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Clinical Radiology May 2020To explore the relationship of embolic particle size used in prostate artery embolisation (PAE) to patient outcomes. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
AIM
To explore the relationship of embolic particle size used in prostate artery embolisation (PAE) to patient outcomes.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A systematic review of PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane database was undertaken to identify all existing studies using PAE for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Inclusion criteria included prospective studies reporting baseline and 12-month International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and particle size. Exclusion criteria were overlapping studies, commentaries, abstracts, and letters. Data extraction from eligible studies included the size of embolic particle, particle material, and baseline and 12-month values for the following patient outcomes: IPSS, IPSS quality of life, urinary flow rate (Q-max), prostate volume, prostate specific antigen, and post-void residual volume. A meta-regression analysis was then undertaken to examine the relationship of particle size to patient outcome measures.
RESULTS
Six studies with a total of 687 patients were identified. Meta-regression analysis demonstrated particle size as a statistically significant (p<0.001) moderator of 12-month IPSS change following PAE. No statistically significant relationships were identified with other patient outcome measures.
CONCLUSION
Smaller embolic particle size is associated with a greater reduction in IPSS following PAE.
Topics: Acrylic Resins; Embolization, Therapeutic; Gelatin; Humans; Male; Particle Size; Polyvinyl Alcohol; Prostate; Prostatic Hyperplasia; Radiography, Interventional
PubMed: 32000985
DOI: 10.1016/j.crad.2019.12.019 -
Experimental Hematology & Oncology Apr 2023Surgical intervention is the first-line treatment in well-selected hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. However, only a few patients are suitable to receive radical...
Comparison of local ablative therapies, including radiofrequency ablation, microwave ablation, stereotactic ablative radiotherapy, and particle radiotherapy, for inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Surgical intervention is the first-line treatment in well-selected hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. However, only a few patients are suitable to receive radical surgery. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate local control among four local ablative therapies in inoperable HCC patients, including radiofrequency ablation therapy (RFA), microwave ablation therapy (MWA), stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR), and particle radiotherapy. The primary outcome was the local control rate and the secondary were regional and distant progression rates, overall survival rate, and adverse events. We included twenty-six studies from PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases. MWA (p < 0.001) and particle radiotherapy (p < 0.001) showed better performance of local control compared to RFA, while SABR (p = 0.276) showed a non-significant trend. However, SABR (p = 0.002) and particle radiotherapy (p < 0.001) showed better performance than RFA in HCCs of ≥ 30 mm in size. MWA showed a similar result to RFA while SABR and particle radiotherapy showed a lower survival rate in the 2-, 3-, and 4-year overall survival rates. Our results indicate that MWA, SABR and particle radiotherapy were safe and no inferior to RFA in local control rate. Besides, the local control rates of SABR and particle radiotherapy are better than RFA in HCC of ≥ 30 mm in size. As a result, we suggested that MWA, SABR and particle radiotherapy to be effective alternatives to RFA for inoperable HCC. Moreover, the tumor size should be taken into consideration for optimal treatment selection between local ablative therapies.
PubMed: 37046292
DOI: 10.1186/s40164-023-00400-7 -
Food Research International (Ottawa,... Oct 2022The phenomenon of protein aggregation in food science is very common, but the formation mechanism is unclear. The formation of protein aggregates (PAs) is influenced by... (Review)
Review
The phenomenon of protein aggregation in food science is very common, but the formation mechanism is unclear. The formation of protein aggregates (PAs) is influenced by various factors, and aggregates with different sizes and shapes play an important role in food systems. Although there have been many reports on food PAs, many challenges still need to be addressed, and a systematic literature review is lacking. Thus, hypotheses about the PAs formation mechanism were summarized, and the fibrosis aggregates formation mechanism was described. The main findings of this paper indicate that the forces driving protein aggregation are covalent and non-covalent cross-linking interactions. The determination of PAs is mainly based on protein particle size combined with multispectral methods. PAs are not only associated with protein functional properties (such as emulsion and gel) but also related to harmful substances (such as advanced glycation end products, AGEs) formation. Finally, the applications of PAs in food science were summarized. Outlook and challenges were described from the perspectives of food processing conditions and parameters, food components and their interactions, food nutrition and health relationships, etc. This review will attract more food scientists to participate in related research on protein aggregation in the future.
