Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of GnRH antagonist on vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET). Methods We searched CBMdisc (1979 to 2010), Wanfang (1994 to 2010), CNKI (1994 to 2010), VIP (1989 to 2010), PubMed (1997 to 2010), PML (1997 to 2010), FMJS (2000-2010), and 9 related journals to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the comparison between GnRH antagonist (GnRHA) and GnRH agonist (GnRHa). The quality of included trials was critically appraised. RevMan 4.2.7 software was used for statistical analysis. Results Six published RCTs involving 1 208 participants were included. Compared with the GnRHa group, stimulation duration in the GnRHA group was lower (WMD= –1.07, 95%CI –1.38 to –0.76), dose of gonadotrophins (Gns) in the GnRHA group was slightly lower (WMD= –0.49, 95%CI –1.63 to 0.66), endometrial thickness at the time of HCG administration was no significant difference in the two groups (WMD= –0.09, 95%CI –0.42 to 0.24), number of oocytes retrieved in the GnRHA group was lower (WMD= –1.80, 95%CI –2.48 to –1.12), OHSS rate in the GnRHA group was slightly lower (Peto OR= 0.77, 95%CI 0.35 to 1.72), pregnancy rate in the GnRHA group was slightly lower (Peto OR= 0.83, 95%CI 0.65 to 1.05), miscarraige rate as no significant difference in the two groups (Peto OR= 1.49, 95%CI 0.79 to 2.82). Conclusions Compared with GnRHa, GnRHA requires shorter stimulation duration and less Gn, less affected the pregnancy rate, and reduces the incidence of OHSS. The use of GnRHA in clinical practice is relatively flexible with good acceptability. GnRHA for the superovulation IVF-ET offers an alternative treatment. The above conclusion still needs more well-designed, multi-center, and large-scale RCTs to confirm and update.
ObjectiveTo assess the association of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene-460C/T and-634C/G polymorphism with diabetic retinopathy (DR) among patients in Asia and European by meta-analysis.
MethodsA systematic search of electronic databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, VIP, Wanfang technological, CNKI, etc.) was carried out until Jun, 2014. Case-control studies on the relationship between genetic polymorphism of VEGF-460C/T and VEGF-634C/G with diabetic retinopathy were included in this analysis. The data were quantitatively analyzed by RevMan 5.0 software after assessing the quality of included studies. The pooled odds ratios (OR) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to assess the strength of the association.
ResultsVEGF-460C/T (7 studies:899 cases and 786 controls) and VEGF-634C/G (10 studies:1615 cases and 1861 controls) were inclued in this meta-analysis. Significant association was found for-460C/T polymorphism in Aisa (C versus T:OR=1.52, 95%CI was, Z=3.72, P=0.0002; CC versus CT+TT:OR=1.61, 95%CI was[1.22, 1.90], Z=3.05, P=0.002; TT versus CT+CC:OR=0.64, 95%CI was[1.19, 2.19], Z=2.07, P=0.04), and VEGF-634CC gene type was associated with DR in European (OR=1.56, 95%CI[1.08, 2.25], Z=2.37, P=0.02). No significant publication bias was found.
ConclusionsThe meta-analysis demonstrated that DR was associated with VEGF-460C/T polymorphism in Asia, and C alleles and CC gene type was the risk polymorphism; VEGF-634C/G polymorphism was not associated with DR, but its CC genotype maybe the risk factor in European. Further case-control studies based on larger sample size are still needed, especially for-634C/G polymorphism.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect on complication after esophagectomy by comparing the different methods of anastomosis (cervical versus thoracic anastomosis).
MethodsWe searched the following databases including PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CBM, CNKI, VIP and Wanfang database to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of cervical versus thoracic anastomosis for esophagectomy patients from establishment of each database to October 30, 2014. Quality of the included RCT was evaluated. Meta-analysis was conducted by using RevMan 5.2 software.
ResultsWe finally identified 4 RCTs involving 267 patients. In terms of the postoperative complication, the incidence of anastomotic leakage (RR=3.83, 95%CI 1.70 to 8.63, P=0.001) with cervical anastomosis was significantly higher than that of the patients with thoracic anastomosis. However, there was no statistical difference in incidence of anastomotic stricture (RR=1.04, 95%CI 0.62 to 1.76, P=0.87), pulmonary complication (RR=0.73, 95%CI 0.27 to 1.91, P=0.52), and mortality (RR=0.89, 95%CI 0.40 to 1.97, P=0.77) between cervical and thoracic anastomosis.
