Association between sarcopenia and hepatic encephalopathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Studies have suggested that the presence of sarcopenia in patients with cirrhosis could be a predisposing risk factor for hepatic encephalopathy. This systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to summarize all available evidence on this relationship. A systematic review was carried out in Medline and EMBASE database through December 2018 to identify studies that recruited patients with cirrhosis from any causes and collected data on the presence of minimal or overt hepatic encephalopathy as well as sarcopenia. All study designs (case–control, cohort and cross-sectional studies) were eligible for the meta-analysis. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were extracted from the included studies and were pooled together using random-effect, generic inverse variance method of DerSimonian and Laird. Five cross-sectional studies with a total of 1,713 patients met our eligibility criteria and were included into the meta-analysis. We found a significantly higher risk of both mild and overt hepatic encephalopathy among cirrhotic patients with sarcopenia when compared with cirrhotic patients without sarcopenia with the pooled OR of 3.34 (95% CI: 1.68–6.67; I² = 37%) and 2.05 (95% CI: 1.28–3.29; I² = 61%), respectively. This systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated a significant association between sarcopenia and hepatic encephalopathy among patients with cirrhosis.     

Physical activity and incidence of atrial fibrillation: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Whether physical activity increases or decreases the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) remains controversial. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the relationship between AF and extent of physical activity.     

The effect of protein supplements on functional frailty in older persons: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundThe effect of protein supplementation in attenuating loss of muscle mass, strength and function in community-dwelling older people has been promising, however, its benefits in pre-frail and frail older people remains unclear.ObjectiveTo determine the effect of protein supplementation on muscle mass, strength and function in frail older people by reviewing and conducting meta-analysis of relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs).DesignThis review was registered at PROSPERO (CRD42017079276) and conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Using a pre-determined e-search strategy, we searched PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, LILACS, Web of Science, Cochrane and Scopus databases. Inclusion criteria were RCTs that assessed the effect of protein supplementation on muscle mass, strength and function in frail individuals aged ≥65 years. The main outcomes were lean body mass (LBM), handgrip, leg extension, leg press strength, short physical performance battery (SPPB) score, and gait velocity.ResultsOf the eight studies included in this review, 503 subjects were enrolled and four different protein supplements were assessed. Despite the variation in methodology, studies were homogenous with I-squared <10.0%. The meta-analysis showed no significant effect of protein supplementation on LBM (mean difference 1.17 kg, 95% CI: −1.97–4.3), handgrip (mean difference 0.15, 95% CI: −0.95–1.24), leg extension (mean difference −3.68 kg, 95% CI: −12.72–5.36), leg press (mean standardized difference 0.26 kg, 95% CI: −0.30–0.82), SPPB (mean difference 0.61, 95% CI: −0.02–1.23), or gait velocity (mean difference -0.20 m/s, 95% CI: −0.95–0.55).ConclusionProtein supplementation alone does not significantly improve muscle mass, strength or function in pre-frail or frail older people.     

Self-reported physical activity and atrial fibrillation risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis

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Interventions for preventing falls in acute- and chronic-care hospitals: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES: To determine the characteristics and the effectiveness of hospital fall prevention programs. DESIGN: Systematic literature search of multiple databases (Medline, Cinahl, Precinahl, Invert, the Cochrane Library) and of the reference list of each identified publication. SETTING: Inclusion of prospective controlled‐design studies reporting the effectiveness of fall prevention programs in hospitals. PARTICIPANTS: Two reviewers. MEASUREMENTS: The methodological qualities of the studies were assessed based on 10 criteria. For the meta‐analysis, the relative risk of a fall per occupied bed day (RR_fall) and the relative risk of being a faller (RR_faller) were calculated. RESULTS: Eight studies met the inclusion criteria, of which four studies tested multifactorial interventions. Although these studies took place in hospitals, most were conducted on long‐stay (mean length of stay (LOS) >1.5 years) and rehabilitation units (mean LOS 36.9 days). For analysis of the number of falls, one unifactorial and two multifactorial studies showed a significant reduction of 30% to 49% in the intervention group, with the greatest effect obtained in the unifactorial study that assessed a pharmacological intervention. The pooled RR_fall for the four multifactorial studies became nonsignificant after adjustment for clustering (RR_fall=0.82, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.65–1.03). No studies reported a significant reduction, either single or pooled, in the number of fallers in the intervention group (pooled RR_faller‐0.87, 95% CI=0.70–1.08). CONCLUSION: This meta‐analysis found no conclusive evidence that hospital fall prevention programs can reduce the number of falls or fallers, although more studies are needed to confirm the tendency observed in the analysis of individual studies that targeting a patient's most important risk factors for falls actively helps in reducing the number of falls. These interventions seem to be useful only on long‐stay care units.     

