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Cureus Apr 2022A compelling intervention to maintain healthy gut microbiota in graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) is fecal microbial transplantation (FMT). To examine its role in GVHD,... (Review)
Review
A compelling intervention to maintain healthy gut microbiota in graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) is fecal microbial transplantation (FMT). To examine its role in GVHD, we conducted a systemic literature search using multiple electronic databases. Upon pooling of data, 79 patients from six studies and five case reports were included. Complete remission (CR) occurred in 55.9% of patients, and partial remission (PR) occurred in 26.5% of patients (82.4% overall response rate). A limited number of patients had treatment-related mortality (TRM), while few showed mild gastrointestinal (GI)-related and non-GI adverse effects. None of the studies directly examined the role of FMT in the prevention of GVHD. In conclusion, FMT seems to be a safe and effective strategy for the management of GVHD based on the current evidence. Due to the small number of patients evaluated and the absence of randomized data, one cannot portray FMT as a standard of care yet; however, the low toxicity along with the clinical improvement justifies this modality to be tested in a randomized fashion.
PubMed: 35530905
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.23873 -
World Journal of Surgical Oncology Mar 2023Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) has been increasingly used to treat unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC). However,... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
PURPOSE
Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) has been increasingly used to treat unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC). However, the superiority of combination therapy to TACE monotherapy remains controversial. Therefore, here we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of TACE plus TKIs in patients with uHCC.
METHODS
We searched four databases for eligible studies. The primary outcome was time to progression (TTP), while the secondary outcomes were overall survival (OS), tumor response rates, and adverse events (AEs). Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were collected for TTP and OS, and the data were analyzed using random-effects meta-analysis models in STATA software. OR and 95% CIs were used to estimate dichotomous variables (complete remission[CR], partial remission[PR], stable disease[SD], progressive disease[PD], objective response rate[ORR], disease control rate[DCR], and AEs) using RStudio's random-effects model. Quality assessments were performed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS) for observational studies and the Cochrane risk of bias tool for randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
RESULTS
The meta-analysis included 30 studies (9 RCTs, 21 observational studies) with 8246 patients. We judged the risk of bias as low in 44.4% (4/9) of the RCTs and high in 55.6% (5/9) of the RCTs. All observational studies were considered of high quality, with a NOS score of at least 6. Compared with TACE alone or TACE plus placebo, TACE combined with TKIs was superior in prolonging TTP (combined HR 0.72, 95% CI 0.65-0.80), OS (combined HR 0.57, 95% CI 0.49-0.67), and objective response rate (OR 2.13, 95% CI 1.23-3.67) in patients with uHCC. However, TACE plus TKIs caused a higher incidence of AEs, especially hand-foot skin reactions (OR 87.17%, 95%CI 42.88-177.23), diarrhea (OR 18.13%, 95%CI 9.32-35.27), and hypertension (OR 12.24%, 95%CI 5.89-25.42).
CONCLUSIONS
Our meta-analysis found that TACE plus TKIs may be beneficial for patients with uHCC in terms of TTP, OS, and tumor response rates. However, combination therapy is also associated with a significantly increased risk of adverse reactions. Therefore, we must evaluate the clinical benefits and risks of combination therapy. Further well-designed RCTs are needed to confirm our findings.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
PROSPERO registration number: CRD42022298003.