ConclusionCompared with thoracic anastomosis, the method of cervical anastomosis is associated with a higher incidence of anastomotic leakage. But there are many unclear factors about anastomotic stricture, pulmonary complication and mortality, further measurement should be taken.
ObjectiveTo assesse the association of an insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism in the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene (ACE) with the risk and the mortality of acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
MethodsWe searched electronic databases through April 2014 for the terms "angiotensin-converting enzyme gene", "acute lung injury" and "acute respiratory distress syndrome", and reviewed all studies that reported the relationship of the I/D polymorphism in ACE with ALI/ARDS in adults. Eight studies met the inclusion criteria, comprising 498 ALI/ARDS patients, 3220 healthy controls and 1137 patients without ALI/ARDS. Three genetic models were used: the allele, dominant and recessive models. The meta-analysis was performed with RevMan 5.2 software.
ResultsThe ACE I/D polymorphism was not associated with susceptibility to ALI/ARDS compared with the healthy controls and the patient controls for any genetic model. The ACE I/D polymorphism was associated with the mortality risk of ALI/ARDS in Asian subjects, and OR was 2.99 (95% CI 1.87-4.76, P < 0.05), 0.36 (95% CI 0.20-0.67, P < 0.05), 4.62 (95% CI 1.71-12.45, P < 0.05) for allele I/D, genotype II/II+ID and genotype DD/II+ID, respectively.
ConclusionThere is a possible association between the ACE I/D polymorphism genotype and the mortality risk of ALI/ARDS in Asians.
Objective To assess the efficacy and safety of Sodium ferulate for diabetic kidney disease. Methods Based on the principles and methods of Cochrane systematic reviews, we searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Issue 4, 2008), MEDLINE (1996 to December 2008), EMbase (1980 to December 2008), CBMdisc (1990 to December 2008), CNKI (1994 to December 2008) and VIP (1989 to December 2008). And we also hand searched relevant journals and conference proceedings. We evaluated the risk of the bias of the included RCTs according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.0.1. The Cochrane Collaboration’s software RevMan 5.0 was used for meta-analysis. Results Thirty-nine RCTs were enrolled in the review, including 2 351 patients with type 2 diabetic kidney disease met the inclusion criteria. Most of these trials were small and of low quality with a high risk of bias. The results of meta-analysis showed that ① Sodium ferulate was better on attenuating UAER (WMD=–?42.92, 95%CI –?52.61 to –?33.23), 24 hours urinary protein (WMD=–?0.11, 95%CI –?0.16 to –?0.05), BUN (WMD=–?0.76, 95%CI –?1.04 to –?0.46) and Scr (WMD=–?8.38, 95%CI –?11.81 to –?4.94); Sodium ferulate was better on the regulation of FBG and 2 h-BG of clinical DKD (WMD= –?2.39, 95%CI –?3.23 to –?1.54), but not superior to routine treatment on the improvement of HbA1c (WMD= –?0.12, 95%CI –?0.27 to 0.02) and 2 h-BG of early DKD (WMD= –?0.22, 95%CI –?0.49 to 0.04); Sodium ferulate was better on the improvement of SBP and MAP, however, Sodium ferulate was not superior to routine treatment on the improvement of DBP; Sodium ferulate was better on the improvement of TC (WMD=–?0.70, 95%CI –?1.01 to –?0.39), HDL-c (WMD= 0.14, 95%CI 0.06 to 0.22) and TG of clinical DKD (WMD=–?0.96, 95%CI –?1.49 to –?0.43), but not superior to routine treatment on the improvement of TG of early DKD (WMD=–?0.12, 95%CI –?0.28 to 0.04); Sodium ferulate was better on the improvement of serum endothelin (WMD=–?18.72, 95%CI –?25.20 to –?12.23) and urinary endothelin (WMD=–?8.55, 95%CI –?10.92 to –?6.18). Only 8 studies mentioned sodium ferulate during treatment no adverse reactions or side effects, reportedly found in a study of mild and transient headache and a study of fatigue and dizziness. We have not seen the serious adverse events. Conclusions Current evidence demonstrates that Sodium ferulate has certain effect and relatively safe in treating patients with diabetic kidney disease.Due to the heterogeneity and the high risk of bias in included studies,the evidence is insufficient to determine the effect of sodium ferulate.Further large-scale trials are required to define the role of sodium ferulate in the treatment of DKD.
