Objective
To overview the systematic reviews/meta-analyses of efficacy of FNB used as a postoperative analgesic technique among patients undergoing TKR.
Methods
We electronically searched databases including The Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMbase, CNKI, WanFang Data and VIP from inception to July, 2016. Two reviewers independently screened literature and extracted data. AMSTAR tool was used to assess the methodological quality of included studies. The primary outcome was pain scores and the consumption of opoid medicine to evaluate the effectiveness of FNB.
Results
A total of 16 systematic reviews/meta-analyses were included, involving the FNBvs. LIA, PMDI, EA, PCA and ACB, respectively. The results of quality assessment indicated medium scores with 3 to 9 scores. The overviews’ results showed that: at rest, FNB was not superior to LIA at 6h after TKR; it was superior to PMDI at 12h after TKR; it was also superior to PCA and LIA, but not superior to ACB at 24h after TKR. On movement, FNB was superior to PCA and LIA at 24h after TKR; it was also superior to PCA at 48h after TKR. As to the consumption of opoid medicine, the consumption in FNB group was more than LIA group at 12h after TKR. In addition, the consumption in FNB group was less than PCA and LIA at 24h after TKR, and it was also less than PCA and ACB at 48h. The satisfaction of patients who received FNB was better than ACB, EA and PCA.
Conclusion
The current overview shows that FNB is more effective than PCA and LIA, the patients’ satisfaction is better. Due to the limitations of the quantity and quality of included studies, the above conclusions are needed to be verified by more studies.
Objective
To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Chinese medicine for the treatment of angina pectoris.
Methods
PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library (Issue 11, 2015), VIP, WanFang Data and CNKI databases were used to evaluate the curative effect and safety of proprietary Chinese medicine in the treatment of angina pectoris. The retrieval time was up to November 2015. Two reviewers screened literatures, extracted data and assessed the methodological quality of included studies, and then the GRADE evaluation system was used to assess the quality of evidence.
Results
A total of 42 systematic reviews/Meta-analysises were included in the study. There were 15 kinds of proprietary Chinese medicines, and the drugs published most were compound composite salvia. AMSTAR evaluation results showed that the quality of all studies were low. The main problems were: ① no consideration was given to the publication of the inclusion criteria (eg, gray literature); ② only the list of articles included in the study literature was not available; ③ all articles did not describe the relevant conflicts of interest. The results of GRADE systems showed that: ① as to the total effective rate: musk pills (RR=3.44, 95%CI 2.99 to 3.96,P=0.08) and suxiaojiuxin Pills (RR=4.25, 95% CI 3.31 to 5.47,P<0.01) were superior to Western medicine, and the level of evidence was very low. ② As to the ECG changes efficiency rate: Puerarin (RR=3.61, 95% CI 2.95 to 4.42,P=0.05), Musk pill (RR=2.48, 95%CI 2.12 to 2.91,P<0.01) and Shuxuening (RR=1.62, 95% CI 1.33 to1.97,P<0.01) were superior to Western medicine, and the evidence level was low. The level of evidence was low for the remaining effective rate of proprietary Chinese medicine; ③ as to the adverse reactions: the musk Baoxin pill (RR=0.05, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.37,P=0.04) was less than Western medicine, and the evidence level was low.
Conclusion
Although the number of systematic reviews of published proprietary Chinese medicines for angina pectoris is high, but the methodological quality and evidence level are low. There are serious defects in the low quality of the original research literature and the systematic evaluation method. We suggest future studies to improve for two aspects: ① reasonable design to reduce the selective bias, to carry out the required clinical trials to reduce the implementation bias, the implementation of multi-center, the sample size of sufficient randomized controlled clinical trials to reduce the number of patients into the group less resulting in the loss of bias, strict implementation of the standard data collection methods to reduce the occurrence of measurement bias; ② in accordance with the requirements of clinical trials to report to improve the report quality of the literature.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the risk of bias and reliability of conclusions of systematic reviews (SRs) of lung cancer screening.
MethodsWe searched PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library (Issue 2, 2016), Web of Knowledge, CBM, WanFang Data and CNKI to collect SRs of lung cancer screening from inception to February 29th, 2016. The ROBIS tool was applied to assess the risk of bias of included SRs, and then GRADE system was used for evidence quality assessment of outcomes of SRs.
ResultsA total of 11 SRs involving 5 outcomes (mortality, detection rate, survival rate, over-diagnosis and potential benefits and harms) were included. The results of risk of bias assessment by ROBIS tool showed:Two studies completely matched the 4 questions of phase 1. In the phase 2, 6 studies were low risk of bias in the including criteria field; 8 studies were low risk of bias in the literature search and screening field; 3 studies were low risk of bias in the data abstraction and quality assessment field; and 5 studies were low risk of bias in the data synthesis field. In the phase 3 of comprehensive risk of bias results, 5 studies were low risk. The results of evidence quality assessment by GRADE system showed:three studies had A level evidence on the outcome of mortality; 1 study had A level evidence on detection; 1 study had A level evidence on survival rate; 3 studies on over-diagnosis had C level evidence; and 2 studies on potential benefits and harms had B level evidence.
