Efficacy and safety of Xileisan combined with mesalazine for ulcerative colitis:A meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis

BACKGROUND The benefits and risks of Xileisan(XLS)in the treatment of ulcerative colitis(UC)remain unclear.AIM The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the combination of XLS and mesalazine when treating UC.METHODS We searched eight databases for clinical trials evaluating the combination of XLS and mesalazine in the treatment of UC,up to January 2024.Meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis(TSA)were performed using Revman 5.3 and TSA 0.9.5.10 beta,respectively.RESULTS The present study included 13 clinical studies involving 990 patients,of which 501 patients received XLS combined with mesalazine while 489 patients received mesalazine alone.The meta-analysis showed that,in terms of efficacy,the combination of XLS and mesalazine significantly improved the clinical efficacy rate by 22%[risk ratio(RR)=1.22;95%CI:1.15–1.28;P<0.00001]and mucosal improvement rate by 25%(RR=1.25;95%CI:1.12–1.39;P=0.0001),while significantly reducing the duration of abdominal pain by 2.25 days[mean difference(MD)=-2.25;95%CI:-3.35 to-1.14;P<0.0001],diarrhea by 2.06 days(MD=-2.06;95%CI:-3.92 to-0.20;P=0.03),hematochezia by 2.32 days(MD=-2.32;95%CI:-4.02 to-0.62;P=0.008),tumor necrosis factor alpha by 16.25 ng/mL(MD=-16.25;95%CI:-20.48 to-12.01;P<0.00001),and interleukin-6 by 14.14 ng/mL(MD=-14.14;95%CI:-24.89 to-3.39;P=0.01).The TSA indicated conclusiveness in the meta-analysis of the efficacy endpoints.In terms of safety,the meta-analysis revealed that the combination of XLS and mesalazine did not increase the occurrence of total and gastrointestinal adverse events,abdominal distension,and erythema(P>0.05).The TSA showed non conclusive findings in the meta-analysis of the safety endpoints.Harbord’s test showed no publication bias(P=0.734).CONCLUSION Treatment with XLS alleviated the clinical symptoms,intestinal mucosal injury,and inflammatory response in patients with UC,while demonstrating good safety.

Hybrid, sequential and concomitant therapies for Helicobacter pylori eradication: A systematic review and meta-analysis

AIM: To compare hybrid therapy(HT) with traditional sequential therapy(ST) and concomitant therapy(CT) for Helicobacter pylori(H. pylori) eradication.METHODS: We performed an electronic search of Pub Med, Embase, and the CENTRAL database. Randomized controlled trials(RCTs) of HT were included in the meta-analysis. The primary outcome was the eradication rate of H. pylori. The secondary outcomes included the compliance rate and adverse event rate. Effect estimates were pooled using the random-effects model.RESULTS: Twelve studies were included. Pooled results showed no significant differences in eradication rate between HT and ST in per-protocol(PP) analysis(RR = 1.03, 95%CI: 0.94-1.12, P = 0.59) or in intention-totreat(ITT) analysis(RR = 1.00, 95%CI: 0.89-1.12, P = 0.94). HT and ST showed similarly high compliance rate(96% vs 98%, P = 0.55) and acceptable adverse event rate(30.3% vs 28.2%, P = 0.63). No significant results were seen in the eradication rate between HT and CT in PP analysis(RR = 1.01, 95%CI: 0.96-1.05, P = 0.76) or in ITT analysis(RR = 0.99, 95%CI: 0.95-1.03, P = 0.47). HT displayed a slightly higher compliance rate than CT(95.8% vs 93.2%, P < 0.05). The adverse event rates of HT and CT were similar(39.5% vs 44.2%, P = 0.24).CONCLUSION: Compared with ST or CT, HT yields a similar eradication rate, high compliance rate, and acceptable safety profiles.

