Endovascular thrombectomy without versus with different pre-intravenous thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke: a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: The current guideline recommended the use of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) before Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT), but the effectiveness and safety of tenecteplase compare to alteplase in patients before EVT remain uncertain. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library to identify eligible articles from inception until September 16, 2023. The primary outcome was functional independence (mRS 0-2) at 90 days. Secondary outcomes included excellent outcome (mRS 0-1) at 90 days, all-cause mortality at follow-up, successful reperfusion (TICI 2b-3) after the end of EVT, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) or any intracranial hemorrhage (aICH). The PROSPERO registration number is CRD42023470419. Results: Eight randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included involving 2,836 acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients. Compared to EVT alone, tenecteplase (0.25 mg/kg and 0.4 mg/kg) + EVT and 0.9 mg/kg alteplase + EVT were significant difference associated with higher successful reperfusion (TICI 2b-3) after the end of EVT (RR = 2.31; 95% CI 1.15-4.63; RR = 2.31; 95% CI 1.00-5.33; RR = 1.05; 95% CI 1.01-1.09). And compared to 0.25 mg/kg tenecteplase + EVT, alteplase (0.6 mg/kg and 0.9 mg/kg) + EVT were significant difference associated with lower successful reperfusion (TICI 2b-3) after the end of EVT (RR = 0.45; 95% CI 0.22-0.90; RR = 0.45; 95% CI 0.23-0.91). The risk of aICH (RR = 1.50; 95% CI 1.07-2.09) was significantly higher for 0.6 mg/kg alteplase + EVT than EVT alone. There was no significant difference in functional independence (mRS 0-2), excellent outcome (mRS 0-1), all-cause mortality or sICH among the different IVT strategies (0.25 mg/kg or 0.4 mg/kg tenecteplase and 0.6 mg/kg or 0.9 mg/kg alteplase) before EVT. Conclusion: The use of alteplase before EVT may potentially improve the successful reperfusion after EVT compared to tenecteplase. Due to the insufficient sample size, more high-quality RCTs are needed to confirm effectiveness and safety of tenecteplase compare to alteplase in patients before EVT. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier: CRD42023470419.

Nutritional intervention for the prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma chemoradiotherapy patients: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: To conduct a meta-analysis to investigate the effects of different nutritional interventions on various serum nutritional indicators and patients' prognosis during radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, to assess treatment safety and efficacy. METHODS: A systematic literature search, mainly randomized controlled trials (RCTs), on the effects of nutritional support on patients undergoing radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma was conducted between January 2010 and August 2022 using databases such as China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Rob2 scale. The meta-analysis was performed using Stata 17.0 software, and the heterogeneity between studies was assessed using the I2 test, and funnel plots were used to qualitatively assess publication bias. RESULTS: Overall, 10 RCTs with a total sample size of 879 cases were identified. The meta-analysis results showed that body mass index (BMI) (odds ratio = 0.026, 95% confidence interval[1]: -0.348 to 0.401, P > .05), albumin (standardized mean difference [SMD] = 0.13, 95% CI: -0.127 to 0.387, P > .05), and total protein levels were not significantly different between the nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) radiotherapy group with nutritional support group (SMD = -0.262, 95% CI: -1.062 to 0.537, P > .05) and the control group; pre-albumin (SMD = 0.256, 95% CI: 0.022-0.491, P = .032), hemoglobin (SMD = 0.436, 95% CI: 0.26-0.612, P < .000), and lymphocyte count (SMD = 1.125, 95% CI: 0.868-1.381, P < .000) were significantly higher in the nutritional intervention group than in the control group. CONCLUSION: Compared with conventional diets, nutritional interventions can improve serum nutritional parameters, nutritional status, treatment tolerance, and prognosis of patients undergoing radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.