Ahmed, Jawad

Abstract Introduction An unusual association between thyroid dysfunction and autoimmune encephalitis (AE) was noticed when patients presented with low free triiodothyronine (fT3) levels and antithyroid antibodies. We conducted a meta‐analysis to investigate whether thyroid dysfunction, that is, lower fT3 levels are associated with worsening clinical manifestations and prognosis in patients with AE. Methods Literature search of five electronic databases was performed till April 5, 2023. Inclusion criteria were as follows: Observational studies reporting patients with all subtypes of AE and assessing thyroid dysfunction categorized as low fT3 and non‐low fT3. Primary endpoints included modified Rankin scale (mRS) at admission, abnormal magnetic resonance imaging, length of stay, seizures, and consciousness declination. Results Comprehensive literature search resulted in 5127 studies. After duplicate removal and full‐text screening, six observational studies were included in this analysis. Patients with low fT3 were 2.95 times more likely to experience consciousness declination ( p = .0003), had higher mRS at admission ( p < .00001), had 3.14 times increased chances of having a tumor ( p = .003), were 3.88 times more likely to experience central hypoventilation, and were 2.36 times more likely to have positivity for antithyroid antibodies ( p = .009) as compared to patients with non‐low fT3. Conclusion The findings of our study suggest that low fT3 levels might be related to a more severe disease state, implying the significance of thyroid hormones in AE pathogenesis. This finding is crucial in not only improving the early diagnosis of severe AE but also in the efficient management of the disease.

e20097 Background: Malignant Mesothelioma (MMe) is a neoplasm of mesothelium and has a very poor survival rate. Over half the patients of MMe express programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) which binds to the PD-1 receptor on T-cells which in turn suppresses their ability to kill tumors. Pembrolizumab is a PD-1 inhibitor antibody and it has shown efficacy in combating MMe. Our analysis aims to summarize data related to objective response rates (ORR) and adverse effects of Pembrolizumab therapy in MMe patients. Methods: We conducted an online search through PubMed, Cochrane, and Clinicaltrials.gov databases from their inception till January 25, 2024, to identify studies that reported the use of Pembrolizumab in patients with MMe. Data were extracted and analyzed and proportions with their 95% confidence interval have been reported. Onlinemeta v1.0 was used for all analyses. Results: A total of six studies with 549 patients reported the use of Pembrolizumab in patients with MMe. ORR was observed in 36.2% (32.3% - 40.4%; p < 0.01) of patients receiving Pembrolizumab while 20.4% (17.2%- 24.0%; p < 0.01) of patients experienced adverse effects of the therapy. Median survival ranged from 9.5 to 17.3 months whereas progression-free survival ranged from 2.5 to 7.1 months in patients. Conclusions: Pembrolizumab has an ORR and safety profile comparable to other immunotherapies. Further studies are needed to extensively study the drug and its effects in detail in patients with MMe. [Table: see text]

e18073 Background: Selpercatinib is a highly selective RET inhibitor that is used for the treatment of RET-mutant medullary thyroid cancers, but its efficacy and safety is not fully understood. Our objective is to summarize available literature on the safety and efficacy profile of Selpercatinib. Methods: A search was conducted on PubMed, Embase and Cochrane from foundation to 31st January 2024. Patients aged above 18 with Advanced RET-Altered Medullary Thyroid Cancers who received Selpercatinib were identified. Data abstraction was done based on objective response rate, complete response rate, any grade adverse effect (AE) and grade ≥3 AE. Analysis was done using R (v.4.3) and reported as proportions with respective 95% confidence intervals (CI) on forest plots. Results: Four studies were identified that reported the use of Selpercatinib in Advanced RET-Altered Medullary Thyroid Cancers. Our analysis showed that the pooled proportion of objective response rate and complete response rate was 74.8% (95% CI: 70.1% – 79%) and 4.9% (95% CI: 3.1% – 7.7%) respectively. Pooled proportion of patients experiencing any grade AE and grade ≥3 AE was 93.4% (95% CI: 90.4% – 95.6%) and 46.2% (95% CI: 41.1% – 51.3%) respectively. Conclusions: Selpercatinib is a novel RET inhibitor which has potential use against RET-Altered Thyroid Cancers. It has an overall acceptable safety and efficacy profile. However it requires further studies to establish its adverse effects and clinical application. [Table: see text]

