The prevalence rates of major chronic diseases in retired and in-service Chinese military officers(2000-2016): a meta-analysis

Background:Chronic diseases cause a tremendous burden to the military medical system.However,the prevalence rates of major chronic diseases among military officers remain unclear in China.Methods:China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI),Wanfang Database,VIP Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals(VIP),Pub Med and Web of Science were searched for studies(from 2000 to 2016)concerning 6 major chronic diseases:hypertension,hyperlipidemia,diabetes mellitus,heart diseases,cerebrovascular diseases,and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases(COPD)in Chinese military officers following strict inclusion and exclusion criteria.Three researchers independently extracted data from the included studies,and a fourth researcher reviewed and solved every disagreement.Statistical analysis was performed with STATA 14.0 and R 3.3.2.Heterogeneity was evaluated by the I^2 value.A random effect model was performed to combine the heterogeneous data.The Egger test was performed to test the publication bias.Results:A total of 90,758 military officers derived from 75 articles were pooled together.Publication bias was only observed in 37 studies reporting heart disease(P_(Egger test)=0.01).The overall prevalence rates of hypertension,hyperlipidemia,diabetes mellitus,heart diseases,cerebrovascular diseases,and COPD were 46.6%(95%CI 41.8%–51.5%),30.9%(26.4%–35.7%),20.7%(16.5%–25.7%),48.2%(41.7%–54.9%),20.2%(14.8%–26.9%)and 16.6%(12.9%–21.0%),respectively.The prevalence rates of hypertension,diabetes,heart disease,cerebrovascular disease,and COPD,rather than hyperlipidemia,increased with age in Chinese military officers.Heart diseases(P_(Q-test)<0.001)and hypertension(P_(Q-test)<0.001)increased sharply in retired officers compared with officers in service.Cerebrovascular disease was more frequent in Northern Theater Command than in any other theater command(P_(Q-test)<0.001).Conclusion:Major chronic diseases heavily affect Chinese military officers,especially retirees.Medical intervention should be enforced on the prevention of cerebrovascular diseases in those working in cold areas in the north,as well as hypertension and heart diseases in retirees.

Effect of exposure to ambient PM2.5 pollution on the risk of respiratory tract diseases： a meta-analysis of cohort studies

The International Agency for Research on Cancer and the World Health Organization have designated airborne particulates, including particulates of median aerodynamic diameter 〈 2.5 gm （PM2.5）, as Group 1 carcinogens. It has not been determined, however, whether exposure to ambient PM2.5 is associated with an increase in respiratory related diseases. This meta-analysis assessed the association between exposure to ambient fine particulate matter （PM2.5） and the risk of respiratory tract diseases, using relevant articles extracted from PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase. In results, of the 1,126 articles originally identified, 35 （3.1%） were included in this meta-analysis. PM2.5 was found to be associated with respiratory tract diseases. After subdivision by age group, respiratory tract disease, and continent, PM2.5 was strongly associated with respiratory tract diseases in children, in persons with cough, lower respiratory illness, and wheezing, and in individuals from North America, Europe, and Asia. The risk of respiratory tract diseases was greater for exposure to traffic-related than non-traffic-related air pollution. In children, the pooled relative risk （RR） represented significant increases in wheezing （8.2%）, cough （7.5%）, and lower respiratory illness （15.3%）. The pooled RRs in children were 1.091 （95%CI： 1.049, 1.135） for exposure to 〈 25 gg/m3 PM2.5, and 1.126 （95%CI： 1.067, l. 190） for exposure to 〉 25 gg/m3 PM2.5. In conclusion, exposure to ambient PM2.5 was significantly associated with the development of respiratory tract diseases, especially in children exposed to high concentrations of PM2.5.

