Safety and immunogenicity of NVX-CoV2373 (TAK-019) vaccine in healthy Japanese adults: Interim report of a phase I/II randomized controlled trial

BackgroundWe evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of NVX-CoV2373, a recombinant SARS-CoV-2 nanoparticle vaccine, in healthy Japanese participants.MethodsThis phase 1/2, randomized, observer-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted in Japan (two sites), enrolled healthy Japanese adults aged ≥ 20 years with no history/risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and no prior exposure to other approved/investigational SARS-CoV-2 vaccines or treatments. Participants were stratified by age (< 65 or ≥ 65 years) and randomized to receive two doses of either NVX-CoV2373 (5 μg SARS-CoV-2 rS; 50 μg Matrix-M1) or placebo, 21 days apart. Primary outcomes were safety and immunogenicity assessed by serum IgG antibody levels against SARS-CoV-2 rS protein on day 36. Herein, we report the primary data analysis at 4 weeks after the second dose, ahead of 12-month follow-up completion (data cut-off: 8 May 2021).ResultsBetween 12 February 2021 and 17 March 2021, 326 subjects were screened, and 200 participants enrolled and randomized: NVX-CoV2373, n = 150; placebo, n = 50. Solicited adverse events (AEs) through 7 days after each injection occurred in 121/150 (80.7%) and 11/50 (22.0%) participants in the NVX-CoV2373 and placebo arms, respectively. In the NVX-CoV2373 arm, tenderness and injection site pain were the most frequently reported solicited AEs after each vaccination, irrespective of age. Robust immune responses occurred with NVX-CoV2373 (n = 150) by day 36: IgG geometric mean fold rise (95% confidence interval) 259 (219, 306); seroconversion rate 100% (97.6, 100). No such response occurred with placebo (n = 49).ConclusionTwo doses of NVX-CoV2373 given with a 21-day interval demonstrated acceptable safety and induced robust anti-SARS-CoV-2 immune responses in healthy Japanese adults. Funding: Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED). ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04712110.     

Efficacy and Safety of Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Creation for Budd-Chiari Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

PurposeTo assess the critical role of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) in the management of Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS), as the data with respect to the safety and outcome of TIPS in patients with BCS are scarce because of the rarity of the disease.Materials and MethodsA comprehensive search of literature of various databases from 2000 to October 2021 was conducted for studies evaluating the outcome of TIPS in patients with BCS. The primary outcomes of the analysis were technical and clinical success, adverse events and mortality associated with TIPS, dysfunction of TIPS, need for TIPS revision, need for liver transplantation (LT), and 1-year survival.ResultsA total of 33 studies (1,395 patients) were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled rates and 95% confidence intervals of various outcomes were 98.6% (97.6–99.7) for technical success, 90.3% (86.0–94.6) for clinical success, 10.0% (6.5–13.6) for major adverse events, 0.5% (0.2–1.0) for TIPS-related mortality, 11.6% (7.8–15.4) for post-TIPS hepatic encephalopathy (HE), 40.1% (32.5–47.7) for TIPS dysfunction, 8.6% (4.9–12.4) for the need for TIPS revision, 4.5% (2.8–6.2) for the need for LT, and 94.6% (93.1–96.1) for 1-year survival. Publication bias was seen with all outcomes except for post-TIPS HE, TIPS dysfunction, and the need for LT.ConclusionsThe existing literature supports the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of TIPS in the treatment of BCS. Deciding the optimal timing of TIPS in BCS needs further studies.     