Sequential analysis of dimethyl sulfur compounds in seawater

A sequential method for the determination of dimethyl sulfur compounds, including dimethylsulfide （DMS）, dimethylsulfonio- propionate （DMSP） and dimethylsulfoxide （DMSO）, in seawater samples has been developed. Detection limit of 2.5 pmol of DMS in 25 mL sample, corresponding to 0.10 nmol/L, was achieved. Recoveries for dimethyl sulfur compounds were in the range of 68.6- 78.3%. The relative standard deviations （R.S.D.s） for DMS, DMSP and DMSO determination were 3.0, 5.4 and 7.4%, respectively.

Sequential Analysis for Comparing the Effect of Keyin Decoction (克银方)with Retinoic Acid in Treating Psoriasis

Objective: To compare the effect of Keyin Decoction(克银方)with retinoic acid in treating psoriasis. Methods: One hundred and six patients were randomly divided by paired grouping into the KYD group and the all-trans retinoic acid (RA) group, 53 in each group with 19 cases belonging to Wind-Heat Syndrome type and 34 to Wind-Dryness type. The Wind-Heat Syndrome type in the KYD group was treated with KYD I (with the action of clearing Heat, removing Dampness, cooling blood and dispelling Wind), and the Wind-Dryness type with KYD II (with the action of nourishing blood, moistening skin and dredging Qi-blood circulation,). The RA group was treated with RA. Sequential analysis was adopted to observe the effect. At the same time, the adverse reaction was observed Results:When the test got to the 44th pair of patients, the scription of result reached the UA line of sequential chart, suggesting that the efficacy of KYD was superior to that of RA. Skin lesion subsidence rate in the KYD group and the RA group was 39. 6% and 20. 8% respectively with significant difference (P<0. 05). And for the patients of progressive phase in the two groups, skin lesion subsidence rate was 57.8% and 21.1% respectively (P< 0.05). No obvious adverse reaction was found in the KYD group. Conclusion:Keyin Decoction had good effect in treating psoriasis.

Assessment of heavy metal pollution in sediments from Xiangjiang River(China) using sequential extraction and lead isotope analysis

The heavy metal(such as Cr,Ni,Cu,Cd,Pb,and Zn)concentration,speciation,and pollution source in 43 sediment samples from the Xiangjiang River were investigated using sequential extraction combined with Pb isotope analysis.Cu,Cd,Pb,and Zn concentrations are higher than their background values,while Cr and Ni concentrations are close to those.Sequential extraction demonstrates that heavy metals have different fractions,showing different bioavailabilities.The w(206Pb)/w(207Pb)ratio increases with decreasing bioavailability in the order of exchangeable<carbonate≈Fe-Mn oxides≈organic<residual(p<0.05).Wastewater,dust,and slag from mining and smelting areas,and the residual Pb are assumed to be the primary anthropogenic and natural sources of Pb,respectively.The percentages of anthropogenic Pb in the exchangeable,carbonate,Fe-Mn oxides,and organic fractions are(91.5±16.7)%,(61.1±13.9)%,(57.4±11.1)%,and(55.5±11.2)%,respectively,suggesting a significant input of anthropogenic Pb in these four fractions.

Effects of mindfulness meditation on anxiety, depression, stress, and mindfulness in nursing students: a meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis of randomized controlled trials

