-
Annals of Translational Medicine Dec 2019Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a multi-causal disease and no satisfactory therapeutic strategies for it. Statins have been suggested as potential drugs in PH, whose...
BACKGROUND
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a multi-causal disease and no satisfactory therapeutic strategies for it. Statins have been suggested as potential drugs in PH, whose effects in different clinic types of PH have not been conclusive. In this study, we included randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) evaluating the efficacy and safety of statins therapy in PH.
METHODS
We searched databases including Medline, Embase, Cochrane, PubMed and Web of science, with time up to January 1, 2019. With 95% confidence interval (CI), weighted mean difference (WMD) or standardized mean difference (SMD) was pooled and calculated in a random or fixed effect model according to I2 statistic.
RESULTS
A total of nine RCTs with 657 patients were included. Four types of statins (atorvastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin and simvastatin) were used at different doses (10-80 mg daily) for up to 6 months. In the pooled-data analysis, compared with placebo, there were significant improvements in pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP), in addition to low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in patients treated with statins, but not in 6-minute walking distance (6MWD), cardiac index (CDI). No more adverse events and all-cause mortality were revealed. Subgroup analysis indicated that statins could decrease PAP in the subtype of PH due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but not pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).
CONCLUSIONS
This study indicates that statins can efficiently and safely reduce PAP in PH, especially in the subtype due to COPD. Further RCTs are needed to focus on the efficacy and safety of statin therapy in different subtypes of PH.
PubMed: 32042802
DOI: 10.21037/atm.2019.11.19 -
Cureus Sep 20213-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors are commonly used drugs in the management of elevated lipid levels and cardiovascular disease. In... (Review)
Review
3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors are commonly used drugs in the management of elevated lipid levels and cardiovascular disease. In cardiovascular diseases, among other common chronic conditions, inflammatory biomarkers are used to monitor disease progression and the risk of recurrent adverse events. We explored whether or not there was a positive effect on these biomarkers using HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors. The systematic review was conducted by gathering relevant papers mainly from three databases, identified through a generated Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) strategy. Identification of papers was subsequently followed by applying a selected inclusion and exclusion criteria to narrow the papers chosen for review. Post the application of stipulated criteria, 12 papers remained. They were subsequently assessed for risk of bias using a Cochrane risk analysis tool, identifying most as having some concerns of bias or low risk of bias. We found that HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors exhibit both a lipid-lowering effect addition to an anti-inflammatory effect.
PubMed: 34722051
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.18273 -
Medicine Jun 2021Atorvastatin treatment has been suggested as a therapeutic method for women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in many clinical studies. Nonetheless, the effects of... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Atorvastatin treatment has been suggested as a therapeutic method for women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in many clinical studies. Nonetheless, the effects of atorvastatin on insulin resistance in PCOS patients still remain controversial.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this report was to evaluate the effects of atorvastatin therapy on the insulin resistance in the treatment of PCOS compared to that of placebo, in order to confer a reference for clinical practice.
METHODS
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of atorvastatin for PCOS published up to August, 2020 were searched. Standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated, and heterogeneity was measured by the I2 test. Sensitivity analysis was also carried out. The outcomes of interest were as follows: fasting glucose concentration, fasting insulin level, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) or body mass index (BMI) value.
RESULTS
Nine RCTs with 406 participants were included. The difference of fasting glucose concentration in PCOS patients between atorvastatin group and placebo group was not statistically significant (8 trials; SMD -0.06, 95% CI -0.31 to 0.20, P = .66). PCOS patients in atorvastatin group had lower fasting insulin level than those in placebo group (7 trials; SMD -1.84, 95% CI -3.06 to -0.62, P < .003). The homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) value showed significant decrease in the atorvastatin therapy compared to placebo (6 trials; SMD -4.12, 95% CI -6.00 to -2.23, P < .0001). In contrast to placebo, atorvastatin therapy did not decrease the BMI value significantly in PCOS patients (7 trials; SMD 0.12, 95% CI -0.07 to 0.31, P = .22).
