Emerging therapeutic options in inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic disease that requires chronic treatment throughout the evolution of the disease, with a complex physiopathology that entails great challenges for the development of new and specific treatments for ulcerative colitis and Crohn´s disease. The anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha therapy has impacted the clinical course of IBD in those patients who do not respond to conventional treatment, so there is a need to develop new therapies and markers of treatment response. Various pathways involved in the development of the disease are known and the new therapies have focused on blocking the inflammatory process at the gastrointestinal level by oral, intravenous, subcutaneous, and topical route. All these new therapies can lead to more personalized treatments with higher success rates and fewer relapses. These treatments have not only focused on clinical remission, but also on achieving macroscopic changes at the endoscopic level and microscopic changes by achieving mucosal healing. These treatments are mainly based on modifying signaling pathways, by blocking receptors or ligands, reducing cell migration and maintaining the integrity of the epithelial barrier. Therefore, this review presents the efficacy and safety of the new treatments that are currently under study and the advances that have been made in this area in recent years.     

Racial and geographic disparities with gastrostomy tube placement in dementia and parkinsonian disorders

IntroductionMany patients with advanced dementia and Parkinson's disease and related disorders (PDRD) are receiving gastrostomy tube (GT) placement annually, despite its lack of proven benefit for preventing aspiration, enhancing nutrition, or prolonging survival. Given clinical practice variability in the care of people with neurodegenerative disorders, we sought to examine racial and geographic disparities in GT placement for these populations in the United States.MethodData were extracted from a publicly-available national database using diagnostic and procedural codes from 2006 to 2010. GT placement rates and odds ratios were calculated for two groups: PDRD and non-parkinsonian dementia (NPD).ResultsIn the PDRD group, odds of GT placement were higher among patients coded as Black (OR 1.69, CI 0.80–3.56, p = 0.17) and Asian (OR 2.17, CI 0.70–6.78, p = 0.18) than Whites; although these tendencies did not reach statistical significance. In the NPD group, GT placement among Black patients was significantly more likely (OR 2.88, CI 1.90–4.36, p < 0.001) than their white counterparts, while Asian patients were significantly less likely (OR 0.12, CI 0.02–0.91, p = 0.04). Compared to the Northeast region, there were significantly lower odds of GT placement in the Midwest region (OR 0.37, CI 0.24–0.58, p < 0.001) in the NPD group only. No difference in odds was observed between the sexes in both groups.ConclusionThis study showed geographic and racial disparities in GT placement among PDRD and NPD patients. Further studies should aim to clarify best practices for GT placement in PDRD and causes of practice differences within and between PDRD and NPD groups.     

Mechanical Hemolysis Complicating Transcatheter Interventions for Valvular Heart Disease: JACC State-of-the-Art Review

Mechanical intravascular hemolysis is frequently observed following procedures on heart valves and uncommonly observed in native valvular disease. In most cases, its severity is mild. Nevertheless, it can be clinically significant and even life threatening, requiring multiple blood transfusions and renal replacement therapy. This paper reviews the current knowledge on mechanical intravascular hemolysis in valvular disease, before and after correction, focusing on pathophysiology, approach to diagnosis, and impact of other hematological conditions on the resultant anemia. The importance of a multidisciplinary management is underscored. Laboratory data are provided about subclinical hemolysis that is commonly observed following the implantation of surgical and transcatheter valve prostheses and devices. Finally, clinical scenarios are reviewed and current medical and surgical treatments are discussed, including alternative options for inoperable patients.     

A propensity score–matched analysis indicates screening for asymptomatic coronary artery disease does not predict cardiac events in kidney transplant recipients

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Extracellular vesicles: Their emerging roles in the pathogenesis of respiratory diseases

Alveoli are the basic structure of the lungs, consisting of various types of parenchymal and bone marrow-derived cells including alveolar macrophages. These various types of cells have several important functions; thus, communication between these cells plays an important role in homeostasis as well as in the pathophysiology of diseases in the lungs. For a better understanding of the pathophysiology of lung diseases, researchers have isolated each type of lung cell to investigate the changes in their gene expressions, including their humoral factor or adhesion molecules, to reveal the intercellular communication among these cells. In particular, investigations during the past decade have focused on extracellular vesicles, which are lipid bilayer delimited vesicles released from a cell that can move among various cells and transfer substances, including microRNAs, mRNAs and proteins, thus, functioning as intercellular messengers. Extracellular vesicles can be classified into three general groups: apoptotic bodies, exosomes, and microparticles. Extracellular vesicles, especially exosomes and microparticles, are attracting increasing attention from pulmonologists as tools for understanding pathogenesis and disease diagnosis. Here, we review studies, including our own, on exosomes and microparticles and their roles in both lung homeostasis and the pathogenesis of lung diseases such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, chronic obstructive lung diseases, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. This review also addresses the roles of extracellular vesicles in COVID-19, the current global public health crisis.     

Safety and feasibility of robotic assisted percutaneous coronary intervention compared to standard percutaneous coronary intervention- a systematic review and meta-analysis

ObjectiveRobotically assisted PCI offers a great alternative to S–PCI. This has gained even more relevance during the COVID-19 pandemic era however safety of R–PCI compared to S–PCI has not been studied well. This study explores the safety and efficacy of robotically assisted PCI (R–PCI) compared to standard PCI (S–PCI) for the treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD).MethodsPubMed, Scopus, Ovid, and Google scholar databases were searched for studies comparing R–PCI to S–PCI. Outcomes included clinical success, procedure time, fluoroscopy time, contrast use and radiation exposure.ResultsTheauthors included 5 studies comprising 1555 patients in this meta-analysis. Clinical success was comparable in both arms (p = 0.91). Procedure time was significantly longer in R–PCI group (risk ratio: 5.52, 95% confidence interval: 1.85 to 9.91, p = 0.003). Compared to S–PCI, patients in R–PCI group had lower contrast use (meandifference: −19.88, 95% confidence interval: −21.43 to −18.33, p < 0.001), fluoroscopy time (mean difference:-1.82, 95% confidence interval: −3.64 to −0.00, p = 0.05) and radiation exposure (mean difference:-457.8, 95% confidence interval: −707.14 to −208.14, p < 0.001).ConclusionR–PCI can achieve similar success as S–PCI at the expense of longer procedural times. However, radiation exposure and contrast exposure were lower in the R–PCI arm.