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Nutrients Jul 2023(1) Background: Many studies have attempted to explore potential biomarkers for the early detection of gout, but consistent and high levels of evidence are lacking. In... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
(1) Background: Many studies have attempted to explore potential biomarkers for the early detection of gout, but consistent and high levels of evidence are lacking. In this study, metabolomics was used to summarize the changes of metabolites in the literature and explore the potential value of metabolites in predicting the occurrence and development of gout. (2) Methods: We searched the databases including the EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, VIP Date, Wanfang Data, and CNKI, and the screening was fulfilled on 30 July 2022. The records were screened according to the inclusion criteria and the risk of bias was assessed. Qualitative analysis was performed for all metabolites, and meta-analysis was performed for metabolite concentrations using random effects to calculate the Std mean difference and 95% confidence interval. (3) Results: A total of 2738 records were identified, 33 studies with 3422 participants were included, and 701 metabolites were identified. The qualitative analysis results showed that compared with the healthy control group, the concentration of 56 metabolites increased, and 22 metabolites decreased. The results of the meta-analysis indicated that 17 metabolites were statistically significant. (4) Conclusions: Metabolites are associated with gout. Some specific metabolites such as uric acid, hypoxanthine, xanthine, KYNA, guanosine, adenosine, creatinine, LB4, and DL-2-Aminoadipic acid have been highlighted in the development of gout.
Topics: Humans; Gout; Uric Acid; Xanthine; Hypoxanthine; Creatinine
PubMed: 37513561
DOI: 10.3390/nu15143143 -
The Journal of Antimicrobial... Jul 2016The optimum trough concentration of voriconazole for clinical response and safety is controversial. The objective of this review was to determine the optimum trough... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
OBJECTIVES
The optimum trough concentration of voriconazole for clinical response and safety is controversial. The objective of this review was to determine the optimum trough concentration of voriconazole and evaluate its relationship with efficacy and safety.
METHODS
MEDLINE, EMBASE, ClinicalTrials.gov, the Cochrane Library and three Chinese literature databases were searched. Observational studies that compared clinical outcomes below and above the trough concentration cut-off value were included. We set the trough concentration cut-off value for efficacy as 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 3.0 mg/L and for safety as 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 5.5 and 6.0 mg/L. The efficacy outcomes were invasive fungal infection-related mortality, all-cause mortality, rate of successful treatment and rate of prophylaxis failure. The safety outcomes included incidents of hepatotoxicity, neurotoxicity and visual disorders.
RESULTS
A total of 21 studies involving 1158 patients were included. Compared with voriconazole trough concentrations of >0.5 mg/L, levels of <0.5 mg/L significantly decreased the rate of treatment success (risk ratio = 0.46, 95% CI 0.29-0.74). The incidence of hepatotoxicity was significantly increased with trough concentrations >3.0, >4.0, >5.5 and >6.0 mg/L. The incidence of neurotoxicity was significantly increased with trough concentrations >4.0 and >5.5 mg/L.
CONCLUSIONS
A voriconazole level of 0.5 mg/L should be considered the lower threshold associated with efficacy. A trough concentration >3.0 mg/L is associated with increased hepatotoxicity, particularly for the Asian population, and >4.0 mg/L is associated with increased neurotoxicity.
Topics: Antifungal Agents; Drug Monitoring; Humans; Invasive Fungal Infections; Liver; Mycoses; Nervous System; Treatment Outcome; Voriconazole
PubMed: 26968880
DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkw045 -
Vaccine Mar 2022Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is a notifiable disease in Germany and other European countries. Due to the high lethality of the disease and the risk of long-term... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is a notifiable disease in Germany and other European countries. Due to the high lethality of the disease and the risk of long-term consequences, IMD prevention is of high public health relevance despite the low number of cases in the population. This study aims to describe key epidemiological and economic parameters of IMD in Germany to support national decision-making processes for implementing enhanced prevention measures.
METHODS
Based on a systematic literature review in PubMed and EMBASE, all publications on the burden of disease and costs of IMD published up to May 2020 were evaluated. Additionally, notification data were used to report the annual case numbers and incidence of IMD in Germany until the end of 2019.
