Objective To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the aberrant methylation of genes in stool for colorectal tumor. Methods Databases including The Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMbase, CBM, Web of Science, CNKI and WanFang Data were searched to collect the diagnostic trials on the aberrant methylation of genes in stool for colorectal tumor published from January 1990 to February 2012. QUADAS items were used to evaluate the quality of the included studies, and the meta-analysis was conducted using Meta-Disc 1.4 software. Results A total of 32 studies involving 3 951 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that, for detecting the colorectal tumor, the weighted sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), area under the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve and Q were 92% (95%CI 91% to 93%), 63% (95%CI 61% to 65%), 20.79 (95%CI 15.13 to 28.57), 0.861 9 (SE=0.020 4), and 0.792 6 (SE=0.019 8), respectively. For detecting the colorectal cancer, the weighted sensitivity, specificity and area under the curve (AUC) were 91% (95%CI 89% to 92%), 75% (95%CI 73% to 77%), and 0.900 7, respectively. For detecting the colorectal adenoma, the weighted sensitivity, specificity and AUC were 79% (95%CI 76% to 83%), 75% (95%CI 73% to 77%), and 0.845 7, respectively. Conclusion With high sensitivity (92%) and moderate specificity (63%), aberrant methylation of genes in stool can be used as an optional noninvasive method for the diagnosis of colorectal tumor.
Objective To evaluate the effectivenss of Chinese herbal retention enema in viral hepatitis patients. Methods Such databases as The Cochrane library, PubMed, EMbase, VIP, CNKI, CBM and WanFang Data were searched from the inception to December, 2011 to collect the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about Chinese herbal retention enema in treating viral hepatitis, and the references of the included literature were also retrieved. Two reviewers independently screened the literature according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted the data, and evaluated and cross-checked the methodological quality. Then meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.0 software. Results A total of 20 RCTs involving 1 735 patients were included. The subgroup analyses based on the length of intervention time showed that: a) after 2-week intervention: the overall effective rate of the Chinese herbal retention enema group was higher than that of the control group, with a significant difference (OR=3.19, 95%CI 1.87 to 5.44, Plt;0.000 1). Compared with the control group, the Chinese herbal retention enema group better promoted the recovery of liver function by more reduction of AST (MD= ?82.50, 95%CI ?145.66 to ?19.34, P=0.01), ALT (MD= ?44.78, 95%CI 65.90 to ?23.66, Plt;0.000 1) and TBIL (MD= ?37.51, 95%CI ?74.07 to ?0.95, Plt;0.0001). b) After 1-month intervention: The overall effective rate of the Chinese herbal retention enema group was higher than that of the control group, with a significant difference (OR=4.17, 95%CI 2.37 to 7.32, Plt;0.000 01). Compared with the control group, the Chinese herbal retention enema group better promoted the recovery of liver function by more reduction of AST (MD= ?17.86, 95%CI ?29.97 to ?5.76, P=0.004), ALT (MD= ?27.84, 95%CI ?42.45 to ?13.24, P=0.000 2), and TBIL (MD= ?54.15, 95%CI ?116.52 to ?8.23, P=0.09). Conclusion Chinese herbal retention enema can improve the overall effective rate for viral hepatitis patients, alleviate virus damage to liver cell and promote liver function recovery. The commonly used Chinese medicinals for enema are Radix et Rhizoma Rhei, Herba Artemisiae Capillaris, Salvia miltiorrhiza, and Radix Paeoniae Rubra.
Objective To assess the effectiveness and safety of hyperthermia combined with chemotherapy for advanced colorectal cancer. Methods Databases such as CNKI, VIP, WanFang Data, CBM, EMbase, PubMed and The Cochrane Library (Issue 3, 2012) were electronically searched from the date of their establishment to June, 2012, and the relevant literature and conference proceedings were also manually searched to include randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on comparison of chemotherapy with hyperthermia plus chemotherapy for advanced colorectal cancer. Two reviewers independently screened studies according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted data, and assessed the methodological quality of the included studies. Then the meta-analysis was performed by using RevMan 5.1 software. Results A total of 11 RCTs involving 708 patients with advanced colorectal cancer were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that: a) as for effectiveness, the chemotherapy combined with hyperthermia group was superior to the chemotherapy group in the partial improve rate (OR=1.65, 95%CI 1.39 to 1.97, Plt;0.000 01) and the total effective rate (OR=3.59, 95%CI 2.51 to 5.12, Plt;0.000 01), with significant differences; b) as for safety, the chemotherapy combined with hyperthermia group was lower than the chemotherapy group in the incidence of neurotoxicity (OR=0.50, 95%CI 0.33 to 0.75, P=0.000 8). Conclusion Compared with chemotherapy, chemotherapy combined with hyperthermia can increase partial improve rate and total effective rate and reduce the incidence of neurotoxicity. Due to the limitation of the included studies, large sample size, multicenter, high quality studies are needed to verify the above conclusion. We recommend that chemotherapy combined with hyperthermia therapy could be applied to clinic combining individual conditions of patients.
Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of enteral immunonutrition for patients with acute pancreatitis. Methods The randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about enteral immunonutrition for patients with acute pancreatitis were searched in following databases: PubMed (1966 to August 2012), MEDLINE (Ovid, 1946 to August 2012), CENTRAL (Issue 3, 2012), CBM (1978 to August 2012), CNKI (1979 August 2012), VIP (1989 to August 2012), and WanFang Data (1977 to August 2012). The relevant materials and each reference of literature were also searched manually. Two reviewers independently screened the literature according to the predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted the data and assessed the quality, and then the meta-analysis was conducted by using RevMan 5.0 software. Results A total of 6 RCTs involving 197 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that there were no significant differences between the enteral immunonutrition group and the routine enteral nutrition group in following aspects: infectious complications and mortality rate, length of stay, level of C-reactive protein and numeration of leucocyte after treatment, and APACHE II score. Conclusion At present, no evidence shows enteral immunutrition is superior to routine enteral nutrition in acute pancreatitis. For the quantity and quality limitation of the included studies, more high-quality and large-sample RCTs are required to investigate the proper ingredients and dosage of enteral immunonutrition suitable for patients with acute pancreatitis.
Objective To study the effects and adverse reaction of imatinib mesylate used to prevent the recurrence of gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) after resection. Methods 22 patients with primary gastrointestinal stromal tumor were included in the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from January, 2007 to November, 2009 who received resection and were imageologically diagnosed as no residual tumor by enhanced CT or enhanced MRI after resection. They were all given imatinib mesylate 400 mg for oral use daily after resection (median-risk GIST: more than 1 year; high-risk GIST: more than 2 years). Patients’ 1-year and 2-year relapse-free survival (RFS) and adverse reaction were recorded during follow-up. Results Among 22 patients, there were 13 males and 9 females, with median age of 57.4 years, and 9 high-risk cases were included. The median follow-up lasted 34 months (24 to 48 months). Patients’ 1-year and 2-year RFS was 100% and 94.5%, respectively. Adverse reaction mainly included edema, nausea, abdominal pain, muscle or bone pain, thrombocytopenia, weakness, skin rashes, etc., most of which were mild or moderate and could be alleviated after treating symptoms. Conclusion Imatinib mesylate therapy given after resection is a safe and reliable method which could prolong RFS and prevent or delay the recurrence of GIST. However, further high-quality randomized controlled trial was required to verify its curative effects, since no control group has been set in our study.
Objective To systematically review the effects of enteral immunonutrition (EIN) on postoperative infection and the length of hospital stay in patients with gastrointestinal cancer after surgery, in order to provide high quality evidence for the rational perioperation nutrition plan for patients with malignant gastrointestinal tumor. Methods Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in English about application of EIN vs. general treatment for gastrointestinal surgery published from Jan. 1st, 1997 to Oct. 31st 2012 were retrieved in the following databases: PubMed, Ovid, and EMbase. References of the included studies were also retrieved. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, two reviewers independently screened studies, extracted data, and evaluated the methodological quality. Then, meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.2 software. Results 19 RCTs involving 2 298 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that: there was no significant difference between the postoperative EIN group and the control group in reducing the risk of postoperative infection (OR=0.91, 95%CI 0.56 to 1.47, P=0.70); But postoperative and perioperative EIN had reduced the risk of postoperative infection with a significant difference (OR=0.57, 95%CI 0.39 to 0.82, P=0.002; OR=0.52, 95%CI 0.35 to 0.76, P=0.000 9). Additionally, the results of sensitivity analysis revealed that: no matter when EIN was used (during preoperative, postoperative, or perioperative periods), it reduced the length of postoperative hospital stay with significant differences, compared to the standard nutrition group (OR= −2.39, 95%CI −3.28 to −1.49, Plt;0.000 01; OR= −2.42, 95%CI −4.07 to −0.78, P=0.004; OR= −2.76, 95%CI −3.46 to −2.06, Plt;0.000 01). Conclusion Current evidence shows that perioperative EIN can decrease postoperative infection and reduce the length of hospital stay of patients with malignant gastrointestinal tumor. Due to the limited quantity and quality of the included studies, high quality RCTs are needed to verify the above conclusion.
