Medicine
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Placebo-controlled randomized trials are often used to evaluate the absolute effect of new treatments and are considered gold standard for clinical trials. No studies, however, have yet been conducted evaluating the reporting quality of placebo-controlled randomized trials. The current study aims to assess the reporting quality of placebo-controlled randomized trials on treatment of diabetes with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in Mainland China and to provide recommendations for improvements. ⋯ Although a scoring system was created according to the CONSORT 2010 checklist, it was not designed as an assessment tool. According to CONSORT 2010, the reporting quality of placebo-controlled randomized trials on the treatment of diabetes with TCM improved after 2010. Future improvements, however, are still needed, particularly in methods sections.
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Review Meta Analysis Comparative Study
Intravenous Versus Oral Iron for the Treatment of Anemia in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
Anemia is the most prevalent extraintestinal complication of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Our aim was to evaluate the comparative efficacy and harm of intravenous (IV) versus oral iron supplementation for correcting anemia in adult IBD patients. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to integrate evidence from randomized controlled trials having enrolled adults with IBD, and comparing IV versus oral iron (head-to-head) for correcting iron-deficiency anemia. ⋯ We found no evidence of publication bias, or between-study heterogeneity, across all analyses. Risk of bias was high across primary studies, because patients and personnel were not blinded to the intervention. IV iron appears to be more effective and better tolerated than oral iron for the treatment of IBD-associated anemia.
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Review Meta Analysis
Strategies to Make Ramadan Fasting Safer in Type 2 Diabetics: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials and Observational Studies.
Ramadan is the holy month for Muslims whereby they fast from predawn to after sunset and is observed by all healthy Muslim adults as well as a large population of type 2 diabetic Muslims. To determine the comparative effectiveness of various strategies that have been used for type 2 diabetic Muslim who fast during Ramadan. A systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies (RCT) as well as observational studies for patients with type 2 diabetes who fasted during Ramadan was conducted. ⋯ Network meta-analyses suggest that incretin mimetics can reduce the risk of hypoglycemia by nearly 1.5 times. The newer antidiabetic agents appear to lower the risk of hypoglycemia and improved glycemic control when compared with sulfonylureas. Ramadan-focused education shows to be a promising strategy but more rigorous examination from RCTs are required.
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Review Meta Analysis
Association Between Leptin (-2548G/A) Genes Polymorphism and Breast Cancer Susceptibility: A Meta-Analysis.
Leptin is a confirmed breast cancer susceptibility gene. However, published studies reported mixed results. This meta-analysis was conducted to systematically get a more accurate estimation of the association between the Leptin (-2548G/A) gene polymorphism and breast cancer risk. ⋯ Following further stratified analyses, in the subgroup analyses by ethnicity, a significantly increased risk was observed among Caucasian (A vs G: OR = 1.11, 95%CI = 1.03-1.20, P = 0.006, Phet = 0.00001). No publication bias was found in the present study. In conclusion, our meta-analysis suggests that the Leptin (-2548G/A) gene polymorphism plays an important role in breast cancer susceptibility, especially in Caucasian.
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Observational Study
STROBE-compliant article: Blood Transfusions within the First 24 Hours of Hospitalization Did Not Impact Mortality Among Patients with Severe Sepsis.
Transfusion of packed red blood cells is common during resuscitation of critically ill patients. However, the association between in-hospital mortality and blood transfusion among patients with severe sepsis during the first 24 hours of hospitalization has not yet been determined. A cohort study was conducted of adult nontrauma patients who visited the emergency department of a tertiary hospital and were diagnosed with severe sepsis. ⋯ After PS matching, 177 pairs of transfused and nontransfused patients were analyzed. After adjusting for residual confounding factors by multivariate logistic regression in the matched patient pairs, no significant differences in in-hospital mortality were observed (odds ratio [OR] = 1.52, 95% confidence interval: 0.92-2.51). In this PS-matched cohort study of adult nontrauma patients with severe sepsis, the in-hospital mortality rate was not significantly different in patients who received blood transfusions during the first 24 hours of hospitalization.