Ivermectin administration is associated with lower gastrointestinal complications and greater ventilator-free days in ventilated patients with COVID-19: A propensity score analysis

IntroductionCOVID-19 patients have been reported to have digestive symptoms with poor outcome. Ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug, has been used in COVID-19 patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether ivermectin has effects on gastrointestinal complications and ventilator-free days in ventilated patients with COVID-19.MethodsCOVID-19 patients who were mechanically ventilated in the ICU were included in this study. The ventilated patients who received ivermectin within 3 days after admission were assigned to the Ivermectin group, and the others were assigned to the Control group. Patients in the Ivermectin group received ivermectin 200 μg/kg via nasal tube. The incidence of gastrointestinal complications and ventilator-free days within 4 weeks from admission were evaluated as clinical outcomes using a propensity score with the inverse probability weighting method.ResultsWe included 88 patients in this study, of whom 39 patients were classified into the Ivermectin group, and 49 patients were classified into the Control group. The hazard ratio for gastrointestinal complications in the Ivermectin group as compared with the Control group was 0.221 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.057 to 0.855; p = 0.029) in a Cox proportional-hazard regression model. The odds ratio for ventilator-free days as compared with the Control group was 1.920 (95% CI, 1.076 to 3.425; p = 0.027) in a proportional odds logistic regression model.ConclusionsIvermectin improved gastrointestinal complications and the number of ventilator-free days in severe COVID-19 patients undergoing mechanical ventilation. Prevention of gastrointestinal symptoms by SARS-Cov-2 might be associated with COVID-19 outcome.     

十二指肠憩室溃疡并下腔静脉瘘致反复消化道大出血、脓毒血症1例报道

十二指肠下腔静脉瘘是一种十分罕见的病变,患者多病情危重,短时间内诊断困难,死亡率极高。而十二指肠憩室多数并无明显症状,仅少数患者可出现梗阻、穿孔、出血等并发症。现就我院救治的十二指肠憩室溃疡并下腔静脉瘘致反复消化道大出血、脓毒血症1例进行报道。     

新辅助化疗联合腹腔镜治疗对胃肠肿瘤手术患者术后临床疗效及免疫功能影响

目的新辅助化疗联合腹腔镜治疗对胃肠肿瘤手术患者术后临床疗效及免疫功能影响。方法选取2018年4月至2020年4月我院收治142例胃肠肿瘤需手术患者为研究对象,按治疗方案的不同分为对照组71例和观察组71例。对照组积极完善术前准备,给与常规腹腔镜手术。观察组术前先行新辅助化疗进行治疗,采用奥沙利铂联合卡培他滨方案,原发肿瘤病灶缩小明显则继续坚持化疗2周期,在化疗结束后的2~4周内再行腹腔镜手术治疗,术后均给予营养支持、抗感染治疗。比较两组患者治疗后的临床疗效、术中情况、免疫功能指标及术后并发症发生情况。结果两组患者治疗后临床总有效率比较,对照组临床总有效率明显低于观察组(87.32%vs 57.74%),差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。观察组手术时间、术中出血量、术后肠胃功能恢复时间均低于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05),对照组手术切除率低于观察组(81.69%vs 94.36%),差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。两组患者治疗后,CD₃⁺、CD₄⁺、CD₈⁺、CD₄⁺/CD₈⁺、NK细胞活性较治疗前都明显降低,差异有统计学意义(t分别为13.11、4.50、6.84、5.15、6.72,P<0.05),观察组治疗后CD₃⁺、CD₄⁺、CD₈⁺、CD₄⁺/CD₈⁺、NK水平均高于对照组(P<0.05);治疗后对照组和观察组的不良反应率分别为16.90%、2.81%,对照组不良反应率高于观察组(P<0.05)。结论新辅助化疗联合腹腔镜治疗胃肠肿瘤手术患者的临床疗效显著,新辅助化疗后可降低手术中肿瘤分期,有益于手术完整切除瘤体,对患者术后免疫功能影响较小,值得临床推广。     

Immune parameters in the intestine of wild and reared unvaccinated and vaccinated Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.)

Forming a barrier to the outside world, the gut mucosa faces the challenge of absorbing nutrients and fluids while initiating immune reactions towards potential pathogens. As a continuation to our previous publication focusing on the regional intestinal morphology in wild caught post smolt and spawning Atlantic salmon, we here investigate selected immune parameters and compare wild, reared unvaccinated and vaccinated post smolts.     

Dietary Changes Impact the Gut Microbe Composition in Overweight and Obese Men with Prostate Cancer Undergoing Radical Prostatectomy

Background

Diet and obesity influence prostate cancer risk and progression–effects that may be mediated through the gut microbiome.

