Comparison of the Effect of Garlic and Thyme Plants on Candida albicans: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Introduction: With the increased prevalence of candidiasis in recent years, the use of herbal medicines including garlic and thyme is considered to treat Candida albicans infection. We sought to compare the effectiveness of garlic and thyme on Candida albicans infection using a systematic review and meta-analysis.   Materials and Methods: IranMedex, PubMed, Google scholar, Magiran and  SID databases were searched and 12 experimental articles performed in Iran were retrieved. Data were extracted using  STATA software (version 12.2) and analyzed by meta-analysis and random effects model.   Findings: The overall sample size of the 12 articles was 276. In five papers, the effectiveness of garlic in the inhibition of Candida albicans was considered, and the values of minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) 90 and 50 were 0.062 and 0.0312 mg/ml, respectively. In seven papers, the inhibitory effect of thyme against Candida albicans was considered, and the MIC 90 and MIC50 values were 2. With the combination of P-value obtained by the Fisher’s exact test in the mentioned studies, we noted that garlic and thyme had significant inhibitory effects against Candida albicans (P<0.001).   Conclusion: Considering the low MIC50 and MIC90 of garlic compared to thyme, it can be stated that garlic is more effective in inhibiting Candida albicans than thyme

Evaluating the effect of magnesium supplementation and cardiac arrhythmias after acute coronary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background Atrial and ventricular cardiac arrhythmias are one of the most common early complications after cardiac surgery and these serve as a major cause of mortality and morbidity after cardiac revascularization. We want to evaluate the effect of magnesium sulfate administration on the incidence of cardiac arrhythmias after cardiac revascularization by doing this systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods The search performed in several databases (SID, Magiran, IranDoc, IranMedex, MedLib, PubMed, EmBase, Web of Science, Scopus, the Cochrane Library and Google Scholar) for published Randomized controlled trials before December 2017 that have reported the association between Magnesium consumption and the incidence of cardiac arrhythmias. This relationship measured using odds ratios (ORs) with a confidence interval of 95% (CIs). Funnel plots and Egger test used to examine publication bias. STATA (version 11.1) used for all analyses. Results Twenty-two studies selected as eligible for this research and included in the final analysis. The total rate of ventricular arrhythmia was lower in the group receiving magnesium sulfate than placebo (11.88% versus 24.24%). The same trend obtained for the total incidence of supraventricular arrhythmia (10.36% in the magnesium versus 23.91% in the placebo group). In general the present meta-analysis showed that magnesium could decrease ventricular and supraventricular arrhythmias compared with placebo (OR = 0.32, 95% CI 0.16–0.49; p < 0.001 and OR = 0.42, 95% CI 0.22–0.65; p < 0.001, respectively). Subgroup analysis showed that the effect of magnesium on the incidence of cardiac arrhythmias was not affected by clinical settings and dosage of magnesium. Meta-regression analysis also showed that there was no significant association between the reduction of ventricular arrhythmias and sample size. Conclusion The results of this meta-analysis study suggest that magnesium sulfate can be used safely and effectively and is a cost-effective way in the prevention of many of ventricular and supraventricular arrhythmias

Association of Chlamydia trachomatis infections with preterm delivery; a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background Premature birth is a primary cause of infant mortality and its etiology varies in different countries. Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) is a common infectious agent transmitted through sexual contact. The purpose of this study is to investigate the connection between CT infections and preterm birth by meta-analysis. Methods All articles published in literature databases including Google Scholar, PubMed, ISI (Web of Science), Biological Abs, IranMedex, SID, and Scopus were investigated. Twenty-four relevant articles, authored betweenm 1998–2014 were analyzed through a random effects model. Heterogeneity of the studies was evaluated by I2 index. The relationship between years of data collection, sample size, and CT infections with preterm delivery prevalence was examined by meta-regression. Data were analyzed with R and STATA [Ver. 12]. Results The overall prevalence of CT infections leading to preterm deliveries was estimated to be 0.13% (CI 95%: 0.11–0.16). The prevalence of CT infections leading to preterm deliveries were calculated based on the study method including PCR [0.06 (CI 95%: 0.04–0.09)], serology [0.23 (CI 95%: 0.10–0.35)] and culture [0.17 (CI 95%: 0.10–0.24)]. Analysis indicates that women with chlamydia infections were 2.28 more likely to deliver pre-term in comparison with those who were not infected. It can be concluded that chlamydia infections increase the risks of preterm delivery, OR = 2.28 (95% CI:1.64–3.16). Conclusions In regard to the results in numerous studies performed on different continents, this meta- analysis showed a clear association between preterm delivery and prior CT colonization

Maternal Anemia and Pregnancy outcomes: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background  The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between maternal anemia during pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes. Materials and Methods  This systematic review was conducted in domestic (Sid, Iran.doc, Iran medex and Magiran) and international (PubMed, Science Direct, Cochrane, Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, Springer, Embase, Google scholar) databases from January 1, 1990 to April 10, 2016 with using standard key words "Pregnancy", "Pregnant women", "Hemoglobin/ haemoglobin", "Anemia/ anaemia", and "Pregnancy outcome". Relative risks (RR) and confidence intervals were extracted from each study. Results  Overall 30 studies with a total sample size of 1,194,746 were entered into the final meta-analysis. Maternal anemia in the first trimester showed a significant relationship with low birth weight (RR: 1.28, 95% CI, 1.10 - 1.50, P0.05) and pre-term birth (RR: 1.55, 95% CI, 0.83 - 2.88, P>0.05). Conclusion Maternal anemia during pregnancy in the first trimester in particular can be considered as a risk factor for pregnancy outcomes and must be treated as an advance

Prevalence, causes, and complications of cesarean delivery in Iran: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Uncontrolled increase of C-section is one of the major problems in Iranian health system, such that C-section is the most common surgical procedure in the entire country&rsquo;s hospitals in Obstetrics and Gynecology sections. A variety of complications also come along with cesarean. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence, causes, and complications of cesarean in Iran. Materials and Methods: forty-one articles were considered with respect to certain criteria and were included in a systematic review to perform a meta-analysis study. The systematic review&rsquo;s search was conducted on SID, Iranmedx, Magiran, Medlib, PubMed, and Science Direct databases published between1999-2016. The weight of each included study was calculated according to its sample size and the reported prevalence of binomial distribution. A random-effects model using R and STATA (Version 11.2) software was utilized for analyzing data Results: The total number of the sample was 197514 pregnant women with a mean age of 26.72 yr. The prevalence of cesarean in Iran was estimated at 48%. The main reasons for the prevalence of cesarean in this study were mothers&rsquo; higher education, previous cesarean, and doctor recommendation. The most frequent complication in women undergoing cesarean was the muscular pain, and the most common fetal complications in newborns by caesarean delivery was transient tachypnea. Conclusion: The prevalence of C-section in Iran is much higher than what WHO recommends. It is essential, to decrease such a phenomenon, making the mothers aware of the risks of cesarean delivery, and establishing counselling sessions as well to eliminate the mothers&rsquo; fear of vaginal delivery

Additional file 1: of Association of Chlamydia trachomatis infections with preterm delivery; a systematic review and meta-analysis

Summary of the included studies evaluating the prevalence of CT infections with preterm deliveries. (XLSX 14 kb