Sternoclavicular Septic Arthritis Caused by Parvimonas micra and Fusobacterium nucleatum Infection with Intra-articular Corticosteroid Administration

Sternoclavicular septic arthritis is a rare form of septic arthritis that can lead to fatal complications, such as abscess formation and mediastinitis, in the absence of prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment. A man in his 40s presented with pain in the right sternoclavicular joint area, and after a joint injection of steroids was administered, he was diagnosed with septic sternoclavicular arthritis caused by Parvimonas micra and Fusobacterium nucleatum. Gram staining of a specimen obtained from the abscess formation area led to early suspicion of anaerobic infection, and appropriate antibiotics were administered.

Epley manoeuvre's efficacy for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) in primary-care and subspecialty settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Although previous studies have reported general inexperience with the Epley manoeuvre (EM) among general physicians, no report has evaluated the effect of EM on benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) in primary care by using point estimates or certainty of evidence. We conducted this systematic review and meta-analysis and clarified the efficacy of EM for BPPV, regardless of primary-care and subspecialty settings.

METHODS

Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised sham-controlled trials of EM for the treatment of posterior canal BPPV in primary-care and subspecialty settings. A primary-care setting was defined as a practice setting by general practitioners, primary-care doctors, or family doctors. A systematic search was conducted in January 2022 across databases, including Cochrane Central Resister of Controlled Trial, MEDLINE, Embase, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, and ClinicalTrials.gov. Primary outcomes were the disappearance of subjective symptoms (vertigo), negative findings (Dix-Hallpike test), and all adverse events. We evaluated the certainty of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach.

RESULTS

Twenty-seven randomised controlled trials were identified. In primary-care settings, EM reduced the subjective symptoms [risk ratio (RR), 3.14; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.96-5.02]; however, there was no applicable article for all adverse events. In the subspeciality setting, EM reduced the subjective symptoms (RR, 2.42; 95% CI, 1.64-3.56), resulting in an increase in negative findings (RR, 1.81; 95% CI, 1.40-2.34). The evidence exhibited uncertainty about the effect of EM on negative findings in primary-care settings and all adverse events in subspecialty settings.

CONCLUSIONS

Regardless of primary-care and subspecialty settings, EM for BPPV was effective. This study has shown the significance of performing EM for BPPV in primary-care settings. EM for BPPV in a primary-care setting may aid in preventing referrals to higher tertiary care facilities and hospitalisation for follow-up.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The study was registered in protocols.io (PROTOCOL INTEGER ID: 51,464) on July 11, 2021.

Clinical analysis of gender and pre-existing diabetes mellitus in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica: A retrospective study in a Japanese population

OBJECTIVE

This study clarifies the involvement of gender and pre-existing diabetes mellitus (DM) in the clinical characteristics of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR).

METHODS

The clinical records of patients diagnosed with PMR in our department between January 2011 and June 2021, especially in terms of gender and DM were retrospectively analysed.

RESULTS

We identified 89 patients with the median age of 75.37 cases were men and 52 cases were women. Pre-existing DM was found in 21 patients (23.6%). Male PMR patients exhibited a higher complication rate of pre-existing DM and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels at diagnosis (p = .04 and p < .01, respectively) than female patients, and men were more common in the patient group with pre-existing DM (p = .04). The CRP levels of male PMR patients without pre-existing DM were higher than female PMR patients without pre-existing DM.

CONCLUSION

Male PMR patients might have a varying pathophysiology from female patients in terms of high inflammation levels accompanied by a high prevalence rate of pre-existing DM and need a gender-specific approach.

Predictors of prolonged mechanical ventilation identified at an emergency visit for elderly people: A retrospective cohort study

The aim of this study was to determine the factors that are associated with prolonged mechanical ventilation in elderly patients.Retrospective cohort studySingle tertiary hospital in JapanWe retrospectively identified 228 patients aged 75 years or older who were admitted to a single tertiary care center in Japan between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2017 because of endogenous diseases and underwent mechanical ventilation.The primary outcome was extubation difficulty, which was defined as the need for mechanical ventilation for more than 14 days after intubation, reintubation within 72 hours after extubation, tracheotomy or extubation, or death within 14 days after intubation.A multivariate analysis showed that age (odds ratio [OR] = 0.95; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.66-1.38; P = .80), gender (OR = 0.56; 95%CI = 0.27-1.17; P = .13), body mass index (BMI) (OR = 1.05; 95%CI = 0.98-1.14; P = .16), smoking history (OR = 0.64; 95%CI = 0.29-1.41; P = .27), Activities of daily living (ADL) (OR = 0.95; 95%CI = 0.49-1.83; P = .87), and modified acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II score (OR = 1.02; 95%CI = 0.95-1.09; P = .61) were not statistically significantly different. However, there were statistically significant differences in extubation difficulty between patients with diabetes mellitus (OR = 2.3; 95%CI = 1.01-5.12; P = .04) and those with cardiovascular disease diagnosis on admission (OR = 0.31; 95%CI = 0.1-0.97; P = .04).Diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease diagnosis on admission were factors that were associated with prolonged mechanical ventilation in the elderly. The results of this study may help to support shared decision making with patients or surrogate decision makers at the start of intensive care in the elderly.

Admissions for ambulatory care sensitive conditions on rural islands and their association with patient experience: a multicentred prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVES

The rate of admissions for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs) is a key outcome indicator for primary care, and patient experience (PX) is a crucial process indicator. Studies have reported higher rates of admission for ACSCs in rural areas than in urban areas. Whether there is an association between admissions for ACSCs and PX in rural areas has not been examined. This study aimed to document admissions for ACSCs on Japanese rural islands, and assess whether there was an association between the rate of admissions for ACSCs and PX.

DESIGN

Multicentred, prospective, cohort study SETTING: This study was conducted on five rural islands in Okinawa, Japan.

PARTICIPANTS

The study participants were all island inhabitants aged 65 years or older.

PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES

This study examined the association between ACSCs and PX assessed by a questionnaire, the Japanese Version of Primary Care Assessment Tool. ACSCs were classified using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, and the rate of admissions for ACSCs in 1 year.

RESULTS

Of 1258 residents, 740 completed the questionnaire. This study documented 38 admissions for ACSCs (29 patients, males/females: 15/14, median age 81.9) that included congestive heart failure (11), pneumonia (7) and influenza (5). After adjusting for covariates and geographical clustering, admissions for ACSCs had a significant positive association with each patient's PX scores (OR per 1 SD increase=1.62, 95% CI 1.02-2.61).

CONCLUSIONS

Physicians serving rural areas need to stress the importance of preventive interventions for heart failure, pneumonia and influenza to reduce the number of admissions for ACSCs. Contrary to previous studies, our findings might be explained by close patient-doctor relationships on the rural islands.