Medicine
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Persistent and intractable hiccups are a common clinical symptom that cause considerable physical pain to patients and severely damage their quality of lives. An increasing number of studies have demonstrated that acupuncture applied at acupoints dominated by Cuanzhu (BL2) can be used as one of the nonpharmacological therapies for controlling intractable hiccups. However, there is insufficient evidence evaluating the safety and effectiveness of those interventions. Therefore, this study is intended to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to provide evidence for a further study investigating alternative treatment options for persistent and intractable hiccups. ⋯ CRD42020114900.
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Meta Analysis
The safety and efficacy of low-dose mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists in dialysis patients: A meta-analysis.
Our aim was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of low-dose mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) in dialysis patients. ⋯ Low-dose MRAs may benefit dialysis patients without significantly increasing moderate to severe hyperkalemia.
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Liuhedan is a famous traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula used to treat acute pancreatitis (AP) in China. However, there is no systematic reviews for the evidence and the therapeutic effectiveness and safety of Liuhedan for treating AP. The aim of this study is to summarize previous evidence, assessing the efficacy and safety of Liuhedan in the treatment of AP. ⋯ Ethical approval is unnecessary as this protocol is only for systematic review and does not involve privacy data. The findings of this study will be disseminated electronically through a peer-review publication or presented at a relevant conference.
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Dementia is becoming a major public health problem worldwide with the aging of the world's population. Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), associated symptoms of dementia, not only predicts the poor prognosis of patients with dementia, but is also a major factor causing the care burden on caregivers, especially informal caregivers. For BPSD management, an alternative to existing psychotropic drugs is needed, given the benefit-harm ratio. Therefore, in this systematic review, we will evaluate the effectiveness and safety of herbal medicine for BPSD. ⋯ OSF (URL: https://osf.io/3u8ch), PROSPERO (CRD42020211000) (URL: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020211000).
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Baseline brain metastasis (BBM) commonly occurs in anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-rearranged non-small cell lung cancer. Crizotinib prolongs the survival of patients with ALK rearrangement but lacks significant effect on brain metastasis. It remains unclear whether BBM and local therapy affect therapeutic outcomes and progression patterns during crizotinib treatment. ⋯ A significantly higher occurrence rate of multiple progression was noted in patients with BBM (14/49 vs. 6/53). Baseline intracranial metastasis changes the location and number of progressions after the first-line crizotinib and results in poor prognosis. There is no evidence that local treatment for brain metastasis had a protective effect on intracranial progression.