Risk factors of multidrug-resistant bacteria infection in patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundMultidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria-induced VAP often has high lethality. We present this systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the risk factors for MDR bacterial infection in patients with VAP.MethodsPubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were searched for studies regarding MDR bacterial infection in VAP patients, from Jan 1996 to Aug 2022. Study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment of included studies were conducted by two reviewers independently, and potential risk factors for MDR bacterial infection were identified.ResultsMeta-analysis showed that the score of the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE-II) [OR = 1.009, 95% (CI 0.732, 1.287)], Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS-II) [OR = 2.805, 95%CI (0.854, 4.755)], length of hospital-stay before VAP onset (days) [OR = 2.639, 95%CI (0.387, 4.892)], in-ICU duration [OR = 3.958, 95%CI (0.894, 7.021)], Charlson index [OR = 1.000, 95%CI (0.889, 1.111)], overall hospital-stay [OR = 20.742, 95%CI (18.894, 22.591)], Medication of Quinolones [OR = 2.017, 95%CI (1.339, 3.038)], medication of carbapenems [OR = 3.527, 95%CI (2.476, 5.024)], combination of more than 2 prior antibiotics [OR = 3.181, 95%CI (2.102, 4.812)], and prior use of antibiotics [OR 2.971, 95%CI (2.001, 4.412)] were independent risk factors of MDR bacterial infection in VAP patients. Diabetes and mechanical ventilation duration before VAP onset showed no association with risk for MDR bacterial infection.ConclusionsThis study has identified 10 risk factors associated with MDR bacterial infection in VAP patients. Identification of these factors would be able to facilitate the treatment and prevention of MDR bacterial infection in clinical practice.     

Risk factors for hospital readmissions in pneumonia patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUNDFactors that are associated with the short-term rehospitalization have been investigated previously in numerous studies. However, the majority of these studies have not produced any conclusive results because of their smaller sample sizes, differences in the definition of pneumonia, joint pooling of the in-hospital and post-discharge deaths and lower generalizability.AIMTo estimate the effect of various risk factors on the rate of hospital readmissions in patients with pneumonia.METHODSSystematic search was conducted in PubMed Central, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane library, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar databases and search engines from inception until July 2021. We used the Newcastle Ottawa (NO) scale to assess the quality of published studies. A meta-analysis was carried out with random-effects model and reported pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTSIn total, 17 studies with over 3 million participants were included. Majority of the studies had good to satisfactory quality as per NO scale. Male gender (pooled OR = 1.22; 95%CI: 1.16-1.27), cancer (pooled OR = 1.94; 95%CI: 1.61-2.34), heart failure (pooled OR = 1.28; 95%CI: 1.20-1.37), chronic respiratory disease (pooled OR = 1.37; 95%CI: 1.19-1.58), chronic kidney disease (pooled OR = 1.38; 95%CI: 1.23-1.54) and diabetes mellitus (pooled OR = 1.18; 95%CI: 1.08-1.28) had statistically significant association with the hospital readmission rate among pneumonia patients. Sensitivity analysis showed that there was no significant variation in the magnitude or direction of outcome, indicating lack of influence of a single study on the overall pooled estimate.CONCLUSIONMale gender and specific chronic comorbid conditions were found to be significant risk factors for hospital readmission among pneumonia patients. These results may allow clinicians and policymakers to develop better intervention strategies for the patients.     

