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Background Older adults make up half of those with cancer and are prone to mood disorders, such as depression and severe anxiety, resulting in negative repercussions on their health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL). Educational interventions have been shown to reduce adverse psychological outcomes. We examined the effect of educational interventions on the severity of psychological outcomes in older adults with cancer (OAC) in the community. Method This PRISMA-adherent systematic review involved a search of PubMed, MedLine, Embase and PsycINFO for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated educational interventions impacting the severity of depression, anxiety and HRQOL in OAC. Random effects meta-analyses and meta-regressions were used for the primary analysis. Results Fifteen RCTs were included. Meta-analyses showed a statistically insignificant decrease in the severity of depression (SMD = −0.30, 95%CI: −0.69; 0.09), anxiety (SMD = −0.30, 95%CI: −0.73; 0.13) and improvement in overall HRQOL scores (SMD = 0.44, 95%CI: −0.16; 1.04). However, subgroup analyses revealed that these interventions were particularly effective in reducing the severity of depression and anxiety in specific groups, such as OAC aged 60–65, those with early-stage cancer, those with lung cancer and those treated with chemotherapy. A systematic review found that having attained a higher education and income level increased the efficacy of interventions in decreasing the severity of adverse psychological outcomes. Conclusion Although overall meta-analyses were statistically insignificant, subgroup meta-analyses highlighted a few specific subgroups that the educational interventions were effective for. Future interventions can be implemented to target these vulnerable groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a prevalent and complex gastrointestinal disorder characterized by chronic abdominal pain and altered bowel habits. Observational studies have suggested a relationship between serum vitamin D levels and IBS symptoms. This systematic review and meta‐analysis aimed to investigate the clinical effects of vitamin D supplementation on IBS symptom severity and quality of life (QoL) measures. Methods: Medline, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and The Cochrane Library databases were systematically searched. Data abstraction and quality assessment were conducted by four authors independently, and discrepancies were resolved through consensus from the senior author. Continuous data were pooled with standardized mean difference (SMD) using the DerSimonian and Laird's random‐effects model. Sensitivity analysis by risk of bias and potentially "predatory" publication were performed as well. Results: A total of 685 patients across eight studies were included in the meta‐analysis. Vitamin D supplementation significantly improved IBS symptom severity scale scores, with a SMD of −0.77 (95% confidence interval [CI] −1.47 to −0.07, P = 0.04, I2 = 91%). Improvements in IBS‐QoL scores were also observed, albeit not statistically significant (SMD 0.54; 95% CI −0.34 to 1.41, P = 0.15, I2 = 87%). However, small sample sizes, a relatively young study population, limited ethnicities, and varied vitamin D dosing strategies across the studies were notable limitations. Conclusions: Vitamin D supplementation could be part of our clinical armamentarium when managing IBS patients due to the potential efficacy and good safety profile. Further randomized, controlled trials are required to confirm the therapeutic effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How does artificial intelligence-aided colonoscopy help to improve adenoma detection rates? GLO:HWR/01dec22:ans17953-fig-0001.jpg PHOTO (COLOR): 1 AI-aided colonoscopy being performed by endoscopists. gl Societies such as the American and European Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE and ESGE) have acknowledged the diagnostic and therapeutic benefits of periodic colonoscopies. Since the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in various academic fields, the medical community has explored the usage of AI to improve current techniques and productivity in the domain of surgery.[1] Specifically in the field of gastrointestinal (GI) surgery, research has focused on machine learning or the usage of convoluted neural network algorithms to recognize changes in intestinal mucosal and vascular patterns for identification and characterization of polyps or cancer. [Extracted from the article]