Does statin use improve pneumonia outcomes?

Statins Show Promise Against Progression of Liver Disease

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Alteration of lipid profile and value of lipids in the prediction of the length of hospital stay in COVID-19 pneumonia patients

To observe lipid profiles and their alterations in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 pneumonia (NCP) and evaluate the value of lipids for the prediction of the length of hospital stay (LOS), a total of 248 patients aged 18 years or older were enrolled in this retrospective study. At admission, the median levels of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in all patients were 1.11, 4.00, 0.89, and 2.11 mmol/L, respectively. Compared with common cases (n = 174), severe cases (n = 74) exhibited higher TG and HDL-C, and lower LDL-C. Levels of TC and LDL-C were negatively correlated with LOS. In 68 severe cases, serum lipids were followed up during hospitalization, and the median LOS was 29 days. The average levels of serum lipids were lowest at admission and gradually increased during hospitalization. Compared with the LOS ≤ 29 days group, serum levels of TC, HDL-C, and LDL-C were significantly lower in the LOS > 29 days group at admission; this lower trend was found in the subsequent tests for TC and LDL-C but not for HDL-C or TG. Multiple-variant COX regression showed that levels of TC or LDL-C at admission were independent risk of LOS prolongation. Together, these findings suggest that in patients with NCP, levels of TC and LDL-C at admission were negatively correlated with LOS. In severe cases, the gradual increase in TC, LDL-C, and HDL-C during hospitalization might indicate gradual recovery. TC < 3.75 mmol/L or LDL-C < 1.7 mmol/L at admission may act as an independent predictor of prolonged LOS.

Pretreatment with atorvastatin ameliorates cobra venom factor-induced acute lung inflammation in mice

Background

The complement system plays a critical role as the pathogenic factor in the models of acute lung injury due to various causes. Cobra venom factor (CVF) is a commonly used complement research tool. The CVF can cause acute inflammation in the lung by producing complement activation components. Atorvastatin (ATR) is a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A inhibitor approved for control of plasma cholesterol levels. This inhibitor can reduce the acute pulmonary inflammatory response. However, the ability of ATR in treating acute lung inflammation caused by complement activation is still unknown. Therefore, we investigated the effect of ATR on lung inflammation in mice induced by activation of the complement alternative pathway in this study.

Methods

ATR (10 mg/kg/day via oral gavage) was administered for 7 days before tail vein injection of CVF (25 μg/kg). On the seventh day, all mice were sacrificed 1 h after injection. The lung lobe, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and blood samples were collected. The myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity of the lung homogenate, the leukocyte cell count, and the protein content of BALF were measured. The levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), P-selectin, and Intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in BALF and serum were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The pathological change of the lung tissue was observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. The deposition of C5b-9 in the lung tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry. The phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 in the lung tissues was examined by immunohistochemistry and western blotting.

Results

The lung inflammation levels were determined by measuring the leukocyte cell numbers and protein content of BALF, the lung MPO activity, and expression and staining of the inflammatory mediators (IL-6 and TNF-α), and adhesion molecules (P-selectin and ICAM-1) for lung lesion. A significant reduction in the lung inflammation levels was observed after 7 days in ATR pre-treated mice with a CVF-induced lung disease. Deposition of C5b-9 was significantly alleviated by ATR pretreatment. Early intervention with ATR significantly reduced the development of acute lung inflammation on the basis of phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 in the lung.

Conclusion

These findings suggest the identification of ATR treatment for the lung inflammation induced by activating the complement system on the basis of its anti-inflammatory response. Together with the model replicating the complement activating characteristics of acute lung injury, the results may be translatable to the overactivated complement relevant diseases.

Atorvastatin attenuates paraquat poisoning-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition via downregulating hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha

AIM

This study investigated the effects of atorvastatin (ATS) on the paraquat (PQ)-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and the potential mechanism through hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α).

MAIN METHODS

Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into a control group (n = 5), PQ group (n = 20), PQ + ATS L group (n = 20, ATS 20 mg/kg daily) and PQ + ATS H group (n = 20, ATS 40 mg/kg daily). All treated rats were given a 20% PQ solution (50 mg/kg) once by gavage and then sacrificed 12, 24, 72 and 168 h after PQ exposure. The A549 and RLE-6TN cell lines were treated with ATS, PQ or both for 24 h. Mesenchymal (α-SMA and vimentin) and epithelial (E-cadherin and ZO-1) cell marker expression was tested both in vivo and in vitro. The effects of ATS on HIF-1α and β‑catenin expression were also evaluated.

KEY FINDINGS

ATS alleviated PQ poisoning-induced lung injury and pulmonary fibrosis in vivo. This effect was dose-dependent. ATS treatment attenuated the EMT by increasing the levels of the epithelial markers E-cadherin and ZO-1 and by decreasing the expression of the mesenchymal markers α-SMA and vimentin in both lung tissues and in vitro cell culture. In addition, ATS treatment may decrease the HIF-1α and β‑catenin levels both in vivo and in vitro.

