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Objective To assess the current efficacy, safety, and risk factors of the Woven EndoBridge (WEB) in treating wide-neck intracranial aneurysms. Data Source We searched the PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and EMBASE databases between December 1, 2012 and June 30, 2018. Study Selection Studies that included five or more patients undergoing WEB for wide-neck intracranial aneurysms, reported an angiographic or clinical outcome and risk factors, and were published after December 1, 2012 were eligible. Data Extraction And Synthesis Major outcomes included initial or short-term complete and adequate occlusion. Secondary outcomes included treatment failure, recanalization, mortality, morbidity, and complication (e.g., thromboembolism or intraoperative rupture) rates. A random effect model was used to pool the data. To assess risk factors for short-term angiographic outcomes and the most common complications, we conducted subgroup analyses and obtained odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. Results We included 36 studies (1759 patients with 1749 aneurysms). The initial complete and adequate occlusion rates were 35% and 77%, respectively. After a mean follow-up of 9.34 months, the short-term complete and adequate occlusion rates were 53% and 80%, respectively. Thromboembolism and recanalization were the most common complications (both 9%), followed by mortality (7%), morbidity (6%), failure (5%) and intraoperative rupture (3%). The following factors were related to higher short-term obliteration rates: unruptured status, in the anterior circulation, a medium neck (4-9.9 mm), newer-generation WEB and treatment without additional devices. Ruptured status, anterior circulation, preoperative antiplatelet therapy and newer-generation WEB were not significantly related withto thromboembolism. Conclusion WEB has a satisfactory safety profile and shows promising efficacy in treating wide-neck intracranial aneurysms. We preliminarily identified several risk factors for short-term angiographic outcomes.

To evaluate the association between the SPO11 gene C631T polymorphism and the risk of male infertility. We conducted a search on PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China biology medical literature database (CBM), VIP, and Chinese literature database (Wan Fang) on 31 March 2016. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) were used to assess the strength of associations. A total of five studies including 542 cases and 510 controls were involved in this meta-analysis. The pooled results indicated that the SPO11 gene C631T polymorphism was significantly associated with increased risk of male infertility (TT + CT vs. CC: OR = 4.14, 95%CI = 2.48–6.89; CT vs. CC: OR = 4.34, 95%CI = 2.56–7.34; T vs. C: OR = 4.35, 95%CI = 2.58–7.34). Subgroup analysis of different countries proved the relationship between SPO11 gene C631T polymorphism and male infertility risk in Chinese, but not in Iranian peoples. In conclusion, this study suggested that SPO11 gene C631T polymorphism may contribute as a genetic factor susceptible to cause male infertility. Furthermore, more large sample and representative population-based cases and well-matched controls are needed to validate our results.

To evaluate the relationship between the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) rs2066853 gene polymorphism and the risk of male infertility. PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were searched for relevant case–control studies up to 31 July 2019. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were used to assess the strength of associations. Finally, seven case–control studies involving 1247 cases and 1762 controls were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled results showed that there was no significant association between AHR rs2066853 gene polymorphism and male infertility risk (A vs. G: OR = 1.08, 95% CI = 0.83–1.39; AA vs. GG: OR = 1.16, 95% CI = 0.65–2.04; AA vs. GA + GG: OR = 1.17, 95% CI = 0.66–2.07; AA + GA vs. GG: OR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.85–1.15). Subgroup analysis by ethnicity showed the same result. However, significant association was found between AHR rs2066853 gene polymorphism and male infertility risk in oligoasthenotspermia (A vs. G: OR = 2.52, 95% CI = 1.72–3.70). In conclusion, our meta-analysis indicated that AHR rs2066853 gene polymorphism might be associated with an increased susceptibility to oligoasthenotspermia.

