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Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil) 2021We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of mepolizumab (MEP) in the management of hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES). A systematic search was performed, and articles... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of mepolizumab (MEP) in the management of hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES). A systematic search was performed, and articles published until March 2021 were analyzed. The primary efficacy results evaluated were hospitalization rate related to HES, morbidity (new or worsening), relapses/failure, treatment-related adverse effects, prednisone dosage ≤10 mg/day for ≥8 weeks, and eosinophil count <600/μL for ≥8 weeks. A meta-analysis was conducted, when appropriate. Three randomized controlled trials (RCTs), with a total of 255 patients, were included. The studies contemplated the use of MEP 300 mg/SC or 750 mg/IV. According to the evaluation of the proposed outcomes, when relapse rates/therapeutic failures were assessed, there was a 26% reduction with MEP 300 mg/SC (RD=-0.26; 95% CI: -0.44 to -0.08; p=0.04) and 48% reduction with MEP 750 mg/IV (RD=-0.48; 95% CI: -0.67, -0.30; p<0.00001). For the outcomes, prednisone dosage ≤10 mg/day for ≥8 weeks was 48% (RD=0.48; 95% CI: 0.35 to 0.62; p<0.00001), and the eosinophil count <600/μL for ≥8 weeks was 51% (RD=0.51; 95% CI: 0.38 to 0.63; p<0.00001), both showed a reduction with MEP 300 mg/IV and 750 mg/IV. No statistically significant differences in treatment-related adverse effects outcomes were observed for either dosage (RD=0.09; 95% CI: -0.05 to 0.24; p=0.20; RD=0.09; 95% CI: -0.11 to 0.29; p=0.39). Despite the positive effects observed for the studied outcomes, the exact significance remains unclear.
Topics: Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; Humans; Hypereosinophilic Syndrome; Leukocyte Count; Prednisone
PubMed: 34644737
DOI: 10.6061/clinics/2021/e3271 -
Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery Feb 2022Recent studies suggest that the clinical course and outcomes of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and myasthenia gravis (MG) are highly variable. We...
OBJECTIVE
Recent studies suggest that the clinical course and outcomes of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and myasthenia gravis (MG) are highly variable. We performed a systematic review of the relevant literature with a key aim to assess the outcomes of invasive ventilation, mortality, and hospital length of stay (HLoS) for patients presenting with MG and COVID-19.
METHODS
We searched the PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and MedRxiv databases for original articles that reported patients with MG and COVID-19. We included all clinical studies that reported MG in patients with confirmed COVID-19 cases via RT-PCR tests. We collected data on patient background characteristics, symptoms, time between MG and COVID-19 diagnosis, MG and COVID-19 treatments, HLoS, and mortality at last available follow-up. We reported summary statistics as counts and percentages or mean±SD. When necessary, inverse variance weighting was used to aggregate patient-level data and summary statistics.
RESULTS
Nineteen studies with 152 patients (mean age 54.4 ± 12.7 years; 79/152 [52.0%] female) were included. Hypertension (62/141, 44.0%) and diabetes (30/141, 21.3%) were the most common comorbidities. The mean time between the diagnosis of MG and COVID-19 was7.0 ± 6.3 years. Diagnosis of COVID-19 was confirmed in all patients via RT-PCR tests. Fever (40/59, 67.8%) and ptosis (9/55, 16.4%) were the most frequent COVID-19 and MG symptoms, respectively. Azithromycin and ceftriaxone were the most common COVID-19 treatments, while prednisone and intravenous immunoglobulin were the most common MG treatments. Invasive ventilation treatment was required for 25/59 (42.4%) of patients. The mean HLoS was 18.2 ± 9.9 days. The mortality rate was 18/152 (11.8%).
CONCLUSION
This report provides an overview of the characteristics, treatment, and outcomes of MG in COVID-19 patients. Although COVID-19 may exaggerate the neurological symptoms and worsens the outcome in MG patients, we did not find enough evidence to support this notion. Further studies with larger numbers of patients with MG and COVID-19 are needed to better assess the clinical outcomes in these patients.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; COVID-19; Child; Female; Hospitalization; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Myasthenia Gravis; Respiration, Artificial; Survival Rate; Young Adult
PubMed: 35091255
DOI: 10.1016/j.clineuro.2022.107140 -
The Journal of Allergy and Clinical... Apr 2024Short courses of adjunctive systemic corticosteroids are commonly used to treat acute urticaria and chronic urticaria flares (both with and without mast cell-mediated...
