Jian-Guo Zhou

Immunonutrition Support for Patients Undergoing Surgery for Gastrointestinal Malignancy: Preoperative, Postoperative, or Perioperative? A Bayesian Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract Enteral immunonutrition (EIN) has been established to be as a significantly important modality to prevent the postoperative infectious and noninfectious complications, enhance the immunity of host, and eventually improve the prognosis of gastrointestinal (GI) cancer patients undergoing surgery. However, different support routes, which are the optimum option, remain unclear. To evaluate the effects of different EIN support regimes for patients who underwent selective surgery for resectable GI malignancy, a Bayesian network meta-analysis (NMA) of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted. A search of PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) was electronically searched until the end of December 2014. Moreover, we manually checked reference lists of eligible trials and review and retrieval unpublished literature. RCTs which investigated the comparative effects of EIN versus standard enteral nutrition (EN) or different EIN regimes were included if the clinical outcomes information can be extracted from it. A total of 27 RCTs were incorporated into this study. Pair-wise meta-analyses suggested that preoperative (relative risk [RR], 0.58; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.43–0.78), postoperative (RR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.52–0.76), and perioperative EIN methods (RR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.34–0.62) reduced incidence of postoperative infectious complications compared with standard EN. Moreover, perioperative EIN (RR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.44–0.95) reduced the incidence of postoperative noninfectious complications, and the postoperative (mean difference [MD], −2.38; 95% CI, −3.4 to −1.31) and perioperative EIN (MD, −2.64; 95% CI, −3.28 to −1.99) also shortened the length of postoperative hospitalization compared with standard EN. NMA found that EIN support effectively improved the clinical outcomes of patients who underwent selective surgery for GI cancer compared with standard EN. Our results suggest EIN support is promising alternative for operation management in comparison with standard EN, and perioperative EIN regime is the optimum option for managing clinical status of patients who underwent selective surgery for GI cancer.

Role of Enteral Immunonutrition in Patients Undergoing Surgery for Gastric Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Abstract Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common upper gastrointestinal malignancies. Surgical resection remains the mainstay of curative treatment for GC. Enteral immunonutrition (EIN) has been increasingly used to enhance host immunity and relieve inflammatory response of patients undergoing surgery for GC; however, conclusions across studies still remain unclear. We aimed to evaluate the effects of EIN for such patients. We searched some electronic databases including PubMed, EBSCO-Medline, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and EMBASE to identify any latent studies which investigated the effects of EIN compared with standard EN on GC patients who undergoing surgery until the end of December 30, 2014. Relative risk (RR), mean difference (MD), or standard mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated and we also assessed heterogeneity by using Cochrane Q and I2 statistic combined with corresponding P-value. We included 9 eligible studies which included 785 patients eventually. The meta-analysis results shown that EIN increased level of IgA (MD, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.12–0.51), IgG (MD, 1.5; 95% CI, 0.73–2.28), IgM (MD, 0.22; 95% CI, 0.06–0.39), CD4+ (SMD, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.53–1.09), CD3+ (SMD, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.21–1.15), CD4+/CD8+ ratio (MD, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.12–1.01), and NK cell (MD, 2.35; 95% CI, 0.66–4.05); decreased IL-6 (MD, −98.22; 95% CI, −156.16 to −40.28) and TNF-&agr; (MD, −118.29; 95% CI, −162.00 to −74.58), but not improve remained outcomes of interest involving postoperative complications, length of hospitalization, serum total protein, and CD8+. Descriptive analysis suggested that EIN also increased the concentration of IL-2 but not CRP. Impact on lymphocytes remains inconsistent. EIN is effective for enhancing host immunity and relieving the inflammatory response in GC patients undergoing gastrectomy, but clinical outcomes cannot be benefit from it. Heterogeneity caused by different compositions and timing of administration of EIN regimes and not enough sample size and number of eligible studies in most of sensitive analyses with subgroup analysis may impaired the power of our study, and thus some large-scale and well-designed studies are warranted to further establish effects.

