The Diagnostic Efficiency of Quantitative Diffusion Weighted Imaging in Differentiating Medulloblastoma from Posterior Fossa Tumors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Medulloblastoma (MB) is considered the most common and highly malignant posterior fossa tumor (PFT) in children. The accurate preoperative diagnosis of MB is beneficial in choosing the appropriate surgical methods and treatment strategies. Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) has improved the accuracy of differential diagnosis of posterior fossa tumors. Nonetheless, further studies are needed to confirm its value for clinical application. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of DWI in differentiating MB from other PFT. A literature search was conducted using databases PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science for studies reporting the diagnostic performance of DWI for PFT from January 2000 to January 2022. A bivariate random-effects model was employed to evaluate the pooled sensitivities and specificities. A univariable meta-regression analysis was used to assess relevant factors for heterogeneity, and subgroup analyses were performed. A total of 15 studies with 823 patients were eligible for data extraction. Overall pooled sensitivity and specificity of DWI were 0.94 (95% confident interval [CI]: 0.89–0.97) and 0.94 (95% CI: 0.90–0.96) respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) of DWI was 0.98 (95% CI: 0.96–0.99). Heterogeneity was found in the sensitivity (I2 = 62.59%) and the specificity (I2 = 35.94%). Magnetic field intensity, region of interest definition and DWI diagnostic parameters are the factors that affect the diagnostic performance of DWI. DWI has excellent diagnostic accuracy for differentiating MB from other PFT. Hence, it is necessary to set DWI as a routine examination sequence for posterior fossa tumors

Safety and efficacy of oral nemonoxacin versus levofloxacin in treatment of community-acquired pneumonia: A phase 3, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, active-controlled, non-inferiority trial

Background/Purpose: Nemonoxacin is a novel nonfluorinated quinolone with excellent in vitro activity against most pathogens in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), especially Gram-positive isolates. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of nemonoxacin compared with levofloxacin in patients with CAP. Methods: A phase 3, multicenter, randomized (2:1) controlled trial was conducted in adult CAP patients receiving nemonoxacin 500 mg or levofloxacin 500 mg orally once daily for 7–10 days. Clinical, microbiological response and adverse events were assessed. Non-inferiority was determined in terms of clinical cure rate of nemonoxacin compared with that of levofloxacin in a modified intention-to-treat (mITT) population. NCT registration number: NCT01529476. Results: A total of 527 patients were randomized and treated with nemonoxacin (n = 356) or levofloxacin (n = 171). The clinical cure rate at test-of-cure visit was 94.3% (300/318) for nemonoxacin and 93.5% (143/153) for levofloxacin in the mITT population [difference (95% CI), 0.9% (−3.8%, 5.5%)]. The microbiological success rate was 92.1% (105/114) for nemonoxacin and 91.7% (55/60) for levofloxacin in the bacteriological mITT population [difference (95% CI), 0.4% (−8.1%, 9.0%)]. The incidence of adverse events (AEs) was comparable between nemonoxacin (33.1%, 118/356) and levofloxacin (33.3%, 57/171) (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Nemonoxacin 500 mg once daily for 7–10 days is as effective and safe as levofloxacin for treating adult CAP patients in terms of clinical cure rates, microbiological success rates, and safety profile.ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01529476. Keywords: Clinical outcome, Community-acquired pneumonia, Levofloxacin, Nemonoxacin, Randomized controlled trial, Safet