BACKGROUND
Short courses of adjunctive systemic corticosteroids are commonly used to treat acute urticaria and chronic urticaria flares (both with and without mast cell-mediated angioedema), but their benefits and harms are unclear.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the efficacy and safety of treating acute urticaria or chronic urticaria flares with versus without systemic corticosteroids.
METHODS
We searched the MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, and CBM databases from inception to July 8, 2023, for randomized controlled trials of treating urticaria with versus without systemic corticosteroids. Paired reviewers independently screened records, extracted data, and appraised risk of bias with the Cochrane 2.0 tool. We performed random-effects meta-analyses of urticaria activity, itch severity, and adverse events. We assessed certainty of the evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach.
RESULTS
We identified 12 randomized trials enrolling 944 patients. For patients with low or moderate probability (17.5%-64%) to improve with antihistamines alone, add-on systemic corticosteroids likely improve urticaria activity by a 14% to 15% absolute difference (odds ratio [OR], 2.17, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.43-3.31; number needed to treat [NNT], 7; moderate certainty). Among patients with a high chance (95.8%) for urticaria to improve with antihistamines alone, add-on systemic corticosteroids likely improved urticaria activity by a 2.2% absolute difference (NNT, 45; moderate certainty). Corticosteroids may improve itch severity (OR, 2.44; 95% CI: 0.87-6.83; risk difference, 9%; NNT, 11; low certainty). Systemic corticosteroids also likely increase adverse events (OR, 2.76; 95% CI: 1.00-7.62; risk difference, 15%; number needed to harm, 9; moderate certainty).
CONCLUSIONS
Systemic corticosteroids for acute urticaria or chronic urticaria exacerbations likely improve urticaria, depending on antihistamine responsiveness, but also likely increase adverse effects in approximately 15% more.
PubMed: 38642709
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaip.2024.04.016 -
Frontiers in Pharmacology 2022The (R)-CDOP combination regimen, based on pegylated liposomal doxorubicin, is increasingly used for elderly patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. However, the...
Cardiovascular adverse events associated with cyclophosphamide, pegylated liposomal doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone with or without rituximab ((R)-CDOP) in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
The (R)-CDOP combination regimen, based on pegylated liposomal doxorubicin, is increasingly used for elderly patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. However, the cardiotoxicity and efficacy of the (R)-CDOP regimen compared with conventional anthracyclines have not been demonstrated in the general population. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the risk of cardiotoxicity and efficacy associated with the (R)-CDOP regimen in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, WanFang Database, and VIP were searched. The search covered the period from the start of the clinical use of (R)-CDOP to April 2022. We searched the literature for cardiovascular adverse events associated with (R)-CDOP in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The data were analyzed using R 4.2.0 and Stata 12.0. From the included studies, the important findings were as follows: total cardiovascular event rate, 7.45% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.86%-10.44%); non-serious cardiovascular adverse event rate, 6.48% (95% CI = 3.70%-9.8%); serious cardiovascular adverse event rate, 0.67% (95% CI = 0.00%-2.12%); heart failure rate, 0.55% (95% CI = 0.00%-1.93%); rate of treatment discontinuation attributable to left ventricular dysfunction or heart failure, 0.02% (95% CI = 0.00%-0.57%); and cardiovascular death rate, 0.00% (95% CI = 0.00%-0.37%). Compared with the (R)-CHOP regimen, the (R)-CDOP regimen reduced the risk of cardiovascular events, including total cardiovascular adverse events (odds ratio [OR] = 0.161, 95% CI = 0.103-0.251, < 0.001, and NNT = 3.7), non-serious cardiovascular adverse events (OR = 0.171, 95% CI = 0.093-0.314, < 0.001, and NNT = 3.6), serious cardiovascular adverse events (OR = 0.252, 95% CI = 0.119-0.535, < 0.001, and NNT = 6.8), and heart failure (OR = 0.294, 95% CI = 0.128-0.674, = 0.004, and NNT = 9.5). To evaluate the survival benefits, we compared (R)-CDOP and (R)-CHOP regimens. We found that the (R)-CDOP regimen was no less efficacious, including complete remission (CR) (OR = 1.398, 95% CI = 0.997-1.960, and = 0.052), partial response (PR) (OR = 1.631, 95% CI = 1.162-2.289, and = 0.005), objective response rate (ORR) (OR = 2.236, 95% CI = 1.594-3.135, and < 0.001), stable disease (SD) (OR = 0.526, 95% CI = 0.356-0.776, and = 0.001), and progressive disease (PD) (OR = 0.537, 95% CI = 0.323-0.894, and = 0.017). Our findings suggested that the (R)-CDOP regimen had a lower risk of cardiovascular adverse events in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma than the (R)-CHOP regimen, demonstrating its safety with regard to cardiotoxicity. In addition, this study found the (R)-CDOP regimen was no less efficacious than the (R)-CHOP regimen in the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. These findings need to be validated by higher-quality research because of the limited number and quality of included studies.