RESULTS
Thirty-six studies were included, of which 35 reported data on the epidemiological burden of disease and three reported data on economic aspects of IMD. The type of reported endpoints and results on the incidence of IMD differed widely by reporting year, population, and data source used. Most of the data are reported without specific information about a serogroup. Data on the economic burden of disease and healthcare resource use are scarce. Based on mandatory notification data, a decrease in the incidence of notified IMD cases has been observed since 2004. Currently, the nationwide annual incidence in Germany is at 0.3 cases per 100,000 persons and has gradually decreased. While the overall decline is mainly attributable to MenB, cases with MenY and MenW are the only ones that have increased on a low level in recent years.
CONCLUSION
While IMD is a rare disease, high direct and indirect costs illustrate the relevance of the disease for patients, caregivers, as well as for the health care system. Future research should concentrate on quantifying the long-term economic burden and indirect costs of meningococcal disease. Integrated IMD surveillance with isolate characterisation remains crucial to inform public health policies.
Topics: Financial Stress; Germany; Humans; Incidence; Meningococcal Infections; Meningococcal Vaccines; Neisseria meningitidis; Serogroup
PubMed: 35227520
DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.02.043 -
Nutrition & Metabolism 2018The aim of this systematic review was to assess the effect of fructo-oligosaccharide supplementation on glucose homeostasis. The search process was based on the... (Review)
Review
The aim of this systematic review was to assess the effect of fructo-oligosaccharide supplementation on glucose homeostasis. The search process was based on the selection of publications listed in the Pubmed-Medline database until April 2016 to identify studies evaluating the impact of short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides or oligofructose on glucose homeostasis. Twenty-nine trials were included in the systematic review and the meta-analysis was performed on twelve of these papers according to the inclusion criteria. Fasting blood concentrations of glucose and insulin were selected as pertinent criteria of glucose homeostasis for the meta-analysis. The consumption of fructo-oligosaccharides decreased fasting blood glycaemia levels, whatever the metabolic status (healthy, obese or diabetic) and diet (low-fat or high-fat) throughout the experiment. This reduction was linear with prebiotic dose (from 0 to 13% of the feed). Fasting insulinaemia also decreased linearly with fructo-oligosaccharide supplementation but the reduction was only significant in rodents fed a low-fat diet. Potential underlying mechanisms include gut bacterial fermentation of fructo-oligosaccharides to short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) and bacterial modulation of bile acids, both interacting with host metabolism. This systemic review, followed by the meta-analysis, provides evidence that fructo-oligosaccharide supplementation has a significant effect on glucose homeostasis whatever the health status and diet consumed by animals.
PubMed: 29416552
DOI: 10.1186/s12986-018-0245-3 -
Clinical and Experimental Medicine Aug 2023Human serum paraoxonase-1 (PON-1) is a critical antioxidant defence system against lipid oxidation. Decreased PON-1 activity has been associated with systemic oxidative... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Human serum paraoxonase-1 (PON-1) is a critical antioxidant defence system against lipid oxidation. Decreased PON-1 activity has been associated with systemic oxidative stress in several disease states. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of plasma/serum concentrations of PON-1 in asthma, a chronic inflammatory airway disease. The electronic databases PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar were searched from inception to February 2022. In total, 8 studies in 355 asthmatic patients and 289 healthy controls were included in the meta-analysis. Serum PON-1 concentrations were significantly lower in asthmatic patients (SMD = -1.58, 95% CI -2.53 to -0.63; p = 0.001). The pooled SMD values were not substantially altered in sensitivity analysis. There was no publication bias. There were non-significant differences in PON-1 concentrations in patients with severe vs. mild-to-moderate asthma (SMD = - 0.39, 95% CI - 1.00 to 0.22, p = 0.21). Our meta-analysis has shown that serum PON-1 concentrations are significantly lower in patients with asthma, suggesting the presence of an impaired antioxidant defense in this group.
