Treatment of Patients with Metastatic Hormone-Sensitive Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review of Economic Evaluations

The management of patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) has been significantly modified by the availability of innovative but expensive treatments, increasing the economic burden of prostate cancer. Here, we aimed to systematically identify and review published economic evaluations (EEs) related to the treatment of mHSPC and assess their quality. A systematic search was performed of the PubMed and Cochrane databases. Three reviewers independently selected EEs by defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. They extracted all data from each EE (general information, study population, data about the EE, interventions and comparators, and outcomes). They also assessed the quality of the selected EEs according to Drummond's checklist. Fourteen EEs published between 2016 and 2021 were eligible for the systematic review. The EEs found ADT + docetaxel to be the most cost-effective of all available treatments as a first-line strategy for mHSPC (abiraterone acetate plus prednisone, enzalutamide, and apalutamide). Five EEs showed that a simple price reduction of abiraterone acetate of 50% to 75% could change the results to render this treatment also cost-effective relative to that with docetaxel. Twelve EEs were of high quality, with a Drummond score ≥ 7. Analysis of the 14 EEs identified by our systematic review, amongst which 78.6% met high quality standards, showed that ADT + docetaxel tends to be the most cost-effective alternative for mHSPC. These results were assessed by sensitivity analysis. The data provided by this systematic review help to provide a better understanding of these treatments and the better use of healthcare resources.     

Impact of Addition of Metformin to Abiraterone in Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer Patients With Disease Progressing While Receiving Abiraterone Treatment (MetAb-Pro): Phase 2 Pilot Study

Background

There is evidence linking metformin to improved prostate cancer–related outcomes.

Nobiletin and its derivatives overcome multidrug resistance (MDR) in cancer: total synthesis and discovery of potent MDR reversal agents

Our recent studies demonstrated that the natural product nobiletin (NOB) served as a promising multidrug resistance (MDR) reversal agent and improved the effectiveness of cancer chemotherapy in vitro. However, low aqueous solubility and difficulty in total synthesis limited its application as a therapeutic agent. To tackle these challenges, NOB was synthesized in a high yield by a concise route of six steps and fourteen derivatives were synthesized with remarkable solubility and efficacy. All the compounds showed improved sensitivity to paclitaxel (PTX) in P-glycoprotein (P-gp) overexpressing MDR cancer cells. Among them, compound 29d exhibited water solubility 280-fold higher than NOB. A drug-resistance A549/T xenograft model showed that 29d, at a dose of 50 mg/kg co-administered with PTX (15 mg/kg), inhibited tumor growth more effective than NOB and remarkably increased PTX concentration in the tumors via P-gp inhibition. Moreover, Western blot experiments revealed that 29d inhibited expression of NRF2, phosphorylated ERK and AKT in MDR cancer cells, thus implying 29d of multiple mechanisms to reverse MDR in lung cancer.     

Factors associated with provision of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate to adolescents by US health care providers

ObjectiveIdentify factors associated with healthcare providers' frequency of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) provision to adolescents.Study designWe analyzed data from surveys mailed to a nationally representative sample of public-sector providers and office-based physicians (n=1984). We estimated adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of factors associated with frequent DMPA provision to adolescents in the past year.ResultsAlthough most providers (>95%) considered DMPA safe for adolescents, fewer reported frequent provision (89% of public-sector providers; 64% of office-based physicians). Among public-sector providers, factors associated with lower odds of frequent provision included working in settings without Title X funding (aOR 0.44, 95% CI 0.30–0.64), reporting primary care as their primary clinical focus versus reproductive or adolescent health (aOR 0.42, 95% CI 0.28–0.61), and providing fewer patients with family planning services. Among office-based physicians, factors associated with lower odds of frequent provision included specializing in obstetrics/gynecology (aOR 0.50, 95% CI 0.27–0.91) and family medicine (aOR 0.21, 95% CI 0.09–0.47) versus adolescent medicine, completing training ≥15 versus <5 years ago (aOR 0.27, 95% CI 0.09–0.83), and reporting that 0–24% of patients pay with Medicaid or other government healthcare assistance versus ≥50% (aOR 0.23, 95% CI 0.09–0.61). The reason most commonly reported by providers for infrequent DMPA provision was patient preference for another method.ConclusionsWhile most providers reported frequently providing DMPA to adolescents, training on evidence-based recommendations for contraception, focused on subgroups of providers with lower odds of frequent DMPA provision, may increase adolescents' access to contraception.ImplicationsAlthough >95% of providers considered depot medroxyprogesterone (DMPA) a safe contraceptive for adolescents, only 89% of public-sector providers and 64% of office-based physicians reported frequently providing DMPA to adolescents. Provider training on evidence-based recommendations for contraception counseling and provision may increase adolescents' access to DMPA and all methods of contraception.     

Continuation of self-injected versus provider-administered contraception in Senegal: a nonrandomized,prospective cohort study

Objectives

The primary objective of this study was to compare the 12-month continuation rate for women who self-injected subcutaneous depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA-SC) with that for women receiving intramuscular depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA-IM) from a provider. This research contributes to the broader goal of identifying solutions to support women to use contraception for their full desired duration.

