OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the economics of azithromycin vs. amocillin clavulante in the treatment of lower respirato-ry tract infections. METHODS:System evaluation was adopted to retrieve the randomized controlled trials(RCT)about azithromy-cin(test group)vs. amoxicillin clavulanate(control group)in the treatment of lower respiratory tract infections. Information was col-lected and Meta-analyses were performed. On this basis and short-term decision tree model,cost factors were added to conduct the pharmacoeconomics by the principle of PICO of Treeage Pro 2011 edition software. RESULTS:Totally 18 RCT were enrolled,in-volving 3 365 patients. Results of Meta-analysis showed that there were no significant differences in the effective rate [RR=0.93, 95%CI(0.55,1.55),P=0.77] and incidence of adverse reactions [RR=0.79,95%CI(0.62,1.0),P=0.05] between 2 groups. The av-erage treatment cost in test group and control group was respectively 790.4 yuan and 884.4 yuan,and cost-effectiveness ratio was respectively 216.0 and 245.7,and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio(ICER)was -1 392.59. CONCLUSIONS:Azithromycin has similar efficacy and safety to amoxicillin clavulanate in the treatment of lower respiratory tract infection,however,azithromy-cin has better cost-effectiveness.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and safety of aromatase inhibitor letrozole in treatment of male children with disorders of sex development (DSD). METHODS: Clinical data of 12 male DSD children with a mean age of 14.6±2.5 years admitted to Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2014 to January 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were treated with letrozole (1.25-2.5 mg, once a day) for 3 months or longer, and followed up for 0.5-2.5 years. Clinical manifestation and laboratory test findings were documented, and the efficacy and safety were evaluated. RESULTS: After half-year treatment, the blood luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and testosterone levels of patients increased (all < 0.05), and estrogen levels decreased from baseline ( < 0.05). After 1 year of treatment, the blood testosterone level was significantly higher ( < 0.05); the LH and FSH levels tended to increase and the estrogen level tended to decrease, but there was no significant statistical difference ( >0.05). Semen was routinely detected in 8 patients, and sperms were detected in semen of 3 patients with hypospadias. There were no significant changes in biochemical results after treatment, and no significant adverse event was observed during the treatment. CONCLUSIONS Letrozole can effectively increase testosterone levels in patients with disorders of sex development and promote spermatogenesis, it has no significant adverse effects in short-term administration.
Adolescent ; Child ; Disorders of Sex Development ; drug therapy ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone ; Humans ; Letrozole ; therapeutic use ; Luteinizing Hormone ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Testosterone