SIGNIFICANCE

In conclusion, ATS can attenuate PQ-induced pulmonary fibrosis. The mechanism may involve the downregulation of the HIF-1α/β‑catenin pathway and the inhibition of the PQ-induced EMT by ATS. ATS may be considered as a therapeutic agent for PQ poisoning-induced pulmonary fibrosis.

Atorvastatin along with imipenem attenuates acute lung injury in sepsis through decrease in inflammatory mediators and bacterial load

Lung is one of the vital organs which is affected during the sequential development of multi-organ dysfunction in sepsis. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether combined treatment with atorvastatin and imipenem could attenuate sepsis-induced lung injury in mice. Sepsis was induced by caecal ligation and puncture. Lung injury was assessed by the presence of lung edema, increased vascular permeability, increased inflammatory cell infiltration and cytokine levels in broncho-alveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Treatment with atorvastatin along with imipenem reduced the lung bacterial load and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and TNFα) level in BALF. The markers of pulmonary edema such as microvascular leakage and wet-dry weight ratio were also attenuated. This was further confirmed by the reduced activity of MPO and ICAM-1 mRNA expression, indicating the lesser infiltration and adhesion of inflammatory cells to the lungs. Again, expression of mRNA and protein level of iNOS in lungs was also reduced in the combined treatment group. Based on the above findings it can be concluded that, combined treatment with atorvastatin and imipenem dampened the inflammatory response and reduced the bacterial load, thus seems to have promising therapeutic potential in sepsis-induced lung injury in mice.

Role of statin on mortality outcome in pneumonia patients: A meta-analysis

AIM: To determine the role of statin on mortality outcome in patient with pneumonia.

METHODS: For the present meta-analysis, we search the published literatures online through PubMed, Embase, Scopus and the Cochrane Library databases and the search words used were “statins’”, “bacteraemia”, “pneumonia”, and “ICU infections”. During the online search our focus was on full text articles, peer-reviewed, observational cohort or case control studies and randomized controlled trials. Those studies were selected whose outcome was hospital mortality among patients with pneumonia whether or not on statins. In this meta-analysis, 30 d mortality was used as the primary outcome as it has been demonstrated in the previous research that 30 d mortality is primarily because of community acquired pneumonia. As all studies were observational, where statin users were compared with historical rather than randomized controls, odds ratio for in-hospital or all-cause 30 d mortality was used as the primary effect measure used in the meta-analysis.

RESULTS: We came across the total 25 studies comprising 35355 patients (2734 statin users and 32621 statin non-users) during the electronic search. Four studies out of 25 were included in the final analysis. In this meta-analysis, when data regarding the use of statin in pneumonia patients on mortality was pooled, its results showed the non-significant effect of the statin on mortality outcome.

CONCLUSION: Although statins seems to be useful in the treatment of pneumonia patients but for statistical conclusion, further randomized controlled trials needs to be done or their results still waited to be published of ongoing trials, with the conclusion that presently statins showing no clinical benefit in the pneumonia patients.

Unintended effects of statins from observational studies in the general population: systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Efficacy of statins has been extensively studied, with much less information reported on their unintended effects. Evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on unintended effects is often insufficient to support hypotheses generated from observational studies. We aimed to systematically assess unintended effects of statins from observational studies in general populations with comparison of the findings where possible with those derived from randomized trials.

METHODS

Medline (1998 to January 2012, week 3) and Embase (1998 to 2012, week 6) were searched using the standard BMJ Cohort studies filter. The search was supplemented with reference lists of all identified studies and contact with experts in the field. We included prospective studies with a sample size larger than 1,000 participants, case control (of any size) and routine health service linkage studies of over at least one year duration. Studies in subgroups of patients or follow-up of patient case series were excluded, as well as hospital-based cohort studies.

RESULTS

Ninety studies were identified, reporting on 48 different unintended effects. Statins were associated with lower risks of dementia and cognitive impairment, venous thrombo-embolism, fractures and pneumonia, but these findings were attenuated in analyses restricted to higher quality studies (respectively: OR 0.74 (95% CI 0.62 to 0.87); OR 0.92 (95% CI 0.81 to 1.03); OR 0.97 (95% CI 0.88 to 1.05); OR 0.92 (95% CI 0.83 to 1.02)); and marked heterogeneity of effects across studies remained. Statin use was not related to any increased risk of depression, common eye diseases, renal disorders or arthritis. There was evidence of an increased risk of myopathy, raised liver enzymes and diabetes (respectively: OR 2.63 (95% CI 1.50 to 4.61); OR 1.54 (95% CI 1.47 to 1.62); OR 1.31 (95% CI 0.99 to 1.73)).

CONCLUSIONS

Our systematic review and meta-analyses indicate that high quality observational data can provide relevant evidence on unintended effects of statins to add to the evidence from RCTs. The absolute excess risk of the observed harmful unintended effects of statins is very small compared to the beneficial effects of statins on major cardiovascular events.

Understanding the potential role of statins in pneumonia and sepsis

OBJECTIVE

To examine the association of statin use with clinical outcomes and circulating biomarkers in community-acquired pneumonia and sepsis.

DESIGN

Multicenter inception cohort study.

SETTING

Emergency departments of 28 U.S. hospitals.

