Curcumin Preparations Can Improve Flow-Mediated Dilation and Endothelial Function: A Meta-Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 272-281
Author(s):  
Khalid Hamid Changal ◽  
Muhammad Shayan Khan ◽  
Rehana Bashir ◽  
Mujeeb Abdul Sheikh

Introduction: Endothelial dysfunction is an early marker of atherosclerosis. Flow-mediated dilation (FMD), measured by ultrasonography, is used to noninvasively assess endothelial dysfunction. Preparations of curcumin, a naturally occurring pigment found in turmeric, may improve FMD and thus endothelial dysfunction. We did a systematic review and meta-analysis to analyze the effect of curcumin preparations on endothelial dysfunction. Methods: Five randomized clinical trials met the inclusion criteria for meta-analysis. The primary outcome was an improvement in FMD, as measured at brachial artery, after supplementations with curcumin preparations compared to the control group. Standardized mean difference and Hedges’ g were used for effect size (ES) measurement. An ES of 0.2–0.5 is considered small, 0.5–0.8 is medium, and more than 0.8 is large. Publication bias was studied too. Results: We found supplementation with curcumin preparations had an overall ES (standard difference in means) of 1.379 (95% CI 0.485–2.274, p = 0.003) on FMD. The overall Hedges’ g was 1.353 (95% CI 0.47–2.235, p = 0.03). This analysis suggests a positive and large ES of curcumin preparations on FMD using a random effect model. Smokers had a smaller increase in FMD compared to nonsmokers (ES 0.379 vs. 1.639, p = 0.034). Conclusion: This meta-analysis of 5 randomized clinical trials indicates a significant effect of curcumin preparations to increase the FMD compared to placebo and thus endothelial function. This effect is not strongly noticed in smokers.

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Somayeh Es-haghee ◽  
Fatemeh Shabani ◽  
Jessie Hawkins ◽  
Mohammad Ali Zareian ◽  
Fatemeh Nejatbakhsh ◽  
...  

ObjectivesPremenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a common disturbance among women of childbearing age. Aromatherapy is a commonly used form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to treat PMS. The purpose of this study is to quantify and summarize the effects of aromatherapy on premenstrual syndrome symptoms. Methods. PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases were searched through relevant search terms until October 2020. The effect sizes were pooled as weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) using the random effect model. Egger tests and visual inspection of the funnel plot were performed to identify the existence of publication bias. The I-squared (I2) test was applied to measure heterogeneity. Results. Eight studies (n = 8) were included in this analysis. The quantitative synthesis of evidence found that aromatherapy decreases PMS scores (WMD –13.83; 95% CI (−22.04, −5.63), I2 = 94.5%), total psychological symptoms of PMS (WMD –3.51; 95% CI (−4.84, −2.18), I2 = 82.6%), anxiety of PMS (WMD–1.78; 95% CI (−3.17, −0.38), I2 = 94.2%), depression of PMS (WMD–2.0; 95% CI (−3.65, −0.34), I2 = 93.7%), and fatigue of PMS (WMD – 1.44; 95% CI (−2.44, −0.44), I2 = 89.7%) compared to the control group. Conclusion. Aromatherapy is an effective tool for the relief of PMS symptoms. Additional randomized controlled clinical trials with different durations and essential oils should be conducted to confirm our findings.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e21622-e21622
Author(s):  
Chintan Shah ◽  
Harini Bejjanki ◽  
Rohit Bishnoi ◽  
Ankur Jain ◽  
Subhankar Samal ◽  
...  

