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PloS One 2013Catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs) are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients, contributing to prolonged hospital stays... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs) are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients, contributing to prolonged hospital stays and increased costs. Whether taurolidine lock solutions (TLS) are beneficial for the prevention of CRBSIs remains controversial. In this meta-analysis, we aim to assess the efficacy of TLS for preventing CRBSIs.
METHODS
We conducted a systematic search of PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials that reported on the effects of TLS for preventing CRBSIs. The primary outcome in these studies was catheter-related bloodstream infections, with microbial distribution of CRBSI and catheter-associated thrombosis as secondary outcomes. Data were combined using random-effects models owing to significant clinical heterogeneity.
RESULTS
Six randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted from 2004 through 2013 involving 431 patients and 86,078 catheter-days were included in the review. TLS were significantly associated with a lower incidence of CRBSIs when compared to heparin lock solutions (Risk Ratio [RR], 0.34; 95% Confidence Interval [CI], 0.21-0.55). Use of TLS significantly decreased the incidence of CRBSIs from gram-negative (G-) bacteria (P = 0.004; RR, 0.27; CI, 0.11-0.65), and was associated with a non-significant decrease in gram-positive (G+) bacterial infections (P = 0.07; RR, 0.41; CI, 0.15-1.09). No significant association was observed with TLS and catheter-associated thrombosis (RR, 1.99; CI, 0.75-5.28).
CONCLUSIONS
The use of TLS reduced the incidence of CRBSIs without obvious adverse effects or bacterial resistance. However, the susceptibility of G+ and G- bacteria to taurolidine and the risk for catheter-associated thrombosis of TLS are indeterminate due to limited data. The results should be treated with caution due to the limited sample sizes and methodological deficiencies of included studies. Therefore, additional well-designed and adequately powered RCTs are needed to confirm these findings.
Topics: Anti-Infective Agents; Catheter-Related Infections; Gram-Negative Bacteria; Gram-Positive Bacteria; Humans; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Taurine; Thiadiazines
PubMed: 24278133
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0079417 -
International Journal of Environmental... May 2022The aim was to systematically review randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that assessed the effectiveness of curcumin in reducing self-rated pain levels in the orofacial... (Review)
Review
The aim was to systematically review randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that assessed the effectiveness of curcumin in reducing self-rated pain levels in the orofacial region (OFR). The addressed focused question was "Is curcumin effective in reducing self-rated pain levels in the OFR?". Indexed databases (PubMed (National Library of Medicine), Scopus, EMBASE, MEDLINE (OVID), and Web of Science) were searched up to and including February 2022 using different keywords. The inclusion criteria were (a) original studies (RCTs) in indexed databases; and (b) studies assessing the role of curcumin in the management of pain in the OFR. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. The pattern of the present systematic review was customized to primarily summarize the pertinent information. Nineteen RCTs were included. Results from 79% of the studies reported that curcumin exhibits analgesic properties and is effective in reducing self-rated pain associated with the OFR. Three studies had a low risk of bias, while nine and seven studies had a moderate and high risk of bias, respectively. Curcumin can be used as an alternative to conventional therapies in alleviating pain in the OFR. However, due to the limitations and risk of bias in the aforementioned studies, more high-quality RCTs are needed.
Topics: Curcumin; Humans; Pain; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
PubMed: 35682028
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19116443 -
PloS One 2019Studies have demonstrated inconsistent effects of curcumin on glycemic outcomes and lipid parameters in patients with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
SCOPE
Studies have demonstrated inconsistent effects of curcumin on glycemic outcomes and lipid parameters in patients with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study aimed to assess the effect of curcumin on glycemic control and lipid profile in prediabetes and T2DM.
METHODS AND RESULTS
A systematic search of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted from inception to June 2018 in electronic sources including AMED, ANZCTR, BioMed Central, CENTRAL, CINAHL, ClinicalTrials.gov, Expanded Academic Index, Google Scholar, ISRCTN, LILACS, MEDLINE, NCCIH, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, and WHO ICTRP. Hand search was also performed. Of the total 486 records, four trials (N = 508) and eight trials (N = 646) were eligible for the meta-analysis of individuals with prediabetes and T2DM, respectively. Curcumin significantly reduced glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in prediabetics (MD: -0.9%, 95% CI: -1.7 to -0.1%, p = 0.03). Furthermore, T2DM subjects gained favorable reduction in both HbA1c (MD: -0.5%, 95% CI: -1.0 to -0.0%, p = 0.04) and fasting plasma glucose (MD: -11.7 mg/dL, 95% CI: -22.1 to -1.3 mg/dL, p = 0.03). Tendency of lipid profile improvement was also observed.
