Prognostic role of platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio in oral cancer: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) has been suggested to be associated with the progression of oral cancer with inconclusive results. The objective of the current study was to assess the prognostic role of oral cancer by meta-analysis. METHOD: PubMed, EMbase(Ovid), CNKI, WanFang Data, VIP, and CBM databases were searched up to August 24, 2018. Studies investigating the association between PLR and progression of oral cancer were included. Meta-analysis was performed by using Revman 5.3 software. The protocol of the study was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42018106836). RESULTS: A total of five studies were included in the meta-analysis. The results of the meta-analysis showed that higher PLR was associated with the poor progress of oral cancer (overall survival: OR = 2.06, 95 CI: 1.49-2.86, P < 0.0001; disease-specific survival: OR = 2.12, 95 CI: 1.59-2.82, P < 0.00001). CONCLUSION: The current meta-analysis showed that higher PLR is a poor progression factor for oral cancer. However, larger sample, multi-center studies should be carried out in the future to validate the above conclusion.

Photoselective vaporization has comparative efficacy and safety among high-risk benign prostate hyperplasia patients on or off systematic anticoagulation: a meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: The necessity to cease anticoagulation before photoselective vaporization (PVP) surgery remains nonconsensual. We aimed at assessing the efficacy and safety of PVP among high-risk benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) patients on or off anticoagulation. METHODS: We systematically searched Pubmed, Embase, and Cochrane Library Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). 2299 patients from 11 studies were eventually included. Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was employed to assess the quality and risk of bias of each study. All statistical analyses were conducted with Review Manager v.5.3 software. RESULTS: Ten parameters (operation time, laser time, blood transfusion, urethral stricture, urinary tract infection, reoperation, dysuria, capsule perforation, catheterization time, and re-catheterization) from patients on or off anticoagulant therapy were collected. The patients without anticoagulants performed better at catheterization time [MD - 0.54, 95% CI (- 0.82, - 0.26), P = 0.96, I2 = 0] with a reduction of 0.54 day than those on anticoagulants. Significant statistical difference was not observed from other parameters. Subgroup analysis, grouped by the power output of PVP systems (80 W, 120 W and 180 W), consistently showed no statistical significant difference except at catheterization time in the 180-W PVP subgroup. CONCLUSION: PVP, a safe and effective option for high-risk BPH patients, work comparably regardless of anticoagulant therapy, despite non-anticoagulant patients have shorter catheterization time. It is implied that the use of anticoagulants might be unnecessary to stop for high-risk BPH patients undergoing PVP for the sake of safety, which certainly requires further investigations to confirm.

Neural network aided extended Kalman filtering for inverse imaging of cardiac transmembrane potential.

Objective.The aim of this study is to address the limitations in reconstructing the electrical activity of the heart from the body surface electrocardiogram, which is an ill-posed inverse problem. Current methods often assume values commonly used in the literature in the absence ofa prioriknowledge, leading to errors in the model. Furthermore, most methods ignore the dynamic activation process inherent in cardiomyocytes during the cardiac cycle.Approach.To overcome these limitations, we propose an extended Kalman filter (EKF)-based neural network approach to dynamically reconstruct cardiac transmembrane potential (TMP). Specifically, a recurrent neural network is used to establish the state estimation equation of the EKF, while a convolutional neural network is used as the measurement equation. The Jacobi matrix of the network undergoes a correction feedback process to obtain the Kalman gain.Main results.After repeated iterations, the final estimated state vector, i.e. the reconstructed image of the TMP, is obtained. The results from both the final simulation and real experiments demonstrate the robustness and accurate quantification of the model.Significance.This study presents a new approach to cardiac TMP reconstruction that offers higher accuracy and robustness compared to traditional methods. The use of neural networks and EKFs allows dynamic modelling that takes into account the activation processes inherent in cardiomyocytes and does not requirea prioriknowledge of inputs such as forward transition matrices.

Genetic predisposition between coronavirus disease 2019 and rheumatic diseases: A 2-sample Mendelian randomization study.