T300A polymorphism of ATG16L1 and susceptibility to inflammatory bowel diseases:A meta-analysis

AIM:To evaluate the association of the autophagy- related 16-like 1 (ATG16L1 ) T300A polymorphism (rs2241880) with predisposition to inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) by means of meta-analysis.METHODS: Publications addressing the relationship between rs2241880/T300A polymorphism of ATG16L1 and Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) were selected from the MEDLINE and EMBASE data-bases. To make direct comparisons between the data collected in these studies, the individual authors were contacted when necessary to generate a standardized set of data from these studies. From these data, odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated.RESULTS: Twenty-five studies of CD were analyzed, 14 of which involved cases of UC. The variant G allele of ATG16L1 was positively associated with CD (OR=1.32, 95% CI: 1.26-1.39, P<0.00001) and UC (OR =1.06, 95% CI:1.01-1.10, P=0.02). For child-onset IBD, a higher G allele frequency was found for cases of CD (OR=1.35, 95% CI: 1.16-1.57, P=0.0001) than for cases of UC (OR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.81-1.19, P = 0.84) relative to controls.CONCLUSION: The ATG16L1 T300A polymorphism contributes to susceptibility to CD and UC in adults, but different in children, which implicates a role for autophagy in the pathogenesis of IBD.

Efficacy and safety of nerve growth factor for the treatment of neurological diseases:a meta-analysis of 64 randomized controlled trials involving 6,297 patients

OBJECTIVE： China is the only country where nerve growth factor is approved for large-scale use as a clinical medicine. More than 10 years ago, in 2003, nerve growth factor injection was listed as a national drug. The goal of this article is to evaluate comprehensively the efficacy and safety of nerve growth factor for the treatment of neurological diseases. DATA RETRIEVAL： A computer-based retrieval was performed from six databases, including the Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, Sino Med, CNKI, and the VIP database, searching from the clinical establishment of nerve growth factor for treatment until December 31, 2013. The key words for the searches were ＂nerve growth factor, randomized controlled trials＂ in Chinese and in English. DATA SELECTION： Inclusion criteria： any study published in English or Chinese referring to randomized controlled trials of nerve growth factor; patients with neurological diseases such as peripheral nerve injury, central nerve injury, cranial neuropathy, and nervous system infections; patients older than 7 years; similar research methods and outcomes assessing symptoms; and measurement of nerve conduction velocities. The meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager 5.2.3 software. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： The total effective rate, the incidence of adverse effects, and the nerve conduction velocity were recorded for each study. RESULTS： Sixty-four studies involving 6,297 patients with neurological diseases were included. The total effective rate in the group treated with nerve growth factor was significantly higher than that in the control group （P 〈 0.0001, RR： 1.35, 95%CI： 1.30-1.40）. The average nerve conduction velocity in the nerve growth factor group was significantly higher than that in the control group （P 〈 0.00001, MD. 4.59 m/s, 95%CI： 4.12-5.06）. The incidence of pain or sclero- ma at the injection site in the nerve growth factor group was also higher than that in the control group （P 〈 0.00001, RR： 6.30, 95%CI： 3.53-11.27）, but such adverse effects were mild. CONCLUSION： Nerve growth factor can significantly improve nerve function in patients with nervous system disease and is safe and effective.

Gender prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in the geriatric population of India: A meta-analysis using R