Topics: Humans; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; Liver Neoplasms; Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors; Chemoembolization, Therapeutic; Combined Modality Therapy; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 37004052
DOI: 10.1186/s12957-023-02961-7 -
Nutrients Dec 2022Exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) is recommended as a first-line therapy to induce remission of Crohn's disease (CD) and is considered as effective as corticosteroid... (Review)
Review
Exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) is recommended as a first-line therapy to induce remission of Crohn's disease (CD) and is considered as effective as corticosteroid treatment. However, the dietary restriction causes lack of adherence and poor tolerance to the therapy. Partial enteral nutrition (PEN), which allows for the ingestion of some food, could be a better tolerated alternative, but it is unknown whether it is as effective at inducing CD remission as EEN. The aim of this systematic review is to analyze the available evidence on PEN as a remission induction therapy in CD. A literature search was conducted using the MEDLINE (via PUBMED) and Cochrane Library databases following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Clinical trials in pediatric and adult patients were included. The risk of bias was assessed following the Cochrane Collaboration methodology. The selected studies showed variable but high response rates to PEN and EEN. Limitations regarding the wide heterogeneity between the studies included in this review should be considered. Although more studies are needed, according to our results, PEN combined with a highly restrictive diet seems to be as effective as EEN in inducing remission of CD.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Child; Enteral Nutrition; Crohn Disease; Remission Induction; Food, Formulated; Adrenal Cortex Hormones; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
PubMed: 36558422
DOI: 10.3390/nu14245263 -
Leukemia Research Oct 2022Philadelphia-like acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph-like ALL) is a high-risk molecular subtype with a gene expression profile similar to Philadelphia-positive ALL, but... (Review)
Review
Philadelphia-like acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph-like ALL) is a high-risk molecular subtype with a gene expression profile similar to Philadelphia-positive ALL, but not harboring the BCR-ABL1 gene fusion. We aimed to investigate the efficacy of target therapy with the Janus kinase inhibitor, ruxolitinib, in patients with Ph-like ALL and molecular signature of JAK-STAT signaling pathway. A systematic search of the literature was performed to identify reports concerning administration of ruxolitinib in Ph-like ALL patients. Additionally, Polish Pediatric ALL registries were searched for patients with Ph-like ALL treated with ruxolitinib. Extracted information included epidemiological background, somatic aberrations, treatment response, and patient outcome. After PubMed database search, twelve patients were identified, and one was identified in the Polish Pediatric ALL registry. In nine patients gene fusions affecting JAK2 (n = 7) and EPOR (n = 2) were detected. Surface overexpression of CRLF2 and IKZF1 deletions were observed in two and three patients, respectively. Induction failure occurred in all the patients. Therapy with ruxolitinib led to complete (n = 7) and partial (n = 2) remission, in three individuals no information was found. Based on the limited number of studies describing the efficacy of ruxolitinib as an additional compound administrated with standard ALL therapy, we conclude that this approach can be considered in patients with aberrations activating JAK-STAT pathway.
Topics: Child; Humans; Janus Kinase Inhibitors; Janus Kinases; Nitriles; Philadelphia Chromosome; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma; Pyrazoles; Pyrimidines; STAT Transcription Factors; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 35939887
DOI: 10.1016/j.leukres.2022.106925 -
European Spine Journal : Official... Aug 2020The goal of this study was to review relevant randomized controlled trials in order to determine the clinical efficacy of golimumab in the treatment of ankylosing... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
PURPOSE
The goal of this study was to review relevant randomized controlled trials in order to determine the clinical efficacy of golimumab in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS).
METHODS
Using appropriate keywords, we identified relevant studies using PubMed, Cochrane and Embase. Key pertinent sources in the literature were also reviewed, and all articles published through November 2019 were considered for inclusion. For each study, we assessed odds ratios, mean difference and 95% confidence interval to assess and synthesize outcomes.
RESULTS
We included nine studies with 6363 patients. Compared with placebo, golimumab would significant decreased the value of BASFI, BASMI, BASDAI, total back pain, JSEQ; increased the value of SF-36 PCS and SF-36 MCS; increased the incidence of BASDAI50, ASAS20, ASAS40 and ASAS partial remission. Compared with golimumab 50 mg, golimumab 100 mg would significantly decreased the value of BASFI and total back pain; increased the value of SF-36 PCS and SF-36 MCS; but also increased the incidence of SAE.
CONCLUSIONS
Golimumab had a definite effect in the treatment of AS. The higher dose would obtain better efficacy but lead to the incidence of SAE.
Topics: Antibodies, Monoclonal; Back Pain; Humans; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Spondylitis, Ankylosing; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 32447529
DOI: 10.1007/s00586-020-06466-9 -
Clinical and Investigative Medicine.... Jun 2020We used the Cochrane systematic review to analyze the effectiveness and safety of rituximab for lupus nephritis.
PURPOSE
We used the Cochrane systematic review to analyze the effectiveness and safety of rituximab for lupus nephritis.
METHODS
Systematic search was performed among Cochrane clinical controlled trials database, MEDLINE, MEDLINE-IN-Process and Other Non-Indexed Citations, EMBASE, EBSCO CINAHL, CNKI, VIP and Wanfang database from the establishment of the database to February 2016. The effectiveness and safety were evaluated in terms of the complete remission rate, total remission rate, urinary protein, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index changes and adverse events rate. Data were analyzed by the Review Manager Software version 5.3.
