Donghao Lu

Publications (2)11.43 Total impact

• Article: Pentoxifylline for endometriosis.

  Donghao Lu, Huan Song, Yalun Li, Jane Clarke, Gang Shi
  [show abstract] [hide abstract]
  ABSTRACT: Endometriosis is a chronic, recurring condition that occurs during the reproductive years. It is characterized by endometrial tissue developing outside the uterine cavity. This endometrial tissue development is dependent on oestrogen produced primarily by the ovaries and, therefore, traditional management has focused on ovarian suppression. In this review we considered the role of modulation of the immune system as an alternative approach. This is an update of a Cochrane Review previously published in 2009 (Lu 2009). To assess the effects of pentoxifylline, which has anti-inflammatory effects, in subfertile, premenopausal women for the management of endometriosis. For the first publication of this review we searched the following databases (from inception to December 2008) for trials: Cochrane Menstrual Disorders and Subfertility Group Specialised Register, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library), MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO. In addition, all reference lists of included trials were searched and experts in the field were contacted in an attempt to locate trials. This search was rerun to 23 November 2011, for this update. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing pentoxifylline with placebo or no treatment, medical treatment, or surgery in subfertile, premenopausal women were included. Two review authors independently selected trials for inclusion, assessed trial risk of bias, and extracted data using data extraction forms. We contacted study authors for additional information and data. The domains assessed for risk of bias were sequence generation, allocation concealment, blinding, incomplete outcome data, and selective outcome reporting. Peto odds ratios (OR) were used for reporting dichotomous data with 95% confidence intervals (CI), whilst mean differences (MD) were expressed for continuous data. Statistical heterogeneity was assessed using the I(2) statistic. Four trials involving 334 participants were included. One RCT [n=34] showed pentoxifylline had no significant effect on reduction in pain (MD -1.60, 95% CI -3.32 to 0.12). There was no evidence of an increase in clinical pregnancy events in the pentoxifylline group compared with placebo (three RCTs [n=67] OR 1.54, 95% CI 0.89 to 266). One RCT studied recurrence of endometriosis [n=88] (OR 0.88,95% CI 0.27 to 2.84). No trials reported the effects of pentoxifylline on the odds of live birth rate per woman, improvement of endometriosis-related symptoms, or adverse events. This review has been updated in 2011. The results of the original review published in 2009 remain unchanged. There is still not enough evidence to support the use of pentoxifylline in the management of premenopausal women with endometriosis in terms of subfertility and relief of pain outcomes.
  Cochrane database of systematic reviews (Online) 01/2012; 1:CD007677. · 5.72 Impact Factor
• Article: Naftidrofuryl for dementia.

  Donghao Lu, Huan Song, Zilong Hao, Taixiang Wu, Jenny McCleery
  [show abstract] [hide abstract]
  ABSTRACT: Dementia is a brain disorder characterized by the permanent loss of higher cognitive functions. A number of vasodilatory drug treatments are prescribed for dementia. Naftidrofuryl is one such medicine which is reported to improve clinical symptoms significantly. The efficacy and possible adverse events of naftidrofuryl need to be reviewed systematically and assessed critically to inform clinical practice and guide the continued search for new treatment regimens. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of naftidrofuryl in the treatment of dementia. We searched ALOIS: the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group's Specialized Register on 11 January 2011 using the terms: naftidrofuryl. ALOIS contains records of clinical trials from major healthcare databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, LILACS and CINAHL), trial registries (such as ClinicalTrials.gov) and grey literature sources. Randomised placebo-controlled trials in which patients with dementia were treated with naftidrofuryl were considered eligible for inclusion. Two review authors independently selected trials for inclusion, assessed trial quality, and extracted data using data extraction forms. The domains assessed for risk of bias were sequence generation, allocation concealment, blinding, incomplete outcome data, and selective outcome reporting. We used odds ratios (OR) for reporting dichotomous data, and mean differences (MD) and standardized mean differences (SMD) for continuous data. We assessed statistical heterogeneity using the I(2) statistic. We identified nine randomised controlled trials involving 847 patients with Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, mixed dementia, senile dementia and unspecified dementia. The beneficial effects were found on functional performance and behaviour (-1.04 standardized points, 95% CI -1.73 to -0.35, P = 0.003) with a high-level heterogeneity (I(2) = 54%), and mood (-0.80 standardized points, 95% CI -1.26 to -0.34, P=0.0006) for patients with dementia, as well as on cognitive function (-0.36 standardized points, 95% CI -0.71 to -0.02, P=0.04). However, this was not confirmed by clinical global measures. Naftidrofuryl was found to be well-tolerated by patients with dementia. Oral administration of naftidrofuryl is well-tolerated by patients with dementia.The low-quality evidence shows that, by use of naftidrofuryl, people with dementia may benefit on performance, behaviour, cognition, and mood. However, the benefit on global impression is inconsistent and unconvincing.
  Cochrane database of systematic reviews (Online) 01/2011; · 5.72 Impact Factor