Chinese medical journal
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Chinese medical journal · Jan 2014
Review Meta AnalysisImpact of biodegradable versus durable polymer drug-eluting stents on clinical outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease: a meta-analysis of 15 randomized trials.
Drug eluting stents (DESs) made with biodegradable polymer have been developed in an attempt to improve clinical outcomes. However, the impact of biodegradable polymers on clinical events and stent thrombosis (ST) remains controversial. ⋯ Biodegradable polymer DES has similar safety and efficacy for treating patients with coronary artery disease compared with durable polymer DES. Further data with longer term follow-up are warranted to confirm the potential benefits of biodegradable polymer DES.
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Chinese medical journal · Jan 2014
Review Meta AnalysisTumor necrosis factor gene polymorphisms and endometriosis in Asians: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Numerous studies have described the association between polymorphisms in the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) gene and risk of endometriosis. However, the results remain controversial. Here we reviewed studies reporting the association between TNF gene polymorphisms and endometriosis risk in Asians. ⋯ TNF-α -1031T>C and TNF-β +252A>G were significantly associated with the risk of endometriosis in Asian and Chinese populations, respectively. To further evaluate these associations, more large-scale, rigorously designed studies are needed.
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Chinese medical journal · Jan 2014
Meta AnalysisEffect of tacrolimus in idiopathic membranous nephropathy: a meta-analysis.
The efficacy and safety of immunosuppression for idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN) are still controversial. Recent studies showed tacrolimus is effective in the treatment of IMN. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of tacrolimus (TAC) for IMN, we conducted a meta-analysis of published medical literatures. ⋯ TAC is more effective than cyclophosphamide (CTX) by achieving complete remission in patients with IMN. Multi-ethnic RCTs are needed to evaluate its long-term efficacy and safety.
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Chinese medical journal · Jan 2014
Meta AnalysisValue of diffusion-weighted imaging in distinguishing pancreatic carcinoma from mass-forming chronic pancreatitis: a meta-analysis.
Several previous studies have shown that diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) can provide additional information for focal pancreatic lesions by demonstrating more restricted diffusion in solid malignant tumors than in chronic pancreatitis, which can be indicated by a decreased apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). However, these studies have a modest sample size and convey inconclusive results. The aim of this study was to determine, in a meta-analysis, the diagnostic performance of quantitative diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in distinguishing pancreatic carcinoma from mass-forming chronic pancreatitis. ⋯ DWI may be a potentially technically feasible tool for differentiating pancreatic carcinoma from mass-forming chronic pancreatitis. However, large-scale randomized control trials are necessary to assess its clinical value.
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Chinese medical journal · Jan 2014
Review Meta AnalysisPerformance of K-ras mutation analysis plus endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration for differentiating diagnosis of pancreatic solid mass: a meta-analysis.
Difficulties persist in differentiating pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAC) from pancreatic inflammatory masses (PIM). Auxiliary diagnostic techniques which enhance the endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) diagnostic yield have been attempted, for example, K-ras mutation analysis. We aimed to evaluate the accuracy of K-ras mutation analysis combined with EUS-FNA for the differential diagnosis of PDAC and PIM by pooling data of existing trials. ⋯ Combining K-ras mutation analysis with routine cytology moderately improves the ability of EUS-FNA to differentially diagnose between PDAC and PIM, especially for patients with suspected PDAC yet inconclusive EUS-FNA findings, and may prove to be a valuable supplemental method to EUS-FNA.