scholarly journals Efficacy and Safety of Topical Timolol Eye Drops in the Treatment of Myopic Regression after Laser In Situ Keratomileusis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaochen Wang ◽  
Guiqiu Zhao ◽  
Jing Lin ◽  
Nan Jiang ◽  
Qian Wang ◽  
...  

Aims. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of timolol in the treatment of myopic regression after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK).Methods. We searched MEDLINE, CENTRAL, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Chinese Biological Medicine (CBM) from the inception to July 2015 for relevant randomized controlled trials that examined timolol therapy for myopic regression. The methodological quality of the studies included was assessed using the Revman 5.3 software.Results. We included six clinical trials involving 483 eyes in this review, including 246 eyes in treated group and 237 eyes in controlled group. We observed statistically significant improvements on the postoperative SE in the 3 months. However, the change of CCT was not statistically different between the control group and the experimental group. There were fewer cases of IOP, UDVA, and CDVA in treated group having significant difference from the controlled group.Conclusions. Topical timolol could be an effective treatment for reduction of myopic regression especially the spherical errors after myopic LASIK. Further RCTs with larger sample sizes for these trials are warranted to determine the efficacy and limitation for myopic regression after LASIK.

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhitao Feng ◽  
Juan Xu ◽  
Guochao He ◽  
Meiqun Cao ◽  
Lihong Duan ◽  
...  

Objective.To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the total glucosides of peony (TGP) and leflunomide (LEF) for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods.Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the efficacy and safety of the combination of TGP and LEF versus LEF alone for the treatment of RA were retrieved by searching PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure database, and Wanfang database.Results.Eight RCTs including 643 RA patients were included in the present meta-analysis. The quality of included studies was poor. The levels of ESR (P<0.0001), CRP (P<0.0001), and RF (P<0.0001) in RA patients who received the combination of TGP and LEF were significantly lower than RA patients who received LEF therapy alone. The pooled results suggest that the combination of TGP and LEF caused less abnormal liver function than LEF alone (P=0.02). No significant difference in the gastrointestinal discomfort was identified between the combination of TGP and LEF and LEF alone groups (P=0.18).Conclusion.The combination of TGP and LEF in treatment of RA presented the characteristics of notably decreasing the levels of laboratory indexes and higher safety in terms of liver function. However, this conclusion should be further investigated based on a larger sample size.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Shumei Sun ◽  
Hao Zhang ◽  
Peicheng Zhong ◽  
Zhihong Xu

Purpose. To discuss the effects of dydrogesterone combined with letrozole on the effectiveness, sex hormone levels, and serological indicators in patients with endometriosis. This study is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020213172). Methods. We searched relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) through PubMed, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, and VIP Database. The standardized mean differences (SMDs), the mean differences (MDs), or odds ratios (ORs) with their 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were computed to be outcome indicators, including total effectiveness, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) level, Carbohydrate Antigen 125 (CA125) level, Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) level, Luteinizing Hormone (LH) level, estrogen (E2) level, progesterone (P) level, interleukin-6 (IL-6) level, and tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) level. Results. A total of 19 RCTs involving 1,591 patients were included in this study. Our results showed that letrozole combined with dydrogesterone can significantly reduce the levels of VEGF (SMD -2.23, 95% CI -2.39 to -2.07; p < 0.00001 ), CA125 (MD -10.53, 95% CI -11.19 to -9.88; p < 0.00001 ), E2 (SMD -1.64, 95% CI -1.81 to -1.47; p < 0.00001 ), P (MD -5.11, 95% CI -6.26 to -3.96; p < 0.00001 ), IL-6 (MD -4.41, 95% CI -5.16 to -3.67; p < 0.00001 ), and TNF-a (MD -5.67, 95% CI -6.34 to -5.00; p < 0.00001 ) in patients with endometriosis compared with the control group. In addition, the results indicated that total effectiveness was significantly higher in the experiment group (OR 6.21, 95% CI 4.17 to 9.24; p < 0.00001 ) compared to the control. However, there was no significant difference between FSH and LH levels in both groups ( p > 0.05 ). Conclusion. This combination therapy can effectively decrease the levels of VEGF, CA125, E2, P, IL-6, and TNF-a and increase the total effectiveness when comparing with the control group.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0248524
Author(s):  
Rui Li ◽  
Zhiyong Tang ◽  
Fu Liu ◽  
Ming Yang

