Systematic review/Meta-analysis Diagnostic value of microRNA for pancreatic cancer: a meta-analysis

Abstract Background Surgical resection remains the only curative treatment for pancreatic cancer and is associated with significant post-operative morbidity and mortality. Patients eligible for surgery, increasingly receive neo-adjuvant therapy before surgery or adjuvant therapy afterward, inherently exposing them to toxicity. As such, optimizing physical function through exercise during treatment remains imperative to optimize quality of life either before surgery or during rehabilitation. However, current exercise efficacy and prescription in pancreatic cancer is unknown. Therefore, this study aims to summarise the published literature on exercise studies conducted in patients with pancreatic cancer undergoing treatment with a focus on determining the current prescription and progression patterns being used in this population. Methods A systematic review of four databases identified studies evaluating the effects of exercise on aerobic fitness, muscle strength, physical function, body composition, fatigue and quality of life in participants with pancreatic cancer undergoing treatment, published up to 24 July 2020. Two reviewers independently reviewed and appraised the methodological quality of each study. Results Twelve studies with a total of 300 participants were included. Heterogeneity of the literature prevented meta-analysis. Exercise was associated with improvements in outcomes; however, study quality was variable with the majority of studies receiving a weak rating. Conclusions High quality evidence regarding the efficacy and prescription of exercise in pancreatic cancer is lacking. Well-designed trials, which have received feedback and input from key stakeholders prior to implementation, are required to examine the impact of exercise in pancreatic cancer on key cancer related health outcomes.

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Diagnostic Value of Fluorescence Methods, Visual Inspection and Photographic Visual Examination in Initial Caries Lesion: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Dentistry Journal ◽

10.3390/dj9030030 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 30

Author(s):

Mai Thi Giang Thanh ◽

Ngo Van Toan ◽

Do Thi Thanh Toan ◽

Nguyen Phu Thang ◽

Ngoc Quang Dong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Quality Assessment ◽

Visual Inspection ◽

Early Stage ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Diagnostic Value ◽

Caries Detection ◽

Permanent Teeth ◽

Visual Examination ◽

Initial Caries

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the efficacy of fluorescence-based methods, visual inspections, and photographic visual examinations in initial caries detection. A literature search was undertaken in the PubMed and Cochrane databases. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed, and eligible articles published from 1 January 2009 to 30 October 2019 were included if they met the following criteria: they (1) assessed the accuracy of methods of detecting initial tooth caries lesions on occlusal, proximal, or smooth surfaces in both primary and permanent teeth (in clinical); (2) used a reference standard; (3) reported data regarding the sample size, prevalence of initial tooth caries, and accuracy of the methods. Data collection and extraction, quality assessment, and data analysis were conducted according to Cochrane standards Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2. Statistical analyses were performed using Review Manager 5.3 and STATA 14.0. A total of 12 eligible articles were included in the meta-analysis. The results showed that the sensitivity and specificity of fluorescence-based methods were 80% and 80%, respectively; visual inspection was measured at 80% and 75%, respectively; photographic visual examination was measured at 67% and 79%, respectively. We found that the visual method and the fluorescence method were reliable for laboratory use to detect early-stage caries with equivalent accuracy.

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Diagnostic value of optical coherence tomography angiography for choroidal neovascularization in age-related macular degeneration: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Ophthalmic Research ◽

10.1159/000511265 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Chang-Xi Chen ◽

Mei-Ling Liu ◽

Kai Cao ◽

Mayinuer Yusufu ◽

Jin-Da Wang

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Optical Coherence Tomography ◽

Macular Degeneration ◽

Choroidal Neovascularization ◽

Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Diagnostic Value ◽

Age Related Macular Degeneration ◽

Optical Coherence ◽

Classification Rate

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic value of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in detecting the choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in agerelated macular degeneration (AMD). Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed by searching Pubmed, Science Direct, Embase and Web of Science. The pooled sensitivity and specificity with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), area under the summary receiver operator characteristic curve (sROC), and the total accurate classification rate were used to evaluate OCTA’ diagnostic value of CNV in AMD patients. Results: Seven studies involving 517 eyes were included in the analysis. The mean age of subjects in each study ranged from 58.5 years to 81.7 years. Fluorescein angiography was applied as the gold standard in five studies. There were 350 eyes diagnosed with CNV, OCTA detected 301 eyes correctly, while among the 167 eyes without CNV, OCTA identified 150 correctly. The total accurate classification rate was 87.23%. The Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was 0.5, indicating that there was no significant threshold effect in the current study (S=8, p=0.103). The pooled sensitivity and pooled specificity were 0.89 (95%CI: 0.82,0.94) and 0.96 (95%CI: 0.85,1.00) respectively. The area under sROC was up to 0.911. Conclusion: The specificity of OCTA for the detection of CNV in AMD patients is extremely high, however, the sensitivity still needs to be improved. In general, the metaanalysis revealed that OCTA had a high diagnostic value for the detection of CNV in AMD patients.

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