Effectiveness of brentuximab vedotin monotherapy in relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma:a systematic review and meta-analysis

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the effectiveness of brentuximab vedotin (BV) in relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma (R/R cHL) in the clinical practice setting using most recent results. A total of 32 observational studies reporting on treatment patterns, overall response rate (ORR), complete response (CR) rate, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and adverse events were found. After four cycles, a random-effect model yielded pooled ORR and CR rates of 62.6% (95% confidence interval (CI): 56.0-68.9; I-2 = 9.7%) and 32.9% (95% CI, 20.8-46.3, I-2 = 64.8%), respectively. Regarding survival, 1-year, 2-year, and 5-year PFS ranged from 52.1% to 63.2%, 45.2% to 56.2%, and 31.9% to 33.0%, respectively. OS rates were 68.2-82.7%, 58.0-81.9%, and 58.0-62.0%, respectively. Most common adverse events were hematological toxicities (neutropenia: 13.3-23%, anemia: 8.8-39.0%, and thrombocytopenia: 4-4.6%), and grade >= 3 peripheral neuropathy (3.3-7.3%). This study supports the effectiveness and safety of BV in R/R cHL patients in the real-world setting

Implementation of Interventions and Policies on Opioids and Awareness of Opioid-Related Harms in Canada: A Multistage Mixed Methods Descriptive Study

In Canada, interventions and policies have been implemented to minimize the risk of opioid-related harms. This mixed methods study aimed at describing trends over time in implementation, as well as in awareness and health outcomes. For implementation, we conducted a scoping review to identify opioids interventions and policies implemented in Canada between 1 January 2016 and 15 November 2019. Awareness was measured through a descriptive analysis of opioid-related harm cases reported by consumers and health care professionals (HCPs) to the national spontaneous reporting system and of social media coverage, while health outcome consisted of opioid-related deaths recorded in the coroner’s reports database of the province of Quebec, Canada. Trends over time in implementation of interventions were compared to trends in awareness and opioid-related deaths, without implying causality. There were 413 national or provincial interventions on opioids implemented over the study period, with a four-fold increase in 2016. The most common (31.5%) was harm reduction strategies, such as naloxone distribution. The reporting rate of opioid-related harms ranged between 0.1 and 0.2 per 100,000 persons with no observed time trend. Compared to 2015, the number of social media posts increased in 2016 by 35.4% (Reddit), 329.0% (Facebook), and 381.5% (Twitter). Between 2016 and 2019, there was a slight decrease in the number of opioid-related deaths recorded in the coroner’s database. Overall, the increase in the number of policies did not see a parallel increase in spontaneous reports of opioid-related harms as an indicator of consumer or HCP awareness. Conversely, the dramatic increase in social media coverage was consistent with heightened public awareness. Although no inferences of causality were made in this study, the decrease in opioid-related deaths observed in the recent years may indicate a potential effectiveness of interventions and policies

Global Incidence and Prevalence of Gaucher Disease: A Targeted Literature Review

Incidence and prevalence estimates for Gaucher disease (GD) are scarce for this rare disease and can be variable within the same region. This review provides a qualitative synthesis of global GD incidence and prevalence estimates, GD1–3 type-specific and overall, published in the last 10 years. A targeted literature search was conducted across multiple databases from January 2011 to September 2020, including web-based sources and congress proceedings to May 2021. Searches yielded 490 publications, with 31 analyzed: 20 cohort studies (15 prospective, 5 retrospective), 6 cross-sectional studies, 5 online reports (most from Europe (n = 11) or North America (n = 11); one multiregional). Across all GD types, incidence estimates ranged 0.45–25.0/100,000 live births (16 studies), lowest for Asia-Pacific. Incidence of GD1: 0.45–22.9/100,000 live births (Europe and North America) and GD3: 1.36/100,000 live births (Asia-Pacific only). GD type-specific prevalence estimates per 100,000 population were GD1: 0.26–0.63; GD2 and GD3: 0.02–0.08 (Europe only); estimates for GD type unspecified or overall ranged 0.11–139.0/100,000 inhabitants (17 studies), highest for North America. Generalizability was assessed as “adequate”or “intermediate” for all regions with data. GD incidence and prevalence estimates for the last 10 years varied considerably between regions and were poorly documented outside Europe and North America. Data for GD2 and GD3 were limited

Development of Standards for Online Repositories

The report reviews existing standards, best practices, and governance requirements needed to establish and run trusted repositories that house health research data. The objectives of the report are to identify existing standards related to data repositories; to assess the standards that are currently in place in selected repositories that house health data; to conduct a gap analysis of governance standards used in existing repositories.<div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Updated to version 3 on 11th May 2018:<br></div><div>The first version of Appendix 1 had the word ‘confidential’ on the cover page which had been left in in error during the editing process. This has now been taken out. </div><div><br></div><div>Updated to version 2 on 8th May 2018: </div><p>The document was previously called ‘Development of International Standards for Online Repositories’ but has been changed to ‘Development of Standards for Online Repositories’ as it better reflects the document and its scope. The first version of the document had the word ‘confidential’ on the cover page which had been left in in error during the editing process. This has now been taken out. Finally, Appendix 1 has been added as it is referred to in the document but was not available. </p