Correlation between the existence of serum autoantibodies and the risk of endometriosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Endometriosis is a common condition among women and can cause complications such as abdominal pain, dysmenorrhea, and infertility. One of the potential causes of this disease is autoimmunity. However, evidence regarding the role of autoimmunity is conflicting and inconclusive. The aim of this study was to investigate whether autoantibodies, a sign of autoimmunity, are present in people suffering from endometriosis. Relevant studies up to April 14, 2023 were identified by systematically searching Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Google Scholar. This meta-analysis includes all qualified case-control studies of human populations that analyzed the association between serum autoantibodies and endometriosis. The odd ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. In addition, heterogeneity and publication bias were examined, and subgroup analyses were performed based on region and target antigens. Forty-one studies were included, comparing 2,825 endometriosis patients with 4,158 healthy controls. The meta-analysis findings indicated a significant association between the presence of autoantibodies in the serum and an increased susceptibility to endometriosis (odds ratio: 4.242, confidence interval 95%: 3.824-4.706, p<0.001). In addition, there was a significant correlation between the presence of endometriosis and serum levels of anti-nuclear antibodies, B2 glycoprotein 1, CA125, carbonic anhydrase 1, cardiolipin, endometrial, laminin-1, smooth muscle, and syntaxin autoantibodies. Upon further analysis, it was found that the serum levels of these autoantibodies were higher in patients with endometriosis from North America than in those from other regions (p=0.001). The study revealed a significant correlation between serum autoantibodies and susceptibility to endometriosis, highlighting autoimmunity as a potential cause.

Effects of bazedoxifene on endometriosis in experimental animal models: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Endometriosis is a prevalent condition in women that causes pelvic pain and fertility issues due to the growth of endometrial tissue outside the uterus during menstrual cycles. Steroid hormones play a crucial role in the development and growth of endometriosis lesions; therefore, researchers have investigated several effective drugs that target hormones for treating this disease. One such drug is bazedoxifene, but despite several animal studies, there has yet to be a comprehensive evaluation of their combined results. A systematic search was conducted across several databases (Embase, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Sciences) to identify studies investigating the effectiveness of bazedoxifene in animal models of endometriosis. Meta-analysis was performed using the size of endometriosis implants before and after drug administration in the case and control groups, along with the p-value of the associations. Begg's and Egger's tests were used to assess publication bias. This study included four eligible studies consisting of 45 endometrial animal models and 35 control subjects. The meta-analysis showed that bazedoxifene significantly reduced the size of endometriosis implants in animal models compared with the control group (odds ratio: 0.122, 95% confidence interval: 0.050-0.298, p<0.001). Detailed investigation determined that there was no significant heterogeneity between the studies (I2=38.81, and p-value of the Q test=0.179). However, according to Egger's test, the study showed publication bias (p=0.035). This study found that bazedoxifene is a promising treatment option for endometriosis in animal models. However, more research on animals and humans is required to confirm these results.

Individual effects of GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms on the risk of polycystic ovarian syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

This study aimed to understand the relationship between two specific genetic variations (GSTT1 and GSTM1 polymorphisms) and the risk of developing polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is a common endocrinologic disorder that affects women. Oxidative stress may play a significant role in the development of PCOS. Certain enzymes, such as glutathione S-transferases, help protect cells against oxidative stress. However, previous research on the correlation between these specific genetic variations and PCOS risk has produced inconsistent findings. To address this, a meta-analysis was conducted to examine the potential impact of these genetic variations on PCOS. We conducted a thorough search of the Embase, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases to find studies that met our criteria. We used fixed-effects or random-effects models to determine the pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of the GSTT1 and GSTM1 polymorphisms related to PCOS. We also performed subgroup analyses based on ethnicity, mean age of participants, and PCOS diagnostic protocols. After screening, we found five studies with 1.607 participants (872 in the PCOS group and 735 in the control group) to be suitable for our meta-analysis. Our analysis showed that GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotypes were not linked to an increased risk of PCOS (OR: 0.925, 95% CI: 0.755-1.134; OR: 1.175, 95% CI: 0.614-2.247 respectively). Additionally, both Begg's and Egger's tests revealed no publishing bias. This meta-analysis confirmed that there is no association between GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms and an increased risk of PCOS. However, further studies are required to validate this conclusion.

