Effect of topical vitamin D on chronic kidney disease‐associated pruritus: An open‐label pilot study

Chronic kidney disease‐associated pruritus (CKD‐aP) is a troublesome symptom in patients with end‐stage renal disease (ESRD). Recently, vitamin D deficiency has been known to be one of the possible etiologic factors in CKD‐aP. However, limited data is available on whether topical vitamin D treatment is effective for relieving CKD‐aP. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of topically vitamin D for CKD‐aP. Twenty‐three patients with CKD‐aP were enrolled in a single center, open‐label study. Patients were instructed to apply a topical vitamin D (calcipotriol) agent (Daivonex solution; LEO Pharma) or vehicle solution twice daily for a month. We assessed the efficacy and safety of topical vitamin D on CKD‐aP using clinical and dermoscopic photographs, and questionnaires including the validated modified pruritus assessment score (VMPAS) and visual analog scale (VAS) every 2 weeks. Dry dermoscopic findings showed significant improvement of scale (dryness) on the skin of topical vitamin D‐treated patients compared with those of the vehicle group. Both VMPAS and VAS were significantly decreased after 2 and 4 weeks of the topical vitamin D treatment compared with the vehicle, respectively (P < 0.05). No significant side‐effects were observed. Topical vitamin D may be one of the safe and effective therapeutic candidates for CKD‐aP.     

Concomitant ablation of atrial fibrillation in rheumatic mitral valve surgery

Objective

Efficacy of atrial fibrillation ablation in rheumatic mitral valve disease has been regarded inferior to that in nonrheumatic diseases. This study aimed to evaluate net clinical benefits by the addition of concomitant atrial fibrillation ablation in rheumatic mitral valve surgery.

Improved treatment outcome of pembrolizumab in patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Emerging immune profiling data suggest a higher sensitivity to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), compared to those without COPD. This study aimed to investigate the clinical impact of COPD on the treatment response to ICIs in a large number of patients with NSCLC. In total, 133 patients with spirometry test results were retrospectively identified among those who received palliative pembrolizumab for NSCLC. COPD was defined as pre-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity <0.7. Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and objective response rate were analyzed according to the presence of COPD. Spirometry-based COPD was present in 59 (44%) patients. Patients with COPD had better OS (hazard ratio [HR] for death, 0.45; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.26–0.78) and PFS (HR for disease progression or death, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.31–0.79) than those without COPD. These associations persisted after adjusting for potential confounders including smoking history. The response rate was also higher in patients with COPD than in those without COPD (38.2% vs. 20.5%, p = 0.028). Spirometry-defined COPD was associated with a significantly longer OS and PFS in patients with NSCLC treated with palliative pembrolizumab. Identifying coexisting COPD could predict favorable treatment outcomes in patients with NSCLC treated with pembrolizumab.     

Embolization of Urinary Tract Fistulae Using an AMPLATZER Vascular Plug and Glue

Six patients (mean age, 57.7 y ± 19.7) with persistent urinary fistulae underwent 7 urinary tract embolizations with AMPLATZER Vascular Plugs (AVPs) and glue: 5 with concomitant cavity obliteration with glue and 2 without. A single procedure was successful in resolving urinary leakage in 5 patients (71%) at a mean follow-up of 27.3 wk ± 31.5 (median, 9.7 wk; range, 4.9–80 wk). Repeat cavity embolization was required in 2 instances to achieve clinical success. Mean survival was 42.3 wk (median, 16.4 wk; range, 11.7–104 wk). Combined AVP and glue embolization may prove to be a primary approach in the control of persistent fistulae.