ObjectiveTo systematically review the effects of aminophylline combined with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the treatment of asthma. MethodsDatabases including The Cochrane Library(Issue 1, 2015), PubMed, EMbase, CNKI, VIP and WanFang Data databases were electronically searched from January 2005 to December 2014 to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about the treatment of bronchial asthma combining aminophylline with TCM. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of included studies. Then, meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software. ResultsA total of 10 RCTs involving 820 participants were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that: The total clinical effective rate in the aminophylline plus TCM group was higher than that of the aminophylline alone group (RR=1.22, 95%CI 1.11 to 1.33). The FEV1 in the aminophylline plus TCM group was also higher than that of the aminophylline alone group (MD=0.53, 95%CI 0.33 to 0.73). ConclusionCurrent evidence shows, the total clinical effective rate of aminophylline combined with TCM for asthma is better than that of aminophylline alone, and its mechanism may be related to the improvement of FEV1. Due to the limited quantity and quality of included studies, the above conclusion needs to be further verified by more high quality studies.
ObjectiveTo systematically review the efficacy and safety of intravenous calcium infusion for preventing ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). MethodsDatabases including PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library (Issue 7, 2015), CNKI, Sinomed and WanFang Data were searched from inception to July 2015 to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs about intravenous calcium infusion for OHSS. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of included studies. Then, meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software. ResultsA total of six studies involving 1 061 women were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that intravenous calcium infusion could reduce the incidence of moderate OHSS (RR=0.27, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.65, P=0.003), but not the incidence of severe OHSS (RR=0.77, 95% CI 0.23 to 2.63, P=0.68). In addition, intravenous calcium infusion had a tendency to increase the pregnant rate (RR=1.19, 95% CI 0.94 to 1.50, P=0.15). The subgroup analysis showed that, compared with placebo/no treatment, intravenous calcium infusion reduced the incidence of moderate OHSS, but not the incidence of severe OHSS. There were no statistical differences between intravenous calcium infusion and other positive control (cabergoline and hydroxyethyl starch) in the incidence of OHSS and pregnant rate. No side effect was reported in the studies included. ConclusionsCurrent evidence indicates that intravenous calcium infusion can reduce the incidence of OHSS without influence pregnant outcomes. Due to the quantity and quality limitations of included studies, more high quality case-control or cohort studies are needed to verify the above conclusions.
Objective To identify and investigate the quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in 11 non-key Chinese medical journals so as to learn about the current status and problems. Methods Eleven non-key medical journals of TCM from 1995 to 2000 were hand searched to identify the RCT and controlled clinical trials (CCTs). Each identified RCT or CCT was page by page verified by handsearchers based on the criteria developed by the Cochrane Handbook; the RCTs’ design, randomization method description, blind, baseline comparison, inclusion and exclusion criteria, diagnostic criteria,criteria for theraputic effectiveness, sample size, statistical method，described outcome, side effects, and follow up etc. were analyzed. Results In the related journals from 1995 to 2000, a total of 66 volumes and 390 issues were checked. As a result, 22 739 clinical studies were identified, of which 1 416 RCTs, only 24 (1.69%) were done with double blinding. There were 141 CCTs from 1995 to 2000, the total number of RCT increased from 95 to 1 416 and most of studies were on digestives diseases. Most of these studies had no detailed randomization method description, only 38 (2.68%) studies provided a methodology description. In addition, 1 220 (86.16% ) described outcome index, 1 203 (84.96%) used statistical method，934 (65.96%) had baseline comparison，828 (58.47%) described diagnostic criteria, 197 (13.91%) had inclusion and exclusion criteria，finally only 89 (6.29%) reported side effects. Conclusions Although the number of RCT has increased in the 11 non-key medical journals of TCM in the past six years, the quality of these RCTs needs to be improved.
