Liposomes, new carriers for delivery of genes and anticancer drugs: a systematic review.

Today, nanoscience has grown and developed in various fields of medicine and treatment, including cancer treatment. Currently, the existing treatments, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, cause side effects that are unpleasant to the patient. Due to the fact that anticancer drugs cause severe and widespread side effects, liposomes are considered as new drug carriers to minimize the untimely destruction of the drug when it is delivered to the target tissue and to prevent the side effects of toxic drugs. This systematic review study examined the importance of using liposomes as new drug carriers for the delivery of genes and anticancer drugs. The articles published in English in the databases of Google scholar, WoS, PubMed, Embase, Scopus and science direct were reviewed. According to the results of this study, a new targeted nanosystem has been used for loading and delivering anticancer drugs, genes and controlled drug release which has a significant therapeutic effect compared to the same amount of free drug. In general, liposomal systems have been considered because of their capability in preserving the effect of the drug along with reducing the side effects and toxicity of the drug, especially in the case of anticancer drugs. Accumulation of the drug in a target tissue which results in a reduction of the drug entry into other tissues is the main reason for reducing the side effects of these drugs.

Global prevalence of myasthenia gravis and the effectiveness of common drugs in its treatment: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Myasthenia gravis is a neuromuscular autoimmune disorder characterized by weakness and disability in the voluntary muscles. There have been several preliminary studies on the epidemiology of myasthenia gravis in different parts of the world and the effectiveness of common drugs in its treatment, but there has been no comprehensive study of the efficacy of common drugs in the treatment of myasthenia gravis. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the epidemiology of myasthenia gravis globally and the effectiveness of common drugs in its treatment using systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: Research studies were extracted from IranDoc, MagIran, IranMedex, SID, ScienceDirect, Web of Sciences (WoS), ProQuest, Medline (PubMed), Scopus and Google Scholar based on Cochran's seven-step guidelines using existing keywords extracted in MeSH browser. The I2 test was used to calculate the heterogeneity of studies, and Begg and Mazumdar rank correlation tests were used to assess publication bias. Data were analyzed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software (Version 2). RESULTS: In the search for descriptive studies based on the research question, 7374 articles were found. After deleting articles unrelated to the research question, finally, 63 articles with a sample size of 1,206,961,907 people were included in the meta-analysis. The prevalence of MG worldwide was estimated to be 12.4 people (95% CI 10.6-14.5) per 100,000 population. For analytical studies on the effectiveness of common myasthenia gravis drugs, 4672 articles were found initially, and after removing articles unrelated to the research question, finally, 20 articles with a sample size of 643 people in the drug group and 619 people in the placebo group were included in the study. As a result of the combination of studies, the difference between the mean QMGS score index after taking Mycophenolate and Immunoglobulin or plasma exchange drugs in the group of patients showed a significant decrease of 1.4 ± 0.77 and 0.62 ± 0.28, respectively (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The results of systematic review of drug evaluation in patients with myasthenia gravis showed that Mycophenolate and Immunoglobulin or plasma exchange drugs have positive effects in the treatment of MG. It also represents the positive effect of immunoglobulin or plasma exchange on reducing SFEMG index and QMGS index and the positive effect of Mycophenolate in reducing MG-ADL index, SFEMG and Anti-AChR antibodies index. In addition, based on a meta-analysis of the random-effect model, the overall prevalence of MG in the world is 12.4 people per 100,000 population, which indicates the urgent need for attention to this disease for prevention and treatment.