Objective:The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of mindfulness meditation(MM)on anxiety,depression,stress and mindfulness in nursing students.Methods:A comprehensive search and screening procedures were conducted to locate all MM interventions implemented with nursing students.For randomized controlled trials(RCTs)in accordance with the inclusion criteria,a search was conducted in PubMed,Embase,Web of Science,Medline,PsycINFO,Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health(CINAHL),Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials(CENTRAL),China Biology Medicine(CBM),Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI)and Wanfang.Databases were retrieved from inception through August 2018.Additional studies were identified through hand searches and Internet searches.Two reviewers collected relevant data of eligible articles according to the data extraction tables.Based on Cochrane Handbook,critical appraisal of the methodological quality was assessed by two other reviewers.An Excel form was used to extract main characteristics of included RCTs.Meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis(TSA)were carried out using software RevMan 5.3 and TSA 0.9.Results:Five RCTs with 257 nursing students were included.Only two studies were assessed as high quality and three studies were evaluated as moderate quality.Meta-analysis showed that,comparing with the control group,MM could significantly improve anxiety(SMD=?0.45,95%CI?0.73 to?0.17,P=0.001)and stress(SMD=?0.69,95%CI?0.97 to?0.40,P<0.001).TSA results confirmed that the outcome of the merger is credible.It could also significantly improve depression level of nursing students after 8 weeks intervention duration(SMD=?0.70,95%CI?1.14 to?0.26,P=0.002).However,there was no beneficial effect on depression level of nursing students with 1 week intervention duration(SMD=0.09,95%CI?0.42 to 0.59,P=0.74)and its effects on mindfulness level of nursing students also did not show statistical significance(SMD=0.37,95%CI?0.04 to 0.77,P=0.07).No definitive conclusions were drawn from the TSA.Conclusions:The results of this meta-analysis indicated that MM could effectively reduce the level of anxiety and stress of nursing students.TSA confirmed that the results of meta-analysis are credible.For depression,it could also significantly improve depression of nursing students with 8 weeks intervention,but there was no significant effect on nursing students with 1 week intervention duration.There was also no beneficial effect on mindfulness level of nursing students.However,TSA indicated that the accumulated evidence is still inconclusive.We suggest that more well-designed clinical trials with large sample and higher quality would be required in future to draw a definitive conclusion.

Speciation analysis of metals (Tl,Cd and Pb) in Tl-containing pyrite and its cinder from Yunfu Mine,China,by ICP-MS with sequential extraction

The speciation of heavy metals such as thallium,cadmium and lead existing in pyrite and pyrite cinder was analyzed by ICP-MS with a sequential extraction procedure.The distribution patterns of these metals including exchangeable,reducible,oxidizable and residual fractions were obtained.Tl,Cd and Pb in pyrite and pyrite cinder samples from each extraction step were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(ICP-MS).Under the optimized instrumental conditions,detection limits of Tl,Cd and Pb in different matrices were within the range of 0.006-0.07 μg/L,and the relative standard deviations ranged from 0.8% to 1.2%.The accuracy of Tl,Cd and Pb determination was checked by analyzing two certified reference materials.The results demonstrate that trace Tl,Cd and Pb in the samples can be accurately determined.The sequential extraction results revealed that the percent contents of Tl,Cd and Pb in exchangeable,reducible and oxidizable fractions in pyrite cinder are different from those in pyrite and in pyrite cinder.Tl,Cd and Pb mostly are distributed in residual fraction.Therefore,the mobility of metals in pyrite is higher than that in pyrite cinder.Although distributions of Tl,Cd and Pb in the non-residual fraction are not dominant in pyrite cinder,the total concentrations of them could not be ignored.Consequently,attention must be paid to the risk of potential pollution by pyrite cinder.

Systematic evaluation and trial sequential analysis of warming acupuncture combined with joint mobilization in the treatment of scapulohumeral periarthritis