Objective To evaluate the curative effectiveness and safety of transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) vs. radical surgery (RS) for the patients with rectal malignant tumor, and to provide information for clinical research and practice. Methods Through computer searching The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, OVID, CBM and CNKI from inception to April 2010, and hand searching relevant journals including Chinese Journal of Surgery and Chinese Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine, the randomized controlled trails (RCTs) and non-randomized controlled trails (NRCTs) comparing TEM with RS for rectal malignant tumor were collected. Data were extracted and evaluated by two reviewers independently according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews. Meta-analyses were conducted using the Cochrane collaboration’s software RevMan 5.0. Results One RCT and four NRCTs met the selection criteria, involving 929 patients. The methodological quality of all trials was low with possibility of bias. The meta-analyses showed that: a) Three studies reported local recurrence in T1 stage patients. There was a significant difference in local recurrence between the two groups (OR=12.61, 95%CI 2.59 to 61.29, P=0.002); b) Two studies reported disease-free survival in T1 stage patients. There was no significant difference between the two groups in disease-free survival (OR=1.12, 95%CI 0.31 to 4.12, P=0.86); c) Three studies reported overall survival in T1 stage patients. There was no significant difference between the two groups (OR=1.09, 95%CI 0.57 to 2.08, P=0.80); and d) Three studies reported postoperative complications in T1 stage patients. There was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of complications (OR=0.05, 95%CI 0.02 to 0.10, Plt;0.00001). Conclusion For T1 stage patients, TEM is associated with less injury of tissue, less operative bleeding, short duration of hospital stay, and low incidence of postoperative complications. The disease-free and overall survivals are comparable to those of RS, but the local recurrence rate is higher. The role of TEM in T2 stage patients is still under discussion. However, the trails available for this systematic review are of lower methodological quality, and bias may exist due to NRCTs. Therefore, more high quality RCTs are required.
Objective To evaluate the reliability and validity of IBS-QOL scale in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients. Methods IBS-QOL scale was applied to survey the quality of life of 123 IBS patients. The split-half and internal consistency method were used to evaluate the reliability, and with the construct method to evaluate the validity. Results The split-half reliability was 0.86. Cronbach’s α-coefficient of all domains was between 0.71 and 0.89 except body image and food avoidance; In the correlation analysis, the correlations between items and its subscale structure were above 0.60 (except interference with activity), but there were no correlations between items and other subscale structure. Eight components from factorial analysis were in accordance with theoretical structure.The cumulative contribution rate was 72.7%. Conclusions The reliability and validity of IBS-QOL scale are acceptable. It might be useful for us to assess the QOL of IBS patients in China.
Objective To explore the effect of different nutrition on the immune function of patients with colorectal cancer. Methods A total of 640 colorectal cancer patients were randomized into the enteral nutrition and peripheral nutrition groups. The peripheral venous blood was sampled before operation and on the postoperative days 1 and 7 to determine the serum levels of IgG, IgA, IgM, the percentage of T lymph cell subgroups CD3, CD4, CD4/CD8 and CRP, PGE, α- antitrypsin etc. The patient’s general condition, side-effects, and complications were observed intimately after surgery. Results Compared with the control group, the IgG, IgA, IgM, CD3, CD4,CD4/CD8 levels of the trial group on postoperative day 7 were higher. But the levels of CRP, PGE, α- antitrypsin were decreased. Hospitalization time and anal exsufflation time were shorter as well. There was no significant difference in either the general conditions or complications between the two groups. Conclusion Application of enteral nutrition after colorectal cancer surgery is safe, ,effective, and can improve the patient’s immune function and prognosis.
Objective To compare and evaluate the effectiveness and safety of irinotecan (IRI) versus oxaplatin (OXA), in combination with 5-FU/LV for patients with advanced colorectal cancer. Methods The literature search, study selection and assessment, data collection and analysis were undertaken by two reviewers according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-RCTs comparing IRI versus OXA, in combination with 5-FU/LV in the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer were collected. Results Seven studies involving 2107 patients were included. The OXA/5-FU/LV regimen was superior or at least equal to the IRI/5-FU/LV regimen in prolonging overall survival and time to progression. The OXA/5-FU/LV regimen showed a higher response rate and was associated with lower toxicities. Conclusion Compared with IRI, OXA is more appropriate for the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer when combined with 5-FU/LV.