Arch Med Sci
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The aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy of molecularly targeted agents (MTAs) in the treatment of elderly patients with metastatic oesophago-gastric cancer (mOGC). ⋯ Our results indicate that the MTA-containing therapies significantly improve OS but not for PFS in elderly mOGC patients. Sub-group analysis shows that improved efficacy is only observed in the second-line setting and not in the first-line setting. Our findings support the use of angiogenesis as second-line treatment for elderly mOGC patients.
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In recent years, an increasing number of studies have revealed the possible prognostic significance of Golgi protein 73 (GP73) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the results are still controversial. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to explore the possible correlation between GP73 and prognostic value in HCC. ⋯ The meta-analysis suggested that overexpression of GP73 may be associated with poor prognosis in HCC and may also have a predictive role for HCC invasion and metastasis.
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Review
The influence of cognitive-behavioral therapy on depression in dialysis patients - meta-analysis.
Depressive disorders are the most common mental health problem among patients undergoing dialysis. Furthermore, depression is an independent factor increasing the mortality and frequency of hospitalization in this group of patients, yet psychological intervention programs aimed at improving the mental health of dialysis patients have still not been developed. This meta-analysis aimed to assess the effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy on depressive symptoms in dialysis patients. The main hypothesis of this study is that cognitive-behavioral therapy is an effective psychological method of reducing the severity of depression symptoms among patients undergoing dialysis. ⋯ The study showed that the use of psychological intervention based on cognitive- behavioral therapy was an effective method of decreasing the severity of depressive symptoms in hemodialyzed patients. For the sake of patient well-being, it seems reasonable to extend renal replacement therapy with psychological intervention such as cognitive-behavioral therapy.
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The aim of this meta-analysis was to establish whether vascular pulse wave velocity (PWV) as a measure of arterial stiffness is changed in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). ⋯ This meta-analysis suggests that FH patients do not have significantly altered PWV when compared with normocholesterolemic individuals. However, a subanalysis of studies in which IMT was measured indicated that IMT is increased in FH patients compared with controls.
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The aim of this meta-analysis was to summarize the evidence on the serum/plasma leptin concentrations in breast cancer (BC) patients, as well as the associations between leptin G-2548A gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to BC. ⋯ Our results revealed a significantly higher leptin level in BC patients than in healthy controls, but no association between leptin G-2548A polymorphism and BC susceptibility was found.