ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Changes in vascular function are closely associated with the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a potential indicator of vascular dysfunction; it allows noninvasive assessment of arterial stiffness. Currently, evidence for the effects of different classes of antidiabetic drugs on arterial stiffness remains limited. In this study, a network meta-analysis (NMA) was performed to explore the associations between changes in arterial stiffness and first-line antidiabetic drugs by evaluating PWV in patients with different metabolic abnormalities. METHODS: We systematically searched several electronic databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published from inception until 25 August 2022, without language restrictions. The primary outcome was the change in PWV (ΔPWV) in all included studies; subgroup analysis was performed for patients with abnormal glucose metabolism, including prediabetes and diabetes mellitus. NMA was performed to calculate the mean differences (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) as effect sizes to evaluate the ΔPWV. RESULTS: Among the 2257 candidate articles identified in the initial search, 18 RCTs were eventually included in the analysis. In all studies, two classes of new antidiabetic drugs, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists and sSodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors, improved arterial stiffness by decreasing PWV compared with placebo (MD = -1.11, 95% CI: -1.94 to 0.28) and (MD = -0.76, 95% CI: -1.45 to -0.08). A conventional antidiabetic drug, metformin, also showed similar efficacy compared with placebo (MD = -0.73, 95% CI: -1.33 to -0.12). Finally, in subgroup studies of patients with abnormal glucose metabolism diseases, GLP-1R agonists (MD = -1.06, 95% CI: -2.05 to -0.10) significantly decreased PWV compared with placebo. CONCLUSION: Three classes of antidiabetic drugs-GLP-1R agonists, SGLT-2 inhibitors, and metformin-have the potential to improve arterial stiffness. Among the six classes of antidiabetic drugs analyzed, GLP-1R agonists constitute the only class of drugs that improves arterial stiffness in patients with abnormal glucose metabolism diseases.
ABSTRACT
Caregiver education program has been applied to stroke patients, while its effect on mental health in stroke patients is still obscure. This study aimed to assess the impact of the WeChat-based caregiver education (WBCE) program on cognition, anxiety, and depression in stroke patients. Totally, 170 patients with ischemic stroke were included. They were randomized at a 1:1 ratio to the WBCE group (N = 86) and control care (CC) group (N = 84), and their caregivers received WBCE or CC for 12 months, respectively. Mini-mental state examination (MMSE) score was increased in the WBCE group compared with that in the CC group at the 9th month (M9) (27.2 ± 1.9 vs 26.6 ± 1.6, P = 0.017) and M12 (27.1 ± 1.8 vs 26.5 ± 1.5, P = 0.015), while cognitive impairment rate was decreased in WBCE group compared with that in CC group at 12th month (M12) (30.2% vs 45.2%, P=0.043). In the meantime, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) for Anxiety score (6.5 ± 3.1 vs 7.5 ± 2.8, P = 0.020), HADS for depression score (6.7 ± 3.1 vs 7.7 ± 3.3, P = 0.040) and depression rate (33.7% vs 48.8%, P = 0.046) in WBCE group were reduced compared with those in CC group at M12. Besides, an elevation in the satisfaction score of patients at M12 (8.0 ± 1.2 vs 7.4 ± 1.2, P = 0.002) and that of caregivers at 6th months (M6) (6.6 ± 1.1 vs 6.2 ± 1.3, P = 0.038) and M12 (7.2 ± 1.1 vs 6.8 ± 1.4, P=0.042) were found in WBCE group compared with CC group. WBCE program not only improves the satisfaction of stroke patients and caregivers but also attenuates cognitive impairment and depression in stroke patients.
