Inappropriate antibiotic prescription for acute tonsillitis in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs): a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

Introduction
Tonsillitis is a self-limiting inflammatory process of the tonsils. In high-income countries, guidelines have been developed to decide if a patient needs an antibiotic or not. These guidelines help to reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions and prevent the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), medical practitioners have the tendency to prescribe antibiotics in all cases of tonsillitis; there is an overprescription of antibiotics. These prescriptions are probably unjustified and seem to be responsible for the increased AMR seen in developing countries. The aim of this review will be to estimate the proportion of unjustified antibiotic prescriptions in LMICs.

Methods and analysis
We will conduct a systematic review of all observational studies on the diagnosis and treatment of tonsillitis in LMICs. The selected database will include PubMed, Web of Sciences Global Index Medicus and the Grey literature. The search will include studies published from January 2012 until December 2024. Study selection will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, and bias will be assessed by a Risk of Bias Assessment Tool for observational studies by Hoy et al. A meta-analysis will be conducted for homogeneous studies, eventually using the random effect model. Subgroup analysis will include a period of study, study quality, countries and/or subregions of LMICs involved, study setting, age of participants, tools and definition used.

Ethics and dissemination
Formal ethical approval is not required, as primary data will not be collected. The results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and presented at scientific conferences.

PROSPERO registration number
CRD 42022384957

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Novembre 2024

Rivaroxaban for 18 Months Versus 6 Months in Patients With Cancer and Acute Low-Risk Pulmonary Embolism: An Open-Label, Multicenter, Randomized Clinical Trial (ONCO PE Trial)

Circulation, Ahead of Print. Background: The optimal duration of anticoagulation therapy for patients with cancer and acute low-risk pulmonary embolism (PE) is clinically relevant, but evidence is lacking. Prolonged anticoagulation therapy could have a potential benefit for prevention of thrombotic events; however, it could also increase the risk of bleeding.Methods: In a multicenter, open-label, adjudicator-blinded, randomized clinical trial at 32 institutions in Japan, we randomly assigned patients with cancer and acute low-risk PE of the simplified version of the Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index score of 1, in a 1:1 ratio, to receive either an 18-month or a 6-month rivaroxaban treatment. The primary end point was recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) at 18 months. The major secondary end point was major bleeding at 18 months according to the criteria of the International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis. The primary hypothesis was that an 18-month treatment was superior to a 6-month treatment in terms of the primary end point.Results: From February 2021 to March 2023, 179 patients were randomized, and after the exclusion of one patient who withdrew consent, 178 were included in the intention-to-treat population: 89 patients in the 18-month rivaroxaban group and 89 in the 6-month rivaroxaban group. The mean age was 65.7 years; 47% of the patients were men, and 12% had symptoms of PE at baseline. The primary end point of recurrent VTE occurred in 5 of the 89 patients (5.6%) in the 18-month rivaroxaban group and in 17 of the 89 (19.1%) in the 6-month rivaroxaban group (odds ratio, 0.25 [95% CI, 0.09–0.72];P=0.01). Among 22 recurrent VTE, 5 patients presented with a symptomatic recurrent VTE; recurrent PE occurred in 11 patients, including 2 with main and 4 with lobar PEs; and recurrent deep vein thrombosis was seen in 11 patients, including 3 with proximal deep vein thromboses. The major secondary end point of major bleeding occurred in 7 of the 89 patients (7.8 %) in the 18-month rivaroxaban group and in 5 of the 89 patients (5.6%) in the 6-month rivaroxaban group (odds ratio, 1.43 [95% CI, 0.44–4.70];P=0.55).Conclusions: In patients with cancer and acute low-risk PE of the simplified version of the Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index score of 1, the 18-month rivaroxaban treatment was superior to the 6-month rivaroxaban treatment with respect to recurrent VTE events.

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Novembre 2024

Does serum neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin level predict acute kidney injury in patients with acute rhabdomyolysis in the emergency department? A multicentre prospective study

Objectives
The major complication of rhabdomyolysis is acute kidney injury (AKI), which requires prompt treatment. Currently, few biomarkers are available for the early detection of AKI. Serum neutrophil gelatinase–associated lipocalin (NGAL) has been suggested as an early biomarker for renal ischemia. However, its capacity to predict AKI in patients presenting with rhabdomyolysis in the emergency department (ED) remains unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of NGAL to predict 48-hour AKI.

Design
Prospective, multicentre study.

