Full-text Database Research Articles

Male sperm quality and risk of recurrent spontaneous abortion in Chinese couples: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective:To assess the association of conventional semen parameters and sperm DNA fragmentation with risk of recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA).Design:Systematic review and meta-analysis.Setting:Not applicable.Patient(s):Total 1,690 male partners of women with RSA, and 1,337 male partners of fertile control women.Intervention(s):Case-control or cohort studies were determined by searching PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane Libraries, China Biology Medicine disc, Chinese Scientific Journals Fulltext Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Database. RSA was defined as two or more previous pregnancy losses. The fertile women refer to the reproductive women who have had at least a normal pregnancy history and no history of abortion.Main Outcome Measure(s):This study included eight outcome measures: semen volume(ml), semen pH value, sperm density(106/ml), sperm viability (%), sperm progressive motility rate (%), normal sperm morphology rate (%), sperm deformity rate(%), sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) (%). The summary measures were reported as standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI).Result(s):Finally, twenty-four studies were included for analysis. Overall, male partners of women with RSA had a significantly lower level of sperm density (SMD = -0.53, 95%CI: – 0.75 to –0.30), sperm viability (SMD = -1.03, 95%CI: – 1.52 to –0.54), sperm progressive motility rate (SMD = -0.76, 95%CI:-1.06 – -0.46), and normal sperm morphology rate (SMD = –0.56, 95%CI: – 0.99 to –0.12), and had a significantly higher rate of sperm deformity rate (SMD = 1.29, 95%CI: 0.60 – 1.97), and sperm DFI (SMD = 1.60, 95%CI: 1.04 to 2.17), when compared with the reference group. However, there were no statistically significant differences for semen volume (SMD = -0.03, 95%CI: -0.14 – 0.08) and semen pH value (SMD = –0.23, 95% CI: –0.50 to 0.05) among 2 groups.Conclusion(s):The results of this analysis support an association of sperm density, sperm viability, sperm progressive motility rate, normal sperm morphology rate, sperm deformity rate, as well as sperm DFI with RSA. However, given the significant heterogeneity between studies and the lack of more detailed data on the subjects, further large-scale prospective studies are needed.

Distance learning — a few remarks on the margins of the problem

The problem of the quality of distance learning — or e-learning — has not had much importance attached to it thus far. After all, distance learning is at least 200 years old — if not more — and e-learning is nothing new, either. However, they were a kind of “addition” to the educational process. However, as a result of the current world-wide pandemic, the situation has changed rapidly. From what was in essence an auxiliary form of learning, has suddenly become a basic form. Thus, what has affected both higher education and, above all, secondary, primary and pre-school education is something new. This is due to the suddenness of introducing both methods (techniques) of education, and not because of their technical side. Since this problem has become the subject of a large number of different kinds of statements, and even the first book devoted to this issue has been published — it is worth looking at these issues again and try to present a few more general comments. The main thesis of the article is: the technical help side is basically correct; the problems are: i) preparing teachers for this form of teaching, ii) preparation of full-text databases adapted to secondary school curricula, iii) adaptation (in secondary schools) of e-education programs, e.g. to university syllabuses (with links to specific texts, not entire databases), iv) “Rebuilding” the way of educating teachers so that they learn these technical skills from the university or improve them via additional courses and training.

Factors affecting green innovation: An analysis of patent and regional heterogeneity

To achieve sustainable development, it is vitally important to identify the factors driving urban green innovation and evaluate the contributions of different factors. This study uses a Chinese patent full-text database from 2005 to 2016 to identify the number of green patents at the prefecture level and analyzes the main determinants that lead to differences in green innovation level in different regions and types, and their respective contributions by regression and decomposition. This study finds that first, China's green innovation level is characterized by unbalanced development among different regions — the coastal areas develop rapidly while the inland areas develop comparatively slowly. Green innovation output is polarized among different cities, and the trend is more severe in inland areas. Second, economic development acts as the leading factor influencing the overall green innovation output of China both in inland and coastal areas, factor input follows as the second influencing factor, while government behavior has a comparatively small impact on green innovation. Third, regarding green patents of different types in different regions, economic development still serves as the major factor of unbalanced output of all kinds of patents, and government behavior has a relatively obvious regional characteristic, whose impact on inland areas is more evident.