围手术期限制性输液对高龄胃肠手术患者肝肾功能及预后的影响

目的 探讨围手术期限制性输液对高龄胃肠手术患者肝肾功能及预后的影响。 方法 130例择期接受胃肠手术的高龄患者按照围手术期输液方式采用随机数字表法分为限制性输液组和常规输液组,各65例。比较两组液体出入量、肝肾功能变化、术后胃肠功能恢复情况及并发症发生率。 结果 限制性输液组总输液量、尿量较常规输液组明显降低(P<0.05)。术后两组天冬氨酸氨基转移酶(AST)、丙氨酸氨基转移酶(ALT)均较术前明显升高,其中限制性输液组ALT明显高于常规输液组(P<0.05);与常规输液组比较,限制性输液组术后首次排气、排便时间及住院时间均明显缩短(P<0.05);限制性输液组总并发症发生率4.6%明显低于常规输液组15.4%(P<0.05)。 结论 在维持循环稳定与保证器官灌注的前提下,围手术限制性输液对高龄胃肠手术患者有助于促进胃肠道功能恢复,降低术后并发症和改善预后,且未对肝肾功能造成明显不利影响。     

Lipid based nanocarriers: a translational perspective

Over the recent couple of decades, pharmaceutical field has embarked most phenomenal noteworthy achievements in the field of medications as well as drug delivery. The rise of Nanotechnology in this field has reformed the existing drug delivery for targeting, diagnostic, remedial applications and patient monitoring. The convincing usage of nanotechnology in the conveyance of medications that prompts an extension of novel lipid-based nanocarriers and non-liposomal systems has been discussed. Present review deals with the late advances and updates in lipidic nanocarriers, their formulation strategies, challenging aspects, stability profile, clinical applications alongside commercially available products and products under clinical trials. This exploration may give a complete idea viewing the lipid based nanocarriers as a promising choice for the formulation of pharmaceutical products, the challenges looked by the translational process of lipid-based nanocarriers and the combating methodologies to guarantee the headway of these nanocarriers from bench to bedside.     

Clinical Outcomes and Healthcare Resource Utilization for Gastrointestinal Acute Graft-versus-Host Disease after Allogeneic Transplantation for Hematologic Malignancy: A Retrospective US Administrative Claims Database Analysis

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is the leading cause of nonrelapse mortality among patients who receive allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). In its acute form (aGVHD), GVHD involves the skin, liver, and gastrointestinal (GI) tract, with GI involvement most strongly associated with poor prognosis. This retrospective cohort study used US healthcare claims data for 2008 to 2015 to identify patients who developed GI aGVHD after allo-HCT performed as curative treatment for hematologic malignancy and compared them with patients who did not develop aGVHD in terms of outcomes related to survival, infections, healthcare resource utilization (HRU), and costs. Whereas the patients without aGVHD saw a 66% improvement in 1-year survival between 2009 and 2015, this effect was not observed in patients with GI aGVHD. Compared with patients without evidence of aGVHD, patients with GI aGVHD were 3.9-fold more likely to develop an infection in the year after allo-HCT. Similarly, patients who developed GI aGVHD were 4.3-fold more likely to have an inpatient admission after allo-HCT discharge, and such an admission cost on average 47% more than an admission for patients without aGVHD. Our findings confirm that GI involvement in aGVHD is associated with higher mortality, risk of infection, HRU, and cost compared with absence of aGVHD.     

Strategies and industrial perspectives to improve oral absorption of biological macromolecules

Introduction: Therapeutic proteins have become a highly attractive drug of choice due to minimal toxicity, high activity and exquisite specificity. Oral delivery of protein drugs is a very interesting area for research, and, naturally, numerous technologies are required to improve the oral bioavailability of therapeutic proteins.

Areas covered: This review article systemically generalized the major physiological barriers facing oral macromolecule delivery as well as the current approaches and novel developments in the field, including permeation enhancers, enzyme inhibitors, particulate drug delivery system, ligand delivery system, mucoadhesive delivery system, mucus penetration delivery system and other strategies.

Expert opinion: The development of composite formulation methods need to meet regulatory requirements for reproducibility, manufacturing cost, and bioavailability. So far, oral delivery of protein and peptide drugs is still facing immense challenges despite of the fact that some clinical studies are undergoing. The most advanced clinical strategies for therapeutic proteins are co-administration of absorption enhancers or protease inhibitors. Besides, rising new technologies in the field also provides a growing opportunity, such as nanotechnology, mucoadhesive and mucus penetration particulate delivery system.