scholarly journals Sulfotanshinone Sodium Injection for Unstable Angina Pectoris: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuelan Qiu ◽  
Andrew Miles ◽  
Xuehua Jiang ◽  
Xin Sun ◽  
Nan Yang
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trials ◽  
Unstable Angina ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Mean Difference ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Unpublished Studies

Objective. To assess the effect of sulfotanshinone sodium injection for unstable angina.Methods. We searched for published and unpublished studies up to June 2011. We included randomized controlled trials that confoundedly addressed the effect of sulfotanshinone sodium injection in the treatment of unstable angina.Results. Twenty-five studies involving 2,377 people were included. There was no evidence that sulfotanshinone sodium alone had better or worse effects to routine western medicine treatments in improving clinical symptoms (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.90 to 1.11) and ECG (RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.87 to 1.09). However, there was evidence that sulfotanshinone sodium combined with western medications was a better treatment option than western medications alone in improving clinical symptoms (RR 1.28, 95% CI 1.23 to 1.3), ECG (RR 1.26, 95% CI 1.18 to 1.35), C-reaction protein (mean difference 2.10, 95% CI 1.63 to 2.58), and IL-6 (mean difference −3.85, 95% CI −4.10 to −3.60). There was no difference between sulfotanshinone sodium plus western medications and western medications alone affecting mortality (RR 0.50, 95% CI 0.02 to 12.13).Conclusion. Compared with western medications alone, sulfotanshinone sodium combined with western medications may provide more benefits for patients with unstable angina. Further large-scale high-quality trials are warranted.

Teledentistry and mHealth for Promotion and Prevention of Oral Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 002203452110038
Author(s):  
C.E. Fernández ◽  
C.A. Maturana ◽  
S.I. Coloma ◽  
A. Carrasco-Labra ◽  
R.A. Giacaman
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trials ◽  
Communication Systems ◽  
Text Messages ◽  
Mean Difference ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
Large Reduction ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Standardized Mean Difference

The dental profession has experienced a dramatic acceleration in the use of communication systems and information-based technologies over recent years, originating new paradigms for the prevention and promotion of oral health. The purpose of this systematic review was to determine the effect of teledentistry-based (telematic) strategies, reported in randomized controlled trials and quasi-randomized trials, with a focus on oral health prevention and promotion–related outcomes in patients of all ages. We searched Medline via PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web of Science from inception until August 2020, regardless of the language of publication. We selected studies for inclusion and conducted data extraction, assessed risk of bias (Cochrane tool), and evaluated the certainty of the evidence (GRADE approach) in duplicate and independently. Out of 898 potentially eligible references, we selected 43 for full-text screening, of which 19 studies proved eligible: 18 randomized controlled trials and 1 quasi-randomized study. Virtual interventions were mostly asynchronous via apps ( n = 9), text messages ( n = 9), or computer-aided learning ( n = 1). The use of teledentistry as compared with conventional strategies may result in a large reduction in the plaque index (standardized mean difference, −1.18; 95% CI, −1.54 to −0.82; I2 = 92%; low certainty) and will likely result in a large reduction in the gingival index (standardized mean difference, −2.17; 95% CI, −3.15 to −1.19; I2 = 97%; moderate certainty) and in the incidence of white spot lesions (risk ratio, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.35 to 0.66; I2 = 0%; moderate certainty), with an increased effect over time. Evidence suggests that teledentistry, particularly mHealth (messages and apps), is a promising clinical tool for preventing and promoting oral health, especially under the accelerated virtualization of dentistry. Future studies should include a broader spectrum of the population, including adults and elders, to better inform policy and implementation of teledentistry (PROSPERO: CRD42020192685).

