scholarly journals Effectiveness and safety of orally administered immunotherapy for food allergies: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2013 ◽  
Vol 111 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulugbek Nurmatov ◽  
Graham Devereux ◽  
Allison Worth ◽  
Laura Healy ◽  
Aziz Sheikh
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Food Allergen ◽  
Adverse Reactions ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Food Allergies ◽  
Average Risk ◽  
Controlled Clinical Trials ◽  
Increased Risk

The aim of using oral and sublingual immunotherapy with food allergies is to enable the safe consumption of foods containing these allergens in patients with food allergies. In the present study, a systematic review of intervention studies was undertaken; this involved the searching of eleven international databases for controlled clinical trials. We identified 1152 potentially relevant papers, from which we selected twenty-two reports of twenty-one eligible trials (i.e. eighteen randomised controlled trials and three controlled clinical trials). The meta-analysis revealed a substantially lower risk of reactions to the relevant food allergen in those receiving orally administered immunotherapy (risk ratios (RR) 0·21, 95 % CI 0·12, 0·38). The meta-analysis of immunological data demonstrated that skin prick test responses to the relevant food allergen significantly decreased with immunotherapy (mean difference − 2·96 mm, 95 % CI − 4·48, − 1·45), while allergen-specific IgG4 levels increased by an average of 19·9 (95 % CI 17·1, 22·6) μg/ml. Sensitivity analyses excluding studies at the highest risk of bias and subgroup analyses in relation to specific food allergens and treatment approaches generated comparable summary estimates of effectiveness and immunological changes. Pooling of the safety data revealed an increased risk of local (i.e. minor oropharyngeal/gastrointestinal) adverse reactions with immunotherapy (RR 1·47, 95 % CI 1·11, 1·95); there was a non-significant increased average risk of systemic adverse reactions with immunotherapy (RR 1·08, 95 % CI 0·97, 1·19). There is strong evidence that orally administered immunotherapy can induce immunomodulatory changes and thereby promote desensitisation to a range of foods. However, given the paucity of evidence on longer-term safety, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness, orally administered immunotherapy should not be used outside experimental conditions presently.

scholarly journals Clinical effectiveness of convalescent plasma in hospitalized patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 175346662110280
Author(s):  
Roberto Ariel Abeldaño Zuñiga ◽  
Ruth Ana María González-Villoria ◽  
María Vanesa Elizondo ◽  
Anel Yaneli Nicolás Osorio ◽  
David Gómez Martínez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Clinical Improvement ◽  
Data Extraction ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Clinical Effectiveness ◽  
Risk Of Bias ◽  
Hospitalized Patients ◽  
Low Risk ◽  
Controlled Clinical Trials

Aims: Given the variability of previously reported results, this systematic review aims to determine the clinical effectiveness of convalescent plasma employed in the treatment of hospitalized patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of controlled clinical trials assessing treatment with convalescent plasma for hospitalized patients diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection. The outcomes were mortality, clinical improvement, and ventilation requirement. Results: A total of 51 studies were retrieved from the databases. Five articles were finally included in the data extraction and qualitative and quantitative synthesis of results. The overall risk of bias in the reviewed articles was established at low-risk only in two trials. The meta-analysis suggests that there is no benefit of convalescent plasma compared with standard care or placebo in reducing the overall mortality and the ventilation requirement. However, there could be a benefit for the clinical improvement in patients treated with plasma. Conclusion: Current results led to assume that the convalescent plasma transfusion cannot reduce the mortality or ventilation requirement in hospitalized patients diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection. More controlled clinical trials conducted with methodologies that ensure a low risk of bias are still needed. The reviews of this paper are available via the supplemental material section.

Effects of cinnamon supplementation on systolic and diastolic blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeinab Yazdanpanah ◽  
Mandana Amiri ◽  
Azadeh Nadjarzadeh ◽  
Hadis Hooshmandi ◽  
Maryam Azadi-Yazdi
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Diastolic Blood Pressure ◽  
Weighted Mean Difference ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Cochrane Collaboration ◽  
Controlled Clinical Trials ◽  
Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials ◽  
Randomized Controlled

Introduction: Hypertension is a chronic condition that might lead to renal and cardiovascular diseases. The previous trials examining the effect of cinnamon supplementation on blood pressure have led to conflicting results. The present systematic review aimed to summarize the effect of cinnamon supplementation on blood pressure using a meta-analysis of published randomized controlled clinical trials. Methods: To identify the eligible articles, MEDLINE, SCOPUS, ISI Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched from inception until September 2019 for relevant articles. The risk of bias assessment was performed using the Cochrane collaboration tool. A Random-effects model was applied to calculate the summary effects. Results: Totally, 11 trials with 686 participants were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. The dose of cinnamon supplement consumption varied from 500 to 10000 mg/d. The meta-analysis revealed that cinnamon supplementation significantly decreases systolic blood pressure (SBP) [WMD (weighted mean difference)= -5.72 mmHg, 95% confidence interval (CI): -8.63 to -2.80; P<0.001, I2= 81.1)] and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (WMD= -4.06 mmHg, 95% CI: -6.68 to -1.44; P= 0.002, I2 = 88.6). Subgroup analysis suggested no significant reduction of DBP in subjects with diabetes (WMD= -2.015 mmHg, 95% CI: -4.55 to 0.52; P= 0.12, I2 = 72.3) and prediabetes or metabolic syndrome (WMD= -4.8 mmHg, 95% CI: -10.06 to 0.44; P= 0.073, I2= 92.5). Conclusions: Cinnamon supplementation could be beneficial in lowering SBP and DBP in adults. Further studies with different doses are recommended to confirm the present findings.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document