纤维支气管镜灌洗联合常规药物治疗变应性支气管肺曲霉病患者的效果

目的:观察纤维支气管镜灌洗联合常规药物治疗变应性支气管肺曲霉病(ABPA)患者的效果。方法:选取94例ABPA患者作为研究对象,按照随机数字表法分为观察组和对照组各47例。对照组采取常规药物治疗,观察组在对照组的基础上联合纤维支气管镜灌洗治疗。比较两组临床疗效和不良反应发生率。结果:观察组治疗总有效率为89.36%(42/47),明显高于对照组的72.34%(34/47),差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);两组不良反应发生率比较,差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论:纤维支气管镜灌洗联合常规药物治疗ABPA患者的效果优于单纯常规药物治疗,且安全性好。     

术前给予醋酸亮丙瑞林对子宫肌瘤腹腔镜剔除术手术效果研究

目的:研究术前给予醋酸亮丙瑞林对子宫肌瘤腹腔镜剔除术手术效果影响。方法:研究对象选取我院2012年10月到2017年10月间行子宫肌瘤腹腔镜剔除术患者120例，采用随机数字法将其分为对照组和观察组，每组各60例。对照组患者仅行子宫肌瘤腹腔镜剔除术治疗，观察组患者子宫肌瘤腹腔镜剔除术前，皮下注射醋酸亮丙瑞林预处理。比较两组患者的手术和术后效果指标，同时比较观察组患者治疗前后的血清黄体生成素、卵泡刺激素、雌二醇水平和月经量、子宫体积、肌瘤体积等。结果:观察组患者的术中出血量、盆腔引流量、首次下床活动时间、住院时间均明显低于对照组(P<0.01)，观察组患者治疗后的血清黄体生成素、卵泡刺激素、雌二醇水平均明显低于治疗前(P<0.01)，月经量、子宫体积、肌瘤体积均明显低于治疗前(P<0.01)。结论:子宫肌瘤腹腔镜剔除术术前给予醋酸亮丙瑞林治疗，能够有效调节患者激素水平和月经量，缩小子宫肌瘤体积，提高术前准备质量，有助于患者手术开展和术后恢复，值得在临床推广。     

雷公藤多苷联合泼尼松治疗类风湿关节炎肺间质病变的临床疗效

目的:探讨雷公藤多苷治疗类风湿关节炎(RA)肺间质病变(ILD)的临床疗效分析。方法:选取2013年12月至2016年12月右江民族医学院附属医院收治的RA-ILD患者100例作为研究对象,按照随机数字表法分为对照组和观察组,每组50例,对照组给予泼尼松治疗,观察组在此基础上给予雷公藤多苷治疗。比较2组患者临床治疗有效率、治疗前后症状评分、红细胞沉降率(ESR)、C反应蛋白(CRP)、类风湿因子(RF)水平、肺高分辨CT(HRCT)积分、用力肺活量(FVC)、第一秒钟用力呼气容积(FEV1)、FEV1/FVC、外周血基质金属蛋白酶1(MMP-1)、基质金属蛋白酶-9(MMP-9)水平变化以及不良反应的差异。结果:雷公藤多苷可明显减少RA-ILD患者的症状评分,提高临床治疗有效率,下降ESR、CRP、RF、HRCT、MMP-9水平,上调FVC、FEV1、FEV1/FVC、MMP-1。观察组和对照组不良反应发生率差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论:雷公藤多苷可有效治疗RA-ILD,其作用机制可能通过MMPs介导。     

Nano-curcumin therapy,a promising method in modulating inflammatory cytokines in COVID-19 patients

BackgroundAs an ongoing worldwide health issue, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID–19) has been causing serious complications, including pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and multi-organ failure. However, there is no decisive treatment approach available for this disorder, which is primarily attributed to the large amount of inflammatory cytokine production. We aimed to identify the effects of Nano-curcumin on the modulation of inflammatory cytokines in COVID-19 patients.MethodForty COVID-19 patients and 40 healthy controls were recruited and evaluated for inflammatory cytokine expression and secretion. Subsequently, COVID-19 patients were divided into two groups: 20 patients receiving Nano-curcumin and 20 patients as the placebo group. The mRNA expression and cytokine secretion levels of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and IL‐18 were assessed by Real‐time PCR and ELISA, respectively.ResultOur primary results indicated that the mRNA expression and cytokine secretion of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-18 were increased significantly in COVID-19 patients compared with healthy control group. After treatment with Nano-curcumin, a significant decrease in IL-6 expression and secretion in serum and in supernatant (P = 0.0003, 0.0038, and 0.0001, respectively) and IL-1β gene expression and secretion level in serum and supernatant (P = 0.0017, 0.0082, and 0.0041, respectively) was observed. However, IL-18 mRNA expression and TNF-α concentration were not influenced by Nano-curcumin.ConclusionNano-curcumin, as an anti-inflammatory herbal based agent, may be able to modulate the increased rate of inflammatory cytokines especially IL-1β and IL-6 mRNA expression and cytokine secretion in COVID-19 patients, which may cause an improvement in clinical manifestation and overall recovery.