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Althemery AU, Albadi MA, Allaf AF, Almoqren SS, Alnajjar AH, Alkholifi FK. Comparing oxygen demand in critical covid-19 patients using single versus double doses of tocilizumab. Saudi Med J 2023; 44:513-517. [PMID: 37182918 PMCID: PMC10187733 DOI: 10.15537/smj.2023.44.5.20220755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To compare the outcomes of single versus double doses of tocilizumab in patients with severe COVID-19, especially on different types of oxygenation requirements. METHODS This cross-sectional study was carried out from January 2020 to March 2020. Patients diagnosed with COVID-19, who received at least one dose of tocilizumab, were included. The dependent variable was tocilizumab dose (single versus double). The primary outcome variable was oxygen demand on the first and last day of hospitalization. A series of comparisons between patients administered one dose of tocilizumab versus 2 doses were conducted. RESULTS Herein, 80 patients with severe COVID-19 infection were included, of whom 68.8% received one dose of tocilizumab, while 31.3% received a double dose. Two-thirds of the patients were male, with an overall average age of 58 years. In patients receiving 2 doses, oxygen demand tended to worsen by the seventh day, while in those who received one dose. The group that received 2 doses had a longer length of hospital stay. CONCLUSION This study could not capture the additional value of the second dose for different health outcomes. However, the results can inform clinician from experience when facing uncertainty due to new virus or variant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdullah U. Althemery
- From the Department of Clinical Pharmacy (Abdullah, Fisal), College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj; from the Internal Medicine Department (Marzoog, Ahmad) and Pharmacy Department (Amal), Security Forces Hospital; and from Pharmaceutical Care Services (Shekhah), King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
| | - Marzoog A. Albadi
- From the Department of Clinical Pharmacy (Abdullah, Fisal), College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj; from the Internal Medicine Department (Marzoog, Ahmad) and Pharmacy Department (Amal), Security Forces Hospital; and from Pharmaceutical Care Services (Shekhah), King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
| | - Ahmad F. Allaf
- From the Department of Clinical Pharmacy (Abdullah, Fisal), College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj; from the Internal Medicine Department (Marzoog, Ahmad) and Pharmacy Department (Amal), Security Forces Hospital; and from Pharmaceutical Care Services (Shekhah), King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
| | - Shekhah S. Almoqren
- From the Department of Clinical Pharmacy (Abdullah, Fisal), College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj; from the Internal Medicine Department (Marzoog, Ahmad) and Pharmacy Department (Amal), Security Forces Hospital; and from Pharmaceutical Care Services (Shekhah), King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
| | - Amal H. Alnajjar
- From the Department of Clinical Pharmacy (Abdullah, Fisal), College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj; from the Internal Medicine Department (Marzoog, Ahmad) and Pharmacy Department (Amal), Security Forces Hospital; and from Pharmaceutical Care Services (Shekhah), King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
| | - Faisal K. Alkholifi
- From the Department of Clinical Pharmacy (Abdullah, Fisal), College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj; from the Internal Medicine Department (Marzoog, Ahmad) and Pharmacy Department (Amal), Security Forces Hospital; and from Pharmaceutical Care Services (Shekhah), King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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Schmidt W, Pawlak-Buś K, Jóźwiak B, Leszczyński P. Identification of Clinical Response Predictors of Tocilizumab Treatment in Patients with Severe COVID-19 Based on Single-Center Experience. J Clin Med 2023; 12:jcm12062429. [PMID: 36983429 PMCID: PMC10051490 DOI: 10.3390/jcm12062429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2023] [Revised: 03/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Hyperinflammation in COVID-19 plays a crucial role in pathogenesis and severity; thus, many immunomodulatory agents are applied in its treatment. We aimed to identify good clinical response predictors of tocilizumab (TCZ) treatment in severe COVID-19, among clinical, laboratory, and radiological variables. We conducted a prospective, observational study with 120 patients with severe COVID-19 not improving despite dexamethasone (DEX) treatment. We used parametric and non-parametric statistics, univariate logistic regression, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and nonlinear factors tertile analysis. In total, 86 (71.7%) patients achieved the primary outcome of a good clinical response to TCZ. We identified forty-nine predictive factors with potential utility in patient selection and treatment monitoring. The strongest included time from symptom onset between 9 and 12 days, less than 70% of estimated radiological lung involvement, and lower activity of lactate dehydrogenase. Additional predictors were associated with respiratory function, vitamin D concentration, comorbidities, and inflammatory/organ damage biomarkers. Adverse events analysis proved the safety of such a regimen. Our study confirmed that using TCZ early in the hyperinflammatory phase, before severe respiratory failure development, is most beneficial. Considering the described predictive factors, employing simple and widely available laboratory, radiological, and clinical tools can optimize patient selection for immunomodulatory treatment with TCZ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wiktor Schmidt
- Department of Rheumatology, Systemic Connective Tissue Diseases and Immunotherapy of Rheumatic Diseases, J. Strus Municipal Hospital, 61-285 Poznan, Poland
