ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Currently, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to remain in the pandemic stage, leading to severe challenges in the global public healthcare system. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods have played an important role in the diagnosis of COVID-19 and the structural evaluation of the affected organs. Reviewing and summarizing the application of MRI has significant clinical implications for COVID-19. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to analyze literature related to the application of MRI in COVID-19 using bibliometric tools, to explore the research status, hotspots, and developmental trends in this field, and to provide a reference for the application of MRI in the clinical diagnosis and evaluation of COVID-19. METHODS: We used the Web of Science Core Collection database to search and collect relevant literature on the use of MRI in COVID-19. The authors, institutes, countries, journals, and keyword modules of the bibliometric analysis software CiteSpace and VOSviewer were used to analyze and plot the network map. RESULTS: A total of 1506 relevant articles were shortlisted through the search; the earliest study was published in 2019, showing an overall upward trend every year. The research was mainly presented as published articles. Clinical neurology was found to be the primary discipline. The United States had the highest publication volume and influence in this field. Countries around the world cooperated more closely. The Cureus Journal of Medical Science was the main periodical to publish articles. Institutes, such as Harvard Medical School, Mayo Clinic, and Massachusetts General Hospital, have published a large number of papers. Some of the high-frequency keywords were "COVID-19", "SARS-CoV-2", "magnetic resonance", "myocarditis", and "cardiac magnetic resonance imaging". The keyword clustering study showed that the current research mainly focuses on five "hot" directions. CONCLUSION: There is a need to strengthen cross-teamwork and multidisciplinary collaboration in the future to completely explore the positive role of MRI in COVID-19 and to discover breakthroughs for the challenges in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate acupuncture's clinical effect on insulin resistance (IR) in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Methods: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase databases, and Chinese databases, including China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Technology Journal Database, and Wanfang Database, were searched without language restrictions from inception to December 20, 2021. Only RCTs in which acupuncture had been examined as the sole or adjunctive PCOS-IR treatment were included. Our primary endpoint was the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). The secondary outcomes were fasting blood glucose (FBG), fasting insulin (FINS), body mass index (BMI), and adverse events. Results: Our analysis included 17 eligible RCTs (N = 1511 participants). Compared with other treatments, acupuncture therapy yielded a greater mean reduction in HOMA-IR (MD = -0.15; 95% CI, -0.27 to -0.03; P = 0.01) and BMI (MD = -1.47; 95% CI, -2.46 to -0.47; P = 0.004). Besides acupuncture was associated with a lower risk of adverse events than other treatments (RR, 0.15; 95% CI, 0.10 to 0.22; P < 0.01). Additionally, the combination treatment of acupuncture and medicine is more effective in improving HOMA-IR (MD = -0.91; 95% CI, -1.11 to -0.71; P < 0.01), FBG (MD = -0.30; 95% CI, -0.56 to -0.04; P = 0.02), FINS (MD = -2.33; 95% CI, -2.60 to -2.06; P < 0.01) and BMI (MD = -1.63; 95% CI, -1.94 to -1.33; P < 0.01) than medicine alone. Conclusions: Acupuncture is relatively effective in improving HOMA-IR and BMI in PCOS-IR. Besides, it's safer than other treatments and could be an adjuvant strategy for improving PCOS-IR. Further large-scale, long-term RCTs with strict methodological standards are justified.
ABSTRACT
AIM:To investigate the predictors for recurrence or metastasis of HCC, and to evaluate the effect of antiangiogenic therapy on the growth of transplantable human HCC in nude mice.METHODS:RT-PCR was used to measure the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in 56 pairs of nontumorous liver and tumor samples. Sixty blood samples from human HCC were examined by nested RT-PCR to find out AFP mRNA. Recombinant human endostatin and polyclonal antibody against VEGF were administered to treat human HCC transplanted in nude mice.RESULTS:Thirty of 56 HCC samples showed stronger expression of MMP9 in tumorous tissues than in nontumorous tissues. Fifteen of the 26 patients with relative expression level of MMP-9 more than 0.34 developed tumor recurrence or metastasis, whereas only 7 of 30 patients with relative expression level less than 0.34 developed tumor recurrence (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the relative expression level of VEGF between patients with postoperative recurrence or metastasis and those without recurrence. AFP mRNA was detectable in 53.3% of patients with HCC. The sensitivity and specificity of AFP mRNA as a marker to detect hematogenous dissemination of HCC cells was 81.8% and 84.4%, respectively. Recombinant human endostatin and polyclonal antibody against VEGF inhibited the growth of transplantable HCC in nude mice by 52.2% and 45.7%, respectively.CONCLUSION: MMP-9 expression in HCC correlates with the postoperative recurrence or metastasis of HCC. Patients with high level of MMP-9 expression in HCC are susceptible to metastasis.AFP mRNA could serve as an indicator of hematogenous spreading of HCC cells in circulation and a predictor of recurrence or metastasis of HCC. Antiangiogenesis may be an adjuvant therapy for HCC.
