Objective To systematically review the clinical response and partial adverse effects of endostar plus chemotherapy for patients with unresected non small cell lung cancer. Methods The clinical trials of endostar plus chemotherapy for unresected non small cell lung cancers published before March 2, 2010 were searched in The Cochrane Library, Medline, EMbase, Pubmed, CBM, CNKI, VIP and so on. According to the Cochrane handbook for systematic reviews for interventions, the quality of clinical trials was evaluated by two reviewers independently, and the meta-analysis was conducted by using Revman 5.0 software. Results The endostar as an endostatin was developed by our country, so the relevant RCTs were not found in foreign databases. Fourteen studies involving 1 219 patients were included. All studies adopted random method but no blind method was mentioned in detail. The results of meta-analysis indicated that the rate of clinical response and clinical benefit of the endostar plus chemotherapy group was significantly higher than that of the chemotherapy alone group (RR=1.76, 95%CI 1.47 to 2.09; RR=1.43, 95%CI 1.10 to1.86; respectively). The incidence rate of thrombocytopenia was significantly lower of the endostar plus chemotherapy group than that of the chemotherapy alone group (RR=0.77, 95%CI 0.62 to 0.96). The incidence rates of hypoleukemia, anaemia, nausea and vomiting and hepatic and renal function damage were not significantly different between the two groups (RR=0.94, 95%CI 0.83 to 1.06; RR=0.94, 95%CI 0.79 to 1.13; RR=1.04, 95%CI 0.91 to 1.18; RR=0.63, 95%CI 0.25 to 1.60; respectively). Conclusion Endostar plus chemotherapy can improve the rate of clinical response and clinical benefit, and can relieve partial adverse effects of chemotherapy.
Objective To systematically review the methodological quality of guidelines concerning pharmacological intervention for complicated hypertension. Methods The databases and relevant guideline websites such as MEDLINE, EMbase, CBM, WangFang Data, National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC), Guidelines International Network (GIN), National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and Clinical Practice Guideline Network (CPGN) were searched to collect the clinical guidelines concerning pharmacological intervention for complicated hypertension. By adopting the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE), the methodological quality of guidelines was assessed. Meanwhile the similarities, differences and features of drug recommendation in guidelines for different areas and diseases were analyzed by means of analogy comparison.Results A total of 21 guidelines concerning pharmacological intervention for complicated hypertension were included. The number of guidelines concerning hypertension complicated with coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, diabetes mellitus (DM) and kidney disease (KD) was 5, 5, 7 and 4, respectively. The publication year ranged from 2000 to 2011. According to the AGREE instrument, 19 and 2 guidelines were graded as Level B and C, respectively. The overall guidelines got low average scores in the domain of “Stakeholder involvement” and “Applicability”, including 9 evidence-based guidelines. There were totally 4 and 3 classes in terms of the level of evidence and recommendation, respectively; moreover, 10 and 6 expression forms were adopted in the level of evidence and recommendation, respectively. For hypertension with angina pectoris, -blocker (BB) and calcium channel blocker (CCB) were recommended unanimously. For hypertension with myocardial infarction, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) and BB were recommended unanimously. For hypertension with heart failure, ACEI, angiotensin-receptor blocker (ARB) and BB were recommended unanimously. For hypertension with later stage of post-stroke, 76.47% guidelines recommended diuretic (D) and ACEI. For hypertension with acute stroke, recommendations were mainly based on the guidelines developed by American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA). For hypertension with DM or KD, the guidelines basically recommended that systolic/diastolic pressure should be controlled in the range of less than 130/80 mmHg. For hypertension with DM, ACEI were recommended unanimously, followed by D and CCB. For hypertension with KD, ACEI/ARB was recommended, while 3 of the 5 guidelines recommending CCB were from Asian. Conclusion The overall methodological qualities of complicated hypertension guidelines differs, with high proportion of evidence-based guidelines. The classification criteria of the levels of evidence and recommendation are still suboptimal. For hypertension with CHD, DM, KD and later stage of stroke, results from high quality clinical evidence are consistent, and the recommendations are basically unanimous, with no regional and quality difference. But in some clinical researches beyond reaching a consensus at present, the recommendation discrepancy exists, and there still remains controversy for hypertension with acute stroke.