Objective To determine the effects of controlled hypotension (CH) on cerebra1 blood flow, cerebra1metabolism, and cognitive functions. Methods Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified from MEDLINE (1966 to 2008), EMbase (1974 to 2008), The Cochrane Library (Issue 2, 2008), CBM (1978 to 2008), and CNKI (1994 to 2008). The quality of included trials was assessed by two reviewers independently. RevMan 4.2.7 software provided by The Cochrane Collaboration was used for statistical analysis. Results Nine RCTs involving a total of 295 patients were included. Most of the studies were of poor methodological quality. Meta-analysis was performed because the outcomes were the comparisons of the means of several repeated measures, and so a descriptive analysis was conducted. There were no significant differences in cerebral blood flow velocity, hypoxia-induced metabolites, and cognitive function between the CH group and the control group (Plt;0.05). But the S100B protein level in cerebrospinal fluid or blood was significantly higher in the CH group than that in the control group (Plt;0.02). Conclusion CH has no adverse effects on cerebra1 blood flow, cerebra1 metabolism, or cognitive functions. But isoflurane-induced hypotension may increase the release of S100B, indicating worse brain injury. The above conclusions were made from the limited evidence, and more rigorous RCTs are needed.
Objective To develop a new tissue engineering bone material which has an antiinfective function. Methods Collagen loaded bio-derived bone material was made by using type I collagen and allograft bone. WO-1was absorbed to collagen loaded bio-derived bone, then the morphological feature of the new bone material was observed by scanning electronic microscopy.3 H tetracycline was diluted by WO-1 solution, and was absorbed to collagen loaded bio-derived bone，then the releasing kinetics of WO-1 was detected by 3 Htetracycline in vitro. WO-1 bioderived bone material was grafted into a culturemedium with staphylococcus aureus, escherichia coli, and pseudomonas aeruginosato observe its bacteriostasis ability. WO-1 bio-derived bone material was grafted into radius of defected rabbits, the concentration of WO-1 was detected onthe 9th, 16th, 23th, and 30th day byHLPC in blood, in bone and in muscle. The bacteriostasis ability of WO-1 loaded bio-derived bone was tested in vitro and in vivo. Results WO-1 loaded bioderived bone maintained natural network pore system and the surface of network pore system was coated with collagen membrane. The release of WO-1 from WO-1 loaded bioderived bone showed bursting release on the 1st day, then showed stable release. WO-1 loaded bioderived bone showed lasting and stable bacteriostasis to common pathogens of orthopaedic infections. The high concentration of WO-1 was observed in bone tissue and in muscle tissue at differenttime points and the difference among groups had no significance（P＞0.05）, while the concentration of WO-1 in blood was very low（P＜0.05). Conclusion WO-1 loaded bioderived bone has good capability of drug controlled-release and bacteriostasis.
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.
Objective To assess the effectiveness of bariatric surgery for obese type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Mainland China. Methods Such databases as the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Issue 2, 2012), MEDLINE (1990 to February 2012), EMbase (1990 to February 2012), CBM (1990 to February 2012), CNKI (1990 to February 2012), WanFang Data (1999 to February 2012) and VIP (1996 to February 2012) were searched, and the references of the included literature were also retrieved. The studies were screened according to the predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, the data were extracted, the quality was evaluated, and then the meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.2 software. Results A total of 6 controlled before-and-after studies involving 100 patients were included. The overall quality of all literature was as low as grade C. The results of meta-analysis showed that the following indexes after operation obviously decreased than before: 1-month postoperative fasting plasma glucose (MD= –2.27, 95%CI ?4.12 to ?0.42, P=0.02), 6-month postoperative fasting plasma glucose (MD= ?2.73, 95%CI ?2.91 to 2.56, Plt;0.000 01), and 6-month postoperative glycated hemoglobin (SMD= ?1.97, 95%CI ?2.98 to ?0.96, P=0.000 1), and the differences were statistically significant. The sensitivity analysis indicated the results of meta-analysis were credible and stable, but the funnel-plot analysis displayed publication bias might exist in the included studies. Conclusion Current studies show that bariatric surgery is effective for obese T2DM patients in mainland China. However, due to small sample size and low methodological quality of the included studies, its effect has to be proved by high quality, large sample, and long follow-up studies.