CONCLUSIONS
Atorvastatin therapy can reduce insulin resistance in the treatment of patients with PCOS. In addition, further large-sample, multi-center RCTs are needed to identify these findings.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Atorvastatin; Blood Glucose; Body Mass Index; Fasting; Female; Humans; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; Insulin; Insulin Resistance; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Treatment Outcome; Young Adult
PubMed: 34128863
DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000026289 -
Frontiers in Pharmacology 2022We aim to compare the effectiveness of different drug treatments in improving recurrence in patients with chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH). Eligible randomized...
We aim to compare the effectiveness of different drug treatments in improving recurrence in patients with chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH). Eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and prospective trials were searched in PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase, from database inception to December 2021. After the available studies following inclusion and exclusion criteria were screened, the main outcome measures were strictly extracted. Taking the random-effects model, dichotomous data were determined and extracted by odds ratio (OR) with 95% credible interval (CrI), and a surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) was generated to calculate the ranking probability of comparative effectiveness among each drug intervention. Moreover, we used the node-splitting model to evaluate inconsistency between direct and indirect comparisons of our network meta-analysis (NMA). Funnel plots were used to evaluate publication bias. From the 318 articles found during initial citation screening, 11 RCTs and 3 prospective trials ( = 3,456 participants) were ultimately included in our study. Our NMA results illustrated that atorvastatin + dexamethasone (ATO+DXM) (OR = 0.06, 95% CrI 0.01, 0.89) was the most effective intervention to improve recurrence in patients with CSDH (SUCRA = 89.40%, 95% CrI 0.29, 1.00). Four drug interventions [ATO+DXM (OR = 0.06, 95% CrI 0.01, 0.89), DXM (OR = 0.18, 95% CrI 0.07, 0.41), tranexamic acid (TXA) (OR = 0.26, 95% CrI 0.07, 0.41), and ATO (OR = 0.41, 95% CrI 0.12, 0.90)] achieved statistical significance in improving recurrence in CSDH patients compared with the placebo (PLB) or standard neurosurgical treatment (SNT) group. Our NMA showed that ATO+DXM, DXM, ATO, and TXA had definite efficacy in improving recurrence in CSDH patients. Among them, ATO+DXM is the best intervention for improving recurrence in patients with CSDH in this particular population. Multicenter rigorous designed prospective randomized trials are still needed to evaluate the role of various drug interventions in improving neurological function or outcome. (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=299491), identifier (CRD 42022299491).
PubMed: 35401183
DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.845386 -
The Cochrane Database of Systematic... Dec 2021Depression occurs frequently in individuals with coronary artery disease (CAD) and is associated with a poor prognosis. (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Depression occurs frequently in individuals with coronary artery disease (CAD) and is associated with a poor prognosis.
OBJECTIVES
To determine the effects of psychological and pharmacological interventions for depression in CAD patients with comorbid depression.
SEARCH METHODS
We searched the CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and CINAHL databases up to August 2020. We also searched three clinical trials registers in September 2021. We examined reference lists of included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and contacted primary authors. We applied no language restrictions.
SELECTION CRITERIA
We included RCTs investigating psychological and pharmacological interventions for depression in adults with CAD and comorbid depression. Our primary outcomes included depression, mortality, and cardiac events. Secondary outcomes were healthcare costs and utilisation, health-related quality of life, cardiovascular vital signs, biomarkers of platelet activation, electrocardiogram wave parameters, non-cardiac adverse events, and pharmacological side effects.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two review authors independently examined the identified papers for inclusion and extracted data from the included studies. We performed random-effects model meta-analyses to compute overall estimates of treatment outcomes.
