Tocilizumab en el tratamiento del rechazo humoral crónico activo resistente a terapia estándar

IntroductionThere is no consensus on the most appropriate treatment for chronic active antibody-mediated rejection (cAMR). Recent studies suggest that treatment with tocilizumab (TCZ) may stabilize graft function, decrease the intensity of donor-specific HLA antibodies (DSAs) and reduce inflammation of microcirculation.Patients and methodsObservational study with renal allograft recipients diagnosed with cAMR (n = 5) who had not submitted a response to traditional treatment based on the combination of plasma replacements, immunoglobulins, and rituximab. Patients were told to be treated with TCZ as compassionate use in six doses per month (8 mg/kg/month). Renal function, proteinuria, and the intensity of DSAs were monitored during follow-up.ResultsFive patients, average age 60 ± 13 years, three male and two retrasplants (cPRA average 55%) with preformed DSAs. Treatment with TCZ was initiated within 47 ± 52 days of biopsy. In two cases treatment was discontinued after the first dose, by severe bicitopenia with cytomegalovirus viremia and by graft failure, respectively. In the three patients who completed treatment, no stability of renal function (serum creatinine from 1.73 ± 0.70 to 2.04 ± 0.52 mg/dL, e-FGR 4 6 ± 15 to 36 ± 16 mL/min), showed increased proteinuria (3.2 ± 4.0 to 6.9 ± 11.0 g/g) and the intensity of DSAs maintain stable. No changes were observed in the degree of inflammation of microcirculation (g + pt 4.2 ± 0.8 vs. 4.3 ± 1.0) or in the degree of transplant glomerulopathy (cg 1.2 ± 0.4 vs. 1.8 ± 1.0).ConclusionsTCZ therapy does not appear to be effective in modifying the natural history of chronic active antibody-mediated rejection, does not improve the degree of inflammation of microcirculation and does not reduces the intensity of DSAs.     

肌萎缩侧索硬化伴认知功能障碍的研究进展

认知功能障碍在肌萎缩侧索硬化（ALS）患者中是普遍存在的，ALS伴认知功能障碍常提示预后不良。近年来对ALS患者认知功能障碍的研究取得了一定的进展，本文对ALS伴认知功能障碍的临床特点、生物标志物、遗传学特征和最新治疗进展进行综述，以期为ALS伴认知功能障碍的临床诊疗提供新思路。     

Consenso multidisciplinar para el manejo de la tromboembolia de pulmón

We have updated recommendations on 12 controversial topics that were published in the 2013 National Consensus on the diagnosis, risk stratification and treatment of patients with pulmonary embolism (PE). A comprehensive review of the literature was performed for each topic, and each recommendation was evaluated in two teleconferences. For diagnosis, we recommend against using the Pulmonary Embolism Rule Out Criteria (PERC) rule as the only test to rule out PE, and we recommend using a D-dimer cutoff adjusted to age to rule out PE. We suggest using computed tomography pulmonary angiogram as the imaging test of choice for the majority of patients with suspected PE. We recommend using direct oral anticoagulants (over vitamin K antagonists) for the vast majority of patients with acute PE, and we suggest using anticoagulation for patients with isolated subsegmental PE. We recommend against inserting an inferior cava filter for the majority of patients with PE, and we recommend using full-dose systemic thrombolytic therapy for PE patients requiring reperfusion. The decision to stop anticoagulants at 3 months or to treat indefinitely mainly depends on the presence (or absence) and type of risk factor for venous thromboembolism, and we recommend against thrombophilia testing to decide duration of anticoagulation. Finally, we suggest against extensive screening for occult cancer in patients with PE.     

Emergency Care EMTALA Alterations During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States

The coronavirus 2019 pandemic has affected almost every aspect of health care delivery in the United States, and the emergency medicine system has been hit particularly hard while dealing with this public health crisis. In an unprecedented time in our history, medical systems and clinicians have been asked to be creative, flexible, and innovative, all while continuing to uphold the important standards in the US health care system. To continue providing quality services to patients during this extraordinary time, care providers, organizations, administrators, and insurers have needed to alter longstanding models and procedures to respond to the dynamics of a pandemic. The Emergency Medicine Treatment and Active Labor Act of 1986, or EMTALA, is 1 example of where these alterations have allowed health care facilities and clinicians to continue their work of caring for patients while protecting both the patients and the clinicians themselves from infectious exposures at the same time.     

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.     

中国抗癌协会神经内分泌肿瘤诊治指南（2022年版）

神经内分泌肿瘤（neuroendocrine neoplasm,NEN）是一类起源于肽能神经元和神经内分泌细胞,具有神经内分泌分化并表达神经内分泌标志物的少见肿瘤,可发生于全身各处,以肺及胃肠胰NEN（gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasm, GEP-NEN）最常见。国内外研究数据均提示,NEN的发病率在不断上升。美国流行病学调查结果显示,与其他类型肿瘤相比,NEN的发病率上升趋势更为显著。中国抗癌协会神经内分泌肿瘤专委会在现有循证医学证据基础上,结合已有国内外指南和共识,制订了首版中国抗癌协会神经内分泌肿瘤诊治指南,为临床工作者提供参考。     

Out of the boxes,out of the silos: The need of interdisciplinary collaboration to reduce poor-quality medical products in the supply chain

In this paper, we argue that understanding and addressing the problem of poor-quality medical products requires a more interdisciplinary approach than has been evident to date. While prospective studies based on rigorous standardized methodologies are the gold standard for measuring the prevalence of poor-quality medical products and understanding their distribution nationally and internationally, they should be complemented by social science research to unpack the complex set of social, economic, and governance factors that underlie these patterns. In the following sections, we discuss specific examples of prospective quality surveys and of social science studies, highlighting the value of cross-sector partnerships in driving high-quality, policy-relevant research in this area.     

Percutaneous renal mass biopsy: historical perspective,current status,and future considerations

Introduction: Percutaneous renal mass biopsy has evolved over the last decade with improvements on previous pitfalls including low tissue yield, high non-diagnostic rates, and complications. As understanding of tumor biology and natural history of renal cortical neoplasms has improved, percutaneous renal mass biopsy is poised to have an expanding role in an area characterized by individualized management and refined risk stratification.

Areas covered: This review summarizes the evolution of renal mass biopsy to its current state with respect to outcomes, indications, and clinical guidelines.

Expert opinion: With improved understanding of differential biological potential of renal cortical neoplasms combined with technical improvements in diagnostic yield and accuracy, utilization of renal mass biopsy is becoming an important adjunct to patient care in a broad range of clinical scenarios, including active surveillance, thermal ablation, and use of primary systemic therapy in localized and advanced settings.