The correlation between Trichomonas vaginalis infection and reproductive system cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Trichomonas vaginalis (T. vaginalis) is a microaerophilic protozoan parasite which is responsible for trichomoniasis, the most common non-viral sexually transmitted infection in the world. The infection greatly damages the reproductive system. However, whether T. vaginalis infection can cause reproductive system cancer remains controversial. METHODS: This study systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, Ovid and Google scholar, and 144 relevant articles were retrieved and classified into three categories: epidemiological investigations (68), reviews (30) and research articles (46). These three types of articles were verified according to their respective inclusion and exclusion criteria. Stata 16 was used to conduct a meta-analysis on the articles of epidemiological investigations for analysing the correlation between T. vaginalis infection and reproductive system cancer. RESULTS: The result of meta-analysis indicated that the rate of T. vaginalis infection in the cancer group was significantly higher than that in the non-cancer group (OR = 1.87, 95% CI 1.29-2.71, I2 = 52%). Moreover, the cancer rate of the population infected with T. vaginalis was significantly higher than that of the population without T. vaginalis infection (OR = 2.77, 95% CI 2.37-3.25, I2 = 31%). The review articles and most research articles stated that the infection of T. vaginalis could lead to cancer and the pathogenic mechanisms were as follows: T. vaginalis promoting inflammatory response, T. vaginalis infection changing the internal environment around parasitic sites and signal transduction pathway, the metabolites secreted by T. vaginalis inducing carcinogenesis and T. vaginalis increasing other pathogenic microbial infection to promote the occurrence of cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirmed that there was a correlation between the infection of T. vaginalis and reproductive system cancer, and provided some possible research directions for clarifying the carcinogenic mechanisms caused by T. vaginalis infection.

[Corrigendum] Transforming growth factor­ß1 induces fibrosis in rat meningeal mesothelial cells via the p38 signaling pathway.

Subsequently to the publication of this paper, while performing a careful re­examination of the scientific integrity of the data included in their publications, the authors have realized that they inadvertently used the incorrect western blotting images in Fig. 2B of this article, However, still having access to their original data, the authors were able to reassemble Fig. 2 correctly, and the corrected version of this figure is shown below. Note that this error did not significantly affect the results or the conclusions reported in this paper, and all the authors agree to this Corrigendum. The authors thank the Editor of Molecular Medicine Reports for granting them the opportunity to publish this corrigendum, and apologize to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [the original article was published on Molecular Medicine Reports 14: 1709­1713, 2016; DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2016.5411].

The Effects of Yoga on Patients with Parkinson's Disease: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

METHODS: A meta-analysis was conducted by systematically searching PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases till August 2020 for studies published in English. The reference lists of eligible studies were also searched. The motor symptoms (UPDRS-Part III), balance function (BBS and BESTest), functional mobility (TUG), anxiety (HADS and BAI), depression (HADS and BDI), and the quality of life (PDQ-39 and PDQ-8) were the primary evaluation indexes. RESULTS: Ten studies including 359 participants were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled results showed significant difference between the yoga training group and the control group. Patients in the yoga training group had better functional outcomes in terms of motor status (MD = -5.64; 95% CI, -8.57 to -2.7), balance function (SMD = 0.42; 95% CI, 0.08 to 0.77), functional mobility (MD = -1.71; 95% CI, -2.58 to -0.84), anxiety scale scores (SMD = -0.72; 95% CI, -1.01 to -0.43), depression scale scores (SMD = -0.92; 95% CI, -1.22 to -0.62), and QoL (SMD = -0.54; 95% CI, -0.97 to -0.11). CONCLUSION: Our pooled results showed the benefits of yoga in improving motor function, balance, functional mobility, reducing anxiety and depression, and increasing QoL in PD patients.