e21622 Background: Carfilzomib (Carf) is a novel proteasome inhibitor that is approved for patients with relapsed multiple myeloma (RMM) who have failed ≥ 1 prior lines of therapy. The incidence and seriousness of Carf associated reno-vascular toxicities (RVT) is not well known. We performed systematic review of Carf literature with meta-analysis to determine its incidence and overall risk. Methods: Initial search of literature led to a total of 175 Carf related articles. However, we used a total of 29 publications; phase I/II, phase II and phase III clinical trials (n = 3) which used Carf as monotherapy or in combination. We excluded phase I studies. Incidence rates and odds ratios (OR) were calculated with either fixed effect or random effect model based on the heterogeneity of included studies. Toxicity such as hypertension (HTN), renal failure (RF) and venous thromboembolism (VTE) were reported according to CTCAE v4.0. Results: A total of 4560 patients with various hematological and solid malignancies were included. Incidences of toxicities were: 15.9% and 4.7 % for HTN, 11.2% and 3.44% for RF, 6.47% and 2.22% for VTE, respectively for all grades and high grades in each category. When compared to control group taken from phase III clinical trials, the risk of HTN and RF due to Carf was significantly higher [OR = 2.91 and 3.32 in HTN (P < 0.001)], [OR = 1.71 and 1.79 (P < 0.05) for RF], respectively for all grade and high grade in each category. Moreover, incidence of HTN with higher than standard dose of carf (27 mg/m2 twice weekly) was significantly higher (P < 0.001). RF and VTE did not have the dose effect. Concomitant use of immunomodulator (IMiD) significantly increased, as expected, the incidence of VTE (P < 0.001). There was no variation in the incidence of RVT among newly diagnosed versus RMM (P = 0.4). Conclusions: Overall incidence and risk of hypertension and renal toxicities seems to be high when using Carf. Higher doses of Carf seem to lead to higher incidence of HTN, while the risk of VTE is higher with concomitant IMiD use. The pathophysiology for these complications is poorly understood, however it could be secondary to endothelial effect of carf. Physician should be vigilant about these effects as it can lead to poor overall outcomes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 246-255
Author(s):  
Omid Asbaghi ◽  
Sara Kashkooli ◽  
Mohammad Reza Amini ◽  
Hossein Shahinfar ◽  
Kurosh Djafarian ◽  
...  

This meta-analysis was performed to assess the effect of L-carnitine supplementation on lipid profile. A systematic search were conducted in PubMed and Scopus to identify randomized clinical trials (RCTs) which evaluated the effects of L-carnitine on lipid profile. Pooled effect sizes were measured using random-effect model (Dersimonian-Laird). Meta-analysis showed that L-carnitine supplementation significantly reduced total cholesterol (TC) (weighted mean difference [WMD]: -8.17 mg/dL; 95% CI,-14.68 to -1.65, I2=52.2%, P = 0.041). Baseline level of TC was a source of heterogeneity, with a greater effect in studies with a baseline level of more than 200 mg/d (WMD: -11.93 mg/dL; 95% CI, -20.80 to-3.05). L-carnitine also significantly decreased low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) (WMD:-5.22 mg/dL; 95% CI, -9.54 to -0.91, I2=66.7%, P = 0.010), and LDL-C level <100 mg/dL), trial duration,and L-carnitine dosage were potential sources of heterogeneity. L-carnitine supplementation appeared to have no significant effect on high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) (WMD: -0.51 mg/dL;95% CI, -2.45 to 1.44) and triglyceride (TG) (WMD: 2.80 mg/dL; 95% CI, -8.09 to 13.69). This meta-analysisrevealed that L-carnitine may have favorable effects on lipid profile, especially LDL-C and TC. However, further RCTs are needed to confirm the veracity of these results, particularly among hyperlipidemic patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan Tian ◽  
Alan Huang ◽  
Yue Yang ◽  
Qi Dang ◽  
Qing Wen ◽  
...  

BackgroundUnderstanding the safety and adverse event profiles of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors is important in guiding cancer immunotherapy. Consequently, we designed this meta-analysis to evaluate the safety of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in clinical trials involving cancer patients.MethodsFour safety indicators comprising treatment-related adverse events, death, discontinuation of therapy and grades 3–5 adverse events were evaluated using the random effect model. The quality of enrolled trials was assessed using the Newcastle Ottawa Scale (NOS).ResultsForty-four clinical trials were included in the final meta-analysis. Compared with chemotherapy, the risk of death due to the use of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors was much lower than that experienced in the control group (OR = 0.65, 95%CI: [0.47, 0.91], I2 = 0%, Z = 2.52 (P = 0.01)). Similar observations were apparent regarding the other three indicators of safety and also when the use of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors alone is compared with the combined use of PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4. When used together with chemotherapy, PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors increased the incidence of the adverse events as compared to the use of chemotherapy alone. Increased risks for adverse events were also noticed with the use of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors over the use of a placebo.ConclusionThe use of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors alone is associated with a better safety profile compared to either the use of chemotherapy or the use of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors with other anticancer regimens.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan Tian ◽  
Ran Li ◽  
Yan Liu ◽  
Meng Li ◽  
Yuxiao Song ◽  
...  

