TNF inhibitors – Mechanisms of action,approved and off-label indications

Tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) belong to the group of biologic drugs, holding presently top positions on lists of most profitable products for pharmaceutical companies. Although current indications for TNFi include only selected diseases with an established role of immune dysfunction in their pathogenesis, studies on new indications are being carried out all over the world. The most important aspect of TNFi therapy is a targeted therapeutic approach, allowing to avoid a wide range of side effects associated with treatment with nonspecific immunosuppressive agents. Results of the trials on TNFi in the approved indications are widely accessible and analyzed elsewhere, both in primary publications as well as in systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Here we aim to discuss their mechanisms of action, and approved, as well as off-label indications of TNFi. In addition, we present comprehensive evidence on TNFi in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA); the first authorized and probably most extensively developed indication for the majority of TNFi.     

Establishment of safety evidence for Xingxue Shuxuening injection

OBJECTIVE： To systematically investigate the safety of Xingxue Shuxuening injection（SXN） in preand post-marketing, and to ensure clinical drug safety.METHODS： Strict quality control in raw herb selection and production processes was adopted and pharmacology research on SXN was performed by the drug manufacturing company, Heilongjiang ZBD Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. We systematically reviewed the safety literature of Xingxue SXN. Adverse drug reaction（ADR） data of the drug, extracted from Spontaneous Reporting System（SRS）, and clinical characters based on 20 hospital information systems（HIS） in China, were analyzed. Large-scale prospective safety monitoring and Risk Minimization Action Plans（Risk MAPs） of XingxueSXN were carried out.RESULTS： The quality of SXN was stable and controllable when it was produced. Drug toxicology studies found no effect on rabbits with hemolytic or condensed, local stimulation and muscle stimulation, and no allergic reactions in guinea pigs. The ADRs of Xingxue SXN were dizziness, phlebitis,and vomiting based on SRS data. The injection did not conform to instructions in clinical practice when we analyzed HIS database, and patient＇s abnormal blood urea nitrogen levels may be related to the drug, when analyzed using the propensity score method. A nested case-control study was designed and performed to analyze the influencing factors of suspected allergic reactions to SXN. The study showed that patients with an allergy history were more prone to allergic reactions（P〈0.001）,and some medicine combinations could cause allergic reactions.CONCLUSION： These studies have established a body of evidence on Xingxue SXN safety, and provide a good model for Chinese medicine injection for clinical safety. The Xingxue SXN production process and toxicology research indicate the safety of the injection. However, the use of the injection is not consistent with instructed clinical practice.Xingxue SXN causes ADRs perhaps from inappropriate usage or its     

To Establish A Body of Evidence on Safety for Postmarketing Chinese Medicine: A New Research Paradigm

The issue of safety evaluation on postmarketing Chinese medicines has become a hot topic in mainland China recently. Researchers and decision-makers can obtain a variety of evidence resources about safety in order to evaluate the safety profile for postmarketing Chinese medicines. A registry study on ten Chinese medicine injections for postmarketing surveillance has come to the end. From such a study observing more than 300,000 patients for more than 4 years, a theoretical research question emerges, that is, how to identify and evaluate safety evidence systematically. We put forward a brand new research paradigm on the theory level, which is to establish a body of evidence on safety evaluation for postmarketing Chinese medicine. Therefore, multiple information sources were explored and extracted from preclinical experiments for toxicity, postmarketing clinical trials for effificacy and safety evaluation, registry study for surveillance, retrospective data analysis from hospital information system and spontaneous response system, and case reports and systematic review from literature. Greater efforts for this idea and cooperation with experts in this fifield both in China and abroad are urgently needed.     

