Sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors for glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus: Quality of reporting of randomized controlled trials

A Review of Adherence and Predictors of Adherence to the CONSORT Statement in the Reporting of Tuberculosis Vaccine Trials

The statement on Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) ensures transparency in the reporting of randomized trials. However, it is unclear if the statement has led to improvement in the quality of reporting of tuberculosis (TB) vaccine trials. We explored the quality of reporting of TB vaccine trials according to the latest version of the CONSORT statement, released in 2010. We searched PubMed and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials in August 2019. We conducted screening, study selection, and data extraction in duplicate; and resolved differences through discussion. We assessed reporting to be adequate if trials reported at least 75% of the CONSORT 2010 items. We conducted a trend analysis to assess if there was improvement in reporting over time. We also used logistic regression to assess factors associated with adequate reporting. We included 124 trials in the analyses. The mean proportion of adherence was 67.3% (95% confidence interval 64.4% to 70.1%), with only 46 (37%) trials having adequate reporting. There was a significant improvement in the quality of reporting over time (p < 0.0001). Trials published in journals with impact factors between 10 and 20 were more likely to have adequate reporting (odds ratio 9.4; 95% confidence interval 1.30 to 67.8), compared to lower-impact-factor journals. Despite advances over time, the reporting of TB vaccine trials is still inadequate and requires improvement.

Clinical intervention studies of orofacial motricity: an analysis of the methodological quality of brazilian studies

ABSTRACT Purpose: to evaluate the methodological quality of clinical trials published in Brazilian journals. Methods: four trained independent researchers conducted a systematic literature search of all Brazilian speech therapy-related journals over the last ten years, whether the journals were active or inactive. All journal volumes published during that period were selected, and each researcher conducted an individual analysis to identify articles that focused primarily on orofacial motricity. The tools used were the Downs and Black Quality Checklist and the Jadad scale. Results: after the studies were selected and categorized, the final sample comprised six articles, all of which were classified as clinical trials. The observed methodological limitations included a lack of sample planning, randomization and blinding. Mean scores of 16.3 points on the Downs and Black Quality Checklist and 2.3 on the Jadad scale were obtained. Conclusion: the randomized controlled trials in the area of orofacial motricity are scarce in Brazilian literature, suggesting that studies in this area adopting this research design should be expanded and their quality should be improved to promote clinical practice based on scientific evidence.

Curcumin improves diabetes mellitus‑associated cerebral infarction by increasing the expression of GLUT1 and GLUT3

Curcumin is characterized by anti‑inflammatory, anti‑oxidative, antiviral, antifibrotic, anticoagulation and glucose regulatory functions. However, whether it is protective in diabetes mellitus‑associated cerebral infarction remains to be fully elucidated. In the present study, it was demonstrated for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, that curcumin markedly improved neurological deficits, cerebral infarct volume and brain edema rate following middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) surgery. It was also shown that the expression levels of glucose transporter (GLUT)1 and GLUT3 were reduced in the MCAO group. However, following curcumin treatment, the levels of GLUT1 and GLUT3 were markedly increased. In addition, curcumin markedly decreased cell apoptosis, indicating an anti‑apoptotic role of curcumin in the brain. To further evaluate whether curcumin prevented cell apoptosis by modulating the expression of GLUT1 and GLUT3, small interfering RNAs targeting GLUT1 and GLUT3 were selected. It was found that the knockdown of GLUT1 and GLUT3 inhibited the abundance of GLUT1, GLUT3 and B‑cell lymphoma 2, even following incubation with curcumin. These data showed that curcumin protected brain cells from apoptosis and cerebral infarction, predominantly by upregulating GLUT1 and GLUT3.