Systematic review and meta-analysis of head-to-head trials comparing sulfonylureas and low hypoglycaemic risk antidiabetic drugs.

BACKGROUND: Safety of sulfonylurea drugs in the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes is still under debate. The aim of this study was to compare the all-cause mortality and cardiovascular adverse events of sulfonylureas and drugs with a low risk for hypoglycaemia in adults with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE (PubMed, OVID), Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL, WOS and Lilacs. STUDY SELECTION: Randomised controlled head-to-head trials that compared sulfonylureas with active control with low hypoglycaemic potential in adults (≥ 18 years old) with type 2 diabetes published up to August 2015. The drug classes involved in the analysis were metformin, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. OUTCOMES: The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality. The secondary endpoints were MACE, cardiovascular events and severe hypoglycaemia. SYNTHESIS OF RESULTS: Two reviewers checked study eligibility, independently extracted data and assessed quality with disagreements resolved through discussion. We assessed the risk of bias of the included studies using the Cochrane risk of bias tool for randomized trials v2. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) were estimated by using fixed effects model. The study is registered on PROSPERO (26/05/2016 CRD42016038780). RESULTS: Our final analysis comprised 31 studies (26,204 patients, 11,711 patients given sulfonylureas and 14,493 given comparator drugs). In comparison to drugs with low hypoglycaemic potential, sulfonylureas had higher odds for all-cause mortality (OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.00-1.75), MACE (OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.07-1.61), myocardial infarction (fatal and non-fatal) (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.17-2.38) and hypoglycaemia (OR 5.24, 95% CI 4.20-6.55). Subsequent sensitivity analysis revealed differences in the effect of sulfonylureas, with an increased risk of all-cause mortality with glipizide but not the other molecules. CONCLUSION: Our meta-analysis raises concern about the safety of SUs compared to alternative drugs involved in current analysis. Important differences may exist within the drug class, and glimepiride seems to have best safety profile.

12-month prevalence of atopic dermatitis in resource-rich countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

There is a lack of robust prevalence estimates of atopic dermatitis (AD) globally and trends over time due to wide variation of populations and age groups studied, different study methodologies and case definitions used. We sought to characterize 12-month AD prevalence across the life span and change over time in resource-rich countries focusing on population-based studies and using a standardized AD case definition. This systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. Medline (Ovid), Embase, WOS core collection, Cinahl, and Popline were searched for studies published since inception through August 15, 2016. Studies were synthesized using random effects meta-analysis. Sources of heterogeneity were investigated using subgroup analyses and meta-regression. From 12,530 records identified, 45 studies met the inclusion criteria. Meta-analysis with random effects revealed the 12-month period prevalence of 9.2% (95% confidence interval 8.4-10.1%). The prevalence was significantly higher among 0-5-year-old children (16.2%; 95% confidence interval 14.2-18.7%) than in older age groups. Studies using a random sampling strategy yielded lower prevalence estimates than studies relying on other sampling methods. There was no clear time trend in AD prevalence over the period of 1992-2013.

The Role of Internalized Stigma in the Disclosure of Injecting Drug Use Among People Who Inject Drugs and Self-Report as HIV-Positive in Kohtla-Järve, Estonia.

Disclosure of injecting drug use and its associations with stigma have received very little research attention. This cross-sectional study examined the role of internalized HIV and drug stigma (i.e., self-stigmatization) in the disclosure of injecting drug use among people who inject drugs (PWID) self-reporting as HIV-positive (n = 312) in Kohtla-Järve, Estonia. The internalization of both stigmas was relatively high. On average, PWID disclosed to three disclosure targets out of seven. Disclosure was highest to close friends and health care workers and lowest to employers and casual sex partners. Internalized drug stigma was negatively associated with disclosure to other family members (AOR = 0.48; 95% CI 0.30-0.77) and health care workers (AOR = 0.46; 95% CI 0.25-0.87). Internalized HIV stigma was positively associated with disclosure to health care workers (AOR = 2.26; 95% CI 1.27-4.00). No interaction effect of internalized stigmas on disclosures emerged. We concluded that effects of internalized stigmas on disclosures are few and not uniform.