A Review and Meta-Analysis of the Safety and Efficacy of Using Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) have been used to reduce glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus since 2005. This meta-analysis discusses the mechanisms and potential benefits of several GLP-1 RAs. In particular, this meta-analysis focuses on the safety and associations with weight loss, glucose reduction, cardiovascular outcomes, heart failure, and renal outcomes of GLP-1 RAs to determine their benefits for patients with different conditions. In terms of glycemic control and weight loss, semaglutide was statistically superior to other GLP-1 RAs. In terms of cardiovascular outcomes, 14 mg of semaglutide taken orally once daily and 1.8 mg of liraglutide injected once daily reduced the incidence of cardiovascular death, whereas other GLP-1 RAs did not provide similar benefits. Moreover, semaglutide was associated with superior outcomes for heart failure and cardiovascular death in non-diabetic obesity patients, whereas liraglutide worsened heart failure outcomes in diabetic patients with a reduced ejection fraction. Additionally, semaglutide, dulaglutide, and liraglutide were beneficial in terms of composite renal outcomes: These GLP-1 RAs were significantly associated with less new or persistent macroalbuminuria, but not with improved eGFR deterioration or reduced requirement for renal replacement therapy. However, GLP-1 RAs may benefit patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus or obesity.

The cardiovascular and renal effects of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists in patients with advanced diabetic kidney disease.

BACKGROUND: To determine whether glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) have cardiovascular and renal protective effects in patients with advanced diabetic kidney disease (DKD) with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) < 30 mL/min per 1.73 m2. METHODS: In this cohort study, patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and eGFR < 30 mL/min per 1.73 m2 with a first prescription for GLP-1RAs or dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors (DPP-4is) from 2012 to 2021 (n = 125,392) were enrolled. A Cox proportional hazard model was used to assess the cardiorenal protective effects between the GLP-1RA and DDP-4i groups. RESULTS: A total of 8922 participants [mean (SD) age 68.4 (11.5) years; 4516 (50.6%) males; GLP-1RAs, n = 759; DPP-4is, n = 8163] were eligible for this study. During a mean follow-up of 2.1 years, 78 (13%) and 204 (13.8%) patients developed composite cardiovascular events in the GLP-1RA and DPP-4i groups, respectively [hazard ratio (HR) 0.88, 95% confidence interval CI 0.68-1.13]. Composite kidney events were reported in 134 (38.2%) and 393 (44.2%) patients in the GLP-1RA and DPP-4i groups, respectively (subdistribution HR 0.72, 95% CI 0.56-0.93). CONCLUSIONS: GLP-1RAs had a neutral effect on the composite cardiovascular outcomes but reduced composite kidney events in the patients with advanced DKD compared with DPP-4is.

The Challenge of a Recall Program from a Community-Based Hepatitis C Screening Campaign: The Effectiveness in HCV Microelimination.

The optimal strategy for the microelimination of HCV within community settings remains ambiguous. We evaluated the percentage of participants who achieved linkage to care (LTC) following the conclusion of a screening campaign and examined the diverse factors influencing LTC among these individuals. The effectiveness of recall intervention for the non-LTC population and its barriers were analyzed. We initiated an HCV patient recall program to identify HCV participants who might not be treated after the HCV screening campaign. The program staff recalled HCV participants who were lost to follow-up via telephone from March 2019 to June 2019. They were informed of HCV treatment's importance, efficacy, availability, and safety. Among 185 participants infected with HCV, 109 (58.9%) obtained LTC. Compared with those who had LTC, those without LTC were older, had lower education levels, were less aware of their HCV infection, less frequently lived in urban areas, and had less health insurance. At the end of the recall program, 125 (67.6%) persons had linkage to care. The proportion of LTC increased by 8.7%. In total, 119 persons had an HCV RNA test, and 82 (68.9%) had viremia. Of the 82 patients with viremia, 78 (95.1%) received antiviral therapy, and 76 (97.4%) achieved a sustained virological response. After a community screening campaign, 59% of participants with anti-HCV-positive tests had LTC. The recall program increased this by 9%. However, 32% of HCV participants still could not be linked to care. Outreach care for non-LTC patients is a method worth trying in order to achieve the microelimination of HCV in rural communities.

Waist-to-height ratio for the prediction of gallstone disease among different obesity indicators.

Background: Factors of metabolic syndrome such as obesity are well-known risk factors for gallstone disease (GSD). There are different indicators of obesity, including weight, body mass index, waist circumference, and waist-to-height ratio. The predictive ability of different obesity indicators for GSD remains unclear. Objective: To explore the most efficient predictor of GSD among the different anthropometric indicators of obesity. Methods: This population-based cross-sectional study included 2263 participants who completed a questionnaire detailing their demographics, medical history, and lifestyle between 2014 and 2017 in Taiwan. Blood samples were collected and physical examinations, including anthropometric measurements, were performed. Gallstone disease was ascertained using ultrasonography. Multivariate analyses were performed to identify independent risk factors for GSD. Results: The overall prevalence of GSD was 8.8%. According to the multivariate analysis, individuals with a waist-to-height ratio ≥0.5 (odds ratio|odds ratios (OR) = 1.65, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.10-2.48, p = 0.017) had an increased risk of GSD. Diabetes was the main risk factor for GSD in men (OR = 2.06, 95% CI = 1.17-3.65, p = 0.013). Among women, waist-to-height ratio >0.5 (OR = 1.76, 95% CI = 1.03-3.02, p = 0.040) and current hormone drug use (OR = 2.73, 95% CI = 1.09-6.84, p = 0.033) were significant risk factors for gallstones. Conclusion: GSD was independently associated with central obesity and exogenous hormone intake in women. Among the anthropometric indicators used to assess central obesity, waist-to-height ratio was the most accurate predictor of GSD.

The Application of High-Dose Proton Pump Inhibitor Induction Treatment before Dual Therapy for Helicobacter pylori Eradication: An Open-Label Random Trial.

This was a prospective, randomized, open-label trial. Patients without previous Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy were randomly assigned to either a high-dose dual therapy (HDDT) group or a traditional clarithromycin/amoxicillin triple therapy (CATT) group. In the HDDT group, patients took rabeprazole, 20 mg, four times per day for three days and then dual therapy with rabeprazole, 20 mg, and amoxicillin, 500 mg, four times per day during the patient's breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bedtime for 14 days. In the CATT group, patients received conventional triple therapy for 14 days (rabeprazole 20 mg, amoxicillin 1 g, and clarithromycin 500 mg twice per day). In the HDDT group, the success rates of H. pylori eradication were 91.7% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.78-0.97) by intention-to-treat (ITT) and 94.3% (95% CI: 0.79-0.99) by per-protocol (PP) analysis. In the CATT group, the eradication rates were 77.1% (95% CI: 0.61-0.87) by ITT and 84.3% (95% CI: 0.66-0.94) by PP analysis. The study completion rates were 97.2% (35/36) in the HDDT group. Three-day high-dose rabeprazole induction treatment before dual therapy and a schedule of taking the drug at meal and bed times could achieve an acceptable H. pylori eradication rate (>90%) and good drug compliance.