Medicine
-
Lymphatic metastasis (LM) is a significant mechanism for the spread of esophageal cancer (EC) and predicts the poor prognosis of EC patients. This research aimed to assess the survival of patients with LM from EC by developing a nomogram. In this retrospective study, EC patients with LM from 2004 to 2015 in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database were divided by year of diagnosis into a training cohort and a validation cohort. ⋯ Based on the results of calibration plots and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, we demonstrate the great performance of the prognostic model. The survival time of EC patients with LM was remarkably lower than that of EC patients without LM. The nomogram model established in this study can precisely predict the survival of EC patients with LM.
-
Perimenopausal insomnia (PMI) is a relatively common menopausal symptom that can cause serious problems for the women themselves and their families. Today, the world is facing the trend and challenges of an aging population. It is reported that about 1.5 million women worldwide enter menopause every year, with sleep disorder identified as a core symptom. The efficacy of acupuncture combined with traditional Chinese medicine for treating PMI has been recognized by patients and doctors. ⋯ The current analysis results show that acupuncture combined with Chinese medicine seems to have a more positive effect than western medicine alone in improving sleep and FSHF in PMI patients, but no difference has been found in improving E2 and LH. This study provides a basis for acupuncture combined with Chinese medicine to treat PMI. However, due to the higher risk of evaluation in included studies, more rigorous randomized controlled trials and higher quality studies are needed to validate included studies.
-
Duhuo-Jisheng decoction (DJD) is a Chinese herb formula. Previous studies have reported that the clinical symptoms and laboratory indicators of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients could be improved by DJD. However, the existing evidence was not robust enough and controversial. ⋯ DJD could be a satisfactory complementary and alternative therapy for RA. However, due to a small number of subgroup analysis results being different from the overall results, it should be verified by further studies.
-
The efficacy of traditional Chinese exercise (TCE)-based interventions in the improvement of sleep quality is controversial. In this systematic review, we aimed to summarize randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that outline the effects of TCE on sleep quality. ⋯ TCE can improve sleep quality in specific populations in specific populations clinical applications. Tai chi should be considered first to improve sleep quality. However, further extensive trials and rigorous study designs should be conducted to strengthen the findings of this study. In addition, considering the large heterogeneity, the findings of our study should be interpreted cautiously.
-
Review Meta Analysis
Midurethral sling position and surgical outcome: A meta-analysis.
There is still ongoing debate as to whether the outcome of the sling is determined by the position of the midurethral sling. In order to evaluate the potential impact of sling position on the outcomes of retropubic and transobturator sling procedures for stress urinary incontinence, it is necessary to conduct further investigations. We conducted a comprehensive search across various electronic databases such as PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE. ⋯ In the case of transobturator slings, tape positioning beneath the midurethra or distal urethra yielded better outcomes compared to placement near the bladder neck [RR = 0.74, 95% CI (0.57-0.94), P = .02; RR = 0.61, 95% CI (0.39-0.96), P = .03]. Based on 2D and 3D ultrasound imaging, differences in TVT placement appear to have minimal impact on the cure rate. However, the highest rate of failure after transobturator sling surgery is closely linked to the positioning.