Topics: Biophysical Phenomena; Emulsions; Food Handling; Protein Aggregates; Proteins
PubMed: 36076462
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2022.111725 -
Journal of Exposure Science &... 2015Short-term exposure to fine particle mass (PM) has been associated with adverse health effects, but little is known about the relative toxicity of particle components.... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Short-term exposure to fine particle mass (PM) has been associated with adverse health effects, but little is known about the relative toxicity of particle components. We conducted a systematic review to quantify the associations between particle components and daily mortality and hospital admissions. Medline, Embase and Web of Knowledge were searched for time series studies of sulphate (SO4(2-)), nitrate (NO3(-)), elemental and organic carbon (EC and OC), particle number concentrations (PNC) and metals indexed to October 2013. A multi-stage sifting process identified eligible studies and effect estimates for meta-analysis. SO4(2-), NO3(-), EC and OC were positively associated with increased all-cause, cardiovascular and respiratory mortality, with the strongest associations observed for carbon: 1.30% (95% CI: 0.17%, 2.43%) increase in all-cause mortality per 1 μg/m(3). For PNC, the majority of associations were positive with confidence intervals that overlapped 0%. For metals, there were insufficient estimates for meta-analysis. There are important gaps in our knowledge of the health effects associated with short-term exposure to particle components, and the literature also lacks sufficient geographical coverage and analyses of cause-specific outcomes. The available evidence suggests, however, that both EC and secondary inorganic aerosols are associated with adverse health effects.
Topics: Aerosols; Air Pollutants; Air Pollution; Carbon; Cardiovascular Diseases; Databases, Factual; Hospitalization; Humans; Lung Diseases; Nitrates; Particle Size; Particulate Matter; Sulfates; Time Factors
PubMed: 25227730
DOI: 10.1038/jes.2014.63 -
Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex... Nov 2022Exposure measurement error is an important source of bias in epidemiological studies. We assessed the validity of employing ambient (outdoor) measurements as proxies of... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Exposure measurement error is an important source of bias in epidemiological studies. We assessed the validity of employing ambient (outdoor) measurements as proxies of personal exposures at individual levels focusing on fine particles (PM) and black carbon (BC)/elemental carbon (EC) on a global scale. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis and searched databases (ISI Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE®, Ovid Embase, and Ovid BIOSIS) to retrieve observational studies in English language published from 1 January 2006 until 5 May 2021. Correlation coefficients (r) between paired ambient (outdoor) concentration and personal exposure for PM or BC/EC were standardized as effect size. We used random-effects meta-analyses to pool the correlation coefficients and investigated the causes of heterogeneity and publication bias. Furthermore, we employed subgroup and meta-regression analyses to evaluate the modification of pooled estimates by potential mediators. This systematic review identified thirty-two observational studies involving 1744 subjects from ten countries, with 28 studies for PM and 11 studies for BC/EC. Personal PM exposure is more strongly correlated with ambient (outdoor) concentrations (0.63, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.57-0.68) than personal BC/EC exposure (0.49, 95% CI: 0.38-0.59), with significant differences in ṝ (0.14, 95% CI: 0.03-0.25; p < 0.05). The results demonstrated that the health status of participants was a significant modifier of pooled correlations. In addition, the personal to ambient (P/A) ratio for PM and average ambient BC/EC levels were potential effect moderators of the pooled ṝ. The funnel plots and Egger's regression test indicated inevident publication bias. The pooled estimates were robust through sensitivity analyses. The results support the growing consensus that the validity coefficient of proxy measures should be addressed when interpreting results from epidemiological studies to better understand how strong health outcomes are affected by different levels of PM and their components.