Moxibustion is an Alternative in Treating Knee Osteoarthritis: The Evidence From Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

AbstractKnee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a common disorder in elderly. There is no known cure for KOA, and thus therapeutic strategies of alleviating symptoms are increasingly emphasized. Moxibustion has been widely used to treat KOA; however, results are inconclusive. The aim of our study is to critically reassess the effects of moxibustion on KOA.We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and Chinese Biomedical Literature database (CBM) through 25 November 2015. Two independent reviewers selected studies and abstracted information, as well as assessed the risk of bias using Cochrane risk of bias tool. The random-effects meta-analyses were performed based on abstracted data.We initially captured 163 citations and added 4 records through checking review. After critical appraisal, 13 RCTs were included. Meta-analyses indicated that moxibustion is not statistically different from oral drug in improving the response rate (MD = 1.09; 95% CI = 1.00, 1.20; P = 0.05), alleviating pain and improving physical function. Our meta-analysis also found that moxibustion is superior to usual care and sham moxibustion in reducing WOMAC score (MD = 7.56; 95% CI = 4.11, 11.00; P = 0.00), pain and function, as well as increasing QoL. Moreover, most AEs caused by moxibustion can heal without medical care.We concluded that moxibustion treatment is equal to the oral drugs and intra-articular injections and may be an alternative in treating patients with KOA.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis: early or delayed?: Evidence from a systematic review of discordant meta-analyses.

AbstractThe laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is an important approach of treating acute cholecystitis and the timing of performing this given treatment is associated with clinical outcomes. Although several meta-analyses have been done to investigate the optimal timing of implementing this treatment, the conflicting findings from these meta-analyses still confuse decision-making. And thus, we performed this systematic review to assess discordant meta-analyses and generate conclusive findings to facilitate informed decision-making in clinical context eventually. We electronically searched the PubMed, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE to include meta-analysis comparing early (within 7 days of the onset of symptoms) with delayed LC (at least 1 week after initial conservative treatment) for acute cholecystitis through August 2015. Two independent investigators completed all tasks including scanning and appraising eligibility, abstracting essential information using prespecified extraction form, assessing methodological quality using Oxford Levels of Evidence and Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) tool, and assessing the reporting quality using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), as well as implementing Jadad algorithm in each step for the whole process. A heterogeneity degree of ⩽50% is accepted. Seven eligible meta-analyses were included eventually. Only one was Level I of evidence and remaining studies were Level II of evidence. The AMSTAR scores varied from 8 to 11 with a median of 9. The PRISMA scores varied from 19 to 26. The most heterogeneity level fell into the desired criteria. After implementing Jadad algorithm, 2 meta-analyses with more eligible RCTs were selected based on search strategies and implication of selection. The best available evidence indicated a nonsignificant difference in mortality, bile duct injury, bile leakage, overall complications, and conversion to open surgery, but a significant reduction in wound infection, hospitalization, and operation duration and improvement of the quality of life when compared early LC with delayed LC. However, number of work days lost, hospital costs, and patient satisfaction are warranted to be assessed further. With the best available evidence, we recommend early LC to be as the standard treatment option in treating acute cholecystitis.

Treatment of Adults With Treatment-Resistant Depression: Electroconvulsive Therapy Plus Antidepressant or Electroconvulsive Therapy Alone? Evidence From an Indirect Comparison Meta-Analysis

AbstractElectroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and antidepressant are the effective treatment alternatives for patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD); however, the effects and safety of the ECT plus antidepressant relative to ECT alone remain controversial. We decide to assess the potential of ECT plus antidepressant compared with ECT alone by undertaking an indirect comparison meta-analysis.Databases from PubMed, ISI Web of Science, CENTRAL, Clinicaltrials.gov, EMBASE, CBM (China Biomediccal Literatures Database), and CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) were searched for relevant studies through November 21, 2014. Literature was screened, data were extracted and methodological quality of the eligible trial was assessed by 2 independent reviewers accordingly. Then, head-to-head and indirect comparison meta-analyses were carried out.A total of 17 studies which including 13 studies regarding ECT plus antidepressant versus antidepressant alone and 4 studies concerning ECT versus antidepressant alone containing a total of 1098 patients were incorporated into this meta-analysis. The head-to-head comparison suggested that response rate can be improved in the ECT plus antidepressant (RR, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.55–2.14) and ECT alone group (RR, 2.24, 95% CI, 1.51–3.33) compared with antidepressant alone, respectively; adverse complications including memory deterioration and somatization were not significantly increased except incidence of memory deterioration in ECT plus antidepressant in the 4th weeks after treatment (RR, 0.09, 95% CI, 0.02–0.49). Indirect comparison meta-analysis showed that no significant differences were detected in response rate and memory deterioration between ECT plus antidepressant and ECT alone. However, ECT plus antidepressant increased the incidence of memory deterioration relative to ECT alone.With present evidence, the regime of ECT plus antidepressant should not be preferentially recommended to treat the patients with TRD relative to ECT alone.