Brassiere wearing and breast cancer risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis

AIM: To evaluate existing evidence for the association between different type of brassiere exposures and the risk of breast cancer. METHODS: Ovid Medline, CINAHL, Cochrane Data Base of Systematic Reviews, Pubmed, Scopus, Proquest, Sciencedirect, Wiley Online Library, WanFang Data, Hong Kong Index to Chinese Periodicals, China Journal Net, Chinese Medical Current Contents, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China Academic Journals Full-Text database, Taiwan Electronic Periodical Services and HyRead; reference lists of published studies; original research studies published in English or Chinese examining the association between type and duration of brassiere-wearing and breast cancer risk. Data were abstracted by a first reviewer and verified by a second. Study quality was rated according to predefined criteria. “Fair” or “good” quality studies were included. Results were summarised by meta-analysis whenever adequate material was available. RESULTS: Twelve case-control studies were included in the review. Meta-analysis showed brassiere wearing during sleep was associated with a two times of increased odds. CONCLUSION: The present review demonstrates insufficient evidence to establish a positive association between the duration and type of brassiere wearing and breast cancer. Further research is essential; specifically, a large-scale epidemiological study of a better design is needed to examine the association between various forms of brassiere exposure in detail and breast cancer risk, with adequate control of confounding variables.     

脑卒中患者发生急性期疲劳危险因素的Meta分析

目的系统评价脑卒中患者发生急性期疲劳的危险因素。方法计算机检索PubMed、Web of Science、EMbase、The Cochrane Library、CNKI、VIP和WanFang Data数据库,搜集脑卒中患者发生急性期疲劳危险因素的病例-对照研究、队列研究和横断面研究,检索时限均从建库至2019年4月。由2位研究者独立筛选文献、提取资料并评价纳入研究的偏倚风险后,采用RevMan 5.3软件进行Meta分析。结果共纳入14个研究,包括2 658例研究对象,涉及危险因素13个。Meta分析结果显示:女性[OR=1.54,95%CI(1.23,1.94),P=0.000 2]、农村居住地[OR=1.46,95%CI(1.11,1.91),P=0.007]、糖尿病[OR=1.54,95%CI(1.24,1.92),P<0.000 1]、高脂血症[OR=1.41,95%CI(1.10,1.80),P=0.007]、冠心病[OR=1.94,95%CI(1.30,2.89),P=0.001]、既往卒中史[OR=1.54,95%CI(1.07,2.23),P<0.000 01]、卒中前疲劳[OR=4.51,95%CI(3.33,6.09),P<0.000 01]、基底节区卒中[OR=2.76,95%CI(1.21,6.29),P<0.000 01]、NIHSS>3分[OR=2.11,95%CI(1.59,2.79),P<0.000 01]、入院血糖水平[OR=1.08,95%CI(0.38,1.78),P=0.003]、卒中后睡眠障碍[OR=2.40,95%CI(1.87,3.07),P<0.000 01]、卒中后疼痛[OR=2.32,95%CI(1.56,3.45),P<0.000 1]和卒中后抑郁[OR=3.31,95%CI(1.94,5.66),P<0.000 1]均是脑卒中患者发生急性期疲劳的危险因素。结论当前证据显示,女性、农村居住地、糖尿病、高脂血症、冠心病、既往卒中史、卒中前疲劳、基底节区卒中、NIHSS评分>3分、入院血糖水平、卒中后睡眠障碍、卒中后疼痛和卒中后抑郁是脑卒中患者发生急性期疲劳的危险因素。医务人员应对具有以上危险因素的高危患者加强防护,以降低卒中后疲劳发生率,改善患者临床预后结局。     

Mind-body therapies for sleep disturbance among patients with cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

ObjectivesTo assess whether mind-body therapies (MBTs) are effective for relieving sleep disturbance among patients with cancer.DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).MethodsSeven English electronic databases were searched from the date of inception to September 2022. All RCTs that included adults (≥18 years) who were treated with mindfulness, yoga, qigong, relaxation, and hypnosis were screened. The outcome was subjective and/or objective sleep disturbance.The revised Cochrane tool (RoB 2.0) was applied to evaluate the risk of bias. The RevMan software was applied to assessed each outcome according different control groups and assessment time points. Subgroup analyses were performed according to different categories of MBTs.ResultsSixty-eight RCTs (6339 participants) were identified. After requesting for missing data from corresponding authors of included RCTs, 56 studies (5051 participants) were included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis showed a significant immediate effect of mindfulness, yoga, relaxation, and hypnosis on subjective sleep disturbance, compared with usual care or wait list control, and the effect of mindfulness lasted at least 6 months. For objective sleep outcomes, we observed significant immediate effects of yoga on wake after sleep onset and of mindfulness on sleep onset latency and total sleep time. Compared with active control interventions, MBTs had no significant effect on sleep disturbance.ConclusionsMindfulness, yoga, relaxation, and hypnosis were effective in sleep disturbance severity reduction among patients with cancer at post-intervention, and the effect of mindfulness lasted at least 6 months. Future MBTs studies should apply both objective and subjective sleep measurement tools     