Efficacy and tolerability of Lavandula angustifolia in treating patients with the diagnosis of depression: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Shamabadi ◽  
Shahin Akhondzadeh
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trials ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Primary Outcome ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
Lavandula Angustifolia ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Depressed Patients ◽  
Antidepressant Effects ◽  
And Control

Abstract Pharmacotherapy is the conventional treatment for depression, with only half of the patients responding to the first trial of monotherapy with first-line medicines. One way to overcome this resistance is to use complementary and alternative medicine. The antidepressant effects of Lavandula angustifolia, which is commonly called lavender, have been investigated in previous studies. This study aims to provide the first systematic review of lavender in treating patients with depression diagnosis. ISI Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, Google Scholar, and three trial registries were searched until May 2020 to find randomized controlled trials on lavender for depressed patients. The primary outcome was difference between the intervention and control groups in changing depression scores from baseline to endpoint. The included studies were assessed for effect size and methodological quality. Seven clinical trials were identified, in which 852 patients were studied. In six trials, the effectiveness of lavender in treating depression was reported, as being more pronounced adjunct to a typical antidepressant in one study. Significant reported side effects include headaches and eructation. Lavender is beneficial, tolerable, and safe in treating depression. Despite obtaining promising results, they are not enough to recommend prescribing lavender to depressed patients. Further high-quality, large-scale studies for rectifying the shortcomings of existing studies are recommended.

scholarly journals Melatonin and Cardioprotection in Humans: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Domínguez-Rodríguez ◽  
Pedro Abreu-González ◽  
Néstor Báez-Ferrer ◽  
Russel J. Reiter ◽  
Pablo Avanzas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trials ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Mean Difference ◽  
Left Ventricular Ejection ◽  
Favorable Effect ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
Weighted Mean ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Mean Differences

Myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury represents a critical problem associated with interventional approaches for coronary reperfusion. Pharmacological cardioprotective interventions are advocated to ameliorate IR injury. Melatonin is an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agent with a wide range of therapeutic properties that may contribute to its cardioprotective effects. No systematic review or meta-analysis has compared melatonin vs. placebo as a cardioprotective agent in humans. The present study, based on a systematic review and meta-analysis, was carried out to assess melatonin's efficacy as a cardioprotective treatment. We performed a systematic review of the available literature. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified and information was extracted using predefined data extraction forms. The primary outcomes were (a) left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and (b) blood troponin levels in patients who underwent myocardial revascularization and were randomized to melatonin or placebo. The inverse-variance random-effects method was used to pool the estimates. Heterogeneity and publication bias were assessed. Weighted mean differences or standardized mean differences were calculated. A total of 283 records were screened and seven RCTs met all the inclusion criteria. After the pooled analysis, the results on LVEF were consistent across all studies, and a significant heterogeneity was found in the results on troponin levels. The melatonin-treated patients had on average higher LVEF than the placebo-treated individuals with a weighted mean difference = 3.1% (95% CI 0.6–5.5, p = 0.01). Five works compared the levels of troponin after melatonin or placebo treatment. The melatonin-treated patients had lower levels of troponin with a standardized mean difference = −1.76 (95% CI −2.85 to −0.67, p = 0.002). The findings of this meta-analysis revealed that melatonin administration in humans as a cardioprotective agent attenuated heart dysfunction with a favorable effect on the LVEF.

scholarly journals The Effect of Acupuncture in Breast Cancer–Related Lymphoedema (BCRL): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 153473541986691 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsai-Ju Chien ◽  
Chia-Yu Liu ◽  
Ching-Ju Fang
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trials ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Lymphatic Drainage ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
Breast Cancer Patients ◽  
Eligibility Criteria ◽  
Randomized Controlled

Background: Breast cancer–related lymphedema (BCRL) is hard to control. Management may include lymphatic drainage, skin care, bandaging, or even surgery. Since acupuncture has been proven to affect the neurophysiology and neuroendocrine systems, it has the potential to control BCRL. Aim: To evaluate the effect of acupuncture in BCRL in randomized controlled trials. Design: A literature search was performed, following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement and without language restrictions. Data Sources: Five databases were searched from inception tthrough September 2018. Only studies that fulfilled the eligibility criteria of evaluating the effect of acupuncture on lymphedema in breast cancer were included. The methodological quality of these trials was assessed using the Cochrane criteria, and meta-analysis software (RevMan 5.3) was used for analysis. Results: We examined 178 breast cancer patients from 6 trials. All included randomized controlled trials had medium to high quality, based on the modified Jadad scale. The systematic review showed that acupuncture is safe and has a trend to improve symptoms, but trials did not consistently measure outcomes. The meta-analysis showed that acupuncture produced no significant improvement in the extent of lymphedema as compared with the control intervention (−1.90; 95% confidence interval = −5.39 to 1.59, P = .29). None of the studies reported severe adverse events. Conclusions: Acupuncture is safe and has a trend to improve the lymphedema related to breast cancer, yet it did not significantly change arm circumference in BCRL. Future studies should include both subjective and objective measurements and large-scale studies are warranted.