Interpretation of the Status Quo of Domestic Ecological Environment Quality Based on Remote Sensing Technology

Using CNKI’s full-text database of Chinese journals as the data source, we will discuss the inter-annual changes, main research forces, funding funds, high-frequency keywords and development context of the ecological environment quality research field in my country based on remote sensing technology. The results show that: from the perspective of the inter-annual changes in the literature, the number of papers published on the ecological environment quality in my country has shown a significant upward trend, and it has developed rapidly in recent years; from the perspective of research strength, Beijing Forestry University has the highest total citation frequency, whether it is the number of papers or the number of citations. The frequency indicates that universities have a relatively high level of scientific research in this field as a whole; from the perspective of fund funding, the research on ecological environment quality has attracted great attention from the national and local levels.

Levothyroxine and the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with subclinical hypothyroidism: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundLevothyroxine replacement therapy may decrease the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes among women with subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH). The aim of this study is to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the risk of adverse pregnancy, perinatal, and early childhood outcomes among women with SCH treated with levothyroxine.MethodsA systematic literature search was conducted using Ovid-Medline, Ovid-EMBASE, Pubmed (non-Medline), Ebsco-CINAHL Plus with full text and Cochrane Library databases. Randomized controlled studies (RCTs) and observational studies examining the association between treatment of SCH during pregnancy and our outcomes of interest were included. Studies that compared levothyroxine treatment versus no treatment were eligible for inclusion. Data from included studies were extracted and quality assessment was performed by two independent reviewers.ResultsSeven RCTs and six observational studies met our inclusion criteria. A total of 7342 individuals were included in these studies. RCTs demonstrated several sources of bias, with lack of blinding of the participants or research personnel; only one study was fully blinded. In the observational studies, there was moderate to serious risk of bias due to lack of adjustment for certain confounding variables, participant selection, and selective reporting of results. Pooled analyses showed decreased risk of pregnancy loss (RR: 0.79; 95% CI: 0.67 to 0.93) and neonatal death (RR: 0.35; 95% CI: 0.17 to 0.72) associated with levothyroxine treatment during pregnancy among women with SCH. There were no associations between levothyroxine treatment and outcomes during labour and delivery, or cognitive status in children at 3 or 5 years of age.ConclusionTreatment of SCH with levothyroxine during pregnancy is associated with decreased risks of pregnancy loss and neonatal death. Given the paucity of available data and heterogeneity of included studies, additional studies are needed to address the benefits of levothyroxine use among pregnant women with SCH.

Chinese herbal medicine for hypertension complicated with hyperlipidemia: A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background:Hypertension combined with hyperlipidemia (HTN-HLP), as a common clinical chronic disease combination, will increase the incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, increase the occurrence of sudden death and other adverse events. At present, the commonly used therapeutic drugs are mainly combined with antihypertensive drugs and lipid-lowering drugs, which not only have poor compliance, but also have adverse reactions. Currently, traditional Chinese medicine, as a traditional medicine in China, has been applied in clinical practice for thousands of years and has rich clinical experience in treating HTN-HLP. However, there is no systematic evaluation of the efficacy, safety and improvement of patients’ quality of life. This systematic review and meta-analysis will assess studies of the effects and safety of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) for HTN-HLP patients.Methods:We will search PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science (ISI), China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wan fang Database, Chinese Scientific Journals Full-Text Database (VIP) and China Biological Medicine Database from the time when databases were established to 01, February 2021. After a series of screening, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) will be included related to CHM for HTN-HLP. Two researchers will assess the RCTs through the Cochrane bias risk assessment tool. And the evidence grade of the results will be evaluated by GRADEprofiler software.Results:This study will provide a reliable evidence for the efficiency of antihypertensive and reducing blood lipids of CHM for HTN-HLP.Conclusion:We will summarize the methods and provide sufficient evidence to confirm the efficacy and safety of CHM for HTN-HLP.INPLASY registration number:INPLASY2020110144.

Efficacy and safety of Shenqi Jiangtang Granules plus oral hypoglycemic agent in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis of 15 RCTs.