MAIN RESULTS
Thirty-seven trials fulfilled our inclusion criteria. Psychological interventions may result in a reduction in end-of-treatment depression symptoms compared to controls (standardised mean difference (SMD) -0.55, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.92 to -0.19, I = 88%; low certainty evidence; 10 trials; n = 1226). No effect was evident on medium-term depression symptoms one to six months after the end of treatment (SMD -0.20, 95% CI -0.42 to 0.01, I = 69%; 7 trials; n = 2654). The evidence for long-term depression symptoms and depression response was sparse for this comparison. There is low certainty evidence that psychological interventions may result in little to no difference in end-of-treatment depression remission (odds ratio (OR) 2.02, 95% CI 0.78 to 5.19, I = 87%; low certainty evidence; 3 trials; n = 862). Based on one to two trials per outcome, no beneficial effects on mortality and cardiac events of psychological interventions versus control were consistently found. The evidence was very uncertain for end-of-treatment effects on all-cause mortality, and data were not reported for end-of-treatment cardiovascular mortality and occurrence of myocardial infarction for this comparison. In the trials examining a head-to-head comparison of varying psychological interventions or clinical management, the evidence regarding the effect on end-of-treatment depression symptoms is very uncertain for: cognitive behavioural therapy compared to supportive stress management; behaviour therapy compared to person-centred therapy; cognitive behavioural therapy and well-being therapy compared to clinical management. There is low certainty evidence from one trial that cognitive behavioural therapy may result in little to no difference in end-of-treatment depression remission compared to supportive stress management (OR 1.81, 95% CI 0.73 to 4.50; low certainty evidence; n = 83). Based on one to two trials per outcome, no beneficial effects on depression remission, depression response, mortality rates, and cardiac events were consistently found in head-to-head comparisons between psychological interventions or clinical management. The review suggests that pharmacological intervention may have a large effect on end-of-treatment depression symptoms (SMD -0.83, 95% CI -1.33 to -0.32, I = 90%; low certainty evidence; 8 trials; n = 750). Pharmacological interventions probably result in a moderate to large increase in depression remission (OR 2.06, 95% CI 1.47 to 2.89, I = 0%; moderate certainty evidence; 4 trials; n = 646). We found an effect favouring pharmacological intervention versus placebo on depression response at the end of treatment, though strength of evidence was not rated (OR 2.73, 95% CI 1.65 to 4.54, I = 62%; 5 trials; n = 891). Based on one to four trials per outcome, no beneficial effects regarding mortality and cardiac events were consistently found for pharmacological versus placebo trials, and the evidence was very uncertain for end-of-treatment effects on all-cause mortality and myocardial infarction. In the trials examining a head-to-head comparison of varying pharmacological agents, the evidence was very uncertain for end-of-treatment effects on depression symptoms. The evidence regarding the effects of different pharmacological agents on depression symptoms at end of treatment is very uncertain for: simvastatin versus atorvastatin; paroxetine versus fluoxetine; and escitalopram versus Bu Xin Qi. No trials were eligible for the comparison of a psychological intervention with a pharmacological intervention.
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
In individuals with CAD and depression, there is low certainty evidence that psychological intervention may result in a reduction in depression symptoms at the end of treatment. There was also low certainty evidence that pharmacological interventions may result in a large reduction of depression symptoms at the end of treatment. Moderate certainty evidence suggests that pharmacological intervention probably results in a moderate to large increase in depression remission at the end of treatment. Evidence on maintenance effects and the durability of these short-term findings is still missing. The evidence for our primary and secondary outcomes, apart from depression symptoms at end of treatment, is still sparse due to the low number of trials per outcome and the heterogeneity of examined populations and interventions. As psychological and pharmacological interventions can seemingly have a large to only a small or no effect on depression, there is a need for research focusing on extracting those approaches able to substantially improve depression in individuals with CAD and depression.
