Medicine
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Meta Analysis
Extracorporeal shock wave therapy is effective in treating chronic plantar fasciitis: A meta-analysis of RCTs.
Plantar fasciitis (PF) is the most common reason for heel pain. The efficacy of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) as an ideal alternative to conservative treatments and surgery is controversial, and almost all previous articles compared general ESWT with placebo without indicating the kind of shock wave. We undertook a meta-analysis to compare the efficacy of general ESWT, focused shock wave (FSW), and radial shock wave (RSW) with placebo, to assess their effectiveness in chronic PF. ⋯ This meta-analysis suggested that FSW therapy can relieve pain in chronic PF as an ideal alternative option; meanwhile, no firm conclusions of general ESWT and RSW effectiveness can be drawn. Due to variations in the included studies, additional trials are needed to validate these conclusions.
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Review Meta Analysis
Timing of tourniquet release in total knee arthroplasty: A meta-analysis.
For total knee arthroplasty (TKA), the tourniquet is routinely employed for better visualization, less blood loss, and easier cementation. However, the time to release tourniquet remains controversial. Therefore, we performed current meta-analysis to assess whether releasing tourniquet before wound closure is more effective in reducing blood loss than releasing tourniquet after wound closure in TKA without an increased risk of complications. ⋯ On the basis of current meta-analysis, the method of releasing tourniquet before wound closure could increase total blood loss and operation time; nevertheless, the risk of complications decreased. Thus, if patients are in severe anemia condition, the tourniquet perhaps should be released after wound closure to decrease blood loss. In contrary, releasing tourniquet before wound closure to decrease the risk of complications would be a better choice.
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Review Meta Analysis
Role of endoscopic esophageal dilation in managing eosinophilic esophagitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic, immune-mediated disorder of the esophagus characterized by mucosal eosinophilic infiltration. Topical glucocorticoids are considered standard line of treatment, whereas endoscopic dilations are performed for patients presenting with treatment-resistant disease or manifestations of dysphagia and/or food impactions. Efficacy and safety of esophageal dilation in these patients are currently unclear. ⋯ In patients with conformed diagnosis of EoE, endoscopic esophageal dilation seems to be an effective and safe treatment option. Majority patients with chest pain and deep mucosal tears did not require hospitalization and symptoms were self-limiting.
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Review Meta Analysis
Association of CagA EPIYA-D or EPIYA-C phosphorylation sites with peptic ulcer and gastric cancer risks: A meta-analysis.
Increasingly, studies have focused on the relationship between Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) cytotoxin associated gene A protein (CagA) Glu-Pro-Ile-Tyr-Ala (EPIYA)-D motifs or multiple EPIYA-C phosphorylation sites and peptic ulcer disease (PUD) or gastric cancer (GC) risk. However, the conclusions have been inconsistent. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate whether 1 CagA EPIYA-D motif or multiple EPIYA-C phosphorylation sites were associated with PUD or GC risk. ⋯ In Asia, 1 EPIYA-D motif was significantly associated with increased GC risk. Multiple EPIYA-C motifs were associated with increased PUD and DU risk, particularly in Asia. In the United States and Europe, multiple EPIYA-C motifs were associated with increased GC risk. Therefore, detection of polymorphic CagA EPIYA motifs may improve clinical prediction of disease risk.
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Review Meta Analysis
Vitamin K intake and the risk of fractures: A meta-analysis.
The association between dietary vitamin K intake and the risk of fractures is controversial. Therefore we perform a meta-analysis of cohort or nested case-control studies to investigate the relationship between dietary vitamin K intake and the risk of fractures. A comprehensive search of PubMed and EMBASE (to July 11, 2016) was performed to identify cohort or nested case-control studies providing quantitative estimates between dietary vitamin K intake and the risk of fractures. ⋯ Dose-response analysis indicated that the pooled RR of fracture for an increase of 50 μg dietary vitamin K intake per day was 0.97 (95% CI: 0.95-0.99) without heterogeneity among studies (I = 25.9%, P for heterogeneity = .25). When stratified by follow-up duration, the RR of fracture for dietary vitamin K intake was 0.76 (95% CI: 0.58-0.93) in studies with more than 10 years of follow-up. Our study suggests that higher dietary vitamin K intake may moderately decrease the risk of fractures.