Cardiovascular events caused by dyslipidemia are one of the leading causes of death in patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). Statins are the first line of treatment for patients with hyperlipidemia and in the treatment regimen for patients with CKD. Therefore, the introduction of Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin-Kexin type 9 inhibitors (PCSK9 inhibitors) is a viable and possibly effective treatment option for patients who, despite high doses of statins, struggle to lower their low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. Our paper's objective is to explore the safety of these biological agents, particularly in patients with varying stages of impaired kidney function, and the correlating effectiveness in lowering their LDL-C levels, thereby reducing cardiovascular risks in these patients.We methodically retrieved relevant articles from PubMed, PubMed Central, Medline, and Google scholar in April 2022. We used the Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) Strategy and used the relevant keyword, then applied our inclusion and exclusion criteria; the initial search gave 10,542 results; with the removal of duplicates, irrelevant articles, and application of quality assessments done, we finally included 15 papers for our review with 37,188 patients. PCSK9 inhibitors are reliable, safe, and efficient therapy in lowering LDL-C levels in patients with CKD. However, its safety and efficacy in severe and end-stage kidney disease are grey, as other factors such as infections lead to morbidity and mortality. Future trials on chronic kidney disease and PCSK9 inhibitors should investigate the inhibitors' ability to improve kidney functions at all stages of kidney disease while lowering lipid levels and finally analyze the safety in patients with end-stage kidney disease.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) represents one of the leading causes of chronic liver disease globally, perhaps because of the drastic increase in prevalence around the world during the last 20 years and continues growing. The disease starts from simple steatosis (NAFL) that can progress to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and, in some patients, progress to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The pathogenesis and pathophysiology of NAFLD are complex and involve different factors (genetic, metabolic, endocrinopathies, and others). One of the concerns that appeared in recent years is hypothyroidisminduced NAFLD. The pathogenesis is compound and not well understood, and an association between hypothyroidism and NAFLD remains controversial because of insufficient studies that can confirm it. More research is needed to determine the association between hypothyroidism and NAFLD and the underlying mechanisms. In this review, we will discuss a more in-depth analysis of the physiology of thyroid hormones (TH) as well as the pathophysiology of hypothyroidism-induced NAFLD and, based on the recent metaanalyses, the association of thyroid hormones and NAFLD.

Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is one of the leading causes of death globally. Rapid diagnosis of myocardial infarction (MI) will enable earlier initiation of the treatment and improve patient outcomes. Practice guidelines for non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes by the American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) had listed the diagnostic performance of absolute versus relative changes in evidence gaps. We aimed to address this evidence gap by examining the diagnostic accuracy of absolute versus relative changes in cardiac troponins at various time intervals in diagnosing MI. Grey literature, conference abstracts, animal studies, and reports published before 2009 and in languages other than English were excluded. We included reports that investigated absolute or relative changes in highly sensitive cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) or sensitive/highly sensitive cardiac troponin I (s/hs-cTnI) assays after specific time intervals (1, 2, or 3 h) in patients presenting with symptoms suggestive of the acute coronary syndrome. After screening, we arranged the reports in 12 separate groups based on the variables for which the data was reported. Quality assessment of the diagnostic accuracy studies-2 (QUADAS-2) was used to assess the risk of bias in the included studies. The weighted summary area under the curve (AUC) was calculated for each pool. We then performed two-sided (or two-tailed) tests to compare independent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. MedCalc version 20.106 (MedCalc Software Ltd., Ostend, Belgium) was used for all statistical analysis. We included eight reports with 23,450 patients in the meta-analysis. Weighted summary estimates and their respective 95% confidence intervals (CI) under random-effects model for ROC-AUC are as follows: absolute hs-cTnI at 1 h - 0.94 (95% CI: 0.922 to 0.959, p < 0.001); absolute hs-cTnT at 1 h - 0.921 (95% CI: 0.902 to 0.941, p < 0.001); absolute s/hs-cTnI at 2 h - 0.953 (95% CI: 0.926 to 0.980, p < 0.001); absolute hs-cTnT at 2 h 0.951 (95% CI: 0.940 to 0.962, p < 0.001); relative hs-cTnT at 2 h - 0.818 (95% CI: 0.733 to 0.903, p < 0.001); relative s/hs-cTnI at 2 h - 0.762 (95% CI: 0.726 to 0.798, p < 0.001); absolute hs-cTnI at 3 h - 0.967 (95% CI: 0.95 to 0.984, p < 0.001); absolute hs-cTnT at 3 h - 0.959 (95% CI: 0.950 to 0.968, p < 0.001); and relative hs-cTnT at 3 h - 0.926 (95% CI: 0.907 to 0.945, p < 0.001). P-values of comparison of absolute and relative changes are as follows: hs-cTnT at 1 h: <0.0001; hs-cTnI at 1 h: <0.0001; hs-cTnT at 2 h: 0.0024; s/hs-cTnI at 2 h: <0.0001; hs-cTnT at 3 h: 0.0022; and hs-cTnI at 3 h: 0.0005. Our analysis found absolute changes to be superior to relative changes in both hs-cTnT and s/hs-cTnI at 1, 2, and 3 h in the diagnosis of MI. There was no statistically significant difference in comparing s/hs-cTnI vs. hs-cTnT using absolute or relative changes at any time interval. Our findings suggest that future research investigating a potential 0 h/30 min algorithm should use absol...