CONCLUSION
Our findings may encourage curcumin supplementation based on its meaningful effect on glycemic control and positive trend on lipid outcomes in prediabetes and T2DM.
Topics: Blood Glucose; Cholesterol; Curcumin; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Glycated Hemoglobin; Humans; Lipids; Prediabetic State
PubMed: 31013312
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215840 -
Journal of Cancer Research and... 2021Turmeric exhibits a big promise as a therapeutic agent in the management of oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF). The primary aim of our study is to synthesize the evidence of... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Turmeric exhibits a big promise as a therapeutic agent in the management of oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF). The primary aim of our study is to synthesize the evidence of the use of turmeric/curcumin in the management of OSMF. The secondary goal of this study is to assess the limitations of previous studies to identify gaps in evidence for future research and give an evidence-based recommendation regarding the usage of turmeric/curcumin for OSMF patients and outline the direction of research. A comprehensive search of PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Library database, Google Scholar, clinical trial registries, and hand searching was conducted from inception until December 2018. This systematic review was conducted according to the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement (guidelines). In this review, 11 articles were selected for qualitative analysis and 3 out of 11 were selected for meta-analysis. Of these 11 studies, involving 428 patients, 7 were randomized control trials (RCTs), 1 was a nonrandomized trial, and 3 were observational studies. Turmeric was found to be effective in reducing signs and symptoms of OSMF in all 11 studies. All the studies included in this review have reported improvement in mouth opening after treatment with turmeric formulations. This could also be concluded from the meta-analysis of three RCTs. Similar improvement in tongue protrusion, burning sensation, and cheek flexibility has been reported. The lack of reliable evidence for the effectiveness of turmeric for the management of OSMF is illustrated by the paucity and poor methodological quality of studies retrieved for this review. We recommend that RCTs are needed using larger sample size with longer duration follow-up with special attention to the recurrence of signs and symptoms.
Topics: Curcumin; Data Accuracy; Humans; Observational Studies as Topic; Oral Submucous Fibrosis; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 34121673
DOI: 10.4103/jcrt.JCRT_95_20 -
Complementary Therapies in Medicine Dec 2021Accumulating evidence has been reported regarding the effect of dietary antioxidants on clinical variables in IBD patients, however, findings are controversial. This... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
OBJECTIVE
Accumulating evidence has been reported regarding the effect of dietary antioxidants on clinical variables in IBD patients, however, findings are controversial. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate effect of dietary antioxidants on clinical variables in patients with IBD or its subtypes.
METHODS
We searched PubMed, Scopus, and ISI Web of Science from inception to January 2021 using relevant keywords. Data were pooled by using the random-effect model. All statistical analyses were done using STATA version 14.
RESULTS
Our meta-analysis was exclusively done on studies about the effect of curcumin on IBD patients, because limited studies were done on other antioxidants. Curcumin administration resulted in significant increment of clinical remission in patients with IBD (SMD: 0.86%, 95% CI: 0.16, 1.56, p = 0.016), significant remission in clinical symptoms (SMD: -0.96 score, 95% CI: -1.34, -0.57, p < 0.001), and significant increment in endoscopic remission in IBD patients (SMD: 0.51%, 95% CI: 0.16, 0.85, p = 0.004), comparing to control group. Curcumin supplementation also made better clinical response than control group (SMD: 0.74%, 95% CI: 0.22, 1.26, p = 0.005) and also resulted in significant improvement in quality of life of patients with IBD, as compared to control group (SMD: 1.23 score, 95% CI: 0.72, 1.74, p < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS
Our meta-analysis showed that curcumin significantly improved clinical and endoscopic remissions in IBD patients. This supplementation also caused significant reduction in clinical symptoms of IBD patients along with better clinical response and the increased quality of life. Further researches with larger sample size and longer period of intervention are required to evaluate efficacy of dietary antioxidants on clinical variables in patients with IBD.
Topics: Antioxidants; Chronic Disease; Curcumin; Humans; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases; Quality of Life
PubMed: 34751147
DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2021.102787 -
BMC Complementary and Alternative... Aug 2017Curcumin (diferuloylmethane), a polyphenol extracted from the plant Curcuma longa, is widely used in Southeast Asia, China and India in food preparation and for... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Curcumin (diferuloylmethane), a polyphenol extracted from the plant Curcuma longa, is widely used in Southeast Asia, China and India in food preparation and for medicinal purposes. Meanwhile, the neuroprotective actions of curcumin have been documented for experimental therapy in Parkinson's disease (PD).