Global prevalence of osteoporosis among the world older adults: a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis is one of the most common bone system diseases that is associated with an increased risk of bone fractures and causes many complications for patients. With age, the prevalence of this disease increases so that it has become a serious problem among the elders. In this study, the prevalence of osteoporosis among elders around the world is examined to gain an understanding of its prevalence pattern. METHODS: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, articles that have focused on prevalence of osteoporosis in the world's elders were searched with these key words, such as Prevalence, Osteoporosis, Elders, Older adult in the Science Direct, Embase, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science (WoS) databases and Google Scholar search engine, and extracted without time limit until March 2020 and transferred to information management software (EndNote). Then, duplicate studies were eliminated and the remaining studies were evaluated in terms of screening, competence and qualitative evaluation based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data analysis was performed with Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software (Version 2) and Begg and Mazumdar test was used to check the publication bias and I2 test was used to check the heterogeneity. RESULTS: In a review of 40 studies (31 studies related to Asia, 5 studies related to Europe and 4 studies related to America) with a total sample size of 79,127 people, the prevalence of osteoporosis in the elders of the world; 21.7% (95% confidence interval: 18.8-25%) and the overall prevalence of osteoporosis in older men and women in the world, 35.3% (95% confidence interval: 27.9-43.4%), 12.5% (95% confidence interval: 9.3-16.7%) was reported. Also, the highest prevalence of osteoporosis in the elders was reported in Asia with; 24.3% (95% confidence interval: 20.9-28.1%). CONCLUSION: The results of the present study showed that the prevalence of osteoporosis in the elders and especially elders' women is very high. Osteoporosis was once thought to be an inseparable part of elders' lives. Nowadays, Osteoporosis can be prevented due to significant scientific advances in its causes, diagnosis, and treatment. Regarding the growing number of elderly people in the world, it is necessary for health policy-makers to think of measures to prevent and treat osteoporosis among the elders.

The Global Prevalence of Seroma After Abdominoplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Abdominoplasty is one of the most common cosmetic surgeries performed worldwide. Seroma is also the most common local complication associated with abdominoplasty, which increases care costs, reduces patient satisfaction, and has serious complications for patients. Results of previous studies report different levels of seroma prevalence after abdominoplasty. The aim of this study is to standardize the statistics of the prevalence of seroma after abdominoplasty using meta-analysis. METHODS: In this systematic review and meta-analysis study, data from studies conducted on the global prevalence of seroma after abdominoplasty was extracted using the keywords "Prevalence, Epidemiology, Complications, Abdominoplasty, Seroma, and Lipo abdominoplasty" in the databases of Science, Scientific Information Database, MagIran, Embase, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar search engine without time limit until October 2020. The random-effects model was used to analyze the eligible studies, and the heterogeneity of the studies was investigated with the I2 index. Data analysis was performed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software (Version 2). RESULTS: In reviewing 143 studies (five studies related to Asia, 55 studies related to Europe, three studies related to Africa, and 80 studies related to the Americas) with a total sample size of 27834 individuals, the global prevalence of seroma after abdominoplasty was obtained as 10.9% (95% CI: 9.3-3.6.6%) and the highest prevalence of seroma was related to the Europe continent with 12.8% (95% CI: 10.15-3.9%). The results from meta-regression showed a declining trend in the global prevalence of seroma after abdominoplasty with an increase in the sample size, age of study participants, and the year of study (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the prevalence of seroma after abdominoplasty is high globally. Therefore, physicians and specialists must consider its importance and take the controlling and treatment measures seriously. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine Ratings, please refer to Table of Contents or online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

A systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence of insomnia in the third trimester of pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Sleep disorders, which are among the foremost important medical care issues, are prevalent in pregnancy. The present study is a meta-analysis of the prevalence of insomnia in the third trimester of pregnancy. This study aims to systematically review the overall prevalence of insomnia in the third trimester of pregnancy through conducting a meta-analysis. METHOD: The literature used in this meta-analysis for the topic discussed above were obtained through searching several databases, including SID, MagIran, IranDoc, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science (WoS), PubMed Science Direct and Google Scholar databases without time limitation until December 2020. Articles developed based on cross-sectional studies were included in the study. The heterogeneity of studies was investigated using the I2 index. Also, the possible effects of heterogeneity in the studied studies are investigated using meta-regression analysis. RESULT: In 10 articles and 8798 participants aged between11-40, the overall prevalence of insomnia in the third trimester of pregnancy based on meta-analysis was 42.4% (95% CI: 32.9-52.5%). It was reported that as the sample size increases, the prevalence of insomnia in the third trimester of pregnancy increases. Conversely, as the year of research increases, the prevalence of insomnia in the third trimester of pregnancy decreases. Both of these differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Insomnia was highly prevalent in the last trimester of pregnancy. Sleep disorders are neglected among pregnant women, and they are considered natural. While sleep disturbances can cause mental and physical problems in pregnant women, they can consequently cause problems for the fetus. As a result, maintaining the physical and mental health of pregnant mothers is very important. It is thus recommended that in addition to having regular visits during pregnancy, pregnant women should also be continuously monitored for sleep-related disorders.