Topics: Air Pollutants; Carbon; Databases, Factual; Environmental Exposure; Humans; Particulate Matter; Regression Analysis; Soot
PubMed: 36037851
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120030 -
Current Environmental Health Reports Jun 2023Despite increasing awareness of the ubiquity of microplastics (MPs) in our environments, little is known about their risk of developmental toxicity. Even less is known... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
Despite increasing awareness of the ubiquity of microplastics (MPs) in our environments, little is known about their risk of developmental toxicity. Even less is known about the environmental distribution and associated toxicity of nanoplastics (NPs). Here, we review the current literature on the capacity for MPs and NPs to be transported across the placental barrier and the potential to exert toxicity on the developing fetus.
RECENT FINDINGS
This review includes 11 research articles covering in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo models, and observational studies. The current literature confirms the placental translocation of MPs and NPs, depending on physicochemical properties such as size, charge, and chemical modification as well as protein corona formation. Specific transport mechanisms for translocation remain unclear. There is emerging evidence of placental and fetal toxicity due to plastic particles based on animal and in vitro studies. Nine out of eleven studies examined in this review found that plastic particles were capable of placental translocation. In the future, more studies are needed to confirm and quantify the existence of MPs and NPs in human placentas. Additionally, translocation of different plastic particle types and heterogenous mixtures across the placenta, exposure at different periods of gestation, and associations with adverse birth and other developmental outcomes should also be investigated.
Topics: Animals; Pregnancy; Female; Humans; Placenta; Plastics; Microplastics; Water Pollutants, Chemical
PubMed: 36848019
DOI: 10.1007/s40572-023-00391-x -
Dental Materials : Official Publication... Jun 2016A systematic review was conducted to assess the effects of air-particle abrasion procedures on the mechanical strength and phase transformation of yttria-stabilized... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
OBJECTIVES
A systematic review was conducted to assess the effects of air-particle abrasion procedures on the mechanical strength and phase transformation of yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP).
DATA
This report followed the PRISMA Statement. From 1013 eligible studies, 78 were selected for full-text analysis, from which 37 were excluded. The 41 remaining papers were included for the systematic review; hand-searching yielded three papers. The review comprised a total of 44 studies; 21 were included in the meta-analysis.
SOURCES
Searches were performed with no publication year limit through November 2015 in PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science (Core Collection) and Scopus databases.
STUDY SELECTION
In vitro studies evaluating the effect of air-particle abrasion protocols on the mechanical strength and/or phase transformation of Y-TZP zirconia specimens, immediately or after aging. For the meta-analysis, flexural strength data of air-particle abrasion vs. control (nonabraded) were globally and subgroup analyzed. Subgroup analyses assessed blasting parameters (particle size, pressure, or time duration) and the effect of aging. Statistical analyses were conducted using RevMan 5.1 (Cochrane Collaboration, Copenhagen, Denmark). Comparisons were performed with random-effect models at a 5% significance level. Phase transformation data were included only in the systematic review, as insufficient data were available for meta-analysis.
CONCLUSIONS
Airborne-particle abrasion improved flexural strength of Y-TZP, regardless of abrasion parameters and the presence or lack of aging (p≤0.05). Phase transformation tended to be increased by air abrasion immediately or with up to 2h of aging. However, after aging for 12h or more, the abraded Y-TZP showed less monoclinic content than the control.
Topics: Humans; Materials Testing; Pressure; Surface Properties; Tooth Abrasion; Yttrium; Zirconium
PubMed: 27083253
DOI: 10.1016/j.dental.2016.03.021 -
Clinica E Investigacion En... 2023Cardiovascular risk (CVR) is conventionally calculated by measuring the total cholesterol content of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL)....