RESULTS
Five RCTs that met the inclusion criteria, including a total of 238 patients, were enrolled in our study. The results showed that the complete remission rate in rituximab group was a significantly higher than that of cyclophosphamide group. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (OR=2.80, 95%CI(1.08,7.26), P=0.03). But there was no significant difference between the two groups in partial and total remission rate. The complete remission rate, partial remission rate and total remission rate in rituximab treatment group was similar compared with mycophenolate mofetil group and rituximab combined with cyclophosphamide group. The adverse reaction rate was also similar among the groups.
CONCLUSION
The study systematically analyzed the effectiveness and safety of rituximab for lupus nephritis, which suggested that the complete remission rate of rituximab in the treatment of lupus nephritis was a significantly higher than that of cyclophosphamide group, while the effectiveness and safety was of no difference compared with cyclophosphamide and mycophenolate mofetil.
Topics: Cyclophosphamide; Humans; Immunosuppressive Agents; Lupus Nephritis; Mycophenolic Acid; Rituximab; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 32593276
DOI: 10.25011/cim.v43i2.33864 -
Nutrients Mar 2024Crohn's disease (CD) is an inflammatory bowel disease. Previous research has explored the impact of diet on CD, as specific dietary components can influence gut... (Review)
Review
Crohn's disease (CD) is an inflammatory bowel disease. Previous research has explored the impact of diet on CD, as specific dietary components can influence gut microbiota and immune responses, contributing to damage in the gastrointestinal tract. The Crohn's Disease Exclusion Diet (CDED) is based on an exclusion diet; it is a recent dietary approach that is often used alongside partial enteral nutrition (PEN) and aims to induce disease remission by excluding certain dietary components. This study assesses the current evidence for the effectiveness of the CDED + PEN in achieving remission in both children and adults with active CD. Our systematic review followed PRISMA recommendations and was registered in PROSPERO with CRD number 42022335076. The searched databases were PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Web of Science. The included studies were analyzed using Rayyan software, and the risk of bias was assessed with Cochrane RevMan 5.0 software. The primary assessed outcome was clinical remission, evaluated with validated questionnaire scores such as PCDAI, CDAI, or HBI. All analyzed papers yielded promising results. Notably, the CDED + PEN demonstrated better tolerance than exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN), resulting in higher adherence rates. Therefore, the CDED + PEN appears to be a viable alternative for induction remission in active disease for both children and adults with CD.
Topics: Adult; Child; Humans; Crohn Disease; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases; Causality; Databases, Factual
PubMed: 38613020
DOI: 10.3390/nu16070987 -
Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases Oct 2020Rare diseases (RDs) in rheumatology as a group have a high prevalence, but randomized controlled trials are hampered by their heterogeneity and low individual... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Rare diseases (RDs) in rheumatology as a group have a high prevalence, but randomized controlled trials are hampered by their heterogeneity and low individual prevalence. To survey the current evidence of pharmacotherapies for rare rheumatic diseases, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of RDs in rheumatology for different pharmaco-interventions were included into this meta-analysis if there were two or more trials investigating the same RD and using the same assessment tools or outcome parameters. The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, Embase, and PUBMED were searched up to April 2nd 2020. The overall objective of this study was to identify RCTs of RDs in rheumatology, evaluate the overall quality of these studies, outline the evidence of pharmacotherapy, and summarize recommended therapeutic regimens.
RESULTS
We screened 187 publications, and 50 RCTs met our inclusion criteria. In total, we analyzed data of 13 different RDs. We identified several sources of potential bias, such as a lack of description of blinding methods and allocation concealment, as well as small size of the study population. Meta-analysis was possible for 26 studies covering six RDs: Hunter disease, Behçet's disease, giant cell arteritis, ANCA-associated vasculitis, reactive arthritis, and systemic sclerosis. The pharmacotherapies tested in these studies consisted of immunosuppressants, such as corticosteroids, methotrexate and azathioprine, or biologicals. We found solid evidence for idursulfase as a treatment for Hunter syndrome. In Behçet's disease, apremilast and IF-α showed promising results with regard to total and partial remission, and Tocilizumab with regard to relapse-free remission in giant cell arteritis. Rituximab, cyclophosphamide, and azathioprine were equally effective in ANCA-associated vasculitis, while mepolizumab improved the efficacy of glucocorticoids. The combination of rifampicin and azithromycin showed promising results in reactive arthritis, while there was no convincing evidence for the efficacy of pharmacotherapy in systemic sclerosis.