scholarly journals The Efficacy and Tolerability of Ubrogepant for Acute Migraine: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yun Diao ◽  
Hang Yang ◽  
Yang Chun Zhou ◽  
Biao Du
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trials ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Acute Attack ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
Acute Migraine ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Randomized Controlled

Abstract Objective: The aim of this review was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of ubrogepant in patients with acute migraine. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and clinicaltrials.gov from inception to JULY, 2019. Randomized controlled trials of the efficacy and/or tolerability of ubrogepant for migraine were included. Meta-analysis was conducted by RevMan 5.3 software. Results: A total of 4 RCTs involving 4 163 patients were included. The meta-analysis showed that:compared to the control group, the percentage of participants with PF, the percentage of participants with PR, the percentage of participants with SPF, the percentage of participants with SPR,the absence of phonophobia in sound，the absence of phonophobia in light and the absence of nausea (RR=1.31,95%CI:1.18~1.45，P<0.00001, RR=1.63,95%CI:1.46~1.82，P<0.00001, RR=1.22,95%CI:1.15~1.29，P<0.00001, RR=1.32,95%CI:1.22~1.42，P<0.00001, RR=1.16,95%CI:1.05~1.27，P=0.002), all the differences were statistically significant. Conclusions: For adult patients with acute migraine, ubrogepant could effectively abort the acute attack. High-quality, adequately powered RCTs are needed to fully evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of ubrogepant for acute migraine.

scholarly journals Effectiveness Analysis of Single Dose Rifampicin-Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (SDR-PEP) as A Preventive Intervention for Leprosy Transmission: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 35-43
Author(s):  
Muhammad Mikail Athif Zhafir Asyura ◽  
Ilma Ranjani Wijaya ◽  
Theetouch Toshukowong ◽  
Rui Sheng Wang
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Single Dose ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trials ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Preventive Intervention ◽  
Post Exposure Prophylaxis ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
Post Exposure ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Exposure Prophylaxis

Introduction: Leprosy is a skin disease that reaches 200,000 cases annually. Considered a neglected tropical disease, 80% of annual leprosy remained in countries such as Brazil, India, and Indonesia. Multi-drug treatment is effective in curing leprosy but ineffective in preventing further transmission. The implementation of large-scale single dose rifampicin-post exposure prophylaxis suggests the inhibition of leprosy transmission and thus needs validation.Methods: This systematic review was carried out based on the PRISMA statement from multiple databases using set keywords. A total of 646 studies were identified, followed by 4 randomized controlled trials included after screening.Results: 86,502 subjects were divided into control and interventional groups and were to be followed up in 2-6 years. Most studies showed a significant decrease of leprosy cases by 50-60%. Furthermore, a complementary effect between single-dose rifampicin-post exposure prophylaxis and Bacillus Calmette–Guérin vaccine was identified. Moreover, the cost-effectiveness of the intervention was analyzed which resulted in IDR 80,414,775 being averted in its 25th year of implementationConclusion: The review established promising results of implementing single dose rifampicin-post exposure prophylaxis to prevent leprosy transmission. Further national scale intervention with a multi-layered approach is suggested to ensure full support and continuity of the large-scale intervention 

scholarly journals Published randomized controlled trials of surveillance in cancer patients - a systematic review

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Giglio ◽  
Patricia Schneider ◽  
Kim Madden ◽  
Bill Lin ◽  
Iqbal Multani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trials ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Primary Outcome ◽  
Risk Of Bias ◽  
Cancer Surveillance ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Randomized Controlled

