Network meta-analysis (NMA) is a method that can compare and rank the effects of different interventions, which plays an important role in evidence translation and evidence-based decision-making. In 2014, the GRADE working group first introduced the GRADE method for NMA evidence certainty grading. Since then, its method system has been gradually supplemented and improved. In recent years, the GRADE working group has further improved the methods for evaluating intransitivity and imprecision in NMA, and has made recommendations for the presentation and interpretation of NMA results, forming a complete methodological chain of NMA evidence certainty grading and result interpretation consisting of 6 steps. Our team updated the method system of GRADE applied in NMA with specific cases to provide references for relevant researchers.
Objective To systematically review the efficacy of different exercises on inflammatory cytokines in individuals with overweight or obesity. Methods The CNKI, WanFang Data, VIP, PubMed, EBSCO, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Embase databases were electronically searched to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the efficacy of exercise on inflammatory cytokines in individuals with overweight or obesity from January, 2000 to April, 2021. Two reviewers independently screened the literature, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias of the included studies. The network meta-analysis was then performed using Stata 16.0 software. Results A total of 63 RCTs were included, 49 of which reported the changes in IL-6, 47 of which reported the changes in TNF-α, and 16 of which reported the changes in IL-10. The results of the network meta-analysis found that compared with those in the control group, aerobic exercise (AE) (SMD=−0.9, 95%CI −1.4 to −0.5, P<0.01) and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) (SMD=−1.3, 95%CI −2.3 to −0.3, P=0.011) significantly reduced IL-6. AE (SMD=−1.3, 95%CI −1.7 to −0.9, P<0.01), combined exercise (COM) (SMD=−0.7, 95%CI −1.3 to −0.1, P=0.02), and HIIT (SMD=−1.8, 95%CI −2.6 to −0.9, P<0.01) significantly reduced TNF-α; AE (SMD=0.8, 95%CI 0.1 to 1.5, P=0.03) significantly increased IL-10. The cumulative probability ranking results showed that HIIT was the most effective in reducing IL-6 and TNF-α and increasing IL-10, followed by AE and COM, and resistance training (RT) was the least effective. Conclusion Different exercise types have different effects on improving inflammation in individuals with overweight or obesity. HIIT can be suggested as the best exercise program to improve chronic inflammation in individuals with overweight or obesity. Due to the limited quantity and quality of the included studies, more high-quality studies are needed to verify the above conclusion.
Objective To systematically review the efficacy and safety of different SGLT2 inhibitors in the treatment of heart failure. Methods The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PubMed and EMbase databases were searched for randomized controlled trials on the efficacy and safety of SGLT2 inhibitors in patients with heart failure from inception to July 2, 2021. Two researchers independently screened literature, extracted data and evaluated the risk of bias of the included studies. Network meta-analysis was then performed using Stata 16.0 software. Results A total of 16 randomized controlled trials, including 15 312 patients, involving 5 interventions, namely dapagliflozin, empagliflozin, canagliflozin, sotagliflozin and ertugliflozin were included. Results of network meta-analysis showed that there was no significant difference in the compound outcome of hospitalization for heart failure or cardiovascular death, hospitalization for heart failure, all-cause mortality, risk of cardiovascular mortality and serious adverse reactions among patients with heart failure among 5 different SGLT2 inhibitors (P>0.05). Compared with placebo, both selective and non-selective SGLT2 inhibitors improved the risk of hospitalization for heart failure, hospitalization for heart failure, or compound cardiovascular mortality (P<0.05), while only selective SGLT2 inhibitors improved the risk of cardiovascular mortality, all-cause mortality, and serious adverse events (P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference between them (P>0.05). The area under the cumulative ordering probability curve of selective and non-selective SGLT2 inhibitors ranked first and second, except for the combined outcome of heart failure or cardiovascular death. Conclusion The current evidence indicates that there is no significant difference in the efficacy and safety of the 5 different SGLT2 inhibitors in the treatment of heart failure, and there is no significant difference between selective SGLT2 inhibitors and non-selective SGLT2 inhibitors. Due to the limited quantity and quality of included studies, more high-quality studies are needed to verify the above conclusion.
