metaanalysis

A review of the latest and most relevant information on different disorders of head and facial pain is presented. News from epidemiologic studies regarding the relationship between migraine and patent foramen ovale, the cardiovascular risk in migraine, and migraine behavior during menopause, and the development of white matter lesions or migraine genetics are presented. Regarding pathophysiology there are very recent insights regarding the role of the hypothalamus during prodromal phase and the interplay of brain-stem and hypothalamus during the attack...

Recently, several studies have reported that inflammatory response and elevated platelet counts may be associated with the poor prognosis of colorectal cancer. This meta-analysis was designed to analyze and evaluate the prognostic role of elevated preoperative or pretreatment neutrophils-to-lymphocytes ratio, platelet-to-lymphocytes ratio or platelet counts in patients with colorectal cancer. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and Web of Science to April, 2016. A total of 23 studies (N = 11762 participants) were included for this meta-analysis...

BACKGROUND: Currently, there is no standardized treatment regimen for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. AIM: We performed a metaanalysis of high quality randomized controlled trials that evaluated treatment response to metformin, thiazolidinediones (TZDs), and vitamin E in adult patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Outcome measures were improvement in liver histology, biochemical, and anthropometric measures. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Nine trials met inclusion criteria (3 with TZD, 3 with Metformin, 2 with Vitamin E and 1 with both TZD and Vitamin E...

BACKGROUND: We wished to assess the frequency of overinterpretation in systematic reviews of diagnostic accuracy studies. METHODS: MEDLINE was searched through PubMed from December 2015 to January 2016. Systematic reviews of diagnostic accuracy studies in English were included if they reported one or more metaanalyses of accuracy estimates. We built and piloted a list of 10 items that represent actual overinterpretation in the abstract and/or full-text conclusion, and a list of 9 items that represent potential overinterpretation...

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have emerged as a promising treatment option in the fight against advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). KRAS is the most frequently mutated oncogene in NSCLC. We performed this meta-analysis to investigate if KRAS mutation status affects survival benefits of ICIs in patients with advanced NSCLC. Electronic databases were searched for eligible studies. We included randomized trials with the data of overall survival stratified by KRAS mutation status. From 3 eligible studies, 138 patients with KRAS mutant NSCLC and 371 with KRAS wild-type tumor were included in the meta-analysis...

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to examine the effect of supportive care interventions on depressive symptoms in patients with lung cancer. METHOD: We searched the databases of the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Ovid EMBASE, PubMed, and the Chinese Electronic Periodical Services (CEPS) from their inception until September of 2015. We included randomized controlled trial studies that compared standard care with supportive care interventions. The standardized mean difference (SMD) (Cohen's d) was calculated to estimate the effect of interventions...

Sperm morphology displays a potential impact on sperm function and may ultimately impact reproductive function. Current studies have investigated the correlation between sperm morphology with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) but have shown inconsistent results. Hence, we systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CNKI databases, as well as the Cochrane Library for studies that examined the association between sperm morphology and unexplained RSA. Fifteen studies were identified, including 883 cases and 530 controls...

We prospectively analyzed the clinical outcomes of 72 patients (2,3) and we came to similar conclusions. Conceptually, covered stents present the advantage to prevent tumor ingrowth within the stent, and, being more compliant, they could facilitate pyloric motility. However, they dislodge more easily, and distal migration of the stent can lead to serious consequences (4). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

To understand the relationship between p-Akt expression and the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer, we searched six databases, Pubmed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang and CBM for relevant articles in order to conduct this metaanalysis. The pooled hazard ratios and corresponding 95%CI of overall survival were calculated to evaluate the prognostic value of p-Akt expression in patients with gastric cancer. With 2261 patients combined from 13 available studies, the pooled HR showed a poor prognosis in patients with gastric cancer in the univariate analysis (HR=1...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Constipation, a common complaint in children, considerably affects the quality of life. This systematic review assessed the treatment effects of glucomannan on children with constipation by summarising evidence from previous randomised controlled trials (RCTs). METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: A comprehensive electronic literature search was conducted for identifying eligible RCTs that evaluated the effectiveness of glucomannan. The results were reported as mean differences (MDs), standardised mean differences (SMDs), and risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs)...

