A prospective, randomized, multicenter comparative study of clinafloxacin versus a ceftriaxone-based regimen in the treatment of hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia

Identifying the Best Initial Oral Antibiotics for Adults with Community-Acquired Pneumonia: A Network Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

The objective of this network meta-analysis was to compare rates of clinical response and mortality for empiric oral antibiotic regimens in adults with mild-moderate community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).

METHODS

We searched PubMed, Cochrane, and the reference lists of systematic reviews and clinical guidelines. We included randomized trials of adults with radiologically confirmed mild to moderate CAP initially treated orally and reporting clinical cure or mortality. Abstracts and studies were reviewed in parallel for inclusion in the analysis and for data abstraction. We performed separate analyses by antibiotic medications and antibiotic classes and present the results through network diagrams and forest plots sorted by p-scores. We assessed the quality of each study using the Cochrane Risk of Bias framework, as well as global and local inconsistency.

RESULTS

We identified 24 studies with 9361 patients: six at low risk of bias, six at unclear risk, and 12 at high risk. Nemonoxacin, levofloxacin, and telithromycin were most likely to achieve clinical response (p-score 0.79, 0.71, and 0.69 respectively), while penicillin and amoxicillin were least likely to achieve clinical response. Levofloxacin, nemonoxacin, azithromycin, and amoxicillin-clavulanate were most likely to be associated with lower mortality (p-score 0.85, 0.75, 0.74, and 0.68 respectively). By antibiotic class, quinolones and macrolides were most effective for clinical response (0.71 and 0.70 respectively), with amoxicillin-clavulanate plus macrolides and beta-lactams being less effective (p-score 0.11 and 0.22). Quinolones were most likely to be associated with lower mortality (0.63). All confidence intervals were broad and partially overlapping.

CONCLUSION

We observed trends toward a better clinical response and lower mortality for quinolones as empiric antibiotics for CAP, but found no conclusive evidence of any antibiotic being clearly more effective than another. More trials are needed to inform guideline recommendations on the most effective antibiotic regimens for outpatients with mild to moderate CAP.

Efficacy of Ceftriaxone 1 g daily Versus 2 g daily for The Treatment of Community-Acquired Pneumonia: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

Introduction: Ceftriaxone has been recommended as a first-line treatment for various infections; however, the doses for pneumonia have not been a consensus in randomized clinical trials. To compare ceftriaxone 1 g daily efficacy to other ceftriaxone dosing regimens in community-acquired pneumonia. Area covered: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis on PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and LILACS. Randomized controlled trials of ceftriaxone in community-acquired pneumonia were included. Outcomes included clinical cure in modified intention-to-treatment, clinically and microbiologically evaluable patients. Expert opinion: Ceftriaxone dosages of 1 g daily are as safe and effective as other antibiotic regimens for community-acquired pneumonia. Twenty-four articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Twelve studies evaluated ceftriaxone regimens at a dosage of 2 g daily and 12 studies evaluated ceftriaxone at a dosage of 1 g daily. The odds-ratio of clinical cure in the modified intention-to-treatment patients administered either ceftriaxone (4666 patients) or a comparator (4411 patients) was 0.98 (95% CI [0.82-1.17]). Comparator regimens showed similar efficacy to ceftriaxone regimens of 1 g daily, with an odds ratio of 1.03 (95% CI [0.88-1.20]). Dosages higher than ceftriaxone 1 g daily did not result in improved clinical outcomes for community-acquired pneumonia patients (OR 1.02, 95% CI [0.91-1.14]).

Drug-induced hypoglycaemia: an update

Drugs are the most frequent cause of hypoglycaemia in adults. Although hypoglycaemia is a well known adverse effect of antidiabetic agents, it may occasionally develop in the course of treatment with drugs used in everyday clinical practice, including NSAIDs, analgesics, antibacterials, antimalarials, antiarrhythmics, antidepressants and other miscellaneous agents. They induce hypoglycaemia by stimulating insulin release, reducing insulin clearance or interfering with glucose metabolism. Several drugs may also potentiate the hypoglycaemic effect of antidiabetic agents. Administration of these agents to individuals with diabetes mellitus is of most concern. Many of these drugs, and depending on clinical setting, may also induce hyperglycaemia. Drug-induced hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity may lead in certain circumstances to hypoglycaemia. Some drugs may also induce hypoglycaemia by causing pancreatitis. Drug-induced hypoglycaemia is usually mild but may be severe. Effective clinical management can be handled through awareness of this drug-induced adverse effect on blood glucose levels. Herein, we review pertinent clinical information on the incidence of drug-induced hypoglycaemia and discuss the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms, and prevention and management.