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of warming acupuncture combined with joint mobilization for the treatment of scapulohumeral periarthritis.Methods:A search for published randomized controlled trials(RCT)investigating warming acupuncture combined with joint mobilization for the treatment of scapulohumeral periarthritis was performed using the Cochrane Library,PubMed,Embase,and Web of Science databases.According to requirements of the Cochrane systematic review,all evaluations of RCT investigating warming acupuncture with joint mobilization in the treatment of scapulohumeral periarthritis were performed via method quality assessment,data extraction,and data analysis.Revman 5.3 and Stata 12.0 statistical software were used for the meta-analysis,and the trial sequential analysis(TSA)software estimated the required information size for each outcome.Results:A total of 14 articles were retrieved for meta-analysis,which included 551 cases in the treatment group and 539 cases in the control group.Meta-analysis showed that:(1)warming acupuncture combined with joint mobilization improved total efficiency[OR=6.16,95%CI(3.79,10.00),Z=7.34;P<0.001),TSA results confirmed the results of the meta-analysis;(2)warming acupuncture combined with joint mobilization improved the cure rate[OR=2.84,95%CI(2.19,3.70),P<0.001],TSA results revealed that no further tests were needed to verify;(3)warming acupuncture combined with joint mobilization reduced the number of treatments required for healing[MD=-7.49,95%CI(-9.75,-5.23),P<0.001],TSA results confirmed the results of the meta-analysis;(4)in comparing visual analog scale scores before and after treatment,meta-analysis result showed that:SMD=-2.01,95%CI(-2.37,-1.65),P<0.001,the difference was statistically significant,TSA results confirmed the results of the meta-analysis.Conclusion:Warming acupuncture combined with joint mobilization had a significant effect on the treatment of scapulohumeral periarthritis.

Moxibustion treatment for knee osteoarthritis： cumulative meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis

Objective： To evaluate the effect of moxibustion on knee osteoarthritis patients with cumulative meta-analysis, and trial sequential analysis was applied to test the authenticity of results. Methods： We searched PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, CNKI and CBM to collect RCTs about moxibustion on knee osteoarthritis patients. The selection of literature, data extraction and evaluation of eligible literature were carried out independently by two reviewers. Then Stata11.0 software was used for data analysis. Result： Totally 11 RCTs involved 1005 patients were recruited. The results of meta-analysis showed that no significant differences were found between the two groups in VAS, moxibustion is better than drug therapy in effective rate [OR = 0.40, 95%CI （0.27, 0.60）] and knee score [SMD = -0.70, 95%CI （-1.22, -0.19）]. The result of trial sequential analysis indicated that the sample size didn＇t reach the TSA Boundary on VAS, the sample size of effectiveness achieved Require Information Size. In the indicator of knee score has obtained certain re- sult before reaching the Require Information Size. Conclusion： moxibustion is superior to drug therapy on treatment knee osteoarthritis. However, large sample size and high-quality studies are still needed.

Jinhuang powder for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers:an updated metaanalysis with power analysis and trial sequential analysis

Background:Traditional Chinese Medicines(TCM)had been indicated to benefit for the chronic non-infectious diseases,such as cancers,hypertension,primary dysmenorrheal,etc.Although randomized controlled trials(RCTs)had been conducted,there was still the controversy on the efficacy of Jinhuang powder for diabetic foot ulcers(DFUs).Objective:This systematic review aimed to objectively evaluate the potential of Jinhuang powder for DFUs.Methods:Seven databases(CNKI,Chongqing VIP,Wanfang database,CBM,the Cochrane Library,PubMed and Web of Science)were searched to retrieve RCTs up to December,2016;and the relevant references of the eligible studies were screened.According to the eligible criteria,the literature was screened;data were extracted;and then the methodological quality was assessed.The meta-analysis,power analysis and trial sequential analysis(TSA)were performed by using Meta analyst software(version beta 3.13),Stata 12.0,Power and Precision statistical software package(Biostat)and TSA software(version0.9),respectively.Results:Finally,three RCTs with 198 participants were included.The results of meta-analysis showed that there were statistically significant differences between groups in(1)the cure rate(RR,1.25;95%CI.1.10to1.41;P=0.00)and(2)the wound healing time(SMD,-3.404;95%CI,-5.821 to -0.987;P=0.00).Three trials presented more than 80% power with 0.05α-errors in both outcomes and the power of two meta-analyses to pool different outcomes presented more than 95%.The TSA showed that the summary results were certain.Conclusion:The external application with Jinhuang powder was an effective and cost-effective therapy for DFUs.The power analysis and TSA showed that the efficacy of Jinhuang powder dressing for the treatment of DFUs is conclusive.