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a globally rising chronic intestinal disease that affects individuals in many parts of the world. Immunosuppressive medications such as corticosteroids are used to manage flareups and to induce remission in IBD. Corticosteroids are said to cause several systemic symptoms, but they are also associated with drug-induced neuropsychiatric disorders. This article examines the existing data on psychiatric and cognitive effects associated with corticosteroid therapy in relation to IBD. Many studies have found that corticosteroids appear to cause mood disturbances such as mania, hypomania, depression, and cognitive problems in the first few weeks of therapy, but these effects are dose-dependent and often mild. The purpose of this literature review is to shed light on the impact corticosteroids can have on individuals' mental health, which will aid physicians in the future when treating patients with IBD. Healthcare professionals should advise patients of this risk and assess the need for intervention. While there is evidence that corticosteroids can elicit neuropsychiatric symptoms, more data on people with IBD who are on corticosteroid therapy is needed to determine the prevalence of glucocorticoid-induced mood changes in this population.

The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to compare the postoperative outcomes of robotic and laparoscopic colorectal resection for colorectal malignancy. We performed a systematic review using a comprehensive search strategy on several electronic databases (PubMed, PubMed Central, Medline, and Google Scholar) in April 2022. Postoperative outcomes of robotic versus laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer were compared using 12 end points. Observational studies, randomized controlled trials, and nonrandomized clinical trials comparing robotic and laparoscopic resection for colorectal cancer were included. The statistical analysis was performed using the risk ratio (RR) for categorical variables and the standardized mean differences (SMD) for continuous variables. Sixteen studies involving 2,318 patients were included. The difference in length of hospital stay was significantly shorter with robotic access (SMD = -0.10, 95% CI = -0.19, -0.01, P = 0.04, I 2 = 0%). Regarding intra-abdominal abscesses, the analysis showed an advantage in favor of the robotic group, but the result was not statically significant (RR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.28, 1.05, P = 0.07, I 2 = 0%). Mechanical obstruction was found to be higher in robotic group, favoring laparoscopic access, but was not significant (RR = 1.91, 95% CI = 0.95, 3.83, P = 0.07, I 2 = 0%). There was no difference in time to pass flatus and consume a soft diet. The rates of anastomotic leakage, ileus, wound infection, readmission, mortality, and incisional hernias were similar with both approaches. Robotic surgery for colorectal cancer is associated with a shorter hospital stay, with no differences in mortality and postoperative morbidity.