A Randomized Open-Label Trial to Assess the Effect of Plant Sterols Associated with Ezetimibe in Low-Density Lipoprotein Levels in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease on Statin Therapy.

Consumption of food products enriched with plant sterols and the use of ezetimibe reduce cholesterol absorption in the intestine and effectively reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) plasma levels. We evaluated the therapeutic effect of the ezetimibe+plant sterol association in patients with coronary artery disease still not reaching recommended lipid levels despite the use of statins. We performed a prospective open-label study with 41 patients with stable coronary disease and LDL >70 mg/dL. Patients were randomized into four groups for a 6-week treatment: the control (CT) group remained on the same statin therapy, the ezetimibe (EZ) group received 10 mg/day of ezetimibe, the plant sterol (PS) group received spread enriched with 2 g of plant sterols, and the ezetimibe+PS (EZ+PS) group received 10 mg/day EZ +2 g PS. Initial mean LDL level was 97.4 ± 31.1 mg/dL in control group, 105.1 ± 23.1 mg/dL in EZ group, 95.4 ± 27.7 mg/dL in PS group, and 97.0 ± 8.3 mg/dL in EZ+PS group (P > .05). After 6 weeks of treatment, LDL of patients slightly increased in the control group (+8.9%; P > .05) and dropped in EZ group (-19.1%; P = .06), PS group (-16.6%; P = .01), and EZ+PS group (-27.3%; P < .01). Mean LDL levels after treatment were 70.5 ± 17.9 mg/dL in EZ+PS group, lower than the other groups (control was 106.1 ± 34.9 mg/dL, EZ group was 85.0 ± 35.6 mg/dL, and PS was 79.6 ± 29.7 mg/dL) (P = .05 variance analysis factor [ANOVA]). Body weight, body-mass index, and glucose plasma levels did not change significantly after intervention. The combination of PS+ezetimibe was associated with lower LDL levels and suggests beneficial therapeutic effect against major cardiovascular events.

Effect of potassium citrate supplement on stone recurrence before or after lithotripsy: systematic review and meta-analysis.

This meta-analysis summarizes the available evidence on the effectiveness of citrate supplement for preventing the recurrence of nephrolithiasis in patients undergoing extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (SWL). Electronic searches were conducted using Medline-PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, BVS (Scielo, Lilacs), and Google Scholar literature databases. The authors worked in pairs to select studies that met the following criteria: randomized controlled trials that were conducted in adults and assessed the effect of potassium citrate supplement before or after SWL therapy for urolithiasis. Our primary aim was to asses the stone-free rate among the groups included in the studies. Fixed effect was used in the meta-analysis with 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Heterogeneity was analyzed by the I 2 value. A total of 2505 references were initially selected. Of those, four were subjected to meta-analysis contributing five samples. These four studies included 374 participants who were followed for a period of 12 months after SWL. Mean potassium citrate dosage was approximately 55 mEq/day (18 mmol). The results showed that citrate supplement significantly protected against the recurrence of nephrolithiasis during 1 year after SWL [RR; 95% CI 0.21 (0.13, 0.31)]. The heterogeneity was not significant across the analyzed studies (p = 0.224). The quality of the analyzed studies was generally low. The available evidence shows that citrate supplement effectively reduces the recurrence of nephrolithiasis in patients undergoing SWL. However, statistical analysis of a larger trial conducted with methodological rigor is warranted.

Therapy of nephrolithiasis: where is the evidence from clinical trials?

The prevalence of kidney stone disease is increasing worldwide with significant health and economic burden. Newer research is finding that stones are associated with several serious morbidities. Yet, few randomized clinical trials or high quality observational studies have assessed whether clinical interventions decrease the recurrence of kidney stones. Therefore, in this review we analyze the available evidence on medical expulsive therapy for ureteral stones; describe the evidence about non-pharmacological stone therapy including dietary modifications and citrus juice-based therapy; and discuss the efficacy of thiazide diuretics for the treatment of hypercalciuria in recurrent nephrolithiasis.

Tratamento da nefrolitíase: onde está a evidência dos ensaios clínicos? / Therapy of nephrolithiasis: where is the evidence from clinical trials?

Resumo A prevalência da nefrolitíase está aumentando em todo o mundo e resulta em ônus significativo para o sistema de saúde. Novos estudos revelam que a formação de cálculos urinários está associada a várias morbidades graves. No entanto, poucos estudos observacionais ou ensaios clínicos randomizados de qualidade demonstraram que intervenções clínicas específicas diminuem a recorrência da nefrolitíase. Portanto, nesta revisão são analisadas as evidências disponíveis da terapia médica expulsiva para cálculos ureterais; avaliam-se os dados da terapêutica não farmacológica, incluindo modificações dietéticas e terapia à base de sucos cítricos; e discute-se a eficácia dos diuréticos tiazídicos no tratamento da hipercalciúria associada à nefrolitíase recorrente.

Abstract The prevalence of kidney stone disease is increasing worldwide with significant health and economic burden. Newer research is finding that stones are associated with several serious morbidities. Yet, few randomized clinical trials or high quality observational studies have assessed whether clinical interventions decrease the recurrence of kidney stones. Therefore, in this review we analyze the available evidence on medical expulsive therapy for ureteral stones; describe the evidence about non-pharmacological stone therapy including dietary modifications and citrus juice-based therapy; and discuss the efficacy of thiazide diuretics for the treatment of hypercalciuria in recurrent nephrolithiasis.