Medicine
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Review Meta Analysis
Soy Intake Is Associated With Lower Endometrial Cancer Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies.
Epidemiologic studies reporting the effect of soy intake on endometrial cancer risk conveyed conflicting results. We systematically reviewed the literature to investigate whether there was an inverse relation between dietary soy intake and endometrial cancer risk. PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and 4 main Chinese literature databases were searched from their inception to August 25, 2015 for both case-control studies and cohort studies that assessed the effect of soy intake on endometrial cancer risk. ⋯ In subgroup analyses, a statistically significant protective effect of soy intake was found for unfermented soy food (RE: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.67, 0.97), postmenopausal women (RE: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.61, 0.95), and Asian (RE: 0.79, 95% CI: 0.66, 0.95) and non-Asian population (RE: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.71, 0.96). Current evidence indicates that soy food intake is associated with lower endometrial cancer risk. Further larger cohort studies are warranted to fully clarify such an association.
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Review Meta Analysis
Impact of Modifiable Cardiovascular Risk Factors on Mortality After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 100 Studies.
Modifiable cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking, diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndrome can easily give rise to coronary heart disease (CHD). However, due to the existence of the so-called "obesity paradox" and "smoking paradox," the impact of these modifiable cardiovascular risk factors on mortality after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is still not clear. Therefore, in order to solve this issue, we aim to compare mortality between patients with low and high modifiable cardiovascular risk factors after PCI. ⋯ However, an unexpectedly, significantly lower mortality risk was observed among the smokers and obese patients. Certain modifiable cardiovascular risk subgroups had a significantly higher impact on mortality after PCI. However, mortality among the obese patients and the smokers showed an unexpected paradox after coronary intervention.
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Early diagnosis and prompt treatment of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) due to end-stage liver disease is vital to shorten hospital stays and reduce mortality. Many studies have explored the potential usefulness of serum procalcitonin (PCT) in predicting SBP. The aim of this study is to evaluate the overall diagnostic accuracy of PCT levels for identifying SBP due to end-stage liver disease. ⋯ There was evidence of significant heterogeneity but no evidence of publication bias. Serum PCT is a relatively sensitive and specific test for the identification of SBP. However, due to the limited high-quality studies available, medical decisions should be carefully made in the context of both PCT test results and other clinical findings.
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Observational Study
Behind and Beyond the Masaoka Staging: A 25-Year Follow-up Study of Tumor Recurrence in Completely Resected Thymic Epithelial Tumors in a Single Institution.
We analyzed prognosticators for recurrence and post-recurrence survival in completely resected thymic epithelial tumors for the past 25 years in a single institution. Between June 1988 and December 2013, 238 patients undergoing intent-to-treat surgery for thymic epithelial tumors were reviewed. Sex, age, myasthenia gravis (MG), tumor histology, Masaoka staging, characteristic of locoregional invasion and recurrence, and the treatment for recurrence were collected. ⋯ Surgery should be attempted for recurrent disease for better post-recurrence survival. In patients with completely resected thymic carcinoma, innominate vein or SVC invasion was the negative independent prognosticator. Surgery for recurrence could be considered since it provided benefit for post-recurrence survival as chemoradiotherapy did.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Antioxidant Effects of Brown Algae Sargassum on Sperm Parameters: CONSORT-Compliant Article.
The occurrence of oxidative stress during the sperm freeze-thaw cycles affects the sperm parameters and eventually leads to a decrease in its reproductive potential. Sperm protection against oxidative reactions during freezing is done by antioxidants. Since the selection of a suitable sperm cryopreservation bank is effective in maintaining acceptable reproductive potential and motility of sperm during cryopreservation. ⋯ Motility and morphology of sperms were measured using a computer system and CASA software and the amount of reactive oxygen species was determined using Oxisperm kit. Sargassum extract significantly decreased the amount of reactive oxygen species (P < 0.005) and at doses of 250 and 500 μg/mL, significantly increased the overall motility (P < 0.006) and progressive motility (P < 0.007) after solidification, but did not affect the normal morphology of sperms. The addition of ethanol extract of Sargassum prevents reactive oxygen species production during the solidification process and improves sperm motility at doses of 250 and 500 μg/mL.