Direct admission versus secondary transfer for acute ischemic stroke patients treated with thrombectomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Randomized controlled trials have demonstrated that mechanical thrombectomy (MT) could provide more benefit than standard medical care for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients due to emergent large vessel occlusion. However, most primary stroke centers (PSCs) are unable to perform MT, and MT can only be performed in comprehensive stroke centers (CSCs) with on-site interventional neuroradiologic services. Therefore, there is an ongoing debate regarding whether patients with suspected AIS should be directly admitted to CSCs or secondarily transferred to CSCs from PSCs. This meta-analysis was aimed to investigate the two transportation paradigms of direct admission and secondary transfer, which one could provide more benefit for AIS patients treated with MT. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis through searching PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library database up to March 2020. Primary outcomes are as follows: symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) within 7 days; favorable functional outcome at 3 months; mortality in hospital; mortality at 3 months; and successful recanalization rate. RESULTS: Our pooled results showed that patients directly admitted to CSCs had higher chances of achieving a favorable functional outcome at 3 months than those secondarily transferred to CSCs (OR = 1.26; 95% CI, 1.12-1.42; P < 0.001). In addition, no significant difference was found between the two transportation paradigms in the rate of sICH (OR = 0.86; 95% CI, 0.62-1.18; P = 0.35), mortality in hospital (OR = 0.84; 95% CI, 0.51-1.39; P = 0.51), mortality at 3 months (OR = 1.01; 95% CI, 0.85-1.21; P = 0.91), and successful recanalization (OR = 1.03; 95% CI, 0.88-1.20; P = 0.74). However, in the 100% bridging thrombolysis usage rate subgroup, our subgroup analysis indicated that no difference was found in any outcome between the two transportation paradigms. CONCLUSION: Patients with AIS directly admitted to CSCs for MT may be a feasible transportation paradigm for AIS patients. However, more large-scale randomized prospective trials are required to further investigate this issue.

Risk Factors for the Occurrence of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background and Purpose: The lifetime prevalence of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is high, especially in the elderly. Patients with BPPV are more susceptible to ischemic stroke, dementia, and fractures, severely reducing quality of life of patients. Many studies have analyzed risk factors for the occurrence of BPPV. However, the results of these studies are not identical. We performed this meta-analysis to determine potential risk factors associated with the occurrence of BPPV. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library (January 2000 through March 2020) were systematically searched for eligible studies analyzing risk factors for the occurrence of BPPV. Reference lists of eligible studies were also reviewed. We selected observational studies in English with a control group and sufficient data. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) or the mean differences (MDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to measure the impacts of all potential risk factors. Heterogeneity among studies was evaluated using the Q-test and I 2 statistics. We used the random-effect model or the fixed-effect model according to the heterogeneity among the included studies. Results: We eventually included 19 studies published between 2006 and 2019, including 2,618 patients with BPPV and 11,668 participants without BPPV in total. In this meta-analysis, the occurrence of BPPV was significantly associated with female gender (OR = 1.18; 95% CI, 1.05-1.32; P = 0.004), serum vitamin D level (MD = -2.12; 95% CI, -3.85 to -0.38; P = 0.02), osteoporosis (OR = 2.49; 95% CI, 1.39-4.46; P = 0.002), migraine (OR = 4.40; 95% CI, 2.67-7.25; P < 0.00001), head trauma (OR = 3.42; 95% CI, 1.21-9.70; P = 0.02), and total cholesterol level (MD = 0.32; 95% CI, 0.02-0.62; P = 0.03). Conclusion: Female gender, vitamin D deficiency, osteoporosis, migraine, head trauma, and high TC level were risk factors for the occurrence of BPPV. However, the effects of other risk factors on BPPV occurrence need further investigations.

Intracerebral Hemorrhage Induced Brain Injury Is Mediated by the Interleukin-12 Receptor in Rats.

BACKGROUND: IL-12 inhibition of the endothelial cell functions and angiogenesis is mediated by the cross-talk between the lymphocyte and the endothelial cells, which plays a key role in inhibiting the process of angiogenesis in the eyeballs and in malignant tumors. METHODS: We established the intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) rat model, and IL-12 receptor beta monoclonal antibody was injected into the ICH rats. Western blot, immunofluorescence and RT-qPCR were used to detect the gene expression. Brain water content, EB staining, Garcia test, Beam walking test and wire hanging test were used to assess the injury of brain in ICH rats. RESULTS: IL-12 gene was significantly increase in hematoma border tissue of ICH rats, and IL-12 protein mainly localized in monocytes. Anti-IL-12 treatment with IL-12 monoclonal antibodies could not only significantly decrease the brain water content and EB content in brain tissues of ICH rats, but also significantly increase the score of the Garcia, Beam balance and the Wire hanging test in ICH rats. Moreover, anti-IL-12 treatment significantly decrease the expression of pro-inflammatory gene, inflammatory gene, p-JAK2/JAK2 and p-STAT4/STAT4 protein, but significantly increase the expression anti-inflammatory gene and CD31 protein, and M2 macrophage ratio in hematoma border tissues of ICH rats. In vitro, rmIL-12 inhibited the tube formation of brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMVES) in BMVES and bone marrow-derived monocytes (BMDM) co-culture systems, but not work in a separately cultured BMVES system. In addition, Fedratinib not only reduced p-JAK2/JAK2 and p-STAT4/STAT4 protein expression in BMDM after treating with b-FGF and rmIL-12, but also significantly increased the tube formation of BMVES in BMVES and BMDM co-culture systems after treating with b-FGF and rmIL-12. CONCLUSION: Blockade of IL-12 receptor attenuated brain injury after ICH in rat by promoting angiogenesis, and the mechanism might be related to blocking IL-12 could inhibit M2 cell activation via the JAK2/STAT4 pathway.