Topics: Humans; Antioxidants; Aryldialkylphosphatase; Oxidative Stress; Asthma
PubMed: 36344783
DOI: 10.1007/s10238-022-00930-0 -
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety Jun 2023This study aimed to conduct on the concentration of nitrate/nitrite (mg kg) in vegetables and fruits with a special emphasize on the effect of climate condition. The... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
This study aimed to conduct on the concentration of nitrate/nitrite (mg kg) in vegetables and fruits with a special emphasize on the effect of climate condition. The highest concentration (mean and 95%CI) of nitrate/nitrite was determined in Rocket (4825.15; 3044.14-6606.16), Mizuna (3500; 2702.48-4297.52), and Bok choy (3407.40; 2841.39-3973.42) in vegetable group and in wolfberry (2395.83; 1611.89-3179.77), Jack fruit (237.8; 202.88-272.71) and Cantaloupe (220.32; -224.53 to 665.19) in fruits group. Brazil (2816.77), Estonia (2133.76), Republic of China, Taiwan (2118.28) were the nations with the highest average concentration of nitrate/nitrite in all samples taken from these nations across the globe. Furthermore, Chinese fruits contain the highest concentrations of nitrates/nitrites of other countries (500.57; 416.74-584.41). Nitrate is present in greater quantities in fruits (44.02; 42.12-45.93) and vegetables (438.31; 422.51-454.11) than nitrite; however, the quantity of nitrite has a relatively similar content in both. Our findings revealed that increase in humidity (> 60%), annual rainfall (> 1500 mm), average temperature (> 10 °C) and application of fertilizers lead to significant increase in accumulation of nitrate/nitrite composition of vegetables and fruits (p < 0.05). According to the results of rating countries using the Food Security Index (GFSI), countries with high scores-like Poland and Portugal, which have GFSI scores of 75.5 and 78.7 and average contamination levels of 8.26 and 11.08, respectively-have a trend of average nitrate/nitrite levels of fruit and vegetable products that is significantly decreasing (p = 0.00). Although GFSI levels and other environmental variables can influence nitrate/nitrite levels, fertilizer usage (kg ha) is one of the most significant controllable and impactful factors in contaminants residue, which should be manage. The result of our study, will serve as a basis to estimate the dietary exposure to nitrates and nitrites from fruits and vegetables among populations around the world based on climatology and monitor the related health outcomes.
Topics: Fruit; Nitrates; Nitrites; Temperature; Vegetables
PubMed: 37084661
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.114934 -
Journal of Animal Science and... Feb 2022Effects of added fat in sow diets on the sows' reproductive performance and offspring growth performance are influenced by multiple factors such as genetics, nutrition,... (Review)
Review
Effects of added fat in sow diets on the sows' reproductive performance and offspring growth performance are influenced by multiple factors such as genetics, nutrition, parity, ambient temperatures, and farm management. Individual studies cannot cover all these factors. With the view to address this challenge, we searched all studies that were published from 1986 to 2020, and performed a systematic review and meta-analysis on the fat effect. In total, 19 papers were collected and analyzed. Fat supplementation in sow diets during late gestation and lactation decreased average daily feed intake (ADFI, P < 0.05) and tended to increase average daily energy intake (ADEI, P = 0.11). It had no impact on litter weights at birth (P = 0.40) or weaning (P = 0.46). It increased total numbers of piglets at birth (P = 0.07), but had no effect on liveborn per litter (P = 0.90) or survival rate (P = 0.48) of piglets to weaning. Fat supplementation had no significant effect on sow body weight loss (P = 0.67) or backfat thickness changes (P = 0.66), but sows fed diets with added fat had increased milk fat concentration (P = 0.03) and shorter wean to estrus intervals (WEI, P = 0.01). In specific circumstances, fat supplementation tended to improve growth performance of piglets with low litter weights at birth (P = 0.14), or when the sows lost large amounts of body weight during lactation (P = 0.11). The level of supplemented fat was 10% and higher would decrease liveborn per litter at neutral temperature (P = 0.10). The meta-analysis revealed that fat supplementation to sows diet during late gestation and lactation can be beneficial for sow reproductive performance and litter growth performance.
PubMed: 35130973
DOI: 10.1186/s40104-021-00662-3 -
American Journal of Men's Health 2023Varicocele surgical repair can improve the function of the testis for patients with varicocele. We carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Varicocele surgical repair can improve the function of the testis for patients with varicocele. We carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effects of varicocele surgical repair on serum hormones and inhibin B levels in patients with varicocele. A literature search was performed in August 2022, and no language or geographic region restrictions were applied. The search included the following databases: PubMed, Embase, and Medline. A literature review was performed to identify all published clinical trials assessing serum hormone and inhibin B levels before and after varicocele surgical repair. The reference lists of retrieved studies were also investigated. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted. Eight articles were selected from 162 articles, including 452 patients. The combined analysis showed that after surgical treatment, mean serum testosterone, inhibin B, and sperm concentration levels increased compared with preoperative levels ( .05). After surgical treatment, mean serum follicle-stimulating hormon (FSH), and Luteinizing hormone (LH) levels decreased compared with preoperative levels ( .05). This meta-analysis demonstrates that varicocele surgical repair can improve testicular function, increase serum testosterone, and inhibin B levels and decrease serum FSH and LH levels in patients with varicocele. This might be related to the improvement of infertility. A large-scale multicenter randomized controlled study is needed for further confirmation.
