P5‐47: Safety and efficacy of remdesivir, baricitinib and high‐dose steroid combination therapy in patients hospitalized with COVID‐19

Abstract Background Stricturing Crohn’s disease (CD) constitutes a severe phenotype often associated with a high degree of morbidity (3). Surgical resection is first-line therapy for symptomatic strictures, but most patients relapse without subsequent medical therapy (4–5). Biologics are the mainstay for inducing and maintaining remission, but some cases are refractory despite maximum dosage of therapy. Reports of dual biological therapy (DBT) in refractory, stricturing CD are sparse, and prior case reports document only clinical remission (1). To contribute further knowledge regarding the use of DBT in stricturing CD, we present the case of a refractory CD patient who achieved deep remission with ustekinumab and vedolizumab. Case Presentation A 35 year old non-smoking, Caucasian male was referred to our clinic in 2014 for refractory CD complicated by multiple strictures. Prior to establishing care with us, he received two jejunal resections and a sigmoid resection. Previously failed therapies included azathioprine with infliximab, adalimumab, and certolizumab. He continued to progress under our care despite combination methotrexate/certolizumab, as well as methotrexate/golimumab. He underwent proctocolectomy with end ileostomy in 2015 and initiated vedolizumab q8weeks post-operatively. He reoccurred in 2018, when he presented with an ulcerated ileal stricture. He was switched from vedolizumab to ustekinumab q8weeks and placed on prednisone, but continued to progress, developing significant hematochezia requiring hospitalization and blood transfusions. Ileoscopy performed during hospital admission confirmed severe, ulcerating disease in the ileum with stricture. Ustekinumab dosing was increased to q4weeks, azathioprine was initiated, and he underwent stricturoplasty. Follow-up ileoscopy three months later revealed two ulcers in the neo- TI (Figure 1). Vedolizumab q8weeks was initiated in addition to ustekinumab q4weeks and azathioprine 125mg. After four months on this regimen the patient felt better, but follow-up ileoscopy showed two persistent ulcers in the neo-TI. Vedolizumab dosing interval was increased to q4weeks. After four months, subsequent ileoscopy demonstrated normal neo-TI (Figure 2). Histologic evaluation of biopsies confirmed deep remission of crohn’s disease. No adverse side effects have occurred with maximum doses of both ustekinumab and vedolizumab combination therapy. Discussion This case supports both the safety and efficacy of ustekinumab and vedolizumab dual biologic therapy for treatment of severe, refractory Crohn’s disease. While there are reports of DBT inducing clinical remission, this case supports efficacy for vedolizumab and ustekinumab combination therapy to induce deep histologic remission. Large practical clinical trials are needed to better investigate the safety and efficacy of DBT with vedolizumab and ustekinumab, but our case suggests this combination may be a safe and efficacious therapy for refractory CD patients.

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High dose vs. low dose oxytocin for labor augmentation: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Journal of Perinatal Medicine ◽

10.1515/jpm-2020-0042 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Rehab Abdelhamid Aboshama ◽

Ahmed Mohamed Abdelhakim ◽

Mohammad Abrar Shareef ◽

Abdulhadi A. AlAmodi ◽

Mohammad Sunoqrot ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cesarean Delivery ◽