PubMed: 36532720
DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1060668 -
The Cochrane Database of Systematic... Aug 2020In nephrotic syndrome protein leaks from blood into the urine through the glomeruli resulting in hypoproteinaemia and generalised oedema. While most children with... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
In nephrotic syndrome protein leaks from blood into the urine through the glomeruli resulting in hypoproteinaemia and generalised oedema. While most children with nephrotic syndrome respond to corticosteroids, 80% experience a relapsing course. Corticosteroids have reduced the death rate to around 3%. However, corticosteroids have well recognised potentially serious adverse effects such as obesity, poor growth, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, and behavioural disturbances. This is an update of a review first published in 2000 and updated in 2002, 2005, 2007, and 2015.
OBJECTIVES
The aim of this review was to assess the benefits and harms of different corticosteroid regimens in children with steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome (SSNS). The benefits and harms of therapy were studied in two groups of children 1) children in their initial episode of SSNS, and 2) children who experience a relapsing course of SSNS.
SEARCH METHODS
We searched the Cochrane Kidney and Transplant Register of Studies up to 30 May 2020 through contact with the Information Specialist using search terms relevant to this review. Studies in the Register are identified through searches of CENTRAL, MEDLINE, and EMBASE, conference proceedings, the International Clinical Trials Register (ICTRP) Search Portal and ClinicalTrials.gov.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) performed in children (one to 18 years) in their initial or subsequent episode of SSNS, comparing different durations, total doses or other dose strategies using any corticosteroid agent.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two authors independently assessed risk of bias and extracted data. Results were expressed as risk ratio (RR) or mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).
MAIN RESULTS
In this 2020 review update 16 new included studies were identified providing a total of 48 included studies with 3941 randomised participants. Risk of bias methodology was often poorly performed with only 25 studies and 22 studies respectively assessed to be at low risk for random sequence generation and allocation concealment. Only nine studies (19%) were at low risk of bias for performance (blinding of participants and personnel) and 11 studies were at low risk of detection bias (blinding of outcome assessment); nine of these studies were placebo-controlled RCTs. Twenty-two studies (fewer than 50%) were at low risk for attrition bias and 23 studies were at low risk for reporting bias (selective outcome reporting). In seven studies, which evaluated children in their initial episode of SSNS and were at low risk of bias for selection bias, there is little or no difference in the number of children with frequent relapses when comparing two months of prednisone with three months or more (RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.82 to 1.19; 585 participants, 4 studies; I2 = 0%) or when comparing three months with five to seven months of therapy (RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.74 to 1.33; 376 participants, 3 studies; I2 = 35%; high certainty evidence). In analyses of eight studies at low risk of selection bias, there is little or no difference in the number of children with any relapse by 12 to 24 months when comparing two months of prednisone with three months or more (RR 0.91, 95% CI 0.78 to 1.06; 637 participants; 5 studies; I2 = 47%) or when comparing three months with five to seven months of therapy (RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.70 to 1.11; 377 participants, 3 studies; I2 = 53%). Little or no difference was noted in adverse effects between the different treatment durations. Among children with relapsing SSNS, two small studies showed that time to remission did not differ between prednisone doses of 1 mg/kg compared with the conventional dose of 2 mg/kg (MD 0.71 days, 95% CI -0.43 to 1.86; 79 participants) and that the total prednisone dose administered was lower (MD -20.60 mg/kg, 95% CI -25.65 to -15.55; 20 participants). Two studies found little or no difference in the number with relapse at six months when comparing dosing by weight with dosing by surface area (RR 1.03, 95% CI 0.71 to 1.49; 146 participants). One study found a reduced risk of relapse with low daily dosing compared with alternate daily dosing (MD -0.90 number of relapses/year, 95% CI -1.33 to -0.47). Four studies found that in children with frequently relapsing disease, daily prednisone during viral infections compared with alternate-day prednisone or no treatment reduced the risk of relapse.