Oral Motor Intervention Improved the Oral Feeding in Preterm Infants: Evidence Based on a Meta-Analysis With Trial Sequential Analysis

Abstract Oral feeding for preterm infants has been a thorny problem worldwide. To improve the efficacy of oral feeding in preterm infants, oral motor intervention (OMI), which consists of nonnutritive sucking, oral stimulation, and oral support, was developed. Published studies demonstrated that OMI may be as an alternative treatment to solve this problem; however, these results remain controversial. We conducted a meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis (TSA) to objectively evaluate the potential of OMI for improving the current status of oral feeding in preterm infants. A search of PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure was performed to capture relevant citations until at the end of October, 2014. Lists of references of eligible studies and reviews were also hand-checked to include any latent studies. Two independent investigators screened literature, extracted data, and assessed the methodology, and then a meta-analysis and TSA was performed by using Reviewer Manager (RevMan) 5.3 and TSA 0.9 beta, respectively. A total of 11 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), which included 855 participants, were incorporated into our meta-analysis. The meta-analyses suggested that OMI is associated with the reduced transition time (ie, the time needed from tube feeding to totally oral feeding) (mean difference [MD], −4.03; 95% confidence interval [CI], −5.22 to −2.84), shorten hospital stays (MD, −3.64; 95% CI, −5.57 to −1.71), increased feeding efficiency (MD, 0.08; 95% CI, 0.36–1.27), and intake of milk (MD, 0.14; 95% CI, 0.06–0.21) rather than weight gain. Results of TSA for each outcomes of interest confirmed these pooled results. With present evidences, OMI can be as an alternative to improve the condition of transition time, length of hospital stays, feeding efficiency, and intake of milk in preterm infants. However, the pooled results may be impaired due to low quality included, and thus, well-designed and large RCTs were needed to further established effects.

Meta-analysis comparing chewing gum versus standard postoperative care after colorectal resection

Background Previous incomplete studies investigating the potential of chewing gum (CG) in patients undergoing colorectal resection did not obtain definitive conclusions. This updated meta-analysis was therefore conducted to evaluate the effect and safety of CG versus standard postoperative care protocols (SPCPs) after colorectal surgery. Results Total 26 RCTs enrolling 2214 patients were included in this study. The CG can be well-tolerated by all patients. Compared with SPCPs, CG was associated with shorter time to first flatus (weighted mean difference (WMD) −12.14 (95 per cent c.i. −15.71 to −8.56) hours; P < 0.001), bowl movement (WMD −17.32 (−23.41 to −11.22) hours; P < 0.001), bowel sounds (WMD −6.02 (−7.42 to −4.63) hours; P < 0.001), and length of hospital stay (WMD −0.95 (−1.55 to −0.35) days; P < 0.001), a lower risk of postoperative ileus (risk ratio (RR) 0.61 (0.44 to 0.83); P = 0.002), net beneficial and quality of life. There were no significant differences between the two groups in overall complications, nausea, vomiting, bloating, wound infection, bleeding, dehiscence, readmission, reoperation, mortality. Materials and Methods The potentially eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared CG with SPCPs for colorectal resection were searched in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Chinese Wanfang databases through May 2016. The trial sequential analysis was adopted to examine whether a firm conclusion for specific outcome can be drawn. Conclusions CG is benefit for enhancing return of gastrointestinal function after colorectal resection, and may be associated with lower risk of postoperative ileus.

The Adverse Events of Oxycodone in Cancer-Related Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

AbstractThe adverse events (AEs) of oxycodone in cancer-related pain were controversial, so we conducted a meta-analysis to determine it.PubMed, Embase, CBM, CNKI, WanFang database, The Cochrane library, Web of Science, and the reference of included studies were searched to recognize pertinent studies. Relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for all AEs were all extracted. The fixed-effects model was used to calculate pooled RRs and 95% CIs. Power calculation was performed using macro embedded in SAS software after all syntheses were completed.We identified 11 eligible trials involving 1211 patients: 604 patients included in oxycodone group and 607 patients involved in control group. Our quantitative analysis included 8 AEs, and the pooled analyses indicated that oxycodone compared with other opioids in cancer-related pain were not significantly decreased RRs of all AEs (dizziness RR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.69–1.30, Z = 0.35, P = 0.72; nausea RR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.72–1.07, Z = 1.26, P = 0.21; vomiting RR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.70–1.15, Z = 0.9, P = 0.37; sleepiness RR = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.38–1.36, Z = 0.36, P = 0.72; constipation RR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.81–1.19, Z = 0.21, P = 0.83; anorexia RR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.58–1.62, Z = 0.11, P = 0.91; pruritus RR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.44–1.30, Z = 1.01, P = 0.31; dysuria RR = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.07–1.62, Z = 1.36, P = 0.1)]. The subgroup analysis shown that Ox controlled-release (CR) had less sleepiness compared with MS-contin (Mc) CR (RR = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.25–0.90, P = 0.02). The power analysis suggests that all AEs have low statistical power.The present meta-analysis detected that no statistically significant difference were found among oxycodone and other opioids in all AEs, but Ox CR may had less sleepiness compared with Mc CR when subgroup analysis were conducted.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy of serum neuron-specific enolase for early small cell lung cancer screening