PURPOSE: Pars plana vitrectomy has been reported to increase the risk of ocular hypertension and open-angle glaucoma. The authors conducted a systematic review of randomized and nonrandomized studies to compare the incidence of open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension in vitrectomized versus nonvitrectomized eyes. METHODS: A literature search was performed using MEDLINE and EMBASE until August 2016. Data on ocular hypertension and open-angle glaucoma incidence and mean intraocular pressure after at least 1 year were pooled using random-effects metaanalysis models...

INTRODUCTION: Endometriomas are present in up to 44% of all women with endometriosis and have a detrimental effect on fertility. However, it is controversial whether endometriomas should be surgically removed before assisted reproduction technology (ART). Our purpose was to evaluate whether surgical stripping of endometriomas in subfertile women improves the chance of a live birth. Secondary outcomes were impact on ovarian reserve and pain. Material and methods We conducted a systematic review and metaanalysis with results reported in accordance to the PRISMA guidelines...

OBJECTIVES: To assess the efficacy of comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) in prevention of delirium after hip fracture. DESIGN: Systematic review and metaanalysis. SETTING: Ward based models on geriatrics wards and visiting team based models on orthopaedics wards were included. PARTICIPANTS: Four trials (three European, one U.S.; 973 participants) were identified. Two assessed ward-based, and two assessed team-based interventions...

BACKGROUND: Although various individual studies have been conducted to determine the association between X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) Arg399Gln polymorphism and breast cancer, the results remain inconclusive. To assess the influence of XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism on the risk of breast cancer, a metaanalysis was performed in a single ethnic group. METHODS: Eligible studies were identified via databases such as PubMed, Springer Link, Ovid, Chinese Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Chinese Biology Medicine, throughout February 2016...

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of integrating informal caregivers into discharge planning on postdischarge cost and resource use in older adults. DESIGN: A systematic review and metaanalysis of randomized controlled trials that examine the effect of discharge planning with caregiver integration begun before discharge on healthcare cost and resource use outcomes. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched for all English-language articles published between 1990 and April 2016...

PURPOSE: To compare the risk for microbial keratitis in contact lens wearers stratified by wear schedule with the risk after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). SETTING: Hamilton Eye Institute and Department of Ophthalmology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, USA. DESIGN: Comparative metaanalysis and literature review. METHODS: An extensive literature search was performed in the PubMed database between December 2014 and July 2015...

PURPOSE: Many studies have shown that local anesthetics may impede chondrocyte metabolism. However, the influence of a single-dose local anesthetics is controversial. The aim of this metaanalysis was to review the literature for studies investigating the cytotoxic effects of single-dose local anesthetics on chondrocytes and cartilage. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was performed using established search engines (Medline, Embase) to identify studies, investigating the influence of single-dose local anesthetics on cartilage...

INTRODUCTION: Cognitive deficits can precede the onset of psychotic episodes and predict the onset of the illness in individuals with schizotypy traits. In some studies, high levels of schizotypy were associated with impairments in memory, attention, executive functions, and verbal fluency. This review provides a more comprehensive understanding of cognitive impairments related to schizoytpy. METHODS:  A systematic review of "schizotypy and neuropsychological measures" was conducted, and it retrieved 67 studies...

Manganese (Mn) is one of the most studied environmental heavy metals linked to Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, it remains unclear whether serum Mn levels are associated with AD and mild cognition impairment (MCI, a prodromal stage of AD). We conducted a metaanalysis to analyze the serum Mn levels in patients with AD and MCI. A systematic database search of PubMed, Web of Science, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) identified 17 studies, including 836 cases and 1254 health controls (HC)...

BACKGROUND: There is a concern to conduct de-escalation in very sick patients. AIMS: To determine if de-escalation is feasible in ICU settings. METHODS: We performed a metaanalysis of published studies conducted comparing de-escalation (defined by withdrawal of at least one antimicrobial empirically prescribed, switch to a new antimicrobial with narrower spectrum and withdrawal of at least one antimicrobial plus change of another drug to a new one with narrower spectrum) in non-immunocompromised patients with sepsis admitted to ICU...