BACKGROUND Population ageing is an important challenge for developed as well as developing countries due to the downward trends in mortality rates.The elderly population is increasing worldwide.Cardiovascular diseases(CVDs)are one of the most common diseases in the geriatric population.These diseases involve the heart or blood vessels and include hypertension,rheumatic heart disease,heart failure,and heart attack.An estimated 17.7 million people in India will die from CVDs representing 31%of all global deaths.AIM To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the gender prevalence of CVDs in the geriatric population of India.METHODS In the present study,we searched databases such as Google Scholar,PubMed and MEDLINE from the year 2003 to 2019 to identify the prevalence of CVDs in the Indian geriatric population.A meta-analysis was conducted using the statistical software R version 3.4.3 and the random effect model was used to determine the pooled estimate of the prevalence of CVDs in the geriatric population of India along with the 95%confidence interval rather than using the fixed effect model.The random effect model takes into consideration the heterogeneity across the various studies.RESULTS The prevalence of CVDs in the Indian geriatric population was determined in 6586 male subjects from 32 studies and 8164 female subjects from 32 studies,respectively.The overall prevalence of CVDs in the Indian geriatric population was 36.6%(95%CI:31.9%-41.3%).In addition,calculation of the various heterogeneity statistics(Cochran’s Q=3836.85,I2=98.6%,P<0.0001)indicated heterogeneity in the prevalence of CVDs in the elderly Indian population in these studies.The prevalence of CVDs in elderly males was 38.0%(95%CI:33.0%-43.0%)and the prevalence of CVDs in elderly females was 40.9%(95%CI:35.5%-46.2%).CONCLUSION The results indicate that the prevalence of CVDs in the female geriatric population was relatively higher than that in the male geriatric population.Policy makers must take immediate steps to prevent CVDs and improve geriatric health care services in India.

Meta-analysis on clinical efficacy of Simiao Yong'an decoction in treatment of peripheral arterial occlusive diseases

Objective:To systematically evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Simiao Yong'an Decoction in the treatment of peripheral occlusive disease(PAOD).Methods:Eight randomized controlled clinical trials(RCT)of Simiao Yong'an Decoction in the treatment of PAOD were searched and screened from domestic and foreign databases(all from database construction to March 2020).The quality of the retrieved original studies was evaluated according to the evaluation criteria of Cochrane Handbook 5.1.0,and the included studies were meta-analyzed by RevMan5.3 software.Results:A total of 350 articles were retrieved,among which 14 studies met the inclusion criteria,with a total sample size of 1254 cases.The results of meta-analysis showed that:compared with conventional western Med,combined with Simiao Yong'an Decoction on the basis of western Med treatment can significantly improve the total clinical response rate of patients[RR=1.20,95%CI(1.14,1.27),P<0.00001],improve ankle brachial index(ABI)level[MD=0.79,95%CI(0.66,0.92),P<0.00001]and toe brachial index(TBI)level[RR=0.13,95%CI(0.10,0.16),P<0.00001],decreased c-reactive protein levels[MD=-8.55,95%CI(-8.99,-8.11),P<0.00001]and LDL levels[MD=-0.41,95%CI(-0.62,-0.19),P=0.0002],and increased HDL levels[MD=0.32(0.22,0.43),P<0.00001].There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions[RR=0.50,95%CI(1.15,1.64),P=0.25].Conclusion:Simiao Yong'an Decoction combined with conventional western Med is more effective than conventional western Med in the treatment of PAOD.However,in view of the limitations of the quality of the analyzed literature,the positive results obtained in this study still need to be further verified by a large sample and multi-center clinical trial with a reliable research program.

Editor's Choice—Meta analysis of acupuncture efficacy for the treatment of nervous system diseases

Meta analysis of randomized, controlled, clinical studies of acupuncture for the treatment of nervous system diseases has demonstrated that acupuncture effectively treats optic atrophy and depression. However, the quality of selected studies is low and evidence is inadequate. Therefore,

Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs as Protective Factor in Alzheimer’s Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocol

Introduction: NSAIDs inhibit COX-2, which is responsible for regulating neurons leading to neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease affecting the geriatric population, as it affects more than two third cases of dementia in the sphere. Results obtained from experimental and observational studies were unclear regarding the protective role of NSAIDs in AD, therefore this justifies the need for meta-analysis. Methods: Database search was PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase. Experimental studies and Observational studies investigating the effect of NSAIDs on AD. For experimental studies indicators used were MMSE score, ADAS-cog score, CDR-sob score, NPI score, and Hazard ratio. Similarly for Observational studies, Odds Ratio and Relative Risk are used. Results: As this is the study protocol, therefore it is not possible to write the results of the study in the study protocol. There is a total of 06 (MMSE, ADAS-cog, CDR-sob, HR, RR, and OR) indicators used in the study, so 06 results will be obtained showing the pooled effect size which will indicate the use of NSAIDs as a protective factor for Alzheimer’s disease. Discussion: The present systematic review will improve the understanding of the relative efficacies of NSAIDs in AD and possibly guide clinical practices by providing the current best evidence on the efficacy of various regimens of NSAIDs in the management of AD subjects. Conclusion: Conclusion can be drawn only after the final meta-analysis using three study design (RCT, Cohort and Case-control study designs) and six indicators.