BackgroundThyroid dysfunction is common for cancer patients receiving PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor therapies. To clarify the incidence risk of thyroid dysfunction would be important for guiding anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy. Therefore, the updated meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the incidence risk of thyroid dysfunction caused by PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors.MethodsPD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor related clinical trials were collected by a systematic search of the PubMed. Some relevant studies were identified by a manual search. The incidence risk of all grades and grades 3-5 was analyzed and evaluated by random effect model. The Newcastle Ottawa Scale was used for the quality assessment of all clinical trials.ResultsForty-three clinical trials were collected. Compared with chemotherapy, the risk of hypothyroidism of all grades was significantly higher (OR=7.15, 95%CI:[4.85, 10.55], I2 = 40%, Z=9.91(P &lt;0.00001)) in PD-1/PD-L1 group. Similar results could also be noted, when the control group was placebo or CTLA-4. When PD-1/PD-L1 was combined with other treatments for cancer patients, the risk of hypothyroidism of all grades was also significantly increased. Similar to the analysis results of hypothyroidism, PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors played the same role in increasing the risk of hyperthyroidism and thyroiditis. Few significant analysis results was noted, when the risk of thyroid dysfunction of grades 3-5 was assessed.ConclusionWhether used alone or in combination with other anti-tumor drugs, PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors increased the risk of thyroid dysfunction, especially for hypothyroidism. Furthermore, PD-1/PD-L1 was better than chemotherapy and CTLA-4 in increasing the risk of thyroid dysfunction.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. e0257999
Author(s):  
Matilde Roda ◽  
Marco Pellegrini ◽  
Natalie Di Geronimo ◽  
Aldo Vagge ◽  
Michela Fresina ◽  
...  

Background To date, there is still no consensus regarding the effect of binocular treatment for amblyopia. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to summarize the available evidence to determine whether binocular treatment is more effective than patching in children with amblyopia. Methods Four electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) were searched for studies that compared binocular treatment and patching in children with amblyopia. The outcome measures were visual acuity and stereopsis. Pooled effects sizes were calculated with a random-effect model. The standardized difference in means (SDM) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was calculated. Sensitivity analysis and assessment of publication bias were performed. Results Five randomized clinical trials were included. No significant difference in visual acuity between patients treated with binocular treatment and patching was observed (SDM = -0.12; 95% CI: -0.45–0.20; P = 0.464). No significant difference in stereopsis between patients treated with binocular treatment and patching was observed (SDM = -0.07; 95% CI: -0.61–0.48; P = 0.809). For both variables, the between-study heterogeneity was high (respectively, I2 = 61% and I2 = 57%). Conclusions This meta-analysis found no convincing evidence supporting the efficacy of binocular treatment as an alternative to conventional patching. Therefore, the binocular treatment cannot fully replace traditional treatment but, to date, it can be considered a valid complementary therapy in peculiar cases. Further studies are required to determine whether more engaging therapies and new treatment protocols are more effective.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e21674-e21674
Author(s):  
Chintan Shah ◽  
Rohit Bishnoi ◽  
Harini Bejjanki ◽  
Ankur Jain ◽  
Subhankar Samal ◽  
...  

e21674 Background: Carfilzomib (Carf)is a novel proteasome inhibitor (PI) that is approved for patients with relapsed multiple myeloma (RMM) who have failed ≥ 1 prior lines of therapy. The incidence and seriousness of Carf associated cardiotoxicity (CT) is not well defined. We hypothesize that CT is more frequent than that seen with other PIs. We performed systematic review of Carf literature with meta-analysis to determine its incidence and overall risk. Methods: Initial search of literature led to a total of 175 Carf related articles. However, we used 29 publicatons; phase I/II, phase II and phase III (n = 3) clinical trials in which Carf was used as monotherapy or in combination with other chemo agents. We excluded phase I studies and studies without CT data. Incidence rates and odds ratios (OR) were calculated with either fixed effect or random effect model based on the heterogeneity of included studies. Toxicity was reported according to CTCAE v4.0. Results: A total of 4560 patients with various hematological and solid malignancies were included. Incidence of all grades and high grades (≥ 3) CT (including arrhythmias, CHF with LVEF drop, and coronary syndrome) were 7.8% and 4.72%, respectively. When compared to control group taken from phase III clinical trials, the risk of developing CT due to Carf was significantly higher with OR of 1.90 and 2.03 (P < 0.01) for all grades and high grades, respectively. Moreover, incidence of CT was significantly higher in Carf combination therapy (9.85%) compared to Carf monotherapy (5.40%) (P = 0.01). Furthermore, incidence of high grade CT was 7.5% and 5% with and without concomitant immunomodulatory agent (IMiD), respectively (P = 0.004). There was no variation in the incidence of CT among newly diagnosed versus RMM (P = 0.6), and no Carf dose effect. Mortality rate associated with cardiotoxicity was 1.5%. Conclusions: Overall incidence of Carf related CT seems to be higher than that reported with other PIs. Although, the pathophysiology is poorly understood, this trend could potentially be secondary to irreversible nature of proteasome inhibition by Carf. There seems to be a significant increase in CT with combination of Carf and an IMiD. Prior therapies and higher Carf doses have no effect on CT incidence.


