Fish and Fish Oil Intake in Relation to Risk of Asthma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

<div><p>Although laboratory studies suggest that long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCn3PUFAs) may reduce risk of asthma, epidemiological data remain controversial and inconclusive. We quantitatively reviewed the epidemiological studies published through December 2012 in PubMed and EMBASE by using a fixed-effects or random-effects model. Eleven studies, comprised of 99,093 individuals (3,226 cases), were included in the final dataset. Of them, 7 studies examined associations between intake of fish or LCn3PUFA and risk of asthma: 4 studies in children (996 cases from 12,481 children) and 3 in adults (1,311 cases from 82,553 individuals). Two studies (69 cases from 276 infants) investigated LCn3PUFA levels in mothers’ milk, and two studies assessed maternal fish consumption (786 cases from 2,832 individuals) during lactation and/or plasma LCn3PUFA levels during pregnancy (64 cases from 951 infants) in relation to offspring’s asthma. The pooled relative risk of child asthma were 0.76 (95% CI, 0.61–0.94) for fish consumption and 0.71 (95% CI, 0.52–0.96) for LCn3PUFA intake. No statistically significant association was found in studies among adults. Epidemiological data to date indicate that fish or LCn3PUFA intake may be beneficial to prevent asthma in children. Further studies are needed to establish causal inference and to elucidate the potential mechanisms.</p></div

Patient baseline demographic and clinical characteristics.

Patient baseline demographic and clinical characteristics.</p

Characteristics of included randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

<p>Abbreviations: NA, Not Available; PUFA, Polyunsaturated fatty acids.</p

Multivariate logistics analysis showing odds ratios (ORs) for variables affecting risk of depression.

Multivariate logistics analysis showing odds ratios (ORs) for variables affecting risk of depression.</p

Revisiting the Radical Initiation Mechanism of the Diamine-Promoted Transition-Metal-Free Cross-Coupling Reaction

Radical chain reactions leading to C–C bond formation are widely used in organic synthesis, and initiation of the radical chain process usually requires thermolabile radical initiators. Recent studies on transition-metal-free cross-coupling reactions between aryl halides and arenes have demonstrated an unprecedented initiation system for radical chain reactions, where the combination of simple organic additives and a base was used in place of conventional radical initiators. Among them, the combination of <i>N</i>,<i>N</i>′-dimethylethylenediamine (DMEDA) and <i>t</i>-BuOK is one of the most efficient and representative reaction systems, and the radical initiation mechanism of this system has attracted considerable research interest. In this study, through the combination of kinetic studies, deuterium labeling experiments, and DFT calculations, the radical initiation mechanism of the diamine-promoted cross-coupling reaction was carefully reinvestigated. In light of the present study, a mechanistic network of radical initiation in the DMEDA/<i>t</i>-BuOK system was revealed, which differs dramatically from the previously realized single radical initiation pathway. In this mechanism, the diamine acts as a hydrogen atom donor and plays a dual role as both “radical amplifier” and “radical regulator” to initiate the radical chain process as well as to control the concentration of reactive radical species. This represents a rare example of a structurally simple molecule playing such a subtle role in the radical chain reaction system. The present study sheds some light on the novel radical initiation mode in transition-metal-free cross-coupling reactions following a base-promoted homolytic aromatic substitution (BHAS) mechanism, and may also help to understand the mechanism of relevant reactions

Forest plot of relative risk estimates of incident nasopharyngeal cancer, cancer of the ampulla of Vater, prostate cancer, oral cancer, gallbladder cancer and ECC by alcohol consumption in Chinese.

<p>This figure shows the forest plots for the meta-analysis of the association between alcohol consumption and the risk of nasopharyngeal cancer, cancer of the ampulla of Vater, prostate cancer, oral cancer, gallbladder cancer and ECC. OR and the 99% CI for each cancer was given.</p

Results of literature search.

<p>This figure describes the whole process of searching for articles for inclusion in this systematic review and meta-analysis.</p

Studies on the association between alcohol and cancers in Chinese people.

<p>Studies on the association between alcohol and cancers in Chinese people.</p

Forest plot of relative risk estimates of incident HCC, colorectal cancer, breast cancer and pancreatic cancer by alcohol consumption in Chinese.

<p>This figure shows forest plots for the meta-analysis of the association between alcohol consumption and the risk of HCC, colorectal cancer, breast cancer and pancreatic cancer. OR and the 99% CI for each cancer was given.</p

Table_1_Efficacy and safety profile of phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor in the treatment of psoriasis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.docx

BackgroundSystemic therapy is an important treatment for psoriasis. Phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitors are new candidates for psoriasis therapy.ObjectivesTo evaluate the efficacy and safety of PDE4 inhibitors in psoriasis.MethodRandomized clinical trials with PDE4 inhibitors vs placebos in patients with psoriasis were identified from MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials, ClinicalTrials.gov, from inception to July 14, 2022. The study was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022345700).Results18 studies were identified, 9 of which included moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, 2 mild-to-moderate plaque psoriasis, and 7 psoriatic arthritis. A total of 6036 patients were included. Only one oral PDE4 inhibitor, apremilast, met the inclusion criteria. Overall, compared with the placebo, apremilast was associated with higher response rates in PASI-75 (RR, 3.22; 95% CI, 2.59-4.01), ScPGA of 0 or 1 (RR, 2.21; 95% CI, 1.69-2.91), PPPGA of 0 or 1 (RR 2.33; 95%CI, 1.16-4.66), and a significant decrease in NPASI (SMD, -0.46; 95% CI, -0.58 to -0.33). There were no significant differences in serious adverse events. Subgroup analyses showed that significantly more patients achieved PASI-75 after 16 weeks of therapy with apremilast of 20 mg bid (RR, 2.82; 95% CI, 2.01-3.95) and 30 mg bid (RR, 4.08; 95% CI, 3.12-5.33). Heterogeneity was not significant across studies.ConclusionApremilast is a safe and effective treatment for plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, especially for difficult-to-treat sites.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero, identifier (CRD42022345700).</p