scholarly journals Preoperative Somatostatin Analogues in Patients with Newly-diagnosed Acromegaly: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Comparative Studies

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chengxian Yang ◽  
Ge Li ◽  
Shenzhong Jiang ◽  
Xinjie Bao ◽  
Renzhi Wang

Abstract Biochemical remission after transsphenoidal surgery is still unsatisfied in acromegaly patients with macroadenomas, especially with invasive macroadenomas. Concerning the impact of preoperative somatostatin analogues (SSAs) on surgical outcomes, previous studies with limited cases reported conflicting results. To assess current evidence of preoperative medical treatment, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative studies. A literature search was conducted in Pubmed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. Five randomized controlled trials (RCT) and seven non-RCT comparative studies were included. These studies mainly focused on pituitary macroadenomas though a small number of microadenoma cases were included. For safety, preoperative SSAs were not associated with elevated risks of postoperative complications. With respect to efficacy, the short-term cure rate was improved by preoperative SSAs, but the long-term cure rate showed no significant improvement. For invasive macroadenomas, the short-term cure rate was also improved, but the long-term results were not evaluable in clinical practice because adjuvant therapy was generally required. In conclusion, preoperative SSAs are safe in patients with acromegaly, and the favorable impact on surgical results is restricted to the short-term cure rate in macroadenomas and invasive macroadenomas. Further well-designed RCTs to examine long-term results are awaited to update the finding of this meta-analysis.

Vascular ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 243-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin O. Patterson ◽  
Peter J. Holt ◽  
Robert J. Hinchliffe ◽  
Matt M. Thompson ◽  
Ian M. Loftus

Current evidence suggests that carotid endarterectomy (CEA) performed within 2 weeks of symptoms produces better long-term results than if it is delayed. Urgent endarterectomy following unstable presentations such as crescendo transient ischemic attack (cTIA) or progressive stroke has been associated with variable results. The evidence for this treatment strategy required reviewing. A systematic review of articles related to urgent CEA between 1980 and 2008 was performed. For cTIA, there was an odds ratio of 5.6 (95% confidence interval 3.3–9.7, p ≤ .0001) for combined stroke or death compared with surgery for “standard” indications. For unstable stroke, the odds ratio was 5.5 (95% confidence interval 3.1–9.3, p ≤ .0001). Patients with unstable neurologic presentations are at higher risk of complications if operated on urgently. Clearer definitions would help more precise patient selection to avoid inadvertently operating on patients with an unacceptably high risk of poor outcome.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-Qing Quan ◽  
Run-Chang Wang ◽  
Qing Zhang ◽  
Cun-Tai Zhang ◽  
Lei Sun

Abstract Background: The association between the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) and prognosis of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is not fully understood. We performed this systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the correlation between LMR and mortality or major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in patients with ACS. Methods: A systematic search was performed in PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, Scopus and Web of science. The association between LMR and mortality or MACE was analyzed in patients with ACS. The search was updated to April 15, 2020. Results: A total of 5 studies comprising 4343 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed that lower LMR predicted short-term mortality/MACE (hazard ratio [HR] = 3.44, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.46–8.14, P < 0.05) and higher long-term mortality/MACE (HR = 1.70, 95% CI: 1.36– 2.13, P < 0.05). According to our subgroup analysis, there is still has a statistical significance for LMR to predict long-term mortality/MACE in any subgroups. Conclusions: This study suggested that lower LMR value might be associated with higher short-term mortality/MACE and long-term mortality/MACE in ACS patients. Especially for younger ACS patients, low LMR was more closely associated with poor prognosis.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Run-Chang Wang ◽  
Qing Zhang ◽  
Cun-Tai Zhang ◽  
Lei Sun ◽  
Xiao-Qing Quan

Abstract The association between the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) and prognosis of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is not fully understood. We performed this systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the correlation between LMR and mortality or major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in patients with ACS.Methods A systematic search was performed in PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, Scopus and Web of science. The association between LMR and mortality or MACE was analyzed in patients with ACS. The search was updated to August 1, 2019.Results A total of 5 studies comprising 3122 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed that lower LMR predicted short-term mortality/MACE (odds ratio [OR] = 2.61, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.15–5.94, P = 0.022) and higher long-term mortality/MACE (OR = 2.10, 95% CI: 1.06–4.19, P = 0.035). According to our subgroup analysis, there still has a statistical significance for LMR predict short-term mortality/MACE in lager sample size researches (≥600, OR = 3.50, 95% CI: 1.84–6.67, p < 0.001),Turkey researches (OR = 4.16, 95% CI: 2.32–7.46, p < 0.001), younger patients researches (< 62, OR = 3.76, 95% CI: 2.29–6.18, p < 0.001).Conclusions This study suggested that lower LMR value might be associated with higher short-term mortality/MACE and long-term mortality/MACE in patients with ACS.