ObjectiveTo compare the effectiveness of antecolic duodenojejunostomy (ADJ) and retrocolic duodenojejunostomy (RDJ) after pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy (PPPD).
MethodsRandomized controlled trials (RCTs) of ADJ versus RDJ after PPPD were searched in Cochrane Library, PubMed database, Embase database, Web of Science, Chinese biomedicine database, CNKI database, VIP database, and Wanfang database from inception to April 2014, as well as Google. After quality assessment of RCTs according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version, Meta analysis was performed by RevMan 5.1 software.
ResultsFour RCTs of 462 patients in total were included in this Meta-analysis. The results of Meta-analysis showed that, there were no significant differences in the operation time (MD=14.02, 95% CI:-41.42-69.46, P=0.62), incidence of postoperative complications (RR=1.09, 95% CI:0.81-1.48, P=0.56), incidence of delayed gastric emptying (RR=0.63, 95% CI:0.31-1.28, P=0.20), incidence of pancreatic fistula (RR=1.13, 95% CI:0.72-1.75, P=0.60), incidence of abdominal abscess (RR=0.92, 95% CI:0.54-1.58, P=0.77), and mortality (RR=0.61, 95% CI:0.24-1.60, P=0.32) between ADJ group and RDJ group.
ConclusionsThe effectiveness of ADJ is similar with RDJ after PPPD, so the reconstruction way after PPPD can be routed according to the surgeon's preference.
Objective To systematically review the effectiveness of different therapies for chronic periapical lesion (CPL), such as different root canal surgeries and conventional root canal obturation. Methods The following databases such as The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMbase, VIP, CNKI, CMB and WanFang Data were searched to collect the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and concurrent controlled trials (CCTs) on CPL treated by both conventional root canal obturation and different root canal surgeries such as periapical curettage, retrograde obturation and apicoectomy. The references of the included studies were also retrieved, and the retrieval time was from inception to October 2012. Two reviewers independently screened the literature according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted the data, and assessed the quality. Then after cross-checking, the meta-analyses were performed by using RevMan 5.0 software. Results A total of 7 RCTs and 11 CCTs involving 1 663 patients were included. Among all 1 727 teeth, 1 661 met the inclusion criteria which contained 1 151 in the root canal surgeries groups, and 510 in the conventional groups. The methodological quality of all included studies was low. The results of meta-analysis showed that, in general, different root canal surgeries plus conventional root canal obturation were more effective than root canal obturation alone (RR=1.12, 95%CI 1.08 to 1.18, Plt;0.000 01). The results of sub-group analysis revealed that, the total effective rate of both retrograde obturation (RR=1.3, 95% CI 1.15 to 1.46, Plt;0.000 1) and apicoectomy (RR=1.23, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.46, P=0.02) was superior to that of periapical curettage, with significant differences in both sub-groups. But retrograde obturation took similar effect as apicoectomy did, without a significant difference (RR=0.96, 95% CI 0.83 to 1.11, P=0.61). Conclusion This systematic review suggests that, root canal obturation plus root canal surgeries is superior to root canal obturation alone in treating chronic periapical lesions. The comparison among different root canal surgeries reveals that, both apicoectomy and retrograde obturation are superior to periapical curettage. For the quantity and quality limitation of the included studies, additionally, the possibly existing bias because it is difficult to conduct surgeon and patient blind methods in root canal obturation and root canal surgeries in clinic, so the above conclusion has to be further proved by performing more well-designed and high quality RCTs.
ObjectiveTo systematically review the correlation between mTOR protein expression and different clinical pathological features as well as the response to radiotherapy and chemotherapy of cervical cancer.
MethodsWe electronically searched databases including The Cochrane Library (Issue 1, 2015), PubMed, EMbase, CNKI, CBM, VIP and WanFang Data from inception to April 2015 to collect case-control studies investigating the correlation between mTOR protein expression and different clinical pathological features as well as the response to radiotherapy and chemotherapy of cervical cancer. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed the risk bias of the included studies. Then meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.2 software.