Increased healthcare costs associated with frailty among community-dwelling older people: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundAlthough frailty of older people has been shown to be associated with numerous adverse health outcomes, evidence on healthcare costs associated with frailty is scarce.MethodsMedline, Embase, PsycINFO, and AMED were electronically searched in January 2019 based on a protocol in accordance with the PRISMA statement using Medical Subjective Heading and free text terms, with explosion functions. Language restriction was not applied. Studies were considered if they were published between 2000 to January 2019 and provided healthcare costs stratified by the frailty status categories among community-dwelling older people with a mean age of 60 years or higher. Reference lists of the included studies were reviewed for additional studies. Healthcare costs according to frailty status were compared using standardized mean difference random-effects meta-analysis.ResultsThe systematic review found 3116 citations. After screening for title, abstract, and full-text for eligibility, 5 studies involving 3742362 participants were included. Healthcare costs were compared across three frailty status, robust, prefrailty, and frailty. Both prefrailty (5 studies, Hedges’ g = 0.24, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.15-0.33, p < 0.001) and frailty (5 studies, Hedges’ g = 0.62, 95%CI = 0.61-0.62, p < 0.001) were associated with significantly higher healthcare costs when compared with robustness. There was a high degree of heterogeneity. The risk of publication bias was considered to be low in funnel plots.ConclusionsThis systematic review and meta-analysis found a dose-response increase in the healthcare costs associated with frailty among community-dwelling older adults. Future research should recognize frailty as an important factor associated with increased healthcare costs.     

Risk factors for readmission of inpatients with diabetes: A systematic review

Aim

We have limited understanding of which risk factors contribute to increased readmission rates amongst people discharged from hospital with diabetes. We aim to complete the first review of its kind, to identify, in a systematic way, known risk factors for hospital readmission amongst people with diabetes, in order to better understand this costly complication.

Orthosis for rhizarthrosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective

investigating the effectiveness of orthosis for rhizarthrosis by means of a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Comparison of coronary DES and BMS in octogenarians: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective Uncertainty exists regarding the relative performance of drug-eluting stents (DES) versus bare-metal stents (BMS) in octogenarians undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We undertook a meta-analysis to assess outcomes for DES and BMS in octogenarians undergoing PCI. Methods Electronic data bases of PubMed, Cochrane, and EMBASE were searched. We included randomized, controlled clinical trials (RCT) and observational studies comparing DES and BMS in octogenarians receiving PCI. The methodological qualities of eligible trials were assessed using a “risk of bias” tool. The endpoints included all-cause death, major adverse cardiac events (MACE), myocardial infarction (MI), target vessel revascularization (TVR), major bleeding, and stent thrombosis (ST). Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated for each endpoint. Results A total of one RCT and six observational studies were included and analyzed in this meta-analysis. All trials were of acceptable quality. At 30 days, compared with DES-treated patients, BMS-treated patients had a higher incidence of mortality (OR: 3.91, 95% CI: 1.10–13.91; P = 0.03). The OR for MACE (1.52, 95% CI: 0.56–4.17; P = 0.13), MI (0.81, 95% CI: 0.37–2.17; P = 0.23), TVR (0.75, 95% CI: 0.17–3.41; P = 0.41), major bleeding (0.77, 95% CI: 0.35–1.68; P = 0.43), and ST (1.44, 95% CI: 0.32–6.45; P = 0.33) did not reach statistical significance. At one year follow-up, the OR did not favor BMS over MACE (MACE, defined as the composite of death, myocardial infarction, and TVR) (1.87; 95% CI: 1.22–2.87; P < 0.01), MI (1.91, 95% CI: 1.22–2.99; P < 0.01), TVR (3.08, 95% CI: 1.80–5.26; P < 0.01) and ST (3.37, 95% CI: 1.12–10.13; P < 0.01). The OR for mortality (1.51; 95% CI: 0.92–2.47; P = 0.10) and major bleeding (0.85, 95% CI: 0.47–1.55; P = 0.60) did not reach statistical significance. At > 1 year follow-up, the OR for all endpoints, including mortality, MACE, MI, TVR, major bleeding, and ST, did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions Our meta-analysis suggests that DES is associated with favorable outcomes as compared with BMS in octogenarians receiving PCI.     

Interventions for developmental delays in children born to HIV-infected mothers: a systematic review

Children born to HIV-infected mothers have worse developmental outcomes compared to HIV-unexposed children. However, little is known about interventions to improve developmental outcomes in this population. This study systematically reviews the literature on interventions to improve development in children born to HIV-infected mothers. We systematically searched the following electronic bibliographic databases: Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Education Resources Information Center, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Studies were selected on the basis of defined inclusion criteria and excluded if antiretroviral medication was the only intervention. Titles, abstracts, and full texts were assessed by 2 independent reviewers. Data were collected on characteristics of the study design, intervention, and developmental outcomes measured. Risk of bias and strength of evidence were assessed on all included articles. Our search resulted in 11,218 records. After our initial review, 43 records were appraised in their entirety and 9 studies met all inclusion criteria. Six were performed in sub-Saharan Africa, while the remaining 3 were performed in the United States. Eight were randomized-controlled trials and one was a retrospective chart review. Four studies focused on caregiver-training, 2 studied massage therapy, and the remaining studies focused on maternal vitamin supplementation, video-based cognitive therapy, or center-based interventions. Massage therapy had the most consistent improvements in the domains measured, while caregiver training and cognitive therapy interventions had limited benefits. The center-based intervention showed no benefit. Only 3 studies had a low risk of bias, and 4 studies had good strength of evidence. Most studies found some benefit. However, these findings are limited by the quality of the study designs, small sample size, and heterogeneity of the interventions and assessments used to measure outcomes. There is a critical need for the creation of evidence-based interventions to promote development in this vulnerable population.     