Objective To systematically review simple hypertension guidelines through methods as follows: (a) compare differences and similarities of the recommended drugs; (b) analyze differences of the recommended frequencies in different regions and quality levels; and (c) explore the recommended evidence basis, so as to better understand relevant guidelines. Methods Uncomplicated hypertension guidelines concerning pharmacological interventions were identified (terminated by March 2012) in Ovid, EMbase, Chinese Biomedical Disc (CBM) and WangFang database as well as guideline websites including NGC (National Guideline Clearinghouse), GIN(Guidelines International Network), NICE(National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) and CPGN (Clinical Practice Guideline Net, guidelines concerning pharmacological intervention in simple hypertension were included. A total of 6 domains (involving 23 items) in the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) were applied to assess the methodological quality of the guidelines. A comparative study was performed regarding the recommendations in guidelines from different regions as well as of different methodological qualities. Results A total of 27 guidelines concerning pharmacological intervention in simple hypertension were included, involving 6 continents, 13 counties, 3 regions and 3 international organizations. Publication dates ranged from 2003 to 2012. According to the AGREE instrument, 4, 17 and 6 guidelines were graded as Level A, B and C, respectively. There were only 2 domains, “Scope and Purpose” and “Clarity of Presentations”, getting high average scores (more than 60%) among all guidelines. The average scores of guidelines in different domains of AGREE varied with regions. There were 8 evidence-based guidelines which got higher average scores in each domain of AGREE than those of non-evidence-based guidelines. Guidelines varied with the standards of classifying ideal, normal, high normal blood pressure and hypertension. Diuretics were the first agent recommended by all guidelines, and the other recommendations were correlated with age and race. There was a tendency to recommend diuretics as basic drugs in two-drug combination therapy in North America, while calcium channel blockers (CCBs) were the most recommended agents in Asian guidelines. Conclusion The overall methodological quality of simple hypertension guidelines is suboptimal in different countries or regions. The 6 domains involving 23 items in AGREE vary with scores, while the scores of evidence-based guidelines are higher than those of non-evidence-based guidelines. There are differences in the standards of classifying ideal, normal, high normal blood pressure and hypertension. The first-line drug recommendations differ in regions and relate to age and race. Two-drug combination therapy regimens also vary with region.
Objective To systematically assess the effectiveness and safety of atorvastatin in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) complicating chronic heart failure (CHF). Methods Databases including PubMed, The Cochrane Library, EMbase, CNKI, CBM, and VIP were searched from inception to November 2011 to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on atorvastatin for DCM accompanied with CHF. According to the inclusion criterion, relevant articles were screened. Then we extracted data, assessed quality, and performed meta-analysis using RevMan 5.0. Results A total of 11 RCTs involving 648 patients were included. The result of meta-analyses showed that compared with the control group at the sixth month after treatment, in the atorvastatin group, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) obviously (MD=3.92, 95%CI 1.93 to 5.92, P=0.000 1) and 6-minute walk distance (MD=13.15, 95%CI 5.47 to 20.83, P=0.000 8) increased. Besides, serum level of CRP obviously decreased in the atorvastatin group (MD=1.91, 95%CI 3.03 to 0.79, P=0.000 9). Conclusion Current evidence indicates that atorvastatin, based on routine treatment, can improve cardiac function to some extent, increase LVEF, and reduce serum levels of inflammatory markers for patients with DCM complicating CHF. Therefore, atorvastatin is likely to be a safe and effective drug for non-ischemic cardiomyopathy due to DCM, which still has to be proved by more large-scale and high-quality clinical trials.
