UNASSIGNED: To systematically evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of cognitive impairment in Alzheimer\'s disease (AD) by meta-analysis, in order to provide evidence-based evidence for the application of acupuncture therapy in the clinical process of AD.
UNASSIGNED: From the establishment of the database to December 31, 2022, China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), China National Knowledge Network (CNKI), VIP database, WanFang Database, Pubmed, Embase and Cochrane Library Database were systematically searched. To collect published randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTS) of acupuncture in the treatment of cognitive impairment in AD. The subjects in the intervention group were given acupuncture alone or combined with other treatments the same as the control group; the control group received conventional Western medicine treatment. The main outcome indicators of the study were cognitive function assessment of subjects, including: Simple Mental State Examination Scale (MMSE), Assessment of daily Living Ability Scale (ADL), Alzheimer\'s Disease Cognitive Function Assessment Scale (ADAS-Cog), TCM syndrome score (SDSD), Montreal Cognitive Test (MoCA), Secondary outcome indicators were the occurrence of adverse reactions. Literature screening, data extraction, and quality evaluation of the included literature were performed independently by two researchers, according to bias risk assessment tools recommended in the Cochrane manual. Data were analyzed by RevMan5.3 software. Dichotomous variables were represented by risk ratio (OR) and 95% CI, and continuity variables were represented by mean difference (MD) and 95% CI. For heterogeneity analysis, when P > 0.1 and I 2 ≤ 50%, fixed effect model was applied. When P ≤ 0.1 and I 2 > 50%, the random effects model is applied.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 1,172 eligible subjects were included in 18 RCTS, including 595 in the intervention group and 577 in the control group. The results of meta-analysis are as follows: acupuncture intervention group improved MMSE [MD = 1.67, 95% CI (0.94, 2.41), P < 0.00001], ADL [MD = -1.18, 95% CI (-3.09, 0.72), P = 0.22], ADAS-Cog [MD = 3.31, 95% CI (5.84, 0.78), P = 0.01], SDSD [MD = 2.40, 95% CI (3.53, 1.26), P < 0.0001], MoCA [MD = 4.80, 95% CI (3.74, 5.86), P = 0.04] were better than the control group. No serious adverse reactions related to acupuncture were observed in the intervention group, and the incidence and severity of adverse reactions were lower than those in the control group, with statistical significance [OR = 0.17, 95% CI (0.04, 0.67), P = 0.01].
UNASSIGNED: Existing data show that acupuncture therapy has certain advantages in improving cognitive dysfunction and improving self-care ability of patients with Alzheimer\'s disease. However, due to the small number of RCTS and cases evaluating the efficacy of acupuncture, and the possibility of measurement bias and selectivity bias in included studies, it is still unable to conduct high-intensity demonstration on its effectiveness. Further large-scale, high-quality randomized, double-blind controlled trials are needed to evaluate its efficacy.
UNASSIGNED: https://inplasy.com/inplasy-2021-12-0125/, identifier: INPLASY2021120125.

UNASSIGNED: This study aimed to systematically assess the efficacy and complications of radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFT) and percutaneous balloon compression (PBC) for treating trigeminal neuralgia (TN).
UNASSIGNED: Chinese and English studies on RFT and PBC in the treatment of TN were systematically searched using CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP, PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and until December 31, 2022. Further, the literature was strictly screened using specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. The RevMan 5.4 software was used for data processing and meta-analysis.
UNASSIGNED: Overall, 16 studies with 3,326 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis revealed that no significant difference was present between the two groups in terms of the rate of efficacy immediately after surgery, 1 month after surgery, and 3 months after surgery (odds ratio [OR] = 0.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.35-1.54, p = 0.41; OR = 0.41, 95% CI 0.13-1.32, p = 0.13; OR = 0.40, 95% CI 0.10-1.60, p = 0.20); however, at 12 months after surgery, the difference was statistically significant (OR = 0.27, 95% CI 0.10-0.75, p = 0.01). Notably, there was no significant difference in the postoperative sleep quality index between the two groups immediately after surgery and 1 month after surgery (SMD = -0.01, 95% CI -2.47 to 2.44, p = 0.99; SMD = 0.14, 95% CI -3.95 to 4.22, p = 0.95). Further, statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups in the incidence of postoperative masticatory muscle strength decline and oral herpes (OR = 0.37; 95% CI 0.21-0.63, p = 0.0003; OR = 0.25, 95% CI 0.10-0.61, p = 0.003). In addition, a statistically significant difference was found in the recurrence rate at 1-year follow-up (OR = 2.23, 95% CI 1.03-4.81, p = 0.04); however, no statistically significant differences were found in the recurrence rate at the 2-year follow-up (OR = 1.95, 95% CI 0.33-11.59, p = 0.46).
UNASSIGNED: In the treatment of TN, both RFT and PBC can achieve good short-term efficacy, and no significant differences were noted between the outcomes of the two approaches. Compared with RFT, PBC may result in a lower pain score and recurrence rate in the medium and long terms, but it is a higher incidence of cold sores, and the decrease of masticatory muscle strength is more obvious.

