Annals of medicine
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This study aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of serum LDH to pleural ADA ratio (cancer ratio, CR)for malignant pleural effusion (MPE) through an original study and meta-analysis. ⋯ CR has a high diagnostic accuracy for predicting MPE, especially when used in combination with pleural CEA.
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Meta Analysis
Estimating the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Nigeria in 2020: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Targeted public health response to obesity in Nigeria is relatively low due to limited epidemiologic understanding. We aimed to estimate nationwide and sub-national prevalence of overweight and obesity in the adult Nigerian population. ⋯ Our findings suggest a high prevalence of overweight and obesity in Nigeria. This is marked in urban Nigeria and among women, which may in part be due to widespread sedentary lifestyles and a surge in processed food outlets, largely reflective of a trend across many African settings.KEY MESSAGESAbout 12 million persons in Nigeria were estimated to be obese in 2020, with prevalence considerably higher among women. Nutritional and epidemiological transitions driven by demographic changes, rising income, urbanization, unhealthy lifestyles, and consumption of highly processed diets appear to be driving an obesity epidemic in the country.
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Meta Analysis
High diagnostic value of miRNAs for NSCLC: quantitative analysis for both single and combined miRNAs in lung cancer.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are good candidates as biomarkers for Lung cancer (LC). The aim of this article is to figure out the diagnostic value of both single and combined miRNAs in LC. ⋯ We identified several single miRNAs and combined groups with high diagnostic power for NSCLC through pooled quantitative analysis, which shows that specific miRNAs are good biomarker candidates for NSCLC and further researches needed.
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Meta Analysis
Walnut intake, cognitive outcomes and risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Walnuts contain nutrients that are associated with improved cognitive health. To our knowledge, no review has systematically examined the effects of walnuts on cognitive function and risk for cognitive decline. ⋯ Due to the non-uniformity of tests for cognition-related outcomes, definitive conclusions regarding the effect of walnut consumption on cognition could not be reached. Additionally, evidence does not show associations between walnut intake and glucose homeostasis or inflammation, cognitive decline risk-factors. High-quality studies with standardized measures are needed to clarify the role of walnuts in cognitive health.KEY MESSAGESThis is a systematic review and meta-analysis of 5 randomized clinical trials and 7 observational study articles of the impact of walnut intake on cognition decline and 27 randomized clinical trials of the effect of walnut intake on risk factors for cognitive decline including glucose homeostasis and inflammation.The non-uniformity of tests performed to measure cognitive function in the various studies did not allow for a meta-analysis of these studies. A definitive conclusion could therefore not be reached regarding the effect of walnut intake on cognitive decline.The evidence available does not show an association between walnut intake and glucose homeostasis or inflammation.
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Background. Chronic cough is a disabling condition with a high proportion of diagnostic and therapeutic failures. Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) has been considered a useful biomarker for predicting inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) response. ⋯ Key messagesChronic cough is a disabling condition with a high proportion of diagnostic and therapeutic failures. Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) may be a useful biomarker for identifying chronic cough patients who respond to steroid treatment. A FeNO cut-off lower than 25 ppb should be considered irrelevant for this clinical application.