- Department of Internal Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznan, Poland
- Doctoral School, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-812 Poznan, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Pawlak-Buś
- Department of Rheumatology, Systemic Connective Tissue Diseases and Immunotherapy of Rheumatic Diseases, J. Strus Municipal Hospital, 61-285 Poznan, Poland
- Department of Internal Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznan, Poland
| | - Barbara Jóźwiak
- Department of Rheumatology, Systemic Connective Tissue Diseases and Immunotherapy of Rheumatic Diseases, J. Strus Municipal Hospital, 61-285 Poznan, Poland
| | - Piotr Leszczyński
- Department of Rheumatology, Systemic Connective Tissue Diseases and Immunotherapy of Rheumatic Diseases, J. Strus Municipal Hospital, 61-285 Poznan, Poland
- Department of Internal Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznan, Poland
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Arias M, Oliveros H, Lechtig S, Bustos RH. Biologics in COVID-19 So Far: Systematic Review. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:ph15070783. [PMID: 35890081 PMCID: PMC9321859 DOI: 10.3390/ph15070783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
This systematic review aimed to reevaluate the available evidence of the use of biologics as treatment candidates for the treatment of severe and advanced COVID-19 disease; what are the rationale for their use, which are the most studied, and what kind of efficacy measures are described? A search through Cochrane, Embase, Pubmed, Medline, medrxiv.org, and Google scholar was performed on the use of biologic interventions in COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 infection, viral pneumonia, and sepsis, until 11 January 2022. Throughout the research, we identified 4821 records, of which 90 were selected for qualitative analysis. Amongst the results, we identified five popular targets of use: IL6 and IL1 inhibitors, interferons, mesenchymal stem cells treatment, and anti-spike antibodies. None of them offered conclusive evidence of their efficacy with consistency and statistical significance except for some studies with anti-spike antibodies; however, Il6 and IL1 inhibitors as well as interferons show encouraging data in terms of increased survival and favorable clinical course that require further studies with better methodology standardization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milton Arias
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Evidence-Based Therapeutics Group, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de La Sabana and Clínica Universidad de La Sabana, Autopista Norte de Bogotá, Chía 140013, Colombia; (M.A.); (S.L.)
| | - Henry Oliveros
- Department of Epidemiology, Health Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de La Sabana, Campus del Puente del Común, Km. 7, Autopista Norte de Bogotá, Chía 140013, Colombia;
| | - Sharon Lechtig
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Evidence-Based Therapeutics Group, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de La Sabana and Clínica Universidad de La Sabana, Autopista Norte de Bogotá, Chía 140013, Colombia; (M.A.); (S.L.)
| | - Rosa-Helena Bustos
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Evidence-Based Therapeutics Group, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de La Sabana and Clínica Universidad de La Sabana, Autopista Norte de Bogotá, Chía 140013, Colombia; (M.A.); (S.L.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +57-1608615555
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Pagkratis K, Chrysikos S, Antonakis E, Pandi A, Kosti CN, Markatis E, Hillas G, Digalaki A, Koukidou S, Chaini E, Afthinos A, Dimakou K, Papanikolaou IC. Predictors of Mortality in Tocilizumab-Treated Severe COVID-19. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10060978. [PMID: 35746585 PMCID: PMC9230711 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10060978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose: Tocilizumab is associated with positive outcomes in severe COVID-19. We wanted to describe the characteristics of nonresponders to treatment. Methods: This was a retrospective multicenter study in two respiratory departments investigating adverse outcomes at 90 days from diagnosis in subjects treated with tocilizumab (8 mg/kg intravenously single dose) for severe progressive COVID-19. Results: Of 121 subjects, 62% were males, and 9% were fully vaccinated. Ninety-six (79.4%) survived, and 25 died (20.6%). Compared to survivors (S), nonsurvivors (NS) were older (median 57 versus 75 years of age), had more comorbidities (Charlson comorbidity index 2 versus 5) and had higher rates of intubation/mechanical ventilation (p < 0.05). On admission, NS had a lower PO2/FiO2 ratio, higher blood ferritin, and higher troponin, and on clinical progression (day of tocilizumab treatment), NS had a lower PO2/FiO2 ratio, decreased lymphocytes, increased neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, increased ferritin and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), disease located centrally on computed tomography scan, and increased late c-reactive protein. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis identified age and LDH on deterioration as predictors of death; admission PO2/FiO2 ratio and LDH as predictors of intubation; PO2/FiO2 ratios, LDH, and central lung disease on radiology as predictors of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) (a < 0.05). The log-rank test of mortality yielded the same results (p < 0.001). ROC analysis of the above predictors in a separate validation cohort yielded significant results. Conclusions: Older age and high serum LDH levels are predictors of mortality in tocilizumab-treated severe COVID-19 patients. Hypoxia levels, LDH, and central pulmonary involvement radiologically are associated with intubation and NIV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantinos Pagkratis
- Pulmonary Department, Corfu General Hospital, 49100 Corfu, Greece; (K.P.); (E.A.); (A.P.); (E.M.); (E.C.); (A.A.)
