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Comparative effectiveness and safety of 36 therapies or interventions for pregnancy outcomes with recurrent implantation failure: a systematic review and network meta-analysis
He, Y., Tang, R., Yu, H., Mu, H., Jin, H., Dong, J., Wang, W., Wang, L., Chen, S., Wang, X.
Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics. 2023
Abstract
PURPOSE To investigate the effectiveness and safety of 36 different therapies for recurrent implantation failure (RIF) patients. METHODS We searched PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library (CENTRAL), Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Internet (CNKI) from inception to August 24, 2022, with language in both English and Chinese. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies that provided data with one of pregnancy outcomes on RIF patients were included in the network meta-analysis (NMA). The odds ratios (OR) and 95% credible interval (CrI) on pregnancy outcomes were summarized by NMA with a random-effects model. We also analyzed data from only RCTs and compared whether the optimal treatment is the same for different failed embryo transfer attempts. RESULTS The total of 29,906 RIF patients from 154 clinical studies (74 RCTs and 80 non-RCTs) were included in the NMA. In terms of implantation rate (IR), growth hormone (GH) (OR: 3.32, 95% CrI: 1.95-5.67) is the best treatment in all included studies; IVIG+PBMC (5.84, 2.44-14.1) is the best for clinical pregnancy rate (CPR); hyaluronic acid (HA) (12.9, 2.37-112.0) for live birth rate (LBR); and aspirin combined with glucocorticoids (0.208, 0.0494-0.777) for miscarriage rate (MR). The two-dimensional graphs showed that GH could maximize IR and CPR simultaneously; HA and GH could simultaneously increase IR and LBR to a large extent; HA could maximize IR and minimize MR. CONCLUSION IVIG+PBMC, GH, and embryo medium enriched with HA could significantly improve pregnancy outcomes in patients with RIF. It appears that combination therapy is a potential administration strategy. TRIAL REGISTRATION This study has been registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022353423).
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High doses of intravenous immunoglobulin stimulate regulatory T cell and suppress natural killer cell in women with recurrent pregnancy loss
Yamada, H., Deguchi, M., Saito, S., Takeshita, T., Mitsui, M., Saito, T., Nagamatsu, T., Takakuwa, K., Nakatsuka, M., Yoneda, S., et al
Journal of reproductive immunology. 2023;158:103977
Abstract
The aim was to evaluate whether natural killer (NK) cells and regulatory T (Treg) cells were involved in mechanisms underlying beneficial effects of a high dose of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) on recurrent pregnancy losses (RPL) of unexplained etiology. In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of IVIG (400 mg/kg, for 5 days in 4-6 weeks of gestation) in women with RPL, blood samples were collected pre-infusion, one week after infusion (1 w), and eight weeks of gestation/when miscarried (8 w). Levels of NK and Treg cells in peripheral blood were compared between women with IVIG (n = 50) and placebo (n = 49), and between women with IVIG who gave live birth (n = 29) and those who had miscarriage with normal chromosome (n = 12). Effector Treg cell percentages in IVIG group at 1 w (mean 1.43 % vs. 1.03 %) and at 8 w (1.91 % vs. 1.18 %) were higher than those in placebo group (p < 0.01). Total Treg cell percentages in IVIG group at 1 w (4.75 % vs. 4.08 %) and at 8 w (5.55 % vs. 4.47 %) were higher than those in placebo group (p < 0.05). In women with live birth, total Treg cell percentages increased at 8 w (5.52 %, p < 0.001) compared with pre-infusion (4.54 %) and 1 w (4.47 %), while NK cell activity decreased at 1 w (20.18 %, p < 0.001) compared with pre-infusion (26.59 %). IVIG increased Treg cell percentages and suppressed NK cell activity very early in pregnancy, and these were associated with subsequent live birth. Stimulation of Treg cells and suppression of NK cell activity very early in pregnancy may be a mechanism of pharmacological effects of high dose IVIG.
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Intravenous immunoglobulins improve live birth rate among women with underlying immune conditions and recurrent pregnancy loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Habets, D. H. J., Pelzner, K., Wieten, L., Spaanderman, M. E. A., Villamor, E., Al-Nasiry, S.