2017 ◽  
Vol 08 (01) ◽  
pp. 030-037 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birhane Alem Berihu ◽  
Gebrekidan Gebregzabher Asfeha ◽  
Abadi Leul Welderufael ◽  
Yared Godefa Debeb ◽  
Yibrah Berhe Zelelow ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Background: People use khat (Catha edulis) for its pleasant stimulant effect of physical activity, consciousness, motor, and mental functions. Although there are reports assessing the effect of khat on memory, there was no study based on formal systematic review and meta-analysis. Objective: We have therefore conducted this meta-analysis to determine the level of evidence for the effect of khat (C. edulis Forsk) on memory discrepancy. Methods: MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Academic Search Complete, SPORTDiscus, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched to retrieve the papers for this review. Keywords utilized across database search were khat, cat, chat, long-term memory, short-term memory, memory deficit, randomized control trial, and cross-sectional survey. The search was limited to studies in humans and rodents; published in English language. Result: Finding of various studies included in our meta-analysis showed that the effect of acute, and subchronic exposure to khat showed that short-term memory appears to be affected depending on the duration of exposure. However, does not have any effect on long-term memory. Conclusion: Although a number of studies regarding the current topic are limited, the evidenced showed that khat (C. edulis) induced memory discrepancy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (22;4) ◽  
pp. 341-352
Author(s):  
Lijuan Lu

Background: Recently, denervation therapy has been applied clinically for the treatment of intractable osteoarthritis (OA). This therapy provides an alternative for patients who are insensitive to conservative therapies or unwilling to receive surgery and general anesthesia. However, therapeutic effect of this method, especially the long-term efficacy, is still controversial. Objectives: The aim of this systematic review was to examine the efficacy of denervation therapy for the treatment of OA, especially on pain alleviation and functional recovery in the short and long term. Study Design: This systematic review and meta-analysis was designed to investigate whether denervation therapy is more useful than conservative methods for achieving clinical outcomes in patients with refractory OA. Methods: A literature search was performed in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane library for studies published from inception to August 2018. From those found meeting the search criteria, manuscripts comparing the clinical efficacy of denervation therapy and control agents, such as conservative therapies or sham operation, were included in this study. After reviewing the titles, abstracts, and the full text, 6 studies were included in the quantitative synthesis. Data, including postoperative pain scores, rate of 50% pain relief, and joint functional scores were extracted and combined to obtain effect size and statistical significance. Results: In terms of postoperative pain intensity, denervation therapy showed significantly better short-term (4, 12, and 24 weeks) pain relief. The rates of 50% pain relief at 12 and 24 weeks after operation were also higher compared with the control group. In terms of joint functional improvement, denervation therapy showed favorable outcomes at 4 and 12 weeks after treatment, but no significant difference was found at 24 weeks after procedure between the groups. Overall, better results were reported in denervation therapy with a relative high-grade of evidence. Limitation: Analyses of long-term (one year and longer) effects could not be conducted owing to a lack of existing studies. Conclusions: Denervation of the knee joint may become a promising therapy for patients with knee OA who are refractory to conservative treatment. This therapy can provide short-term therapeutic effect in pain alleviation for 6 months and joint function recovery for 3 months. The therapeutic effect in joint function may decrease 6 months after operation. The long-term efficacy in pain remission and function improvement is still elusive and controversial; therefore, further research with larger sample sizes are needed in the future. Key words: Osteoarthritis, denervation therapy, radiofrequency, chronic pain, function, systematic review, meta-analysis


Author(s):  
Francesca Rizzetto ◽  
Micaela Lia ◽  
Maddalena Widmann ◽  
Domenico Tavella ◽  
Luisa Zanolla ◽  
...  

AbstractWhile the most recent evidence suggests a lack of benefit, antithrombotic therapy is still extensively prescribed in patients with Takotsubo syndrome (TTS). The objective of this study was to determine whether patients with TTS benefit from anti-aggregation, in terms of either short-term or long-term outcomes. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted. A comprehensive search of the literature included MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Clinicaltrials.gov, EU Clinical Trial Register, References, and contact with the authors. Methodological quality assessment and data extraction were systematically performed. The review adhered to the PRISMA framework guidelines. A total of 86 citations were identified, six being eligible for inclusion, for a total of 1997 patients. One of them considered both short-term and long-term outcomes. One reported outcomes during the index event, while the remaining four focused on potential long-term benefits. They were all retrospective cohort studies.Based on our data, the long-term use of antiplatelet therapy (AT) led to a significantly higher incidence of the composite outcome (OR: 1.54; 95% CI 1.09–2.17; p = 0.014) and overall mortality (OR 1.72; 95% CI 1.07–2.77; p = 0.027). The analysis did not show a statistically significant difference in TTS recurrences, stroke/TIA, and MI or CAD worsening with AT compared with no anti-aggregation. The AT in this settings did not show any clear benefit in improving the long-term outcomes, and it may be even detrimental and it may be detrimental. These results warrant further future research and the design of adequately powered randomized controlled trials focusing on the impact of aspirin on the outcomes in patients presenting with TTS.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-Qing Quan ◽  
Run-Chang Wang ◽  
Qing Zhang ◽  
Cun-Tai Zhang ◽  
Lei Sun

