Aim: We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of dutasteride and finasteride in treating men with androgenetic alopecia (AGA) during a 24-week treatment cycle. Methods: Randomized controlled trials of dutasteride and finasteride for treating AGA were searched using MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register. The data were calculated using Rev Man v5.3.0. The reference lists of retrieved studies were also investigated. Results: Three articles including 576 participants which compared dutasteride with finasteride were selected for our analysis. The mean change in total hair count (mean difference [MD], 28.57; 95% CI, 18.75–38.39; P<0.00001), investigator’s assessment of global photographs for the vertex (MD, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.13–1.23; P=0.02) and frontal (MD, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.13–1.13; P=0.01) views, panel global photographic assessment for the vertex (MD, 0.17; 95% CI, 0.09–0.24; P<0.00001) and frontal (MD, 0.25; 95% CI, 0.18–0.31; P<0.00001) views, and subjects’ assessment (MD, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.18–0.94; P=0.003) suggested that dutasteride provided a better efficacy in treating men with AGA compared with finasteride. With regard to the assessment of safety, altered libido (P=0.54), erectile dysfunction (P=0.07), and ejaculation disorders (P=0.58), dutasteride did not show a significant difference compared with finasteride. Conclusion: Dutasteride seems to provide a better efficacy compared with finasteride in treating AGA. The two drugs appear to show similar rates of adverse reactions, especially in sexual dysfunction.

Objectives: We carried out a systematic review and meta‐analysis to assess tadalafil 5 mg once‐daily for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and erectile dysfunction (ED).Methods: A literature review was performed to identify all published randomized double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trials of tadalafil 5 mg once‐daily for the treatment of LUTS and ED. The search included the following databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register. The reference lists of the retrieved studies were also investigated.Results: Thirteen publications involving a total of 3973 patients were used in the analysis, including 13 RCTs that compared tadalafil 5 mg once‐daily with placebo. We found that tadalafil 5 mg once‐daily was effective in improving LUTS suggestive of BPH and treating ED over 12 weeks in our meta‐analysis. Total International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) (SMD = − 2.02, 95% CI = − 2.52 to −1.53, P < 0.00001); Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Impact Index (BPH‐II) (SMD = −0.58, 95% CI = −0.84 to −0.33, P < 0.00001); International Index of Erectile Function‐erectile function (IIEF) domain (standardized mean difference [SMD] = 5.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.13–6.23, P < 0.00001) indicated that tadalafil 5 mg once‐daily was more effective than the placebo. Safety assessments included discontinuations due to adverse event (odds ratio (OR) = 1.79, 95% CI = 1.12–2.85, P = 0.01) indicated that tadalafil 5 mg once‐daily was well tolerated.Conclusions: This meta‐analysis indicates that tadalafil 5 mg once‐daily to be an effective treatment for LUTS and ED with a low occurrence of side effects.

Background: Liraglutide has been shown to improve glucose tolerance and lose weight in individuals with type 2 diabetes. To date, no meta-analysis of liraglutide’s safety and efficacy in individuals without diabetes has been conducted.Objectives: The aim of this study is to carry out a meta-analysis to assess the efficacy and safety of liraglutide in the obese, non-diabetic individuals.Methods: A literature review was performed to identify all published randomised control trials (RCT) of liraglutide for the treatment of obesity in non-diabetic individuals. The search included the following databases: EMBASE, MEDLINE and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register.Results: We included five publications involving a total of 4,754 patients that compared liraglutide with placebo and found that liraglutide to be an effective and safe treatment for weight loss in individuals without diabetes. Primary efficacy end points: mean weight loss (MD = -5.52, 95% CI = -5.93 to -5.11, p<0.00001); lost more than 5% of body weight (OR = 5.46, 95% CI=3.57 to 8.34, p<0.00001) and key secondary efficacy end points: SBP decreased (the MD = -2.56, 95% CI = -3.28 to -1.84, p<0.00001). Safety assessments included the proportion of individuals who were withdrawn due to AE (OR = 2.85, 95% CI= 0.84 to 9.62, p=0.009), and nausea indicated that liraglutide was well tolerated. Conclusion: This systematic review and meta-analysis indicates that liraglutide to be an effective and safe treatment for weight loss in the obese, non-diabetic individuals.Keywords: liraglutide, weight loss, meta-analysis.

Gasdermin B (GSDMB) is part of the gasdermin (GSDM) family, and they use varying means of domain interactions in molecules to adjust their pore-forming and lipid-binding actions. The GSDM family has roles in the regulation of cell differentiation and proliferation, particularly in the process of pyroptosis. Nonetheless, the correlation of GSDMB with immune infiltrates and its prognostic values in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) are still undefined. Therefore, we assessed the correlation of GSDMB with immune infiltrates and its prognostic role in ccRCC. The transcriptional expression profiles of GSDMB in ccRCC tissues in addition to normal tissues were retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and additionally verified in a different independent cohort, which was obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The Human Protein Atlas and the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) were used to assess the protein expression of GSDMB. To assess the effectiveness of GSDMB in distinguishing ccRCC from normal samples, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed. Relationships between GSDMB expression, clinicopathological variables, and overall survival (OS) were evaluated with multivariate methods as well as Kaplan-Meier survival curves. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were created with STRING. Functional enrichment analyses were conducted by utilizing the “ClusterProfiler” package. The Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) and tumor-immune system interaction database (TISIDB) were utilized to determine the association between the mRNA expression of GSDMB and immune infiltrates. GSDMB expression was significantly more upregulated in ccRCC tissues compared to surrounding normal tissues. An increase in the mRNA expression of GSDMB was related to the high pathologic stage and advanced TNM stage. The analysis of the ROC curve indicated that GSDMB had an AUC value of 0.820 to distinguish between ccRCC tissues and adjacent normal controls. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that ccRCC patients with high GSDMB had a poorer prognosis compared to those with low GSDMB ( ). Correlation analysis showed that the mRNA expression of GSDMB was associated with immune infiltrates and the purity of the tumor. Upregulation of GSDMB is significantly related to immune infiltrates and poor survival in ccRCC. The results of this study indicate that GSDMB could be regarded as a biomarker for the detection of poor prognosis and potential target of immune treatment in ccRCC.