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The impact of neoadjuvant therapy on the functional outcome of patients with resectable rectal cancer is still controversial. The aim of the present study was to explore the effects of neoadjuvant therapy on anorectal function (ARF), urinary function and sexual function in relevant patients.PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library were searched systematically. All English-language studies, published from January 2000 to July 2021, that explored the (postoperative) effects of neoadjuvant therapy versus upfront surgery on ARF, urinary function and sexual function of patients were included (PROSPERO 2021: CRD42021281617).The data in this study were derived from 37 articles based on 33 studies; in total, 17 917 patients were enrolled. The meta-analysis revealed that the incidence of anorectal dysfunction in the neoadjuvant therapy group was significantly higher than that in the group of upfront surgery, which was manifested by a higher incidence of major low anterior resection syndrome (odds ratio = 3.09, 95% confidence interval = 2.48, 3.84; P0.001), reduction of mean squeeze pressure and mean resting pressure, and other manifestations, including clustering of stools, incontinence, urgency and use of pads. With the extension of follow-up time, the adverse effects of neoadjuvant therapy on major low anterior resection syndrome existed. Compared with patients undergoing upfront surgery, neoadjuvant therapy increased the risk of urinary incontinence (odds ratio = 1.31, 95% confidence interval = 1.00, 1.72; P = 0.05) and erectile dysfunction (odds ratio = 1.77, 95% confidence interval = 1.27, 2.45; P0.001).Compared with upfront surgery, neoadjuvant therapy is not only associated with impairment of ARF, but also with increased incidence of urinary incontinence and male erectile dysfunction. However, the influence of confounding factors (e.g. surgical method, tumour stage) needs to be considered.

Background: Nowadays, minimally invasive intervention (MII) has largely replaced delayed open surgery in acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP). However, the timing of MII remains unclear. The present study investigated the effect of early versus delayed MII on complications in ANP. Methods: Studies evaluating the impact of the timing of MII on complications in ANP patients were thoroughly searched on PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science from inception to June 2022. The primary outcome of interest was mortality. Secondary outcomes were the incidence of complications. Results: Nine studies reporting 870 patients undergoing MII for ANP were included. No significant difference was found in mortality between the early and delayed intervention groups. In addition, the timing of MII was not associated with the incidence of new-onset respiratory failure, new-onset cardiovascular failure, new-onset renal failure, new-onset multiple organ failure, gastrointestinal fistula or perforation, pancreatic fistula, stent migration, bleeding, venous thrombosis, and new-onset pancreatic endocrine insufficiency. Notably, in the subgroup analysis of biliary and Asian ANP patients, early intervention was associated with a significantly higher risk of new-onset renal failure than delayed intervention. Conclusions: Early intervention is safe and recommended only for patients with indications for intervention, such as infection.

Background: The effectiveness of prophylactic antibiotics in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) remains a debatable issue. This meta-analysis aimed to determine the efficacy of prophylactic carbapenem antibiotics in SAP. Methods: This meta-analysis of prophylactic carbapenem antibiotics for SAP was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Library up to February 2021. The related bibliographies were manually searched. The primary outcomes involved infected pancreatic or peripancreatic necrosis, mortality, complications, infections, and organ failure. Results: Seven articles comprised 5 randomized controlled trials and 2 retrospective observational studies, including 3,864 SAP participants. Prophylactic carbapenem antibiotics in SAP were associated with a statistically significant reduction in the incidence of infections (odds ratio [OR]: 0.27; p = 0.03) and complications (OR: 0.48; p = 0.009). Nevertheless, no statistically significant difference was demonstrated in the incidence of infected pancreatic or peripancreatic necrosis (OR: 0.74; p = 0.24), mortality (OR: 0.69; p = 0.17), extrapancreatic infection (OR: 0.64, p = 0.54), pulmonary infection (OR: 1.23; p = 0.69), blood infection (OR: 0.60; p = 0.35), urinary tract infection (OR: 0.97; p = 0.97), pancreatic pseudocyst (OR: 0.59; p = 0.28), fluid collection (OR: 0.91; p = 0.76), organ failure (OR: 0.63; p = 0.19), acute respiratory distress syndrome (OR: 0.80; p = 0.61), surgical intervention (OR: 0.97; p = 0.93), dialysis (OR: 2.34; p = 0.57), use of respirator or ventilator (OR: 1.90; p = 0.40), intensive care unit treatment (OR: 2.97; p = 0.18), and additional antibiotics (OR: 0.59; p = 0.28) between the experimental and control groups. Conclusions: It is not recommended to administer routine prophylactic carbapenem antibiotics in SAP.

