Objective To observe the effects of salmeterol / fluticasone combined with tiotropium in the treatment of sever to very sever COPD. Methods Eighty patients with severe to very severe stable COPD were recruited from outpatient of Central Hospital of Cangzhou between May 2008 and October 2009. The subjects were randomly divided into a salmeterol /fluticasone group and a combination group. The salmeterol / fluticasone group received salmeterol / fluticasone propionate, and the combination group received the combination therapy of tiotropium and salmeterol / fluticasone propionate. All patients had received the treatment for 12 months. At baseline and at the end of 1-month, 3-month, 6-month, 12-month, lung function ( FEV1 , IC and FVC) , six-minute walk distance and the St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire ( SGRQ) score were assessed. The number of exacerbations and the time to the first exacerbation were also recorded. Results At every visit, lung function ( FEV1 , IC and FVC) , six-minute walk distance and the SGRQ score were improved in both groups compared with baseline ( Plt;0. 05) , especially in the combination group ( Plt;0.05) . Compared with the salmeterol /fluticason, the combination therapy with tiotropium significantly decreased the incidence of exacerbations and prolonged the time to the first exacerbation ( Plt;0.05) . And there was no significant difference between two groups in adverse effects ( Pgt;0.05) . Conclusions The combination therapy with salmeterol / fluticasone propionate and tiotropium was superior to salmeterol / fluticasone propionate in treatment of sever to very severe stable COPD patients in improving lung function, exercise tolerance, and quality of life, without additional adverse effects.
Objective To explore whether hospitalized elderly patients with severe communityacquired pneumonia ( SCAP) have better outcomes if they are treated with dual-therapy consisting of a β-lactam/macrolide or fluoroquinolone.Methods A prospective study was conducted in patients with SCAP aged 65 years or older between January 2007 and January 2012. These patients were assigned to a combination therapy group or a β-lactam monotherapy group by the attending physicians. Time to clinical stability( TCS) and total mortality were calculated. Prognostic factors for death were analyzed. Results Among the 232 patients, 153 patients were given β-lactam/macrolide or β-lactam/ fluoroquinolone ( macrolide in 67 patients and fluoroquinolone in 86) , while 79 were treated with β-lactam monotherapy. Compared with the monotherapy group, the combination therapy group was associated with significant decreased TCS ( median TCS, 10 days vs. 13 days) , and lower overall in-hospital mortality( 24.2% vs. 43.0%, P lt;0. 01) . Compared with fluoroquinolone, macrolide use was associated with lower ICU mortality ( 14.9% vs. 31.4% , P lt;0. 01) . Simplified acute physiology score Ⅱ, pneumonia severity index, mutilobar infiltration, and β-lactam monotherapy were confirmed as independent predictors of death. Conclusion β-lactam/macrolide or β-lactam/ fluoroquinolone combination therapy, especially with macrolide, has superiority over β-lactam monotherapy in elderly patients with SCAP, and should be recommended.
Therapeutic effect of fixed-dose combination therapy (Polypill) for cardiovascular disease is a hot spot in the field of cardiovascular medicine. A variety of Polypill have been developed for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease, and a plenty of clinical evidence of Polypills for cardiovascular disease has been accumulated all over the world. In this paper, we raise ideas and expectation about research & development thinking of Polypill and Chinese herbal compound prescription based on a meta-analysis of efficacy and safety of Polypill in the prevention of cardiovascular disease (published in JAMA in Nov. 2014) as well as main clinical research literature in this field in recent years.
ObjectiveTo systematically evaluate the efficacy of steroids combined with antiepileptic drugs compared with alone antiepileptic drugs in the treatment of children with epileptic electrical status during sleep to provide evidence-based medical basis for its treatment.MethodsElectronic searches were maded in PubMed, Embase database, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang and the Chinese biomedical literature database for the literature about steroids combined with antiepileptic drugs compared with alone antiepileptic drugs in the treatment, and retrieval time is from January 1990 to October 2020. Two evaluators independently screened literature, extracted data, evaluated literature quality and risk of bias and checked each other. Meta analysis was performed by stata16.0 software.ResultsA total of 679 children with ESES were included in 10 studies, including 9 randomized controlled trials and 1 retrospective cohort study. Meta analysis results showed that there were statistically significant differences in clinical improvement rate [RR=1.31, 95%CI (1.21, 1.42), P<0.01], electroencephalogram discharge improvement rate [RR=1.35, 95%CI (1.25, 1.46), P<0.01] and cognitive intelligence score [SMD=1.19, 95%CI (0.80, 1.57), P<0.01] between steroids combined with antiepileptic drugs group and alone antiepileptic drugs group after 6 months follow-up. The incidence of adverse reactions in steroids combined with antiepileptic drugs group was higher than that in alone antiepileptic drugs group, and the difference was statistically significant [RR=4.13, 95%CI (1.06, 16.13), P<0.01]. All adverse reactions improved or disappeared after drug withdrawal.ConclusionCompared with alone antiepileptic drugs, steroids combined with antiepileptic drugs group has advantages in controlling epileptic seizures, improving electroencephalogram abnormalities and improving cognitive ability, and it is relatively safe.
