1.
Sirolimus plus prednisolone vs sirolimus monotherapy for kaposiform hemangioendothelioma: a randomized clinical trial
Ji Y, Chen S, Zhou J, Yang K, Zhang X, Xiang B, Qiu T, Gong X, Zhang Z, Lan Y, et al
Blood. 2022
Abstract
The Kasabach-Merritt phenomenon (KMP) in kaposiform hemangioendothelioma (KHE) is characterized by life-threatening thrombocytopenia and consumptive coagulopathy. This study compared the efficacy and safety of sirolimus plus prednisolone versus sirolimus monotherapy as treatment strategies for KHE with KMP in the largest cohort to date. Participants were randomized to receive either sirolimus in combination with a short course of prednisolone or sirolimus monotherapy for at least 12 months. The primary outcome was defined as achievement of a durable platelet response (platelet count >100×109/L) at week 4. Participants completed efficacy assessments 2 years after the initial treatment. At week 4, a durable platelet response was achieved by 35 of 37 patients given sirolimus and prednisolone compared with 24 of 36 patients given sirolimus monotherapy (difference 27.9%; 95% CI, 10.0% to 44.7%). Compared with the sirolimus monotherapy group, the combination treatment group showed improvements in terms of measures of durable platelet responses at all points during the initial 3-week treatment period, median platelet counts during weeks 1 to 4, increased numbers of patients achieving fibrinogen stabilization at week 4, and objective lesion responses at month 12. Patients receiving combination therapy had fewer blood transfusions and a lower total incidence of disease sequelae than patients receiving sirolimus alone. The frequencies of total adverse events and grade 3-4 adverse events during treatment were similar in both groups. The responses seen in patients with KHE with KMP were profound and encouraging, suggesting that sirolimus plus prednisolone should be considered a valid treatment for KHE with KMP. ClinicalTrial.gov, number NCT03188068.
2.
Efficacy and tolerability of intravenous iron for patients with restless legs syndrome: evidence from randomized trials and observational studies
Yang X, Yang B, Ming M, Li S, Wang F, Zhu Z, Ji C, Long J, Hu F, Xu Z, et al
Sleep medicine. 2019
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common neurological disorder of unclear pathophysiology that appears to involve an iron deficiency in the brain. Some studies, but not others, suggest that intravenous injection of iron can reduce RLS severity. METHOD The databases Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, and SinoMed were searched for randomized controlled trials, cohort studies and case-control studies of intravenous iron therapy to treat RLS. Eligible studies were meta-analyzed using Stata 12.0. RESULTS This analysis indicated that IV iron was more efficacious than placebo in treating RLS (OR: 4.71,95%CI 4.21-5.21,p < 0.0001). According to sub-group analysis, either IV ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) or iron sucrose was more efficacious than placebo in treating RLS. Adverse events did not differ significantly between patients receiving intravenous iron or placebo (OR 1.68, 95%CI 0.92-3.07, p = 0.093). The present study also indicated after accepting IV iron treatment the IRLS score in RLS patients decreased (OR = 6.75,95%CI 4.02-9.49, p < 0.0001). The subgroup analysis showed that IV iron dextran, iron sucrose, and FCM could alleviate the IRLS score. CONCLUSION The available evidence suggests that intravenous iron is effective and tolerable for patients with RLS regardless of peripheral iron status.
3.
The effectiveness and safety of aminocaproic acid for reducing blood loss in total knee and hip arthroplasty: A meta-analysis
Dong Q, Zhang Y, Sun X, Hu F
International Journal of Surgery (London, England). 2018;52:156-163
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of aminocaproic acid in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA). METHODS The electronic databases include PubMed, Medline, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library from inception to January 2018. Two reviewers abstracted total blood loss, hemoglobin drop, transfusion requirements, and postoperative complications. Data were using fixed-effects or random-effects models with weighted mean differences and risk difference for continuous and dichotomous variables, respectively. STATA 14.0 was used to perform the meta-analysis. RESULTS Six studies encompassing 756 participants were retrieved for this meta-analysis. Our study indicated that intravenous aminocaproic acid was associated with a significantly reduction in total blood loss, hemoglobin drop and need for transfusion. Additionally, no increased risk of thromboembolic events were identified. CONCLUSION Based on the present meta-analysis, intravenous aminocaproic acid is effective and safe in total knee and hip arthroplasty without increasing the incidence of thromboembolic events. Further studies should focus on the comparison of aminocaproic acid and TXA in arthroplasties.