A Meta-Analysis of the Clinical Effectiveness of School Scoliosis Screening

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.

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The clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of fractional CO2 laser in acne scars and skin rejuvenation: A meta-analysis and economic evaluation

Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy ◽

10.1080/14764172.2017.1400173 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 20 (4) ◽

pp. 248-251 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Fereshteh Ansari ◽

Fatemeh Sadeghi-Ghyassi ◽

Barmak Yaaghoobian

Keyword(s):

Economic Evaluation ◽

Cost Effectiveness ◽

Co2 Laser ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Clinical Effectiveness ◽

Skin Rejuvenation ◽

Fractional Co2 Laser ◽

Acne Scars

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Clinical Effectiveness of Family Therapeutic Interventions Embedded in General Pediatric Primary Care Settings for Parental Mental Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review ◽

10.1007/s10567-015-0190-x ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. 395-412 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Fallon Cluxton-Keller ◽

Anne W. Riley ◽

Sassan Noazin ◽

Mfon Valencia Umoren

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Primary Care ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Clinical Effectiveness ◽

Therapeutic Interventions ◽

Pediatric Primary Care ◽

Parental Mental Health ◽

Primary Care Settings

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Evaluating the clinical effectiveness of new beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor combination antibiotics: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis

Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology ◽

10.1017/ash.2021.217 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Geneva M. Wilson ◽

Margaret A. Fitzpatrick ◽

Kyle Walding ◽

Beverly Gonzalez ◽

Marin L. Schweizer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Success ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Strong Association ◽

Study Drug ◽

Clinical Effectiveness ◽

Multidrug Resistant ◽

New Combination ◽

Beta Lactam ◽

Combination Antibiotics ◽

Lactamase Inhibitor

Abstract Background: Ceftazidime/avibactam (C/A), ceftolozane/tazobactam (C/T), imipenem/relebactam (I/R), and meropenem/vaborbactam (M/V) combine either a cephalosporin (C/T and C/A) or a carbapenem antibiotic (M/V and I/R) with a β-lactamase inhibitor. They are used to treat carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) and/or multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MDRPA). Objective: We compared the pooled clinical success of these medications to older therapies. Methods: PubMed and EMBASE were searched from January 1, 2012, through September 2, 2020, for C/A, C/T, I/R, and M/V studies. The main outcome was clinical success, which was assessed using random-effects models. Stratified analyses were conducted for study drug, sample size, quality, infection source, study design, and multidrug-resistant gram-negative organism (MDRGNO) population. Microbiological success and 28- and 30-day mortality were assessed as secondary outcomes. Heterogeneity was determined using I2 values. Results: Overall, 25 articles met the inclusion criteria; 8 observational studies and 17 randomized control trials. We detected no difference in clinical success comparing new combination antibiotics with standard therapies for all included organisms (pooled OR, 1.21; 95% CI, 0.96–1.51). We detected a moderate level of heterogeneity among the included studies I2 = 56%. Studies that focused on patients with CRE or MDRPA infections demonstrated a strong association between treatment with new combination antibiotics and clinical success (pooled OR, 2.20; 95% CI, 1.60–3.57). Conclusions: C/T, C/A, I/R, and M/V are not inferior to standard therapies for treating various complicated infections, but they may have greater clinical success for treating MDRPA and CRE infections. More studies that evaluate the use of these antibiotics for drug-resistant infections are needed to determine their effectiveness.

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Handwash versus hand-rub practices for preventing nosocomial infection in hospital intensive care units: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Canadian Journal of Infection Control ◽

10.36584/cjic.2020.009 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 82-90

Author(s):

S Bello ◽

EA Bamgboye ◽

DT Ajayi ◽

EN Ossai ◽

EC Aniwada ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Intensive Care ◽

Adverse Events ◽

Nosocomial Infection ◽

Intensive Care Units ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Length Of Hospital Stay ◽

