The Response to "Global Landscape of Nasolabial Folds Research: Hotspots, Gaps, and Future Directions".

Level of Evidence V This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.

Intradermal Injection of Tranexamic Acid for the Treatment of Adult Melasma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Melasma is a chronic skin pigmentation disorder, and intradermal injection of tranexamic acid (TXA) is an effective treatment option for melasma with limited comparative efficacy studies. To compare the effectiveness of TXA injections with other treatment modalities for patients with melasma, as measured by Melasma Area and Severity Index (MASI). A total of 17 eligible randomized controlled trials were included in the meta-analysis.

Beading plot: a novel graphics for ranking interventions in network evidence.

Background: Network meta-analysis is developed to compare all available treatments; therefore it enriches evidence for clinical decision-making, offering insights into treatment effectiveness and safety when faced with multiple options. However, the complexity and numerous treatment comparisons in network meta-analysis can challenge healthcare providers and patients. The purpose of this study aimed to introduce a graphic design to present complex rankings of multiple interventions comprehensively.

Clinical guidelines for early hepatocellular carcinoma treatment options: a systematic review and bibliometric analysis.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma remains a major cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, with treatment options including radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and surgical resection. This study evaluates the evolving guidelines for these treatments to identify the current consensus and divergences.

Method: The authors conducted a systematic review following PRISMA 2020 guidelines of documents from 2017 to 2024 by major liver societies.

Perioperative application of chatbots: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background And Objectives: Patient-clinician communication and shared decision-making face challenges in the perioperative period. Chatbots have emerged as valuable support tools in perioperative care. A simultaneous and complete comparison of overall benefits and harm of chatbot application is conducted.

Liver resection had better disease-free survival rates compared with radiofrequency ablation in hepatocellular carcinoma: a meta-analysis based on randomized clinical trials.

Background: Liver resection (LR) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) are the most commonly used treatment modalities for early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (ES-HCC). The comparative efficacy of LR and RFA in ES-HCC remains debated. The authors conducted a meta-analysis based on randomized trials to compare the outcomes of LR and RFA.

Efficacy of natural products in preventing oral mucositis resulting from cancer therapies: A network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Oral mucositis significantly compromises the quality of life for patients undergoing cancer therapies. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of natural products in either preventing or alleviating oral mucositis resulting from cancer treatments.

Methods: A systematic review and network meta-analysis were conducted, sourcing data from the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, Airiti Library, and Wan Fang Data Knowledge Service Platform until August 2023.

Effects of mindfulness-based preoperative intervention for patients undergoing elective surgery: A meta-analysis.

Objective: Patients often experience pain and psychological distress when undergoing elective surgeries. Mindfulness-based interventions have been proposed as potential strategies to address these challenges. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the efficacy of preoperative mindfulness-based interventions on several outcomes for patients undergoing elective surgery, including preoperative anxiety/depression, postoperative anxiety/depression, postoperative pain, and quality of life (QOL).

Efficacy and Safety of Fillers for the Treatment of Nasolabial Folds: A Network meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: Nasolabial fold formation is increasingly becoming a cause of concern for many people. However, no network meta-analysis has compared the efficacy of different fillers in treating nasolabial folds. This network meta-analysis simultaneously compared the efficacy and safety of various fillers.

Oral aspirin for preventing colorectal adenoma recurrence: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Colorectal adenomas have the potential of malignant transformation if left untreated. Multiple randomized controlled trials have been performed to evaluate the efficacy of aspirin in preventing colorectal adenoma recurrence in a population with a history of colorectal adenoma but not colorectal cancer, however, the relationship between aspirin dose and colorectal adenoma recurrence remains unclear. We conducted pairwise meta-analysis, meta-regression, trial sequential analysis, and network meta-analysis of all eligible studies.

Patient Decision Aids for Breast Cancer Reconstruction: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: Breast cancer has surpassed lung cancer to become the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women. There has been a dramatic increase in the use of breast reconstruction after mastectomy. However, struggle in making decisions regarding breast reconstruction has existed.

Stem cell-derived conditioned medium for alopecia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Alopecia is a common and distressing medical condition that has been related to psychiatric disorders. Stem cell-derived conditioned medium (CM), a novel therapy for hair regeneration, has shown effectiveness in several trials.