Qigong for women with breast cancer: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis

ObjectiveThe purpose of this review was to evaluate the effectiveness of Qigong in improving the quality of life and relieving fatigue, sleep disturbance, and cancer-related emotional disturbances (distress, depression, and anxiety) in women with breast cancer.MethodsThe PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, Sinomed, Wanfang, VIP, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were searched from their inceptions to March 2020 for controlled clinical trials. Two reviewers selected relevant trials that assessed the benefit of Qigong for breast cancer patients independently. A methodological quality assessment was conducted according to the criteria of the 12 Cochrane Back Review Group for risk of bias independently. A meta-analysis was performed by Review Manager 5.3.ResultsThis review consisted of 17 trials, in which 1236 cases were enrolled. The quality of the included trials was generally low, as only five of them were rated high quality. The results showed significant effectiveness of Qigong on quality of life (n = 950, standardized mean difference (SMD), 0.65, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.23–1.08, P = 0.002). Depression (n = 540, SMD = −0.32, 95 % CI −0.59 to −0.04, P = 0.02) and anxiety (n = 439, SMD = −0.71, 95 % CI −1.32 to −0.10, P = 0.02) were also significantly relieved in the Qigong group. There was no significant benefit on fatigue (n = 401, SMD = −0.32, 95 % CI 0.71 to 0.07, P = 0.11) or sleep disturbance relief compared to that observed in the control group (n = 298, SMD = −0.11, 95 % CI 0.74 to 0.52, P = 0.73).ConclusionThis review shows that Qigong is beneficial for improving quality of lifeand relieving depression and anxiety; thus, Qigong should be encouraged in women with breast cancer.     

Phototherapy and risk of childhood cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

ObjectiveThis study aims to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the scientific studies on the associations between phototherapy and risk of childhood cancer.MethodsElectronic databases including PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched until March 28, 2020. In general, 11 studies were included in the meta-analyses. Subgroup analyses were performed on the types of cancers and children's age, and the sensitivity analysis was done to search for heterogeneity sources.ResultsThe findings of the meta-analysis show that phototherapy was significantly associated with an increased risk of all types of cancers (RR = 1.28; 95% CI (1.08, 1.51)).ConclusionThis systematic review and meta-analyses indicated that neonatal phototherapy might be a possible risk factor for childhood cancer in general, and leukemia in particular. However, as the role of confounding factors were not controlled in many studies, future large cohorts are necessary in this regard. The findings of this study underscore the importance of greater adherence to scientific guidelines for thresholds of bilirubin for minimizing unnecessary exposure to phototherapy.     

Baduanjin exercise for patients with breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