The Safety and Efficacy of Mechanical Thrombectomy in Posterior VS. Anterior Emergent Large Vessel Occlusion: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Currently, mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for emergent large-vessel occlusion (ELVO) has been widely used in the clinic. However, the question about whether MT provides the same benefits between posterior circulation emergent large vessel occlusion (pc-ELVO) and anterior emergent large vessel occlusion (ac-ELVO) remains unclear. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 11 studies published between 2011 and 2019 through searching the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library. Major clinical outcomes include: (1) favorable functional outcome at 90 days; (2) symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH); (3) mortality and; (4) successful recanalization rate. RESULTS: Eleven of 4637 studies met our pre-established inclusion criterion, comprising 4619 patients. In primary analysis, MT in patients with pc-ELVO in comparison to patients with ac-ELVO had a lower likelihood of sICH (odds ratio [OR] = .48; [95% confidence interval (CI), .26-.88]; P = .02) but a higher likelihood of mortality (OR = 1.98; [95% CI, 1.37-2.87]; P = .0003). The pooled evidence indicated that patients with pc-ELVO had worse functional outcome than patients with ac-ELVO in the large sample size group (OR = .79; [95% CI, .63-.98]; P = .03). In addition, no statistical significance was found in the outcome of successful recanalization rate (OR = 1.12; [95% CI, .88-1.42]; P = .35). CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that patients with pc-ELVO receiving MT reduced the risk of sICH but seemed to be associated with poor prognosis.

Association between PDE4D polymorphism and ischemic stroke in young population.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between the polymorphisms of the phosphodiesterase (PDE) 4D gene (SNP83 and SNP87) and the risk of ischemic stroke (IS) in Chinese young population. METHODS: This study included 393 patients who were divided into IS group and non-IS group. Semiconductor high-throughput sequencing technology and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed. RESULTS: In the case group, the frequency of CC genotype and C allele of the SNP83 gene was significantly higher than that in the control group. There was no significant difference in genotype frequency distribution of SNP87 between the two groups. CONCLUSION: We found an association between SNP83 and the risk of IS in Chinese young population from northern Henan province. There was not a significant association between SNP87 and IS in Chinese young population.

Mechanical Thrombectomy for Acute Ischemic Stroke in Octogenarians: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background and purpose: Multiple randomized trials have confirmed that mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is an effective treatment method for patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). However, evidence on the safety and efficacy of MT in elderly patients compared with younger patients is controversial. This meta-analysis is aimed to systematically compare the outcomes of elderly patients and younger patients after MT for AIS. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted through the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library database. The primary outcomes were favorable functional outcome at 90 days and mortality. The secondary outcomes were symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) and successful recanalization rate. Odds ratios (ORs) were estimated using a random effects model. Results: Sixteen studies published between 2014 and 2019 were included in this meta-analysis totally involving 3,954 patients. The pooled results showed that patients aged ≥80 years had worse functional outcome (OR = 0.40; 95% CI, 0.32-0.50; P < 0.001) and higher rates of mortality (OR = 2.26; 95% CI, 1.73-2.95; P < 0.001). There was a trend of higher rates of sICH in patients aged ≥80 years compared with patients aged <80 years, whereas this did not reach statistical significance (OR = 1.28; 95% CI, 0.89-1.84; P = 0.18). Furthermore, the frequency of successful recanalization was also lower in patients aged ≥80 years compared with patients aged <80 years (OR = 0.72; 95% CI, 0.55-0.95; P = 0.02). The subgroup analysis indicated that in comparison with those studies published between 2014 and 2016, elderly patients undergoing MT had better outcomes in studies published between 2017 and 2019. Conclusion: Elderly patients undergoing MT had higher risk of mortality and worse functional outcome. Meanwhile, there was a trend toward higher rates of sICH and lower probability of achieving successful recanalization in elderly patients. These findings emphasize the need for improving the rates of successful recanalization in elderly patients with AIS. In addition, advanced technology of endovascular intervention and peri-interventional management might be associated with the prognosis in elderly patients. However, more prospective or randomized studies should be conducted to further explore this issue.

