Journal of neural transmission
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Review Meta Analysis
Is transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) effective for chronic low back pain? A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been used to reduce pain in range of chronic pain states. The aim of this review is to evaluate the effectiveness of tDCS on pain reduction and related disability in patients with non-specific chronic low back pain (CLBP). A computer-based systematic literature search was performed in five databases according to PRISMA guidelines. ⋯ No significant adverse events were reported. The current results do not support the clinical use of tDCS for the reduction of pain and related disability in non-specific CLBP. However, the limited number of available evidence limits our conclusions on the effectiveness of these approaches.
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Meta Analysis
Association of polymorphisms in the MCP-1 and CCR2 genes with the risk of Parkinson's disease.
Studies investigating the impact of polymorphisms on monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) and CC chemokine receptor (CCR2) on the susceptibility of Parkinson's disease (PD) have reported inconsistent results. Owing to mixed and inconclusive results, we conducted a meta-analysis to systematically summarize and clarify the association between the two gene polymorphisms and PD risk. We performed a meta-analysis of five eligible studies to summarize the data describing the association between PD risk and polymorphisms in MCP-1 A2518G and CCR2 V64I. ⋯ However, CCR2 V64I polymorphism is not correlated with PD risk. The results should be interpreted with caution due to limited sample and heterogeneity. Large scale and well-designed studies are needed to validate our findings.