2018 ◽  
Vol 94 (1111) ◽  
pp. 278-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xue-Feng Xie ◽  
Xiao-Hui Huang ◽  
Ai-Zong Shen ◽  
Jun Li ◽  
Ye-Huan Sun

AimLeptin, synthesised by adipocytes, has been identified as a hormone that can influence inflammatory activity. Several studies have investigated leptin levels in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), but the results are not consistent. This study aims to derive a more precise evaluation on the relationship between circulating leptin levels and MS.DesignA comprehensive literature searched up to July 2017 was conducted to evaluate the association of circulating leptin levels and MS. The random-effect model was applied to calculate pooled standardised mean difference (SMD) and its 95% CI.Main outcome measuresCirculating leptin levels of patients with MS and healthy controls.ResultsOf 2155 studies identified, 33 met eligibility criteria and 9 studies with 645 patients with MS and 586 controls were finally included in the meta-analysis. Meta-analysis revealed that, compared with the healthy control group, the MS group had significantly higher plasma/serum leptin levels, with the SMD of 0.70% and 95% CI (0.24 to 1.15). Subgroup analyses suggested that the leptin levels of patients with MS were associated with region, age, study sample size, measurement type, gender and blood sample type.ConclusionOverall, our study suggests that patients with MS have a significantly higher leptin level than in healthy controls. Further mechanism studies and longitudinal large cohort studies are still needed to further reveal the role of leptin in the pathogenesis of MS.


EP Europace ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (Supplement_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Serenelli ◽  
F Vitali ◽  
R Pavasini ◽  
E Tonet ◽  
G Pompei ◽  
...  

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are not guideline-recommanded treatment for left ventricular thrombus.  Purpose: the aim of this meta-analysis is to compare NOACs versus vitamin-K atagonsits (VKAs) efficacy in treating left ventricular thrombus (LVT). Methods: we systematically searched MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Biomed Central, and Web of Science for trials comparing NOACs versus VKAs in the setting of LVT. Five studies, out of the 74 initially selected after first screening, were included in the meta-analysis. For the development of this meta-analysis, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. The shortlisted studies were retrieved as full articles and appraised independently by two unblinded reviewers. The Mantel-Haensel method with a random effect model was used for the pooled analysis. The primary outcome was the occurrence of stroke and systemic embolism. Secondary outcome was occurrence of left ventricular thrombosis resolution during treatment.  Results: 707 patients were included in the analysis for the primary outcome. Of these, 230 were treated with NOACs and 477 with VKAs. The pooled OR for the primary outcome was 0.71 (95% CI 0.18-2.86, I2 67%), thus showing similar effect in term of ischaemic protection. A total of 698 patients, 228 on NOACs and 470 on VKAs were included in the analysis of the secondary outcome. The pooled OR for the secondary outcome pooled OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.56-1.68, I2 46%. Conclusions and Relevance: NOACs seem to have a similar efficacy profile compare to VKAs and so they should be considered as an alternative treatment for left ventricular thrombosis. Large prospective randomized clinical trials are needed to confirm this exploratory finding. Abstract Figure 1


2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 462-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viral P. Maru ◽  
B.S. Shakuntala ◽  
C. Nagarathna

Background:Chemomechanical caries removal is an effective alternative to the traditional rotary drilling method. The advantages of chemomechanical techniques in terms of the need for anesthesia, pain perception and patient preference are systematically reviewed and a meta-analysis of the time required for caries removal is reported.Method: Randomized controlled studies of comparison of chemomechanical techniques with conventional rotary drill were selected from a systematic search of standard biomedical databases, including the PubMed and Cochrane clinical trials. Non-repeated search results were screened for relevance and risk of bias assessment, followed by methodology assessment. Statistical models were applied to the outcome parameters - time required, pain perception, need of anesthesia and patient preference - extracted from the studies.Results: Out of the 111 non-repeated search results, 26 studies receiving a low bias score were selected for the review, and 16 randomized clinical trials of rotary and Carisolv techniques were considered for meta-analysis. Meta-analysis by fixed effect as well as random effect models indicate that Carisolv takes more time (3.65 ± 0.05 and 4.09 ± 0.29 min) than rotary drill (8.65 ± 0.09 and 8.97 ± 0.66 min) method. Advantages of reduced pain (14.67 for Carisolvvs.6.76 for rotary drill), need for anesthesia (1.59%vs.10.52%) outweigh the longer time requirement and make it the preferred (18.68%vs.4.69%) method.Conclusion: Chemomechanical techniques stand out as a minimally invasive and preferred method based on the meta-analyses. Evaluation of pain experienced using robust methods is needed to strengthen the evidence for their use.


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