Optical coherence tomography assessed retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in patients with Alzheimer's disease:a meta-analysis

AIM:To investigate the difference of retinal nerve fiber layer(RNFL) thickness between Alzheimer's disease patients and normal people,so as to provide clue for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.· METHODS:The articles on the association of RNFL thickness and Alzheimer's disease were retrieved by searching international and national databases.The qualified articles were assessed by meta analysis with Stata11.0 software.The results were pooled using weighted mean difference(WMD) with a corresponding 95% confidence interval(CI).· RESULTS:Totally 7 studies enrolled 324 eyes were included in the meta-analysis.The results of meta analysis showed that in AD patients,there was a significant average RNFL thickness reduction compared with the control group [WMD=-17.561,95%CI:(-23.971,-11.151)].There were significant differences in superior,inferior,nasal and temporal RNFL thickness between the two groups.WMD with a 95%CI were [-18.829,95%CI:(-25.915,-11.743);P<0.05],[-25.775,95%CI:(-34.304,-17.247);P <0.05],[-16.877,95%CI:(-29.141,-4.613);P<0.001] and [-14.565,95%CI:(-28.002,-1.128);P<0.001] respectively.Begg's test and Egger's test did not show significant difference,funnel plot was basically symmetrical,indicating that there was no publication bias existed.· CONCLUSION:There are significant differences in the RNFL thickness in all quadrants between the two groups.RNFL thickness is reduced in AD patients compared with the control group.·

Effectiveness of interferon-gamma release assays for differentiating intestinal tuberculosis from Crohn's disease:A meta-analysis

AIM:To investigate the clinical usefulness of interferon-gamma release assays(IGRAs)in the differential diagnosis of intestinal tuberculosis(ITB)from Crohn’s disease(CD)by meta-analysis.METHODS:A systematic search of English language studies was performed.We searched the following databases:Medline,Embase,Web of Science and the Cochrane Library.The Standards for Reporting Diagnostic Accuracy initiative and Quality Assessment for Studies of Diagnostic Accuracy tool were used to assess the methodological quality of the studies.Sensitivity,specificity,and other measures of the accuracy of IGRAs in the differential diagnosis of ITB from CD were pooled and analyzed using random-effects models.Receiver operating characteristic curves were applied to summarize overall test performance.Two reviewers independently judged study eligibility while screening the citations.RESULTS:Five studies met the inclusion criteria.The average inter-rater agreement between the two reviewers for items in the quality checklist was 0.95.Analysis of IGRAs for the differential diagnosis of ITB from CD produced summary estimates as follows:sensitivity,0.74(95%CI:0.68-0.80);specificity,0.87(95%CI:0.82-0.90);positive likelihood ratio,5.98(95%CI:3.79-9.43);negative likelihood ratio,0.28(95%CI:0.18-0.43);and diagnostic odds ratio,26.21(95%CI:14.15-48.57).The area under the curve was 0.92.The evaluation of publication bias was not significant(P=0.235).CONCLUSION:Although IGRAs are not sensitive enough,they provide good specificity for the accurate diagnosis of ITB,which may be helpful in the differential diagnosis of ITB from CD.