We performed a pooled analysis of the efficacy of serum neuron-specific enolase (NSE) levels for early detection of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) in patients with benign lung diseases and healthy individuals. Comprehensive searches of several databases through September 2016 were conducted. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) tool. Ultimately, 33 studies containing 9546 samples were included in the review. Pooled sensitivity of NSE for detecting SCLC was 0.688 (95%CI: 0.627-0.743), specificity was 0.921 (95%CI: 0.890-0.944), positive likelihood ratio was 8.744 (95%CI: 6.308-12.121), negative likelihood ratio was 0.339 (95%CI: 0.283- 0.405), diagnostic odds ratio was 25.827 (95%CI: 17.490- 38.136) and area under the curve was 0.88 (95%CI: 0.85- 0.91). Meta-regression indicated that study region was a source of heterogeneity in the sensitivity and joint models, while cut-off level was a source in the joint model. Subgroup analysis showed that enzyme linked immunosorbent assays had the highest sensitivity and radioimmunoassay assays had the highest specificity. The diagnostic performance was better in Europe [sensitivity: 0.740 (95%CI: 0.676-0.795), specificity: 0.932 (95%CI: 0.904-0.953)] than in Asia [sensitivity: 0.590 (95%CI: 0.496- 0.678), specificity: 0.901 (95%CI: 0.819-0.948)]. In Europe, 25 ng/ml is likely the most suitable NSE cut-off level. NSE thus has high diagnostic efficacy when screening for SCLC, though the efficacy differs depending on study region, assay method and cut-off level. In the clinic, NSE measurements should be considered along with clinical symptoms, image results and histopathology.We performed a pooled analysis of the efficacy of serum neuron-specific enolase (NSE) levels for early detection of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) in patients with benign lung diseases and healthy individuals. Comprehensive searches of several databases through September 2016 were conducted. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) tool. Ultimately, 33 studies containing 9546 samples were included in the review. Pooled sensitivity of NSE for detecting SCLC was 0.688 (95%CI: 0.627-0.743), specificity was 0.921 (95%CI: 0.890-0.944), positive likelihood ratio was 8.744 (95%CI: 6.308-12.121), negative likelihood ratio was 0.339 (95%CI: 0.283- 0.405), diagnostic odds ratio was 25.827 (95%CI: 17.490- 38.136) and area under the curve was 0.88 (95%CI: 0.85- 0.91). Meta-regression indicated that study region was a source of heterogeneity in the sensitivity and joint models, while cut-off level was a source in the joint model. Subgroup analysis showed that enzyme linked immunosorbent assays had the highest sensitivity and radioimmunoassay assays had the highest specificity. The diagnostic performance was better in Europe [sensitivity: 0.740 (95%CI: 0.676-0.795), specificity: 0.932 (95%CI: 0.904-0.953)] than in Asia [sensitivity: 0.590 (95%CI: 0.496- 0.678), specificity: 0.901 (95%CI: 0.819-0.948)]. In Europe, 25 ng/ml is likely the most suitable NSE cut-off level. NSE thus has high diagnostic efficacy when screening for SCLC, though the efficacy differs depending on study region, assay method and cut-off level. In the clinic, NSE measurements should be considered along with clinical symptoms, image results and histopathology.

Efficacy of D5F3 IHC for detecting ALK gene rearrangement in NSCLC patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

We conducted a pooled analysis comparing the efficacy of an immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay using the D5F3 antibody with that of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for detecting ALK gene rearrangement in NSCLC patients. A total of 32 studies involving 5805 samples were included in this review. Pooled sensitivity for D5F3 IHC was 0.97 (95%CI: 0.93-0.98), specificity was 0.99 (95%CI: 0.98-1.00), PLR was 119.20 (95%CI: 57.79-245.89), NLR was 0.03 (95%CI: 0.02-0.07), DOR was 3526.66 (95%CI: 1344.71-9249.03), and AUROC was 1.00 (95%CI: 0.99-1.00). Meta-regression revealed that specimen type was a source of heterogeneity for specificity, and specimen type and FISH signal distance were sources of heterogeneity in the joint model. Subgroup analysis revealed that sensitivity and specificity were higher when the FISH signal distance standard was ≥ 2 than when it was ≥ 1. Sensitivity was higher for tumor specimens than for cell specimens; specificity was higher for cell specimens than for tumor specimens. In conclusion, the D5F3 IHC assay was nearly as effective as FISH for detection of ALK gene rearrangement in NSCLC patients.