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Background: We carry out a meta-analysis to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy (LAG) versus open gastrectomy for resectable gastric cancer. Methods: We searched EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Science Citation Index (SCI), Chinese biomedicine literature database to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from their inception to April 2012. Meta-analyses were performed using RevMan 5.0 software. It was in line with the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses statement. The quality of evidence was assessed by GRADEpro 3.6. Results: Eight RCTs totaling 784 patients were analyzed. Compared with open gastrectomy group, no significant differences were found in postoperative mortality (OR = 1.49; 95 % CI 0.29-7.79), anastomotic leakage (OR = 1.02; 95 % CI 0.24-4.27) , overall mean number of harvested lymph nodes [weighed mean difference (MD) = −3.17; 95 % CI −6.39 to 0.05]; the overall postoperative complication morbidity (OR = 0.54; 95 % CI 0.36-0.82), estimated blood loss (MD = −107.23; 95 % CI −148.56 to −65.89,) frequency of analgesic administration (MD = −1.69; 95 % CI −2.18 to −1.21, P < 0.00001), incidence of pulmonary complications (OR = 0.43, 95 % CI 0.20-0.93, P = 0.03) were significantly less in LAG group; LAG had shorter time to start first flatus (MD = −0.23; 95 % CI −0.41 to −0.05) and decreased hospital stay (MD = −1.72; 95 % CI −3.40 to 0.04), but, LAG still had longer operation time (MD = 76.70; 95 % CI 51.54-101.87). Conclusions: On the basis of this meta-analysis we conclude that although LAG was still a time-consuming and technically dependent procedure, it has the advantage of better short-term outcome. Long term survival data from other studies are urgently needed to estimate the survival benefit of this technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies have evaluated the possible association between antioxidants vitamins or selenium supplement and the risk of prostate cancer, but the evidence is still inconsistent. We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, Science Citation Index Expanded, Chinese biomedicine literature database, and bibliographies of retrieved articles up to January 2009. We included 9 randomized controlled trials with 165,056 participants; methodological quality of included trials was generally high. Meta-analysis showed that no significant effects of supplementation with β-carotene (RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.90-1.05) (3 trials), vitamin C (RR 0.98, 95% CI 0.91-1.06) (2 trials), vitamin E (RR 0.96, 95% CI 0.85-1.08) (5 trials), and selenium (RR 0.78, 95% CI 0.41-1.48) (2 trials)versus placebo on prostate cancer incidence. The mortality of prostate cancer did not differ significantly by supplement of β-carotene (RR 1.19, 95% CI 0.87 -1.65) (1 trial), vitamin C (RR 1.45, 95%CI 0.92-2.29) (1 trial), vitamin E (RR 0.85, 95%CI 0.58-1.24) (2 trials), and selenium (RR 2.98, 95% CI 0.12-73.16) (1 trial). Our findings indicate that antioxidant vitamins and selenium supplement did not reduce the incidence and mortality of prostate cancer, these data provide no support for the use of these supplements for the prevention of prostate cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]