ObjectiveBaduanjin exercise is a traditional Chinese mind-body exercise routine characterized by slow, coordinated, and sequential movements. We have performed the first meta-analysis on the main effect of Baduanjin exercise in patients with breast cancer.MethodsThis study followed the 2020 PRISMA guideline. We searched for randomized controlled trials in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Clinical Trials.gov, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data Information Site, Chinese Biomedical Database, and Chinese Science and Technique Journals Database through 31 August 2022. Data were analyzed for the outcomes of quality of life, anxiety, and depression. Review Manager 5.4 software was used for data analysis.ResultsSeven randomized controlled trials with a total of 537 patients with breast cancer were examined. Compared with the control therapies, Baduanjin exercise significantly improved the total quality of life score (SMD = 0.83; 95 % CI, 0.58–1.08; P < 0.00001) and in two associated domains: emotional well-being (SMD = 0.67; 95 % CI, 0.26–1.07; P = 0.001), functional well-being (SMD = 0.55; 95 % CI, 0.30–0.79; P < 0.00001) and breast cancer subscale (SMD = 0.39; 95 % CI, 0.02–0.77; P = 0.04). Meanwhile, it significantly reduced anxiety score (SMD = − 0.60; 95 % CI, − 1.15 to − 0.05; P = 0.03) and in depression score (SMD = − 0.70 95 % CI, − 0.97 to − 0.42; P < 0.00001). None adverse event was reported.ConclusionThe meta-analysis suggests that Baduanjin exercise is an effective and safe exercise for improving quality of life and alleviating depression and anxiety in patients with breast cancer. Significant methodological concerns of the included studies limit the interpretation of the results. For future trials of Baduanjin exercise on BC, we highlight the importance of adopting more rigorous study design in terms of assessor blinding, hypothesis/purpose blinding, allocation concealment, objective outcome selection and consistent reporting of adverse events.     

Fatigue prevalence in men treated for prostate cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUNDThe side effects of prostate cancer (PCa) treatment are very prominent, with cancer-related fatigue (CRF) being the most common. Fatigue is a distressing symptom that interferes with daily functioning and seriously affects patient quality of life during, and for many years after, treatment. However, compared with other types of cancer, such as breast cancer, little is known about the prevalence of PCa-related fatigue.AIMTo determine the prevalence of CRF in patients with PCa.METHODSA systematic search of EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, WANFANG DATA, Technology Journal Database and the Chinese Biological Medical Database was conducted up to July 28, 2020. Included studies measured the incidence of PCa-related fatigue and differentiated fatigue outcomes (incidence) between treatment modalities and fatigue assessment times. In our meta-analysis, both fixed and random-effects models were used to estimate the pooled prevalence of PCa-related fatigue. Subgroup analyses were performed using treatment modalities and fatigue assessment times. Publication and sensitivity bias analyses were performed to test the robustness of the associations.RESULTSFourteen studies, involving 4736 patients, were eligible for the review. The pooled CRF prevalence was 40% in a total sample of 4736 PCa patients [95% confidence interval (CI): 29-52; P < 0.01; I² = 98%]. The results of the subgroup analyses showed the prevalence of CRF after androgen deprivation therapy treatment, radical prostatectomy and radiotherapy to be 42% (95%CI: 20-67, P < 0.01, I² = 91%), 21% (95%CI: 16-26, P = 0.87, I² = 0%) and 40% (95%CI: 22-58, P < 0.01, I² = 90%), respectively. The prevalence of acute and persistent fatigue was 44% (95%CI: 25-64; P < 0.01; I² = 93%) and 29% (95%CI: 25-32; P = 0.30; I² = 17%), respectively.CONCLUSIONOur meta-analysis showed that fatigue is a common symptom in men with PCa, especially those using hormone therapy.     

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for patients with resectable colorectal cancer liver metastases: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUNDIn recent years, neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) has been increasingly used in patients with resectable colorectal liver metastases. However, the efficacy and safety of NAC in the treatment of resectable colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) are still controversial.AIMTo assess the efficacy and application value of NAC in patients with resectable CRLM.METHODSWe searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library from inception to December 2020 to collect clinical studies comparing NAC with non-NAC. Data processing and statistical analyses were performed using Stata V.15.0 and Review Manager 5.0 software. RESULTSIn total, 32 studies involving 11236 patients were included in this analysis. We divided the patients into two groups, the NAC group (that received neoadjuvant chemotherapy) and the non-NAC group (that received no neoadjuvant chemotherapy). The meta-analysis outcome showed a statistically significant difference in the 5-year overall survival and 5-year disease-free survival between the two groups. The hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were HR = 0.49, 95%CI: 0.39-0.61, P = 0.000 and HR = 0.48 95%CI: 0.36-0.63, P = 0.000. The duration of surgery in the NAC group was longer than that of the non-NAC group [standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.41, 95%CI: 0.01-0.82, P = 0.044)]. The meta-analysis showed that the number of liver metastases in the NAC group was significantly higher than that in the non-NAC group (SMD = 0.73, 95%CI: 0.02-1.43, P = 0.043). The lymph node metastasis in the NAC group was significantly higher than that in the non-NAC group (SMD = 1.24, 95%CI: 1.07-1.43, P = 0.004).CONCLUSIONWe found that NAC could improve the long-term prognosis of patients with resectable CRLM. At the same time, the NAC group did not increase the risk of any adverse event compared to the non-NAC group.     

