Medicine
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Observational Study
Carvedilol, Bisoprolol, and Metoprolol Use in Patients With Coexistent Heart Failure and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
Beta (β)-blockers are under-prescribed in patients with heart failure (HF) and concurrent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) due to concerns about adverse pulmonary effects and a poor understanding of the effects of these drugs. We aimed to evaluate the survival effects of β-blockers in patients with coexistent HF and COPD. Using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, we conducted a nationwide population-based study. ⋯ After adjustment for age, sex, comorbidities, and severity of HF and COPD, bisoprolol use showed a dose-response survival benefit [low dose: adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 0.76, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.59-0.97, P = 0.030; high dose: adjusted HR = 0.40, 95% CI = 0.26-0.63, P < 0.001] compared with nonusers, whereas no survival difference was observed for carvedilol or metoprolol. Compared with patients with HF alone, this special HF + COPD cohort received significantly fewer targeted β-blockers (108.8 vs 137.3 defined daily doses (DDDs)/person-year, P < 0.001) and bisoprolol (57.9 vs 70.8 DDDs/person-year, P < 0.001). In patients with coexisting HF and COPD, this study demonstrated a dose-response survival benefit of bisoprolol use, but not of carvedilol or metoprolol use.
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This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and tolerance of GDP (gemcitabine, dexamethasone, and cisplatin) regimen in patients with newly diagnosed stage IV and relapsed/refractory extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type (ENKTL). The study enrolled 41 ENKTL patients who received GDP regimen at the Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College between January 2008 and January 2015. The disease status was newly diagnosed stage IV in 15 patients and relapsed/refractory in 26 patients. ⋯ After a median follow-up of 16.2 months, 1-year progression-free survival rate and 1-year overall survival rate for the whole cohort were 54.5% and 72.7%. Grade 3 to 4 adverse events included neutropenia (34.1%), thrombocytopenia (19.5%), and anemia (14.6%). Our study has suggested high efficacy and low toxicity profile of GDP regimen in patients with newly diagnosed stage IV and relapsed/refractory ENKTL.
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The purpose of this study was to discuss the present situation of discharge medications in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients with different levels of renal function and assess the potential impact of these medications on the prognosis of this patient population. A retrospective cohort study was conducted. From July 2008 to Jan 2012, consecutive patients with CAD confirmed by coronary angiography of West China Hospital were enrolled and were grouped into 3 estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) categories: ≥60, 30 to 60, and <30 mL/min/1.73 m. ⋯ A higher percentage of patients with CAD and concomitant RI suffered from cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, whereas a lower percentage of these patients used EBMs to prevent CVD events. Strict use of EBMs, including beta-blockers, statins, and ACEIs or ARBs, can lead to more clinical benefits, even for patients with CAD and concomitant RI. Thus, treatment of this patient population with EBMs should be stressed.
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Observational Study
Atorvastatin Use Associated With Acute Pancreatitis: A Case-Control Study in Taiwan.
Few data are present in the literature on the relationship between atorvastatin use and acute pancreatitis. The aim of this study was to explore this issue in Taiwan. Using representative claims data established from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Program, this case-control study consisted of 5810 cases aged 20 to 84 years with a first-time diagnosis of acute pancreatitis during the period 1998 to 2011and 5733 randomly selected controls without acute pancreatitis. ⋯ The odds ratio decreased to 1.15 for those with late use of atorvastatin (95% confidence interval 0.87, 1.52), but without statistical significance. Current use of atorvastatin is associated with the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. Clinically, clinicians should consider the possibility of atorvastatin-associated acute pancreatitis when patients present with a diagnosis of acute pancreatitis without a definite etiology but are taking atorvastatin.
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Patients with diabetes have a higher incidence of bladder cancer; however, the association between thiazolidinedione use and bladder cancer risk has been controversial. We aimed to investigate whether pioglitazone or rosiglitazone use is associated with bladder cancer risk in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. This nationwide nested case-control study used data set obtained from the Korean National Health Insurance Service National Sample Cohort 2002 to 2013. ⋯ Neither pioglitazone use nor exclusive pioglitazone use were associated with an increased incidence of bladder cancer. Rosiglitazone use is associated with an increased risk of incident bladder cancer independent of age and sex in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The highest odds of bladder cancer in rosiglitazone users was seen in those with <1 year of exposure.