CONCLUSION
For some diseases such as systemic sclerosis, ANCA-associated vasculitis, or Behcet's disease, higher quality trials were available. These RCTs showed satisfactory efficacies for immunosuppressants or biological drugs, except for systemic sclerosis. More high quality RCTs are urgently warranted for a wide spectrum of RDs in rheumatology.
Topics: Humans; Immunosuppressive Agents; Methotrexate; Rare Diseases; Rheumatic Diseases; Rituximab
PubMed: 33129321
DOI: 10.1186/s13023-020-01576-5 -
Psychiatry Research Aug 2019There is a pressing need for better pharmacological treatment strategies for psychiatric disorders as current treatment often results in partial symptom remission and... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
There is a pressing need for better pharmacological treatment strategies for psychiatric disorders as current treatment often results in partial symptom remission and unwanted side effects. A point of entry may be the glutamatergic system since glutamatergic dysregulation contributes to multiple psychiatric disorders. We evaluated the evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) regarding the use of the glutamatergic drug riluzole in mental illnesses; and conducted preliminary meta-analyses of its effectiveness in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and depression. A systematic search was performed using PubMed (Medline), Embase, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and PsycINFO. Meta-analyses were performed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software. Twenty-three RCTs were included for qualitative analysis and showed positive effects of adjunctive/monotherapy riluzole in patients with OCD, depression, autism, substance abuse and schizophrenia. Seven studies were also used for quantitative analysis, which revealed positive but non-significant effects on OCD and depression. Riluzole was generally well tolerated with few serious adverse events. The studies included in this systematic review were highly heterogeneous and the number of studies was limited per diagnostic condition. Moreover, few studies have examined riluzole as a single treatment. We suggest carrying out further work to provide definitive evidence for the benefit of riluzole in psychiatric illness.
Topics: Adult; Autistic Disorder; Depressive Disorder; Female; Humans; Male; Mental Disorders; Neuroprotective Agents; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Riluzole; Schizophrenia; Substance-Related Disorders; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 31254879
DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2019.06.020 -
Journal of Child Psychology and... Jan 2022The efficacy of technology-delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy (tCBT) for pediatric anxiety disorders (ADs) is uncertain as no meta-analysis has examined outcomes in... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
The efficacy of technology-delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy (tCBT) for pediatric anxiety disorders (ADs) is uncertain as no meta-analysis has examined outcomes in trials that used structured diagnostic assessments at pre- and posttreatment.
METHODS
We carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of tCBT for pediatric ADs that included participants <18 years of age with a confirmed primary AD according to a structured diagnostic interview. Nine studies with 711 participants were included.
RESULTS
tCBT outperformed control conditions for remission for primary AD (37.9% vs. 10.2%; k = 9; OR = 4.73; p < .0001; I = 0%; moderate certainty), remission for all ADs (19.5% vs. 5.3%; k = 8; OR = 3.32; p < .0001; I = 0%; moderate certainty), clinician-rated functioning (k = 7; MD = -4.38; p < .001; I = 56.9%; low certainty), and caregiver-reported anxiety (k = 7; SMD = 0.27; p = .02; I = 41.4%; low certainty), but not for youth-reported anxiety (k = 9; SMD = 0.13; p = .12; I = 0%; low certainty). More severe pretreatment anxiety, a lower proportion of completed sessions, no face-to-face sessions, media recruitment, and a larger proportion of females were associated with lower remission rates for primary AD.
CONCLUSIONS
tCBT has a moderate effect on remission for pediatric ADs and clinician-rated functioning, a small effect on caregiver-reported anxiety, and no statistically significant effect on youth-reported anxiety. The certainty of these estimates is low to moderate. Remission rates vary substantially across trials and several factors that may influence remission were identified. Future research should examine for whom tCBT is most appropriate and what care to offer the large proportion that does not remit. Future RCTs should consider contrasting tCBT with partial tCBT (e.g., including therapist-led exposure) and/or face-to-face CBT.
Topics: Adolescent; Anxiety; Anxiety Disorders; Child; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Female; Humans; Technology
PubMed: 34235730
DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13485