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Virology Journal Feb 2024Azvudine has been approved for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients in China, and this meta-analysis aims to illustrate the safety of azvudine... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Azvudine has been approved for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients in China, and this meta-analysis aims to illustrate the safety of azvudine and its effectiveness in reducing mortality.
METHODS
PubMed, Embase, Web of science, Cochrane Library and the Epistemonikos COVID-19 Living Overview of Evidence database (L.OVE) were searched to aggregate currently published studies. Cochrane risk of bias tool and ROBINS-I tool were used to assess the risk of bias of randomized controlled study and cohort study respectively. Odds radios (ORs) with 95% confidence interval (CIs) were combined for dichotomous variables. Publication bias was assessed by Egger's test and funnel plots.
RESULTS
A total of 184 articles were retrieved from the included databases and 17 studies were included into the final analysis. Pooled analysis showed that azvudine significantly reduced mortality risk in COVID-19 patients compared with controls (OR: 0.41, 95%CI 0.31-0.54, p < 0.001). Besides, either mild to moderate or severe COVID-19 patients could benefit from azvudine administration. There was no significant difference in the incidence of ICU admission (OR: 0.90, 95%CI 0.47-1.72, p = 0.74) and invasive ventilation (OR: 0.94, 95%CI 0.54-1.62, p = 0.82) between azvudine and control group. The incidence of adverse events was similar between azvudine and control (OR: 1.26, 95%CI 0.59-2.70, p = 0.56).
CONCLUSIONS
This meta-analysis suggests that azvudine could reduce the mortality risk of COVID-19 patients, and the safety of administration is acceptable.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
PROSPERO; No.: CRD42023462988; URL: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/ .
Topics: Humans; COVID-19; Cohort Studies; China; Databases, Factual; Azides; Deoxycytidine
PubMed: 38395970
DOI: 10.1186/s12985-024-02316-y -
Clinical Toxicology (Philadelphia, Pa.) Aug 2021Sodium azide is a highly toxic chemical. Its production has increased dramatically over the last 30 years due to its widespread use in vehicular airbags, and it is...
CONTEXT
Sodium azide is a highly toxic chemical. Its production has increased dramatically over the last 30 years due to its widespread use in vehicular airbags, and it is available for purchase online. Thus, accidental exposure to azide or use as a homicidal or suicidal agent could be on the rise, and secondary exposure to medical personnel can occur. No antidote exists for azide poisoning. We conducted a systematic review of azide poisoning to assess recent poisoning reports, exposure scenarios, clinical presentations, and treatment strategies.
METHODS
We searched both medical and newspaper databases to review the literature between 01/01/2000 and 12/31/2020, pairing the controlled vocabulary and keyword terms "sodium azide" or "hydrazoic acid" with terms relating to exposures and outcomes, such as "ingestion," "inhalation," "exposure," "poisoning," and "death." We included all peer-reviewed papers and news articles describing human azide poisoning cases from English and non-English publications that could be identified using English keywords. Data abstracted included the number, age, and gender of cases, mode of exposure, exposure setting, azide dose and route of exposure, symptoms, outcome, and treatment modalities.
RESULTS
We identified 663 peer-reviewed papers and 303 newspaper articles. After removing duplicated and non-qualifying sources, 54 publications were reviewed describing 156 cases, yielding an average of 7.8 reported azide poisoning cases per year. This rate is three times higher than in a previous review covering the period of 1927 to 1999. Poisoning occurred most commonly in laboratory workers, during secondary exposure of medical personnel, or from a ripped airbag. Hypotension occurred commonly, in some cases requiring vasopressors and one patient received an intra-aortic ballon pump. Gastric lavage and/or activated charcoal were used for oral azide ingestion, and sodium nitrite, sodium thiosulfate, and/or hydroxocobalamin were used in severely poisoned patients.
CONCLUSIONS
Recent increases in azide poisoning reports may stem from greater commercial use and availability. Treatment of systemic poisoning may require aggressive hemodynamic support due to profound hypotension. Based on mechanistic considerations, hydroxocobalamin is a rational choice for treating azide poisoning.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Antidotes; Female; Humans; Hypotension; Male; Middle Aged; Occupational Exposure; Poisoning; Sodium Azide; Sodium Nitrite; Suicide, Attempted; Thiosulfates
PubMed: 34128439
DOI: 10.1080/15563650.2021.1906888