Prevalence of hypertension and its risk factors among cotton textile workers in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of hypertension and its risk factors among adult cotton textile workers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

STUDY DESIGN

Systematic review.

METHODS

A review of English articles was performed between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2021, using the following databases: PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library. Studies that measure the prevalence and risk factors of hypertension among adult cotton textile workers in LMICs were included. Extraction of articles and quality assessment of included studies were performed independently by two authors using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool checklist.

RESULTS

Of 2476 titles screened after duplication, 50 studies were shortlisted for full-text review, and a total of 10 studies were included. Of those 10 studies, seven were carried out in India, one in Indonesia, Iraq, and Iran. Using Stata version 6, the pooled prevalence of hypertension among the cotton textile workers was 18.0% (95% confidence interval: 11.0-25.0, random effect model: I² = 97.12%). Classic risk factors, including age, family history of hypertension, alcohol consumption, body mass index, and high waist-to-hip ratio, were recounted, whereas peculiar to the settings, noise level, improper use of earplugs, duration of noise exposure, working duration, and working in weaving section were reported.

CONCLUSION

The limited available evidence indicates a significant prevalence of hypertension among cotton workers in LMICs. In the wave of double burden of non-communicable diseases in developing countries, considering context-specific risk factors is critical in controlling hypertension by prioritizing organizational plans and policies to optimize workers' health.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42020167175.

Discordance between fine-needle aspiration cytology and histopathology in patients with mucoepidermoid carcinoma of parotid gland

INTRODUCTION

Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is an important diagnostic tool used preoperatively for the diagnosis of parotid lump. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma comprises 5-10% of all salivary gland tumours. It poses a diagnostic challenge on FNAC with high false negative rate. The objective of this study was to evaluate the discordance between cytology/FNAC and histopathology in patients with mucoepidermoid carcinoma.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2014. Patients aged 18 years and above with FNAC or histopathology suggestive of mucoepidermoid carcinoma were identified. FNAC when compared with histology (gold standard) was classified into true positive (presence of mucoepidermoid carcinoma correctly diagnosed on FNAC), true negative (absence of mucoepidermoid carcinoma correctly diagnosed on FNAC), false positive (FNAC incorrectly diagnosed mucoepidermoid carcinoma), false negative (FNAC failed to diagnose mucoepidermoid carcinoma).

RESULTS

A total of 16 patients fulfilled our eligibility criteria. Seven cytological samples were true positive (ie correctly diagnosed mucoepidermoid carcinoma by FNAC), eight cytological specimens were false negative (ie could not pick up mucoepidermoid carcinoma on FNAC). One case was false positive on cytology (ie diagnosed mucoepidermoid carcinoma on FNAC but was reported to be Warthin's tumour on histopathology) and none were true negative.

CONCLUSION

FNAC is not reliable for diagnosis of mucoepidermoid carcinoma. More than 50% of our patients had discordant results between cytology and histology. We recommend a high index of suspicion for mucoepidermoid carcinoma given the poor yield of cytology.

Arthroscopic treatment of the hip in early and midstage degenerative joint disease

The purpose of this study was to present the technique of arthroscopic capsule release in patients with early and midstage degenerative joint disease of the hip. In 22 patients we performed an arthroscopic capsular release of the hip joint capsule with simultaneous synovectomy and percutaneous drilling of areas of bone edema. The age of the patient ranged from 28 to 65 years (mean 52 years). There were 14 male and 8 female patients. All patients had suffered from a significant reduction of quality of life. In 15 of the 22 patients hip arthroplasty was already indicated in another institution. The preoperative Harris hip Score of 12 patients was below 69 points, 8 patients had a score between 70 and 79 points and 2 patients had a score between 80 and 89 points. At the time of follow-up (mean 26 months after surgery) 1 patient scored below 69 points, 3 patients scored between 70 and 79 points in the Harris hip score. Two patients scored between 80 and 89 points and 16 patients reached a score between 90 and 100 points. Subjective and objective 18 of 22 patients showed clinical relevant improvement. There was no complication in this series. Four patients underwent hip arthroplasty between 6 months and 2 years after the arthroscopic procedure. Minimal invasive arthroscopic treatments seem to decrease the subjective and objective complaints in early and midstage degenerative arthritis of the hip.

Trouser-like stenting: a new technique for bifurcation lesions

We report on a new technique of stenting a bifurcation lesion. A manually bent 180 degrees hinged slotted tube stent was implanted using the kissing balloon technique (resembling two trouser legs). In addition, the proximal part of the main vessel was covered with a stent mounted on two balloons corresponding to the trousers' waist. This "trousers-like stent technique" ensures open accesses to both vessels not obstructed by stent struts and could be a promising solution for main bifurcation lesions.