OBJECTIVE: The causalities between the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the risk of rheumatic diseases remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the causal effect of COVID-19 on rheumatic disease occurrence. METHODS: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), acquired from published genome-wide association studies, were used to perform 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) on cases diagnosed with COVID-19 (n = 13 464), rheumatic diseases (n = 444 199), juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA, n = 15 872), gout (n = 69  374), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE, n = 3094), ankylosing spondylitis (n = 75 130), primary biliary cholangitis (PBC, n = 11 375) and primary Sjögren's syndrome (n = 95 046). Three MR methods were used in the analysis based on different heterogeneity and pleiotropy using the Bonferroni correction. RESULTS: The results revealed a causality between COVID-19 and rheumatic diseases with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.010 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.006-1.013; P = .014). In addition, we observed that COVID-19 was causally associated with an increased risk of JIA (OR 1.517; 95%CI, 1.144-2.011; P = .004), PBC (OR 1.370; 95%CI, 1.149-1.635; P = .005), but a decreased risk of SLE (OR 0.732; 95%CI, 0.590-0.908; P = .004). Using MR, 8 SNPs were identified to associate with COVID-19 and recognized as significant variables. None of them were previously reported in any other diseases. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to use MR to explore the impact of COVID-19 on rheumatic diseases. From a genetic perspective, we found that COVID-19 could increase the risk of rheumatic diseases, such as PBC and JIA, but decrease that of SLE, thereby suggesting a potential surge in the disease burden of PBC and JIA following the COVID-19 pandemic.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the benefits of a gluten-free diet and/or casein-free diet for children with autism spectrum disorder.

CONTEXT: It has been suggested that a gluten-free and casein-free (GFCF) diet may alleviate the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and facilitate neurodevelopment of children with ASD. Studies to date have been inconclusive. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate (through quantitative meta-analysis) the efficacy and safety of a GFCF diet for children with ASD. To our knowledge, this is the first time such an analysis has been carried out. DATA SOURCES: Eight electronic databases were searched, from the establishment of each database up to March 27, 2020: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase (Ovid), PsycINFO (Ovid), Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP databases. DATA EXTRACTION: Two authors independently performed the data extraction and risk-of-bias assessment. DATA ANALYSIS: A quantitative meta-analysis was performed with standard procedures by using Stata SE 15 software. Within the total of 8 studies, with 297 participants, 5 studies reported significant reductions in stereotypical behaviors [standard mean difference (SMD) = -0.41, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.68 to -0.15], and 3 studies reported improvements in cognition (SMD = -0.46, 95% CI: -0.91 to -0.01) following GFCF dietary intervention . No statistically significant changes were observed in other symptomatic categories (all P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The current meta-analysis showed that a GFCF diet can reduce stereotypical behaviors and improve the cognition of children with ASD. Though most of the included studies were single-blind, the benefits of a GFCF diet that have been indicated are promising. Additional studies on a larger scale are warranted. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO registration no. CRD42020177619.

The 100 top-cited studies in cancer immunotherapy.

Objective: The objective of the current study was to identify the 100 top-cited studies in cancer immunotherapy. Materials and methods: A retrospective bibliometric analysis was performed in March 2019. Studies were searched on the Web of Science to identify the 100 top-cited studies in cancer immunotherapy. Studies were identified and analysed for authorship, journal, study type, year of publication and institution. Results: The 100 top-cited papers were cited from 591 to 5332 times and were published between 1986 and 2016. They were published in 27 journals, and New England Journal of Medicine published most of the studies (n = 14), followed by Nature (n = 11) and Journal of Clinical Oncology (n = 10). They were published from 10 countries, and the USA published most of the studies (n = 82), followed by France (n = 5) and Netherlands (n = 3). National Cancer Institute in USA was the leading institution and Rosenberg, SA was the most productive author. Conclusions: This study provides insights into development and most important papers in cancer immunotherapy and will provide evidence for future research in cancer immunotherapy.

The 100 Top-cited Articles in Main Allergy Journals: A Bibliometric Analysis.

The objective of this study was to identify the characteristics of the top 100 cited studies in main allergy journals. The 100 top-cited studies in allergy journals from the Web of Science were enrolled. The key characteristics included citation, year, authors, country, institution and journal were analyzed. The number of citations of the 100 top-cited studies ranged from 409 to 2313. They were published between 1972 and 2014. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology published the largest number of top-cited studies (n=74), followed by Allergy (n=13) and Clinical and Experimental Allergy (n=9). The greatest number of studies were USA (n=45), followed by England (n=10), Canada (n=7), and Sweden (n=7). The institution with the largest number of studies was the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in the USA (n=8). The country with the largest number of top institutions was the USA (n=8). The reviews had higher average citation times than articles. Our study can give a historical perspective on the scientific progress of allergy, as well as provide important insights into priorities and trends of allergy and could serve as sources for future studies.

The 100 top-cited studies on vaccine: a bibliometric analysis.