Objective:Shenqi Jiangtang Granules (SQJTG) has been widely used to treat patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). But whether there exists sufficient evidence on the efficacy of SQJTG in the treatment of T2DM is unclear. In order to assess the effects of SQJTG for T2DM, a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were carried out.Methods:Eight databases, namely, PubMed, The Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Scientific Journals Full-Text Database, CBM, and Wanfang database were searched up to May 2020. According to the Cochrane standards, the selection of study, the extraction of data, the assessment of study quality, and the analyses of data were carried out strictly. Then a fixed or random effects model was applied to analyze the outcomes.Results:Fifteen studies (N = 1392) in total conformed the inclusion criteria to this meta-analysis. Two subgroups were identified, based on different dose of SQJTG: oral hypoglycemic agent (OHA) vs OHA plus SQJTG (1 g); OHA vs. OHA plus SQJTG (1.5–3 g). The pooled results showed that, in comparison with OHA, OHA plus SQJTG significantly reduced fasting plasma glucose in both 1 g subgroup and 1.5–3 g subgroup; 2-hour post-meal blood glucose was also greatly reduced in the SQJTG 1 g subgroup and the SQJTG 1.5–3 g subgroup. Compared with OHA, SQJTG 1 g subgroup significantly reduced levels of glycated hemoglobin A1c, as well as the SQJTG 1.5–3 g subgroup. Homeostasis model-insulin resistance index was also reduced in both SQJTG 1 g subgroup and SQJTG 1.5–3 g subgroup; SQJTG group can also significantly reduce the total adverse events especially in reducing the incidence of hypoglycemia.Conclusions:SQJTG is an effective and safe complementary treatment for T2DM patients. This meta-analysis provides an evidence for the treatment in patients with T2DM. While owing to the high heterogeneity and the trials’ small sample size, it's crucial to perform large-scale and strict designed studies.

Clinical efficacy and safety of modified Sijunzi decoction for the treatment of ulcerative colitis: A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background:Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic non-specific intestinal inflammatory disease with unknown etiology. In recent years, the global incidence has been increasing. Sijunzi decoction (SJZD) is a traditional Chinese medicine that has been used for treatment of other diseases in previous studies as it has no side effects and it has a pharmacological effect in gastrointestinal function, immune system, ulcers, and tissue repair.Methods:PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, GeenMedical, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Sci-tech Journals full-text Database, Chinese Biomedical Database, and Chinese Science Citation Database were searched to screen the related literatures of “ulcerative colitis” and “Jiawei Sijunzi decoction”. The research data extracted from above studies was analyzed by Review Manager 5.3 and Stata14.2 software.Results:This systematic review and meta-analysis will evaluate the efficacy and safety of Jiawei SJZD in the treatment of UC and provide effective evidence for clinical use.Conclusion:In this study, the published evidence of modified SJZD in the treatment of UC was systematically summarized and evaluated, so that it can be better applied in clinic.INPLASY registration number:INPLASY2020100102

Comparing the Prices of Commercial and Nonprofit Journals: A Realistic Assessment

Using data for 2,717 journals and more than 9,000 acquisition opportunities, this study shows how journal prices vary by level of aggregation (single-journal subscription or full-text database), resource provider type (scholarly society, university press, other nonprofit organization, commercial publisher, or library vendor), and broad subject field. The journals acquired through commercial publishers' databases cost less than half as much as those acquired through the databases of scholarly societies, university presses, and library vendors. Across all provider types, full-text databases are more cost-effective than single-journal subscriptions. These results are more realistic than those reported in earlier investigations, since (1) unlike previous studies, this one accounts for the prices of both single-journal subscriptions and full-text journal databases; (2) this assessment is based on actual prices, including consortial and negotiated prices, rather than list prices; and (3) this investigation focuses on the journals identified by faculty as important titles for their teaching and research.

Research advances in self-determination theory in the field of exercise and implications for its application

Objective: To explore the research progress and application insights of self-questioning my decision theory in the field of movement. METHODS: A search of domestic and international literature on exercise and SDT was conducted between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2020 using the China Knowledge Network full-text journal database, Web of Science and Baidu Academic, respectively. RESULTS: Social support has a facilitative effect on exercise behaviour through the social environment, parental peer relationships, and the basic psychological needs theory of relational needs, autonomy needs and competence needs between the social environment and physical and mental health. Targeting autonomous forms of motivation in interventions is an effective way to promote physical activity in children and adolescents. Autonomy environment and motivation have an impact on physical activity, physical learning enjoyment, participation, effort and willingness to continue to participate in physical activity in the future. Sdt-related theory can be used to predict the behaviour associated with assessing physical activity with positive predictive effects. CONCLUSION: SDT theory can promote individual motivation to engage in sport from promoting sport participation.

Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials of Acupuncture versus Western Medicine in the Treatment of Insomnia

To evaluate the clinical effect and effectiveness of acupuncture therapy in the treatment of insomnia patients, so as to provide better evidence based services, benefit patients and promote it in clinical practice. Chinese databases were searched: China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Scientific Journals Full text Database, Wanfang data knowledge service platform; English databases were searched: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase. Stata 15.1 and RevMan 5.4.1 software were used for statistical analysis. A total of 22 randomized controlled trials (1572 cases) were included, including 780 in the experimental group and 792 in the control group. An analysis showed that the effective rate of acupuncture treatment for insomnia was better than that of Western medicine treatment and the combined effect odds ratio=1.23, 95 % confidence interval [1.17, 1.29]. Pure acupuncture group in Pittsburgh sleep quality experienced surpasses the Western medicine group evaluation combined effect of weighted mean difference=2.04, 95 % confidence interval [1.62, 2.46], p<0.01; In each score of Pittsburgh sleep quality index, sleep quality weighted mean difference=-0.27, 95 % confidence interval [-0.40, -0.13], p<0.01, time to fall asleep weighted mean difference=-0.21, 95 % confidence interval [-0.37, -0.06], p<0.01, sleep efficiency weighted mean difference=-0.30, 95 % confidence interval [-0.42, -0.19], p<0.01, sleep disorder weighted mean difference=-0.22, 95 % confidence interval [-0.41, -0.04], p<0.01, hypnotic drugs weighted mean difference=-0.79, 95 % confidence interval [-1.01, -0.57], p<0.01, daytime function weighted mean difference=-0.39, 95 % CI [-0.59, -0.19], p<0.01. All of the acupuncture groups were better than the Western medicine groups. In the sleep time weighted mean difference=-0.30, 95 % confidence interval [-0.05, 0.18], p=0.73, there was no statistical significance between the acupuncture group and the Western medicine group. Pure acupuncture has more advantages than Western medicine in the treatment of insomnia and it is suitable for clinical promotion.

Review of Teachers’ Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) in China

In this study, 169 journal papers retrieved from “China Article Full Text Database” of China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were analyzed as the samples in this study. Quantitative visual statistic analyses were conducted in terms of annual volume and the top five contribution institutions to offer some basic information of teachers’ TPACK study in China. What’s more, qualitative deep content analyses were conducted through four research themes including “Introduction of Foreign Study on Teachers’ TPACK” “Pre-Service Teachers’ TPACK Level and Development Paths” “Development Paths of In-Service Teachers’ TPACK” and “Teachers’ TPACK Study of Specific Subjects”, which intends to show deeper analyses of teachers’ TPACK study in China by qualitative deep content analysis.

Meta-analysis: The Effect of Muscle Strength Training on Walking Ability of Patients with Parkinson&amp;apos;s Disease

<i>Objective:</i> This Meta-analysis was aimed to systematically studying the effects of muscle strength training on the walking ability like balance ability, mobility ability of Parkinson's disease patients and then provide useful theoretical reference to further researches on exercise treatments on Parkinson’s disease by retrieving and collecting articles about muscle strength training. <i>Methods</i> This literature review was finally determined on searching PubMed, Elsevier, Web of science, China Journal Full-text Database (CNKI), WanFang Data and other Chinese and foreign databases and combined with manual search. The limit of the search time was from the date when the literature was recorded to 2019. A comprehensive collection of randomly controlled trials of muscle strength training on the walking ability of Parkinson's patients was done. Researchers used the Cochrance risk assessment tool to evaluate the methodological quality of the selected articles, and the ReMan 5.3.5 software to statistically process the obtained data. <i>Results</i> A total of 13 RCTs and 627 samples were included in this study. Meta-analysis of BBS balance scale show that MD=4.67 (95%CI, I²=97%, P=0.52) between muscle strength training group and non-exercise intervention group; MD=-2.67 between muscle strength training group and exercise intervention control group (95%CI, I²=7%, P<0.00001); TUGT Meta-analysis show that MD=-1.06 (95%CI, I²=75%, P=0.10) between muscle strength training group and non-exercise intervention group; MD=0.09 (95%CI, I²=0%, P=0.31) between the muscle strength training group and the control group with exercise intervention; 10MWT Meta-analysis show MD=-0.28 (95%CI), I²=98%, P<0.29) between the muscle strength training group and the control group with exercise intervention; Stride length Meta-analysis show MD=-1.85 (95%CI, I²=68%, P=0.63) between the muscle strength training group and the control group without exercise intervention; MD=-1.75 (95%CI, I²=32%, P=0.56) between the muscle strength training group and the control group with exercise intervention; MD=-1.75 (95%CI, I²=32%, P=0.56). Meta-analysis of stride speed show MD=-0.02 (95%CI, I²=0%, P=0.46) between muscle strength training group and control group without exercise intervention; MD=-0.03 (95%CI, I²=35%, P=0.52) between the muscle strength training group and control group with exercise intervention. <i>Conclusion</i> Muscle strength training can significantly improve the balance ability, mobility, and walking ability of Parkinson's disease patients, but it has no significant benefits on improving stride length and walking speed.