To observe the efficacy and safety of biological heart valves (BHV) and mechanical heart valves (MHV) in childbearing age women (CAW) during the perinatal and short-moderate term postoperative (SMTP) periods.There were 33 patients [(25.2±7.1) yr.] undergoing BHV replacement from September 2009 to December 2014 had completely followed-up,whose data were retrospectively collected. A 1∶4 matching study was conducted,therefore there were 132 patients undergoing MHV were included. The collected date included the clinical outcomes in the perioperative, perinatal,and SMTP period event-free survival (EFS) was determined using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test.The average follow-up time was (5.8±3.6) years,and the two groups had similar baseline . The clinical outcomes difference of perinatal and SMTP between the two groups were not significant. There were 17 patients in BHV group and 60 in MHV group with pregnancy and birth experiences (PBE),which also showed no significant difference for adverse events both in the maternity and in the fetus. The rates of valve-related adverse events of BHV replacement patients with and without PBE were 5.9% and 0% at 3 years after the operation, and 11.8% and 5.9% after 5 years. PBE was not identified as an adverse prognostic factor for EFS (Either artificial BHV or MHV replacement can achieve ideal SMTP effect in CAW. BHV seems not superior to MHV. Pregnancy and birth experience will not increase the risk of BHV relevant adverse events.

Objective The aim of this study was to identify potential prognostic factors of hemifacial spasm (HFS) after microvascular decompression (MVD), to establish the appropriate way to tackle postprocedure symptoms and complications (PPSCs), and to find the incidence and duration of PPSCs. Methods Two hundred and forty-eight patients with HFS were monitored between December 2009 and December 2014. The mean follow-up duration was 24 months (range, 6–67 months). We divided patients based on their PPSC status and investigated the following factors: age, sex, spasm side, facial nerve block before MVD (botulinum toxin treatment), acupuncture before MVD, duration of HFS, hypertension, diabetes, hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection status, herpes simplex virus infection status, smoking status and alcohol use, offending vessels, Chiari malformation, electrophysiologic monitoring results, and postoperative HFS. Univariable analysis and multivariate logistic regression were used to find potential risk factors. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to show the duration of postprocedure facial palsy. Results Age (odds ratio [OR], 1.037; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.004–1.072; P = 0.03) and HBV status (OR, 18.256; 95% CI, 2.723–122.415; P = 0.03) were positive predictors of PPSCs. Postoperative HFS (OR, 0.249; 95% CI, 0.084–0.0739; P = 0.012) may be a protective factor for postprocedure facial palsy. Most PPSCs related to cranial nerves recovered spontaneously in 3 months. Infections and cerebrospinal fluid leakages were controlled by medical intervention in 1–2 weeks. The permanent complication rate was only 4.8%. Conclusions Although the incidence of PPSCs after MVD is very high, most PPSCs related to cranial nerves recovered spontaneously in several days. Permanent complications after MVD for HFS are rare. Age may relate to the occurrence of PPSCs, and postoperative HFS may be a protective factor for patients with facial palsy after MVD.

Background The inflammatory potential of diet has been shown to have an association with the risk of several cancer types, but the evidence is inconsistent regarding the related risk of urologic cancer (UC). Therefore, we conducted the present meta-analysis to investigate the association between the inflammatory potential of diet and UC. Methods PubMed, Embase and Web of Science were searched up to July 31, 2018. Two reviewers independently selected the studies and extracted the data. The pooled risk ratio (RR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using the Stata12.0 software package. Results Nine case-control studies and three cohort studies including 83,197 subjects met the inclusion criteria. The overall meta-analysis results showed that individuals with the highest category of DII (dietary inflammatory index) were associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer (RR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.30–2.02); subgroup analysis showed consistent results. For kidney and bladder cancer, significant positive associations were found in individuals with the highest category of DII score; however, no significant association was found between DII and the risk of urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC). Conclusion Available data suggest that more pro-inflammatory diets are associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer, kidney cancer and bladder cancer. However, further well designed large-scaled cohort studies are warranted to provide more conclusive evidence.