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
There are now four well designed studies randomising 823 children which have clearly demonstrated that there is no benefit of prolonging prednisone therapy beyond two to three months in the first episode of SSNS. Small studies in children with relapsing disease have identified no differences in the times to remission using half the conventional induction dose of 2 mg/kg or 60 mg/m2. It is imperative that a much larger study be carried out to confirm these findings. Lower dose prednisone therapy administered daily during an upper respiratory infection or other infection reduces the risk of relapse compared with continuing alternate-day prednisone or no prednisone based on four small studies. The results of a much larger RCT enrolling more than 300 children are awaited to determine the relative efficacies and adverse effects of using alternate-day compared with daily prednisone to prevent relapse in children with intercurrent infections.
PubMed: 35659203
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001533.pub6 -
The Cochrane Database of Systematic... Feb 2023IgA vasculitis (IgAV), previously known as Henoch-Schönlein purpura, is the most common vasculitis of childhood but may also occur in adults. This small vessel... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
IgA vasculitis (IgAV), previously known as Henoch-Schönlein purpura, is the most common vasculitis of childhood but may also occur in adults. This small vessel vasculitis is characterised by palpable purpura, abdominal pain, arthritis or arthralgia and kidney involvement. This is an update of a review first published in 2009 and updated in 2015.
OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the benefits and harms of different agents (used singularly or in combination) compared with placebo, no treatment or any other agent for (1) the prevention of severe kidney disease in people with IgAV with or without kidney involvement at onset, (2) the treatment of established severe kidney disease (macroscopic haematuria, proteinuria, nephritic syndrome, nephrotic syndrome with or without acute kidney failure) in IgAV, and (3) the prevention of recurrent episodes of IgAV-associated kidney disease.
SEARCH METHODS
We searched the Cochrane Kidney and Transplant Register of Studies up to 2 February 2023 through contact with the Information Specialist using search terms relevant to this review. Studies in the Register are identified through searches of CENTRAL, MEDLINE, and EMBASE, conference proceedings, the International Clinical Trials Register (ICTRP) Search Portal and ClinicalTrials.gov.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing interventions used to prevent or treat kidney disease in IgAV compared with placebo, no treatment or other agents were included.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two authors independently determined study eligibility, assessed the risk of bias and extracted data from each study. Statistical analyses were performed using the random-effects model, and the results were expressed as risk ratio (RR) for dichotomous outcomes and mean difference (MD) for continuous outcomes with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Confidence in the evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.
MAIN RESULTS
Twenty studies (1963 enrolled participants) were identified; one three-arm study has been assessed as two studies. Nine studies were at low risk of bias for sequence generation (selection bias), and nine studies were at low risk of bias for allocation concealment (selection bias). Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) and outcome assessment (detection bias) was at low risk of bias in four and seven studies, respectively. Nine studies reported complete outcome data (attrition bias), while 10 studies reported expected outcomes, so were at low risk of reporting bias. Five studies were at low risk of other bias. Eleven studies evaluated therapy to prevent persistent kidney disease in IgAV with or without kidney involvement at presentation. There was probably no difference in the risk of persistent kidney disease any time after treatment (5 studies, 746 children: RR 0.74, 95% CI 0.42 to 1.32) or at one, three, six and 12 months in children given prednisone for 14 to 28 days at presentation of IgAV compared with placebo or supportive treatment (moderate certainty evidence). There may be no differences in the risk of any persistent kidney disease with antiplatelet therapy (three studies) or heparin (two studies) in children with or without any kidney disease at study entry, although heparin may reduce the risk of proteinuria by three months compared with placebo or no specific treatment (2 studies, 317 children: RR 0.47, 95% CI 0.31 to 0.73). One study comparing montelukast with placebo found no differences in outcomes as assessed by severity scale scores. Nine studies examined the treatment of severe IgAV-associated kidney disease. In two studies (one involving 56 children and the other involving 54 adults), there may be no differences in efficacy outcomes or adverse effects with cyclophosphamide compared with placebo or supportive treatment. In two studies, there may be no differences in the numbers achieving remission of proteinuria with intravenous (IV) cyclophosphamide compared with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) (65 children evaluated) or tacrolimus (142 children evaluated). In three small studies comparing cyclosporin with methylprednisolone (15 children), MMF with azathioprine (26 children), or MMF with leflunomide (19 children), it is unclear whether the treatment had any effect on the numbers in remission or the degree of proteinuria between treatment groups because of small numbers of included participants. In one study comparing plasmapheresis, cyclophosphamide and methylprednisolone with cyclophosphamide and methylprednisolone, there may be no difference in the numbers achieving remission. One study compared fosinopril with no specific therapy and reported fosinopril reduced the number of participants with proteinuria. No studies were identified that evaluated the efficacy of therapy on kidney disease in participants with recurrent episodes of IgAV.