Objective: The objective of this study was to analyze the 100 most cited studies on vaccine.Methods: A comprehensive search of studies on vaccine was performed in the Web of Science Core Collection without year or language restrictions. The 100 top-cited studies were retrieved after screening abstracts or full-texts. The outcomes of bibliometric analysis included citation time, citation density, journal name, impact factor, publication year, article type, category, open access, and country of origin.Results: The citation times for the 100 top-cited studies ranged from 593 to 2406, with a median citation times of 834. The 100 top-cited studies were published in 32 journals, and the journal with the most studies was New England Journal of Medicine (n = 20). They were published between 1969 and 2012, and 4 authors published at least 2 studies as the first author. The USA contributed the most studies (n = 70), followed by Switzerland (n = 4), England (n = 4) and Finland (n = 4). Eighty-one studies were published as Article, while 19 were Review. Eleven studies were about vaccine for therapeutic and 68 studies were about vaccine for prophylactic.Conclusions: This is the first bibliometric analysis to provide a detailed list of the 100 most-cited studies on vaccine and helps to recognize the quality of the works, discoveries, and trends in the field.

Clinical Trials Focusing on Drug Control and Prevention of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia: A Comprehensive Analysis of Trials Registered on ClinicalTrials.gov.

Objective: Clinical trials have emerged as the main force in driving the development of medicine. However, little is known about the current status of clinical trials regarding drug control and prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). This study aimed at providing a comprehensive landscape of these trials on the basis of ClinicalTrials.gov. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive study of clinical trials on drug control and prevention of VAP which have been registered on the ClinicalTrials.gov up to 25th August 2018 was conducted. Results: A total of 109 eligible trials were identified. Trials were started from 1998 to 2018, and most trials focused on adult patients. More than half trials were completed, while only 11.9% trials had results available. Sample sizes were relatively large, with a median enrollment of 146. Universities were listed as the primary sponsor for 36.7% trials, industry for 28.4% trials and hospitals for 19.3% trials. Of the 109 VAP trials, 37 trials were from in Europe, 36 in North America and 27 in Asia. Among the 97 interventional trials, 32 were phase 3 trials, 21 were phase 4 trials, and 16 were phase 2 trials. Most interventional trials were randomized trials with a parallel assignment, and 57.7% trials were blinded. Of the 12 observational trials, 9 were cohort studies, and 10 trials were prosepctive studies. Drugs about oral care, preemptive antibiotics and probiotics were most investigated for prevention. A total of 61 trials investigated drugs for the treatment of VAP, mainly focused on antibiotics. A total of 36 kinds of antibiotics were investigated for monotherapy or combination therapy. Beta-lactams were most studied, followed by aminoglycosides and polypeptides. Conclusion: Most clinical trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov about drugs for VAP were interventional trials with the purpose for treatment. A high proportion of interventional trials were randomized, parallel assigned and masked. Our analysis highlights the need for improvement in completeness of study results on the ClinicalTrials.gov.

The role of fluorescence in situ hybridization to predict patient response to intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guérin therapy for bladder cancer: A diagnostic meta-analysis and systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to systematically review the relevant studies to assess the role of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) test for predicting patient response to Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) therapy after transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT). METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library from inception to July 5, 2018, and used Quality Assessment Tool for Diagnosis Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) to assess the quality. We pooled sensitivity, specificity, and area under curve (AUC) of baseline and post-BCG FISH test for predicting tumor recurrence. Hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) and a Fagan nomogram were applied to assess predictive accuracy of post-BCG FISH test. RESULTS: A total of 6 studies with 442 participants for post-BCG test and 404 participants for baseline BCG test were included. The pooled analysis for post-BCG FISH test revealed the sensitivity of 0.54 (95% CI 0.38-0.69), specificity of 0.84 (95% CI: 0.72-0.91), and area under the curve (AUC) of 0.78 (95% CI: 0.74-0.81) for predicting tumor recurrence. Patients with positive post-BCG FISH test were more likely to recur during follow-up (HR 3.95, 95% CI 2.72-5.72). The Fagan nomogram revealed the "post-test" probability of tumor recurrence increased by 29% for patients with positive post-BCG FISH test. The baseline FISH test had a pooled sensitivity of 0.70 (95% CI 0.55-0.81), specificity of 0.41 (95% CI: 0.26-0.58), and AUC of 0.60 (95% CI: 0.56-0.64) for predicting recurrence. CONCLUSION: The post-BCG FISH test can predict BCG failure with high specificity and patients with positive post-BCG FISH test were more likely to recur. However, the relatively low sensitivity of post-BCG FISH test and unsatisfactory performance of baseline FISH test may limit their mono-use.