ObjectiveTo systematically review the efficacy of dexmedetomidine for controlled hypotension in orthognathic surgery. MethodsThe PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, VIP and WanFang Data databases were electronically searched to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on dexmedetomidine for controlled hypotension in orthognathic surgery from inception to May, 2024. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of included studies. Meta-analysis was then performed by using RevMan 5.4 software. ResultsA total of 8 RCTs involving 371 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that the operation time of dexmedetomidine group was not significantly different from that of hypotensive drug group, but was shorter than that of saline group (MD=?23.20, 95%CI ?44.05 to ?2.35, P=0.03). There were no statistically significant differences in the mean arterial pressure and the intraoperative blood loss between dexmedetomidine group and the control group. Compared with those in the control group, the heart rate (MD=?18.78, 95%CI ?30.80 to ?6.77, P=0.002) and the incidence of postoperative adverse events (OR=0.25, 95%CI 0.08 to 0.76, P=0.01) in dexmedetomidine group were less than those in the control group significantly. ConclusionCurrent evidence shows that dexmedetomidine can be used effectively for controlled hypotension in orthognathic surgery. Due to the limited quality and quantity of the included studies, more high-quality studies are needed to verify above conclusion.
ObjectiveTo assess the prognostic significance of the Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its association with clinicopathological characteristics. MethodsThe relevant studies investigating the association between CONUT score and prognosis of NSCLC patients were systematically searched in the PubMed, Web of Science, EMbase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang Database and other databases from their inception to July 2023. Two independent researchers screened the references according to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted data and conducted quality assessment. The quality of included references was evaluated using New Castle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). The meta-analysis was performed using Stata 17.0 software, and a combined hazard ratio (HR) or odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated to assess the association of CONUT score with prognosis and clinicopathological characteristics in NSCLC patients. ResultsA total of 17 cohort studies, comprising 5182 NSCLC patients with stage Ⅰ-Ⅳ, were included in this analysis. All studies had a NOS≥6 points. The meta-analysis showed that there was a significant correlation between CONUT score and overall survival (OS) as well as disease-free survival (DFS) among NSCLC patients: the higher the score, the shorter the OS [HR=1.87, 95%CI (1.58, 2.21), P<0.001] and DFS [HR=1.91, 95%CI (1.63, 2.24), P<0.001]. These differences were statistically significant. Furthermore, CONUT score was significantly associated with age, smoking status, tumor stage, and N stage (P<0.05). ConclusionA higher CONUT score is associated with a poorer OS and DFS in patients with NSCLC, and CONUT score can be used as a potential predictor of NSCLC prognosis.
ObjectiveTo investigate the feasibility and clinical effect of controlled hypotension in 3 cm single-port video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for the lymph node group 7 dissection in the left lung resection. MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 37 patients with lung cancer who underwent 3 cm single-port VATS from May 2015 to August 2015 in Tongji Hospital, and systolic blood pressure of 12 patients (7 males, 5 females, average age of 58.3 years, range 42-69 years) was controlled between 80-90 mm Hg by nitroglycerin or sodium nitroprusside while the pressure of 25 patients (14 males, 11 females, average age of 57.7 years, range 43-68 years) was not controlled when receiving lymph node group 7 dissection. ResultsControlled hypotension in lymphadenectomy achieved satisfactory results. The lymphadenectomy time of 12 patients with controlled hypotension (18.5±4.3 min on average, range 15.6-25.3 min) was shorter than that of 25 patients without controlled hypotension (24.3±5.1 min on average, range 18.2-29.8 min); the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). ConclusionControlled hypotension is a simple and feasible method that increases the operating space, and reduces the difficulty of cleaning lymph nodes and the risk of bleeding.