Topics: Adult; Coronary Artery Disease; Depression; Escitalopram; Humans; Psychotherapy; Quality of Life
PubMed: 34910821
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD008012.pub4 -
International Journal of Preventive... 2021Cardiovascular diseases impose a burden of disease and economic burden on society. With regard to different drugs are used to treat cardiovascular disease; these... (Review)
Review
Cardiovascular diseases impose a burden of disease and economic burden on society. With regard to different drugs are used to treat cardiovascular disease; these interventions should be economically evaluated and them that the most cost-effective were selected. The aim of this study was to investigate the studies carried on the cost-effectiveness and cost-utility of statin drugs for the treatment of patients with cardiovascular disease between 2004 and 2020. Quality assessment of the articles was examined by Drummond's checklist. Given that the inclusion criteria, 26 articles included in the review. The results of this review showed that many articles related to the economic evaluation of statin drugs adhered international standards for performing economic evaluation studies. All the studies mentioned the source of effectiveness (the second criteria) and alternative options for the comparison (the third criteria). Atorvastatin and rosuvastatin drugs were the main options for the comparison in the studies. Although the results of the studies were different in some aspects, such as the type of modeling, costs items and the study perspective, they reached the same results which the use of statin drugs versus no-drug can decrease cost, cardiovascular events and deaths and increase QALY. The results were nearly different due to study design, time horizon, efficacy, and drug prices.
PubMed: 34249288
DOI: 10.4103/ijpvm.IJPVM_125_20 -
European Cardiology Jul 2019Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is characterised by increased effector cells and decreased regulatory T-cells (Tregs). Statins have been shown to be clinically beneficial... (Review)
Review
The Effect of Statins on the Functionality of CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ Regulatory T-cells in Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials in Asian Populations.
Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is characterised by increased effector cells and decreased regulatory T-cells (Tregs). Statins have been shown to be clinically beneficial in ACS patients. This effect could be mediated via the induction of Tregs in ACS patients. The aim of this systemic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate whether statin therapy enhances the frequency of Tregs determined by CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ in this subset of patients. A comprehensive search of PubMed and Embase was performed. Studies were restricted to randomised controlled trials that quantified CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ cell frequency by flow cytometric analysis before and after statin treatment in adults diagnosed with ACS. A minimum of at least two of the conventional markers to identify Tregs was compulsory. Four randomised controlled trials studies (439 participants) were included, all with low-to-moderate risk of bias. Pooled data showed a significant increase in Treg frequency after statin therapy in ACS patients. A further meta-regression and subgroup analysis also showed a negative dose-related effect, and a statin type-related effect (rosuvastatin versus atorvastatin), respectively. The results confirmed that statins positively alter the frequency of Tregs, which may indicate a potential mechanism of their therapeutic effect. However, there was a risk of information bias due to the markers used to identify Tregs, which was not fully explored, therefore, further randomised controlled trials should utilise markers of Tregs, such as the FOXP3 locus (Treg-specific demethylated region), for identification.
PubMed: 31360235
DOI: 10.15420/ecr.2019.9.2 -
Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and... Jul 2022Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder and the most prevalent cause of dementia. In spite of the urgent need for more effective AD drug therapy...
IMPORTANCE
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder and the most prevalent cause of dementia. In spite of the urgent need for more effective AD drug therapy strategies, evidence of the efficacy of combination therapy with existing drugs remains unclear.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the efficacy of combined drug therapy on cognition and progress in patients with AD in comparison to single agent drug therapy.
METHODS
The electronic databases MEDLINE and EMBASE were systematically searched to identify relevant publications. Only randomized controlled clinical trials were included, but no limits were applied to language or time published. Data were extracted from May 27th until December 29th, 2020.
RESULTS
Three trials found that a combination of ChEI with additional memantine provides a slight benefit for patients with moderate to severe AD over ChEI monotherapy and placebo. However, a further 4 trials could not replicate this effect. One trial reported benefits of add-on in donepezil-treated patients with moderate AD (using a formula containing Gingko and other antioxidants) compared to donepezil with placebo. A further trial found no significant effect of combining EGb 761® and donepezil in patients with probable AD over donepezil with placebo. Approaches with idalopirdine, atorvastatin or vitamin supplementation in combination with ChEI have not proven effective and have not been retried since. Fluoxetine and ST101 have shown partial benefits in combination with ChEI over ChEI monotherapy and placebo. However, these effects must be replicated by further research.