Although microvascular decompression (MVD) surgery has been widely accepted as an effective treatment for hemifacial spasm (HFS), delayed facial palsy (DFP) is not an unusual complication, but it has only been sporadically described in the literature. The purpose of this study was to examine the probability of occurrence, the risk/predisposing factors, and the prognosis and timing of DFP. A prospective cohort study was conducted that included patients diagnosed with HFS and treated by MVD at our institution. All patients were followed up at the outpatient department or by telephone from December 2009 to December 2014. Categorical variables were analyzed using the Pearson’s Chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test. Continuous variables were compared using the independent Student’s t test. The Spearman rank test was used to determine the correlation between the time of onset and the duration of DFP. The risk/predisposing factors were analyzed by the logistic regression method. We enrolled 248 patients who were treated by MVD for HFS. During the follow-up period, 16 patients (6.5 %) developed DFP. Fifteen of those patients had a complete recovery, and in one patient the facial palsy did not resolve. The average onset time was 10.2 days (range, 2–30 days) after surgery, and the mean duration of DFP after MVD, with exclusion of the permanent facial palsy patient, was 59.7 days (range, 7–220 days). The time of onset was correlated with the duration of DFP after MVD (p = 0.036). Furthermore, hypertension contributed to DFP (odds ratio [OR] 4.226, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.089–16.401, p = 0.037). Although the degree of facial palsy was variable, most patients experienced a complete recovery without requiring any special treatment. DFP may be a self-healing disease that resolves spontaneously without any treatment. The time of onset was correlated with the duration of DFP; i.e., an earlier development of DFP corresponded with a shorter duration, whereas a later development of DFP corresponded with a longer duration. Our results also suggest that hypertension contributes to DFP.

To evaluate the association between TP53 codon72 polymorphism and male infertility risk. We conducted a search on Medline, Embase, Web of Science and CNKI up to April 30, 2017. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were used to assess the strength of the association. Seven studies including 1,818 cases and 2,278 controls met the inclusion criteria. The pooled results indicated that no significant association was observed between TP53 codon72 polymorphism and male infertility risk (G versus C: OR = 1.11, 95%CI = 0.94-1.32; GG versus CC: OR = 1.26, 95%CI = 0.90-1.78; GG versus GC+CC: OR = 1.16, 95%CI = 0.90-1.49; GG+GC versus CC: OR = 1.15, 95%CI = 0.88-1.49). In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, significant association was observed between TP53 codon72 polymorphism and male infertility risk in non-Chinese (G versus C: OR = 1.47, 95%CI = 1.14-1.89), but not in Chinese population (G versus C: OR = 1.03, 95%CI = 0.87-1.22). In conclusion, this study suggested that TP53 codon72 polymorphism might be associated with an increased susceptibility to male infertility in non-Chinese population, but not in Chinese population. Studies with larger sample sizes and representative population-based cases and well-matched controls are needed to validate our results.

Background Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene (MTHFR C677T and A1298C) and methionine synthase gene (MS A2756G) polymorphisms have shown an association with male infertility risk in several ethnic populations. Although several studies have evaluated these associations in Chinese populations, their small sample sizes and inconsistent outcomes have prevented strong conclusions. Therefore, the present meta-analysis was performed with published studies to evaluate the associations of the three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and male infertility in a Chinese population. Methods We conducted a search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China biology medical literature (CBM), VIP, and Chinese literature (Wan Fang) databases up to May 31, 2016. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were used to assess the strength of associations with a random-effect model or a fixed-effect model based on the heterogeneity analysis results. Sensitivity analysis was used to confirm the reliability and stability of the meta-analysis. Results A total of nine studies, including 1,713 cases and 1,104 controls, were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled results indicated that the MTHFR C667T polymorphism was significantly associated with increased risk of male infertility in the Chinese population in the allele model (T vs. C: OR = 1.47, 95%CI = 1.32–1.63), the dominant model (TT + CT vs. CC: OR = 1.51, 95%CI = 1.30–1.77), the additive model (TT vs. CC: OR = 2.08, 95%CI = 1.68–2.58) and the recessive model (TT vs. CT+CC: OR = 1.58, 95%CI = 1.31–1.90), whereas the MTHFR A1298C and MS A2756G polymorphisms were not risk factors. There was no significant heterogeneity in any genotype contrasts among the studies. The sensitivity analysis indicated that the results of this meta-analysis were relatively stable. Conclusion This study suggests that the MTHFR C667T polymorphism may contribute to the genetic susceptibility to male infertility in the Chinese population, whereas MTHFR A1298C and MS A2756G polymorphisms may be unrelated to male infertility. Studies with larger sample sizes and representative population-based cases and well-matched controls are needed to validate our results.