Interleukin-10 Gene Promoter Polymorphisms and Susceptibility to Asthma: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Several studies have previously assessed the association between interleukin (IL)-10 gene polymorphisms and the risk of asthma, leading to conflicting results. To resolve the incongruent outcomes yielded from different single studies, we conducted the most up-to-date meta-analysis of the IL-10 gene rs1800896, rs1800871, and rs1800872 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and susceptibility to asthma. A systematic literature search performed until April 2020, and the pooled odds ratio (OR) and their corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated to determine the association strength. Thirty articles comprising 5678 asthmatic patients and 6079 controls met the inclusion criteria. No significant association was found between rs1800872 SNP and susceptibility to asthma across all genetic models in the overall and subgroup analyses. The rs1800871 SNP had only significant association with a decreased risk of asthma in Europeans (OR 0.66, CI 0.53-0.82, P < 0.001). However, rs1800896 SNP was significantly associated with a decreased risk of asthma by dominant (OR 0.67, CI 0.50-0.90, P < 0.001) and heterozygote (OR 0.66, CI 0.49-0.88, P < 0.001) models in the overall analysis. Subgroup analyses indicated significant association of rs1800896 SNP by dominant (OR 0.45, CI 0.28-0.72, P < 0.001) and heterozygote (OR 0.43, CI 0.26-0.70, P < 0.001) models in the African population. The IL-10 rs1800896 SNP confers protection against the risk of asthma, especially in Africans. Additionally, rs1800871 SNP has a protective role against asthma in Europeans.

Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms and the risk of the type 1 diabetes: a meta-regression and updated meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The association between the polymorphisms in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene and the risk of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) has been evaluated in several studies. However, the findings were inconclusive. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis to comprehensively evaluate the effect of VDR gene polymorphisms on the risk of T1DM. METHODS: All relevant studies reporting the association between VDR gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to T1DM published up to May 2020 were identified by comprehensive systematic database search in ISI Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed/MEDLINE. Strength of association were assessed by calculating of pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The methodological quality of each study was assessed according to the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. To find the potential sources of heterogeneity, meta-regression and subgroup analysis were also performed. RESULTS: A total of 39 case-control studies were included in this meta-analysis. The results of overall population rejected any significant association between VDR gene polymorphisms and T1DM risk. However, the pooled results of subgroup analysis revealed significant negative and positive associations between FokI and BsmI polymorphisms and T1DM in Africans and Americans, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis suggested a significant association between VDR gene polymorphism and T1DM susceptibility in ethnic-specific analysis.

Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphism and susceptibility to asthma: Meta-analysis based on 17 case-control studies.

BACKGROUND: During the last decade, several studies have evaluated the potential association between vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphism and susceptibility to asthma. In spite of valuable findings, the results are still contradictory. Therefore, a comprehensive meta-analysis not only solves discrepancies but provides a clue for future projects. OBJECTIVE: This meta-analysis was performed to identify whether VDR gene polymorphisms (FokI (rs2228570) or TaqI (rs731236) or BsmI (rs1544410) or ApaI (rs7975232)) play a role in the risk of asthma. METHODS: Electronic search of Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed databases were systematically conducted from their inception until June 2019, to identify all published studies. Eligibility of the studies was confirmed by precise inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the resultant studies were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 17 studies concerning VDR gene polymorphisms and asthma risk were included in this meta-analysis. The results of pooled analysis indicated a statistically significant association between FokI SNP (dominant model [OR = 0.78, 95% CI, 0.62-0.98, random effect model] and allelic model [OR = 0.81, 95% CI, 0.67-0.98, random effect model]) and TaqI SNP (homozygote contract model [OR = 0.70, 95% CI, 0.54-0.89]) with asthma risk. Moreover, subgroup analysis showed that ethnicity influences asthma risk in Asian, African, and American populations. The sensitivity analyses confirmed the stability of the results. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis suggests that VDR gene polymorphism is associated with the risk of asthma.