UNASSIGNED: Medication is commonly used to treat migraine. However, patients may experience adverse events or fail to respond to medication. In recent years, neuromodulation techniques have emerged as potential non-pharmacological therapy for migraine. This article focuses on a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (n-VNS) for migraine to determine the efficacy, safety and tolerability of n-VNS.
UNASSIGNED: We searched PUBMED, EMBASE, and Cochrane Center Register of Controlled Trials databases up to July 15, 2022. Primary outcomes were monthly reduced migraine/headache days, and pain-free rates within 2 h. Secondary outcomes were  ≥ 50% responder rate, headache intensity, monthly acute medication reduction days, and adverse events.
UNASSIGNED: Meta-analysis shows that non-invasive cervical vagus nerve stimulation (n-cVNS) significantly impacted ≥50% responder rate (OR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.1 to 2.47; p = 0.02), but had no significant effect on reducing migraine days (MD, -0.46; 95% CI, -1.21 to 0.29; p = 0.23) and headache days (MD, -0.68; 95% CI, -1.52 to 0.16; p = 0.11). In contrast, low-frequency non-invasive auricular vagus nerve stimulation (n-aVNS) was found to significantly reduce the number of migraine days (MD, -1.8; 95% CI, -3.34 to -0.26; p = 0.02) and headache intensity (SMD, -0.7; 95% CI, -1.23 to -0.17; p = 0.009), but not the number of acute medication days per month (MD, -1.1; 95% CI, -3.84 to 1.64; p = 0.43). In addition, n-cVNS was found safe and well-tolerated in most patients.
UNASSIGNED: These findings show that n-VNS is a promising method for migraine management.

UNASSIGNED: Pre-hospital first aid for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is an important way to save patients. However, there are still some disputes about the way of pre-hospital first aid. Therefore, this paper provides a Meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and prognosis of different prehospital care for AMI with left heart failure.
UNASSIGNED: By searching the published studies in the databases, the literature related to the pre-hospital first aid for patients with AMI and left heart failure was screened out. The quality of the literature was evaluated according to the Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS), and the corresponding data were extracted for meta-analysis. Meta-analysis was performed on 7 outcome indicators (clinical effect of patients after treatment, respiratory rate, heart rate, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), survival status, and incidence of complications). A funnel plot and Egger\'s test were used to test risk of bias.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 16 articles were finally included, comprising a total of 1,465 patients. The literature quality evaluation found that 8 literatures were rated as low risk of bias, and 8 literatures were rated as medium risk of bias. The meta-analysis results showed that the clinical effect of the first aid and then transportation group was better than that of the transportation and then first aid group [risk ratio (RR) =1.35, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.27 to 1.45, P<0.01]; the respiratory rate decreased [mean difference (MD) =-4.84, 95% CI: -6.50 to -3.18, P<0.01]; the heart rate decreased (MD =-11.34, 95% CI: -12.69 to -9.99, P<0.01); SBP decreased (MD =-6.00, 95% CI: -10.00 to -2.00, P<0.01); the DBP decreased (MD =-3.54, 95% CI: -4.45 to -2.64, P<0.01); the survival status of the patients improved (RR =1.29, 95% CI: 1.18 to 1.41, P<0.01); the incidence of complications was reduced (RR =0.31, 95% CI: 0.20 to 0.48, P<0.01).
UNASSIGNED: Pre-hospital first aid and then transportation can significantly improve the clinical treatment effect of patients. However, considering that the literatures included in this paper are non-randomized controlled studies and the overall quality of the included literatures is not high and the number of studies is limited, further exploration is needed.