Allergy, Asthma, and Clinical Immunology : Official Journal of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2022;18(1):23
Abstract
Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is increasingly used as a treatment for recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) despite lack of clear evidence on efficacy. Recent data suggest IVIG might be more effective in a subgroup of women with an aberrant immunological profile. Therefore, a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies on the effectiveness of IVIG treatment on pregnancy outcome among women with RPL and underlying immunological conditions (e.g., elevated NK cell percentage, elevated Th1/Th2 ratio, diagnosis with autoimmune disorders) was conducted. Eight non-randomized controlled trials, including 478 women (intervention: 284; control: 194), met eligibility criteria. Meta-analysis showed that treatment with IVIG was associated with a two-fold increase in live birth rate (RR 1.98, 95% CI 1.44-2.73, P < 0.0001). The effect of IVIG was particularly marked in the subgroup of studies including patients based on presence of elevated (> 12%) NK-cell percentage (RR 2.32, 95% CI 1.77-3.02, P < 0.0001) and when starting intervention prior to or during cycle of conception (RR 4.47, 95% CI 1.53-13.05, P = 0.006). In conclusion, treatment with IVIG may improve live birth rate in women with RPL and underlying immune conditions. However, these results should be interpreted with caution as studies are limited by low number of participants and the non-randomized design, which represent seriously biases. Future randomized controlled trials in women with RPL and underlying immune conditions are needed before using IVIG in a clinical setting.
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Efficacy of intravenous immunoglobulin in the treatment of recurrent spontaneous abortion: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Shi Y, Tan D, Hao B, Zhang X, Geng W, Wang Y, Sun J, Zhao Y
American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989). 2022
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE we aimed to evalute the efficacy of IVIG in the treatment with patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). METHODS Pubmed, Embase, Web of science, Cochrane library we searched for randomized controlled (RCTs) about effect of IVIG on RSA from inception to August 20, 2021. Values of standardized mean differences (SMD) were determined for continuous outcomes. RESULTS A total of fifteen articles involving 902 patients were included in meta-analysis. Compared with the control group, IVIG can increase the live birth rate of recurrent spontaneous abortion patients[OR = 3.06, 95%CI(1.23, 7.64, P = 0.02]. However, recurrent abortion was divided into primary and secondary abortion for subgroup analysis, and there was no statistical difference. Besides, IVIG can also increase the expression in peripheral blood CD3+[OR = 0.4, 95%CI(-2.47, 3.15, P = 0.81],CD4+[OR = 1.16, 95%CI(-4.60, 6.93, P = 0.69], and decrease the expression of CD8+[OR = -1.78, 95%CI(-5.30, 1.75, P = 0.32], but there is no statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS IVIG can significantly increase the live birth rate of recurrent spontaneous abortion. However, the evidence needs further verification and the curative effect is uncertain. It is necessary to further explore the pathogenesis of recurrent abortion and the mechanism of IVIG in the treatment of recurrent spontaneous abortion. Besides, more high-quality randomized controlled trials suitable for population, race, dosage and timing of IVIG in the treatment of recurrent abortion are needed to confirm its effectiveness, and effective systematic evaluation is also needed to evaluate its use benefit. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Intravenous immunoglobulin treatment in women with four or more recurrent pregnancy losses: A double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial
Yamada H, Deguchi M, Saito S, Takeshita T, Mitsui M, Saito T, Nagamatsu T, Takakuwa K, Nakatsuka M, Yoneda S, et al
EClinicalMedicine. 2022;50:101527
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Editor's Choice
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is no effective treatment for women with unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL). We aimed to investigate whether treatment with a high dose of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) in early pregnancy can improve pregnancy outcomes in women with unexplained RPL. METHODS In a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial, women with primary RPL of unexplained aetiology received 400 mg/kg of IVIG daily or placebo for five consecutive days starting at 4-6 weeks of gestation. They had experienced four or more miscarriages except biochemical pregnancy loss and at least one miscarriage of normal chromosome karyotype. The primary outcome was ongoing pregnancy rate at 22 weeks of gestation, and the live birth rate was the secondary outcome. We analysed all women receiving the study drug (intention-to-treat, ITT) and women except those who miscarried due to fetal chromosome abnormality (modified-ITT). This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02184741. FINDINGS From June 3, 2014 to Jan 29, 2020, 102 women were randomly assigned to receive IVIG (n = 53) or placebo (n = 49). Three women were excluded; therefore 50 women received IVIG and 49 women received placebo in the ITT population. The ongoing pregnancy rate at 22 weeks of gestation (31/50 [62·0%] vs. 17/49 [34·7%]; odds ratio [OR] 3·07, 95% CI 1·35-6·97; p = 0·009) and the live birth rate (29/50 [58·0%] vs. 17/49 [34·7%]; OR 2·60, 95% CI 1·15-5·86; p = 0·03) in the IVIG group were higher than those in the placebo group in the ITT population. The ongoing pregnancy rate at 22 weeks of gestation (OR 6·27, 95% CI 2·21-17·78; p < 0·001) and the live birth rate (OR 4·85, 95% CI 1·74-13·49; p = 0·003) significantly increased in women who received IVIG at 4-5 weeks of gestation as compared with placebo, but these increases were not evident in women who received IVIG at 6 weeks of gestation. Four newborns in the IVIG group and none in the placebo group had congenital anomalies (p = 0·28). INTERPRETATION A high dose of IVIG in very early pregnancy improved pregnancy outcome in women with four or more RPLs of unexplained aetiology. FUNDING The Japan Blood Products Organization.