PATIENTS

A total of 1895 subjects hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia.

INTERVENTIONS

None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Our approach consisted of two different comparison cohorts, each reflecting methods used in prior publications in this area. We first compared subjects with prior statin use (prior use cohort), defined as a history of statin use in the week before admission, with those with no prior use. We then compared prior statin users whose statins were continued inhospital (continued use cohort) with those with either no prior use or no inhospital use. We adjusted for patient characteristics, including demographics, comorbid conditions, and illness severity, and accounted for healthy user effect and indication bias using propensity analysis. We determined risk of severe sepsis and 90-day mortality. We measured markers inflammation (tumor necrosis factor, interleukin-6, interleukin-10), coagulation (antithrombin, factor IX, plasminogen activator inhibitor, d-dimer, thrombin antithrombin complex), and lymphocyte cell surface protein expression during the first week of hospitalization. There were no differences in severe sepsis risk between statin users and nonusers for prior (30.8% vs. 30.7%, p = .98) or continued statin use (30.2% vs. 30.8%, p = .85) in univariate analyses and after adjusting for patient characteristics and propensity for statin use. Ninety-day mortality was similar in prior statin users (9.2% vs. 12.0%, p = .11) and lower in continued statin users (7.9% vs. 12.1%, p = .02). After adjusting for patient characteristics and propensity for statin use, there was no mortality benefit for prior (odds ratio, 0.90 [0.63-1.29]; p = .57) or continued statin use (odds ratio, 0.73 [0.47-1.13]; p = .15). Only antithrombin activity over time was higher in statin subjects, yet the magnitude of the difference was modest. There were no differences in other coagulation, inflammatory, or lymphocyte cell surface markers.

CONCLUSIONS

We found no evidence of a protective effect for statin use on clinical outcomes and only modest differences in circulating biomarkers in community-acquired pneumonia, perhaps as a result of healthy user effects and indication bias.

Prior statin use is not associated with improved outcome in emergency patients admitted with infection: a prospective observational study

OBJECTIVES

The objective was to determine whether prior statin use is associated with lower mortality in emergency patients admitted with infection.

METHODS

A prospective observational study was conducted at the emergency department (ED) of a tertiary adult hospital with an annual census of over 73,000 patients. Patients presenting to the ED who were subsequently hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of infection were identified within 24 hours of presentation. Data were abstracted from patients' charts and from hospital electronic databases. Patients were stratified according to reported regular statin use on presentation. The outcome measure was in-hospital mortality truncated at 30 days. An association between statin use and mortality was sought using logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Data were collected over a 60-week period from 2,642 admissions. Patients taking a statin on admission had a higher unadjusted mortality risk (odds ratio [OR] = 2.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.32 to 3.46) compared to those not on a statin. However, this result became nonsignificant (OR = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.55 to 1.69) after adjusting for age, severity of disease, comorbid status, and propensity score.

CONCLUSIONS

These data do not support an independent association between current preadmission statin use and lower 30-day in-hospital mortality in emergency patients admitted with infection. This result is contrary to most previously published studies.

Marked reduction in 30-day mortality among elderly patients with community-acquired pneumonia

BACKGROUND

Community-acquired pneumonia is the most common infectious cause of death in the US. Over the last 2 decades, patient characteristics and clinical care have changed. To understand the impact of these changes, we quantified incidence and mortality trends among elderly adults.

METHODS

We used Medicare claims to identify episodes of pneumonia, based on a validated combination of diagnosis codes. Comorbidities were ascertained using the diagnosis codes located on a 1-year look back. Trends in patient characteristics and site of care were compared. The association between year of pneumonia episode and 30-day mortality was then evaluated by logistic regression, with adjustment for age, sex, and comorbidities.

RESULTS

We identified 2,654,955 cases of pneumonia from 1987-2005. During this period, the proportion treated as inpatients decreased, the proportion aged ≥80 years increased, and the frequency of many comorbidities rose. Adjusted incidence increased to 3096 episodes per 100,000 population in 1999, with some decrease thereafter. Age/sex-adjusted mortality decreased from 13.5% to 9.7%, a relative reduction of 28.1%. Compared with 1987, the risk of mortality decreased through 2005 (adjusted odds ratio, 0.46; 95% confidence interval, 0.44-0.47). This result was robust to a restriction on comorbid diagnoses assessing for the results' sensitivity to increased coding.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings show a marked mortality reduction over time in community-acquired pneumonia patients. We hypothesize that increased pneumococcal and influenza vaccination rates as well as wider use of guideline-concordant antibiotics explain a large portion of this trend.

Targeting inflammation to slow or delay functional decline: where are we?

The role of inflammation in the pathophysiology of chronic age-related diseases is increasingly recognized, and inflammation could represent the common pathway linking diseases and disability. Thus, targeting inflammation could represent a useful strategy at preventing or delaying functional decline. In this paper we review recent evidence suggesting that selected drugs, such as statins, fibrates, angiotensin converting enzyme-inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers, and physical exercise may be able to contrast functional decline by blunting inflammation. Results from randomized trials investigating the effects of physical activity programs on inflammation and functional decline is still limited, and further investigations are warranted.