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
There are no substantial changes in conclusions from this update compared with the initial review or the previous update despite the addition of five studies. From generally low to moderate certainty evidence, we found that there may be little or no benefit in the use of corticosteroids or antiplatelet agents to prevent persistent kidney disease in children with IgAV in participants with no or minimal kidney involvement at presentation. We did not find any studies which evaluated corticosteroids in children presenting with IgAV and nephritic and/or nephrotic syndrome, although corticosteroids are recommended in such children in guidelines. Though heparin may be effective in reducing proteinuria, this potentially dangerous therapy is not justified to prevent serious kidney disease when few children with IgAV develop severe kidney disease. There may be no benefit of cyclophosphamide compared with no specific treatment or corticosteroids. While there may be no benefit in the efficacy of MMF or tacrolimus compared with IV cyclophosphamide in children or adults with IgAV and severe kidney disease, adverse effects, particularly infections, may be lower in MMF or tacrolimus-treated children. Because of small patient numbers and events leading to imprecision in results, it remains unclear whether cyclosporin, MMF or leflunomide have any role in the treatment of children with IgAV and severe kidney disease. We did not identify any studies which evaluated corticosteroids.
Topics: Adult; Child; Humans; Fosinopril; IgA Vasculitis; Kidney Diseases; Leflunomide; Proteinuria; Tacrolimus; Vasculitis
PubMed: 36853224
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD005128.pub4 -
Journal of Medicine and Life Feb 2023A promising strategy for controlling repeated implantation failure (RIF) may be the use of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). To the best of our knowledge, no systematic review... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
A promising strategy for controlling repeated implantation failure (RIF) may be the use of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). To the best of our knowledge, no systematic review has been conducted on the effects of hydroxychloroquine on pregnancy outcomes. A systematic research of the following electronic databases was conducted: Cochrane, EMBASE-Ovid, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus from inception to December 2021, using the following keywords [hydroxychloroquine] AND [infertility]. Fertilization and rate of live birth were significantly higher in the HCQ+ prednisone (PDN) group than in the PDN alone group. However, the abortion rate was not different between the two groups. The meta-analysis of two studies revealed no statistical significance between the PDN group and HCQ+PDN group regarding clinical pregnancy rate (OR=.14 [95%CI: 0.4-4.370]; heterogeneity; P=0.13; I2=54%; random effect model) and implantation rate (OR=1.99 [95%CI: 0.94-4.2]; heterogeneity; P=0.37; I2=0%; fixed-effect model). While HCQ may help improve fertilization and live birth rates, adding it to prednisone did not improve overall pregnancy outcomes. This systematic review should be used with caution due to the small size, study design, and difference in the studies' population.
Topics: Pregnancy; Female; Humans; Pregnancy Outcome; Hydroxychloroquine; Infertility, Female; Prednisone; Live Birth
PubMed: 36937474
DOI: 10.25122/jml-2022-0095 -
Contrast Media & Molecular Imaging 2022To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) granules associated with hormones when treating primary nephrotic syndrome (PNS)... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
OBJECTIVE
To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) granules associated with hormones when treating primary nephrotic syndrome (PNS) in children.
METHODS
Search online databases such as PubMed, EMBASE, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, China Knowledge Network Database (CNKI), China VIP Database, Wanfang Database, and China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM) to search for information on the use of hormone-related Chinese medicine granules in the treatment of children with PNS controlled trials. Retrieval time was limited to the period from the date the database was established to the present. Separately, two researchers gathered the data. Statistical software RevMan5.4 was adopted to estimate bias risk in accordance with the Cochrane Handbook 5.3 standard.
