Objective: Functional constipation is a prevalent, burdensome gastrointestinal disorder whose treatment remains challenging. Combined therapy uniting multiple treatments may be promising. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) which tends to be an etiological treatment has been increasingly investigated in its management. Meanwhile, laxatives are widely used to relieve constipation temporarily, but their overall efficacy is poor. Therefore, we performed meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials to evaluate the joint efficacy of FMT and laxatives in functional constipation. Methods: We performed a systematic literature search of 6 electronic databases as of August 11, 2020. Randomized controlled trial of FMT together with laxatives vs laxatives alone in functional constipation in adults were included. Two reviewers independently performed the screening, data extraction, and bias assessment. Dichotomous outcome data were synthesized by risk ratio, and measurement data by weighted mean difference (WMD). Results: A total of 1400 records were identified, of which 5 were eligible (409 patients). Overall, compared to laxatives alone, combined therapy of FMT and laxatives more significantly improved total effective rate (risk ratio: 1.35; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.14, 1.60; I 2 = 13%), Bristol stool form scale score (WMD: 1.04; 95% CI: 0.57, 1.51; I 2 = 76%), reduce Wexner score (WMD: −3.25; 95% CI: −5.58, −0.92; I2 = 92%), Knowles-Eccersley-Scott-Symptom (KESS) score (WMD: −5.65; 95% CI: −7.62, −3.69; I 2 = 0%) and patient assessment of constipation quality of life score (WMD: −18.56; 95%; CI: −26.43, −10.68; I 2 = 78%). No serious adverse events were reported. The majority of included studies had poor methodological quality. Conclusion: Combined therapy of FMT and laxatives may be a reasonably effective and safe treatment for people with functional constipation. However, caution is needed with the interpretation of these data due to the small sample size, high heterogeneity, and low quality of the studies. Besides, we expect that more studies will be performed exploring the efficacy and safety of combined therapy for functional constipation.

Background. The rate of severity is a critical factor affecting the prognosis and mortality in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Lianhua Qingwen capsules or granules (LQ) have been a promising Chinese patent medicine in treating infectious diseases and recommended for treating COVID-19. This meta-analysis aims to demonstrate the association between LQ treatment and the rate of severity in patients with mild or moderate COVID-19. Methods. 7 electronic databases were systematically searched from the inception dates to March 27, 2021, using the search terms to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Two reviewers independently identified studies, extracted the data, and assessed study quality. All analyses were conducted on RevMan 5.3 software. Results. A total of 5 RCTs involving 830 patients with mild or moderate COVID-19 were identified according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The quality of included studies is moderate. Compared with conventional therapy, there was a significant association of LQ treatment with a higher clinical efficacy (RR = 1.24, 95% CI (1.13, 1.36), P < 0.00001 ), rate of CT improvement (RR = 1.22, 95% CI (1.10, 1.34), P = 0.0001 ), and a lower rate of conversion to severe cases (RR = 0.47, 95%CI (0.31, 0.71), P = 0.0003 ). Conclusion. LQ combined with conventional therapy had great effects in reducing the rate of severity, and these findings supported the routine treatment of LQ in patients with mild or moderate COVID-19.

Objective Abnormal B cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and interleukin-19 (IL-19) expression is closely related to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) pathogenesis. We aimed to determine whether BCL2 polymorphisms and a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of IL19 are significantly associated with SLE susceptibility and if this is affected by synergism between IL19 and BCL2 genotypes. Methods This observational cohort study randomly enrolled 150 patients with SLE and 150 healthy controls. Major BCL2 and IL19 allele and genotype distributions were examined in the two groups. The IL19 SNP rs2243188 was determined using the TaqMan-MGB probe method. The synergistic effect between BCL2 and IL19 and clinical symptoms of SLE was also analyzed. Results The distribution of major BCL2 genotypes and common BCL2 alleles, especially for genotypes 191, 193, and 197, differed significantly between patients and controls. A significant difference in the dominant genetic model was also observed between groups, but not in the recessive model. The risk of disease in individuals who carried both 195-bp BCL2 and 138-bp IL19 susceptibility alleles was higher than in those carrying either allele alone. Conclusions This preliminary study suggested that BCL2 polymorphisms and the IL19 SNP rs2243188 are closely related to the pathogenesis of SLE.

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IntroductionThe COVID-19 global pandemic has posed enormous threats to public health around the world. Vaccines are considered the best therapeutic strategy against the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the adverse reactions of vaccines significantly affect the rates of vaccination and may be more serious in patients with non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This protocol aims to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) which analysed the safety of vaccines in patients with NCDs.Methods and analysisThis study will be according to the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols. A comprehensive search will be carried out to identify registered RCTs in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, ClinicalTrials.gov and Cochrane Library between 1 January 2020 and 31 May 2022. Selection of trials, data extraction, risk of bias assessment and quality of evidence assessment will be done by two researchers, and disagreements will be resolved by the corresponding author. The primary outcomes are local and systemic adverse events of vaccines in patients with NCDs. Additional outcomes are related events caused by vaccine adverse events, including but not limited to cases of adverse events leading to discontinuation from a dose or withdrawal from participation in the trial. Heterogeneity will be assessed with I2 statistics and data analysis will be conducted with RevMan V.5.4.1.Ethics and disseminationThis is a protocol and ethical approval is not necessary. The results of this protocol will be disseminated to peer-reviewed publications or conference presentations.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42021254914.