МЕТОДОЛОГІЯ АНАЛІЗУ КОНТЕНТУ ЕЛЕКТРОННИХ ЗАСОБІВ МАСОВОЇ ІНФОРМАЦІЇ

In the conditions of modern information society, the analysis of the flow of media information is of particular importance. Therefore, the issues of content analysis, which is based on the conversion of qualitative data into digital format in order to obtain information processing capabilities using technologies of big-data analytics and artificial intelligence approaches, are especially relevant. This study summarized the views on the use of content analysis and proposed a methodology for analyzing the content of electronic media for targeting and determining preferences for the content of publications. For this purpose, were proposed were proposed a conceptual scheme for conducting content analysis, which consists of 5 stages. The first stage consists of creating and updating a full-text database on a daily basis by automated data collection and retrieval of content from media websites (web scraping). The second stage involves using of modules for determining useful content (parsing) and its subsequent storage in the database. The quantitative analysis stage is especially important when generalization, aggregation of results, or to calculate the frequency of words (frequency analysis), categories, tags and expressions, as well as their joint use in the text. The purpose of qualitative analysis is to reduce the material so that the main content remains. Similarly, qualitative analysis can provide additional information about individual components of the text (terms, definitions) in order to improve understanding, explanation, and interpretation of a particular passage. Finally, the last stage is to analyze the tone of the texts (sentiment analysis), i.e. to determine the emotional (positive or negative) attitude of the authors of the test to the described event, person or phenomenon. Authors (or users who leave comments) actively use various means in order to create the desired picture of an event in the reader’s imagination, and to evoke the appropriate emotions. The proposed methodology is the basis for the implementation of modern tools of content analysis using information technologies and methods artificial intelligence approaches.

XPD Polymorphisms and Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Gastric Cancer: A Meta-Analysis.

Background:Cancer is associated with genetic variants of DNA repair genes that alter DNA repair capacity. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the relations between the rs13181 and rs1799793 XPD gene polymorphisms and risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and gastric cancer.Methods:Relevant publications were systematically sought from Web of Science, Pubmed, and China Academic Journals Full-text Database. The selection of eligible studies was performed by 2 independent authors. A total of 32 case-control studies were included. Meta-analyses were undertaken in all study participants and each ethnic group.Results:The risk of HCC was significantly increased with the XPD rs13181 G allele (P = 0.028, pooled odds ratio (OR) = 1.36, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.03-1.80) in all study participants. A subgroup analysis by ethnicity showed that the association was significant in Chinese (P = 0.009, pooled OR = 1.49, 95% CI = 1.11-2.02), but not in Caucasians (P = 0.619, pooled OR = 1.17, 95% CI = 0.64-2.13). Meta-analysis of the XPD rs1799793 polymorphism and HCC showed an association between its variant T allele and increased HCC risk in all study participants (P = 0.017, pooled OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.04-1.46, all Chinese). Our results showed no associations between the XPD rs13181 G allele and rs1799793 T allele and gastric cancer risk (rs13181: P = 0.298, pooled OR = 1.10, 95% CI = 0.92-1.31; rs1799793: P = 0.068, pooled OR = 1.31, 95% CI = 0.98-1.74).Conclusions:This meta-analysis demonstrated that the XPD rs13181 G allele and rs1799793 T allele have significant associations with HCC and may be risk factors for HCC in the Chinese population. Current evidence indicated that they are not related to gastric cancer risk.

