Comparison of NB-UVB combination therapy regimens for vitiligo: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Vitiligo was an autoimmune disease and some guidelines for the management of vitiligo encouraged the use of NB-UVB combination therapies to enhance repigmentation. OBJECTIVES: To compare the effectiveness of current NB-UVB combination regimen at the improvement in repigmentation through a systematic review and network meta-analysis. METHODS: We searched the electronic databases for randomized controlled trials related to NB-UVB combination therapy for vitiligo till October 2022. STATA15.0 software was applied to carrying out data analysis. RESULTS: A total of 28 eligible studies involving 1194 participants were enrolled in the analysis. The NMA results revealed that compared with NB-UVB, carboxytherapy [OR = 32.35, 95% CI (1.79, 586.05)], Er: YAG laser+ topical 5% 5-FU [OR = 10.74, 95% CI (4.05, 28.49)], needling/micro-needling [OR = 3.42, 95% CI (1.18, 9.88)], betamethasone intramuscular injection [OR = 3.08, 95% CI (1.17, 8.13)], topical tacrolimus [OR = 2.54, 95% CI (1.30, 4.94)], and oral Chinese herbal medicine compound [OR = 2.51, 95% CI (1.40, 4.50)] integrated with NB-UVB were more efficacious in excellent to complete repigmentation response rate (≥75%). Besides, NB-UVB+ Er: YAG laser+ topical 5% 5-FU [OR = 0.17, 95% CI (0.04, 0.67)] and NB-UVB+ needling/micro-needling [OR = 0.24, 95% CI (0.06, 0.88)] were less likely evaluated as ineffective repigmentation response (≤25%). CONCLUSIONS: All combination therapies ranked higher than NB-UVB monotherapy in inducing successful repigmentation and avoiding failed treatment in patients with vitiligo. Comprehensive consideration, NB-UVB+ Er: YAG laser+ topical 5% 5-FU and NB-UVB+ needling/microneedling would be the preferred therapeutic approaches.

Vitamin D supplementation for patients with alopecia areata: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have reported an association between low Vitamin D (VD) levels and Alopecia areata (AA), and suggested VD preparations as a potential therapy. VD has immunomodulatory function closely associated with a variety of skin diseases, but there is no conclusive evidence to support VD supplementation for patients with AA. Therefore, we will conduct a meta-analysis to collect and evaluate the efficacy and safety of VD supplementation in the treatment of AA. METHODS: We will search the following databases according to the developed strategy: Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Scopus, Google scholar for Randomized controlled trials related to VD supplementation for AA. The retrieval time is from the establishment of each database to July 2022. Two reviewers will independently complete the literature search and screening, risk of bias assessment and data extraction. Severity of Alopecia Tool, Alopecia Density and Extent, Lesional area and senstivity (score) will be the primary results. RevMan V.5.3 will be used for data analysis and synthesis. For dichotomous outcomes and the continuous outcomes, we will calculate risk ratio with 95% Confidence intervals and mean differences or standardized mean differences with 95% Confidence intervals respectively. The reporting bias will be investigated using funnel plots, and the asymmetry of the funnel plots will be explained using the Harbord modified test or the Egger's regression test. RESULTS: The results of the study expect to provide a high-quality, evidence-based recommendation on VD supplementation in the treatment of AA for clinicians. CONCLUSIONS: The study will provide scientific and useful evidence for better use of VD supplementation in treating AA.

Treatments in psoriasis: from standard pharmacotherapy to nanotechnology therapy.

Psoriasis is a genetic chronic disease mediated by the immune system with systemic and cutaneous manifestations that can significantly deteriorate patients' quality of life. Two-three percent of the population worldwide suffer from psoriasis and it imposes a substantial economic burden on patients. The aetiology is mainly related with genes and environmental factors. The pathophysiology of psoriasis is characterized by T cells and dendritic cells, antimicrobial peptides, genetic predispositions, lipoprotein-2, galactosin-3, fractalkine, vaspin, and human neutrophilic peptides, etc. in the progression of psoriasis. For patients with psoriasis, the traditional treatments include corticosteroids, vitamin D3 analogues, calcineurin inhibitors, methotrexate, cyclosporine, acitretin, phototherapy, and biological agents, etc. Nanodermatology is an emerging, multidisciplinary science that is gaining increasing recognition in the treatment of psoriasis. This review provides a summary of the pathophysiology, epidemiology, clinical diagnosis, and classical pharmacotherapy of psoriasis. The review also summarizes different nanotechnology therapies for effective treatment of psoriasis.

Effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy on quality of life in patients with prostate cancer after androgen deprivation therapy: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Prostate cancer (PCa), as a malignant tumour with rapid development in recent years, significantly affects men's health, work, life and economy. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) plays an important role in the treatment of PCa and can be used as a complementary therapy in the late stage of castration-resistant prostate cancer. Though ADT targeting PCa shows an effective therapeutic effect, the underlying side effects (cognitive disorder, hot flashes, a decrease in sexuality) cannot be ignored. At present, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has been widely used for patients with PCa after ADT due to its confirmed efficacy, fewer side effects and lower economic burden. However, the effectiveness of CBT for patients with PCa after ADT is still controversial. Therefore, we will conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of CBT for patients with PCa after ADT. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Literatures will be searched from establishment of the database to 31 May 2021 with the language restrictions of English and Chinese in eight online databases (PubMed, Embase, the Web of Science, Cochrane Library, VIP, CNKI, CBM, and WAN FANG). This study will include RCTs that performed CBT as the main method of the experimental group for patients with PCa after ADT. Two or more reviewers will independently conduct the selection of studies, data extraction and data analysis. The risk ratios with 95% CIs will be used to present the data synthesis result of dichotomous data, while weighted mean differences or standardised mean differences with 95% CIs will be used to present the data synthesis result of continuous data. Meanwhile, evidence quality of outcome will be assessed by using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation method. Stata V.13.0 and Review Manager software V.5.3 will be used for analysis and synthesis. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This protocol is a second study based on a completed randomised controlled study. Thus, ethical approval is not required, and no additional data are available. OSF REGISTRATION NUMBER: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/FUVEA.

Efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapy for psoriasis: an overview of systematic reviews.

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture therapy is a method of piercing needles into acupoints to treat diseases with/without corresponding manipulations, which could serve as a useful supplementary therapy for psoriasis. The present study aimed to outline and sum up current evidence from systematic reviews (SRs)/meta-analyses (MAs) that investigate the clinical efficacy of acupuncture on psoriasis. METHODS: A comprehensive search involving eight electronic databases was conducted from the date of inception to July 2021, and grey literatures were manually searched. The research was selected according to prespecified inclusion criteria and relevant data were obtained. The methodological quality of the included SRs was scrutinized using the Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR-2) tool. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) was used to appraise the reporting quality of the included SRs. Risk of Bias in Systematic Reviews (ROBIS) was selected for the evaluation of bias risk of the included SRs. Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) was applied to determine the quality of evidence from primary outcome measures. RESULTS: After screening, seven SRs/MAs met the inclusion criteria, including two English and five Chinese articles. All of the SRs were published between 2015 and 2020. Based on AMSTAR-2, the quality of all SRs was rated as dangerously low. Using the PRISMA-A checklist, major reporting flaws were observed in the financial statements, protocols, and registrations of the included literature. According to the ROBIS tool, two SRs/MAs were classed as low bias risk. Using the GRADE tool, this review contained 27 outcomes, with only one being classified as high-quality evidence, seven moderate-quality evidences, and 19 as low-quality evidence. The present research results advocated acupuncture therapy as a supplementary treatment for psoriasis patients; however, the evidence should still be treated with caution due to certain limitations. CONCLUSIONS: Our overview suggests that acupuncture could be used as a complementary therapy to produce effective clinical result for psoriasis. Nonetheless, considering the poor quality of SRs/Mas that advocate these findings, studies with more rigorous design, larger populations samples and of higher quality are called for to provide stronger evidence for definitive conclusions.

Deuterium-depleted water (DDW) inhibits the proliferation and migration of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells in vitro.

Recent studies have demonstrated that natural water that has 65% of the deuterium concentration depleted, can exhibit anti-tumor properties. However, the anti-tumor effects of DDW on various nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells have not previously been reported. In the present study, NPC cell lines and normal preosteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells were grown in RPMI1640 media containing different deuterium concentrations (50-150 ppm). The effects of DDW on the proliferation and migration of NPC and MC3T3-E1 cells were investigated using the MTT, plate colony formation, and Transwell assays, as well as Boyden chamber arrays, flow cytometry (FCM), western blot and immunofluorescence. We found that DDW was an effective inhibitor of NPC cell proliferation, plated colony formation, migration and invasion. In contrast, the growth of normal preosteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells was promoted when they were cultured in the presence of DDW. Cell cycle analysis revealed that DDW caused cell cycle arrest in the G1/S transition, reduced the number of cells in the S phase and significantly increased the population of cells in the G1 phase in NPC cells. Western blot analysis revealed that treatment with DDW significantly increased the expression of NADPH:quinone oxidoreductase-1 (NQO1), while immunofluorescence assay analysis revealed that treatment with DDW decreased the expression of PCNA and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) in NPC cells. These results demonstrated that DDW is a novel, non-toxic adjuvant therapeutic agent that suppresses NPC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion by inducing the expression of NQO1 and causing cell cycle arrest, as well as decreasing PCNA and MMP9 expression.

Synergistic suppression of pre-perfusion of donor livers with recipient serum and cobra venom factor treatment on hyperacute rejection following liver xenotransplantation.