With the development trend of an aging society, Alzheimer\'s disease (AD) has become an urgent problem in the field of medicine worldwide. Cognitive impairment in AD patients leads to a decline in the ability to perform daily living and abnormalities in behavior and personality, causing abnormal psychiatric symptoms, which seriously affect the daily life of patients. Currently, mainly drug therapy is used for AD patients in the clinic, but a large proportion of patients will experience drug efficacy not working, and even some drugs bring severe sleep disorders. Acupuncture, with its unique concept and treatment method, has been validated through a large number of experiments and proved its reliability of acupuncture in the treatment of AD. Many advances have been made in the study of the neurobiological mechanisms of acupuncture in the treatment of AD, further demonstrating the good efficacy and unique advantages of acupuncture in the treatment of AD. This review first summarizes the pathogenesis of AD and then illustrates the research progress of acupuncture in the treatment of AD, which includes the effect of acupuncture on the changes of biochemical indicators in AD in vivo and the specific mechanism of action to exert the therapeutic effect. Changes in relevant indicators of AD similarly further validate the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment. The clinical and mechanistic studies of acupuncture in the treatment of AD are intensified to fit the need for social development. It is believed that acupuncture will achieve new achievements in the treatment of AD as research progresses.

OBJECTIVE: To systematically assess the efficacy of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and bone marrow transplantation (BMT) in treating acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China VIP database, Wanfang database and China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM) were searched for case-control trials of bone marrow HSCT and peripheral HSCT (PHSCT) for treating AML. Two independent researchers extracted the data between January 2000 and May 2022. Each retrieved article was assessed according to the bias risk defined in Cochrane Handbook 5.3, and data were analyzed by meta-analysis using RevMan5.3.
RESULTS: Through computer database retrieval, 7 clinical controlled studies were included, with 1280 samples. A meta-analysis was conducted on the survival rates. The PHSCT and the BMT groups showed no noticeable difference in overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates (P>0.05). The incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and chronic GVHD in the BMT group was noticeably lower (P<0.05). The disease recurrence rate in tthe BMT group was lower (P<0.05), but no noticeable differences were found in recurrence-related mortality (P>0.05). Furthermore, there was also no noticeable difference in non-relapse-related mortality (P>0.05). Funnel charts were drawn on the basis of OS rate, DFS rate, incidences of acute GVHD and chronic GVHD, and recurrence. Afterwards publication bias analysis was carried out. Symmetry presented in the majority of the funnel charts and asymmetry was seen in a few, suggesting possible publication bias in the selected literature because of the small sample and the heterogeneity.
CONCLUSIONS: BMT can be used as an effective treatment for patients with AML, because it can reduce the recurrence rate and the incidence of complications while ensuring a curative effect, suggesting that BMT is worth popularizing in the clinic. Longer follow-up studies are needed to provide more support for the clinical application of BMT in AML patients.

BACKGROUND: At present, the pathogenesis of post-treatment Lyme disease (PTLDS) is not clear, so the treatment scheme of PTLDS, especially antibiotic treatment, is still controversial. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of antibiotics in the treatment of PTLDS using network meta-analysis (NMA).
METHODS: Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic literature search was conducted on randomized controlled trials in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and Cochrane Library (the literature was published from database inception through December 16, 2022). Using random effect model and fixed effect model. STATA17.0 software was used to evaluate the quality and heterogeneity of the included research literature.
RESULTS: The system included 4 randomized controlled trials (485 subjects). The network meta-analysis showed that ceftriaxone had better results than placebo [Mean = 0.87, 95% CI (0.02, 1.71)] and doxycycline [Mean = 1.01, 95% CI (0.03, 1.98)] in FSS scale scores. There was no statistical difference in FSS scale scores of other drugs after treatment. In terms of FSS score results, Ceftriaxone was the best intervention according to the SUCRA value of each treatment (97.7). The analysis of outcome indicators such as Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Mental-health Scale and Physical-functioning scale showed that there was no statistically significant difference between the antibiotic group and placebo group.
CONCLUSIONS: Ceftriaxone treatment may be the best choice for antibiotic treatment of PTLD, which provides useful guidance for antibiotic treatment of PTLD in the future.

Objective: To determine the therapeutic effect of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) agents for portal pulmonary hypertension (POPH). Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Background: POPH is a serious complication of end-stage liver disease with a low survival rate. Liver transplantation (LT) is an effective treatment. Due to the presence of POPH, some patients cannot undergo LT. After PAH treatment, patients with POPH can obtain good hemodynamics and cardiac function for LT, but there are no standard guidelines. Methods: Two independent researchers searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science for studies published from inception to 27 September 2022, focusing on the changes in hemodynamics and cardiac function in all patients with POPH to understand the effect of PAH treatment on the entire population of POPH patients. Among these, we specifically analyzed the changes in hemodynamics and cardiac function in moderate and severe POPH patients. After collecting the relevant data, a meta-analysis was carried out using the R program meta-package. Results: A total of 2,775 literatures were retrieved, and 24 literatures were included. The results showed that in all POPH patients (n = 1,046), the following indicators were significantly improved with PAH agents: mPAP: (MD = -9.11 mmHg, p < 0.0001); PVR: (MD = -239.33 dyn·s·cm-5, p < 0.0001); CO: (MD = 1.71 L/min, p < 0.0001); cardiac index: (MD = 0.87 L/(min·m2), p < 0.0001); 6MWD: (MD = 43.41 m, p < 0.0001). In patients with moderate to severe POPH (n = 235), the following indicators improved significantly with PAH agents: mPAP (MD = -9.63 mmHg, p < 0.0001); PVR (MD = -259.78 dyn·s·cm-5, p < 0.0001); CO (MD = 1.76 L/min, p < 0.0001); Cardiac index: (MD = 1.01 L/(min·m2), p = 0.0027); 6MWD: (MD = 61.30 m, p < 0.0001). Conclusion: The application of PAH agents can improve cardiopulmonary hemodynamics and cardiac function in patients with POPH, especially in patients with moderate to severe POPH, and the above changes are more positive. Systematic Review Registration: https://inplasy.com, identifier INPLASY202250034.