Diagnostic value of interferon-γ release assay in HIV-infected individuals complicated with active tuberculosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Although the interferon-γ release assay (IGRA) has become a common diagnostic method for tuberculosis, its value in the diagnosis of tuberculosis in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seropositive patients remains controversial. Therefore, this systematically reviews the data for exploring the diagnostic value of IGRA in HIV-infected individuals complicated with active tuberculosis, aiming to provide a clinical basis for future clinical diagnosis of the disease. Relevant studies on IGRA for diagnosing tuberculosis in HIV-infected patients were comprehensively collected from Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), Medline, Cochrane Library, Chinese Sci-tech Periodical Full-text Database, Chinese Periodical Full-text Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and China Wanfang Data up to July 2020. Subsequently, Stata 15.0, an integrated statistical software, was used to analyse the sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), positive likelihood ratio (PLR) and negative likelihood ratio (NLR) to create receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves. A total of 18 high-quality articles were selected, including 20 studies, 11 of which were related to QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) and nine to T-SPOT.TB. The meta-analysis indicated that the pooled sensitivity = 0.75 (95% CI 0.63-0.85), the pooled specificity = 0.82 (95% CI 0.66-0.92), PLR = 4.25 (95% CI 1.97-9.18), NLR = 0.30 (95% CI 0.18-0.50), DOR = 14.21 (95% CI 4.38-46.09) and the area under summary ROC curve was 0.85 (95% CI 0.81-0.88). IGRA has a good diagnostic value and therefore can aid in the preliminary screening of active tuberculosis in HIV-infected individuals. Its diagnostic effectiveness can be improved by modifying and optimizing the assay design.

Research on biological movement rehabilitation characteristics of human tendon based on biodegradable nano-biomaterials

Objective: This paper discusses the current status of the treatment and rehabilitation of sports muscle tendon injuries and the application of biomaterials in the repair of sports muscle tendon injuries. Methods: The Chinese Journal Full-text Database (CNKI: 1990/2009) was searched by computer. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the literature was screened, the data was collected and the quality was evaluated, and a total of 28 articles were included. It summarises from the aspects of the mechanism of muscle tendon injury caused by exercise, the treatment and rehabilitation methods of biological materials to repair muscle tendon injury and injury. Results: The research and development of treatment and recovery methods for muscle and tendon injury have always been important issues to be solved urgently. The biomaterials used to repair sports tendon injuries are compatible with human tissues, easily absorbed by tissues, not easily infected, non-adhesive and fractured, and non-repellent, which shows its advantages. Traditional Chinese medicine treatment, sports treatment and medicine are the main rehabilitation methods for functional recovery after tendon injury. Conclusion: In the repair of sports muscle injuries, biomaterials develop rapidly. With the development of research, various treatment and rehabilitation methods for repairing sports muscle tendon injuries will continue to improve.

Berberine and Metformin in the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials

Objective: To assess the effects of berberine and metformin on glucose in patients with type 2 diabets mellitus (T2DM) with a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: The databases including PubMed, Excerpta Medica Database (EMBase), Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure database (CNKI), WanFang, the Chinese Scientific and Technical Journals database (VIP), China Doctor Dissertation Full-text Database (CDFD) and China Master Dissertation Full-text Database (CMFD) from the inception to April 2021 in Chinese or English language were searched. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of berberine only or combined with metformin versus metformin were included. Data extraction and paper quality assessment were conducted according to the Cochrane Handbook. RevMan 5.4 was used for the meta-analysis. Results: A total of thirteen studies were included, covering 1173 participants. The clinical heterogeneity of the included trials was relatively high. The methodological quality of most trials was generally low with bias in terms of random sequence generation, allocation concealment, blinding method, outcome data and selective reporting. Interventions were divided into two subgroups for analysis. Meta-analysis suggested that there was no statistical significance in the hypoglycemic effect between berberine and metformin for T2DM. However, berberine combined with metformin could reduce fasting plasma glucose (FPG) [MD = −1.49, 95% CI (−2.22, −0.76), P MD = −1.89, 95% CI (−2.94, −0.84), P = 0.0004], glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) [MD = −0.65, 95% CI (−0.91, −0.40), P MD = −0.53, 95% CI (−1.03, −0.03), P = 0.04] levels significantly compared with metformin group. No severe adverse effects were reported in all trials. Conclusions: The hypoglycemic effect of berberine alone is not better than metformin. But berberine combined with metformin has good efficacy and safety in the treatment of T2DM. The current clinical studies are low in methodology and reporting quality, which needs to be further proved by more high quality, large sample size and multi-center RCTs.