Topics: Humans; Male; Follicle Stimulating Hormone; Luteinizing Hormone; Varicocele; Testosterone; Semen; Multicenter Studies as Topic
PubMed: 37694823
DOI: 10.1177/15579883231199400 -
Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex... Sep 2022There have been many studies on the relationship between fine particulate matter (PM) and lung function. However, the impact of short-term or long-term PM exposures on... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
There have been many studies on the relationship between fine particulate matter (PM) and lung function. However, the impact of short-term or long-term PM exposures on lung function in children is still inconsistent globally, and the reasons for the inconsistency of the research results are not clear. Therefore, we searched the PubMed, Embase and Web of Science databases up to May 2022, and a total of 653 studies about PM exposures on children's lung function were identified. Random effects meta-analysis was used to estimate the combined effects of the 25 articles included. PM concentrations in short-term exposure studies mainly come from individual and site monitoring. And for every 10 μg/m increase, forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV) and peak expiratory flow (PEF) decreased by 21.39 ml (95% CI: 13.87, 28.92), 25.66 ml (95% CI: 14.85, 36.47) and 1.76 L/min (95% CI: 1.04, 2.49), respectively. The effect of PM on lung function has a lag effect. For every 10 μg/m increase in the 1-day moving average PM concentration, FEV, FVC and PEF decreased by 14.81 ml, 15.40 ml and 1.18 L/min, respectively. PM concentrations in long-term exposure studies mainly obtained via ground monitoring stations. And for every 10 μg/m increase, FEV, FVC and PEF decreased by 61.00 ml (95% CI: 25.80, 96.21), 54.47 ml (95% CI: 7.29, 101.64) and 10.02 L/min (95% CI: 7.07, 12.98), respectively. The sex, body mass index (BMI), relative humidity (RH), temperature (Temp) and the average PM exposure level modify the relationship between short-term PM exposure and lung function. Our study provides further scientific evidence for the deleterious effects of PM exposures on children's lung function, suggesting that exposure to PM is detrimental to children's respiratory health. Appropriate protective measures should be taken to reduce the adverse impact of air pollution on children's health.
Topics: Air Pollutants; Air Pollution; Child; Environmental Exposure; Humans; Lung; Particulate Matter; Vital Capacity
PubMed: 35810981
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119735 -
The World Journal of Men's Health Apr 2023Whether COVID-19 reduces male fertility remains requires further investigation. This meta-analysis and systematic review evaluated the impact of COVID-19 on male...
PURPOSE
Whether COVID-19 reduces male fertility remains requires further investigation. This meta-analysis and systematic review evaluated the impact of COVID-19 on male fertility.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The literature in PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library up to January 01, 2022 was systematically searched, and a meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the effect of COVID-19 on male fertility. Totally 17 studies with a total of 1,627 patients and 1,535 control subjects were included in our meta-analysis.
RESULTS
Regarding sperm quality, COVID-19 decreased the total sperm count (p=0.012), sperm concentration (p=0.001), total motility (p=0.001), progressive sperm motility (p=0.048), and viability (p=0.031). Subgroup analyses showed that different control group populations did not change the results. It was found that during the illness stage of COVID-19, semen volume decreased, and during the recovery stage of COVID-19, sperm concentration and total motility decreased <90 days. We found that sperm concentration and total motility decreased during recovery for ≥90 days. Fever because of COVID-19 significantly reduced sperm concentration and progressive sperm motility, and COVID-19 without fever ≥90 days, the sperm total motility and progressive sperm motility decreased. Regarding disease severity, the moderate type of COVID-19 significantly reduced sperm total motility, but not the mild type. Regarding sex hormones, COVID-19 increased prolactin and estradiol. Subgroup analyses showed that during the illness stage, COVID-19 decreased testosterone (T) levels and increased luteinizing hormone levels. A potential publication bias may have existed in our meta-analysis.
CONCLUSIONS
COVID-19 in men significantly reduced sperm quality and caused sex hormone disruption. COVID-19 had long-term effects on sperm quality, especially on sperm concentration and total motility. It is critical to conduct larger multicenter studies to determine the consequences of COVID-19 on male fertility.
PubMed: 36326165
DOI: 10.5534/wjmh.220091