RESULTS
Finally, 7 articles were selected with a total sample size of 487 cases. The infection rate, recurrence rate, and adverse reaction rate after treatment were analyzed by meta-analysis. The infection rate and recurrence rate in the study group were notably lower, and the difference was statistically significant ( < 0.05). However, the incidence of adverse reactions exhibited not notably different ( > 0.05). The levels of albumin and blood cholesterol after treatment indicated no statistical difference between the levels ( > 0.05). Meta-analysis was performed on the time to negative urine protein and the time to edema subsidence after treatment. The urine protein negative time and edema subsidence time of the study group were shorter after treatment, but the difference exhibited not notable ( > 0.05). Meta-analysis was performed on the dosage of glucocorticoids after treatment. The dosage of glucocorticoid in the study group was notably lower, and the difference was statistically significant ( < 0.05). The levels of T lymphocytes after treatment were analyzed by meta. T lymphoid level in the study group was notably better after treatment, and the difference was statistically significant ( < 0.05). Further subgroup analysis indicated that the levels of CD3+ and CD4+ in the study group were higher after treatment ( < 0.05), and there exhibited no statistical difference in the levels of CD8+, CD4/CD8+, and CD19 ( > 0.05). Immunoglobulin levels in the study group after treatment were notably better, and the difference was statistically significant ( < 0.05). Further subgroup analysis indicated that the levels of IgA, IgM, and IgG in the study group were notably higher after treatment, and the difference was statistically significant ( < 0.05).
CONCLUSION
Huai Qi Huang can reduce the recurrence rate of PNS children and the incidence of infection and the dosage of prednisone. A long-term application can improve the cellular and humoral immune function of children with PNS. It has high treatment safety and has no notable effect on plasma cholesterol levels, so it is suitable for clinical application.
Topics: Albumins; Child; Cholesterol; Glucocorticoids; Humans; Immunoglobulin A; Immunoglobulin G; Immunoglobulin M; Medicine, Chinese Traditional; Nephrotic Syndrome; Prednisone
PubMed: 36247855
DOI: 10.1155/2022/2520367 -
ESC Heart Failure Oct 2020
Meta-Analysis
Topics: Azathioprine; Humans; Immunosuppressive Agents; Myocarditis; Prednisone
PubMed: 33121219
DOI: 10.1002/ehf2.12762 -
Journal of Neuromuscular Diseases 2024The objective of this study was to describe predictors of loss of ambulation in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to describe predictors of loss of ambulation in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).
METHODS
This systematic review and meta-analysis included searches of MEDLINE ALL, Embase, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2022, for predictors of loss of ambulation in DMD. Search terms included "Duchenne muscular dystrophy" as a Medical Subject Heading or free text term, in combination with variations of the term "predictor". Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. We performed meta-analysis pooling of hazard ratios of the effects of glucocorticoids (vs. no glucocorticoid therapy) by fitting a common-effect inverse-variance model.
RESULTS
The bibliographic searches resulted in the inclusion of 45 studies of children and adults with DMD from 17 countries across Europe, Asia, and North America. Glucocorticoid therapy was associated with delayed loss of ambulation (overall meta-analysis HR deflazacort/prednisone/prednisolone: 0.44 [95% CI: 0.40-0.48]) (n = 25 studies). Earlier onset of first signs or symptoms, earlier loss of developmental milestones, lower baseline 6MWT (i.e.,<350 vs. ≥350 metres and <330 vs. ≥330 metres), and lower baseline NSAA were associated with earlier loss of ambulation (n = 5 studies). Deletion of exons 3-7, proximal mutations (upstream intron 44), single exon 45 deletions, and mutations amenable of skipping exon 8, exon 44, and exon 53, were associated with prolonged ambulation; distal mutations (intron 44 and downstream), deletion of exons 49-50, and mutations amenable of skipping exon 45, and exon 51 were associated with earlier loss of ambulation (n = 13 studies). Specific single-nucleotide polymorphisms in CD40 gene rs1883832, LTBP4 gene rs10880, SPP1 gene rs2835709 and rs11730582, and TCTEX1D1 gene rs1060575 (n = 7 studies), as well as race/ethnicity and level of family/patient deprivation (n = 3 studies), were associated with loss of ambulation. Treatment with ataluren (n = 2 studies) and eteplirsen (n = 3 studies) were associated with prolonged ambulation. Magnetic resonance biomarkers (MRI and MRS) were identified as significant predictors of loss of ambulation (n = 6 studies). In total, 33% of studies exhibited some risk of bias.
CONCLUSION
Our synthesis of predictors of loss of ambulation in DMD contributes to the understanding the natural history of disease and informs the design of new trials of novel therapies targeting this heavily burdened patient population.
Topics: Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne; Humans; Glucocorticoids; Walking; Pregnenediones; Latent TGF-beta Binding Proteins
PubMed: 38669554
DOI: 10.3233/JND-230220