles, ethical approval was not required. The findings will be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

PROSPERO registration number
CRD42024518179.

Leggi
Marzo 2025

Health workers conceptualisationand experiences of common mental symptoms and work-related psychosocial stressors in Central and Southern Ethiopian regions: a qualitative study

Objectives
Despite the growing recognition of mental health challenges among health workers, limited information regarding their self-identification of common mental symptoms (CMSs) and their perceptions of causal pathways to work-related psychosocial stressors exists. This study aimed to explore how health workers recognise CMSs, perceive their exposure to work-related psychosocial stressors, conceptualise causal pathways, evaluate the impact of these stressors on the professional quality of life (PQoL), employ coping strategies and encounter barriers to mitigating stressors and seeking support.

Design and settings
Our study employed an interpretive and descriptive phenomenological approach, informed by theoretical frameworks. We conducted focus group discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews (IDIs) with purposely selected health workers between January and February 2023. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and translated into English. Data was processed and analysed using MAXQDA 2020 software, with thematic findings supported by illustrative participants’ quotations.

Participants
The study included 34 health workers who participated in 10 IDIs and three FGDs.

Results
Five themes emerged from the study, guided by combined theoretical frameworks: (1) conceptualisation of occupational stress, anxiety and depression symptoms; (2) exposure to work-related stressors; (3) perceived impact of work-related stressors on PQoL; (4) experiences with coping strategies; and (5) barriers to mitigating stressors and seeking support. Accordingly, our findings revealed a low self-identification with CMSs (SICMSs), an increased perception to link work-related stressors with CMSs and their negative impact on PQoL, limited use of adaptive coping strategies and the presence of multiple barriers to effective coping and support-seeking practices among health workers across the respective themes.

Conclusions
The findings of this study highlight the need for targeted interventions, including updated training on CMSs, addressing resource-related stressors, improving workplace communication and conflict resolution, enacting policy reforms to ensure equitable compensation and promoting adaptive coping strategies to enhance health workers’ mental well-being and their PQoL. Furthermore, we advocate for a more robust exploration of the perceived causal link supported by lived experiences of health workers with chronic occupational stress, occupational depression and occupational anxiety to provide stronger evidence using longitudinal qualitative and quantitative studies.

Leggi
Febbraio 2025

Combination Drug Therapy May Better Alleviate PTSD Symptoms Than SSRIs Alone

Currently, the only medications approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) sertraline and paroxetine. But a 2022 meta-analysis of drugs used for PTSD found that about 40% of patients don’t benefit from SSRIs. However, those living with PTSD who took a combination of sertraline and the antipsychotic brexpiprazole showed greater improvements in symptoms than those who took sertraline with a placebo.

Leggi
Febbraio 2025

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Approach May Improve Long COVID Symptoms, Boost Physical Function

Rehabilitation involving cognitive behavioral therapy could help improve functional capacity for those with post–COVID-19 condition, also known as long COVID, according to a randomized clinical trial published in JAMA Network Open. Patients who had undergone a brief outpatient program incorporating cognitive and behavioral approaches reported greater improvements in physical function after 1 year than those who had undergone rehabilitation care as usual.

Leggi
Febbraio 2025

Understanding the role of culture in shaping attitudes and beliefs on urinary incontinence: a scoping review protocol

Introduction
Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common condition among older adults with adverse consequences to health and well-being. Shame, stigma and cultural perspectives can prevent treatment-seeking behaviour. Although there is an abundance of studies in the health research literature that explore the physiological basis of UI, there is limited evidence on the role culture plays in shaping knowledge of, attitudes to and beliefs about UI. This review aims to answer what is known about the role of culture in shaping the attitudes and beliefs on UI to identify gaps in the literature and direct future research.

Methods and analysis
The Joanna Briggs Institute method for scoping reviews will be used to conduct the review, in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). The MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Cumulated Index in Nursing and Allied Health Literature, EBSCOhost, Scopus databases and WHO Index Medicus databases will be searched, without any restriction on language and publication date, enhancing the comprehensiveness and inclusivity of the review. A preliminary search of MEDLINE was conducted (09 February 2024) to identify articles. The screening and analysis of the search results from the databases will be managed using Covidence software. Two authors will screen articles, with a third involved as needed to resolve any differences. Findings will be organised using tables and key themes will be identified.

Ethics and dissemination
Formal ethics approval is not required for this review as it does not involve any human or animal participants. Findings will be disseminated in a high-impact peer-reviewed journal with a focus on open-access publication at conferences and used to inform studies on the development of culturally sensitive management programmes for UI with the full involvement of patients.

Trial registration
Open Science Framework https://osf.io/3d97f

Leggi
Febbraio 2025

Relationship between sleep disorders and depressive symptoms among young women in Japan: a web-based cross-sectional study

Objectives
Japanese people are known to get the least amount of sleep in the world, and in particular, the increase in sleep deprived young women is a serious problem. Sleep deprivation is considered to be associated with depression, but the factors involved in this problem are unclear. This study aimed to examine the association between sociodemographic factors, lifestyle choices, sleep-related characteristics and depressive symptoms in young Japanese women.

Design
Web-based cross-sectional study.

Participants
We distributed an online survey aiming to recruit young Japanese women ages 18 to 29 from 8 November 2022 to 2 February 2023.

Primary and secondary outcome measures
Sociodemographic, lifestyle, health, and sleep characteristics were compared among participants according to the presence or absence of depressive symptoms, as assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire 2 (Cut-off value: 3 points).

Results
Overall, 540 participants aged between 19 and 29 years were enrolled in the study. The overall prevalence of depressive symptoms was 15.6%. The group with depressive symptoms had a higher rate of current smoking status at 38.5% (unadjusted OR 3.716, 95% CI 1.624 to 8.502). Multiple logistic analyses revealed that depressive symptoms were associated with increased sleep onset latency (β=0.282; p=0.048; OR, 1.325; 95% CI, 1.003 to 1.752) and daytime dysfunction (β=0.550; p

Leggi
Febbraio 2025

Effect of sleep quality on the severity of perimenstrual symptoms in Japanese female students: a cross-sectional, online survey

Objectives
To investigate the relationship between sleep quality and perimenstrual symptoms among Japanese female students.

Design
Observational, cross-sectional, online survey

Setting
We used an online questionnaire to collate responses from Japanese female students on sleep quality and perimenstrual symptoms.

Participants
A total of 298 female students aged 18–25 years in Japan were included in this study.

Primary and secondary outcome measures
The Menstrual Distress Questionnaire (MDQ) was used to assess the severity of perimenstrual symptoms for three periods—premenstrual, menstrual and postmenstrual—and the Japanese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was used to assess sleep quality. The MDQ scores were compared between two groups (normal-sleep quality and low-sleep quality) using Mann-Whitney U test. In addition, multiple logistic regression analysis was performed, and the MDQ subscales that showed significant differences between the groups were used as independent variables. The MDQ subscale that was strongly associated with sleep quality was calculated.

Results
Of the female students, 160 were classified into the normal-sleep quality group and 138 into the low-sleep quality group. The total MDQ scores were significantly higher in the low-sleep quality group at all phases of the menstrual cycle (respectively p

Leggi
Febbraio 2025