Efficacy and Safety of Sacubitril/Valsartan Compared With ACEI/ARB on Health-Related Quality of Life in Heart Failure Patients: A Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Data on the effects of sacubitril/valsartan compared with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers (ACEI/ARB) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) are limited. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the comparative effects between sacubitril/valsartan and ACEI/ARB on HRQoL, a systematic review and meta-analysis were performed. METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from inception to March 2, 2022 for randomized controlled trials that compared the HRQoL scores, including Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ), Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ), or Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form Health Survey 12 or 36 (SF-12/36), between sacubitril/valsartan and ACEI/ARB. After screening, studies that met the inclusion criteria were eventually included and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 8 studies with 17 390 patients (8693 patients used sacubitril/valsartan, and 8697 patients used ACEI/ARB) were included in this study. Five of these studies used KCCQ, 1 used SF-12/36, 1 used MLHFQ, and 1 used both KCCQ and SF-12/36. The KCCQ overall summary score and its subscales were significantly higher in sacubitril/valsartan compared with ACEI/ARB in heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction, but were similar in heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction. Sacubitril/valsartan conferred similar HRQoL scores in MLHFQ and SF-12/36 to ACEI/ARB. The most frequently reported adverse event for sacubitril/valsartan is hypotension and the risk is higher than for ACEI/ARB. CONCLUSIONS: Sacubitril/valsartan may have the potential to improve HRQoL in heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction compared with ACEI/ARB. Hypotension is the most common adverse event with sacubitril/valsartan compared with ACEI/ARB. The results of this study may contribute to the rational use of sacubitril/valsartan.

Leflunomide: friend or foe for systemic lupus erythematosus?

Leflunomide is a new immunosuppressive medicine that has been effectively used in the therapy of rheumatoid arthritis and subsequently used with success in animal models and patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, its use has also been associated with significant and serious adverse reactions involving hematological, hepatic, immune, dermatological and respiratory systems. In the current review, we attempt to describe the two sides of this drug in the treatment of SLE.

Adverse Events at Baseline in a Chinese General Hospital: A Pilot Study of the Global Trigger Tool.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate adverse events (AEs) at baseline in a Chinese general hospital using the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Global Trigger Tool (GTT) and discuss the feasibility of this tool to detect AEs in China. METHODS: A total of 10 inpatient records from the hospital were sampled randomly half a month in 2014. The records were reviewed to identify AEs according to the second edition of the IHI GTT for measuring AEs. Triggers and AEs were analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2007. Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS software, version 19.0. RESULTS: A review of 240 patient records identified 51.0% (26/51) triggers in the worksheet, and 33.3% (17/51) were associated with AEs. A total of 70 AEs were identified in 54 patients, including 65.7% (46/70) category E AEs, which represent temporary harm requiring intervention, and 34.3% (24/70) category F AEs, which represent temporary harm requiring initial or prolonged hospitalization. The average rate of AEs per 1000 patient-days was 32.1 ± 20.9. The average rate of AEs per 100 admissions was 29.2 ± 16.1. The average rate of admissions with an AE was 22.5% ± 13.9%. The most significant characteristic of patients with AEs was longer hospital stay. CONCLUSIONS: More than one fifth of adult inpatients in the current study experienced at least one AE resulting in temporary harm, most commonly caused by surgical operations and medication. With some modifications, the IHI GTT is a feasible and effective tool for detecting the overall status of AEs in a Chinese hospital.

Enteral ecoimmunonutrition reduced enteral permeability and serum ghrelin activity in severe cerebral stroke patients with lung infection.

The study analyzed how enteral ecoimmunonutrition, which comprises probiotics, glutamine, fish oil, and Enteral Nutritional Suspension (TPF), can impact on the enteral permeability and serum Ghrelin activity in severe cerebral stroke patients with lung infection. Among 190 severe cerebral stroke patients with tolerance to TPF, they were randomized into control and treatment groups after antibiotics treatment due to lung infections. There were 92 patients in the control group and 98 patients in treatment group. The control group was treated with TPF and the treatment group was treated with enteral ecoimmunonutrition, which comprises probiotics, glutamine, fish oil, and Enteral Nutritional Suspension. All patients received continuous treatments through nasoenteral or nasogastric tubes. 7, 14, and 21 days after the treatments, the enteral tolerance to nutrition was observed in both groups. The tests included abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, and lactulose/mannitol (L/M) ratio. Serum Ghrelin levels were determined by ELISA. The incidence of abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea was lower in the treatment group and enteral tolerance to nutrition was also superior to the control group. No difference in serum Ghrelin level was observed between the control and treatment groups with enteral intolerance to nutrition. However, in patients with enteral tolerance to nutrition, the treatment group showed lower enteral nutrition and lower enteral permeability compared to the control group. In severe cerebral stroke patients with lung infection, enteral ecoimmunonutrition after antibiotics treatment improved enteral tolerance to nutrition and reduced enteral permeability; meanwhile, it lowered the serum Ghrelin activity, which implied the high serum Ghrelin reduces enteral permeability.

Outcomes of neuropsychological interventions of stroke.

The reported prevalence of cognitive deficits within the first month of stroke ranges widely from 10% to 82%, depending primarily on the criteria used to define cognitive impairment and on the selected patient population. These cognitive defects progress toward impairment over a course of time if left untreated. Among the most common cognitive deficits are the attentional, the visuoperceptual, the memory and executive function deficits. As these impairments are being increasingly recognized in the scientific communities, more and more studies are being devoted to the outcomes of various therapies for these disorders. In this review, we focus on the outcomes of various therapies for these cognitive disorders over time. We reviewed all the possible medical databases using key words for individual cognitive deficit treatment outcomes. All the possible studies including randomized controlled trials, pre-post design studies, case series and single case reports were included in this study. On the basis of present literature review, we conclude that the evidence is definitively positive only for outcomes of attentional and visuoperceptive skill deficits. On the other hand, there have been very few studies to conclude for effectiveness of various therapies for memory and executive function outcomes.