Comparative Analysis of Group Sequential Designs Tests for Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials: A Model Study on Two-Sided Tests for Comparing Two Treatments

Clinical trials are usually long term studies and it seems impossible to reach all required subjects at the same time. Performing interim analyses and monitoring results may provide early termination of trial after obtaining significant results. The aim of this study is comparing group sequential tests in respect to advantage of sample size reduction and early termination. In this study, 4 test types used in group sequential designs were compared with fixed sample size design test and each other. Comparisons were done according to two-sided tests for comparing two treatments. In this sense, 1080 models were performed. In models, 2 different Type I errors, 2 different powers, 5 different analysis groups, 6 different effect sizes and 9 different variances selections were considered. All test types increased the maximum sample size in different manner, compared with fixed sample size design. Each test had different critical values to reject H0 hypothesis, at the same type I error rate and number of analyses conditions. Selection of test type used in group sequential designs depends on a few characteristics, as reducing sample size, early termination and detecting minimal effect size. Test performance is highly related with selected Type I error rate, power and number of analyses. In addition to these statistical characteristics, researchers should decide test type with respect to other trial conditions as the issue of trial, reaching subjects easy or not and importance of early termination.

Simple Spectrophotometric Sequential Injection Analysis System for Determination of Serum Calcium

A sequential injection analysis (SIA) system for the determination of total calcium in blood has been implemented. The assay principle is based on the arsenazo III method, in which the indicator’s complex with calcium forms a blue-purple colour. The absorbance peak height at 650 nm was proportional to the calcium content in samples. A linear range was obtained from 2.5 - 15 mg?dL–1 (r2 = 0.999), with a detection limit of 0.430 mg?dL–1 (3σ). Magnesium, glucose, hae-moglobin, and bilirubin at 123, 1,000, 50, and 0.5 mg?dL–1, respectively, were not found to interfere with the proposed system significantly (recovery 99.1% - 104.4%). The sampling frequency was 30 h–1, in which the carry-over effect was negligible (0.69%). The proposed SIA system was successfully applied to the determination of calcium from serum samples (r2 = 0.970;n = 30).

An Adaptive Sequential Replacement Method for Variable Selection in Linear Regression Analysis

With the rapid development of DNA technologies, high throughput genomic data have become a powerful leverage to locate desirable genetic loci associated with traits of importance in various crop species. However, current genetic association mapping analyses are focused on identifying individual QTLs. This study aimed to identify a set of QTLs or genetic markers, which can capture genetic variability for marker-assisted selection. Selecting a set with k loci that can maximize genetic variation out of high throughput genomic data is a challenging issue. In this study, we proposed an adaptive sequential replacement (ASR) method, which is considered a variant of the sequential replacement (SR) method. Through Monte Carlo simulation and comparing with four other selection methods: exhaustive, SR method, forward, and backward methods we found that the ASR method sustains consistent and repeatable results comparable to the exhaustive method with much reduced computational intensity.

Time Sequential and Phase-resolved Measurement and Analysis of Corona Discharge in Air and Streamer Discharge in Insulating Liquid