Efficacy and Safety of Endoscopic Resection and Open Surgery for Treating Thyroid Diseases: A Meta-Analysis

To explore the efficacy and safety of endoscopic resection and open surgery for treating thyroid diseases using meta-analysis. Related data in computer retrieval of Cochrane Library, American National Library of Medicine Biomedical Information Retrieval System (Pub Med), Dutch Medicine Abstracts (Embase), China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), China Academic Journals Full-text Database (CNKI), Chinese Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), and Western Language Biomedical Journal Literature Database (EMC) from December 2019 to April 2020 were retrieved. Relevant journals and included references were manually searched. Randomized controlled trials regarding the effects of endoscopic thyroid surgery and open thyroid surgery on the immune response of thyroid diseases were included. Two reviewers conducted independent data extraction, quality evaluation and cross-checking according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. RevMan 5.1.4 software was employed. Eight non-randomized controlled retrospective cohort studies were finally included. The curative rate (168/185, 90.81 % vs. 194/383, 50.65 %, p<0.01) was significantly higher in endoscopic resection group and the difference between local recurrence rates (2/366, 0.55 % vs. 83/603, 13.76 %, p<0.01) was significant. There was no significant difference between bleeding rate (1/325, 0.31 % vs. 4/407, 0.98 %, p=0.41). In terms of performing thyroid surgery under endoscopy, the efficacy of adjuvant treatment under endoscopy is significantly better than that of control group and the safety is similar to that of control group. Endoscopic treatment is suitable for treating thyroid diseases. However, the conclusions still need to be verified by multicenter randomized controlled trials with large sample sizes.

Meta-analysis of the effects of triamcinolone acetonide alone and in combination with 5-fluorouracil for treating keloids

Objective: To compare the efficacy and safety of triamcinolone acetonide (TA) alone and in combination with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) for treating keloids using meta-analysis. Methods: Databases including PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library were retrieved with the search terms of " triamcinolone acetonide, 5-fluorouracil, glucocorticoid, fluorouracil, keloid, scar, TAC, 5-FU, hypertrophic scar " and databases including Chinese Journal Full-Text Database, Chinese Biomedical Database, and Wanfang Data were retrieved with the search terms of ",, 5-,," in Chinese to obtain the publicly published randomized controlled trials about the effects of TA alone and in combination with 5-fluorouracil for treating keloids from the establishment of each database to august 2019. The outcome indexes included effective proportion of treatment, incidence proportion of adverse reactions, and recurrence proportion of keloids. RevMan 5.3 and Stata 14.0 statistical software were used to conduct a meta-analysis of eligible studies. Results: A total of 1 326 patients with keloids were included in 14 studies, including 668 patients in TA+ 5-fluorouracil group whose keloids were injected with TA and 5-fluorouracil and 658 patients in TA alone group whose keloids were injected with TA alone. A total of 7 articles achieved 1 to 3 points in modified Jadad score, while 7 articles achieved 4 to 7 points in modified Jadad score. Patients in TA+ 5-fluorouracil group had a higher effective proportion of treatment than that of TA alone group (relative risk=1.28, 95% confidence interval=1.16-1.41, P<0.01). Subgroup analysis showed that the quality of the included literature and ethnic factors might be the source of heterogeneity in effective proportion of treatment. Patients in TA+ 5-fluorouracil group had a lower incidence proportion of adverse reactions than that of TA alone group (relative risk=0.44, 95% confidence interval=0.25-0.75, P<0.01). Patients in TA+ 5-fluorouracil group had a lower recurrence proportion of keloids than that of TA alone group (relative risk=0.25, 95% confidence interval=0.14-0.44, P<0.01). There was no publication bias in incidence proportion of adverse reactions (P>0.05), while the effective proportion of treatment and recurrence proportion of keloids had publication bias (P<0.05). Conclusions: TA combined with 5-fluorouracil is more effective than TA alone for treating keloids, with less incidence of adverse reactions and recurrence.