scholarly journals Optimal duration of antibiotic treatment for community-acquired pneumonia in adults: a systematic review and duration-effect meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuki Furukawa ◽  
Yan Luo ◽  
Satoshi Funada ◽  
Akira Onishi ◽  
Edoardo G Ostinelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Clinical Improvement ◽  
Treatment Duration ◽  
Day Treatment ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Community Acquired Pneumonia ◽  
Treatment Burden ◽  
Optimal Balance ◽  
Optimal Duration ◽  
Duration Effect

ABSTRACTImportanceCommunity-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. The optimal duration of antimicrobial therapy remains unclear and controversial.ObjectiveTo find the optimal treatment duration with antibiotics for CAP in adults.Data SourcesMEDLINE, Embase and CENTRAL from inception to present (25 August, 2021).Study SelectionAll randomized controlled trials comparing the same antibiotics used at the same daily dosage but for different durations for CAP in adults. We included any antibiotics, administered orally or intravenously. We included both outpatients and inpatients but not those admitted to intensive care unit.Data Extraction and SynthesisTwo review authors independently screened and extracted data. We conducted random-effects, one-stage duration-effect meta-analysis with restricted cubic splines. We tested the non-inferiority with the pre-specified non-inferiority margin of 10% examined against 10 days using intention-to-treat dataset.Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe primary outcome was clinical improvement at day 15 (range 7-45 days). Secondary outcomes were all-cause mortality, serious adverse events, and clinical improvement at day 30 (15-60 days). We calculated odds ratios.ResultsWe included 9 trials (2399 patients with a mean [SD] age of 61.2 [22.1]; 39% women). The duration-effect curve was monotonic with longer duration leading to lower probability of improvement, and the lower 95%CI curve was constantly above the prespecified non-inferiority margin throughout the examined duration. Harmful outcome curves indicated no association. The average percentage of clinical improvement rate at day 15 in the 10-day treatment arms was 68%. Using that average, we computed the absolute clinical improvement rates at the following durations: a 3-day treatment 75% (95%CI: 68 to 81%), 5-day treatment 72% (66 to 78%), and 7-day treatment 69% (61 to 76%).Conclusions and RelevanceShorter treatment duration probably achieves the optimal balance between efficacy and treatment burden for treating CAP in adults. However, the small number of included studies and the overall moderate to high risk of bias may compromise the certainty of the results. Further research focusing on the shorter duration range is required.RegistrationPROSPERO (CRD 42021273357).KEY POINTSQuestionWhat is the optimal treatment duration of antibiotics for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in adults.?FindingsThis systematic review and duration-effect meta-analysis of 9 trials with 2399 patients found that the shorter treatment duration (3-9 days) was likely to be non-inferior to the standard treatment duration (10 days) for CAP in adults if they achieved clinical stability.MeaningShorter antibiotic treatment duration probably achieves the optimal balance between efficacy and treatment burden for CAP in adults.

scholarly journals Clinical effectiveness of convalescent plasma in hospitalized patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 175346662110280
Author(s):  
Roberto Ariel Abeldaño Zuñiga ◽  
Ruth Ana María González-Villoria ◽  
María Vanesa Elizondo ◽  
Anel Yaneli Nicolás Osorio ◽  
David Gómez Martínez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Clinical Improvement ◽  
Data Extraction ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Clinical Effectiveness ◽  
Risk Of Bias ◽  
Hospitalized Patients ◽  
Low Risk ◽  
Controlled Clinical Trials

Aims: Given the variability of previously reported results, this systematic review aims to determine the clinical effectiveness of convalescent plasma employed in the treatment of hospitalized patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of controlled clinical trials assessing treatment with convalescent plasma for hospitalized patients diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection. The outcomes were mortality, clinical improvement, and ventilation requirement. Results: A total of 51 studies were retrieved from the databases. Five articles were finally included in the data extraction and qualitative and quantitative synthesis of results. The overall risk of bias in the reviewed articles was established at low-risk only in two trials. The meta-analysis suggests that there is no benefit of convalescent plasma compared with standard care or placebo in reducing the overall mortality and the ventilation requirement. However, there could be a benefit for the clinical improvement in patients treated with plasma. Conclusion: Current results led to assume that the convalescent plasma transfusion cannot reduce the mortality or ventilation requirement in hospitalized patients diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection. More controlled clinical trials conducted with methodologies that ensure a low risk of bias are still needed. The reviews of this paper are available via the supplemental material section.

scholarly journals Kinesio Taping for Balance Function after Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yijuan Hu ◽  
Dongling Zhong ◽  
Qiwei Xiao ◽  
Qiang Chen ◽  
Juan Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Treatment Duration ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Clinical Effects ◽  
Balance Function ◽  
Balance Impairment ◽  
Kinesio Taping ◽  
Significant Difference