Insulation is one of the most important parts in a high voltage equipment.There are gaseous,liquid and solid insulations which are commonly used.In a high voltage transformer for example the insulating materials are all used.During operation of a high voltage equipment high electric stress may occur.Under extreme condition failure of the insulation may take place.Excessive electric field in air may cause corona discharges while in liquid insulation discharges may take place in the form of streamer.This paper reports experimental results on the corona and streamer discharges in air and silicone oil.The discharges were artificially generated around a needle tip in a needle-plane electrode system with gap length of 4 mm under sinusoidal and triangular voltages.The needle was made of steel with tip radius of 3 μm and curvature angle of 30°.The needle was made by Ogura Jewelry.The discharge pulses were measured using personal-computer based partial discharge(PD)measurement system with sensitivity of better than 0.5 pC.The system is able to measure discharge in time sequential.Phase-resolved analysis of the discharges was done to interpret the physical processes behind the discharges.The experimental results showed that corona discharges took place at negative half cycles.The discharges were concentrated around 270° of phase angle of applied voltage.The discharge magnitude and discharge number of corona clearly dependent on the instantaneous of applied voltage.These were strongly supported by the application of triangular voltage.Streamer discharges occurred at both positive and negative half cycles.The discharges pulses concentrated around the peak of applied voltage at phase angle of 90° and 270°.Experimental results under sinusoidal and triangular voltages revealed that streamer discharge magnitude as well as probability of occurrence was strongly dependent on the instantaneous applied voltage.

A New Extended BIC and Sequential Lasso Regression Analysis and Their Application in Classification

In this paper, firstly, we propose a new method for choosing regularization parameter λ for lasso regression, which differs from traditional method such as multifold cross-validation, our new method gives the maximum value of parameter λ directly. Secondly, by considering another prior form over model space in the Bayes approach, we propose a new extended Bayes information criterion family, and under some mild condition, our new EBIC (NEBIC) is shown to be consistent. Then we apply our new method to choose parameter for sequential lasso regression which selects features by sequentially solving partially penalized least squares problems where the features selected in earlier steps are not penalized in the subsequent steps. Then sequential lasso uses NEBIC as the stopping rule. Finally, we apply our algorithm to identify the nonzero entries of precision matrix for high-dimensional linear discrimination analysis. Simulation results demonstrate that our algorithm has a lower misclassification rate and less computation time than its competing methods under considerations.

Rupi Sanjie capsule plus surgical operation for the treatment of hyperplasia nodule of mammary gland:A meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Rupi Sanjie(RPSJ)capsule plus the conventional surgical operation for treatment of hyperplasia nodule of mammary gland.Methods:A meta-analysis was conducted on randomized controlled trials(RCT)related to RPSJ capsule plus surgical operation in the treatment of hyperplasia nodule of mammary gland.The methodological quality of eligible RCTs was assessed according to the criteria from the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions.RevMan5.3 and Stata14.0 were used for data analyses.Trial sequential analysis was performed to estimate the sample size of systematic review base on TSA software v0.9.Results:Twenty-two RCTs were totally included in this study,involving 2135 patients.The result showed the clinical recurrence rate of RPSJ capsule plus surgical treatment group was significantly lower than surgical treatment alone group(RR:0.25,95%CI[0.17,0.37],P<0.01).The clinical cure rate and total effective rate were higher in RPSJ capsule plus surgical treatment group than the conventional surgical treatment group(RR:1.63,95%CI[1.46,1.82],P<0.01);(RR:1.29,95%CI[1.22,1.37],P<0.01).Application of RPSJ capsule decreased the occurrence of adverse events including nausea,vomiting,irregular menstruation,constipation,dizziness,and headache etc.(RR:0.90,95%CI[0.54,1.49],P=0.68).The results of trial sequential analysis demonstrated that the current available data did not reach the expected value.Conclusion:RPSJ capsule plus the conventional surgical treatment was more effective in reducing the clinical recurrence rate,and improving the total clinical effective rate and clinical cure rate,with a decrease in the occurrence of adverse events.