Abstract Background: The association between the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) and prognosis in the patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is not fully understood. We performed this systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the correlation between LMR and mortality or major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in patients with ACS.Methods: A systematic search was performed in PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Web of science. The association between LMR and mortality/MACE was analyzed in patients with ACS. The search was updated to April 15, 2020. Results: A total of 5 studies comprising 4343 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed that lower LMR predicted higher short-term mortality/MACE (hazard ratio [HR] = 3.44, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.46–8.14, P < 0.05) and long-term mortality/MACE (HR = 1.70, 95% CI: 1.36– 2.13, P < 0.05). In the subgroup analysis, there was still statistical significance of long-term mortality/MACE in all subgroups.Conclusions: This study suggested that lower LMR value might be associated with higher short-term and long-term mortality/MACE in ACS patients. Especially for younger ACS patients, low LMR was more closely associated with poor prognosis.


2020 ◽  
pp. bjsports-2020-102525
Author(s):  
Stefanos Karanasios ◽  
Vasileios Korakakis ◽  
Rod Whiteley ◽  
Ioannis Vasilogeorgis ◽  
Sarah Woodbridge ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness of exercise compared with other conservative interventions in the management of lateral elbow tendinopathy (LET) on pain and function.DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis.MethodsWe used the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool 2 for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) to assess risk of bias and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation methodology to grade the certainty of evidence. Self-perceived improvement, pain intensity, pain-free grip strength (PFGS) and elbow disability were used as primary outcome measures.Eligibility criteriaRCTs assessing the effectiveness of exercise alone or as an additive intervention compared with passive interventions, wait-and-see or injections in patients with LET.Results30 RCTs (2123 participants, 5 comparator interventions) were identified. Exercise outperformed (low certainty) corticosteroid injections in all outcomes at all time points except short-term pain reduction. Clinically significant differences were found in PFGS at short-term (mean difference (MD): 12.15, (95% CI) 1.69 to 22.6), mid-term (MD: 22.45, 95% CI 3.63 to 41.3) and long-term follow-up (MD: 18, 95% CI 11.17 to 24.84). Statistically significant differences (very low certainty) for exercise compared with wait-and-see were found only in self-perceived improvement at short-term, pain reduction and elbow disability at short-term and long-term follow-up. Substantial heterogeneity in descriptions of equipment, load, duration and frequency of exercise programmes were evident.ConclusionsLow and very low certainty evidence suggests exercise is effective compared with passive interventions with or without invasive treatment in LET, but the effect is small.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42018082703.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 1026
Author(s):  
Mohamed M. Awad ◽  
Feras Alhalabi ◽  
Abdullah Alshehri ◽  
Zaid Aljeaidi ◽  
Ali Alrahlah ◽  
...  

Objective: The objective of this review was to evaluate the effect of non-thermal atmospheric plasma (NTAP) on adhesives resin–dentin micro-tensile bond strength (μTBS) in previously published studies. Methods: Electronic search was conducted using the Medline, Cochrane library, and Scopus databases. The included studies were laboratory studies that investigated the effect of NTAP on adhesives μTBS to coronal dentin. Studies that evaluated the effect of NTAP on bond strength to indirect substrates, enamel or root dentin, were excluded. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed. Results: Thirteen studies were included in this systematic review. All the included studies were considered to have a medium risk of bias. NTAP significantly improved μTBS at 24 h or after short-term aging in five studies (38.5%) and both immediate and after long-term aging in 5 studies (38.5%). In two studies (15.4%), NTAP resulted in a short-term material-dependent effect that was not stable after long-term aging. Interestingly, in one study (7.7%), NTAP had a positive effect only in the etch-and-rinse (ER) mode after long-term aging. Conclusion: Within the limitations of this systematic review, NTAP application could enhance resin–dentin μTBS of ER adhesives or universal adhesives (UAs) applied in the ER mode. In the ER mode, the rewetting step after NTAP seems to be unnecessary. Because of the limited information currently available in the literature, further studies are required to evaluate the effect of the NTAP application on self-etch (SE) adhesives or UAs applied in the SE mode.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document