Effects of nonpharmacological intervention on sleep quality in hemodialysis patients: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:Nonpharmacological intervention can improve the sleep quality of hemodialysis patients. However, there are many types of nonpharmacological interventions, which makes it difficult to determine the best one. Therefore, this study carried out network meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of nonpharmacological intervention on sleep quality of hemodialysis patients, so as to provide evidence for the selection of the optimal nonpharmacological intervention for the improvement of sleep quality of hemodialysis patients clinically.Methods:Randomized controlled trials on the effects of nonpharmaceutical interventions on sleep quality in hemodialysis patients were conducted by searching English databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Web of Science) and Chinese databases (Chinese Scientific Journal Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, Wanfang, and China Biomedical Literature Database) on computer. The retrieval time was from the establishment of the database to May 2021. Literature screening, data extraction, and evaluation of the risk of bias in the included studies were conducted independently by two researchers. Data analysis was performed with STATA14.0 and GEMTC 0.14.3 software.Results:We will disseminate the findings of this systematic review and meta-analysis via publications in peer-reviewed journals.Conclusions:This study will provide the best evidence-based evidence to support the effects of non-pharmacological interventions on sleep quality in hemodialysis patients.Ethics and dissemination:Ethical approval was not required for this study. The systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal, presented at conferences, and shared on social media platforms. This review would be disseminated in a peer-reviewed journal or conference presentations.OSF REGISTRATION NUMBER:DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/4BPKT.     

Effects of antioxidant intervention in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:The role of antioxidant intervention in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients has been increasingly investigated in recent years. In order to further clarify whether antioxidant therapy is beneficial for PCOS patients and the emphasis of its effects, this study provides a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials examining the effect of antioxidant intervention on PCOS.Methods:Enrolled study designs related to antioxidant interventions and PCOS, published from 1999 to 2020, were searched from EMBASE, PubMed, and Web of Science databases to sort out proven studies on antioxidant interventions and PCOS. Data were reported as weighted mean difference (WMD) or standard mean difference with associated confidence intervals of 95%. The analysis was conducted using Stata version 16.0.Results:Twenty-three studies were included in total. Antioxidant intervention had a positive impact on homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (WMD = –0.37, P = .011) and Triglycerides (WMD = –25.51, P < .001). And antioxidant intervention did not improve testosterone levels significantly (WMD = –0.20, P = .2611). Subgroup analysis showed that except for the D-chiro-inosito subgroup, no difference in body mass index was observed between the intervention group and the control group.Conclusions:This meta-analysis demonstrates the efficacy of antioxidant intervention in patients with PCOS, demonstrating that antioxidant intervention has a significant effect on insulin resistance and lipid metabolism improvement. However, antioxidant intervention therapy has no discernible impact on testosterone levels or body mass index. Omega-3 may be a more effective antioxidant intervention for PCOS. In addition, this meta-analysis provides important reference opinions and treatment recommendations for PCOS.     

A systematic review and meta-analysis of exercise interventions in adults with type 1 diabetes

AimsConflicting evidence exists regarding the benefits of physical activity for long-term blood glucose control in adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D). The object of this systematic review was to determine the effects of physical activity on long-term blood glucose control in T1D adults.MethodsPubMed/Medline, Embase, CENTRAL, SPORTdiscus, Global Health and ICTRP were searched up to October 2013 for randomized trials of aerobic or resistance exercise training in T1D adults. Exercises had to be performed at least twice weekly for a minimum of two months. The primary outcome was glycated hemoglobin (HbA_1c). Secondary outcomes included cardiorespiratory fitness and insulin dose.ResultsSix randomized trials were identified (323 adults); sample sizes ranged from n = 6 to n = 148 participants receiving the intervention. Five trials had an unknown risk of bias; one trial was deemed to be at high risk of bias. Exercise frequency varied from twice weekly to daily, with intensities (50–90% VO_2peak), and session durations (20–120 min) varying widely. Four trials reported HbA_1c, which decreased with exercise training (mean difference [MD] −0.78% (−9 mmol/mol), 95% CI −1.14 (−13 mmol/mol) to −0.41 (−5 mmol/mol); p < 0.0001; I² 0%) compared with controls. Exercise training improved cardiorespiratory fitness by 3.45 ml/kg/min (95% CI 0.59 to 6.31, p = 0.02, I² 0%) compared with controls. One trial reported an effect on insulin dose (MD −0.4 U/kg, 95% CI −0.53 to −0.27, p < 0.00001) compared to controls.ConclusionThere are currently insufficient well-designed studies to ascertain the true effect of exercise training on HbA_1c in individuals with T1D, but current results are promising.