Myo-Spain: Registro de pacientes con miopatía inflamatoria idiopática de España. Metodología

ObjectivesTo describe the methods of the Spanish Registry of patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) (Myo-Spain), as well as its strengths and limitations. The main objective of the project is to analyse the evolution and clinical management of a cohort of patients with IIM.MethodsObservational, longitudinal, ambispective and multicentre study of a cohort of patients with IIM seen in rheumatology units in Spain. All patients with a diagnosis of IMM will be included in the regular follow-up of the participating centres, regardless of age on initiation of the process. Incident cases will be all patients who at the beginning of the study have been diagnosed for less than 12 months and prevalent cases for more than 12 months. The registry will include data from the visit at baseline, one year and two years. Socio-demographic, clinical, analytical variables, complications, comorbidities, association with other rheumatic diseases, hospital admissions, mortality and treatments will be collected. In addition, indices, scales and questionnaires of activity, muscle involvement, damage, disability, and quality of life will be determined. The recruitment period will be 23 months. The purpose is to obtain a cohort of 400 patients with IMM.ConclusionsMyo-Spain registry provides the opportunity to develop a cohort of incident and prevalent patients with IMM in Spain. Myo-Spain will be able to assess in detail the clinical characteristics of the disease at different times. The comprehensive information collected during the visits is expected to provide a broad source of data for future analysis.     

Seguridad en el uso de la ecografía en reumatología durante la pandemia COVID-19. Documento de posicionamiento de la Sociedad Española de Reumatología

Ultrasound is a widely implemented imaging modality in rheumatology practice that implies a great interaction between patient and professional. The COVID-19 pandemic requires a change in our clinical practice, through the adoption of new strategies that allow comprehensive care for our patients, guaranteeing the safety of both patients and healthcare professionals.ObjetiveOur objective was to develop practical recommendations, agreed among a panel of experts, on the use and safety of rheumatological ultrasound during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsWe performed a narrative review of the available literature. Based on the literature review, we produced preliminary recommendations that were subsequently agreed among a panel of experts using the Delphi methodology with a 1-5 Likert scale. Agreement for each recommendation was considered if 75% of the panel members scored the item ≥4 on the Likert scale.Results5 overarching principles and 28 recommendations were issued and agreed among the panel. Group consensus was achieved in 100% of items.ConclusionsThe document provides useful information about preventive measures in the practice of ultrasound in rheumatology in times of a COVID-19 pandemic based on the experience and literature available to date.     

Epidemiología molecular de la tuberculosis

The application of genotyping tools allowed us to discriminate between the Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates obtained in the laboratory. The differentiation between single strains opened the door to molecular epidemiology studies, which had helped us to progress in our knowledge of how this pathogen is transmitted in the progressively more complex socio-epidemiological scenario. The genetic stability of this microorganism led to develop specific methodologies, which are thoroughly revised in this chapter. In addition to their application in epidemiology, we review, how they can offer a response to different diagnostic and clinical challenges. Finally, we focus on describing the novel genomic revolution we are experiencing in the analysis of tuberculosis, the methodology in which it is based and the novel possibilities it offers, including new routes of integrating both the molecular and genomic languages in innovative post-genomic proposals, better suited to our real-life context.     

Tres casos de gammapatía monoclonal de significado renal postrasplante renal: nefropatía c3 de novo

Monoclonal gammopathy of renal significance includes all renal disorders caused by a monoclonal immunoglobulin secreted by a non-malignant B-cell clone. Patients with MGRS do not, by definition, meet criteria for multiple myeloma, with haematological disorders generally considered to be monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. Nevertheless, the renal involvement can be serious and require specific treatment. Monoclonal gammopathy of renal significance is associated with a wide spectrum of disorders, including the recently discovered C3 glomerulopathy. Development of C3 glomerulopathy in the context of monoclonal gammopathy of renal significance after kidney transplantation is uncommon and very few cases have been published to date. We report on three cases of C3 glomerulopathy in the context of de novo monoclonal gammopathy after kidney transplantation.     

Recomendaciones para la reapertura y reinicio de actividades de las Unidades de Neurogastroenterología ante la pandemia por COVID-19. Posicionamiento de la Sociedad Latinoamericana de Neurogastroenterología

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the establishment of preventive measures against contagion during the performance of diagnostic and therapeutic tests in gastroenterology. Digestive tract motility tests involve an intermediate and elevated risk for the transmission of COVID-19 infection. Given their elective or non-urgent indication in the majority of cases, we recommend postponing those tests until significant control of the infection rate in each Latin American country has been achieved during the pandemic. When the health authorities allow the return to normality, and in the absence of an effective treatment for or preventive vaccine against COVID-19 infection, we recommend a strict protocol for classifying patients according to their infectious-contagious status through the appropriate use of tests for the detection of the virus and the immune response to it, and the following of protective measures by the healthcare personnel to prevent contagion during the performance of a gastrointestinal motility test.     