Clinical Effectiveness ◽

Infection Rates

Background: Compliance with handwashing in busy healthcare facilities, such as intensive care units (ICUs), is suboptimal and alcohol hand-rub preparations have been suggested to improve compliance. There is no evidence on the comparative effectiveness between handwash and hand-rub strategies. This systematic review was to assess the effectiveness of handwash versus hand-rub strategies for preventing nosocomial infection in ICUs. Methods Studies conducted in ICUs and indexed in PubMed comparing the clinical effectiveness and adverse events between handwash and hand-rub groups were included in a systematic review. The primary outcome was nosocomial infection rates. Secondary outcomes included microbial counts on healthcare providers’ hands, mortality rates, patient/hospital cost of treatment of healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs), length of ICU/hospital stays, and adverse events. Studies were independently screened and data extracted by at least two authors. Meta-analyses of risk ratios (RR), incidence rate ratios (IRR), odds ratios (OR) and mean differences (MD), were conducted using the RevMan 5.3 software. Results: Seven studies published between 1992-2009 and involving a total of 11,663 patients were included. Five studies (10,981 patients) contributed data to the ICU acquired nosocomial infection rates. The pooled IRR was 0.71 (95% CI 0.61, 0.82; I2 = 94%). On sensitivity analysis, pooled IRR was 0.39 (95% CI 0.32, 0.48; 4 studies; 8,247 patients; I2 = 0%) in favour of hand rub. The pooled OR for mortality was 0.95 (95% CI 0.78, 1.61; 4 studies; 3,475 patients; I2 = 39%). The pooled MD for length of hospital stay was -0.74 (95% CI -2.83, 1.34; 3 studies; 741 patients; I2 = 0%). The pooled OR for an undesirable skin effect was 0.37 (95% CI 0.23, 0.60; 3 studies;1504 patients; I2 = 0%) in favour of hand rub. Overall quality of evidence was low. Conclusion: Hand rub appeared more effective when compared to handwash in ICUs.

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Comparative the clinical effectiveness and safety of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation for poor ovarian responders undergoing IVF/ICSI：a systematic review and bayesian network meta-analysis

10.37766/inplasy2020.4.0009 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Huisheng Yang

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Bayesian Network ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Clinical Effectiveness ◽

Controlled Ovarian Hyperstimulation ◽

Ovarian Hyperstimulation ◽

Poor Ovarian Responders

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Clinical effectiveness of drugs in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

10.1101/2020.09.11.20193011 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Roberto Ariel Abeldano Zuniga ◽

Silvia Coca ◽

Giuliana Abeldano ◽

Ruth Ana Maria Gonzalez Villoria

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Clinical Improvement ◽

Low Income ◽

Randomized Clinical Trials ◽

Data Extraction ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Clinical Effectiveness ◽

Hospitalized Patients ◽

Low Income Countries ◽

Qualitative Synthesis

Objective. The aim was to assess the clinical effectiveness of drugs used in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 infection. Method. We conducted a systematic review of randomized clinical trials assessing treatment with remdesivir, chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir, ritonavir, dexamethasone, and convalescent plasma, for hospitalized patients with a diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The outcomes were mortality, clinical improvement, duration of ventilation, duration of oxygen support, duration of hospitalization), virological clearance, and severe adverse events. Results. A total of 48 studies were retrieved from the databases. Ten articles were finally included in the data extraction and qualitative synthesis of results. The meta-analysis suggests a benefit of dexamethasone versus standard care in the reduction of risk of mortality at day 28; and the clinical improvement at days 14 and 28 in patients treated with remdesivir. Conclusions. Dexamethasone would have a better result in hospitalized patients, especially in low-resources settings. Significance of results. The analysis of the main treatments proposed for hospitalized patients is of vital importance to reduce mortality in low-income countries; since the COVID-19 pandemic had an economic impact worldwide with the loss of jobs and economic decline in countries with scarce resources. Keywords: Drugs; Antivirals; Clinical improvement; Mortality; COVID-19; SARS-CoV2.

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Xyloglucan, Hibiscus and Propolis in the Management of Uncomplicated Lower Urinary Tract Infections: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Antibiotics ◽

10.3390/antibiotics11010014 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 14

Author(s):

Tommaso Cai ◽

Umberto Anceschi ◽

Irene Tamanini ◽

Serena Migno ◽

Michele Rizzo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Medical Device ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Clinical Effectiveness ◽

Adult Women ◽

End Of Treatment ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Clinically Significant ◽

Tract Infections ◽

Uncomplicated Cystitis

Background: In the era of antibiotic resistance, an antibiotic-sparing approach presents an interesting alternative treatment of uncomplicated cystitis in women. Our aim is to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare the effectiveness and safety profile of a medical device containing xyloglucan, hibiscus and propolis (XHP) in women with uncomplicated cystitis. Methods: Relevant databases were searched using methods recommended by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. The primary endpoint was clinical or microbiological success, defined as the complete (cure) and/or non-complete (improvement) resolution of symptoms at the end of treatment, or microbiological resolutions. Results: After screening 21 articles, three studies were included, recruiting a total of 178 patients. All three studies used placebo as comparator. A statistically significant difference was found in terms of clinical or microbiological resolution between the medical device and the comparator (3 RCTs, 178 patients, OR: 0.13; 95% CI: 0.05–0.33; p < 0.0001). No clinically significant adverse effects have been reported. Conclusion: A medical device containing xyloglucan, hibiscus and propolis is superior to comparator regimens in terms of clinical effectiveness in adult women with microbiologically confirmed or clinical suspicion of uncomplicated cystitis and is associated with a high patient compliance.

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