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 systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of duloxetine versus paroxetine for adults’ depression. Methods A search was conducted in The Cochrane Library (Issue 6, 2011), Pubmed (1998 to June 2011), CNKI (1998 to June 2011), VIP (1998 to June 2011), CBM (1998 to June 2011), Wanfang database (1998 to June 2011), MEDLINE (1996 to June 2011) and Science Direct (1998 to June 2011). The randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on duloxetine versus paroxetine for adults’ depression were collected. The quality of the included trials was assessed according to the Cochrane Handbook 5.0, and the systematic analysis was conducted by using RevMan 5.0 software. Results Six RCTs involving 1 106 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that: a) After eight-week treatment, there were no significant differences in the effective rate (RR=0.96, 95%CI 0.89 to 1.05, P=0.39) and the final cure rate (RR=0.99, 95%CI 0.86 to 1.15, P=0.93) between the duloxetine and paroxetine groups; b) Adverse reaction: The incidence rate of somnolence in the duloxetine group was lower than that of the paroxetine group (RR=0.63, 95%CI 0.41 to 0.96, P=0.03), oppositely, the incidence rate of abnormal ECG was higher in the duloxetine group (RR=1.91, 95%CI, 1.02 to 3.58, P=0.04). And the other common adverse reactions were not significantly different between the two groups (Pgt;0.05). Conclusion After eight-week treatment, there are no significant differences in the effective rate and the final cure rate between duloxetine and paroxetine. Duloxetine tends easily to induce the abnormal ECG compared with paroxetine.
Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of melatonin as an adjuvant therapy for the tumor patients receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Methods Such databases as MEDLINE (1980 to Jan. 2010), The Cochrane Library (Issue 4, 2009), WanFang Data (1980 to Jan. 2010), CBM (1980 to Jan. 2010), CNKI (1980 to Jan. 2010), ELSEVIER ScienceDirect (SDOS, 1980 to Jan. 2010), Nature (1980 to Jan. 2010) and ongoing clinical trials (www.clinicaltrials.gov and www.controlled-trials.com) were searched to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The data were extracted and the quality of the included RCTs was assessed by two reviewers. Then meta-analyses were performed by using Stata 10.1 software. Results Eight RCTs were included. The results of meta-analyses showed that melatonin significantly improved the remission rate for tumor patients (RR=1.98, 95% CI 1.52 to 2.58) and the one-year survival rate (RR=1.90, 95%CI 1.28 to 2.83), and significantly reduced the toxic effects of bone marrow suppression caused by chemotherapy or radiotherapy (RR=0.12, 95%CI 0.06 to 0.27). No reports of adverse events were associated with melatonin. Conclusion The existing evidence reveals that the melatonin, as an adjuvant therapy drug for tumor, plays a certain role in improving disease remission rate, reducing the toxicity of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and prolonging the life. It requires more high-quality RCTs for further verification because of the limitation of the included studies.
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.
Objectives To systematically review the relationship between indoor decoration and childhood leukemia in China. Methods CNKI, WanFang Data, VIP, CBM, PubMed, EMbase and The Cochrane Library databases were electronically searched to obtain case-control studies of the relationships between indoor decoration and childhood leukemia from inception to December 2016. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of included studies. Then, meta-analysis was performed by using RevMan 5.3 software. Results A total of 13 studies involving 1 727 cases and 2 468 controls were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that indoor decoration could increase the risk of childhood leukemia in China (OR=2.69, 95%CI 1.82 to 3.98, P<0.000 01). Conclusions The current evidence suggests that indoor decoration is a risk factor for childhood leukemia in Chinese. Due to limited quality and quantity of the included studies, more high-quality studies are required to verify above conclusions.