CONCLUSION
Additional memantine in combination with ChEI might be of slight benefit in patients with moderate to severe AD, but evidence is ambiguous. Longer trials are needed. No major cognitive benefit is missed, if solely appropriate ChEI monotherapy is initiated.
Topics: Alzheimer Disease; Cholinesterase Inhibitors; Donepezil; Drug Therapy, Combination; Humans; Indans; Memantine; Piperidines
PubMed: 34476990
DOI: 10.1177/08919887211044746 -
Frontiers in Pharmacology 2023Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are the main safety concerns of clinically used medications. Accumulating evidence has shown that ADRs can affect men and women...
Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are the main safety concerns of clinically used medications. Accumulating evidence has shown that ADRs can affect men and women differently, which suggests sex as a biological predictor in the risk of ADRs. This review aims to summarize the current state of knowledge on sex differences in ADRs with the focus on the commonly used psychotropic, cardiovascular, and analgesic medications, and to aid clinical decision making and future mechanistic investigations on this topic. PubMed search was performed with combinations of the following terms: over 1,800 drugs of interests, sex difference (and its related terms), and side effects (and its related terms), which yielded over 400 unique articles. Articles related to psychotropic, cardiovascular, and analgesic medications were included in the subsequent full-text review. Characteristics and the main findings (male-biased, female-biased, or not sex biased ADRs) of each included article were collected, and the results were summarized by drug class and/or individual drug. Twenty-six articles studying sex differences in ADRs of six psychotropic medications, ten cardiovascular medications, and one analgesic medication were included in this review. The main findings of these articles suggested that more than half of the ADRs being evaluated showed sex difference pattern in occurrence rate. For instance, lithium was found to cause more thyroid dysfunction in women, and amisulpride induced prolactin increase was more pronounced in women than in men. Some serious ADRs were also found to exert sex difference pattern, such as clozapine induced neutropenia was more prevalent in women whereas simvastatin/atorvastatin-related abnormal liver functions were more pronounced in men.
PubMed: 37201021
DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1096366 -
The Angle Orthodontist Jul 2020To investigate and synthesize systematically the evidence from animal studies pertaining to the effect of pharmacological agents on tooth movement relapse following...
OBJECTIVES
To investigate and synthesize systematically the evidence from animal studies pertaining to the effect of pharmacological agents on tooth movement relapse following cessation of orthodontic force application.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
An electronic search was conducted in seven online databases (including gray sources) without restrictions until the third week of April 2019, followed by a hand search in the reference lists of eligible articles. Controlled animal studies investigating the effect of pharmacological agents on tooth movement relapse following orthodontic treatment were selected. Relevant data were extracted from eligible studies and the risk of bias assessment was done using SYRCLE's risk of bias tool. The quality of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation tool.
RESULTS
The search identified 2354 records, of which 7 studies were deemed eligible for inclusion in the qualitative synthesis, with the majority presenting an unclear risk of bias. Orthodontic relapse was shown to decrease with the administration of pamidronate disodium, atorvastatin, aspirin, and chemically modified tetracycline-3. Inconsistent effects on relapse were observed after the use of simvastatin. The overall quality of retrieved evidence was assessed as low at best.
CONCLUSIONS
The available evidence shows that the investigated pharmacological agents may demonstrate variable effects on tooth movement relapse following cessation of orthodontic force. Additional evidence of higher quality is required to draw definitive conclusions on their effects and to make potential recommendations for clinical application.
Topics: Animals; Dental Care; Health Behavior; Humans; Recurrence; Tooth Movement Techniques
PubMed: 33378496
DOI: 10.2319/092619-613.1