Helicobacter pylori infection and inflammatory bowel disease in Asians:A meta-analysis

AIM: To investigate the relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection and inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) in an Asian population.METHODS: The Pub Med, EMBASE, and CochraneLibrary databases were searched for observational studies published up until June 2014, without language restrictions. Additional references were obtained from reviewed articles. RESULTS: Ten studies involving 1299 IBD patients and 1817 controls were included in the meta-analysis(24.9% of IBD patients had H. pylori infection vs 48.3% of the controls). The pooled risk ratio for H. pylori infection in IBD patients compared with controls was 0.48(95%CI: 0.43-0.54; P < 0.001). There was no significant heterogeneity in the included studies(I2= 21%). Egger's linear regression indicated that there was no significant publication bias(P = 0.203).CONCLUSION: The H. pylori infection rate in Asian IBD patients is significantly lower than in non-IBD patients, indicating that infection protects against the development of IBD.

Effects of probiotics on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease:A meta-analysis

AIM:To investigate the relationship between the gutliver axis and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD),we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of probiotic therapy in NAFLD.METHODS:We searched PubMed,Medline,Embase,Web of Science,the Cochrane Library and Chinese Biomedicine Database for all relevant randomized controlled trials on probiotics in patients with NAFLD/nonalcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH).A statistical analysis was performed using RevMan 5.0 software.RESULTS:Four randomized trials involving 134 NAFLD/NASH patients were included.The results showed that probiotic therapy signifcantly decreased alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate transaminase(AST),total-cholesterol(T-chol),high density lipoprotein(HDL),tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-αand homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance(HOMAIR)[ALT:weighted mean difference(WMD)-23.71,95%CI:-33.46--13.95,P<0.00001;AST:WMD-19.77,95%CI:-32.55--7.00,P=0.002;T-chol:WMD-0.28,95%CI:-0.55--0.01,P=0.04;HDL:WMD-0.09,95%CI:-0.16-0.01,P=0.03;TNF-α:WMD-0.32,95%CI:-0.48--0.17,P<0.0001;HOMA-IR:WMD-0.46,95%CI:-0.73--0.19,P=0.0008].However,the use of probiotics was not associated with changes in body mass index(BMI),glucose(GLU)and low density lipoprotein(LDL)(BMI:WMD 0.05,95%CI:-0.18-0.29,P=0.64;GLU:WMD 0.05,95%CI:-0.25-0.35,P=0.76;LDL:WMD-0.38,95%CI:-0.78-0.02,P=0.06).CONCLUSION:Probiotic therapies can reduce liver aminotransferases,total-cholesterol,TNF-αand improve insulin resistance in NAFLD patients.Modulation of the gut microbiota represents a new treatment for NAFLD.

A Meta-analysis of the Biomarkers Associated with Coronary Artery Lesions Secondary to Kawasaki Disease in Chinese Children

The biomarkers associated with coronary artery lesions （CAL） secondary to Kawasaki disease （KD） in Chinese children were investigated by using Meta-analysis. We searched documents published from January 1997 to December 2009 from medical electronic databases. According to inclusion and exclusion criteria, eligible full-text papers were identified. We conducted a comprehensive quantitative analysis by using Stata10.0 statistical software package to assess the heterogeneity among the documents, calculated the summary effect and analyze publication bias and sensitivity. A total of 92 documents and 16 biomarkers were identified. All documents were case-control studies, and included 2398 patients in CAL group and 5932 patients in non-CAL （NCAL） group. The Meta-analysis showed that the levels of platelet count, platelet hematocrit （PCT）, neutrophils count, platelet distribution width （PDW）, mean platelet volume （MPV）, erythrocyte sedimentation rate （ESR）, cardiac troponin Ⅰ （cTnI）, and endothelin-1 （ET-1） in CAL group were significantly higher than those in NCAL group, and serum albumin （Alb） and hemoglobin （Hb） levels were significantly lower in CAL group （all P〈0.05）. White blood cell （WBC） count, serum sodium, matrix metalloproteinase 9 （MMP-9）, total cholesterol （TC）, hematocrit （HCT） and CD3＋T lymphocytes percentage had no statistically significant difference between the two groups. In conclusion, our results indicated that the 10 biomarkers including platelet count, neutrophils count, PCT, PDW, MPV, ESR, cTnI, ET-1, Alb and Hb were associated with CAL, and may be involved in the pathogenesis of CAL. The biomarkers of WBC count, serum sodium, MMP-9, TC, HCT, and CD3＋T lymphocytes percentage bore no relationship with the development of CAL among Chinese children with KD.