The potential effect of caffeine exposure during pregnancy on gestational hypertension (GH)/preeclampsia has attracted attention but remains unclear. A systematic literature search of PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library databases was performed until March 2022. Observational studies assessing the association between caffeine exposure during pregnancy and the risk of GH/preeclampsia were included. The study protocol was registered in PROSPERO: CRD42022322387. Ten studies involving 114984 pregnant women (2548 diagnosed with GH and 2473 diagnosed with preeclampsia) were included. Comparing caffeine exposure with non-caffeine exposure, no significant association was found between caffeine exposure during pregnancy and the risk of GH (OR = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.90–1.08, p = 0.800) and preeclampsia (OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 0.97–1.31, p = 0.114). Subgroup analyses comparing low to moderate doses with no/lowest doses showed that caffeine exposure during pregnancy was not significant associated with GH (OR = 1.00, p = 0.987) or preeclampsia (OR = 1.03, p = 0.648). Besides, subgroup analyses comparing high doses with no/lowest doses showed that caffeine exposure during pregnancy was not significant associated with GH (OR = 1.06, p = 0.623) or preeclampsia (OR = 1.18, p = 0.192). This study found that caffeine exposure during pregnancy was not significantly associated with the risk of GH/preeclampsia.

Purpose While the prevalence of obesity in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients is rapidly increasing, it is unclear whether obesity affects surgical outcomes in this population. This meta-analysis aims to assess the impact of obesity/overweight on patients undergoing surgery for IBD. Methods Databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Springer) were searched through September 2021. The meta-analysis included patients with surgically treated IBD to investigate the impact of obesity/overweight on this population. Primary outcomes included overall complications, infectious complications, noninfectious complications, and conversion to laparotomy. Results Fifteen studies totaling 12,622 IBD patients were enrolled. Compared with nonobese (including overweight) patients, obese IBD patients have increased the risk in terms of overall complications (OR = 1.45, p p = 0.003) (especially wound complications), as well as conversion to laparotomy (OR = 1.90, p p = 0.05) had significantly increased. Compared with non-overweight patients, the risk of developing wound complications (OR = 1.65, p = 0.01) and sepsis (OR = 1.73, p = 0.007) were increased in overweight patients, but the rates of overall complications (OR = 1.04, p = 0.81), infectious complications (OR = 1.31, p = 0.07), and conversion to laparotomy (OR = 1.33, p = 0.08) associated with body mass index (BMI) were not significantly different. Conclusion Obesity is a risk factor for surgical complications in IBD patients, mainly reflected in infectious complications. Moreover, obese patients seem to have a more common chance of developing surgical complications than overweight patients.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT-2i) has been shown to decrease blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients and potentially yield additional benefits in weight loss. This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of giving SGLT-2i to overweight/obese, non-diabetic individuals.The search was underpinned by PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, and Springer to identify English-language papers on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the use of SGLT-2i in overweight/obese, nondiabetic individuals published in and before March 2021, to study its effectiveness and safety. Results were evaluated by weighted mean difference (WMD), standardized mean difference (SMD), risk ratio (RR), and 95% confidence interval (CI).We reviewed 13 papers and compared the SGLT-2i group with the control group (other drugs and placebo) and found that SGLT-2i reduced weight (WMD = -1.33, p = 0.002) and waist circumference (WMD = -1.94, p = 0.03) in overweight/obese, non-diabetic individuals. The use of SGLT-2i is more effective than other interventions in terms of weight loss ≥ 5% (RR = 2.04, p0.001), but not in terms of weight loss ≥ 10% (RR = 1.83, p = 0.22). In addition, there were no significant changes in other metabolic parameters, like fasting plasma glucose (FPG), lipids, blood pressure, etc. SGLT-2i increased the risk of infections in urinary tract (RR = 1.91, p = 0.009) and reproductive system (RR = 4.09, p0.001).SGLT-2i is a promising candidate to reduce weight and waist circumference to a limited extent in overweight/obese, nondiabetic individuals. Generally, it is safe and effective. However, it potentially increased the risk of urogenital infections, which cannot be ignored.