PURPOSE: To investigate synergistic suppression of donor liver pre-perfusion with recipient serum (RS) and cobra venom factor (CVF) treatment on hyperacute rejection (HAR) following liver xenotransplantation. METHODS: Guinea-pigs (GP, n=24) and Sprague-Dawley rats (SD, n=24) were recruited. Before transplantation, serum was collected from SD rats and used for preparation of inactivated complements. GP and SD rats were randomly assigned into four groups (n=6), respectively: RS group, CVF group, RS+CVF group and control group. Orthotopic liver xenotransplantation was performed with modified two-cuff technique. The survival time and liver function of recipients, morphological and pathological changes in rat livers were investigated. RESULTS: There was no piebald like change in the recipient livers in all experiment groups. The survival time of recipients in all experiment groups was longer than that in control group (p<0.05). Moreover, the survival time in the RS+CVF group was markedly longer than that in the RS group (p<0.01) and CVF group (p<0.05). The serum ALT level in all experiment groups were lower than that in the control group (p<0.05). Furthermore, the ALT level in the RS+CVF group was significantly lower than that in the CVF group (p<0.05) and RS group (p<0.01). The histological damages were significantly improved when compared with the control group, and the histological damages in the RS+CVF group were milder than those in the remaining groups (p<0.05) CONCLUSION: Pre-perfusion of donor liver with recipient serum and cobra venom factor treatment can exert synergistic suppressive effects on the hyperacute rejection following liver xenotransplantation.

Synergistic suppression of pre-perfusion of donor livers with recipient serum and cobra venom factor treatment on hyperacute rejection following liver xenotransplantation / Supressão sinérgica da rejeição hiperaguda no xenotransplante hepático com uso da pre-perfusão dos fígados doadores tratados com soro do receptor e com fator veneno de cobra

PURPOSE: To investigate synergistic suppression of donor liver pre-perfusion with recipient serum (RS) and cobra venom factor (CVF) treatment on hyperacute rejection (HAR) following liver xenotransplantation. METHODS: Guinea-pigs (GP, n=24) and Sprague-Dawley rats (SD, n=24) were recruited. Before transplantation, serum was collected from SD rats and used for preparation of inactivated complements. GP and SD rats were randomly assigned into four groups (n=6), respectively: RS group, CVF group, RS+CVF group and control group. Orthotopic liver xenotransplantation was performed with modified two-cuff technique. The survival time and liver function of recipients, morphological and pathological changes in rat livers were investigated. RESULTS: There was no piebald like change in the recipient livers in all experiment groups. The survival time of recipients in all experiment groups was longer than that in control group (p<0.05). Moreover, the survival time in the RS+CVF group was markedly longer than that in the RS group (p<0.01) and CVF group (p<0.05). The serum ALT level in all experiment groups were lower than that in the control group (p<0.05). Furthermore, the ALT level in the RS+CVF group was significantly lower than that in the CVF group (p<0.05) and RS group (p<0.01). The histological damages were significantly improved when compared with the control group, and the histological damages in the RS+CVF group were milder than those in the remaining groups (p<0.05) CONCLUSION: Pre-perfusion of donor liver with recipient serum and cobra venom factor treatment can exert synergistic suppressive effects on the hyperacute rejection following liver xenotransplantation.

OBJETIVO: Investigar a supressão sinérgica da pré-perfusão do doador de fígado com soro do receptor (SR) e tratamento com fator veneno de cobra (FVC) na rejeição hiperaguda (RHA) após o xenotransplante de fígado. MÉTODOS: Foram utilizados Cobaias (GP, n=24) e ratos Sprague-Dawley (SD, n=24). Antes do transplante foram coletadas amostras de soro dos ratos SD e usados para a preparação dos complementos inativados. Cobaias GP e ratos SD foram randomicamente distribuídos em quatro grupos (n=6), respectivamente: grupo RS, grupo FVC, grupo SR+FVC e grupo controle. Xenotransplante ortotópico do fígado foi realizado com a técnica de dois cuffs modificados. Foram investigados o de tempo de sobrevida, a função hepática dos receptores e alterações morfopatológicas em fígados de ratos. RESULTADOS: Não houve alteração na coloração do parênquima dos fígados nos receptores. O tempo de sobrevida dos receptores em todos os grupos experimentais foi mais longo do que o grupo controle (p<0,05). Além disso, o tempo de sobrevida do grupo SR+ FVC foi marcadamente maior do que o grupo SR (p<0,01) e o grupo FVC (p<0,05). O nível sérico ALT foi menor em todos os grupos experimentais do que o grupo controle (p<0,05). O nível de ALT no grupo SR+ FVC foi significantemente menor do que no grupo FVC (p<0,05) e o grupo SR (p<0,01). As alterações histológicas foram significantemente melhoradas quando comparado com o grupo controle, e os danos histológicos no grupo SR+ FVC foram mais moderados do que nos grupos restantes (p<0,05). CONCLUSÃO: Pré-perfusão do fígado doador com soro do receptor e fator veneno de cobra pode exercer efeito supressor sinérgico da rejeição hiperaguda após xenotransplante de fígado.