Bushen Huoxue method combined with ACEI/ARB in treating diabetic kidney disease (stage Ⅲ):A meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis

Objective:To evaluate the efficiency of Bushen Huoxue method with ACEI/ARB in treating diabetic kidney disease(stageⅢ).Methods:A total of 8 major electronic databases(CNKI,WanFang,VIP,Sinomed,Pubmed,Embase,Cochrane Liberary,Web of Science)were retrieved since the establishment of the database to October 9,2019.Two reviewers extracted data,and assessed the methodological quality of the included studies.The analysis was made by Stata 15.0 and TSA 0.9 softwares.Results:A total of 10 RCT studies were obtained,including 711 patients with diabetic kidney disease of stageⅢ.Meta-analysis showed that the method of Bushen Huoxue with ACEI/ARB could reduce UAER[WMD=-31.24,95%CI(-42.98,-19.51)],β2-GM[WMD=-92.95,95%CI(-166.05,-19.85)],LDL-C[WMD=-0.19,95%CI(0.19,-0.30)].However,there were no significant effect for HbAlc[WMD=-0.08,95%CI(-0.17,-0.00)],Scr[WMD=-12.96,95%CI(-39.82,13.90)],BUN[WMD=-0.14,95%CI(-0.44,0.17)].The result of TSA indicated that the method of Bushen Huoxue with ACEI/ARB was effective in the treatment of diabetic kidney disease of stageⅢ.Conclusion:The study show that the method of Bushen Huoxue with ACEI/ARB can reduce urinary protein,renal tubular injury and LDL-C in patients with diabetic kidney disease of stageⅢ,and had no effect on HbAlc and renal function.But the conclusion of this study needs further research of high quality.

Meta-analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis of Compound Qingdai Capsule in the Treatment of Psoriasis

[Objectives]To analyze the efficacy of Compound Qingdai Capsule in the treatment of psoriasis and conduct a systematic evaluation.[Methods]The clinical total effective rate,PASI index score,IL-17 level,IL-23 level,TNF-level,and adverse reactions were analyzed.TSA 0.9 software was used to conduct sequential analysis of the total effective rate,and subgroup analysis was performed according to the average age of the experimental group.[Results]Single application of Compound Qingdai Capsule or in combination with other methods in the treatment of psoriasis was superior to non-Compound Qingdai Capsule group,and the side effects were less than non-Compound Qingdai Capsule group;the n≥40 year-old group had certain heterogeneity,suggesting that the difference was statistically significant,and the effective rate was higher than that of the control group.The funnel plot showed that the graph was asymmetrical,and there may be publication bias or the possibility of low-quality literature.The TSA results indicated that the actual sample size was far lower than the expected sample size,and the cumulative Z value did not reach the TSA cut-off value and more trials need to be included to confirm the efficacy.[Conclusions]Compound Qingdai Capsule has a clear curative effect on psoriasis,and its safety is high.This study can provide relevant evidence for the effectiveness of Chinese patent drugs(CPD)in treating psoriasis.

A Look at Sequential Normal Scores and How They Apply to Financial Data Analysis

Statistical methods for analyzing economic data need to be timely, accurate and easy to compute. To accomplish this, parametric models are often assumed, but they are at best approximate, and often lack a good fit in the tails of the distribution where much of the interesting data are concentrated. Therefore, nonparametric methods have been extensively examined as alternatives to the constrictive assumptions of parametric models. This paper examines the use of Sequential Normal Scores (SNS) for transforming time series data with unknown distributions into time series data that are approximately standard-normally distributed. Particular attention is directed toward detecting outliers (out-of-control values), and applying subsequent analytic methods such as CUSUMs and Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (EWMA) schemes. Two examples of stock market data are presented for illustration.

Maintenance Chemotherapy in Ovarian Cancer: A Trial-Sequential Analysis

In patients with epithelian ovarian cancer who have achieved remission after initial surgery and induction chemotherapy, the role of maintenance chemotherapy is controversial. We carried out a trial-sequential analysis that included 4 randomised controlled trials. The end-point was progression at 3 years while the boundary for non-inferiority was set at ±20% in risk ratio. The results of our trial-sequential analysis indicated the futility of maintenance chemotherapy, i.e. proof of no effectiveness. Consequently, no further trials of this type should be performed to assess the effectiveness of this intervention in this clinical condition.