| | - Serafeim Chrysikos
- 5th Respiratory Medicine Department, SOTIRIA Chest Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece; (S.C.); (C.N.K.); (G.H.); (A.D.); (S.K.); (K.D.)
| | - Emmanouil Antonakis
- Pulmonary Department, Corfu General Hospital, 49100 Corfu, Greece; (K.P.); (E.A.); (A.P.); (E.M.); (E.C.); (A.A.)
| | - Aggeliki Pandi
- Pulmonary Department, Corfu General Hospital, 49100 Corfu, Greece; (K.P.); (E.A.); (A.P.); (E.M.); (E.C.); (A.A.)
| | - Chrysavgi Nikolaou Kosti
- 5th Respiratory Medicine Department, SOTIRIA Chest Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece; (S.C.); (C.N.K.); (G.H.); (A.D.); (S.K.); (K.D.)
| | - Eleftherios Markatis
- Pulmonary Department, Corfu General Hospital, 49100 Corfu, Greece; (K.P.); (E.A.); (A.P.); (E.M.); (E.C.); (A.A.)
| | - Georgios Hillas
- 5th Respiratory Medicine Department, SOTIRIA Chest Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece; (S.C.); (C.N.K.); (G.H.); (A.D.); (S.K.); (K.D.)
| | - Antonia Digalaki
- 5th Respiratory Medicine Department, SOTIRIA Chest Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece; (S.C.); (C.N.K.); (G.H.); (A.D.); (S.K.); (K.D.)
| | - Sofia Koukidou
- 5th Respiratory Medicine Department, SOTIRIA Chest Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece; (S.C.); (C.N.K.); (G.H.); (A.D.); (S.K.); (K.D.)
| | - Eleftheria Chaini
- Pulmonary Department, Corfu General Hospital, 49100 Corfu, Greece; (K.P.); (E.A.); (A.P.); (E.M.); (E.C.); (A.A.)
| | - Andreas Afthinos
- Pulmonary Department, Corfu General Hospital, 49100 Corfu, Greece; (K.P.); (E.A.); (A.P.); (E.M.); (E.C.); (A.A.)
| | - Katerina Dimakou
- 5th Respiratory Medicine Department, SOTIRIA Chest Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece; (S.C.); (C.N.K.); (G.H.); (A.D.); (S.K.); (K.D.)
| | - Ilias C. Papanikolaou
- Pulmonary Department, Corfu General Hospital, 49100 Corfu, Greece; (K.P.); (E.A.); (A.P.); (E.M.); (E.C.); (A.A.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +30-266-136-0694; Fax.: +30-266-136-0488
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He X, Zeng XX. Immunotherapy and CRISPR Cas Systems: Potential Cure of COVID-19? Drug Des Devel Ther 2022; 16:951-972. [PMID: 35386853 PMCID: PMC8979261 DOI: 10.2147/dddt.s347297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 has plunged the world into a pandemic that affected millions. The continually emerging new variants of concern raise the question as to whether the existing vaccines will continue to provide sufficient protection for individuals from SARS-CoV-2 during natural infection. This narrative review aims to briefly outline various immunotherapeutic options and discuss the potential of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR Cas system technology against COVID-19 treatment as specific cure. As the development of vaccine, convalescent plasma, neutralizing antibodies are based on the understanding of human immune responses against SARS-CoV-2, boosting human body immune responses in case of SARS-CoV-2 infection, immunotherapeutics seem feasible as specific cure against COVID-19 if the present challenges are overcome. In cell based therapeutics, apart from the high costs, risks and side effects, there are technical problems such as the production of sufficient potent immune cells and antibodies under limited time to treat the COVID-19 patients in mild conditions prior to progression into a more severe case. The CRISPR Cas technology could be utilized to refine the specificity and safety of CAR-T cells, CAR-NK cells and neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 during various stages of the COVID-19 disease progression in infected individuals. Moreover, CRISPR Cas technology are proposed in hypotheses to degrade the viral RNA in order to terminate the infection caused by SARS-CoV-2. Thus personalized cocktails of immunotherapeutics and CRISPR Cas systems against COVID-19 as a strategy might prevent further disease progression and circumvent immunity escape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuesong He
- Department of Cardiology, Changzhou Jintan First People’s Hospital, Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province, 213200, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiao Xue Zeng
- Department of Health Management, Centre of General Practice, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Southern Medical University, Foshan City, Guangdong Province, 528000, People’s Republic of China
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Ahmadpour E, Ebrahimzadeh A, Mortazavi-Moghaddam S, Pagheh A, Barac A. Tuberculous meningitis and miliary tuberculosis in Iran: A review. ASIAN PAC J TROP MED 2022. [DOI: 10.4103/1995-7645.343880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
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