Acupuncture for oculomotor nerve palsy:A systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundTo evaluate the safety and efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of oculomotor nerve palsy (ONP).MethodsThe following database will be required from PubMed, Cochrane Library, Medline, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang data. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing acupuncture alone versus no treatment/another active therapy/sham acupuncture or comparing acupuncture with another active therapy versus the same active therapy were included. Meta-analysis was conducted according to the 2020 PRISMA guidelines. Data was analyzed using RevMan 5.4 software. Results were reported as risk ratios (RR) for dichotomous outcomes or mean differences (MD) for continuous outcomes, with 95 % confidence intervals (CI). The Cochrane risk of bias tool was used to access the methodological quality of the trails.ResultsEighteen RCTs with 1150 participants comparing acupuncture versus other therapies were included. The results showed a significant differences in the clinical efficiency rate (RR = 1.30, 95 %CI = 1.23–1.37, P < 0.001), scores of diplopia (MD = − 0.78, 95 %CI = − 1.39 to − 0.77, P < 0.001), palpebral fissure size (MD = 1.04, 95 %CI = 0.41–1.68, P = 0.001), the pupil diameter (MD = − 0.56, 95 %CI = − 0.70 to − 0.42, P < 0.001), quality of life (MD = 8.96, 95 %CI = 6.79–11.13, P < 0.001) between the experiment and control groups. However, there were no significant differences in the adverse effects (RR = 0.52, 95 %CI = 0.22–1.22, P = 0.13). The quality of the evidence test by GRADE was low or very low.ConclusionMost included studies suggested that acupuncture was more effective than the control group in the treatment of ONP. However, the quality evidence of most of the studies was low and most of them were performed in China.     

The effect of lavender on stress in individuals: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundLavender is considered as one of the medicinal plants to manage stress. Although many preliminary studies evaluated the effect of lavender on individuals’ stress level, to the best of our knowledge, we did not find a study that summarizes the results. Therefore, the present study aimed to estimate the Pooled effect of lavender on the stress level of individuals using systematic review and meta-analysis.MethodA systematic literature review based on PRISMA 2020 was performed on the SID, MagIran, Embase, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science (WoS) databases, and Google Scholar motor engine using related MeSH/Emtree and ‎Free Text words,‎ including “Lavender*”, “Lavandula*”, “Stress*”, “Stress Disorders, Traumatic”, and “Stress, Psychological” with no time limitation until August 2021: We also searched two Iranain free local resourses including MagIran https://www.magiran.com and Scientific Information Database (SID) https://www.sid.ir. The quality assessment of studies was performed using JBI checklist. Heterogeneity among studies was quantified using I² index and Random Effects model was used to combine the data and perform the meta-analysis.ResultsIn the initial search, 1520 articles were found. After excluding the irrelevant studies, finally, 21 articles with a sample size of 791 in the intervention group and 804 in the control group were included in the meta-analysis. As a result of combining the studies, stress score after using lavender in the intervention group showed a significant decrease of 0.63 ± 0.13 (95% CI) more than that in the control group (P < 0.001). The results of subgroup analysis demonstrated that the highest standardized mean difference (SMD) before and after the intervention in the intervention group compared to the control group was related to L. angustifolia species with 0.73 ± 0.22, student groups with 2.27 ± 1.34, and diagnostic tool of Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) with 0.82 ± 0.42, indicating that the difference between the groups was statistically significant (P < 0.001).ConclusionThe pooled estimation of this systematic reiew and meta-analysis revealed that lavender significantly reduces individuals’ stress. Therefore, it seems that the use of lavender can be considered as a part of a stress management programs, especially in student groups.     