e16531 Background: Hypoxia-inducible Factor-2α (HIF-2α) is a transcription factor that accumulates in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) and is responsible for genes involved in oncogenesis. Belzutifan is a HIF-2α inhibitor that has shown promising anti-tumor effects in patients with ccRCC. Our objective is to summarize the available literature on the safety and efficacy profile of the drug. Methods: An electronic search was conducted on PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane from inception till January 31st, 2024. We identified patients aged ≥ 18 years with ccRCC who received Belzutifan. We extracted data on objective response rate, complete response rate, any grade adverse effect (AE) and grade ≥3 AE. Data was analyzed using R (v.4.3) and reported as proportions with respective 95% confidence intervals (CI) on forest plots. Results: Three studies (n=168 patients) were identified that reported the use of Belzutifan in ccRCC. Our analysis showed that pooled proportion of objective response rate and complete response rate was 35% (95% CI: 24% – 47%) and 1% (95% CI: 0% – 5%) respectively. Pooled proportion of patients experiencing any grade AE and grade ≥3 AE was 98% (95% CI: 95% – 99%) and 49% (95% CI: 29% – 69%) respectively. Conclusions: Belzutifan is a novel drug that inhibits HIF-2α which in turn results in anti-tumor effects of the drug against ccRCC. The drug has an acceptable safety and efficacy profile from limited data but more studies are needed to establish a complete picture of drug’s adverse effects and clinical benefits. Pooled proportion of patients developing (A) Objective Response, (B) Complete response (C) Any adverse effect and (D) Grade ≥3 adverse effects. [Table: see text]

AbstractBackgroundLeft ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation is frequently employed in patients with end‐stage heart failure. The outcomes of addressing the repair of all substantial aortic valvular disease at the time of LVAD implantation remain unclear. We sought to assess the clinical outcomes in patients undergoing LVAD implantation concomitant with aortic valve procedures (AVPs) compared with isolated LVAD implantation.MethodsA literature search was performed using PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane library from inception till June 2022. Primary outcomes included short‐term mortality and long‐term survival. Random effects models were used to compute mean differences and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).ResultsA total of 14 observational studies (N = 52 693) met our inclusion criteria. Concomitant LVAD implantation and AVPs were associated with higher short‐term mortality (OR = 1.61 [95% CI, 1.06–2.42]; p = 0.02) and mean CPBt (MD = 43.25 [95% CI, 22.95–63.56]; p < 0.0001), and reduced long‐term survival (OR = 0.70 [95% CI, 0.55–0.88]; p = 0.003) compared with isolated LVAD implantation. No difference in the odds of cerebrovascular accident (OR = 1.05 [95% CI, 0.79–1.39]; p = 0.74) and mean length of hospital stay (MD = 2.89 [95% CI, −4.04 to 9.82]; p = 0.41) was observed between the two groups. On adjusted analysis, short‐term mortality was significantly higher in the LVAD group with concurrent AVPs when compared with the isolated LVAD group (aHR = 1.50 [95% CI, 1.20–1.87]; p = 0.0004).ConclusionsConcurrent AVPs were associated with higher short‐term mortality and reduced long‐term survival in patients undergoing LVAD implantation compared with isolated LVAD implantation.

Abstract Aims Anticoagulants are the mainstay treatment for stroke prevention in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF), and the CHA2DS2-VASc score is widely used to guide anticoagulation therapy in this cohort. However, utility of CHA2DS2-VASc in NVAF patients is debated, primarily because it is a vascular scoring system, which does not incorporate atrial fibrillation related parameters. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to estimate the discrimination ability of CHA2DS2-VASc in predicting ischaemic stroke overall, and in subgroups of patients with or without NVAF. Methods and results PubMed and Embase databases were searched till June 2020 for published articles that assessed the discrimination ability of CHA2DS2-VASc, as measured by C-statistics, during mid-term (2–5 years) and long-term (&gt;5 years) follow-up. Summary estimates were reported as random effects C-statistics with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Seventeen articles were included in the analysis. Nine studies (n = 453 747 patients) reported the discrimination ability of CHA2DS2-VASc in NVAF patients, and 10 studies (n = 138 262 patients) in patients without NVAF. During mid-term follow-up, CHA2DS2-VASc predicted stroke with modest discrimination in the overall cohort [0.67 (0.65–0.69)], with similar discrimination ability in patients with NVAF [0.65 (0.63–0.68)] and in those without NVAF [0.69 (0.68–0.71)] (P-interaction = 0.08). Similarly, at long-term follow-up, CHA2DS2-VASc had modest discrimination [0.66 (0.63–0.69)], which was consistent among patients with NVAF [0.63 (0.54–0.71)] and those without NVAF [0.67 (0.64–0.70)] (P-interaction = 0.39). Conclusion This meta-analysis suggests that the discrimination power of the CHA2DS2-VASc score in predicting ischaemic stroke is modest, and is similar in the presence or absence of NVAF. More accurate stroke prediction models are thus needed for the NVAF population.