ConclusionThe risk of bias of SRs of lung cancer screening is totally modest; however, the evidence quality of outcomes of these SRs is totally low. Clinicians should cautiously use these evidence to make decision based on local situation.
ObjectiveTo overview the systematic reviews/meta-analyses (SRs/MAs) of efficacy and safety of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4) in treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).MethodsDatabase including The Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMbase, CBM, WanFang Data and CNKI were searched from inception to December 2016 to collect SRs/MAs of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of DPP-4 for the treatment of T2DM. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data, and evaluated the reporting and methodological qualities using the PRISMA checklist and the AMSTAR tool.ResultsTwenty-seven SRs/MAs of DPP-4 for the treatment of T2DM were included in this overview. The average score of AMSTAR was 7.04. The worst score were the item 1 (26 studies didn't provide an ‘a priori’ design), item 4 (10 studies didn't provide whether the status of publication used as an inclusion criterion?), item 10 and item 11 (15 studies didn't assess the likelihood of publication bias and the potential conflicts of interest). The PRISMA score ranged from 17.0 to 24.5. The main problems of reporting were protocol and registration, search, additional analyses and funding.ConclusionThe evidence shows that the reporting and methodological quality of the SRs/MAs of DPP-4 inhibitors for type 2 diabetes are not high.
ObjectiveTo re-evaluate the systematic review and meta-analysis (SR/MAs) of the efficacy of robot-assisted pedicle screw placement. MethodsThe CNKI, VIP, WanFang Data, SinoMed, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases were electronically searched to collect SR/MAs of robot-assisted pedicle screw placement from inception to April 28, 2023. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and then assessed the quality of reports, methodological quality, risk of bias, and the strength of evidence quality by using PRISMA, AMSTAR-Ⅱ, ROBIS, and GRADE tool. ResultsA total of 20 SR/MAs were included. The results of the included studies showed that robot-assisted pedicle screw placement was more accurate and had a lower number of complications compared with freehand pedicle screw placement. The quality of reports, methodology, and evidence for pedicle screw placement efficiency in all SR/MAs were low or extremely low, with a high risk of bias. The main reasons included high heterogeneity of included studies, unclear research methods and selection criteria, and missing key reporting processes. ConclusionRobot-assisted pedicle screw placement may have better clinical efficiency than traditional freehand pedicle screw placement. But the quality of relational SR/MAs is low.
Objective
To overview the systematic review(SR) of efficacy and safety of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in clostridium difficile infection (CDI).
Methods
PubMed, The Cochrane Library, EMbase, CNKI, VIP, WanFang Data databases and related website (http://scholar.google.com/) were electronically searched to collect SR and meta-analysis on FMT of CDI. The quality of collected documents and evidences were evaluated by OQAQ (Overview Quality Assessment Questionnaire) and GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation), respectively.
Results
Eleven SRs were included, in which 4 were completed by meta-analysis. The results of OQAQ showed that the score of one review was 2, the others SR received scores from 5 to 9. There were 9 SRs had reported the CDI clinical resolution rate (CRR), of which one SR showed CRR was 36.2%, and the others showed CRR were about 90%. Compared to upper gastrointestinal FMT, all studies showed lower gastrointestinal FMT (colonoscopy, enemas, etc.) had a higher CRR. The outcomes of selection and random fecal donor had no significant differences, and authors suggested that there should be made a standardization of donor screening table for safe fecal. Present evidence showed FMT were safety, and the majority of adverse events of FMT appeared to be mild, self-limiting and gastrointestinal in nature. The GRADE quality level of SR indicated from very low to moderate.
Conclusion
FMT, as a treatment for CDI, shows significant efficacy and safety, but need more high-level evidences because of its clinical translation difficulties. The study also give a reference to develop standardized clinical pathways of FMT to policy researchers.