Objective To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of clarithromycin extended-release and immediate-release formulations in the treatment of patients with acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis. Methods The randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of clarithromycin extended-release and immediate-release formulations in the treatment of patients with acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis were searched in the following electronic databases: The Cochrane Library (Issue 1, 2010), PubMed (2000 to Jan. 2010), EMbase (1980 to Dec. 2009), CBM (2000 to Jan. 2010), and WanFang Data (2000 to Jan. 2010). Two reviewers independently screened the included studies, abstracted the data and assessed the quality. The RevMan 5.0 software was used to conduct meta-analyses. Results A total of four RCTs involving 2041 patients were included, and the Jadad scales of all studies were more than five. The results of meta-analyses showed that there was no significant difference between the extended-release formulation group and the immediate-release formulation group in aspects of the clinical cure rate (RR=0.93, 95%CI 0.96 to 1.03), the pathogen eradication rate (RR=0.99, 95%CI 0.94 to 1.04), and the adverse reaction incidence rate (RR=1.06, 95%CI 0.90 to 1.25). Conclusion As the present evidence shows, there is no significant difference in effectiveness and safety between the clarithromycin extended-release and immediate-release formulations in the treatment of patients with acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis.
Objective To assess the efficacy and safety of rosiglitazone in treating type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with essential hypertension (HBP). Methods Such databases as The Cochrane Library (Issue 4, 2009), PubMed (1970 to May 2010), CBM (1978 to May 2010), CNKI (1996 to May 2010), WanFang Database (1999 to May 2010), VIP (1996 to May 2010), and Google Scholar were searched on computer, and the relevant journals such as Chinese Journal of Diabetes Mellitus were also hand researched to investigate references and collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about rosiglitazone (experimental group) compared with non-rosiglitazone (control group) in treating T2DM with HBP. The data were extracted according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria by two reviewers independently, the quality of the included studies was assessed according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.0, and meta-analysis was conducted by using RevMan 5.0 software. Results Among 10 RCTs involving 738 patients, one was in English from Greece, while nine were in Chinese. The average score quality of the included studies was in C level. The results of meta-analyses showed that the experimental group was more effective than the control group in lowering blood pressure levels (SBP: WMD= –17.83 mmHg, 95%CI –27.63 to –8.02; DBP: WMD=–7.81 mmHg, 95%CI –10.18 to –5.44), blood glucose levels (FBG: WMD= –1.66 mmol/L, 95%CI –3.08 to –0.23; PBG: WMD= –2.38 mmol/L, 95%CI – 4.12 to –0.64), triglyceride (TG) levels (WMD= –0.29 mmol/L, 95%CI –0.43 to –0.14), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels (WMD= –0.76 mmol/L, 95%CI –1.02 to –0.50), insulin levels (FINS: WMD= –7.06 mU/L, 95%CI –9.47 to –4.65; PINS: WMD= –98.86 mU/L, 95%CI –116.38 to –81.34), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels (WMD=–0.75%, 95%CI –1.07 to –0.42), and insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) (WMD= –1.61, 95%CI –2.18 to –1.05); the experimental group was more effective than the control group in increaseing the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (HDL-C) (WMD=0.21 mmol/L, 95%CI 0.12 to 0.30), and insulin sensitivity index (ISI) (WMD=1.64, 95%CI 1.48 to 1.80); the therapeutic effect for hypertension was greater in the experimental group than in the control group (OR=9.35, 95%CI 4.76 to 18.35); there were no significant differences in cholesterol levels (TC) (WMD= –0.22 mmol/L, 95%CI –0.55 to 0.10), body mass index (BMI) (WMD= –0.26 kg/m2, 95%CI –0.86 to 0.33), heart rates (HR) (WMD=0.50 bpm, 95%CI –4.98 to 5.98), and urine albumin excretion (UAE) (WMD= –16.00mg/24h, 95%CI –37.90 to 5.90); additionally, there were also no significant differences in adverse reactions between the two groups, such as edema (OR=3.01, 95%CI 0.62 to 14.54), gastro-intestinal discomfort (OR=1.19, 95%CI 0.63 to 2.24), headache and fatigue (OR=9.79, 95%CI 0.51 to 186.95), and anemia (OR=2.38, 95%CI 0.09 to 59.90). Conclusion To treating patients suffering from T2DM with HBP, the rosiglitazone is much effective than the control group in lowering blood pressure, blood glucose and lipid, reducing insulin resistance and improving β-cell function.