5 research outputs found
The relationship between physical activity and lymphoma: a systematic review and meta analysis
BACKGROUND: The literature suggests an increased risk between anthropometrics including higher body mass index and lymphoma incidence; however, the association with physical activity remains unclear. A systematic review/meta-analysis was therefore performed to examine this association with physical activity (total, recreational or occupational).
METHODS: PubMed, Web of Science and Embase were reviewed from inception to October 2019 identifying relevant observational studies. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) including subtypes diffuse large B cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma, and Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) were analyzed. Included studies reported activity, lymphoma cases, effect size and variability measures, and were restricted to human subjects of any age. Data was pooled generating summary relative risk (RR) estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CI) using random-effects models with primary outcome of histologically confirmed incident lymphoma.
RESULTS: One thousand four hundred studies were initially identified with 18 studies (nine cohort, nine case-control) included in final analysis. Comparing highest vs. lowest activity categories was protective for all lymphoma (RR 0.89, 95%CI 0.81-0.98). Sensitivity analysis demonstrated effect persistence within case-control studies (RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.71-0.96), but not cohort studies (RR 0.95, 95%CI 0.84-1.07). Borderline protective effect was seen for NHL (RR 0.92, 95%CI 0.84-1.00), but not HL (RR 0.72, 95%CI 0.50-1.04). Analysis by NHL subtype or gender showed no effect. Dose response analysis demonstrated a protective effect (p = 0.034) with a 1% risk reduction per 3 MET hours/week (RR 0.99, 95%CI 0.98-1.00).
CONCLUSIONS: Physical activity may have a protective effect against lymphoma development; further studies are required to generate recommendations regarding health policy.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered prospectively at PROSPERO: CRD42020156242
Fli-1 expression in malignant melanoma
Friend leukemia integration site 1 (Fli-1) has
been reported as the first nuclear marker of endothelial
differentiation; it is expressed in leukocytes and recently
demonstrated in melanomas. Formalin-fixed, paraffinembedded
tissue sections from 97 melanomas including
69 cases of primary and 28 metastatic melanomas were
evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Five melanoma cell
lines were evaluated by Western blot and
immunocytochemistry. Fli-1 expression was observed in
all cell lines. Fli-1 expression was higher in metastatic
than in primary tumors (r=0.208, p=0.041, Spearman
correlation), it positively correlated with Ki-67
expression (r=0.233, p=0.022, Spearman correlation),
and the presence of an ulcer in the primary tumor
(r=0.267, p=0.030, Spearman correlation). Therefore, the
expression of Fli-1 in malignant melanoma appears to be
associated with biologically more aggressive tumors
Efficacy of antiviral therapies for COVID-19: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials
Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to pose a significant threat to public health worldwide. The purpose of this study was to review current evidence obtained from randomized clinical trials on the efficacy of antivirals for COVID-19 treatment. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed using PubMed to identify randomized controlled trials published up to September 4, 2021 that examined the efficacy of antivirals for COVID-19 treatment. Studies that were not randomized controlled trials or that did not include treatment of COVID-19 with approved antivirals were excluded. Risk of bias was assessed using the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) method. Due to study heterogeneity, inferential statistics were not performed and data were expressed as descriptive statistics. Results: Of the 2,284 articles retrieved, 31 (12,440 patients) articles were included. Overall, antivirals were more effective when administered early in the disease course. No antiviral treatment demonstrated efficacy at reducing COVID-19 mortality. Sofosbuvir/daclatasvir results suggested clinical improvement, although statistical power was low. Remdesivir exhibited efficacy in reducing time to recovery, but results were inconsistent across trials. Conclusions: Although select antivirals have exhibited efficacy to improve clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients, none demonstrated efficacy in reducing mortality. Larger RCTs are needed to conclusively establish efficacy