An Integrated QTL Map of Fungal Disease Resistance in Soybean (Glycine max L. Merr):A Method of Meta-Analysis for Mining R Genes

Diseases caused by fungal pathogens account for approximately 50% of all soybean disease losses around the world. Conflicting results of fungal disease resistance QTLs from different populations often occurred. The objectives of this study were to： （i） evaluate evidence for reported fungal disease resistance QTLs associations in soybean and （ii） extract relatively reliable and useful information from the ＂real＂ QTLs and mine putative genes in soybean. An integrated map of fungal disease resistance QTLs in soybean was established with soymap 2 published in 2004 as a reference map. QTLs of fungal disease resistance developed from each of separate populations in recent 10 years were integrated into a combinative map for gene cloning and marker assisted selection in soybean. 107 QTLs from different maps were integrated and projected to the reference map with the software BioMercator 2.1. A method of meta-analysis was used to narrow down the confidence interval, and 23 ＂real＂ QTLs and their corresponding markers were obtained from 12 linkage groups （LG）, respectively. Two published R genes were found in these ＂real＂ QTLs intervals. Sequences in the ＂real＂ QTLs intervals were predicted by GENSCAN, and these predicted genes were annotated in Goblet. 228 resistance gene analogs （RGAs） in 12 different terms were mined. The results will lay the foundation for a bioinformatics platform combining abundant QTLs, and offer the basis for marker assisted selection and gene cloning in soybean.

Association of Polymorphisms of rs179247 and rs12101255 in Thyroid Stimulating Hormone Receptor Intron 1 with an Increased Risk of Graves' Disease:A Meta-analysis

The polymorphisms of thyroid stimulating hormone receptor（TSHR） intron 1 rs179247 and rs12101255 have been found to be associated with Graves＇ disease（GD） in genetic studies. In the present study, we conducted a meta-analysis to examine this association. Two reviewers systematically searched eligible studies in Pub Med, Web of Science, Embase and China Biomedical Literature Database（CBM）. A meta-analysis on the association between GD and TSHR intron 1 rs179247 or rs12101255 was performed. The odd ratios（OR） were estimated with 95% confidence interval（CI）. Meta package in R was used for the analyses. Seven articles（13 studies） published between 2009 and 2014, involving 5754 GD patients and 5768 controls, were analyzed. The polymorphism of rs179247 was found to be associated with an increased GD risk in the allele analysis（A vs. G： OR=1.40, 95% CI=1.33–1.48） and all genetic models（AA vs. GG： OR=1.94, 95% CI=1.73–2.19; AA＋AG vs. GG： OR=1.57, 95% CI=1.41–1.74; AA vs. AG＋GG： OR=1.54, 95% CI=1.43–1.66）. The site rs12101255 also conferred a risk of GD in the allele analysis（T vs. C： OR=1.50, 95% CI=1.40–1.60） and all genetic models（TT vs. CC： OR=2.22, 95% CI=1.92–2.57; TT＋TC vs. CC： OR=1.66, 95% CI=1.50–1.83; TT vs. TC＋CC： OR=1.74, 95% CI=1.53–1.98）. Analysis of the relationship between rs179247 and Graves＇ ophthalmopathy（GO） showed no statistically significant correlation（A vs. G： OR=1.02, 95% CI=0.97–1.07）. Publication bias was not significant. In conclusion, GD is associated with polymorphisms of TSHR intron 1 rs179247 and rs12101255. There is no association between rs179247 SNPs and GO.