Overweight and Obesity in Young Adulthood and the Risk of Stroke: a Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: A systematic review assessing the association between overweight and obesity in young adulthood and stroke risk is lacking. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the association between overweight and obesity in young adulthood and stroke risk. METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed and Embase databases for related studies of human subjects in the English language. Two investigators independently selected original studies in a 2-step process. Fixed- and random-effects models were used to calculate pooled relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Subgroup analyses were also performed. RESULTS: Eight studies met the inclusion criteria. The pooled adjusted RR of stroke was 1.36 (95% CI: 1.28-1.44) for overweight in young adulthood and 1.81 (95% CI: 1.45-2.25) for obesity in young adulthood. In subgroup analyses, overweight and obesity in young adulthood increased the risk of stroke in most groups, except for the group of stroke subtype. For ischemic stroke, the adjusted RR was 1.40 (95% CI: 1.24-1.58) for overweight in young adulthood and 1.78 (95% CI: 1.003-3.16) for obesity in young adulthood, whereas adjusted RR for hemorrhagic stroke was 1.25 (95% CI: .83-1.90) for overweight in young adulthood and 1.80 (95% CI: .97-3.35) for obesity in young adulthood. CONCLUSIONS: Overweight and obesity in young adulthood are associated with an increased risk of stroke, probably, independent of other cardiovascular risk factors. The risk effect gradually increases with increasing body weight.

Transforming growth factor-ß1 induces fibrosis in rat meningeal mesothelial cells via the p38 signaling pathway.

Leptomeningeal fibrosis is important in the pathogenesis of communicating hydrocephalus following subarachnoid hemorrhage; however, the underlying mechanisms of leptomeningeal fibrosis remain largely unclear. In the present study, primary meningeal mesothelial cells (MMCs) were used as a cell model to investigate the effect of transforming growth factor­ß1 (TGF­ß1) on leptomeningeal fibrosis. Firstly, primary MMCs were isolated from rat brains and characterized by immunofluorescene, staining positive for keratin and vimentin, but negative for factor VIII. Upon TGF­ß1 treatment, MMCs were induced to express connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), an indicator of fibrosis, in a dose­dependent manner. Furthermore, p38 mitogen­activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling was significantly activated by TGF­ß1. However, in the presence of a p38 MAPK inhibitor, TGF­ß1­induced CTGF expression was markedly suppressed. Together, these data suggest that TGF­ß1 could induce fibrosis of MMCs via the p38 MAPK signaling pathway, providing a novel potential target for intervention in TGF­ß1­induced leptomeningeal fibrosis.

Risk of Parkinson Disease in Diabetes Mellitus: An Updated Meta-Analysis of Population-Based Cohort Studies.

Previous meta-analysis has identified the associations between diabetes mellitus (DM) and the risk of Parkinson disease (PD). However, the results are still debatable. The purpose of this study is to perform an updated meta-analysis to investigate the up-to-date pooling evidence based on published population-based cohort studies and assess the association between DM and the risk of PD.Electronic database including Pubmed and Embase were searched to identify cohort studies published before October, 2015. Studies were selected if they reported the risk estimates for PD associated with DM. We pooled the adjusted effect estimates using random-effects meta-analysis. Funnel plot, Begg, or Egger test as well as Duval and Tweedie trim-and-fill approach were applied to assess publication bias.A total of 7 population-based cohort studies, representing 1,761,632 individuals were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled adjusted relative risk (RR) of PD associated with DM was 1.38 (95% CI 1.18-1.62, P < 0.001). An effect was consistent in female (RR 1.50 95% CI 1.07-2.11, P = 0.019) and in male (RR 1.40, 95% CI 1.17-1.67). The association was similar when stratified by study quality, research region, study design, sample size, published year, diabetes duration, and baseline age. The trim-and-fill approach confirmed the robutness of the result (RR 1.31, 95% CI 1.09-1.57, P = 0.015).Our findings based on population-based cohort studies indicate that diabetes is associated with increased PD risk by about 38%. More large-scale prospective studies are warranted to further clarify this association and its mechanism.