European journal of clinical investigation
-
Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Nov 2022
Association between LAG3/CD4 gene variants and risk of Parkinson's disease.
Several recent studies suggest a possible role of lymphocyte activation 3 (LAG3) protein. LAG3 can behave as an α-synuclein ligand, and serum and cerebrospinal fluid-soluble LAG3 levels have been proposed as a marker of Parkinson's disease (PD). In this study, we aimed to investigate whether there is an association between 3 common single-nucleotide variations (SNVs) in the LAG3 gene and its closely related CD4 molecule gene and the risk of PD in a Caucasian Spanish population. Two of them have been previously associated with the risk of PD in Chinese females. ⋯ These data suggest a possible role of CD4 rs1922452 and CD4 rs951818 polymorphisms in the risk of PD.
-
Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Nov 2022
Review Meta AnalysisVolanesorsen to treat severe hypertriglyceridaemia: A pooled analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Patients with severe hypertriglyceridaemia (sHTG) are often refractory to lipid-lowering therapy. Apolipoprotein (Apo) CIII inhibition could be promising to treat subjects with sHTG. The antisense oligonucleotide against APOC3 mRNA volanesorsen was recently introduced to treat sHTG. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs on the efficacy and safety of volanesorsen as compared to placebo treatment in patients with severe HTG. ⋯ In patients with severe HTG, volanesorsen is associated with a significant reduction in TG, VLDL-C, Apo-B48 and non-HDL-C and increment of HDL-C as compared to placebo. Documented efficacy is accompanied by an acceptable safety profile.
-
Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Nov 2022
Meta AnalysisIn-hospital incidence of and risk factors for influenza associated respiratory failure.
Respiratory failure (RF) is the most important complication of influenza virus infection. Its definition and incidence are heterogeneous in the literature. ⋯ Respiratory failure is frequent in hospitalized influenza patients, especially in patients with pneumonia and since the 2009 pandemic, although its definition and reporting widely vary in the literature. This complicates its characterization and comparison between cohorts and with other respiratory viruses.
-
Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Nov 2022
Review Meta AnalysisAssociation of Modifiable Risk Factors with Ischemic Stroke Subtypes in Asian versus Caucasian populations: A Systematic Review and meta-analysis.
Ischaemic stroke (IS) is associated with various modifiable risk factors but the association of these risk factors based on TOAST classification, which characterises IS into five subtypes: large artery atherosclerosis (LAA), small vessel occlusion (SVO), cardioembolic disease (CE), other determined aetiology (ODE) and undetermined aetiology (UDE), is unknown. We aimed to summarise the published evidence for the association of modifiable risk factors with IS subtypes based on TOAST classification, specifically focussing on the Asian versus Caucasian population. ⋯ Our findings suggest strong association of smoking, dyslipidemia and diabetes mellitus with LAA and SVO subtypes in the Caucasian population. However, only diabetes mellitus showed significant association with both LAA and SVO subtypes in Asian population as well. Thus, a majority of the traditional modifiable risk factors had a positive association in LAA and SVO, while a negative protective association was observed in CE subtype, among both the Asian and the Caucasian subgroups.
-
In biomedicine, randomized controlled trials are regarded as the gold standard of evidence owing to their ability to minimize confounding factors that may influence results. Randomized trials that are properly designed serve as a basis for drug regulation and national guideline development. Despite the many advantages of the study design, there are several misconceptions regarding randomized trials, particularly in oncology. ⋯ Furthermore, developing regulatory and strategic frameworks has the potential to enhance the randomized trial landscape. Such initiatives will focus on relevant clinical issues that persist in oncology, reducing duplicative and unethical trials and maximizing value-based healthcare. Here, we address several misconceptions regarding randomized controlled trials and provide potential solutions to enhance their methodology and implementation.