Background Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) has a significant impact on the mortality of immunocompromised patients. It is not known whether the prophylactic application of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMZ) can reduce the incidence of PCP and mortality in the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative immunodeficient population. The safety profile is also unknown. There have been few reports on this topic. The aim of this study was to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of the use of TMP-SMZ for the prevention of PCP in this population of patients from the perspective of evidence-based medicine. Methods A comprehensive search without restrictions on publication status or other parameters was conducted. Clinical randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or case-control trials (CCSs) of TMP-SMZ used for the prevention of PCP in HIV-negative immunocompromised populations were considered eligible. A meta-analysis was performed using the Mantel-Haenszel fixed-effects model or Mantel-Haenszel random-effects model, and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated and reported. Results Of the 2392 records identified, 19 studies (n = 4135 patients) were included. The efficacy analysis results indicated that the PCP incidence was lower in the TMP-SMZ group than in the control group (OR = 0.27, 95% CI (0.10, 0.77), p = 0.01); however, the rate of drug discontinuation was higher in the TMP-SMZ group than in the control group (OR = 14.31, 95% CI (4.78, 42.91), p<0.00001). In addition, there was no statistically significant difference in the rate of mortality between the two groups (OR = 0.54, 95% CI (0.21, 1.37), p = 0.19). The safety analysis results showed that the rate of adverse events (AEs) was higher in the TMP-SMZ group than in the control group (OR = 1.92, 95% CI (1.06, 3.47), p = 0.03). Conclusions TMP-SMZ has a better effect than other drugs or the placebo with regard to preventing PCP in HIV-negative immunocompromised individuals, but it may not necessarily reduce the rate of mortality, the rate of drug discontinuation or AEs. Due to the limitations of the research methodologies used, additional large-scale clinical trials and well-designed research studies are needed to identify more effective therapies for the prevention of PCP.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0247662
Author(s):  
Jingjing He ◽  
Desheng Kong ◽  
Zhifen Yang ◽  
Ruiyun Guo ◽  
Asiamah Ernest Amponsah ◽  
...  

Background Diabetes mellitus as a chronic metabolic disease is threatening human health seriously. Although numerous clinical trials have been registered for the treatment of diabetes with stem cells, no articles have been published to summarize the efficacy and safety of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods and findings The aim of this study was to systematically review the evidence from RCTs and, where possible, conduct meta-analyses to provide a reliable numerical summary and the most comprehensive assessment of therapeutic efficacy and safety with MSCs in diabetes. PubMed, Web of Science, Ovid, the Cochrane Library and CNKI were searched. The retrieval time was from establishment of these databases to January 4, 2020. Seven RCTs were eligible for analysis, including 413 participants. Meta-analysis results showed that there were no significant differences in the reduction of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) compared to the baseline [mean difference (MD) = -1.05, 95% confidence interval (CI) (-2.26,0.16), P<0.01, I2 = 94%] and the control group [MD = -0.62, 95%CI (-1.46,0.23), P<0.01, I2 = 87%]. The MSCs treatment group showed a significant decrease in hemoglobin (Hb) A1c [random-effects, MD = -1.32, 95%CI (-2.06, -0.57), P<0.01, I2 = 90%] after treatment. Additionally, HbA1c reduced more significantly in MSC treatment group than in control group [random-effects, MD = -0.87, 95%CI (-1.53, -0.22), P<0.01, I2 = 82%] at the end of follow-up. However, as for fasting C-peptide levels, the estimated pooled MD showed that there was no significant increase [MD = -0.07, 95%CI (-0.30, 0.16), P<0.01, I2 = 94%] in MSCs treatment group compared with that in control group. Notably, there was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse events between MSCs treatment group and control group [relative risk (RR) = 0.98, 95%CI (0.72, 1.32), P = 0.02, I2 = 70%]. The most commonly observed adverse reaction in the MSC treatment group was hypoglycemia (29.95%). Conclusions This meta-analysis revealed MSCs therapy may be an effective and safe intervention in subjects with diabetes. However, due to the limited studies, a number of high-quality as well as large-scale RCTs should be performed to confirm these conclusions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Yuanyuan Yue ◽  
Meng Gao ◽  
Yanru Deng ◽  
Jiemin Shao ◽  
Yingguang Sun