The summary of finding (SoF) table for network meta-analysis (NMA) was developed by the GRADE working group to facilitate and consolidate understanding NMA findings and GRADE certainty of evidence. This paper introduces the development process, the structure of NMA-SoF and limitations. A NMA publication was presented as an example to comprehensively illustrate the application of the NMA-SoF table.
ObjectiveTo systematically review the efficacy and safety of second-line medications for status epilepticus (SE). MethodsThe Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMbase, CNKI, CBM, and WanFang Data databases were electronically searched to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of second-line medications for SE from inception to May, 2021. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias of included studies. Network meta-analysis was then performed using Stata 15.1 software and R 4.1.0 software. ResultsA total of 23 RCTs were included and 4 regimens were involved: levetiracetam (LEV), phenytoin/fosphenytoin (PHT), valproate (VPA), and phenobarbital (PHB). The results of network meta-analysis showed SE control rate validity sorting to be PHB>LEV>VPA>PHT, the epilepsy recurrence rate in 24 hour validity sorting to be VPA>PHB>LEV>PHT, those requiring further antiepileptic drug treatment rate validity sorting to be LEV>PHT>VPA, and drug safety security sorting to be VPA>LEV>PHT>PHB. Subgroup analysis showed PHB was optimal for SE control in children and adults, VPA had the optimal effect on other efficacy indicators in children, LEV was the safest in children and elderly patients, and VPA was the safest in adults. ConclusionsCurrent evidence suggests that PHB is the optimal for SE control, however, the safety is unsatisfactory; VPA and LEV have their own advantages in the treatment of SE, and their safety is satisfactory. VPA is recommended for adult patients, and LEV is recommended for children and elderly patients.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the diagnostic performance of different screening tools for sarcopenia in the community for the elderly with sarcopenia, and to provide evidence-based support for the accurate screening of elderly patients with sarcopenia. MethodsThe PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, CINAHL, VIP, CBM, and WanFang Data databases were searched by computer, and the relevant research on the diagnosis of sarcopenia in the elderly by publicly published risk screening tools was found. The retrieval time was from inception to June 2023. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted data, and evaluated the quality of the included studies, and then data analysis was performed by using Stata 15.1 and Meta Disc 1.4 software. ResultsA total of 24 studies were included, including 10 961 patients, involving 8 risk screening tools for sarcopenia in the elderly: leg circumference, MSRA-5, MSRA-7, upper arm circumference, ring test, Ishii score, SARC-CalF and SARC-F. Meta-analysis showed that the combined sensitivities of eight screening tools were 0.84 (95% CI 0.61 to 1.15), 0.82 (95% CI 0.48 to 1.38), 0.80 (95% CI 0.47 to 1.36) and 0.72 (95%CI 0.33 to 1.55), 0.67 (95%CI 0.37 to 1.21), 0.63 (95%CI 0.33 to 1.19), 0.49 (95%CI 0.38 to 0.63), 0.24 (95%CI 0.18 to 0.30), and the combined specificities were 0.39 (95%CI 0.18 to 0.82)、0.52 (95%CI 0.29 to 0.93)、0.54 (95%CI 0.29 to 1.03)、0.62 (95%CI 0.49 to 0.79)、0.63 (95%CI 0.50 to 0.78).The results of reticular meta-analysis showed that the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) of the eight screening tools ranked from high to low according to the cumulative sensitivity: calf circumference (67.4%) > MSRA-5 (65.3%) > MSRA-7 (64.1%) > upper arm circumference (54.5%) > ring test (46.5%) > Ishii score. The values of specificity SUCRA from highest to lowest were as follows: SARC-F (72.2%) > SARC-CALF (71.3%) > Ishii score (60.2%) > ring test (57.1%) > upper arm circumference (40.1%) > lower leg circumference (36.2%) > MSRA-5. ConclusionThe simple screening tool for common sarcopenia has high sensitivity and high specificity, so medical staff can give priority to the combination of the two screening tools, namely SARC-CalF. Due to the limited quantity and quality of the included studies, more high-quality studies are needed to verify the above conclusion.