METHODS
In this study, we used a systematic review to comprehensively assess the efficacy of curcumin in experimental PD. Using electronic and manual search for the literatures, we identified studies describing the efficacy of curcumin in animal models of PD.
RESULTS
We identified 13 studies with a total of 298 animals describing the efficacy of curcumin in animal models of PD. The methodological quality of all preclinical trials is ranged from 2 to 5. The majority of the experiment studies demonstrated that curcumin was more significantly neuroprotection effective than control groups for treating PD. Among them, five studies indicated that curcumin had an anti-inflammatory effect in the PD animal models (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, four studies showed the antioxidant capability of curcumin, by which it protected substantia nigra neurons and improved striatal dopamine levels. Furthermore, two studies in this review displayed that curcumin treatment was also effective in reducing neuronal apoptosis and improving functional outcome in animal models of PD. Most of the preclinical studies demonstrated the positive findings while one study reported that curcumin had no beneficial effects against Mn-induced disruption of hippocampal metal and neurotransmitter homeostasis.
CONCLUSIONS
The results demonstrated a marked efficacy of curcumin in experimental model of PD, suggesting curcumin probably a candidate neuroprotective drug for human PD patients.
Topics: Animals; Brain; Curcuma; Curcumin; Disease Models, Animal; Humans; Neuroprotective Agents; Parkinson Disease; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts
PubMed: 28818104
DOI: 10.1186/s12906-017-1922-x -
Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer... Jun 2021Oral Mucositis(OM) is an acute debilitating dose limiting toxicity of Radiotherapy/Radiochemotherapy(RT/RCT) in management of Head and Neck Cancer (HNC).... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Efficacy of Curcumin/Turmeric for the Prevention and Amelioration of Radiotherapy/Radiochemotherapy Induced Oral Mucositis in Head and Neck Cancer Patients.
BACKGROUND
Oral Mucositis(OM) is an acute debilitating dose limiting toxicity of Radiotherapy/Radiochemotherapy(RT/RCT) in management of Head and Neck Cancer (HNC). Curcumin/Turmeric may reduce OM in patients.
AIM
Efficacy of Curcumin/Turmeric for preventing and ameliorating the onset and severity of RT/RCT induced OM was analysed in this review.
METHODS
A systematic literature search with meta-analysis were performed using Mesh terms in PubMed, Google scholar, Science Direct, Cochrane library and manual searching, articles published from 2010 to April 2021 were included. Clinical trials that studied the efficacy/effects of turmeric / curcumin in management of RT/RCT induced OM in HNC patients were included. Statistical Analysis were done to calculate the pooled Risk ratio at 95%confidence interval with significance at p.
Topics: Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Chemoradiotherapy; Curcumin; Head and Neck Neoplasms; Humans; Stomatitis
PubMed: 34181321
DOI: 10.31557/APJCP.2021.22.6.1671 -
ERJ Open Research Jul 2021Asthma and COPD continue to cause considerable diagnostic and treatment stratification challenges. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been proposed as feasible...
BACKGROUND
Asthma and COPD continue to cause considerable diagnostic and treatment stratification challenges. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been proposed as feasible diagnostic and monitoring biomarkers in airway diseases.
AIMS
To 1) conduct a systematic review evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of VOCs in diagnosing airway diseases; 2) understand the relationship between reported VOCs and biomarkers of type-2 inflammation; 3) assess the standardisation of reporting according to STARD and TRIPOD criteria; 4) review current methods of breath sampling and analysis.
METHODS
A PRISMA-oriented systematic search was conducted (January 1997 to December 2020). Search terms included: "asthma", "volatile organic compound(s)", "VOC" and "COPD". Two independent reviewers examined the extracted titles against review objectives.
RESULTS
44 full-text papers were included; 40/44 studies were cross-sectional and four studies were interventional in design; 17/44 studies used sensor-array technologies ( eNose). Cross-study comparison was not possible across identified studies due to the heterogeneity in design. The commonest airway diseases differentiating VOCs belonged to carbonyl-containing classes ( aldehydes, esters and ketones) and hydrocarbons ( alkanes and alkenes). Although individual markers that are associated with clinical biomarkers of type-2 inflammation were recognised ( ethane and 3,7-dimethylnonane for asthma and α-methylstyrene and decane for COPD), these were not consistently identified across studies. Only 3/44 reported following STARD or TRIPOD criteria for diagnostic accuracy and multivariate reporting, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
Breath VOCs show promise as diagnostic biomarkers of airway diseases and for type-2 inflammation profiling. However, future studies should focus on transparent reporting of diagnostic accuracy and multivariate models and continue to focus on chemical identification of volatile metabolites.
