Background. Emerging evidences have shown that long noncoding RNA SPRY4-IT1 can be aberrantly expressed in human cancers, and it could be an unfavorable prognostic factor in cancer patients. However, the prognostic mechanism of SPRY4-IT1 is still unclear. This study is aimed at evaluating its potential predictive value for cancer prognosis. Methods. We thoroughly searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and MEDLINE databases so as to explore the relationship between SPRY4-IT1 expression and cancer prognosis value. Then, TCGA datasets were used to validate the results of our meta-analysis. Results. In all, seventeen studies involving 1650 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Pooled results showed that high expression of SPRY4-IT1 was significantly correlated with poor OS ( HR = 1.96 , 95% confidence interval CI = 1.47 ‐ 2.62 , P < 0.001 ) in cancer patients. Furthermore, exploration of TCGA dataset further validated that SPRY4-IT1 was aberrantly expressed in various cancers, which partially confirmed our results in this meta-analysis. Conclusions. The present systematic review and meta-analysis implicated that the aberrant expressions of lncRNA SPRY4-IT1 were strongly associated with clinical survival outcomes in various cancers and therefore might serve as a promising biomarker for predicting prognosis of human cancers.

Background and Objectives. Increasing global migration to Western Europe, North America, and other high-income countries makes a study of stroke risk in the immigrant population important. This study is aimed at evaluating the associations between immigration status and stroke risks and determining the risk factors for stroke in immigrant groups. Methods. We thoroughly searched PubMed, Embase, and MEDLINE databases for the literature on stroke risk for immigrants and host populations by January 2022. Fourteen relevant cohort studies from eight countries met the inclusion criteria, and their data were included in this meta-analysis. Heterogeneity and publication bias were assessed. Results. The results showed that the immigrant groups suffered from a lower incidence rate of stroke compared with the host populations ( HR = 0.81 , 95% CI 0.71–0.91, P = 0.001 ), but there was nonsignificant higher mortality of stroke in immigrants ( HR = 1.07 ; 95% CI 0.84–1.36). However, the pooled adjusted incidence HR reduced to 0.67 (95% CI 0.60–0.75) after adjustment for publication bias. Immigrants had a lower stroke incidence compared to long-term residents, but the association varied with the country of origin, socioeconomic status, residence (urban vs. rural), and comorbid conditions. Discussion. The present systematic review and meta-analysis implicated that stroke risks are different for immigrants and the host populations; therefore, this knowledge may be useful for developing targeted stroke prevention strategies.