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Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are a form of cardiac therapy used to prevent death in patients at risk for sudden heart failure. Using 100 articles from the introduction of ICDs until now, a retrospective literature review was conducted. These studies were analyzed for sex disparity over the past 40 years. The difference in the number of male participants to female participants was statistically significant for both the earlier and later study groups (p = 0.0014 and p = 0.0004 respectively), indicating a significant and consistently lower number of females in ICD research over time. This review shows no significant difference in the sex disparity since the implementation of ICDs. Unfortunately, due to a gap in the literature, the reason for this disparity between the sexes in ICD literature can only be speculated. This disparity may be partly due to a lack of incentive and encouragement for women to participate in research.

Introduction The numerous drugs in the NSAID class are often used to treat acute postoperative pain associated with oral surgery such as impacted third-molar extractions. These drugs are effective in this setting and dental pain studies often serve as models for acute pain relief and for registration of analgesics. With numerous cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors available as monotherapy, for use in combination with analgesic regimens, and in different doses and formulations, it was our aim to determine if there were clear-cut distinctions among these products and dosing regimens. Areas Covered This is a literature review of recent randomized controlled clinical trials evaluating NSAIDs for use in postoperative pain management following oral surgery. Of particular interest were head-to-head studies, which might offer some insight into comparative effectiveness. Expert opinion Postoperative oral surgery pain is largely managed in real-world clinical practice using NSAIDs, either alone or in combination, and there is good evidence supporting their use especially in multimodal therapy. Head-to-head and comparative studies do not show a clear-cut ‘optimal NSAID’ in this setting, although ibuprofen, ketoprofen, dexketoprofen, and naproxen have gained most acceptance. Combination therapy with other analgesics or adjuvants is largely accepted.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) is a prevalent condition that can diminish health-related quality of life, cause functional deficits, and lead to patient distress. Rates of CPSP are higher for certain types of surgeries than others (thoracic, breast, or lower extremity amputations) but can occur after even uncomplicated minimally invasive procedures. CPSP has multiple mechanisms, but always starts as acute postsurgical pain, which involves inflammatory processes and may encompass direct or indirect neural injury. Risk factors for CPSP are largely known but many, such as female sex, younger age, or type of surgery, are not modifiable. The best strategy against CPSP is to quickly and effectively treat acute postoperative pain using a multimodal analgesic regimen that is safe, effective, and spares opioids. AREAS COVERED: This is a narrative review of the literature. EXPERT OPINION: Every surgical patient is at some risk for CPSP. Control of acute postoperative pain appears to be the most effective approach, but principles of good opioid stewardship should apply. The role of regional anesthetics as analgesics is gaining interest and may be appropriate for certain patients. Finally, patients should be better informed about their relative risk for CPSP.

The most common type of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia is idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), an irreversible, progressive disorder that has lately come into question for possible associations with COVID-19. With few geographical exceptions, IPF is a rare disease but its prevalence has been increasing markedly since before the pandemic. Environmental exposures are frequently implicated in IPF although genetic factors play a role as well. In IPF, healthy lung tissue is progressively replaced with an abnormal extracellular matrix that impedes normal alveolar function while, at the same time, natural repair mechanisms become dysregulated. While chronic viral infections are known risk factors for IPF, acute infections are not and the link to COVID-19 has not been established. Macrophagy may be a frontline defense against any number of inflammatory pulmonary diseases, and the inflammatory cascade that may occur in patients with COVID-19 may disrupt the activity of monocytes and macrophages in clearing up fibrosis and remodeling lung tissue. It is unclear if COVID-19 infection is a risk factor for IPF, but the two can occur in the same patient with complicating effects. In light of its increasing prevalence, further study of IPF and its diagnosis and treatment is warranted.

Introduction Guidelines recommend a number of pharmacotherapeutic options used as monotherapy or in combination with others for treating the pain of trigeminal neuropathy. Areas Covered The authors examine the pharmacotherapeutic options for treating trigeminal neuralgia and supporting evidence in the literature. Guidelines reported the most effective treatment for trigeminal neuropathy, in particular trigeminal neuralgia, appears to be carbamazepine or oxcabazepine, but side effects can be treatment limiting. Lamotrigine and gabapentin are also recommended in guidance. In real-world clinical practice, baclofen, cannabinoids, eslicarbazepine, levetiracetam, brivaracetam, lidocaine, misoprostol, opioids, phenytoin, fosphenytoin, pimozide, sodium valproate, sumatriptan, tizanidine, tocainide, tricyclic antidepressants, and vixotrigine are sometimes used, either as monotherapy or in combination. The relatively small patient population has limited the number of large-scale studies and there is limited evidence on which to base prescribing choices. Expert opinion While there is no optimal pharmacotherapy for treating trigeminal neuropathy, advancements in our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of this condition and drug development indicate promise for NaV inhibitors, despite the fact that not all patients respond to them and they may have potentially treatment-limiting side effects. Nevertheless, better understanding of NaV channels may be important avenues for future drug development for trigeminal neuropathy.

Neurological manifestations are increasingly reported in a subset of COVID-19 patients. Previous infections related to coronaviruses, namely Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) also appeared to have neurological effects on some patients. The viruses associated with COVID-19 like that of SARS enters the body via the ACE-2 receptors in the central nervous system, which causes the body to balance an immune response against potential damage to nonrenewable cells. A few rare cases of neurological sequelae of SARS and MERS have been reported. A growing body of evidence is accumulating that COVID-19, particularly in severe cases, may have neurological consequences although respiratory symptoms nearly always develop prior to neurological ones. Patients with preexisting neurological conditions may be at elevated risk for COVID-19-associated neurological symptoms. Neurological reports in COVID-19 patients have described encephalopathy, Guillain-Barre syndrome, myopathy, neuromuscular disorders, encephalitis, cephalgia, delirium, critical illness polyneuropathy, and others. Treating neurological symptoms can pose clinical challenges as drugs that suppress immune response may be contraindicated in COVID-19 patients. It is possible that in some COVID-19 patients, neurological symptoms are being overlooked or misinterpreted. To date, neurological manifestations of COVID-19 have been described largely within the disease trajectory and the long-term effects of such manifestations remain unknown.

Introduction The definition of nociplastic pain in 2016 has changed the way maladaptive chronic pain is viewed in that it may emerge without neural lesions or neural disease. Many endogenous and pharmacologic substances are being investigated for their role in treating the pain associated with neuronal plasticity. Areas Covered The authors review promising pharmacologic agents for the treatment of pain associated with maladaptive neuronal plasticity. The authors then provide the reader with their expert opinion and provide their perspectives for the future. Expert opinion An imbalance between the amplification of ascending pain signals and the poor activation of descending inhibitory signals may be at the root of many chronic pain syndromes. The inhibitory activity of noradrenaline reuptake may play a role in neuropathic and nociplastic analgesia. A better understanding of the brain's pain matrix, its signaling cascades, and the complex bidirectional communication between the immune system and the nervous system may help meet the urgent and unmet medical need for safe, effective chronic pain treatment, particularly for pain with a neuropathic and/or nociplastic component.

In this review, we evaluated the literature on the benefits and deleterious effects of digoxin in heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (EF). Although digoxin was considered an effective treatment for HF, the supporting evidence is conflicting. Before the conventional use of modern HF therapies, digoxin was widely used for symptomatic relief on these patients. Further randomized trials are required to reach a definite conclusion about its efficacy and safety in patients experiencing HF with a reduced EF (HFrEF).