Placement of prophylactic pancreatic stents to prevent post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis in high-risk patients: A meta-analysis

AIM:To assess the effectiveness of pancreatic stents for preventing pancreatitis in high-risk patients after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography(ERCP).METHODS:PubMed,Embase,Science Citation Index,and Cochrane Controlled Trials Register were searched to identify relevant trials published in English.Inclu-sion and exclusion criteria were used to screen for suitable studies.Two reviewers independently judged the study eligibility while screening the citations.The methodological quality of the included trials was assessed using the Jadad scoring system.All results were expressed as OR and 95%CI.Data were analyzed using Stata12.0 software.RESULTS:Ten eligible randomized controlled trials were selected,including 1176 patients.A fixed-effects model in meta-analysis supported that pancreatic duct stents significantly decreased the incidence of postERCP pancreatitis(PEP)in high-risk patients(OR=0.25;95%CI:0.17-0.38;P<0.001).Pancreatic stents also alleviated the severity of PEP(mild pancreatitis after ERCP:OR=0.33;95%CI:0.21-0.54;P<0.001;moderate pancreatitis after ERCP:OR=0.30;95%CI:0.13-0.67;P=0.004).The result of severe pancreatitis after ERCP was handled more rigorously(OR=0.24;95%CI:0.05-1.16;P=0.077).Serum amylase levels were not different between patients with pancreatic stents and control patients(OR=1.08;95%CI:0.82-1.41;P=0.586).CONCLUSION:Placement of prophylactic pancreatic stents may lower the incidence of post-ERCP pancreatitis in high-risk patients and alleviate the severity of this condition.

Hydrogen-rich water ameliorates neuropathological impairments in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease through reducing neuroinflammation and modulating intestinal microbiota

Hydrogen exhibits the potential to treat Alzheimer's disease. Stereotactic injection has been previously used as an invasive method of administering active hydrogen, but this method has limitations in clinical practice. In this study, triple transgenic(3×Tg) Alzheimer's disease mice were treated with hydrogen-rich water for 7 months. The results showed that hydrogen-rich water prevented synaptic loss and neuronal death, inhibited senile plaques, and reduced hyperphosphorylated tau and neurofibrillary tangles in 3×Tg Alzheimer's disease mice. In addition, hydrogen-rich water improved brain energy metabolism disorders and intestinal flora imbalances and reduced inflammatory reactions. These findings suggest that hydrogen-rich water is an effective hydrogen donor that can treat Alzheimer's disease. This study was approved by the Animal Ethics and Welfare Committee of Shenzhen University, China(approval No. AEWC-20140615-002) on June 15, 2014.

Rectal nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs,glyceryl trinitrate,or combinations for prophylaxis of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis:A network meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Acute pancreatitis is the most common and severe complication of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography(ERCP).Recent evidence suggests that combinations based on rectal nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs)are more beneficial in preventing post-ERCP pancreatitis(PEP).Randomized controlled trials(RCTs)have also demonstrated the efficacy of glyceryl trinitrate(GTN).We conducted a network meta-analysis to compare NSAIDs and GTN for prevention of PEP and to determine whether they are better in combination.AIM To compare NSAIDs and GTN for prevention of PEP and to determine whether they are better in combination.METHODS A systematic search was done for full-text RCTs of PEP in PubMed,Embase,Science Citation Index,and the Cochrane Controlled Trials database.Inclusion and exclusion criteria were used to screen for eligible RCTs.The major data were extracted by two independent reviewers.The frequentist model was used to conduct this network meta-analysis and obtain the pairwise OR and 95%CI.The data were then extracted and assessed on the basis of the Reference Citation RESULTS Twenty-four eligible RCTs were selected,evaluating seven preventive strategies in 9416 patients.Rectal indomethacin 100 mg plus sublingual GTN(OR:0.21,95%CI:0.09–0.50),rectal diclofenac 100 mg(0.34,0.18–0.65),sublingual GTN(0.34,0.12–0.97),and rectal indomethacin 100 mg(0.49,0.33–0.73)were all more efficacious than placebo in preventing PEP.The combination of rectal indomethacin and sublingual GTN had the highest surface under the cumulative ranking curves(SUCRA)probability of(92.2%)and was the best preventive strategy for moderate-to-severe PEP with a SUCRA probability of(89.2%).CONCLUSION Combination of rectal indomethacin 100 mg with sublingual GTN offered better prevention of PEP than when used alone and could alleviate the severity of PEP.