Value of peripheral blood eosinophils in predicting the therapeutic effect of sublingual specific immunotherapy in patients with allergic rhinitis / 中国医师杂志

Objective:To investigate the value of peripheral blood eosinophils (EOS) in predicting the therapeutic effect of sublingual specific immunotherapy (SLIT) in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR).Methods:From January 2018 to June 2020, 200 patients with AR who received SLIT in Dongguan Kanghua Hospital were evaluated for their symptoms before treatment and 6 months after treatment. The curative effect was evaluated according to the improvement of the total symptom score. The number of eosinophils, percentage of eosinophils in peripheral blood were measured before treatment. The correlation between curative effect and EOS count and EOS percentage was analyzed and the value of these two indicators in predicting the efficacy of SLIT was evaluated.Results:Of the 200 AR patients, 178 patients were confirmed to have completed the treatment course of 6months. 126 effective and 52 ineffective, the effective rates were 70.8%. There was a weak correlation between the number of EOS in peripheral blood and the percentage of EOS in peripheral blood before treatment and the efficacy of SLIT ( r=0.168, P=0.048; r=0.250, P=0.001). The area under the curve of peripheral blood EOS count was 0.380, and the percentage of peripheral blood EOS was 0.355, which were all less than 0.5. Conclusions:There was no significant correlation between the number of peripheral blood EOS count and peripheral blood EOS percentage and the efficacy of SLIT , therefore, both of blood EOS count and blood EOS percentage have no value in predicting the efficacy of SLIT.

Mucosal bacterial vaccines in clinical practice - a novel approach to an old problem?

SUMMARY OBJECTIVES To evaluate the efficacy of mucosal bacterial vaccines (MBV) in reducing the number of exacerbations in patients with chronic respiratory disease. METHODS A prospective cohort study of patients followed at the Pneumology Unit of the University and Hospital Centre of Coimbra, with frequent infectious exacerbations (3 or more) despite the best therapeutic strategies employed. MBV was used as additional therapy. The number of exacerbations 1 year before therapy and 1 year after it were analyzed. RESULTS A sample of 11 individuals, 45.5% male, mean age 62.5 years. Eight patients had non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis, 2 COPD (1 on long-term oxygen therapy), and 1 patient with Mounier Kuhn's syndrome. Three patients were on azithromycin, 1 on inhaled colistin, and 2 on inhaled tobramycin. Out of the 11 patients, one presented complication (fever), which led to a suspension of therapy (excluded from results). Of the 10 patients who completed treatment, 5 had bacterial colonization and were submitted to a custom vaccine. The remaining 6 completed the standard composition. The average of infectious exacerbations in the previous year was 4.3 (0.7 with hospitalization). In the year after therapy, the mean number was 1.5 (0.5 with hospitalization). CONCLUSION The results obtained in this study favor the use of bacterial immunostimulation to reduce the frequency of RRIs in patients with chronic respiratory disease.

RESUMO OBJETIVO Avaliar a eficácia de vacinas bacterianas de mucosa (MBV) na redução do número de exacerbações de pacientes com doença respiratória crônica. MÉTODOS Um estudo de coorte prospectivo incluindo pacientes da Unidade de Pneumologia da Universidade e Centro Hospitalar de Coimbra, com exacerbações infecciosas frequentes (3 ou mais), apesar do uso das melhores estratégias terapêuticas. MBVs foram usadas como terapia adicional. O número de exacerbações 1 ano antes da terapia e 1 ano após ela foram analisados. RESULTADOS Amostra incluiu 11 indivíduos, 45,5% do sexo masculino, com média de idade de 62,5 anos. Oito pacientes apresentaram bronquiectasia não relacionada à fibrose cística, 2 DPOC (1 em oxigenoterapia prolongada) e 1 paciente com síndrome de Mounier-Kuhn. Três pacientes estavam sendo medicados com azitromicina, 1 com colistina inalada e 2 com tobramicina inalada. Dos 11 pacientes, um apresentou complicação (febre), o que levou à suspensão da terapia (excluído dos resultados). Dos 10 pacientes que completaram o tratamento, 5 apresentaram colonização bacteriana e receberam uma vacina personalizada. Os 6 restantes foram tratados com a composição padrão. A média de exacerbações infecciosas no ano anterior foi de 4,3 (0,7 com hospitalização). No ano após a terapia, o número médio foi de 1,5 (0,5 com hospitalização). CONCLUSÃO Os resultados obtidos neste estudo favorecem o uso de imunoestimulação bacteriana para reduzir a frequência de infecções respiratórias recorrentes em pacientes com doença respiratória crônica.