Objective. With the increasing social and economic burdens of balance impairment after stroke, the treatment for balance impairment after stroke becomes a major public health problem worldwide. Kinesio taping (KT) as a part of clinical practice has been used widely in the treatment of balance impairment after stroke. However, the clinical effects of KT for balance function have not been confirmed. The objective of this study is to investigate the effects and safety of KT for balance impairment after stroke. Methods. We conducted a systematic review (SR) and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effects of KT for balance impairment after stroke. We searched the following databases: (1) English databases: EMBASE (via Ovid), MEDLINE (via Ovid), the Cochrane library, PubMed, and PEDro; (2) Chinese databases: China Biology Medicine (CBM), Wan Fang database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and VIP. Besides, hand searches of relevant references were also conducted. We systematically searched from the inception to December 2018, using the keywords (Kinesio, Kinesio Tape, tape, or Orthotic Tape) and (stroke, hemiplegia, or hemiplegic paralysis) and (balance or stability). The search strategies were adjusted for each database. The reference lists of included articles were reviewed for relevant trials. For missing data, we contacted the authors to get additional information. Results. 22 RCTs involved 1331 patients, among which 667 patients in the experimental group and 664 patients in the control group were included. Results of meta-analysis showed that, compared with conventional rehabilitation (CR), there was significant difference in Berg Balance Scale (BBS) (MD=4.46, 95%CI 1.72 to 7.19, P=0.001), Time Up and Go Test (TUGT) (MD=-4.62, 95%CI -5.48 to -3.79, P < 0.00001), functional ambulation category scale (FAC) (MD=0.53, 95%CI 0.38 to 0.68, P < 0.00001), Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA-L) (MD=4.20, 95%CI 3.17 to 5.24, P < 0.00001), and Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) (MD=-0.38, 95%CI -0.49 to -0.27, P < 0.00001). The results of subgroup analysis showed that there was no significant difference between KT and CR with ≤4 weeks treatment duration (< 4 weeks: MD=5.03, 95%CI -1.80 to 11.85, P=0.15; =4 weeks: MD=4.33, 95%CI -1.50 to 10.15, P=0.15), while there was significant difference with more than 4-week treatment duration (MD=4.77, 95%CI 2.58 to 6.97, P < 0.0001). Conclusions. Based on current evidence, KT was more effective than CR for balance function, lower limb function, and walking function in poststroke patients. Longer treatment duration may be associated with better effects. However, more well-conducted RCTs are required in the future.

scholarly journals The efficacy of remdesivir in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): a systematic review

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amirhossein Roshanshad ◽  
Alireza Kamalipour ◽  
Mohammad Ali Ashraf ◽  
Romina Roshanshad ◽  
Sirous Jafari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Adverse Event ◽  
Cohort Studies ◽  
Clinical Improvement ◽  
Day Treatment ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Severe Adverse Event ◽  
Adverse Event Rate ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Event Rates

Background and Objectives: Researchers all around the world are working hard to find an effective treatment for the new coronavirus 2019. We performed a comprehensive systematic review to investigate the latest clinical evidence on the efficacy and safety of treatment with Remdesivir in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Materials and Methods: We performed a systematic search in Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, Google scholar and MedRxiv for relevant observational and interventional studies. The outcomes measures were mortality rates, improvement rates, time to clinical improvement, all adverse event rates and severe adverse event rates. Results: Three randomized controlled trials and 2 cohort studies were included in our study. In the 2 cohort studies, patients received Remdesivir for 10 days. 2 RCTs evaluated 10-day efficacy of treatment with Remdesivir versus placebo group and the other RCT compared its 5-day regimen versus 10-day regimen. Visual inspection of the forest plots revealed that the efficacy of Remdesivir was not much different in reducing 28-day mortality versus 14-day mortality rates. Besides, 10-day treatment regimen overpowered 5-day treatment and placebo in decreasing time to clinical improvement. All adverse event rates did not have a significant difference; however, severe adverse event rate was lower in the 5-day Remdesivir group compared to the 10-day and placebo groups. Conclusion: 5-day course of Remdesivir therapy in COVID-19 patients is probably efficacious and safe, and patients without invasive mechanical ventilation benefit the most. Treatment can be extended to 10 days if satisfactory improvement is not seen by day 5. Most benefits from Remdesivir therapy take place in the first 14 days of the start of the treatment.

scholarly journals Clinical effectiveness of drugs in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Ariel Abeldano Zuniga ◽  
Silvia Coca ◽  
Giuliana Abeldano ◽  
Ruth Ana Maria Gonzalez Villoria
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Clinical Improvement ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Randomized Clinical Trials ◽  
Data Extraction ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Clinical Effectiveness ◽  
Hospitalized Patients ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Qualitative Synthesis

Objective. The aim was to assess the clinical effectiveness of drugs used in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 infection. Method. We conducted a systematic review of randomized clinical trials assessing treatment with remdesivir, chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir, ritonavir, dexamethasone, and convalescent plasma, for hospitalized patients with a diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The outcomes were mortality, clinical improvement, duration of ventilation, duration of oxygen support, duration of hospitalization), virological clearance, and severe adverse events. Results. A total of 48 studies were retrieved from the databases. Ten articles were finally included in the data extraction and qualitative synthesis of results. The meta-analysis suggests a benefit of dexamethasone versus standard care in the reduction of risk of mortality at day 28; and the clinical improvement at days 14 and 28 in patients treated with remdesivir. Conclusions. Dexamethasone would have a better result in hospitalized patients, especially in low-resources settings. Significance of results. The analysis of the main treatments proposed for hospitalized patients is of vital importance to reduce mortality in low-income countries; since the COVID-19 pandemic had an economic impact worldwide with the loss of jobs and economic decline in countries with scarce resources. Keywords: Drugs; Antivirals; Clinical improvement; Mortality; COVID-19; SARS-CoV2.

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