OBJECTIVE
Cardiovascular risk (CVR) is conventionally calculated by measuring the total cholesterol content of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL). The purpose of this systematic review was to assess the CVR associated with LDL and HDL particle size and number as determined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
A literature search was performed using the electronic databases MEDLINE and Scopus. All cohort and case-control studies published before January 1, 2019 that met the following inclusion criteria were included: HDL-P, LDL-P, HDL-Z and/or LDL-Z measured by NMR spectroscopy; cardiovascular event as an outcome variable; risk of cardiovascular events expressed as odds ratios or hazard ratios; only adult patients. A meta-analysis was performed for each exposure variable (4 for LDL and 5 for HDL) and for each exposure measure (highest versus lowest quartile and 1-standard deviation increment).
RESULTS
This review included 24 studies. Number of LDL particles was directly associated with CVR: risk increased by 28% with each standard deviation increment. LDL particle size was inversely and significantly associated with CVR: each standard deviation increment corresponded to an 8% risk reduction. CVR increased by 12% with each standard deviation increase in number of small LDL particles. HD, particle number and size were inversely associated with CVR.
CONCLUSION
Larger particle size provided greater protection, although this relationship was inconsistent between studies. Larger number of LDL particles and smaller LDL particle size are associated with increased CVR. Risk decreases with increasing number and size of HDL particles.
PubMed: 36522243
DOI: 10.1016/j.arteri.2022.11.001 -
Dermatologic Surgery : Official... Feb 2013Hyaluronic acid (HA) is the most frequently injected filler for soft tissue augmentation in the United States. (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is the most frequently injected filler for soft tissue augmentation in the United States.
OBJECTIVE
To systematically review published evidence for aesthetic use of small- and large-gel-particle HA.
METHODS AND MATERIALS
Clinical data on anatomic area, level of evidence, patient population, trial design, endpoints, efficacy, and safety were extracted from PubMed.
RESULTS
Fifty-three primary clinical reports were analyzed. The highest-quality efficacy evidence was for the nasolabial folds (NLFs), with 10 randomized, blind, split-face, comparative trials. Several randomized, blind trials supported treatment of the glabella, lips, and hands. Lower-level evidence (from studies with nonrandomized, open-label, or retrospective designs) was recorded for the nasojugal folds (tear troughs), upper eyelids, nose, infraorbital hollows, oral commissures, marionette lines, perioral rhytides, temples, and cheeks. Common adverse events (AEs) across anatomic areas were pain, bruising, swelling, and redness. Serious AEs were uncommon (8 events in 8 patients of 4,605 total patients) and were considered to be unrelated (7 events) or probably unrelated (1 event) to treatment.
CONCLUSION
The efficacy and safety of small- and large-gel-particle HA are well established for NLFs; evidence for the glabella, lips, and hands is more limited. Preliminary reports in other anatomic regions suggest efficacy without major complications.
Topics: Clinical Trials as Topic; Cosmetic Techniques; Gels; Humans; Hyaluronic Acid; Particle Size; Skin Aging; Treatment Outcome; Viscosupplements
PubMed: 23164066
DOI: 10.1111/dsu.12036 -
Acta Biomaterialia Odontologica... Jan 2017The aim of the study was to make an inventory of current literature on the bond strength between zirconia and veneering porcelain after surface treatment of zirconia by... (Review)
Review
The aim of the study was to make an inventory of current literature on the bond strength between zirconia and veneering porcelain after surface treatment of zirconia by grinding with diamond bur and/or with airborne-particle abrasion. The literature search for the present review was made following recommended guidelines using acknowledged methodology on how to do a systematic review. The electronic databases PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Science Direct were used in the present study. Twelve studies were selected. Test methods used in the original studies included shear bond strength (SBS) test, tensile bond strength test, and micro-tensile bond strength test. The majority of studies used SBS. Results showed a large variation within each surface treatment of zirconia, using different grain size, blasting time, and pressure. Airborne-particle abrasion might improve the bond strength and can therefore be considered a feasible surface treatment for zirconia that is to be bonded. Grinding has been recommended as a surface treatment for zirconia to improve the bond strength; however, this recommendation cannot be verified. A standardized test method and surface treatment are required to be able to compare the results from different studies and draw further conclusions.
PubMed: 28642927
DOI: 10.1080/23337931.2017.1293486