Genetic studies are traditionally based on single-gene analysis. The use of these analyses can pose tremendous challenges for elucidating complicated genetic interplays involved in complex human diseases. Modern pathway-based analysis provides a technique, which allows a comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying complex diseases. Extensive studies utilizing the methods and applications for pathway-based analysis have significantly advanced our capacity to explore large-scale omics data, which has rapidly accumulated in biomedical fields. This article is a comprehensive review of the pathway-based analysis methods—the powerful methods with the potential to uncover the biological depths of the complex diseases. The general concepts and procedures for the pathway-based analysis methods are introduced and then, a comprehensive review of the major approaches for this analysis is presented. In addition, a list of available pathway-based analysis software and databases is provided. Finally, future directions and challenges for the methodological development and applications of pathway-based analysis techniques are discussed. This review will provide a useful guide to dissect complex diseases.

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Background Upper urinary tract stones is the most common diseases in urology. Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) and ureteroscopic lithotripsy (fURL) are common treatment, but both their efficacy and safety are controversial. Thus we aim to evaluate the efficacy and safety of PCNL and fURL in the treatment of upper urinary tract stones, providing a reference for clinical work. Methods PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and CNKI were searched through Apr. 1, 2019 to identify eligible studies. Data were analyzed by using RevMan 5.3 and Stata 12.0 software. Pooled relative risks (RRs) or weighted mean difference (WMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using fixed or random effects methods. Publication bias and sensitivity analysis were performed. Results Four randomized controlled trials (RCTs), fifteen cohort studies involving 1822 patients were included. Stone-free rate of PCNL was significantly high than that of fURL (RR: 1.07; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.12; P = 0.0004). The decline of hemoglobin in PCNL was significantly high than that of fURL (WMD: 1.07; 95% CI: 0.54, 1.61; P < 0.0001). The number of blood transfusion was significantly greater in the PCNL compared to the fURL (RR: 5.04; 95% CI: 1.78, 14.24; P = 0.002). The incidence of postoperative bleeding or hematuria showed greater significantly difference in the PCNL compared to the fURL (RR: 2.72; 95% CI: 1.55, 4.75; P = 0.0005). Operation time, fever, infection, perforation, requiring drug analgesia was not significantly different between two surgical procedures. Conclusions In the treatment of upper urinary tract stones, the stones clearance rate of PCNL is higher than fURL, and the safety of fURL is higher than PCNL.

Objective: To examine the association between apolipoprotein B (ApoB) XbaI polymorphisms (rs693) and coronary heart disease (CHD) risk among the Han Chinese population by systematically analyzing multiple independent studies. Methods: The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium test was applied to check genetic equilibrium among genotypes for the selected literatures. The quality of the studies was assessed by using the NewcastleOttawa Scale. Power analysis was performed with Power and Precision V4 software. A fixed or random effect model was used on the basis of heterogeneity. Publication bias was quantified and examined with Begg's funnel plot test and Egger's linear regression test. The meta-analysis was performed by Stata 12.0 software. Results: A total of 10 eligible association studies were included in this meta-analysis, and the pooled sample consisted of 1195 CHD patients and 1178 health controls. No consistent inference regarding publication bias for the included studies was obtained by using the two above-mentioned methods.

ObjectivesA number of researchers have reported that vasectomy is a risk factor for testicular cancer. However, this conclusion is inconsistent with a number of other published articles. Hence, we conducted this meta-analysis to assess whether vasectomy increases the risk of testicular cancer.Materials and methodsWe identified all related studies by searching the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library database from January 01, 1980 to June 01, 2017. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) checklist was used to assess all included non-randomized studies. Summarized odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the difference in outcomes between case and control groups. Subgroup analyses were performed according to the study design and country.ResultsA total of eight studies (2176 testicular cancer patients) were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. Six articles were case-control studies, and two were cohort studies. The pooled estimate of the OR was 1.10 (95% CI: 0.93–1.30) based on the eight studies in a fixed effects model. Two subgroup analyses were performed according to the study design and country. The results were consistent with the overall findings. Publication bias was detected by Begg’s test and Egger’s test and p values > 0.05, respectively.ConclusionsOur meta-analysis suggested that there was no association between vasectomy and the development of testicular cancer. More high-quality studies are warranted to further explore the association between vasectomy and risk of testicular cancer.