Methods: This meta-analysis aims to explore the effectiveness of stem cell-derived CM in improving hair growth for patients of alopecia.

Asymmetry in sensory-motor function between the lower limbs in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy: An observational study.

The objective of this study was to examine the difference in sensory-motor impairments (i.e., balance, contracture, coordination, strength, spasticity, and sensation) between legs in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy.

Endovascular Occlusive or Sclerosing Agent Monotherapy for Varicose Veins: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

This systematic review and network meta-analysis investigated the clinical efficacy and safety of chemical agent injections in patients with varicose veins. PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched for eligible studies where patients administered endovascular agents comprised an intervention group, and patients administered other interventions comprised the comparison group. The endovascular agents included foam and liquid form sclerotherapy or cyanoacrylate glue.

Effects of Oral Alpha-Lipoic Acid Treatment on Diabetic Polyneuropathy: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review.

Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) was found to improve the symptoms in patients with diabetic sensorimotor peripheral neuropathy (DSPN) by reducing oxidative stress and ameliorating microcirculation. Our meta-analysis is aimed at evaluating the effects of oral-administered ALA versus a placebo in patients with DSPN and determining the optimal dosage for this treatment. We systematically reviewed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases to determine the efficacy of oral ALA for patients with DSPN.

Efficacy of Laser in Hair Removal: A Network Meta-analysis.

Background: Laser hair removal is an increasingly prevalent trend of cosmetic procedures. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of hair reduction among several types of laser interventions.

Methods: The selected studies searched in PubMed and EMBASE were assessed for quality of evidence, and extracted data on absolute hair count and hair reduction rate.

Effects of Oral Collagen for Skin Anti-Aging: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

This paper presents a systematic review and meta-analysis of 26 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 1721 patients to assess the effects of hydrolyzed collagen (HC) supplementation on skin hydration and elasticity. The results showed that HC supplementation significantly improved skin hydration (test for overall effect: Z = 4.94, < 0.

Comparing the efficacy of different steroids for rhinoplasty: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Rhinoplasty can cause tissue trauma and inflammatory responses. Edema and ecchymosis, especially on the face, accompanied by inflammation are common complications. The anti-inflammatory properties of steroids can reduce postoperative edema and ecchymosis.

Further Studies are Still Needed to Test Whether Fat Grafting Reduce Postmastectomy Pain.

Background: To test the effects of autologous fat grafting for reducing postmastectomy pain is important since post-operative pain bothers many patients with postmastectomy pain syndrome (PMPS), and one session autologous fat grafting for this condition is also investigated in some studies. Most of them show the positive effect on pain control, but the most recent randomized controlled trial (RCT) does not. The relatively small sample size with incomplete follow-up in the RCT might limit the certainty of evidence, and cases for the final analysis is lesser than expected numbers by sample size determination.

Determinants of the success in flap reconstruction-Outcome analysis of 120 flaps in 484 procedures for pressure injury.

Pressure injury (PI) mainly occurs in bedridden older adults or those with physical limitations. Here, we aimed to determine the appropriate timing to conduct flap reconstruction in patients with PIs and identify factors affecting surgical outcomes. We retrospectively reviewed the data of all patients who received debridement or flap reconstruction surgery for PIs in our hospital from January 2016 to December 2021.

Translating and Validating the Vietnamese Version of the Health Sciences Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire.

No validated instrument is available for assessing the evidence-based practice capacity of Vietnamese health professionals. This study aimed to translate and validate the Health Sciences Evidence-Based Practice questionnaire (HS-EBP) from English to Vietnamese and ascertain its psychometric properties. Data were collected from two obstetric hospitals in Vietnam.

Ten circumstances and solutions for finding the sample mean and standard deviation for meta-analysis.

A common problem in meta-analyses is the unavailability of mean and standard deviation (SD). Unfortunately, only having values of the median, interquartile range (IQR), or range cannot be directly utilized for meta-analysis. Although some estimation and conversion methods have been proposed in the past two decades, there were no published and user-friendly tools developed based on multiple scenarios of missing SD.