Course and prognostic factors of whiplash: a systematic review and meta-analysis

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies of subjects with acute whiplash injuries. The aim was to describe the course of recovery, pain and disability symptoms and also to assess the influence of different prognostic factors on outcome. Studies were selected for inclusion if they enrolled subjects with neck pain within six weeks of a car accident and measured pain and/or disability outcomes. Studies were located via a sensitive search of electronic databases; Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane database, ACP Journal club, DARE and Psychinfo and through hand-searches of relevant previous reviews. Methodological quality of all studies was assessed using a six item checklist. Sixty-seven articles, describing 38 separate cohorts were included. Recovery rates were extremely variable across studies but homogeneity was improved when only data from studies of more robust methodological quality were considered. These data suggest that recovery occurs for a substantial proportion of subjects in the initial 3 months after the accident but after this time recovery rates level off. Pain and disability symptoms also reduce rapidly in the initial months after the accident but show little improvement after 3 months have elapsed. Data regarding the prognostic factors associated with poor recovery were difficult to interpret due to heterogeneity of the techniques used to assess such associations and the way in which they are reported. There was also wide variation in the measurement of outcome and the use of validated measures would improve interpretability and comparability of future studies.     

Echinacea for the prevention and treatment of upper respiratory tract infections: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundEchinacea preparations are commonly used to prevent and treat upper respiratory tract infection.ObjectivesTo assess current evidence for the safety and efficacy of echinacea containing preparations in preventing and treating upper respiratory tract infection.Data sourcesMEDLINE, EMBASE, CAB extracts, Web of Science, Cochrane DARE, clinicaltrials.gov and the WHO ICTRP – 1980 to present day.Eligibility criteriaRandomised double-blind placebo-controlled trials using an echinacea preparation to prevent or treat upper respiratory tract infections.Participants and interventionsParticipants who are otherwise healthy of any age and sex. We considered any echinacea containing preparation.Study appraisal and synthesis methodsWe used the Cochrane collaborations tool for quality assessment of included studies and performed three meta-analyses; on the prevention, duration and safety of echinacea.ResultsFor the prevention of upper respiratory tract infection using echinacea we found a risk ratio of 0.78 [95% CI 0.68–0.88], for the treatment of upper respiratory tract infection using echinacea we found a mean difference in average duration of −0.45 [95% 1.85–0.94] days, finally for the safety meta-analyses we found a risk ratio of 1.09 [95% CI 0.95–1.25].LimitationsThe limitations of our review include the clinical heterogeneity – for example many different preparations were tested, the risk of selective reporting, deviations from our protocol and lack of contact with study authors.ConclusionsOur review presents evidence that echinacea might have a preventative effect on the incidence of upper respiratory tract infections but whether this effect is clinically meaningful is debatable. We did not find any evidence for an effect on the duration of upper respiratory tract infections. Regarding the safety of echinacea no risk is apparent in the short term at least. The strength of these conclusions is limited by the risk of selective reporting and methodological heterogeneity.Implications of key findingsBased on the results of this review users of echinacea can be assured that echinacea preparations are safe to consume in the short term however they should not be confident that commercially available remedies are likely to shorten the duration or effectively prevent URTI. Researchers interested in the potential preventative effects of echinacea identified in this study should aim to increase the methodological strength of any further trials.PROSPERO IDCRD42018090783.     