Background. Modified Yunu-Jian (mYJ), a Chinese medicine (CM) formula, is thought to clear heat and nourish yin. Clinically, it is often used to treat oral inflammation. However, its efficacy remains controversial. Methods. The study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of mYJ for treating patients with periodontitis. We searched electronic databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang database, VIP database, and CBM) from inception to December 2020. Only randomized controlled trials investigating modified Yunu-Jian, with or without other medications, against controlled intervention in the treatment of patients diagnosed with periodontitis were included. Both Review Manager 5.3 and Stata 15.0 software were used to analyze the data. The Cochrane Collaborations risk of bias tool was used to assess the quality of the methods. Results. Thirteen clinical trials, involving 1179 participants, were included in our investigation. The results showed that the combination of mYJ with western medicine improved the total effective rate compared with western medicine alone (RR = 1.17, 95% CI (1.12, 1.23), P  < 0.00001). The sensitivity analysis and Harbord’s test ( P  = 0.255) both showed that the results were statistically robust. Moreover, the periodontal indexes (GI, SBI, PLI, and PD; P  < 0.00001) of patients with periodontitis were also significantly improved after receiving the combined therapy. No serious adverse reactions were observed in the experimental groups. Conclusions. Evidence from the meta-analysis suggested that mYJ appeared to be effective and relatively safe for treating periodontitis. Because of the low quality of the methods used in the included RCTs, further studies with larger sample sizes and well-designed models are required to confirm our findings.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Ting Dai ◽  
Sun Xiaoying ◽  
Xin Li ◽  
Li Hongjin ◽  
Zhou Yaqiong ◽  
...  

Background. It has been reported that deficiency of selenium can cause autoimmune disease. This meta-analysis was aimed at evaluating whether there exits an association between selenium level and vitiligo. Methods. A comprehensive search was conducted on PubMed, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Med Online, and China VIP databases from the inception to February 12, 2019. The main outcome was the standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) in serum selenium level between vitiligo patients and healthy controls. Results. A total of 8 studies with 305 vitiligo patients and 6156 healthy controls were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed that there was no significant difference in selenium level between vitiligo patients and healthy controls (SMD=0.481, 95%CI=−0.642 to 1.604, Z=0.840, P>0.05). Further subgroup analysis stratified by area revealed that Asian vitiligo patients had decreased selenium level, while that finding was not observed in Caucasian patients (Asian: SMD=−0.303, 95%CI=−0.603 to −0.004, P<0.05; Caucasian: SMD=0.957, 95%CI=−0.752 to 2.665, P>0.05). Conclusions. Although overall selenium level was similar between vitiligo patients and health controls, subgroup analysis showed decreased levels of selenium in Asian vitiligo patients. It may suggest a clinical tailored administration of selenium supplementation in Asian vitiligo patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Ximing Zhang ◽  
Xiumei Tian ◽  
Yuezi Wei ◽  
Hao Deng ◽  
Lichun Ma ◽  
...  

In clinical practice, tegafur, gimeracil, and oteracil potassium (S-1) therapy is commonly administered to treat nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, its efficacy and safety remain controversial in both randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of S-1 treatment for NPC. We searched PubMed, Ovid, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, and VIP databases for RCTs of chemotherapy with or without S-1 for NPC, from 2001 to 2020. A meta-analysis was performed using RevMan5.3 and Stata15. Randomized controlled trials published in journals were included irrespective of blinding and language used. Patients were diagnosed with NPC through a clinicopathological examination; patients of all cancer stages and ages were included. Overall, 25 trials and 1858 patients were included. There were significant differences in the complete remission (OR = 2.42, 95% CI (1.88–3.10), P < 0.05 ) and overall response rate (OR = 2.68, 95% CI (2.08–3.45), P < 0.05 ) between the S-1 and non-S-1 groups. However, there was no significant difference in partial remission (OR = 1.10, 95% CI (0.87–1.39), P = 0.42 ) and seven adverse reactions (leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, dermatitis, oral mucositis, and anemia) between the S-1 and non-S-1 groups. Additionally, statistical analyses with six subgroups were performed. S-1 was found to be a satisfactory chemotherapeutic agent combined with radiotherapy, intravenous chemotherapy, or chemoradiotherapy for NPC. As an oral medicine, the adverse reactions of S-1, especially gastrointestinal reactions, can be tolerated by patients, thereby optimizing their quality of life. S-1 may be a better choice for the treatment of NPC. This trial is registered with CRD42019122041.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 196-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chenjie Yu ◽  
Kaijian Wang ◽  
Xinyan Cui ◽  
Ling Lu ◽  
Jianfei Dong ◽  
...  