Low Dose ◽

Delivery Rate ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

High Dose ◽

Safety And Efficacy ◽

Labor Duration ◽

Uterine Hyperstimulation ◽

Cesarean Delivery Rate ◽

Labor Augmentation

AbstractObjectivesTo compare the safety and efficacy between high dose and low dose oxytocin administration for labor augmentation.MethodsWe searched for the available studies during March 2020 in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and ISI Web of science. All randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that assessed safety and efficacy of high dose vs. low dose oxytocin for labor augmentation were considered. The extracted data were entered into RevMan software. Dichotomous and continuous data were pooled as odds ratio (OR) and mean difference (MD) respectively, with the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI). Our main outcomes were cesarean delivery rate, spontaneous vaginal delivery rate, uterine hyperstimulation and tachysystole, and labor duration from oxytocin infusion.ResultsEight RCTs with 3,154 patients were included. High dose oxytocin did not reduce cesarean delivery rate compared to low dose oxytocin (OR=0.76, 95% CI [0.52, 1.10], p=0.15). After solving the reported heterogeneity, high dose oxytocin did not increase the rate of spontaneous vaginal deliveries vs. low dose oxytocin (OR=1.06, 95% CI [0.84, 1.32], p=0.64). Low dose oxytocin was linked to a significant decline in uterine hyperstimulation and tachysystole (p>0.001). A reduction in labor duration was found in high dose oxytocin group over low oxytocin regimen (MD=−1.02 h, 95% CI [−1.77, −0.27], p=0.008).ConclusionsWe found no advantages for high dose oxytocin over low dose oxytocin in labor augmentation except in reducing labor duration. Low dose oxytocin is safer as it decreases the incidence of uterine hyperstimulation and tachysystole. More trials are needed to confirm our findings.

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Cardiovascular safety and efficacy of metformin-SGLT2i versus metformin-sulfonylureas in type 2 diabetes: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-80603-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Desye Gebrie ◽

Desalegn Getnet ◽

Tsegahun Manyazewal

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Type 2 Diabetes ◽

Combination Therapy ◽

Adverse Events ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Controlled Trials ◽

Safety And Efficacy ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Sodium Glucose Cotransporter

AbstractDiabetes is a serious threat to global health and among the top 10 causes of death, with nearly half a billion people living with it worldwide. Treating patients with diabetes tend to become more challenging due to the progressive nature of the disease. The role and benefits of combination therapies for the management of type 2 diabetes are well-documented, while the comparative safety and efficacy among the different combination options have not been elucidated. We aimed to systematically synthesize the evidence on the comparative cardiovascular safety and efficacy of combination therapy with metformin-sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors versus metformin-sulfonylureas in patients with type 2 diabetes. We searched MEDLINE-PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov up to 15 August 2019 without restriction in the year of publication. We included randomized controlled trials of patients with type 2 diabetes who were on metformin-sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors or metformin-sulphonylureas combination therapy at least for a year. The primary endpoints were all-cause mortality and serious adverse events, and the secondary endpoints were cardiovascular mortality, non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke, hypoglycemia, and changes in glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), body weight, fasting plasma glucose, blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. We used a random-effects meta-analysis model to estimate mean differences for continuous outcomes and risk ratio for dichotomous outcomes. We followed PICOS description model for defining eligibility and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015 guidelines for reporting results. Of 3,190 citations, we included nine trials involving 10,974 participants. The pooled analysis showed no significant difference in all-cause mortality (risk ration [RR] = 0.93, 95% CI [0.52, 1.67]), serious adverse events (RR = 0.96, 95% CI [0.79, 1.17]) and adverse events (RR = 1.00, 95% CI [0.99, 1.02]) between the two, but in hypoglycemia (RR = 0.13, 95% CI [0.10, 0.17], P < 0.001). Participants taking metformin-sodium glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors showed a significantly greater reduction in HbA1c (mean difference [MD] = − 0.10%, 95% CI [− 0.17, − 0.03], body weight (MD = − 4.57 kg, 95% CI [− 4.74, − 4.39], systolic blood pressure (MD = − 4.77 mmHg, 95% CI [− 5.39, − 4.16]), diastolic blood pressure (MD = − 2.07 mmHg, 95% CI [− 2.74, − 1.40], and fasting plasma glucose (MD = − 0.55 mmol/L, 95% CI [− 0.69, − 0.41]), p < 0.001. Combination therapy of metformin and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors is a safe and efficacious alternative to combination therapy of metformin and sulphonylureas for patients with type 2 diabetes who are at risk of cardiovascular comorbidity. However, there remains a need for additional long-term randomized controlled trials as available studies are very limited and heterogeneous.

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