Effectiveness and safety of sublingual misoprostol in medical treatment of the 1st trimester miscarriage: experience of off-label use in Korea

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness and safety of medical treatment with sublingual misoprostol (MS) in the 1st trimester miscarriage under the approval by Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) for off-label usage by the single medical center in Korea. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed in one institution between April 2013 and June 2016. Ninety-one patients diagnosed with miscarriage before 14 weeks of gestation and wanted to try medical treatment were included. A detailed ultrasound scan was performed to confirm the diagnosis. Patients took 600 microgram (mcg) of MS sublingually at initial dose, and repeated the same dose 4–6 hours apart. Successful medical abortion was defined as spontaneous expulsion of gestational products (including gestational sac, embryo, fetus, and placenta). If gestational products were not expelled, surgical evacuation was performed at least 24 hours later from the initial dose. Information about side effects was obtained by medical records. RESULTS: About two-thirds of patients had a successful outcome. The median interval time from pill to expulsion was 18 hours in the successful medical treatment group. There was no serious systemic side effect or massive vaginal bleeding. Presence or absence of vaginal spotting before diagnosis of miscarriage, uterine leiomyomas, subchorionic hematoma, or distorted shape of gestational sac on ultrasound scan were not statistically different between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Medical treatment with sublingual MS can be a proper option for the 1st trimester miscarriage, especially for the patient who want to avoid surgical procedure. We can reduce the unnecessary sedation or surgical intervention in the patients with the 1st trimester miscarriage.

Evaluation of efficacy of 1 year after completing the 2-year specific sublingual immunotherapy treatment course in allergic rhinitis / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

Objective@#To evaluate the efficacy of treatment at 1 year after completing the 2-year specific sublingual immunotherapy in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR).@*Methods@#A retrospective analysis of 124 patients with AR who were allergic to dust mite and treated in the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University since 2012 was performed. All patients achieved sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) for 2 years and had a regular follow-up over 1 year. Efficacy evaluation index such as VAS score, total nasal symptom score and total medication score were compared between the time of SLIT for 2 years, and 1 year after termination of SLIT. Paired t test was used for the comparison of scores.@*Results@#Compared with those before treatment, the VAS score, total nasal symptom score and total medication score at the time of SLIT for 2 years were significantly decreased in all patients with AR [(9.40±5.96) vs (24.78±6.36), (4.53±2.06) vs (9.51±2.02), (0.42±0.87) vs (3.02±0.41), t value was 17.627, 24.600, 5.331, respectively, all P<0.01]. Compared with 2 years SLIT treatment, VAS score and total nasal symptom score were significantly increased than 1 year after termination of immunotherapy [(12.52±6.92) vs (9.40±5.96), (5.30±2.36) vs (4.53±2.06), t=5.199, 3.744, respectively, all P<0.01], but the total medication score showed no significant difference [(0.34±0.84) vs (0.42±0.87), t=-1.043, P>0.05].@*Conclusions@#The symptoms after 2 years SLIT in patients with AR have been well controlled. One year after the termination of SLIT, there is a certain rebound in symptoms, 2 years SLIT may not be the ideal treatment cycle for AR.

Efficacy evaluation of specific sublingual immunotherapy with standardized dust mites drops on different age patients with allergic rhinitis / 中国耳鼻咽喉头颈外科

