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Non-invasive skin autofluorescence as a screening method for diabetic retinopathy.
Martínez-García, I, Cavero-Redondo, I, Álvarez-Bueno, C, Pascual-Morena, C, Gómez-Guijarro, MD, Saz-Lara, A
Diabetes/metabolism research and reviews. 2024;(2):e3721
Abstract
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a public health problem and a common cause of blindness. It is diagnosed by fundus examination; however, this is a costly and time-consuming method. Non-invasive skin autofluorescence (SAF) may be an accessible, fast and simple alternative for screening and early diagnosis of DR. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of SAF as a screening method for DR. A systematic search of MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science databases was performed. Random effects models for sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR) and negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (dOR) value and 95% CIs were used to calculate test accuracy. In addition, hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic curves (HSROC) were used to summarise the overall test performance. Four studies were included in the meta-analysis. Pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.79 (95% CI 0.72-0.88; I2 = 0.0%) and 0.54 (95% CI 0.32-0.92; I2 = 97.0%), respectively. The dOR value for the diagnosis of DR using SAF was 5.11 (95% CI 1.81-14.48: I2 = 85.9%). The PRL was 2.17 (95% CI 0.62-7.64) and the NRL was 0.27 (95% CI 0.07-1.03). Heterogeneity was not relevant in sensitivity and considerable in specificity. The 95% confidence region of the HSROC included all studies. SAF as a screening test for DR shows sufficient accuracy for its use in clinical settings. SAF may be an appropriate method for DR screening, and further research is needed to recommend it as a diagnostic method.
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Effect of coenzyme Q10 on cardiac function and survival in heart failure: an overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
Alarcón-Vieco, E, Martínez-García, I, Sequí-Domínguez, I, Rodríguez-Gutiérrez, E, Moreno-Herráiz, N, Pascual-Morena, C
Food & function. 2023;(14):6302-6311
Abstract
Heart failure (HF) is associated with a deficiency in blood levels of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), and its supplementation has been proposed. The aim of this systematic review was to synthesise the available evidence on the effects of CoQ10 on cardiac function and quality of life in HF. A systematic search of Medline, Scopus, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library was conducted from inception until March 2023. Meta-analyses measuring the effect of CoQ10 on cardiac function [i.e., ejection fraction (EF), cardiac output (CO), cardiac index (CI), stroke volume (SV)], quality of life [i.e., mortality, exercise capacity, and New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification], and CoQ10 levels in HF were included. Ten meta-analyses met the inclusion criteria. CoQ10 had an effect on EF in 6 of the 9 studies, with an increase of 1.77% (0.10, 3.44) to 3.81% (1.22, 6.40), while it had an effect on CO, CI and SV in one of the two studies. Moreover, CoQ10 did not improve exercise capacity and only one study showed an effect on NYHA classification, while there was a risk ratio (RR) of 0.69 (0.50, 0.95) to 0.58 (0.35, 0.95) in favour of CoQ10 for mortality and a RR of 0.62 (0.49, 0.78) for hospitalisations. Finally, CoQ10 levels were found to increase by 1.40 μg mL-1 in all studies. CoQ10 showed a possible beneficial effect on heart function, which was associated with a reduction in mortality and hospitalisations. However, more research is needed into the conditions that may optimise CoQ10 therapy.
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The Comparative Effects of Different Types of Oral Vitamin Supplements on Arterial Stiffness: A Network Meta-Analysis.
Saz-Lara, A, Cavero-Redondo, I, Martínez-Vizcaíno, V, Martínez-Ortega, IA, Notario-Pacheco, B, Pascual-Morena, C
Nutrients. 2022;14(5)
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Arterial stiffness is related to the onset of vascular aging and could be considered a contributing factor for the development of cardiovascular disease. Inflammation and oxidative stress are possible mechanisms of arterial stiffness. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of different types of oral vitamin supplements on the reduction in arterial stiffness. This study is a network meta-analysis of 22 randomised controlled studies that were published between 2002 and 2017. The sample size of the studies ranged from 9 to 261 healthy or unhealthy adults (aged 21.0 to 72.0 years). Results showed that even though the different types of oral vitamin supplements did not show statistically significant effects, when oral vitamin supplementation was longer than 12 weeks, vitamin D3 showed a significant reduction in central arterial stiffness, compared with placebo and vitamin D2. Authors conclude that oral vitamin D3 supplementation for more than 12 weeks could be an effective approach to reduce central arterial stiffness.
Abstract
Arterial stiffness, a significant prognostic factor of cardiovascular disease, may be affected by dietary factors. Research on the effects of oral vitamin supplements on arterial stiffness and/or endothelial function has produced controversial results. Therefore, the aim of this network meta-analysis was to comparatively assess the effect of different types of oral vitamin supplements on arterial stiffness in the adult population. We searched the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases for randomized controlled trials from their inception to 30 September 2021. A network meta-analysis using a frequentist perspective was conducted to assess the effects of different types of oral vitamin supplements on arterial stiffness, as determined by pulse wave velocity. In total, 22 studies were included, with a total of 1318 participants in the intervention group and 1115 participants in the placebo group. The included studies were listed in an ad hoc table describing direct and indirect comparisons of the different types of vitamins. Our findings showed that, in both pairwise comparison and frequentist network meta-analysis, the different types of oral vitamin supplements did not show statistically significant effects on arterial stiffness. However, when oral vitamin supplementation was longer than 12 weeks, vitamin D3 showed a significant reduction in arterial stiffness, compared with the placebo (ES: -0.15; 95% CI: -0.30, -0.00; -60.0% m/s) and vitamin D2 (ES: -0.25; 95% CI: -0.48, -0.02, -52.0% m/s). In summary, our study confirms that oral vitamin D3 supplementation for more than 12 weeks could be an effective approach to reduce arterial stiffness and could be considered a useful approach to improve vascular health in patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease.
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Effect of Behavioral Weight Management Interventions Using Lifestyle mHealth Self-Monitoring on Weight Loss: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Cavero-Redondo, I, Martinez-Vizcaino, V, Fernandez-Rodriguez, R, Saz-Lara, A, Pascual-Morena, C, Álvarez-Bueno, C
Nutrients. 2020;(7)
Abstract
Alongside an increase in obesity, society is experiencing the development of substantial technological advances. Interventions that are easily scalable, such as lifestyle (including diet and physical activity) mobile health (mHealth) self-monitoring, may be highly valuable in the prevention and treatment of excess weight. Thus, the aims of this systematic review and meta-analysis were to estimate the following: (i) the effect of behavioral weight management interventions using lifestyle mHealth self-monitoring on weight loss and (ii) the adherence to behavioral weight management interventions using lifestyle mHealth self-monitoring. MEDLINE via PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and the Web of Science databases were systematically searched. The DerSimonian and Laird method was used to estimate the effect of and adherence to behavioral weight management interventions using lifestyle mHealth self-monitoring on weight loss. Twenty studies were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis, yielding a moderate decrease in weight and higher adherence to intervention of behavioral weight management interventions using lifestyle mHealth self-monitoring, which was greater than other interventions. Subgroup analyses showed that smartphones were the most effective mHealth approach to achieve weight management and the effect of behavioral weight management interventions using lifestyle mHealth self-monitoring was more pronounced when compared to usual care and in the short-term (less than six months). Furthermore, behavioral weight management interventions using lifestyle mHealth self-monitoring showed a higher adherence than: (i) recording on paper at any time and (ii) any other intervention at six and twelve months.