With solid tumor cancer survivorship increasing, the number of patients requiring post-treatment surveillance also continues to increase. This highlights the need for evidence-based cancer surveillance guidelines. Ideally, these guidelines would be based on combined high-quality data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We present a systematic review of published cancer surveillance RCTs in which we sought to determine the feasibility of data pooling for guideline development. We carried out a systematic search of medical databases for RCTs in which adult patients with solid tumors that had undergone surgical resection with curative intent and had no metastatic disease at presentation, were randomized to different surveillance regimens that assessed effectiveness on overall survival (OS). We extracted study characteristics and primary and secondary outcomes, and assessed risk of bias and validity of evidence with standardized checklist tools. Our search yielded 32,216 articles for review and 18 distinct RCTs were included in the systematic review. The 18 trials resulted in 23 comparisons of surveillance regimens. There was a highlevel of variation between RCTs, including the study populations evaluated, interventions assessed and follow-up periods for the primary outcome. Most studies evaluated colorectal cancer patients (11/18, [61%]). The risk of bias and validity of evidence were variable and inconsistent across studies. This review demonstrated that there is tremendous heterogeneity among RCTs that evaluate effectiveness of different postoperative surveillance regimens in cancer patients, rendering the consolidation of data to inform high-quality cancer surveillance guidelines unfeasible. Future RCTs in the field should focus on consistent methodology and primary outcome definition.

scholarly journals Adjuvant Effects of Health Education of Chinese Medicine for Chronic Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
An-Lu Wang ◽  
He Zhang ◽  
Jie Zhang ◽  
Yan Zhang ◽  
Hui-Juan Cao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Chinese Medicine ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trials ◽  
Conventional Therapy ◽  
Mean Difference ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Adjuvant Effects ◽  
Quality Evidence

Objective. To evaluate the adjuvant effects of health education of Chinese medicine (HECM) for patients with three types of common noncommunicable diseases (NCD-hypertension, diabetes, and coronary heart disease (CHD)). Methods. The protocol of this review was registered in the PROSPERO website (CRD42017058325). Six databases were searched till Sep. 30, 2019. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing HECM plus conventional therapy with conventional therapy were retrieved. Participants were diagnosed as one of the 3 above NCDs. HECM is regarded as lectures and classes about diet therapy, exercise therapy, emotion balance, and other knowledge according to Chinese medicine theory. The control rate of the disease was defined as a primary outcome in this review. Outcomes were synthesized using meta-analyses where reporting was sufficiently homogeneous or alternatively synthesized in a systematic review. Results. In total, 12 trials with 1142 patients were included in this review. Since all the trials may have unclear or high risk of bias, only low quality evidence could be found for supporting the adjunctive effect of HECM in treating hypertension, diabetes, and CHD, to reduce the control rate (risk ratio −1.58), the blood pressure level (mean difference −9.38 mmHg), the fasting plasma glucose level (mean difference −1.26 mmol/L), and the symptoms of angina. Conclusion. The adjunctive effect of HECM on increasing the control rate of hypertension, improving the symptoms of diabetes and CHD, was only supported by low-quality evidence in this review. More rigorous trials with larger sample sizes and higher quality are warranted to provide a high quality of evidence.

Antimicrobially Impregnated Catheters: An Overview of Randomized Controlled Trials

2003 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 102-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Gastmeier ◽  
I. Zuschneid ◽  
C. Geffers
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trials ◽  
Bloodstream Infections ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
Catheter Colonization ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
End Point ◽  
Meta Analyses

In order to acquire an overview of the effectiveness of antimicrobially impregnated catheters on the prevention of catheter related bloodstream infections (CRI), we conducted a systematic review concentrating on randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The analysis end point was CRI; therefore, studies focussing only on catheter colonization were excluded. We did not consider abstracts for analysis. We identified 24 RCTs investigating the effectiveness of antimicrobially impregnated catheters. In addition, we discovered five meta-analyses and four studies investigating cost effectiveness. For the majority of antimicrobially impregnated catheter types only a few studies were available, and not enough to draw conclusions. Therefore, despite a relatively large number of RCTs available, the routine use of antimicrobially impregnated catheters as a measure for CRI prevention remains controversial, with a need for more high quality studies.

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