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the difference of efficacy of sublingual immunotherapy on different age patients with allergic rhinitis. METHODS 229 patients with dermatophagoides farina drops allergic rhinitis who have finished SLIT at least 2 years were enrolled and analyzed by retrospective analysis. All patients were divided into different age groups: pre-adolescence(n=107), adolescence(n=53), adulthood(n=69). Indexes for therapeutic effects of SLIT visual analogue scale(VAS) score, rhinitis symptom scores, medication scoreintra- and inter groups were assessed during different stage of treatment(3 months, 1 year and 2 years). Data were analyzed with SPSS 19.0 software. RESULTS Compared with prior treatment, after the SLIT for 3 months, 1 year, 2 years, VAS scores, rhinitis symptom scores, medication scoresof all the patients with allergic rhinitis are significantly decreased; Differences of rhinitis symptom scores(H=0.844, 4.153, 2.669, P>0.05), VAS score(H=1.356, 3.720, 0.313, P >0.05), medication scores(H=1.044, 5.841, 3.399, P>0.05) between groups had no statistical significance at different stage after treatment(3 months, 1 year and 2 years); The differences between 2 years and 1 year of SLIT treatment showed statistical significance in the VAS scores(Z=1.635, P =1.635). CONCLUSION SLIT with dust mites drops had good curative effect and security in patients with allergic rhinitis, which hadno obvious difference between different age groups.

Short-term clinical efficacy of sublingual immunotherapy in children with allergic rhinitis / 中国耳鼻咽喉头颈外科

OBJECTIVE To investigate the short-term clinical efficacy of sublingual immunotherapy in children with allergic rhinitis. METHODS Forty-four patients, from 3-14 years of age, with mite-sensitive allergic rhinitis were treated sublingually with standardized dermatophagoidesfarinae extract. After treatment of 3 or 6 months using the dermatophagoidesfarinae extract, the total nasal symptoms score(including nasal congestion, nasal itching, rhinorrhea and sneezing scores), total rhinitis medicine scores, visual analog scale scores and the percentage of blood eosinophilic granulocyte(Eos%) before and after treatment were evaluated. SPSS 20.0 software was used to analyze the data. RESULTS After 3 or 6 months' treatment,thenasal symptoms score(including nasal congestion, nasal itching, rhinorrhea and sneezing scores), total rhinitis medicine scores and visual analog scale scoreshad significantly reduced,comparing with that before treatment(all P0.05), while nasal itching scores had significantly reduced(Z=-4.185, P<0.05). After 6 months' treatment, the percentage of Eos% had significantly reduced compared with that before treatment(Z=-4.544, P<0.05). CONCLUSION SLIT could be an effective treatment in patients with allergic rhinitis sensitive to house dust mite. It would have effect after3 months treatment and Eos%reduced significantly after 6 months treatment.

A Meta-analysis of efficacy and safety of sublingual immunotherapy on allergic asthma / 中华内科杂志

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) in patients with allergic asthma in order to provide reliable evidence for clinical application of SLIT.Methods To search published articles of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in allergic asthma from CNKI,WANFANG,Pubmed and Medline databases.The methodological quality of trials was assessed by Jadadscale.The heterogeneity was examined by using Stata 11.0 software.Fixed effect model or random effect model was used to pool the data.The articles which could not be pooled were carried out by descriptive analysis.The Egger's and Begg's test were used to evaluate the publication bias.Results There were total 6 RCTs included in this text.Compared with control group,SLIT could significantly reduce asthma symptom scores (SMD =-0.89,95％ CI-1.36--0.43,P =0.000) and asthma medication scores (SMD =-4.53,95％CI-6.97--2.08,P =0.000),but not forced expiratory volume (FEV1) of lung function (SMD =0.19,95％ CI-0.02-0.41,P =0.078),neither serum sIgE levels (SMD =0.05,95％ CI -0.58-0.69,P =0.870).There were no obvious adverse events reported after treatment of SLIT.No publication bias were indicated by Egger's and Begg's tests.Conclusion SLIT significantly reduces asthma symptom scores and medication scores,suggesting that SLIT is a safe and effective approach of immunotherapy.However,it still needs more highly qualified studies of RCTs to prove.

Baixa dose de misoprostol sublingual (12,5 µg) para indução do parto / Low dose of sublingual misoprostol (12.5 µg) for labor induction

