Aims Patients with anxiety disorders (AD) have been found to have lower heart rate variability (HRV) than healthy individuals in some studies, but this was inconsistent. Furthermore, the influence of distinct diagnoses, study design, and demographic factors on the results was not comprehensively examined. Methods We gathered studies comparing HRV in patients with AD and in healthy controls. The parasympathetic activity in the hierarchical order principle was adopted in the main analysis. We adopted the random effects model to calculate the standardized mean difference. Results Of the 7805 screened studies, 99 were included in the quantitative analysis, with a total of 4897 AD patients and 5559 controls finally entered the meta‐analysis. AD patients had a significantly lower resting‐state HRV for parasympathetic activity compared to control (Hedges' g = −0.3897). For the diagnostic subgroup analysis relative to the controls, resting‐state HRV was significantly lower in post‐traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and social anxiety disorder patients. HRV reactivity (all reactivity data, data on physiological challenge, and psychological challenge) did not show significant inter‐group differences between AD patients and healthy subjects. Conclusions The results supported that patients with AD had significantly lower resting‐state HRV than the healthy population, but no alterations were found for HRV reactivity.

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IntroductionParaquat poisoning can result in dysfunction of multiple organs, and pulmonary fibrosis with respiratory failure is the major cause of mortality. For terminally ill patients, some life-prolonging treatments can be non-beneficial treatments (NBT). The objective of this study was to determine if intubation is a NBT for patients with respiratory failure due to paraquat poisoning.MethodsThe study included 68 patients with respiratory failure due to paraquat poisoning. Patients were hospitalized at MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taitung Branch, Taiwan, between 2005 to April 2016. Composite outcomes of intra-hospital mortality, the rate of do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders, prescribed medications, length of stay, and medical costs were recorded and compared between the do-not-intubate (DNI) group and endotracheal intubation (EI) group.ResultsIntra-hospital mortality rate for the entire population was 100%. There were significantly more patients with DNR orders in the DNI group (P = 0.007). There were no differences in the length of hospital stay. However, patients in DNI group had significantly less vasopressor use and more morphine use, shorter time in the intensive care unit, and fewer medical costs.ConclusionThe procedure of intubation in patients with respiratory failure due to paraquat poisoning can be considered inappropriate life-prolonging treatment.

Purpose Association of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) with mortality has not been comprehensively explored in critical limb ischemia (CLI) patients. We investigated the association between the NLR and clinical outcomes in CLI. Materials and methods We retrospectively enrolled consecutive CLI patients between 1/1/2013 and 12/31/2018. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis determined NLR cutoffs for 1-year in-hospital, all-cause and cardiac-related mortality; major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs); and major adverse limb events (MALEs). Results Among 195 patients (age, 74.0 years, SD: 11.5; 51.8% male; body mass index, 23.4 kg/m2, SD: 4.2), 14.4% exhibited acute limb ischemia. After 1 year, patients with NLR>8 had higher in-hospital mortality (21.1% vs. 3.6%, P<0.001), all-cause mortality (54.4% vs. 13.8%, P<0.001), cardiac-related mortality (28.1% vs. 6.5%, P<0.001), MACE (29.8% vs. 13.0%, P = 0.008), and MALE (28.1% vs. 13.0%, P = 0.021) rates than those with NLR<8. In multivariate logistic regression, NLR≥8 was significantly associated with all-cause (P<0.001) and cardiac-related (adjusted HR: 5.286, 95% CI: 2.075–13.47, P<0.001) mortality, and NLR≥6 was significantly associated with MALEs (adjusted HR: 2.804, 95% CI: 1.292–6.088, P = 0.009). Each increase in the NLR was associated with increases in all-cause (adjusted HR: 1.028, 95% CI: 1.008–1.049, P = 0.007) and cardiac-related (adjusted HR:1.027, 95% CI: 0.998–1.057, P = 0.073) mortality but not in-hospital mortality or MACEs. Conclusion CLI patients with high NLRs had significantly higher risks of 1-year all-cause and cardiac-related mortality and MALEs. The NLR can be used for prognostic prediction in these patients.

The effects of non-invasive, non-convulsive electrical neuromodulation (NINCEN) on depression, anxiety and sleep disturbance are inconsistent in different studies. Previous meta-analyses on transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and cerebral electrotherapy stimulation (CES) suggested that these methods are effective on depression. However, not all types of NINECN were included; results on anxiety and sleep disturbance were lacking and the influence of different populations and treatment parameters was not completely analyzed. We searched PubMed, Embase, PsycInfo, PsycArticles and CINAHL before March 2021 and included published randomized clinical trials of all types of NINCEN for symptoms of depression, anxiety and sleep in clinical and non-clinical populations. Data were pooled using a random-effects model. The main outcome was change in the severity of depressive symptoms after NINCEN treatment. A total of 58 studies on NINCEN were included in the meta-analysis. Active tDCS showed a significant effect on depressive symptoms (Hedges' g = 0.544), anxiety (Hedges' g = 0.667) and response rate (odds ratio = 1.9594) compared to sham control. CES also had a significant effect on depression (Hedges' g = 0.654) and anxiety (Hedges' g = 0.711). For all types of NINCEN, active stimulation was significantly effective on depression, anxiety, sleep efficiency, sleep latency, total sleep time, etc. Our results showed that tDCS has significant effects on both depression and anxiety and that these effects are robust for different populations and treatment parameters. The rational expectation of the tDCS effect is ‘response’ rather than ‘remission’. CES also is effective for depression and anxiety, especially in patients with disorders of low severity.

Introduction: Cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) can measure atrial fibrillation (AF) early; however, the timing for administering antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) to suppress AF remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association between baseline values and changes after AAD in terms of relative reduction of AF burden (RRAB) and maximum AF duration (RRMD).Methods: This multicenter retrospective study screened all patients with nonpermanent AF who had dual-chamber pacemakers and only enrolled those receiving a naive AAD between September 2009 and December 2014. AF burden and maximum duration were calculated using CIED at 0 and 3 to 6 months after starting rhythm control. All the enrolled patients were divided into four groups according to baseline AF burden. RRAB and RRMD were monitored using CIEDs.Results: Overall, 145 eligible subjects received a naive AAD for nonpermanent AF.The mean RRAB in the four groups (AF burden <1%, 1%-4%, 4%-18%, and ≥18%) were −65.3%, −46.4%, −34.7%, and −27.9% (P = 0.005), respectively. Mean RRMD were −26.8%, −12.4%, 4.2%, and 6.0%, respectively (P = 0.006). Multivariate analysis revealed that the lowest baseline AF burden (<1%) was significantly associated with greater RRAB, which was not observed in the RRMD model. Conclusions:Lower baseline AF burden was associated with greater RRAB by AADs.Our finding suggests that rhythm control should be started in the early stage to achieve better responses to AADs.

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