Contemporary Epidemiology of and Risk Factors Associated with Removal of a Pathologically Normal Appendix in Children with Suspected Appendicitis

BackgroundThe goal of this study was to characterize contemporary performance benchmarks and risk factors associated with negative appendectomy (NA) in children with suspected appendicitis.MethodsA multicenter retrospective cohort analysis of children undergoing appendectomy for suspected appendicitis was performed using data from the 2016–2021 NSQIP-Pediatric Appendectomy Targeted Public Use Files. Multivariable regression was used to evaluate the influence of year, age, sex, and WBC count on NA rate, and to generate rate estimates for NA based on different combinations of demographic characteristics and WBC profiles.Results100,322 patients were included from 140 hospitals. The overall NA rate was 2.4%, and rates decreased significantly during the study period (2016: 3.1% vs. 2021: 2.3%, p < 0.001). In adjusted analyses, the highest risk for NA was associated with a normal WBC (<9000/mm³; OR 5.31 [95% CI: 4.87–5.80]), followed by female sex (OR 1.55 [95% CI: 1.42–1.68]) and age <5 years (OR 1.64 [95% CI 1.39, 1.94]). Model-estimated risk for NA varied significantly across demographic and WBC strata, with a 14.4-fold range in rates between subgroups with the lowest and highest predicted risk (males 13–17 years with elevated WBC [1.1%] vs. females 3–4 years with normal WBC [15.8%]).ConclusionsContemporary NA rates have decreased over time, however NA risk remains high in children without a leukocytosis, particularly for girls and children <5 years of age. These data provide contemporary performance benchmarks for NA in children with suspected appendicitis and identify high-risk populations where further efforts to mitigate NA risk should be targeted.Level of EvidenceIII.     

HIV/AIDS患者结核潜伏感染的影响因素研究

背景 结核病是导致人免疫缺陷病毒/获得性免疫缺陷综合征（HIV/AIDS）患者死亡的首要原因，而HIV感染也是导致结核潜伏感染（LTBI）发展为结核病的主要危险因素。因此，对HIV/AIDS患者进行LTBI筛查和治疗是预防该类人群结核病的发生从而减少其死亡的重要举措。 目的 对宁夏回族自治区银川市市区内HIV/AIDS患者进行LTBI筛查，并分析其影响因素，识别高危人群，为HIV/AIDS患者结核病的预防性治疗提供科学依据。 方法 选取2021年3—8月于宁夏回族自治区银川市市区内定点管理单位治疗的546例HIV/AIDS患者为研究对象。通过现场问卷调查及查阅患者管理档案的方式收集HIV/AIDS患者的一般资料，其中一般人口学特征包括性别、年龄、民族、学历、婚姻状况、家庭人均年收入、职业类型、体质指数（BMI）、吸烟情况、饮酒情况等；临床资料包括慢性病患病情况、与结核病患者密切接触情况、HIV/AIDS确诊时长、抗病毒治疗时长、合并其他感染情况、近期CD4+ T淋巴细胞计数（CD4）等。通过结核菌素皮肤试验（TST）对研究对象进行LTBI筛查，根据TST结果将546例HIV/AIDS患者分为非LTBI组（TST阴性413例）和LTBI组（TST阳性133例）。比较两组患者的一般资料，采用多因素Logistic回归分析探讨HIV/AIDS患者发生LTBI的影响因素，并利用R软件建立限制性立方样条模型拟合CD4与LTBI风险之间的量效关系。 结果 银川市市区内HIV/AIDS患者的TST阳性率为24.4%。已婚〔OR=0.544，95%CI（0.321，0.922），P<0.05〕是HIV/AIDS患者发生LTBI的保护因素；吸烟〔OR=1.919，95%CI（1.213，3.037），P<0.05〕、与结核病患者有过密切接触〔OR=11.100，95%CI（2.889，42.648），P<0.05〕是HIV/AIDS患者发生LTBI的危险因素。限制性立方样条模型拟合结果显示，HIV/AIDS患者的CD4与LTBI风险呈近似"n"形的非线性关系（非线性检验χ2=29.080，P<0.001）。 结论 应重点关注HIV/AIDS患者中未婚、吸烟、与结核病患者有过密切接触人群LTBI的发生情况，并及时进行预防性治疗；对于CD4较低的患者，建议采用多种方法进行LTBI筛查。