The aim of the present study was to compare the health outcomes of catheter ablation therapy against those of antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) in the management of atrial fibrillation (AF). The effects of catheter ablation and AADs on a number of parameters were compared, including AF recurrence, all-cause mortality, stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA) and quality of life (QoL). A systematic literature search of PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials was conducted to obtain relevant randomized controlled trials.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Zhejiang Univ Sci B
March 2014
Objective: Many investigations have studied the associations between matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) C1562T polymorphisms and coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the conclusions of these studies were inconsistent. Therefore, this study was aimed at clarifying the association between MMP-9 C1562T polymorphisms and CAD in a large-scale meta-analysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Cancer Res Clin Oncol
October 2012
Background: Cancer stem cells are regarded as the origin of tumors that can proliferate, relapse, and metastasize. Nanog, with its capacity to maintain the pluripotency and regulate proliferation and prevent differentiation, is one of the most important core markers of cancer stem cells. Studying the role of Nanog in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), therefore, has important implications.
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