Setting
Five adult EDs in France from August 2013 to December 2015.

Participants
NGAL levels were measured on ED admission in patients with rhabdomyolysis. A total of 197 patients were enrolled, and 189 (96%) were analysed, of whom 89 (47%) were women. Patients were included if they presented to the ED with rhabdomyolysis and a creatine phosphokinase (CPK) level above 1000 IU/L. Exclusion criteria were pregnancy, presentation with acute coronary syndrome, the need for iodinated contrast, chronic dialysis or recent use of nephrotoxic drugs (within 72 hours prior to the ED visit). Patients who withdrew consent or had AKI due to other causes were also excluded.

Primary and secondary outcome measures
The primary outcome was AKI at 48 hours, defined according to the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria. Secondary outcomes included in-hospital mortality, length of hospital stay, admission to intensive care and the need for renal replacement therapy.

Results
Overall, 54 (29%) patients developed AKI by day 2. The area under the ROC curve (AUC-ROC) for NGAL in predicting AKI on day 2 was 0.60 (95% CI 0.51 to 0.70), with an optimal cut-off of 129 ng/mL. The sensitivity was 0.65, and specificity was 0.50. After adjustment for CPK levels, age, sex and oxygen saturation, the AUC-ROC for predicting AKI on day 2 increased slightly to 0.64 (95% CI 0.54 to 0.74).

Conclusion
NGAL has limited ability to predict day 2 AKI in patients presenting with acute rhabdomyolysis in the ED.

Trail registration number
NCT01544231.
Comité de Protection des Personnes Sud Méditerranée III n°2011-A01059-32.

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Novembre 2024

Adherence to secondary antibiotic prophylaxis among patients with acute rheumatic fever and/or rheumatic heart disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives
Worldwide, a number of studies have been conducted to assess the prevalence of adherence to secondary antibiotic prophylaxis and to identify the associated factors (reasons) for poor adherence among patients with rheumatic heart disease or acute rheumatic fever (RHD/ARF). However, results were highly inconsistent with a prevalence ranging from 10% to 93%; and the reported reasons or associated factors have not been systematically reviewed. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of adherence to secondary antibiotic prophylaxis among patients with RHD/ARF; and to review the associated factors (reasons) for poor adherence.

Design
Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Data sources
PubMed/Medline, Google Scholar, Cochrane Review and African Journals Online databases.

Eligibility criteria
Articles published in English from 1 January 2005 to 1 December 2022 and reported the prevalence of adherence using ≥80% cut-off points were included.

Data extraction and synthesis
Data were extracted using the Microsoft Excel and analysed by STATA V.11.0. A meta-analysis was conducted using the weighted inverse-variance random-effects model. Reasons for poor adherence were identified through thematic analysis.

Results
33 articles with a total sample size of 7158 patients were included. The pooled prevalence of adherence to secondary antibiotic prophylaxis among patients with RHD/ARF was found to be 58.5% (95% CI: 48.2% to 68.7%; I2=99.2%; p

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Novembre 2024

Approach to Hospital Preparedness for Acute Surge Events Due to Emerging Infectious Diseases

To the Editor In the research and operations niche of hospital capacity strain and preparedness, although surges have historically been defined according to an unexpected large number of patients (eg, a mass casualty event), many have argued for a more nuanced definition that also includes any number of patients with high acuity (or higher acuity than the norm for the treating location) or with unique care needs (such as enhanced personal protective equipment or specialized personnel), or any isolated or simultaneous loss of resources (such as during a natural disaster), and any combination of these, locally or regionally.

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Novembre 2024

Short-chain fatty acids in patients with severe acute pancreatitis: friend or foe?

With great interest, we read the paper by Ammer-Hermenau et al, which features a multicentre microbiome study that included buccal and rectal samples taken at admission from 450 patients with acute pancreatitis.1 Severe acute pancreatitis was post hoc defined as persistent organ failure and/or collections that required drainage. These patients were propensity score matched with patients with mild acute pancreatitis. Remarkedly, over-representation of 10 known short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing bacteria was found in the severe group. The authors conclude that SCFAs might be associated with worse outcomes and speculate that the increased mortality that was observed in the intervention group of the Probiotics in Pancreatitis Trial (PROPATRIA) could be explained by SCFA producers in the probiotics formula.2 There are, however, some limitations to this study, and we believe the author’s statements are in need of nuance. First, the authors did not include a control group…

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Novembre 2024