Gut microbiota has been identified as a unique endocrine organ linked to the development of cardiovascular disease and other illnesses, especially deteriorated in overweight and obese postmenopausal women. The object of this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the effects of oral supplementation with probiotics for overweight and obese postmenopausal women. We performed a systematic search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from inception to April 2022 in MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov. We also performed a hand search by reviewing reference lists to identify trials. The risk of bias in individual studies was assessed with the Cochrane risk of bias tool for randomized trials (RoB). Two reviewers independently selected studies and collected data. There were 6 studies from 5 RCTs with 281 participants in this systematic review. Compared with the placebo, the probiotics supplementation group had reductions in insulin (MD - 4.20 IU/L (95% CI - 8.11 to - 0.30 IU/L), I-2 = 54%), HOMA-IR (MD - 1.25 (95% CI - 2.49 to - 0.01), I-2 = 50%), and TNF-alpha (MD - 0.12 pg/mL (95% CI - 0.22 to - 0.01 pg/mL), I-2 = 44%). Improvements were also shown in body adiposity and lipid profile, but these effects were nonsignificant. In addition to body adiposity and cardiovascular risk markers, one trial showed the administration of probiotics also had an effect on iron metabolism. In conclusion, probiotics have a potential benefit on glucose metabolism and inflammatory process in overweight and obese postmenopausal women, but this effect is mild. It demonstrates that oral probiotics supplementation can be a complementary treatment for improving the fitness of postmenopausal women with overweight and obesity.

We conducted the present bibliometric analysis to explore menopausal hormone therapy (MHT)-related research trends between 2000 and 2021. The Web of Science database was systematically searched from 2000 to 2021 to retrieve MHT-related publications. Visualization mapping and keyword cluster graphs were utilized to illustrate the research topics and hotpots. We included 11,616 MHT-related publications for this bibliometric analysis. The results showed that (1) MHT-related research had a very slow increase in the past 22 years, and the trend fluctuated. Sum of times cited and average citations per item had the same trend: a sharp decline from 2002 to 2003, and a rapid increase from 2003 to 2006, reaching the peak in 2006, then following a downward trend. The average H-index was 57, peaking in 2001; (2) the USA, the League of European Research Universities, and Dr. JoAann Manson from Harvard University contributed the most; (3) Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society had the most significant number of MHT-related publications; (4) the research hotpots primarily focused on MHT for treating menopausal symptoms and the impact of MHT on women's health. According to previous studies, MHT was the most effective treatment for managing vasomotor symptoms of menopause, but results from the clinical trials and observational studies regarding MHT adverse events remain inconsistent. Mechanisms are fundamental when clinical studies give conflicting results. Therefore, future studies should focus on adverse events and their mechanisms.

Aim To assess the effect of lubricants on reducing perineal trauma during vaginal delivery. Methods PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, CINAHL, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Biology Medicine disc, WanFang databases, and , were searched for literature up to 25 June 2021. Randomized controlled trials published in English or Chinese that compared the vaginal application of lubricant with standard care for women were included. Two reviewers independently performed study screening, data extraction, risk of bias assessment, and certainty of evidence assessment. Pooled effect sizes and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using meta-analysis. Results Nineteen trials enrolling 5445 pregnant women were included. Compared with standard care, women using lubricants had a lower incidence of perineal trauma (risk ratio [RR] 0.84, 95% CI 0.76-0.93; low certainty evidence), second-degree perineal laceration (RR 0.72, 95% CI 0.64-0.82; moderate certainty evidence) and episiotomy (RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.62-0.96; very low certainty evidence), and had a shorter duration of the second-stage labor (MD -13.72 min, 95% CI -22.68 to -4.77; very low certainty evidence). Conclusion Lubricants might reduce the incidence of perineal trauma, especially second-degree perineal laceration, and shorten the duration of the second-stage labor. More well-designed studies will continue developing high-quality evidence in this field.

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus was associated with increased risks of complications during pregnancy and delivery. The efficacy of probiotics for preventing atopic disease among overweight and obese pregnant women has not been a unified conclusion. Therefore, we aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of probiotics supplementation for overweight and obese pregnant women. Methods: We searched the Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science for randomized controlled trials from the earliest publication date available to September 23, 2020, regardless of language or publication status. Two reviewers independently extracted data with a standardized form. When disagreements arose, a third investigator was consulted. Data was pooled using the generic inverse variance method and expressed as mean differences and relative risk with 95% confidence interval (CI). Heterogeneity was measured and quantified by I-2 statistic. Results: There were no significant differences between probiotics and placebo on GDM (RR = 1.03; 95% CI, 0.81-1.30; P = 0.821; I-2 = 38.7%, P = 0.180), excess gestational weight gain (RR = 0.92; 95% CI, 0.79 -1.06; P = 0.223; I-2 = 91.2%, P = 0.001) and neonatal birth weight (WMD = 28.47; 95% CI, -34.80-91.73; P = 0.383; I-2 = 4.5%, P = 0.381). In addition, probiotics might increase the risk of preeclampsia including superimposed (RR = 1.91; 95% CI, 1.03-3.55; P = 0.001; I-2 = 0.0%, P = 0.994). Conclusions: Probiotics had no better efficacy for prevention of atopic disease in overweight or obese pregnant women. In contrast, excessive probiotics supplementation might increase the risk of preeclampsia. More data will be necessary to determine the prevention efficacy of probiotics with consideration of real-world and other epidemiological settings. (C) 2022 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.