Medicine
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Corticosteroid has been a mainstay of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) medical therapy. While endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) will be performed when patients had failed to respond to maximal medical therapy. Many studies shown that several corticosteroids of interventions (e.g., nasal spray, oral, atomization/nebulization, nasal irrigation, direct infiltration, and steroid-eluting stent, etc) have each demonstrated significant efficacy compared with placebo or no corticosteroids intervention except intranasal corticosteroids for the treatment of CRSwNP after ESS. The aim of this systematic review and network meta-analysis is to answer the following question: which 1 is the best corticosteroid of intervention for CRSwNP patients after ESS? ⋯ This study will provide evidence regarding the comparability of several interventions of corticosteroids for CRSwNP patients after ESS. Also, the data generated from this review will provide health-care providers with a clear evidence synthesis of CRSwNP patients after ESS management strategies. These data will be incorporated into the development of a patient decision aid to assist patients and clinicians in making a preference-based decision when faced with a CRSwNP patients after ESS as well.
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Growing evidence have indicated that cell cycle-related genes (CRGs) play an essential role in the progression of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD). Nevertheless, the application of CRGs in estimating the prognosis of PAAD patients is still lacking. This study aimed to establish a risk signature based on CRGs that can predict patients' overall survival for PAAD. ⋯ Our findings suggested that the seven genes identified in this study are valuable prognostic predictors for patients with PAAD. These findings provided us with a novel insight that it is useful for understanding cell cycle mechanisms and for identifying patients with PAAD with poor prognosis.
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Sarcopenia is a progressive generalized skeletal muscle disorder that causes the accelerated loss of muscle mass and function. Osteoporosis is a systemic condition of the skeleton that results in low bone mass and quality. Several studies have suggested that osteoporosis and sarcopenia are interrelated; however, a few studies indicate the lack of a significant association between sarcopenia and osteoporosis. We aimed to evaluate the association between sarcopenia and osteoporosis via a systematic review and pooled analysis. ⋯ Our research indicated that sarcopenia and osteoporosis are highly positively correlated. Osteoporosis is closely associated with the risk of sarcopenia. Our finding highlights the importance of sarcopenia screening for those at risk of osteoporosis, and vice versa. However, heterogeneity was noted among the studies, and this might have influenced the accuracy of the results. Therefore, the results of our study should be interpreted with caution.
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Review Meta Analysis
Acupuncture for shoulder-hand syndrome after stroke: An overview of systematic reviews.
To provide evidence, this review evaluated the methodological quality, risk of bias, and reporting quality of SRs/MAs in the treatment of shoulder-hand syndrome after stroke with acupuncture. ⋯ Acupuncture is a relatively safe and effective adjuvant therapy for shoulder and hand syndromes after stroke. However, because of the low quality of SRs/MAs evidence supporting these findings, high-quality randomized controlled trials should be conducted, and the quality of relevant SRs should be improved to provide evidence for clinical application.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter clinical trial of Xiehuang Jiejing granule in the treatment of cough variant asthma in children.
Cough variant asthma (CVA), also called concealed asthma or allergic asthma, is the most common cause of chronic cough in children. The disorder is mainly characterized by a nonproductive dry cough associated with a high recurrence rate that is conventionally treated with antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medications, cough suppressants, or expectorants. For millennia, Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has been used widely in China to treat pediatric CVA cases, although high-quality evidence of CHM efficacy is lacking. In this study, the effectiveness and safety of Xiehuangjiejing (XHJJ) granule will be evaluated when used alone to treat children with CVA. ⋯ The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness and safety of Xiehuangjiejing (XHJJ) granule using a trial protocol designed to yield high-quality, statistically robust results for use in evaluating CHM as a treatment for CVA in children.