Miotomía endoscópica por vía oral de espesor total y parcial. Estudio de factibilidad en un modelo animal

BackgroundPeroral endoscopic myotomy has recently been developed and performed on patients with good results.AimsTo evaluate the technical feasibility of peroral endoscopic full-thickness and partial thickness myotomy in a porcine model.Material and methodsEighteen criollo pigs were randomly assigned to 2 groups: group A (partial-thickness myotomy) and group B (full-thickness myotomy). The mucosal defect proximal to the myotomy site was left open. On the seventh postoperative day the pig was euthanized and follow-up surgical exploration was performed. The duration of each procedure, postoperative progression of the animal, complications, and anatomopathologic findings were registered.ResultsThe procedure was viable in all the pigs. The mean surgery duration was 81 ± 35.3 min (group A 51.11 ± 11.12, group B 111 ± 22.61; P < .05). The main complication during myotomy was subcutaneous emphysema (16%). The histopathologic study of the group A surgical specimens reported complete circular myotomy in all cases, and complete circular and longitudinal myotomy was reported in 100% of the group B sample.ConclusionsThe endoscopic myotomy technique is feasible. Endoscopic partial-thickness myotomy was associated with shorter surgery duration and better results during the intraoperative period and the 7-day follow-up.     

Enfermedades vasculares del hígado. Guías Clínicas de la Sociedad Catalana de Digestología y de la Asociación Española para el Estudio del Hígado

Despite their relatively low prevalence, vascular diseases of the liver represent a significant health problem in the field of liver disease. A common characteristic shared by many such diseases is their propensity to cause portal hypertension together with increased morbidity and mortality. These diseases are often diagnosed in young patients and their delayed diagnosis and/or inappropriate treatment can greatly reduce life expectancy.This article reviews the current body of evidence concerning Budd-Chiari syndrome, non-cirrhotic portal vein thrombosis, idiopathic portal hypertension, sinusoidal obstruction syndrome, hepatic vascular malformations in hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia, cirrhotic portal vein thrombosis and other rarer vascular diseases including arterioportal fistulas. It also includes a section on the diagnostic imaging of vascular diseases of the liver and their treatment from a haematological standpoint (study of thrombotic diathesis and anticoagulation therapy). All recommendations are based on published studies extracted from PubMed. The quality of evidence and strength of recommendations were rated in accordance with the GRADE system (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment Development and Evaluation). In the absence of sufficient evidence, recommendations were based on the opinion of the committee that produced the guide.     

Documento de consenso para la formación en ecografía en la especialidad de Nefrología

Ultrasound is an essential tool in the management of the nephrological patient allowing the diagnosis, monitoring and performance of kidney intervention. However, the usefulness of ultrasound in the hands of the nephrologist is not limited exclusively to the ultrasound study of the kidney. By ultrasound, the nephrologist can also optimize the management of arteriovenous fistula for hemodialysis, measure cardiovascular risk (mean intimate thickness), implant central catheters for ultrasound-guided HD, as well as the patient's volemia using basic cardiac ultrasound, ultrasound of the cava inferior vein and lungs.From the Working Group on Interventional Nephrology (GNDI) of the Spanish Society of Nephrology (SEN) we have prepared this consensus document that summarizes the main applications of ultrasound to Nephrology, including the necessary basic technical requirements, the framework normative and the level of training of nephrologists in this area. The objective of this work is to promote the inclusion of ultrasound, both diagnostic and interventional, in the usual clinical practice of the nephrologist and in the Nephrology Services portfolio with the final objective of offering diligent, efficient and comprehensive management to the nephrological patient.     

Revista del a?o de Archivos de Neumología en neumología intervencionista,enfermedades intersticiales y trasplante pulmonar

A review has been made of original articles on invasive pneumology techniques, interstitial diseases and lung transplantation, published in the Archivos de Bronconeumología during the year 2008. We have selected the publication by Martínez-Olondrins et al on the mediastinal staging of bronchogenic carcinoma by «blind» transbronchial needle aspiration to highlight the role of this simple, safe and cost-effective technique at a time when aspiration by ultrasound-guided bronchoscopy is profiled as an alternative to staging by mediastinoscopy. Besides its usefulness in the study of lymph nodes, transbronchial needle aspiration increases the overall performance of bronchoscopy by 20%, which means that it should be considered as a basic tool in the study of lung cancer. We also comment on the work by Galvis-Caravajal et al, who describe percutaneous radiofrequency as an alternative to radiotherapy in small lung or metastasic tumours.In diffuse interstitial disease, Morell et al analysed the diagnostic methods in 500 patients with this clinical-radiological presentation in which a definitive diagnosis was achieved in 85%, with 25% of them being obtained by non-invasively. Baloira et al analysed the characteristics of 19 patients with desquamative interstitial pneumonia and respiratory bronchiolitis associated-interstitial lung disease obtained from the National register of Interstitial Diseases.