PubMed: 34476250
DOI: 10.1183/23120541.00030-2021 -
Frontiers in Microbiology 2024Microplastics (MPs) are widely distributed in the environment, causing damage to biota and human health. Due to their physicochemical characteristics, they become...
INTRODUCTION
Microplastics (MPs) are widely distributed in the environment, causing damage to biota and human health. Due to their physicochemical characteristics, they become resistant particles to environmental degradation, leading to their accumulation in large quantities in the terrestrial ecosystem. Thus, there is an urgent need for measures to mitigate such pollution, with biological degradation being a viable alternative, where bacteria play a crucial role, demonstrating high efficiency in degrading various types of MPs. Therefore, the study aimed to identify bacteria with the potential for MP biodegradation and the enzymes produced during the process.
METHODS
The methodology used followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The research yielded 68 eligible studies, highlighting bacteria from the genera , , , and as the main organisms involved in MP biodegradation. Additionally, enzymes such as hydrolases and alkane hydroxylases were emphasized for their involvement in this process. Thus, the potential of bacterial biodegradation is emphasized as a promising pathway to mitigate the environmental impact of MPs, highlighting the relevance of identifying bacteria with biotechnological potential for large-scale applications in reducing MP pollution.
PubMed: 38562477
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1360844 -
Biology of Blood and Marrow... Apr 2016Oral mucositis (OM) is a debilitating early adverse effect of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The intensity of the conditioning regimen... (Review)
Review
Oral mucositis (OM) is a debilitating early adverse effect of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The intensity of the conditioning regimen correlates with the incidence and severity of OM, but no studies have analyzed this relationship among various conditioning regimens. We performed a systematic review on the incidence and outcomes of OM in allogeneic HSCT patients and analyzed this association. A comprehensive search of several databases (Ovid Medline In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, Cochrane CRCT, Cochrane DSR, Scopus) from 1990 to 2014 for studies of OM in allogeneic HSCT patients was conducted. Professional societies' meeting abstracts were also searched. Grade of OM was analyzed based on the World Health Organization (WHO) or National Cancer Institutes (NCI) Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events scales. Severe mucositis was defined as either grades 2 to 4 or grades 3 and 4, depending on the studies' definition of severity. Cohorts were analyzed based on regimen intensity; ie, reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) (including nonmyeloablative) and myeloablative (MA). Random effect (RE) and standard logistic models weighted by the number of patients in each cohort were used for comparisons. A total of 624 studies were generated from the search. Of the 395 patients in 8 eligible MA regimen studies, 73.2% experienced any OM, whereas in 245 patients in the 6 eligible RIC regimen studies, 86.5% experienced any OM (chi-square P < .0001; RE, P = .05). Severe (grades 2 to 4) OM occurred among 79.7% of the WHO/NCI-graded MA patients and 71.5% of RIC patients (chi-square, P = .0421; RE, P < .01). In comparing graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis, only 55.4% of patients receiving nonmethotrexate regimens experienced OM; this was lower (chi-square, P < .0001; RE, P = .06) than that found among patients who received methotrexate (83.4%), either standard or reduced dose. Besides NCI and WHO grading scales, other scales included in the studies were Oral Mucositis Index, the Southwest Oncology Group Criteria, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group scale. To our knowledge, this is the first analysis on OM in allogeneic HSCT patients with respect to conditioning regimens, and we observed that RIC regimens led to a high incidence of OM similar to that of MA regimens. Clinical trials on treatment of OM are lacking, emphasizing the essential need for prospective studies in this arena. A significant variance in the criteria for grading OM underscores the importance of establishing a standard grading system for OM measurement in future allogeneic HSCT clinical trials.
Topics: Busulfan; Cyclophosphamide; Graft vs Host Disease; Hematologic Neoplasms; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; Humans; Incidence; Methotrexate; Mouth Mucosa; Myeloablative Agonists; Severity of Illness Index; Stomatitis; Transplantation Conditioning; Transplantation, Homologous; Vidarabine
PubMed: 26409924
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbmt.2015.09.014