Background Patients with moderate to severe allergic rhinitis (AR) who are treated according to the current rhinitis management guidelines may be inadequately controlled. These patients are at risk of serious comorbidities, such as asthma and chronic sinusitis. These symptoms, sneezing and an itchy, runny, stuffy nose, may have a negative impact on patients’ daily functioning. Omalizumab is being developed as a new choice for the treatment of AR. We therefore undertook a meta-analysis to assess the efficacy and safety of omalizumab in the treatment of AR. Methods We systematically searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, and MEDLINE databases for randomized controlled studies on the treatment of AR with omalizumab. Our evaluation outcomes were symptom scores, medication efficacy, combined symptom and medication scores, and adverse events. We descriptively summarized and quantitatively synthesized original data to evaluate the efficacy and safety of omalizumab in the treatment of AR by using Stata12.0 software for meta-analyses. Results The results of our meta-analysis showed that there were statistically significant differences between the omalizumab group and the control group in the following aspects: daily nasal symptom score (standardized mean difference [SMD] = –0.443, 95% confidence interval [CI]: –0.538 to –0.347, P < .001); daily ocular symptom score (SMD = –0.385, 95% CI: –0.5 to –0.269, P < .001); daily nasal medication symptom scores (SMD = –0.421, 95% CI: –0.591 to –0.251, P < .001); proportion of days of emergency drug use (risk ratio [RR] = 0.488, 95% CI: 0.307 to 0.788, P < .005); rhinoconjunctivitis-specific quality of life questionnaire (SMD = –0.286, 95% CI: –0.418 to –0.154, P < .001); and overall evaluation (RR = 1.435, 95% CI: 1.303–1.582, P < .001). There was no statistically significant difference in safety indicator: adverse events (RR = 1.026, 95% CI: 0.916–1.150, P = .655). Conclusion Omalizumab is effective and relatively safe in patients with AR; omalizumab used in conjunction with special immunotherapy has shown promising results, especially in reducing adverse events.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rui Wang ◽  
Xueyan Huang ◽  
Yeqi Wu ◽  
Dai Sun

Objective: Several studies suggested that Qigong exercise (QE) can relieve fatigue in patients diagnosed with various diseases. Our review aimed to evaluate the efficacy of QE for alleviating fatigue.Methods: A related literature search was performed in the PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, China Biology Medicine disc (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, and VIP data bases from inception to November 2020. Information on fatigue, malaise, tiredness, and Qigong research data was collected.Results: Sixteen randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were reported in patients with cancer (n = 4), chronic fatigue syndrome (n = 2), and other diseases (n = 10). The QE groups showed significant improvements in total fatigue intensity [15 RCTs, p &lt; 0.00001; standard mean difference (SMD) −0.69 (−0.95 to −0.44)]. The QE groups did not show significant improvement in quality of life [4 RCTs, p = 0.08; SMD 0.53 (−0.07 to 1.14)]. The statistically significant difference of the subgroup analyses (different primary diseases, QE types, and study quality) also remained unchanged.Conclusion: The findings of this meta-analysis indicate that QE may be beneficial for improving fatigue in patients diagnosed with various diseases. Considering the limitations of the study, we draw a very cautious conclusion regarding the resulting estimate of the effect. Further studies are warranted to better understand the benefits of QE in primary medical care.


2021 ◽  
Vol 53 (07) ◽  
pp. 425-434
Author(s):  
Jie Fu ◽  
Tao Tao ◽  
Zuoxiao Li ◽  
Yangmei Chen ◽  
Xiu Chen ◽  
...  

AbstractWe conducted this meta-analysis to assess the effects of sodium valproate (VPA) monotherapy on blood liver enzymes in patients with epilepsy. PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO, Cochrane Library, Wanfang, China national knowledge infrastructure databases were searched. Nine studies were included. Results showed: (1) The overall SMD for blood AST, ALT, and GGT levels of VPA monotherapy group versus control group were 0.70 (95% CI=0.31 to 1.09, Z=3.52, p=0.0004), 0.47 (95% CI=− 0.01 to 0.95, Z=1.91, p=0.06), 0.44 (95% CI=0.29 to 0.60, Z=5.55, p<0.00001), respectively. (2) In subgroup meta-analysis, increased blood AST and GGT levels were observed in epileptic minors (AST: total SMD=0.85, 95% CI=0.40 to 1.30, Z=3.69, p=0.0002; GGT: total SMD=0.46, 95% CI=0.29 to 0.63, Z=5.25, p<0.00001). Elevated blood ALT level was observed in Asian patients receiving VPA monotherapy (total SMD=0.70, 95% CI=0.51 to 0.90, Z=7.01, p<0.00001), and the early stage of VPA monotherapy (total SMD=0.93, 95% CI=0.57 to 1.29, Z=5.09, p<0.00001). Overall, our results indicated that blood AST and GGT were significantly increased in epileptic minors receiving VPA monotherapy. The elevation of blood ALT was observed in Asian patients and the early stage of VPA monotherapy. However, due to the small number of included studies, our results should be considered with caution.


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