ObjectiveTo overview the systematic reviews on the timing of different surgical interventions for severe multidrug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis patients.MethodsPubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, CBM, WanFang Data and CNKI databases were searched for systematic reviews about the timing of different surgical interventions for severe multidrug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis patients from inception to December, 2018. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data, evaluated the reporting and methodological qualities using the PRISMA checklist and the AMSTAR tool. After re-extraction of individual RCT data from included systematic reviews, meta-analysis was performed by Stata10.0 software.ResultsA total of 11 systematic reviews were included. The average methodological quality score was 8.13 in AMSTAR , the reporting quality score was from 19.5 to 25 in PRISMA. Re-performed meta-analysis showed that, the total success rate of operation was 93.3% (95%CI 92.9 to 93.8), the failure rate was 3.7% (95%CI 3.3 to 4.0), the mortality rate was 2.0% (95%CI 1.8 to 2.2), and the loss rate was 1.0% (95%CI 0.8 to 1.2). The cure rates of different surgical methods were all over 80%, among which single lobectomy (98.47%) and compound lobectomy (98.94%) had the higher cure rates than others. For the time of different surgical interventions, cure rate could be improved obviously in patients receiving surgery treatment after 1 months (OR=1.58, 95%CI 1.29 to 1.94, P=0.000 12), 1-8months (OR=1.66, 95%CI 1.30 to 2.12, P=0.000 05) and 9-24 months (OR=1.48, 95%CI 1.15 to 1.90, P=0.002) of anti-tuberculosis therapy compared with 0 month.There were significant differences between two groups.ConclusionCurrent evidence shows that operation is an effective way for severe multidrug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis. Operative opportunity should be selected after 1-24 months of anti-tuberculosis drug treatment when the operation time depending on whether the tuberculosis has turned negative or not. Operative mode should be decided by the location and the scope of the lesion, which ensures the maximum excision of lesions and retention of lung function.
ObjectiveTo retrieve and summarize the clinical studies on traditional Chinese medicine for heart failure prevention and treatment and to observe the distribution of evidence in the field of heart failure by using the method of evidence map.MethodsPubMed, Web of Science, EMbase, CNKI, WanFang Data and VIP databases were searched from January 2000 to January 2020. Clinical studies, systematic reviews, guidelines, and clinical pathways related to traditional Chinese medicine for heart failure prevention and treatment were included, and the distribution characteristics of evidence were analyzed by using charts and text descriptions.ResultsA total of 8 580 papers were included, including 8 398 clinical studies (6 821 randomized controlled trials, 1 109 non-randomized controlled trials and 468 observational studies), 160 systematic reviews, and 22 guidelines, expert consensus and pathway studies. The number of clinical studies domestically and abroad showed an overall growth trend. The sample size was concentrated in 60- 100 cases. Coronary atherosclerotic heart disease was the most common comorbidity of heart failure. AMSTAR scores of systematic reviews were primarily 4 to 8. The results of high-quality randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews showed that traditional Chinese medicine combined with conventional Western medicine in the treatment of heart failure had certain advantages in improving heart function, quality of life and prognosis.ConclusionsHigh-quality clinical studies show that traditional Chinese medicine has certain advantages in the efficacy and safety of heart failure prevention and treatment; however, few studies have high methodological quality. In the future, multi-center, large sample size, and high methodological quality clinical studies are needed to further explore the efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine therapy in the field of heart failure.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the method quality of systematic reviews/Meta analysis published in nursing journals.
MethodsWe retrieved Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Chinese academic literature online publishing pool and Chinese Scientific Journals Database (the duration was from the beginning to August, 2013). The systematic reviews and Meta analysis published in nursing journals were included, and were evaluated by 10 items in OQAQ (Oxman-Guyatt Overview Quality Assessment Questionnaire).
ResultsA total of 74 literatures were included in the analysis, including 17 systematic reviews and 57 Meta-analyses. It showed that the mean OQAQ score was 2.92±1.63. About 4.1%, 8.1%, 31.1%, 43.2%, 29.7%, 55.4%, 16.2%, 37.8%, and 60.8% studies stated literature research methods used to find evidence; had reasonably comprehensive search; avoided bias in the selection of studies by duplicate screening; reported the criteria used for assessing the validity of the included studies; concluded the findings by the data or analysis; provided a list of studies; assessed using appropriate criteria; reported the methods used to synthesis the findings; and combined the findings of the included studies appropriately.
ConclusionThe systematic reviews/Meta analysis of the overall quality in nursing field is low. The search strategy, inclusion and exclusion criteria, quality assessment and data analysis is particularly prominent, researchers should conduct rigorous methodological training.
ObjectiveTo overview the systematic reviews of dominant diseases of acupuncture in clinical efficacy.MethodsPubMed, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, CBM, VIP and WanFang Data databases were electronically searched to collect systematic reviews or meta-analyses of dominant diseases of acupuncture in clinical efficacy from inception to December 2020. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed the quality of the included studies. Then, Excel 2010 and VOS viewer were used for data analysis.ResultsA total of 263 systematic reviews were included. Acupuncture techniques involved electroacupuncture (n=29), point thread-embedding (n=25), dermal needle (n=15), acupoint injection (n=12), spoon needle (n=12), fire needle (n=8), laser (n=8), intradermal needle (n=5), filiform needle (n=4), pricking blood therapy (n=2) and round-sharp needle (n=1). A total of 94 kinds of diseases were identified, and their total effective rate ranged from 4% (bladder cancer) to 98% (bladder stones, renal colic), 72 kinds of which were above 85%.ConclusionsAcupuncture is currently widely used in clinical practice. Based on the clinical effectiveness evidence, this study finally identifies 94 types of dominant diseases. However, the total sample size and total effective rate vary considerably, and the types of acupuncture are not yet specified in this study, which requires to be focused in future research.