ResultsA total of 8 case-control studies involving 591 patients were included. Among these cases, 365 cases were in the cervical cancer group, 135 cases were in the cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) group, and 91 cases were in the normal cervix tissue group. The results of meta-analysis showed that:(1) Compared with the normal cervix tissue group, mTOR protein was overexpressed in the cervical cancer group (OR=24.14, 95%CI 4.47 to 130.35, P=0.000 2) and the CIN group (OR=4.71, 95%CI 2.15 to 10.33, P=0.000 1); Compared with the CIN group, mTOR protein was overexpressed in the cervical cancer group (OR=5.12, 95%CI 2.96 to 8.86, P<0.000 01). (2) Compared with the non-lymphnode-metastasis group, mTOR protein was overexpressed in the lymph node metastasis group (OR=3.29, 95%CI 1.61 to 6.69, P=0.001); Compared with the FIGO I group, mTOR protein was overexpressed in the FIGO Ⅱ group (OR=3.00, 95%CI 1.49 to 6.04, P=0.002); Compared with the radiotherapy and chemotherapy responsive group, mTOR protein was overexpressed in the non-response group (OR=15.64, 95%CI 3.17 to 77.15, P=0.000 7). In addition, there was no significant difference between the medium/high differentiation group and low differentiation group (OR=1.70, 95%CI 0.75 to 3.81, P=0.20).
ConclusionmTOR protein expression is associated with cervical cancer, and mTOR protein overexpression was associated with lymph node metastasis, higher FIGO and non-response to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Due to the limited quantity and quality of the included studies, the above conclusion needs to be further verified by more high quality studies.
Meta-analysis has been regarded as the critical tool of assisting the healthcare professionals to make decisions. And the theory of evidence-based medicine is widely disseminated in domestic. However, it must be noted that the increasing number of meta-analyses causes a fact that several meta-analyses investigating the same or similar clinical questions were captured commonly. More importantly, the results from these meta-analyses are often conflicting. Consequently, decision-making of those healthcare professionals who depend on those results become a thorny thing. To address this issue, Jadad et al. from McMaster University proposed an adjunct algorithm to help healthcare professionals to select the best result from conflicting meta-analyses to make decisions properly. Our article will introduce the tool briefly and explain the process of it with an example.
Objective To systematically evaluate the effect of epidural analgesia on prognosis after intestinal surgery. Methods Such databases as PubMed, EBSCO, Springer, Ovid and CNKI were searched to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about the effects of epidural analgesia on prognosis after intestinal surgery published from 1985 to 2010. The methodological quality of the included RCTs was assessed and the data was extracted according to the Cochrane Handbook, and then the meta-analyses were conducted by using RevMan 5.0 software. Results Ten RCTs involving 506 patients were included. The results of meta-analyses showed that compared with the patient controlled analgesia (PCA), the patient controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) significantly reduced the waiting time for having first flatus, first defecation, and the length of hospital stay (MD= –1.07, 95%CI –1.63 to –0.50; MD= –0.63, 95%CI –1.19 to –0.08; MD= –1.36, 95%CI –2.28 to –0.44; respectively), lowered the frequency of vomiting on the first and second day after operation (OR=0.33, 95%CI 0.13 to 0.82; OR=0.3, 95%CI 0.13 to 0.84; respectively), and obviously declined the visual analog scale (VAS) scores of rest pain on the first, second and third day after operation (MD= –26.60, 95%CI –33.06 to –20.15; MD= –25.98, 95%CI –30.98 to –20.97; MD= –15.59, 95%CI –27.29 to –3.88; respectively), and the VAS scores of motion pain on the first, second and third day after operation (MD= –26.00, 95%CI –36.00 to –16.00; MD= –27.89, 95%CI –35.70 to –20.08; MD= –11.79, 95%CI –21.28 to –2.30; respectively). There were no significant differences between the two groups in the incidence of urinary tract infection, urinary retention, anastomotic leak and ileus. Conclusion PCEA significantly reduces the waiting time for having first flatus and first feces, the length of hospital stay, the VAS scores of pain, and the incidence of postoperative vomiting.