The effect of preoperative vedolizumab (VDZ) therapy on postoperative complications in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients is still controversial. This meta-analysis aims to review postoperative complications of IBD patients who preoperatively received VDZ. A meta-analysis of the available literature was performed. Studies of IBD patients who received VDZ and non-VDZ therapy (including anti-TNF-α agents, non-biological therapy, other biological agents, ustekinumab, and placebo) before surgery were included. Primary outcomes included overall complications, infectious complications, and non-infectious complications. Twelve studies with 1925 IBD patients were enrolled, among which 709 patients received VDZ treatment. The results show that, compared with non-VDZ treatment, there is no significant difference in the incidence of overall complications (OR = 1.25, p = 0.43) for adult IBD patients treated with VDZ preoperatively, the incidence of infectious complications (OR = 0.49, p = 0.001) decreases, but the risks of all surgical site infection (SSI) (Crohn’s disease (CD): OR = 2.97, p

Cervical cancer is a global health challenge in women. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) is a recent prospect for alternative cervical cancer treatments. This study investigated the efficacy of NACT against resectable cervical cancer based on the medium and long-term survival of patients with the disease. We searched through PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO and Cochrane Library for relevant reports published by June 2020. The primary outcomes were 3-year and 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of patients with resectable cervical cancer. Overall, 22 publications encompassing 5627 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. We found NACT not to affect both 3-year PFS and OS as well as 5-year PFS of patients with resectable cervical cancer. However, NACT significantly improves the 5-year OS of patients with resectable cervical cancer (HR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.73–0.94, p = 0.013). Subgroup analysis (RCTs, non-RCTs, NACT + surgery + AT vs. surgery + AT, NACT + surgery + AT vs. CCRT/RT/CRT) further revealed NACT had no significant effect on 5-year PFS of patients with resectable cervical cancer, converse to the 5-year OS subgroup analysis, which validated the beneficial effect of NACT in patients with resectable cervical cancer. In addition, the effect of NACT was most significant in the non-RCTs subgroup (p = 0.012). NACT may improve the long-term prognosis of patients with resectable cervical cancer. However, further large-scale multicenter studies are needed to validate this finding.

Background: The impact of neoadjuvant therapy on long-term prognosis of patients with resectable rectal cancer is currently unknown. Objective: This study aimed to explore the long-term prognosis of patients with resectable rectal cancer following treatment with neoadjuvant therapy. Methods: Four major databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane library) were searched to identify relevant articles published between January 2000 and July 2020. The main outcome indicators were the 5-year Overall Survival (OS) and Disease-Free Survival (DFS). Results: The meta-analysis revealed that 5-year OS (HR: 0.88, 95% Cl: 0.83-0.93) and DFS (HR: 0.95, 95% Cl: 0.91- 0.98) were higher in patients with resectable rectal cancer after receiving neoadjuvant therapy than those treated with upfront surgery. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that the long-term survival of patients in Asia and Europe could benefit from neoadjuvant therapy. The neoadjuvant short-course radiotherapy (SCRT) and neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) improved the 5-year OS and DFS of patients with stage II-III rectal cancer and mid/low rectal cancer. Further research found that patients with stage II only had an increase in OS, while patients with stage Ⅲ have improved 5-year OS and DFS. Conclusion: Neoadjuvant therapy improved the long-term survival of patients with mid/low rectal cancer in stage Ⅱ-Ⅲ (especially stage Ⅲ). Additionally, patients in Asia and Europe seemed to be more likely to benefit from neoadjuvant therapy. For the treatment, we recommend neoadjuvant SCRT and neoadjuvant CRT for resectable rectal cancer.

Background: The impact of neoadjuvant therapy on the long-term prognosis of patients with resectable rectal cancer is controversial. This study aimed to explore the effect of neoadjuvant therapy on the long-term prognosis of patients with resectable rectal cancer. Methods: Four major databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane library) were searched to find relevant articles published between January 2000 and July 2020. The main outcome indicators were the 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Results: Compared with upfront surgery, our meta-analysis showed that 5-year OS (HR: 0.84, 95% Cl: 0.78-0.91) and DFS (HR: 0.91, 95% Cl: 0.87-0.95) were prolonged for patients with resectable rectal cancer after receiving neoadjuvant therapy. The results of subgroup analysis suggested that both neoadjuvant short-course radiotherapy (SCRT) and neoadjuvant chemo-radiotherapy (CRT) could improve the 5-year OS and DFS. The 5-year OS and DFS of patients with stage Ⅱ-Ⅲ rectal cancer increased significantly and the improvement of 5-year OS and DFS could also be observed in mid/low rectal cancer.Conclusion: Neoadjuvant therapy could improve the long-term survival of patients with mid/low rectal cancer in stage Ⅱ-Ⅲ. For the treatment, neoadjuvant SCRT and neoadjuvant CRT were recommended.