Patient-Reported Outcome Measures Modestly Enhance Prediction of Readmission in Patients with Cirrhosis

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New approaches to understanding the immune response to vaccination and infection

The immune system is a network of specialized cell types and tissues that communicates via cytokines and direct contact, to orchestrate specific types of defensive responses. Until recently, we could only study immune responses in a piecemeal, highly focused fashion, on major components like antibodies to the pathogen. But recent advances in technology and in our understanding of the many components of the system, innate and adaptive, have made possible a broader approach, where both the multiple responding cells and cytokines in the blood are measured. This systems immunology approach to a vaccine response or an infection gives us a more holistic picture of the different parts of the immune system that are mobilized and should allow us a much better understanding of the pathways and mechanisms of such responses, as well as to predict vaccine efficacy in different populations well in advance of efficacy studies. Here we summarize the different technologies and methods and discuss how they can inform us about the differences between diseases and vaccines, and how they can greatly accelerate vaccine development.     

高端医疗服务发展的国际经验与启示

高端医疗服务业是健康服务业发展的关键领域,但由于公立医院特需服务不断扩张、社会办医政策存"玻璃门"等原因,我国高端医疗服务业的发展尚处于初期阶段。事实上,高端医疗服务业在部分国家(特别是发达国家)已经初具规模,并在发展基础、运营模式、保障体系等方面积累了比较丰富的经验。本研究介绍了英国、美国、德国、新加坡、澳大利亚和印度发展高端医疗服务业的经验:建立国家安全网医院起兜底作用,实行分层定价和差异化补贴政策,借助商业健康保险,运用公私合作模式,优先发展若干领域。并结合我国实际情况,提出我国发展高端医疗服务业的启示:在确保基本医疗服务的前提下,实行有差别的支付政策;推广商业健康保险,拓展公私合作,确定发展高端医疗的优先领域。     

中性粒细胞胞外诱捕网在抗寄生虫免疫中的作用研究进展

中性粒细胞胞外诱捕网（neutrophil extracellular traps, NETs）是活化的炎性中性粒细胞在感染或炎症应答期主动释放的一种串珠样纤维网状物质,由染色质DNA和多种胞内蛋白成分组成,可通过缠绕致病菌限制其扩散,同时通过各种抗菌蛋白杀伤致病菌,被认为是中性粒细胞除吞噬和脱颗粒作用外的第三种杀菌机制。近年研究显示,NETs也参与抗寄生虫免疫过程。本文就NETs在抗寄生虫免疫中作用的研究进展作一综述,以期为寄生虫病发病机制研究以及相关治疗药物开发提供参考。     

Accumulation of insoluble protein and aging

It is proposed that biological aging mainly depends on a deleterious accumulation of insoluble inert protein that has escaped physiological proteolytic degradation. Intracellularly, a three-dimensional network of polypeptide chains may exclude macromolecular structures and organelles from part of the cytosolic water. In this way vital intracellular transport mechanisms may be obstructed, providing a rationale to several observations linked to aging. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Prognostic Value of Global Longitudinal Strain in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: A Systematic Review of Existing Literature

ObjectivesThe association of left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LV-GLS) with clinical outcomes in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) has been examined in multiple studies. The authors conducted a systematic review aimed at summarizing and critically appraising the current evidence.BackgroundHCM is a common genetic cardiovascular disease with an estimated prevalence of 1 in 500 patients. LV-GLS derived from speckle tracking echocardiography is a sensitive noninvasive method of assessing regional left ventricular function. Several studies have suggested association of abnormal LV-GLS with outcomes in HCM patients.MethodsA computerized literature search of all English language publications in the PubMed and EMBASE databases was made looking at all randomized and nonrandomized studies conducted on patients with HCM where association of LV-GLS with clinical outcomes was studied. We then manually searched the reference lists of included articles. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses statement (PRISMA) of reporting systematic reviews was used.ResultsOur search yielded a total of 14 observational studies published between 2009 and 2017 with a total of 3,154 patients with HCM. Eleven of the 14 studies included a composite cardiac outcome which included mortality as their primary outcome of interest and 3 of the 14 studies looked at association of LV-GLS with ventricular arrhythmias and/or implantable cardiac defibrillator discharge. We noted wide variability in inclusion, methodology, follow-up, and consequently effect estimates, which was not conducive to performing a meta-analysis. However, despite the variation, all studies revealed a degree of association of abnormal LV-GLS with poor cardiac outcomes.ConclusionsOur systematic review of more than 3000 HCM patients suggests an association of abnormal LV-GLS with adverse composite cardiac outcomes and ventricular arrhythmias.     

Prognostic Significance of Remote Myocardium Alterations Assessed by Quantitative Noncontrast T1 Mapping in ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Objectives

This study assessed the prognostic significance of remote zone native T1 alterations for the prediction of clinical events in a population with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) who were treated by primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) and compared it with conventional markers of infarct severity.

Advances in the management of diabetic macular oedema based on evidence from the Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network

The Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network (DRCR.net) performs studies on new treatments for diabetic retinopathy. This review aims to summarise recent findings from DRCR.net studies on the treatment of diabetic macular oedema. We performed a PubMed search of articles from the DRCR.net, which included all studies pertaining to the treatment of diabetic maculopathy. The main outcome measures were retinal thickening as assessed by central subfield thickness on optical coherence tomography and improvement of visual acuity on the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) chart. Findings from each study were divided into modalities of treatment, namely photocoagulation, bevacizumab, triamcinolone, ranibizumab and vitrectomy. While modified ETDRS focal/grid laser remains the standard of care, intravitreal corticosteroids or anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agents have also proven to be effective, although they come with associated side effects. The choice of treatment modality for diabetic macular oedema is a clinical judgement call, and depends on the patient’s clinical history and assessment.     

Impact of Sex on Comparative Outcomes of Radial Versus Femoral Access in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndromes Undergoing Invasive Management: Data From the Randomized MATRIX-Access Trial

Objectives

This study sought to assess whether transradial access (TRA) compared with transfemoral access (TFA) is associated with consistent outcomes in male and female patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing invasive management.