Proton pump inhibitor for non-erosive reflux disease:A meta-analysis

AIM:To evaluate the efficacy,safety and influential factors of proton pump inhibitor(PPI)treatment for non-erosive reflux disease(NERD).METHODS:PubMed,MEDLINE,EMBASE and the Cochrane Library were searched up to April 2013 to identify eligible randomized controlled trials(RCTs)that probed into the efficacy,safety and influential factors of PPI treatment for NERD.The rates of symptomatic relief and adverse events were measured as the outcomes.After RCT selection,assessment and data collection,the pooled RRs and 95%CI were calculated.This meta-analysis was performed using the Stata 12.0 software(Stata Corporation,College Station,Texas,United States).The level of evidence was estimated by the Grading of Recommendations Assessment,Development and Evaluation system.RESULTS:Seventeen RCTs including 6072 patients met the inclusion criteria.The results of the metaanalysis showed that PPI treatment was significantly superior to H2receptor antagonists(H2RA)treatment(RR=1.629,95%CI:1.422-1.867,P=0.000)and placebo(RR=1.903,95%CI:1.573-2.302,P=0.000)for the symptomatic relief of NERD.However,there were no obvious differences between PPI and H2RA(RR=0.928,95%CI:0.776-1.110,P=0.414)or PPI and the placebo(RR=1.000,95%CI:0.896-1.116,P=0.997)regarding the rate of adverse events.The overall rate of symptomatic relief of PPI against NERD was 51.4%(95%CI:0.433-0.595,P=0.000),and relief was influenced by hiatal hernia(P=0.030).The adverse rate of PPI against NERD was 21.0%(95%CI:0.152-0.208,P=0.000),and was affected by hiatal hernia(P=0.081)and drinking(P=0.053).CONCLUSION:PPI overmatched H2RA on symptomatic relief rate but not on adverse rate for NERD.Its relief rate and adverse rate were influenced by hiatal hernia and drinking.

Induction of clinical response and remission of inflammatory bowel disease by use of herbal medicines:A meta-analysis

AIM:To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of herbal medicines in inflammatory bowel disease(IBD)by conducting a meta-analysis.METHODS:Electronic databases were searched for studies investigating efficacy and/or tolerability of herbal medicines in the management of different types of IBD.The search terms were:"herb"or"plant"or"herbal"and"inflammatory bowel disease".Data were collected from 1966 to 2013(up to Feb).The"clinical response","clinical remission","endoscopic response","endoscopic remission","histological response","histological remission","relapse","any adverse events",and"seriousadverse events"were the key outcomes of interest.We used the Mantel-Haenszel,Rothman-Boice method for fixed effects and DerSimonian-Laird method for random-effects.For subgroup analyses,we separated the studies by type of IBD and type of herbal medicine to determine confounding factors and reliability.RESULTS:Seven placebo controlled clinical trials met our criteria and were included(474 patients).Comparison of herbal medicine with placebo yielded a significant RR of 2.07(95%CI:1.41-3.03,P=0.0002)for clinical remission;a significant RR of 2.59(95%CI:1.24-5.42,P=0.01)for clinical response;a non-significant RR of 1.33(95%CI:0.93-1.9,P=0.12)for endoscopic remission;a non-significant RR of 1.69(95%CI:0.69-5.04)for endoscopic response;a non-significant RR of 0.64(95%CI:0.25-1.81)for histological remission;a non-significant RR of 0.86(95%CI:0.55-1.55)for histological response;a non-significant RR of 0.95(95%CI:0.52-1.73)for relapse;a non-significant RR of 0.89(95%CI:0.75-1.06,P=0.2)for any adverse events;and a non-significant RR of 0.97(95%CI:0.37-2.56,P=0.96)for serious adverse events.CONCLUSION:The results showed that herbal medicines may safely induce clinical response and remission in patients with IBD without significant effects on endoscopic and histological outcomes,but the number of studies is limited to make a strong conclusion.