Objective To systematically review the efficacy of robotic, laparoscopic-assisted, and open total mesorectal excision (TME) for the treatment of rectal cancer. Methods The PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were electronically searched to identify cohort studies on robotic, laparoscopic-assisted, and open TME for rectal cancer published from January 2016 to January 2022. Two reviewers independently screened the literature, extracted data, and evaluated the risk of bias of the included studies. Subsequently, network meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4 software and R software. Results A total of 24 studies involving 12 348 patients were included. The results indicated that among the three types of surgical procedures, robotic TME showed the best outcomes by shortening the length of hospital stay, reducing the incidence of postoperative anastomotic fistula and intestinal obstruction, and lowering the overall postoperative complication rate. However, differences in the number of dissected peritumoural lymph nodes were not statistically significant. Conclusion Robotic TME shows better outcomes in terms of the radicality of excision and postoperative short-term outcomes in the treatment of rectal cancer. However, clinicians should consider the patients’ actual condition for the selection of surgical methods to achieve individualised treatment for patients with rectal cancer.
The WinBUGS software can be called from either R (provided R2WinBUGS as an R package) or Stata software for network meta-analysis. Unlike R, Stata software needs to create relevant ADO scripts at first which simplify operation process greatly. Similar with R, Stata software also needs to load another package when drawing network plots. This article briefly introduces how to implement network meta-analysis using Stata software by calling WinBUGS software.
ObjectiveTo systematically review the efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and antiviral antibody therapy in the treatment of COVID-19. MethodsPubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, WanFang Data, VIP and SinoMED databases were electronically searched to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine and antiviral antibody therapies for COVID-19 from inception to June 2022. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of included studies; then, network meta-analysis was performed by using Stata 14.0 software. ResultsA total of 44 RCTs were included. The results of network meta-analysis showed that, for mortality rate, the rank of cumulative probability was: TCM+ standard care (SC) (100%)>convalescent plasma (CP)+SC (42%)>SC (8%). In terms of hospital stay time, the rank of cumulative probability was: TCM+SC (95.5%)>SC (31.4%)>CP+SC (23.2%). In terms of time to viral clearance, the rank of cumulative probability was: TCM+SC (97.4%)>SC (37.4%)>CP+SC (15.2%). In the aspect of mechanical ventilation rate, the rank of cumulative probability was: TCM+SC (98.9%)>CP+SC (42.9%)>SC (8.3%). In the aspect of adverse reactions/events, the rank of cumulative probability was: TCM+SC (99.9%)>SC (47.9%)>CP+SC (2.2%). ConclusionThe current evidence shows that TCM combined with SC is the most effective treatment in reducing mortality, shortening hospitalization time and viral negative conversion time, reducing mechanical ventilation rate, and the incidence of adverse reactions/events is low. Due to limited quality and quantity of the included studies, more high quality studies are needed to verify above conclusion.
ObjectiveTo systematically review the efficacy of different nucleosides (acids) in preventing hepatitis B virus reactivation after chemotherapy in cancer patients. MethodsThe Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science, CNKI, WanFang Data, and VIP databases were electronically searched to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of different nucleosides (acids) to prevent HBV reactivation after chemotherapy in cancer patients from inception to June 7th, 2021. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias of included studies. Network meta-analysis was then performed by using Stata 16.0 software. ResultsA total of 43 RCTs involving 3 269 patients were included. There were 7 interventions, namely entecavir (ETV), lamivudine (LAM), adefovir dipivoxil (ADV), telbivudine (LdT), tenofovir dipivoxil (TDF), lamivudine combined with entecavir (LAM+ETV), and lamivudine combined with adefovir dipivoxil (LAM+ADV). The results of network meta-analysis showed that the efficacy of reducing the reactivation rate of ETV, LAM, ADV, LdT, TDF, LAM+ETV, LAM+ADV were superior than the control group. The ETV, LAM and ADV were not as effective as LAM+ETV. The leading drug combinations were LAM+ETV (94.8%), LdT (81.5%) and LA+ADV (58.0%). ConclusionsCurrent evidence shows that LAM+ETV, LdT, and LA+ADV are more effective in preventing hepatitis B virus reactivation after chemotherapy in cancer patients. Due to limited quality and quantity of the included studies, more high-quality studies are required to verify the above conclusions.