OBJETIVO: Descrever os resultados maternos e perinatais utilizando 12,5 µg de misoprostol sublingual para indução do parto em gestantes com feto vivo a termo. MÉTODOS: Realizou-se um estudo multicêntrico, tipo ensaio clínico, aberto e não randomizado, no período de julho a dezembro de 2009. Foram incluídas 30 gestantes com indicação de indução do parto, a termo, feto vivo, escore de Bishop menor ou igual a seis, apresentação cefálica, peso fetal estimado menor que 4.000 g e índice de líquido amniótico maior que cinco. Foram excluídas mulheres com cicatriz uterina, alteração da vitalidade fetal, anomalias congênitas, gestação múltipla, restrição de crescimento intrauterino, hemorragia genital e contraindicações ao parto vaginal. O comprimido de misoprostol sublingual 12,5 µg foi administrado a cada seis horas, até o início do trabalho de parto, máximo de oito doses. RESULTADOS: O trabalho de parto foi induzido satisfatoriamente em 90% das gestantes. As médias dos intervalos entre a primeira dose e o início das contrações uterinas e o parto foram de 14,3±11,7 horas e 25,4±13 horas, respectivamente. A frequência de parto vaginal foi de 60%. A taquissistolia ocorreu em duas gestantes, sendo revertida em ambos os casos sem necessitar de cesariana. A eliminação de mecônio foi observada em quatro pacientes e o escore de Apgar foi menor que sete no quinto minuto em um recém-nascido. CONCLUSÃO: Os desfechos maternos e perinatais foram favoráveis depois da indução do parto com misoprostol sublingual na dose de 12,5 µg a cada seis horas. No entanto, são necessários ensaios clínicos controlados comparando esse esquema posológico com outras doses e vias de administração.

PURPOSE: To describe the maternal and perinatal outcomes after the use of 12.5 µg of sublingual misoprostol for labor induction in women with term pregnancy and a live fetus. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter, open and non-randomized clinical trial during the period from July to December 2009. We included 30 pregnant women with an indication for labor induction at term, carrying a live fetus, with a Bishop score of six or less, cephalic presentation, estimated fetal weight of less than 4,000 g and an amniotic fluid index greater than five. We excluded women with a previous uterine scar, non-reassuring fetal status, congenital anomalies, multiple pregnancy, intrauterine growth restriction, genital bleeding, and contraindications of vaginal delivery. A tablet of 12.5 µg sublingual misoprostol was administered every six hours, until the beginning of labor, with the maximum of eight doses. RESULTS: Labor was successfully induced in 90% of pregnant women. The mean interval between the first dose and the onset of uterine contractions and delivery was 14.3±11.7 hours and 25.4±13 hours, respectively. The frequency of vaginal delivery was 60%. Uterine tachysystole occurred in two pregnant women, being reversed in both cases without the need for cesarean section. Meconium-stained amniotic fluid was observed in four patients, and an Apgar score of less than 7 at five minutes in only one newborn. CONCLUSION: Maternal and perinatal outcomes were favorable after induction of labor with sublingual misoprostol at a dose of 12.5 µg every six hours. However, controlled trials are needed to compare this regimen with other doses and routes of administration.

Dinitrato de isosorbide sublingual en la urgencia hipertensiva

Se investigó el uso del dinitrato de isosorbide sublingual en la urgencia hipertensiva. Se estableció además una correlación con la nifedipina, de eficacia probada para este fin. Se estudiaron 80 pacientes con este diagnóstico, distribuidos aleatoriamente en 2 grupos, que recibieron 10 mg de nifedipina o dinitrato de isosorbide, si a los 45 min de la primera dosis no se había alcanzado el control se administró una segunda dosis. Se obtuvo la primera dosis de dinitrato de isosorbide, un mayor número de pacientes controlados (n = 29) a diferencia de la nifedipina (n = 19). Ambos fármacos lograron el control de 36 pacientes con la segunda dosis. La nifedipina causó cefalea ligera. En conclusión, el dinitrato de isosorbide resultó ser un medicamento eficaz, de fácil administración y con escasos efectos secundarios en el tratamiento de la urgencia hipertensiva y puede constituir una alternativa más en los servicios de urgencia.

The use of sublingual isosorbide dinitrate in the hypertensive urgency was investigated. It was also established a correlation with nifedipine, whose efficacy has been proved to this end. 80 patients with this diagnosis were studied and divided at random into 2 groups, who received 10 mg of nifedipine or isosorbide dinitrate and a second dosage if their pressure was not controlled 45 minutes after the first dosage. With the first dosage of isosorbide dinitrate a higher number of patients were controlled (n = 29) compared with nifedipine (n = 19). 36 patients were controlled with the second dosage of both drugs. Nifedipine caused mild cephalalgia. To conclude, isosorbide dinitrate proved to be an efficient drug, easy to administer and with a few side effects in the treatment of hypertensive urgency. It may be another alternative for urgency services.