Valproic acid can reduce the frequency of seizures through various mechanisms and is widely used in clinical practice as a monotherapy or adjunctive treatment for various types of epilepsy and epileptic syndromes. In addition, valproic acid has significant therapeutic effects on comorbidities associated with epilepsy, such as migraines and psychiatric disorders. It can also be effective in terminating status epilepticus and is commonly used as a broad-spectrum antieseizure medication in clinical settings. However, valproic acid has side effects such as teratogenicity, infertility, and menstrual disorders. Additionally, when used in combination with other drugs, the interactions between medications should be carefully considered. Therefore, in clinical practice, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the indications and dosage regimens for the use of valproic acid. This article provides a comprehensive review of the use of valproic acid in different types of seizures, epileptic syndromes, comorbidities associated with epilepsy, post-craniotomy cases, status epilepticus, and special populations. It also summarizes the combination therapy of valproic acid with other drugs, providing a basis for the rational use of valproic acid and individualized drug treatment selection for epilepsy patients.
ObjectiveTo observe the long-term effects of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drug initiation combined with dexamethasone intravitreal implant (DEX) on the structural integrity of the outer macular region of the eye in patients with macular edema (ME) secondary to central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). MethodsA retrospective clinical study. From February 2018 to August 2022, 54 patients diagnosed with CRVO combined with ME (CRVO-ME) in Department of Ophthalmology of Central Theater Command General Hospital were included in the study. Among them, there were 30 males and 24 females, all with monocular disease. According to different treatment regiments, patients were divided into anti-VEGF and DEX combination therapy group (initial combination group), anti-VEGF drug monotherapy group (monotherapy group) with 21 eyes and 33 eyes, respectively. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), optical coherence tomography (OCT) examination were performed in all eyes. The thickness of foveal retina (CRT) and the deficiency length of outer membrane (ELM), ellipsoid band (EZ) and chimaera band (IZ) in the 1 mm macular area were measured by OCT. The initiating combination group was treated with anti-VEGF agents or DEX as assessed on demand (PRN) after the combination therapy, and the monotherapy group received 3+PRN regimen. Relevant examinations were performed at 1 (V1), 6 (V6), 12 (V12) months and observation cut-off or the last visit (Vf) after treatment using the same equipment before treatment. The deletion length of ELM, EZ and IZ in V1, V6, V12 and Vf after treatment were compared between the two groups. Repeated measurement ANOVA was used to compare BCVA, CRT and deletion length of ELM, EZ and IZ at different follow-up times. Spearman rank correlation test was used to analyze the correlation between the two groups of continuous variables. ResultsThe follow-up time of patients in the initial combination group and monotherapy group was (18.05±5.66) and (21.90±10.80) months, respectively, with no statistical significance (F=13.430, P=0.229). Compared with baseline, the deletion lengths of ELM, EZ and IZ were significantly improved (F=11.848, 10.880, 29.236), BCVA was increased (F=10.541) and CRT was decreased (F=52.278) in the initial combination group and the monotherapy group at different follow-up times after treatment. The differences were statistically significant (P＜0.001). At V1, EZ and IZ deletion lengths were (344.10±413.03), (593.33±372.96) μm and (354.71±321.75), (604.85±385.77) μm in the initial combination group and monotherapy group, respectively. The improvement of EZ and IZ deletion lengths in the initial combination group was better than that in the single drug group, and the difference was statistically significant (F=5.272, 6.106; P=0.026, 0.017). The CRT of the initial combination group and the monotherapy group were (248.86±59.99) and (314.72±214.91) μm, respectively, and the CRT of the initial combination group was significantly lower than that of the monotherapy group, with statistical significance (F=6.102, P=0.017). At V6, V12 and Vf, the deletion length of ELM, EZ and IZ and BCVA and CRT showed no statistical significance (P＞0.05). Correlation analysis showed that ELM, EZ, IZ were positively correlated with BCVA and CRT in the initial combination group and monotherapy group (P＜0.001). In V6, V12 and Vf, the number of anti-VEGF drug injections in the initial combination group and monotherapy group was (2.67±1.32), (4.43±2.27), (6.05±3.51), (4.58±0.90), (7.33±1.93), (11.33±6.10) times, respectively. The number of injections in the initial combination group was significantly lower than that in the monotherapy group, and the difference was statistically significant (F=5.150, 0.646, 3.433; P＜0.001). ConclusionsThe improvement of BCVA and CRT in the initial combination group is similar to that in the monotherapy group. Compared with the monotherapy group, EZ and IZ deletion are improved more significantly in the initial combination group, and CRT decreased more rapidly and significantly. The initial combination group receives fewer anti-VEGF injections than the monocular group.