PICO Summary
Population
Women with unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss (n= 99).
Intervention
High dose of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), (n= 50).
Comparison
Placebo (physiological saline), (n= 49).
Outcome
The ongoing pregnancy rate at 22 weeks of gestation (31/50 [62·0%] vs. 17/49 [34·7%]; and the live birth rate (29/50 [58·0%] vs. 17/49 [34·7%] in the IVIG group were higher than those in the placebo group. The ongoing pregnancy rate at 22 weeks of gestation and the live birth rate significantly increased in women who received IVIG at 4-5 weeks of gestation as compared with placebo, but these increases were not evident in women who received IVIG at 6 weeks of gestation. Four newborns in the IVIG group and none in the placebo group had congenital anomalies.
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Application of hepatitis B immunoglobulin in prevention of mother-to-child transmission of chronic hepatitis B in HBsAg- and HBeAg-positive mother
Luo Q, Wang H, Fang JW, Gu ZW, Song DJ, Chen Y, Chen GD, Zhao B, Sun C, Ma Y, et al
Journal of obstetrics and gynaecology : the journal of the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 2021;:1-6
Abstract
The aim of our study was to compare the efficacy of two dosages of hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) combined with HBV vaccine (HBVac) to prevent mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of hepatitis B in HBsAg- and HBeAg-positive mother. We enrolled 331 mother-infant pairs with HBsAg- and HBeAg-positive maternal state from the Women's Hospital School of Medicine of Zhejiang University. Newborns were randomly distributed into two groups according to the dosages of HBIG injection: 100 IU and 200 IU. Newborns from both groups were injected with HBVac in the same doses. We compared the immune outcomes between the two groups and explore the influencing factors of immune outcomes through regression analysis. There was no statistically significant relationship between HBsAg serological transmission of newborns and dosages of HBIG in HBsAg- and HBeAg-positive mother (p > .05). The Logistic regression showed that high DNA load is a risk factor for passive-active immunoprophylaxis failure for both 100 IU and 200 IU group, but higher-dosage HBIG is not necessary for higher-viral-load pregnant women with HBsAg- and HBeAg-positive. In conclusion, combined application of HBVac and a single dose of 100 IU HBIG can achieve the ideal MTCT interruption results for HBsAg- and HBeAg-positive pregnant women.IMPACT STATEMENTWhat is already known on this subject? Passive-active immunoprophylaxis is proved to be effective in preventing mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B. Hepatitis B vaccine combined with 100 IU or 200 IU immunoglobulin is mostly recommended in China.What do the results of this study add? At present, there is still a lack scientific basis for improving existing strategies and measures to prevent mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B in China.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? 100 IU and 200 IU immunoglobulin show equivalent blocking effect, and combined use of hepatitis B vaccine and 100 IU immunoglobulin is more cost-effective.
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Endometriosis with infertility: a comprehensive review on the role of immune deregulation and immunomodulation therapy
Kolanska K, Alijotas-Reig J, Cohen J, Cheloufi M, Selleret L, d'Argent E, Kayem G, Esteve Valverde E, Fain O, Bornes M, et al
American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989). 2020;:e13384
Abstract
BACKGROUND Endometriosis is a multifactorial pathology dependent on intrinsic and extrinsic factors, but the immune deregulation seems to play a pivotal role. In endometriosis-associated infertility this could raise the benefit of immunomodulatory strategies to improve the results of ART. In this review, we will describe (1) sera and peritoneal fluid cytokines and immune markers; (2) autoantibodies; (3) immunomodulatory treatments in endometriosis with infertility. METHODS The literature research was conducted in Medline, Embase and Cochrane Library with keywords: "endometriosis", "unexplained miscarriage", "implantation failure", "recurrent implantation failure » and « IVF-ICSI », « biomarkers of autoimmunity", "TNF-α", "TNF-α antagonists", "infliximab", "adalimumab", "etanercept", "immunomodulatory treatment", "steroids", "intralipids", "intravenous immunoglobulins", "G-CSF", "pentoxyfylline". RESULTS Several studies analyzed the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in sera and peritoneal fluid of endometriosis-associated infertility, in particular TNF-α. Various autoantibodies have been found in peritoneal fluid and sera of infertile endometriosis women even in the absence of clinically defined autoimmune disease, as antinuclear, anti-SSA and antiphospholipid autoantibodies. In few uncontrolled studies, steroids and TNF-α antagonists could increase the pregnancy rates in endometriosis-associated infertility, but well-designed trials are lacking. CONCLUSION Endometriosis is characterized by increased levels of cytokines and autoantibodies. This suggests the role of inflammation and immune cell deregulation in infertility associated to endometriosis. The strategies of immunomodulation to regulate these immune deregulations are poorly studied and well-designed studies are necessary.
