Plos One
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Meta Analysis
Genetic polymorphism of the kinesin-like protein KIF1B gene and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Frequent deletions of the kinesin-like protein gene 1B (KIF1B) have been reported in neural tumors. Recently, a genome-wide association study revealed an association between polymorphisms in the KIF1B gene and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and several case-control studies have further investigated this relationship. However, these studies have yielded controversial results. We therefore performed a meta-analysis to derive a more precise estimation of the association between the KIF1B gene polymorphisms and HCC risk. ⋯ These findings demonstrate that the presence of the G allele at rs17401966 of the KIF1B gene may decrease the risk for HCC and suggest that KIF1B may play a critical role in the development of HCC. High-quality studies with larger sample sizes and different ethnic populations will be of great value to further confirm these findings.
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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fourth leading cause of mortality worldwide. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified robust susceptibility loci associated with COPD. However, the mechanisms mediating the risk conferred by these loci remain to be found. ⋯ In summary, this study supports HHIP, FAM13A, and EGLN2 as the most likely causal COPD genes on 4q31, 4q22, and 19q13, respectively. Strong lung eQTL SNPs identified in this study will need to be tested for association with COPD in case-control studies. Further functional studies will also be needed to understand the role of genes regulated by disease-related variants in COPD.
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It has been known for a long time that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with a decreased left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the gold standard treatment for OSA; however, it is unknown whether or not CPAP treatment will improve the LVEF. The aim of the current study was to assess whether or not CPAP treatment improves the LVEF. A meta-analysis was conducted to determine the effect of CPAP treatment on the LVEF among patients with OSA. ⋯ Our meta-analysis supports the notion that CPAP may improve the LVEF among patients with OSA.
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Meta Analysis
The effect of statins on mortality in septic patients: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Statins are among the most prescribed drugs worldwide and their recently discovered anti-inflammatory effect seems to have an important role in inhibiting proinflammatory cytokine production, chemokines expression and counteracting the harmful effects of sepsis on the coagulation system. We decided to perform a meta-analysis of all randomized controlled trials ever published on statin therapy in septic patients to evaluate their effect on survival and length of hospital stay. ⋯ Published data show that statin therapy has no effect on mortality in the overall population of adult septic patients. Scientific evidence on statins role in septic patients is still limited and larger randomized trials should be performed on this topic.
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To evaluate the quality of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for otorhinolaryngology in China. ⋯ The quality of otorhinolaryngology guidelines in China is low. Greater efforts are needed to provide high-quality guidelines that serve as a useful and reliable tool for clinical decision-making in this field.