Mathieson S, ). What proportion of patients with chronic noncancer pain are prescribed an opioid medicine? Systematic review and meta-regression of observational studies (Review). J Intern Med 2020; 287: 458-474.Guidelines now discourage opioid analgesics for chronic noncancer pain because the benefits frequently do not outweigh the harms. We aimed to determine the proportion of patients with chronic noncancer pain who are prescribed an opioid, the types prescribed and factors associated with prescribing. Database searches were conducted from inception to 29 October 2018 without language restrictions. We included observational studies of adults with chronic noncancer pain measuring opioid prescribing. Opioids were categorized as weak (e.g. codeine) or strong (e.g. oxycodone). Study quality was assessed using a risk of bias tool designed for observational studies measuring prevalence. Individual study results were pooled using a random-effects model. Meta-regression investigated study-level factors associated with prescribing (e.g. sampling year, geographic region as per World Health Organization). The overall evidence quality was assessed using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation criteria. Of the 42 studies (5,059,098 participants) identified, the majority (n = 28) were from the United States of America. Eleven studies were at low risk of bias. The pooled estimate of the proportion of patients with chronic noncancer pain prescribed opioids was 30.7% (95% CI 28.7% to 32.7%, n = 42 studies, moderate-quality evidence). Strong opioids were more frequently prescribed than weak (18.4% (95% CI 16.0-21.0%, n = 15 studies, low-quality evidence), versus 8.5% (95% CI 7.2-9.9%, n = 15 studies, low-quality evidence)). Meta-regression determined that opioid prescribing was associated with year of sampling (more prescribing in recent years) (P = 0.014) and not geographic region (P = 0.056). Opioid prescribing for patients with chronic noncancer pain is common and has increased over time.

The underutilization of anticoagulant medication in high-risk groups and over utilization in low-risk groups remains an ongoing issue in contemporary AF management, and it highlights the need to improve AF-related stroke prevention in our jurisdiction.

Objective To review studies examining the proportion of people with chronic noncancer pain who report consuming opioids and characteristics associated with their use. Design Systematic review. Methods We searched databases from inception to February 8, 2020, and conducted citation tracking. We included observational studies reporting the proportion of adults with chronic noncancer pain who used opioid analgesics. Opioids were categorized as weak (e.g., codeine) or strong (e.g., oxycodone). Study risk of bias was assessed, and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluations provided a summary of the overall quality. Results were pooled using a random-effects model. Meta-regression determined factors associated with opioid use. Results Sixty studies (N=3,961,739) reported data on opioid use in people with chronic noncancer pain from 1990 to 2017. Of these 46, 77% had moderate risk of bias. Opioid use was reported by 26.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 23.1–30.8; moderate-quality evidence) of people with chronic noncancer pain. The use of weak opioids (17.3%; 95% CI 11.9–24.4; moderate-quality evidence) was more common than the use of strong opioids (9.8%; 95% CI, 6.8–14.0; low-quality evidence). Meta-regression determined that opioid use was associated with geographic region (P=0.02; lower in Europe than North America), but not sampling year (P=0.77), setting (P=0.06), diagnosis (P=0.34), or disclosure of funding (P=0.77). Conclusions Our review summarized data from over 3.9 million people with chronic noncancer pain reporting their opioid use. Between 1990 and 2017, one-quarter of people with chronic noncancer pain reported taking opioids, and this proportion did not change over time.

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Endometrial and myometrial disruption or scar dehiscence may increase the risk of complications during and/or after pregnancy. Caesarean scar dehiscence (CSD) is life-threatening. It can lead to postpartum haemorrhage resulting in increased maternal morbidity or even death if not diagnosed and managed promptly [1]. Caesarean scar pregnancies are a form of rare ectopic pregnancy. They carry a high risk of uterine rupture with significant morbidity and potential loss of fertility [2].Transvaginal ultrasonography with high resolution transducers and sonohysterography has been recommended as the first choice for screening caesarean scar defect, as it is simple, non-invasive, low cost and has the same results as hysteroscopy [1,3]. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, transvaginal repair may be performed with a good post-operative anatomical result as first described by Khoshnow and Pardey [4]. This is a case report of a successful transvaginal reconstruction of a uterine scar followed by an uncomplicated pregnancy and birth.

Background Guidelines now discourage opioid analgesics for chronic non-cancer pain because the benefits frequently do not outweigh the harms. This review determined the proportion of patients with chronic non-cancer pain who are prescribed an opioid, the types prescribed, and factors associated with prescribing. Methods Database searches were conducted from inception to 29th October 2018 without restrictions. We included observational studies of adults with chronic non-cancer pain measuring opioid prescribing. Opioids were categorised as weak (e.g. codeine) or strong (e.g. oxycodone). Risk of bias assessed study quality. Results were pooled using a random-effects model. Meta-regression investigated study-level factors associated with prescribing. The overall evidence quality was assessed using GRADE criteria. Results Of the 42 studies (5,059,098 participants) included, majority (n = 28) from the United States of America. Eleven studies were at low risk of bias. The pooled estimate of the proportion of patients with chronic non-cancer pain prescribed opioids was 30.7% (95%CI 28.7% to 32.7%, 42 studies, moderate-quality evidence). Strong opioids were more frequently prescribed than weak (18.4% (95%CI 16.0% to 21.0%, n = 15 studies, low-quality evidence), versus 8.5% (95%CI 7.2% to 9.9%, n = 15 studies, low-quality evidence)). Meta-regression determined opioid prescribing was associated with year of sampling (more prescribing in recent years) (p = 0.014) and not geographic region (p = 0.056). Conclusions Opioid prescribing for patients with chronic non-cancer pain is common and has increased over time. Key message Opioid prescribing for patients with chronic non-cancer pain and has increased over time. This review is the first systematic review to synthesized such data.

To comprehend St Thomas Aquinas’ statement that, “A student should address themselves to logic before the other sciences, because it deals with their common procedure”[1] this essay argues that it is necessary to ask the question of whether one’s world view comes before science or whether science forms one’s world view. A world view that comes before science first requires understanding and logic to make a hypothesis which is to be confirmed through scientific experiment. If science forms one’s world view, however, conversely, scientific experiments create our logical thoughts and world view. This essay will analyse St Thomas Aquinas’ statement to argue that he is saying that logic comes before the other sciences.