Glutathione S-transferase A1 (GSTA1) release,an early indicator of acute hepatic injury in mice

Three acute hepatic injury models (a CCl₄-induced model, APAP-induced model and ethanol-induced model) in mice were used to study the importance of GSTA1 in acute hepatic injury by comparison with a standard enzyme marker, alanine aminotransferase (ALT). GSTA1 release was demonstrated to be an earlier and more sensitive indicator of hepatotoxicity than was ALT. Significant increases in GSTA1 were detected at 2 h after CCl₄ exposure, while ALT was undetected at this time. GSTA1 was also a more sensitive indicator of hepatotoxicity than ALT after 6 h. In the APAP and ethanol models, GSTA1 was markedly increased earlier than ALT, at 2 h post exposure. The release of GSTA1 was significantly increased at a dose of 12.5 mg/kg (CCl₄ model), 100 mg/kg (APAP model) and 10 ml/kg (ethanol model), the lowest exposure concentration for each model. In contrast, AST release was not statistically significant. These results suggest that GSTA1 can be detected at low concentrations during the early stages of acute hepatic injury and that GSTA1 is a more sensitive and more accurate indicator than ALT.     

痴呆的证候分型研究

目的分析痴呆的证候分型现状,为痴呆的证候分型标准研究提供参考。方法制定文献检索策略,严格地选择和评价文献,提取文献中的证候分型及证候要素,通过描述性统计和卡方检验,分析痴呆研究中辨证分型标准的引用状况及主要证型与证候要素特征。结果检索6个文献数据库,初步纳入文献918篇,经阅读全文后最终纳入文献193篇。146(76%)项研究明确采用已公开的辨证分型标准12种,引用文献标准的研究数量逐年增加。数据规范为71个证型,阿尔茨海默病(AD)频率>10%的证候有6个,包括髓海不足证、肾精亏虚、痰浊阻窍证、瘀血阻络证、脾肾两虚证、肾阴虚证,频率>10%的证候要素有8个,分别是髓海不足、阴虚、精亏、阳虚、气虚、血虚、血瘀、痰浊。血管性痴呆(VaD)频率>10%的证候有4个,包括痰浊瘀阻证、肾精亏虚证、瘀血阻络证、痰浊阻窍证,频率>9%的证候要素5个,分别是血瘀、精亏、痰浊、阴虚、气虚。结论肾精亏虚、痰浊阻窍、瘀血阻络是痴呆的共性病机,AD以髓海不足证为首,VaD以痰浊瘀阻证为首。血瘀、精亏、痰浊、阴虚在AD与VaD中都是主要证候要素,AD与髓海不足、阳虚、血虚关系更为密切,VaD与精亏、痰浊关系更为密切,血瘀对于VaD比AD更重要。制定面向AD且操作性好的证候分型标准是迫切而且必要的。     

Homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia in China: Genetic and clinical characteristics from a real-world,multi-center,cohort study

BackgroundThere is a lack of large-scale data on the clinical and genotype characteristics of homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) patients in Asia.ObjectiveTo define the characteristics of phenotypic and genetic HoFH probands from mainland China.MethodsWe collected data from patients with suspected HoFH from ten clinical hospitals across mainland China from 2003 to 2019. Clinical data and DNA testing were obtained in all patients. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to generate survival curves, and the groups were compared with the log-rank test.ResultsA total of 108 unrelated probands with suspected HoFH (mean age 14.9 years) were included. The three most common variants were W483X (c.1448 G>A), A627T (c.1879 G>A), H583Y (c.1747 C>T). The majority (64.8%) were compound heterozygotes (n = 70), 23 (21.3%) were true HoFH patients. True HoFH showed higher LDL-C levels compared to compound HoFH (16.8±3.6 mmol/L vs. 15.0±3.1 mmol/L, P = 0.022). During follow-up, only 21.2% patients exhibited an LDL-C reduction of more than 50%. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the true HoFH probands had significantly worse survival rates compared to other genotype probands (13-year survival; 20.3% vs. 76.7%, respectively; P = 0.016). In addition, true HoFH shows that 2.8-fold (P = 0.022) increase any death and 3.0-fold (P = 0.023) increase cardiovascular death risk in relative to other FH.ConclusionsThis report shows that HoFH has devastating consequences, and that patients are often only diagnosed after they have been exposed to severely elevated LDL-C for years. Systematic screening and early intensive treatment are an absolute requirement for these young individuals with HoFH.