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Treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin increases the level of small EVs in plasma of pregnant women with recurrent pregnancy loss
Jorgensen MM, Baek R, Sloth J, Varming K, Christiansen OB, Ditlevsen NE, Rajaratnam N
J Reprod Immunol. 2020;140:103128
Abstract
Extracellular vesicles (EVs), which are small cell-derived compartments, take part in numerous different physiological processes. The contents of EVs reveal the cell of origin and indicates pathophysiological states in different diseases. In pregnancy disorders, changes have been reported in the composition, bioactivity and concentration of placental and non-placental EVs. The purpose of this study was to monitor the effects on EVs in patients receiving intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) or placebo (albumin) treatment due to recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL). In a placebo-controlled trial study of IVIG treatment, plasma collected from 39 women with RPL were investigated using the Extracellular Vesicle Array (EV Array). Plasma was sampled consecutively (from gestational week (GW) 5) and the protein phenotypes of the smaller EVs (sEVs) were analyzed for the presence of 34 markers. The levels of sEVs or changes in their levels in early pregnancy were correlated with treatment. There was statistically significant increased levels of sEVs in patients who received IVIG versus placebo. In conclusion, the treatment with high-doses of IVIG clearly boosted the production and release of sEVs to the circulation; however, the biological role of this boost remains to be clarified in further studies.
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Efficacy of Nucleotide/Nucleoside Analogues and Hepatitis B Immunoglobulin Therapy in Blocking Mother-to-Child Transmission of Hepatitis B in an Eastern Chinese Group
Sun X, Wang C, Wang B, Yang X, Xu H, Shen M, Zhu K
Infectious diseases in obstetrics and gynecology. 2020;2020:4305950
Abstract
The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy and potential side-effects of nucleotide/nucleoside analogues and hepatitis B immunoglobulin injection of newborns in blocking mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus in the middle and late pregnancy period. 238 cases of enrolled pregnant women were divided into the Telbivudine group, the Tenofovir group, the Lamivudine group, and the hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) group. Enrolled patients received corresponding therapies. Clinical and laboratory data were collected. Results showed that the levels of HBV DNA of the enrolled pregnant women in the Telbivudine, Tenofovir, and Lamivudine groups decreased rapidly after 12 weeks of drug intervention compared with those in the control. HBsAg positive rate in newborns and in children 24 weeks after birth was 0/60, 0/60, 0/60, 3/30, and 11/28 in the Telbivudine, Tenofovir, Lamivudine, HBIG, and control groups, respectively. No significant side-effects were identified after following up to 12 months after birth. Our results show that routine HBV vaccine plus HBIG injections is insufficient in blocking mother-to-child HBV transmission. Administration of nucleotide/nucleoside analogues or HBIG at pregnancy is suggested to maximize the blocking of vertical HBV transmission.
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Prevention of recurrent miscarriage in women with antiphospholipid syndrome: A systematic review and network meta-analysis
Yang Z, Shen X, Zhou C, Wang M, Liu Y, Zhou L
Lupus. 2020;:961203320967097
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To compare and rank currently available pharmacological interventions for the prevention of recurrent miscarriage (RM) in women with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). METHODS A search was performed using PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, CNKI, ClinicalTrials.gov, and the UK National Research Register on December 15, 2019. Studies comparing any types of active interventions with placebo/inactive control or another active intervention for the prevention of RM in patients with APS were considered for inclusion. The primary outcomes were efficacy (measured by live birth rate) and acceptability (measured by all-cause discontinuation); secondary outcomes were birthweight, preterm birth, preeclampsia, and intrauterine growth retardation. The protocol of this study was registered with Open Science Framework (DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/B9T4E). RESULTS In total, 54 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comprising 4,957 participants were included. Low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) alone, aspirin plus LMWH or unfractionated heparin (UFH), aspirin plus LMWH plus intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), aspirin plus LMWH plus IVIG plus prednisone were found to be effective pharmacological interventions for increasing live birth rate (ORs ranging between 2.88 to 11.24). In terms of acceptability, no significant difference was found between treatments. In terms of adverse perinatal outcomes, aspirin alone was associated with a higher risk of preterm birth than aspirin plus LMWH (OR 3.92, 95% CI 1.16 to 16.44) and with lower birthweight than LMWH (SMD -808.76, 95% CI -1596.54 to -5.07). CONCLUSIONS Our findings support the use of low-dose aspirin plus heparin as the first-line treatment for prevention of RM in women with APS, and support the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine, IVIG, and prednisone when added to current treatment regimens. More large-scale, high-quality RCTs are needed to confirm these findings, and new pharmacological options should be further evaluated.