Background: Methionine synthase reductase gene (MTRR A66G) polymorphism and methionine synthase gene (MTR A2756G) polymorphism have shown an association with idiopathic male infertility risk in several ethnic populations. However, their small sample sizes and inconsistent outcomes have prevented strong conclusions. We performed a meta-analysis with published studies to evaluate the associations of the 2 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and idiopathic male infertility risk. Methods: A thorough literature search was performed up to Jun 21, 2019 with Medline, Embase, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Biology Medical literature (CBM), China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), and Chinese literature (Wan Fang) databases. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were used to assess the strength of associations. Results: Seventeen studies including 3269 cases and 3192 controls met the inclusion criteria. Our meta-analysis showed that the MTR A2756G mutation may contribute to genetic susceptibility to the risk of idiopathic male infertility in Non-Asians, but not to Asian population, whereas the MTRR A66G polymorphism may be unrelated to idiopathic male infertility in both Non-Asian and Asian populations. In the stratified analysis by infertility type, the MTR A2756G polymorphism was a risk factor for both non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) and oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT) patients. However, the MTRR A66G polymorphism is associated with risk for OAT in Asian, but not in Non-Asian population. Conclusion: This meta-analysis suggested that the MTR A2756G and MTRR A66G polymorphisms were risk factors for idiopathic male infertility. Studies with larger sample sizes and representative population-based cases and well-matched controls are needed to validate our results.

Summary The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW), platelet count (PC) and erectile dysfunction (ED). We searched for observational studies from PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and CNKI up to 31 March 2016. Two reviewers independently selected the studies and extracted the data. MPV, PDW, and PC and mean differences in these platelet indices between healthy subjects and ED patients were explored using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software package. Seven studies including 795 patients and 524 healthy subjects met the inclusion criteria. The MPV was significantly larger in patients with ED than controls with the standardised mean difference of 0.596 fL (95% CI: 0.378, 0.815, p

Background Accurate clinical staging of mediastinal lymph nodes of patients with lung cancer is important in determining therapeutic options and prognoses. We aimed to compare the diagnostic performance of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) in detecting mediastinal nodal metastasis of lung cancer. Methods Relevant studies were systematically searched in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, PUBMED, and Cochrane Library databases. Based on extracted data, the pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios (PLR and NLR) with individual 95% confidence intervals were calculated. In addition, the publication bias was assessed by Deek’s funnel plot of the asymmetry test. The potential heterogeneity was explored by threshold effect analysis and subgroup analyses. Results Forty-three studies were finally included. For PET/CT, the pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.65 (0.63–0.67) and 0.93 (0.93–0.94), respectively. The corresponding values of DWI were 0.72 (0.68–0.76) and 0.97 (0.96–0.98), respectively. The overall PLR and NLR of DWI were 13.15 (5.98–28.89) and 0.32 (0.27–0.39), respectively. For PET/CT, the corresponding values were 8.46 (6.54–10.96) and 0.38 (0.33–0.45), respectively. The Deek’s test revealed no significant publication bias. Study design and patient enrollment were potential causes for the heterogeneity of DWI studies and the threshold was a potential source for PET/CT studies. Conclusion Both modalities are beneficial in detecting lymph nodes metastases in lung cancer without significant differences between them. DWI might be an alternative modality for evaluating nodal status of NSCLC.

Optical Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (O-OFDM), which transmits high speed optical signals using multiple spectrally overlapped lower-speed subcarriers, is a promising candidate for supporting future elastic optical networks. In contrast to previous works which focus on Coherent Optical OFDM (CO-OFDM), in this paper, we consider the direct-detection optical OFDM (DDO-OFDM) as the transport technique, which leads to simpler hardware and software realizations, potentially offering a low-cost solution for elastic optical networks, especially in metro networks, and short or medium distance core networks. Based on this network scenario, we design and deploy a software-defined networking (SDN) control plane enabled by extending OpenFlow, detailing the network architecture, the routing and spectrum assignment algorithm, OpenFlow protocol extensions and the experimental validation. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time that an OpenFlow-based control plane is reported and its performance is quantitatively measured in an elastic optical network with DDO-OFDM transmission.