title: Antioxidant supplementation for the treatment of acute lung injury: a meta-analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the evidence supporting antioxidant supplementation as an adjunct therapy to prevent oxidative damage and improve the clinical outcomes (mortality, length of hospital stay and duration of mechanical ventilation).
  
  
  METHODS
  The search strategy for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involved the participation of two researchers who independently assessed the methodological quality of each full-text article that was available in the PubMed, ISI WEB of Knowledge and ScienceDirect databases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We extracted 110 studies from the past 10 years, but only 30 articles met the methodological criteria (RCT, blinded and statistically significant results), for a total of 241 animals and 256 patients. This study found an odds ratio (OR) of 0.45 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.26 to 0.79] for death in the experimental group compared with placebo (six trials, n = 256), an OR of 0.46 [95% CI: 0.26 to 0.87] for hospitalization time and an OR of 0.63 [95% CI: 0.35 to 1.12] for mechanical ventilation time between groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Conflicting evidence makes it impossible to recommend the routine use of antioxidant supplementation in critically ill patients.
authors.affiliation: do Laboratório de Imunopatologia Keizo Asami, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brasil.
authors.forename: André Martins
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Galvão
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Fisioterapia Cardiopulmonar, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brasil.
authors.forename: Armele Dornelas de
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Farmacologia de Produtos Bioativos, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brasil.
authors.forename: Maria Bernadete de Souza
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Maia
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Tecnologia dos Medicamentos, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brasil.
authors.forename: Keyla Emanuelle Ramos da
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brasil.
authors.forename: Alice de Andrade
authors.initials: Ade A
authors.lastname: Bezerra
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Medicina Tropical, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brasil.
authors.forename: Juliana Felix de
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Melo
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Medicina Tropical, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brasil.
authors.forename: Natalia Gomes de
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Morais
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Medicina Tropical, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brasil.
authors.forename: Thacianna Barreto da
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Microbiologia e Cultura de Células, Laboratório de Imunopatologia Keizo Asami, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brasil.
authors.forename: Célia Maria Machado Barbosa de
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Castro