Blueberry and cardiovascular disease risk factors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Background and aimsCardiovascular disease (CVD) remains an important cause of mortality and morbidity that can be prevented by the consumption of healthy foods. These include blueberry, a dark coloured berry containing extremely high amounts of functional ingredients. We therefore examined the extent to which supplementation with blueberry effects on CVD risk indices.MethodsWe searched the ISI Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed and Cochrane Library on March 2020 and checked reference lists from primary studies and review articles for any additional studies. No language restrictions were applied. All randomized and controlled clinical trials (RCTs) using blueberry supplements to modify CVD risk factors were included in our analysis.ResultsMean Difference (MD) was pooled using a random effects model and 11 studies were included in the final analysis. Pooled effect size showed that supplementation with blueberry had a small insignificant effect in reducing plasma triglycerides (MD = −0.27 mmol/l; 95 % CI: −0.57, 0.17, p = 0.06). Although current study found no differences between blueberry and control groups for any other outcomes, subgroup analysis suggested a favourable impact of blueberry on reducing body weight. Significant weight loss was indicated from studies longer with a follow up of more than 6 weeks or with blueberry powder or freeze-dried blueberry.ConclusionCurrent evidence is insufficient to show a benefit of blueberry supplements in modifying CVD risk factors across a variety of adult populations. Robust data and larger studies are required to assess potential effects.     

Intravenous magnesium therapy in adult patients with an aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundThe value of magnesium for the prevention of cerebral arterial vasospasm in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) is debatable. We performed a systematic review to collate the available evidence to evaluate the effects of intravenous magnesium for the prevention of cerebral arterial vasospasm.Materials and methodsAn electronic search of MEDLINE (Ovid), ProQuest, CINAHL and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews was undertaken up to 1st October 2012 for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of intravenous magnesium for the prevention of vasospasm in adult patients with aneurysmal SAH. Primary outcome measures were risk of vasospasm, functional outcomes and mortality. Results are presented as risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).ResultsNine of 38 trials were included in this review. Not all trials could be combined for analyses due to differences in reported outcomes and outcome definitions. Of the trials that could be combined we found a statistically significant reduction on the incidence of vasospasm with magnesium (RR 0.83; 95% CI 0.71, 0.98; P = 0.03). No statistical difference for the last reported favourable functional outcome (RR 1.00; 95% CI 0.96, 1.05; P = 0.84); or mortality (RR 0.95; 95% CI 0.77, 1.18; P = 0.67) between magnesium treated and standard care/control groups was found.ConclusionWe identified a benefit in the role of magnesium to reduce the incidence of cerebral vasospasm in patients with an aneurysmal SAH. However no benefit was found regarding improved favourable functional outcome or a reduction of mortality.     

The effects of myofascial release technique for patients with low back pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis

ObjectiveThe purpose of this meta-analytic review was to quantitatively examine the effects of myofascial release technique (MFR) on pain intensity, back disability, lumbar range of motion, and quality of life in patients with low back pain (LBP).MethodsPotential articles were retrieved using five electronic databases (Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang). The search period was from inception to January 27, 2021. Two researchers independently completed record retrieval and selection, data extraction, and methodological quality assessment. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effect of MFR on pain intensity, back disability, lumbar range of motion, and quality of life in LBP patients were included. Pooled effect sizes were calculated using random effects models and 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI).ResultsData from eight RCTs (386 patients with back pain) meeting the inclusion criteria were extracted for meta-analysis with methodological quality assessment scores ranging from 6 to 10. Compared to the control intervention, MFR induced significant decrease in back disability (SMD = −0.35, 95 % confidence interval [CI] = −0.68, –0.02, P = 0.04, I² = 46 %, n = 284). MFR induced non-significant decrease in the pain intensity (SMD = −0.12, 95 % confidence interval[CI] = −0.35, 0.11, P = 0.32, I² = 0%, n = 294), non-significant improvement in quality of life (SMD = −0.09, 95 % confidence interval [CI] = −0.46, 0.28, P = 0.62, I² = 0%, n = 114), and non-significant improvement in lumbar range of motion (Flexion SMD = 0.57,95 % confidence interval [CI] = −0.09, 1.24, P = 0.09, I² = 54 %, n = 80) (Extension SMD = 0.68, 95 % confidence interval[CI] = −0.72, 2.08, P = 0.34, I² = 89 %, n = 80) (Right flexion SMD = 0.05, 95 % confidence interval[CI] = −0.90, 0.99, P = 0.92, I² = 78 %, n = 80) (Left flexion SMD = 0.14, 95 % confidence interval[CI] = −0.59, 0.88, P = 0.70, I² = 64 %, n = 80).ConclusionThe findings suggest that MFR can improve the effect of physical therapy alone and exercise therapy alone, and that MFR can be an effective adjuvant therapy. Meta-analysis showed that MFR has a significant effect on reducing back disability in patients with low back pain, but no significant effect on reducing pain intensity, improving quality of life, and improving lumbar range of motion.     

