Journal of investigative medicine : the official publication of the American Federation for Clinical Research
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Review Meta Analysis
Could endothelial progenitor cells complement the diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis? A systematic review and meta-analysis.
The objective of this meta-analysis was to systematically review existing evidence and evaluate variations in levels of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) among individuals with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Relevant studies were identified through database searches, and 20 records were enrolled. We used the fixed-effect model or random-effect model to estimate the pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in circulating EPC levels between inflammatory arthritis patients and controls. ⋯ Although many studies have investigated circulating EPC levels in patients with inflammatory arthritis, the results have been inconsistent. This meta-analysis offers a comprehensive overview of the existing evidence and emphasizes the association between levels of circulating EPCs and various types of arthritis. However, further research is needed to determine the specific mechanisms underlying the observed differences in EPC levels in different types of arthritis and to establish the clinical utility of this biomarker.
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Review Meta Analysis
Harms of third- and fourth-generation combined oral contraceptives in premenopausal women: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
We assessed the available evidence regarding adverse effects on surrogate and patient-important health outcomes of third- and fourth-generation combined oral contraceptives among premenopausal women. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis including randomized controlled trials and observational studies comparing third- and fourth-generation combined oral contraceptives with other generation contraceptives or placebo. Studies that enrolled women aged 15 to 50 years, with at least three cycles of intervention and 6 months of follow-up were included. ⋯ In premenopausal women, the use of third- and fourth-generation oral contraceptives is associated with an improved lipid profile and lower risk of arterial thrombosis. Data were inconclusive regarding the rest of outcomes assessed. This review was registered in PROSPERO with CRD42020211133.
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Review Meta Analysis
Efficacy and safety of medications for osteoporosis in kidney transplant recipients or patients with chronic kidney disease: a meta-analysis.
This study conducted a meta-analysis to analyze the efficacy and safety of osteoporosis medications in kidney transplant recipients and patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched from the date of their inception through October 21, 2022. We performed a meta-analysis of the efficacy and safety of osteoporosis medications in adult patients with stage 3-5 CKD or kidney transplant recipients enrolled in randomized clinical trials (RCTs). ⋯ Thus, there is no evidence that these medications reduce the risk of fracture, and their effect on BMD and fracture remains unproven. These medications may increase the incidence of adverse events and their safety needs to be further evaluated. Therefore, we cannot draw a definitive conclusion about the efficacy and safety of osteoporosis medications in the above group of patients.
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Meta Analysis
Association between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and atrial fibrillation and other clinical outcomes: a meta-analysis.
The association between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular outcomes, as well as their clinical impact, has yet to be established in the literature. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the association between the NAFLD patients and the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF), heart failure (HF), stroke, cardiovascular mortality (CVM), and revascularization incidence. We performed a systematic literature search using PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane libraries for relevant articles from inception until August 2022. ⋯ The likelihood of AF (risk ratio (RR), 1.42 (95% CI 1.19, 1.68), p < 0.001), HF (RR, 1.43(95% CI 1.03, 2.00), p < 0.001), stroke (RR, 1.26(95% CI 1.16, 1.36), p < 0.001), revascularization (RR, 4.06(95% CI 1.44, 11.46), p = 0.01), and CVM (RR, 3.10(95% CI 1.43, 6.73), p < 0.001) was significantly higher in the NAFLD patients group compared to that of the non-NAFLD group. However, all-cause mortality was comparable between both the groups of patients (RR, 1.30 (95% CI 0.63, 2.67), p = 0.48). In conclusion, the patients with NAFLD are at increased risk of AF, HF, and CVM.
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Insulin and its secretagogues are essential for some patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) to maintain good glycemic control (GC), but severe hypoglycemia (SH) is a concern. This network meta-analysis aimed to find optimal glucose-lowering drug treatment regimens in terms of GC and SH in T2D patients. MEDLINE and EMBASE were used to identify trials that compared two or more treatments including insulins and/or sulfonylurea or glinides and that examined both GC and SH. ⋯ Cluster analysis indicated that premixed insulin plus glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (Mix-ins + GLP1) belonged to the high-efficacy category for GC and glinide plus thiazolidinedione (glinide + TZD) belonged to the relatively high-efficacy category for GC among several high-safety categories regarding SH. In T2D patients, clinicians should consider appropriate combinations of non-insulin glucose-lowering agents (especially glinide + TZD) for reducing SH risk before switching to insulin therapies. If switching, they should be willing to add non-insulin glucose-lowering agents (especially, Mix-ins + GLP1) to insulins to further improve GC.