UNASSIGNED: At present, the surgical treatment of occult tethered cord syndrome (OTCS) in children is mostly two types of minimally invasive surgery: filum terminalis laxity or filum terminalectomy. The clinical efficacy and safety of minimally invasive treatment and conservative treatment are still unclear. Therefore, this study will use the advantages of systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the objectivity, and explore the effect of minimally invasive surgery on children with occult tethered cord syndrome.
UNASSIGNED: A computer search was used to search PubMed, Embase, CNKI, Wanfang Database and other literature search websites about the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of minimally invasive surgery in children with occult tethered cord syndrome and spinal lipoma. Professional journals were manually searched to avoid omissions. The search keywords were: occult myelolipoma, occult tethered cord syndrome, surgical treatment of tethered cord syndrome, occult tethered cord syndrome.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 6 relevant literatures that could be used for meta-analysis were selected. A total of 425 subjects were included in the article, of which 132 were treated conservatively and 293 were treated surgically. The heterogeneity detection test statistics of the included studies were Chi2 (Chi-squared test) =8.18, df (degree of freedom) =5, I2=39%<50%, Z=2.53, and the homogeneity of the included studies was good. The number of unimproved cases under conservative treatment was 40, accounting for 30.30%; the number of unimproved cases under surgical treatment was 33, accounting for 11.26%, and the total unimproved rate of the two groups accounted for 17.17%. The unimproved rate of the experimental group was significantly lower than that of the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.01). The results of bias analysis showed that there was no significant bias in the literature included in this study.
UNASSIGNED: Meta-analysis results confirmed that minimally invasive surgery has a significant effect on the treatment of occult children with tethered cord syndrome. However, due to the small sample size of the included literature, further evaluation of the treatment risk is required.

BACKGROUND: infarction (AMI) can be reduced by the use of sacubitril/valsartan. However, the therapeutic effects of sacubitril/valsartan in clinical settings are inconsistent. In this paper, the related research on the application of sacubitril/valsartan in AMI was comprehensively searched, in order to explore the clinical efficacy and safety of early application of sacubitril/valsartan after AMI.
METHODS: English databases, including American National Library of Medicine, Medline, and Embase, and Chinese databases, including Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, and VIP, were searched using a combination of the following search terms: AMI, acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), acute non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), sacubitril/valsartan sodium tablets, and angiotensin receptor enkephalinase inhibitors. The experimental group was given Sacubitril/Valsartan sodium tablets, while the control group was given angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers (ACEI/ARB). Cochrane Handbook 5.0 risk assessment table were used for quality assessment and bias risk assessment.
RESULTS: A total of 5 articles were included in the meta-analysis. The total incidence of adverse cardiovascular events in the sacubitril/valsartan group was significantly lower than that in the control group {relative risk (RR) =0.61 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.46, 0.82], significance testing Z=3.36, and P=0.0008}. The difference between the rehospitalization rate of the sacubitril/valsartan group and control group was statistically significant [RR =0.67 (95% CI: 0.47, 0.95), significance testing Z=2.23, and P=0.03]. The difference in low blood pressure between the sacubitril/valsartan group and the control group was statistically significant [RR =1.28 (95% CI: 1.18, 1.40), significance testing Z=5.58, and P<0.00001]. The difference in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) between the sacubitril/valsartan group and control group was statistically significant [mean difference (MD) =3.09 (95% CI: 1.69, 4.49), significance testing Z=4.33, and P<0.0001].
CONCLUSIONS: Sacubitril/valsartan was found to inhibit ventricular remodeling after AMI, improve cardiac function, and reduce the incidence of adverse cardiovascular events after myocardial infarction, the rehospitalization rate, and the mortality rate.