Acupuncture for the treatment of childhood anorexia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

ObjectivesChildhood anorexia, among the commonest symptoms of children, involved long-term loss of appetite/decreased food intake and refusal to try or eat certain foods. Acupuncture is increasingly popular in childhood anorexia due to the side effects and dissatisfaction of conventional treatment, but, the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for childhood anorexia have not been reviewed systematically.MethodsFrom 12 electronic databases, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing acupuncture for childhood anorexia were identified in June 2021, with posttreatment improvement in clinical symptoms of anorexia as the primary outcome. A meta-analysis was conducted if two or more studies used the same interventions or same outcome measures. The risk of bias and quality of evidence were evaluated.ResultsA total of 32 RCTs with 3518 participants were included. When acupuncture was used as monotherapy or adjunctive therapy, the total effectiveness rate based on anorexia symptoms, hemoglobin levels, abdominal subcutaneous fat, and body weight significantly improved. However, results in nutritional indices were inconsistent. The recurrence rate of anorexia was significantly lower in the acupuncture group. No serious adverse events in relation to acupuncture were reported. in general, the risk of bias of the included studies was unclear and the quality of evidence for the main findings was low to moderate.ConclusionsAcupuncture may improve symptoms of childhood anorexia without serious adverse events. However, because of the low methodological quality and quality of evidence in existing reports, further high-quality clinical trials are needed to conclusively establish the efficacy and safety of this treatment.     

Intravenous acetaminophen reduces postoperative nausea and vomiting: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Opioids are a key risk factor for postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). As intravenous (i.v.) acetaminophen reduces postoperative pain and opioid requirements, one would expect i.v. acetaminophen to be associated with a lower incidence of opioid-induced side effects, including PONV. We conducted a systematic search using Medline and Cochrane databases supplemented with hand search of abstract proceedings to identify randomized-controlled trials of i.v. acetaminophen. Inclusion criteria were (a) randomized for i.v. acetaminophen vs a placebo control, (b) general anesthesia, and (c) reported or obtainable PONV outcomes. Primary outcome was postoperative nausea and secondary outcome was postoperative vomiting. We included 30 studies with 2364 patients (1223 in the acetaminophen group, 1141 in the placebo group). The relative risk (95% confidence interval) was 0.73 (0.60–0.88) for nausea and 0.63 (0.45–0.88) for vomiting. Data showed significant heterogeneity for both nausea (P = 0.02, I² = 38%) and vomiting (P = 0.006, I² = 47%), but were homogeneous when studies were grouped according to timing of first administration: i.v. acetaminophen reduced nausea when given prophylactically either before surgery, 0.54 (0.40–0.74), or before arrival in the postanesthesia care unit, 0.67 (0.55–0.83); but not when given after the onset of pain, 1.12 (0.85–1.48). When i.v. acetaminophen was given prophylactically, the reduction of nausea correlated with the reduction of pain (odds ratio 0.66, 0.47–0.93), but not with reduction in postoperative opioids (odds ratio 0.89, 0.64–1.22). Prophylactically administered i.v. acetaminophen reduced PONV, mainly mediated through superior pain control.