Efficacy of Wendan Decoction series for coronary heart disease with anxiety and depression:A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective:To systematically evaluate the clinical efficacy of Wendan Decoction series combined with conventional western medicine in the treatment of coronary heart disease complicated with anxiety and depression.Methods:We searched four Chinese databases including CNKI,WanFang,VIP,SinoMed,and five English databases of PubMed,Cochrane Library,Web of Science,EMBASE,Springer Link for clinical randomized controlled trials of using Wendan Decoction series in the treatment of coronary heart disease complicated with anxiety and depression.Time range for searching was from the establishment of these databases to January 2022.Then we screened the retrieved literature according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria,and conducted data extraction and quality evaluation of the selected literature.Meta analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.3 software.Results:A total of 13 RCT studies and 1007 patients with coronary heart disease complicated with anxiety and depression were included.Meta-analysis showed that Wendan Decoction series combined with conventional western medicine treatment showed better effects in the improvement rate of clinical anxiety[RR=1.21,95%CI=(1.12,1.31),P<0.00001],the improvement rate of depression[RR=1.30,95%CI=(1.10,1.53),P=0.002],the improvement rate of angina pectoris[RR=1.28,95%CI=(1.13,1.44),P<0.0001],increasing the ECG improvement rate[RR=1.29,95%CI=(1.07,1.55),P=0.008],increasing the rate of reducing nitroglycerin usage[RR=1.68,95%CI=(1.25,2.25,P=0.0006],as well as increasing the improvement rate of TCM symptoms[RR=1.15,95%CI=(1.04,1.26),P=0.004].It also showed better effects in reducing clinical anxiety and depression scores(SAS,SDS,HAMA,HAMD),SAQ scores and TCM symptom scores.The differences were statistically significant.Conclusion:Wendan Decoction series combined with conventional western medicine shows advantages in treating coronary heart disease patients complicated with anxiety and depression in reducing the angina pectoris score,anxiety and depression score,as well as improving the clinical TCM symptoms.

Clinical prognostic factors for disabling Crohn's disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

AIM: To identify demographic and clinical factors asso-ciated with disabling Crohn's disease (CD). METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysisof observational studies, focusing on the factors that can predict the prognosis of different outcomes of CD was undertaken. PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge and Scopus were searched to identify studies investigat-ing the above mentioned factors in adult patients with CD. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they describe prognostic factors in CD, with inclusion and exclusion criteria defined as follows. Studies with adult patients and CD, written in English and studying association between clinical factors and at least one prognosis out-come were included. Meta-analysis of effects was un-dertaken for the disabling disease outcome, using odds ratio (OR) to assess the effect of the different factors in the outcome. The statistical method used was Mantel-Haenszel for fixed effects. The 16-item quality assess-ment tool (QATSDD) was used to assess the quality of the studies (range: 0-42). RESULTS: Of the 913 papers initially selected, sixty studies were reviewed and three were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. The global QA-TSDD scores of papers were 18, 21 and 22. Of a total of 1961 patients enrolled, 1332 (78%) were classified with disabling disease five years after diagnosis. In two studies, age at diagnosis was a factor associated with disabling disease five years after diagnosis. Individu-als under 40 years old had a higher risk of developing disabling disease. In two studies, patients who were treated with corticosteroids on the first flare developed disabling disease five years after diagnosis. Further, perianal disease was found to be relevant in all of the studies at two and five years after diagnosis. Finally, one study showed localization as a factor associated with disabling disease five years after diagnosis, with L3 being a higher risk factor. This meta-analysis showed a significantly higher risk of developing disabling dis-ease at five years after initial diagnosis among patients younger than 40 years of age (OR=2.47, 95%CI: 1.74-3.51), with initial steroid treatment for first flare (OR=2.42, 95%CI: 1.87-3.11) and with perianal dis-ease (OR = 2.00, 95%CI: 1.41-2.85).CONCLUSION: Age at diagnosis, perianal disease, ini-tial use of steroids and localization seem to be indepen-dent prognostic factors of disabling disease.