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AIDS (London, England) Feb 2019: Neurological conditions associated with HIV remain major contributors to morbidity and mortality and are increasingly recognized in the aging population on...
: Neurological conditions associated with HIV remain major contributors to morbidity and mortality and are increasingly recognized in the aging population on long-standing combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). Importantly, growing evidence shows that the central nervous system (CNS) may serve as a reservoir for viral replication, which has major implications for HIV eradication strategies. Although there has been major progress in the last decade in our understanding of the pathogenesis, burden, and impact of neurological conditions associated with HIV infection, significant scientific gaps remain. In many resource-limited settings, antiretrovirals considered second or third line in the United States, which carry substantial neurotoxicity, remain mainstays of treatment, and patients continue to present with severe immunosuppression and CNS opportunistic infections. Despite this, increased global access to cART has coincided with an aging HIV-positive population with cognitive sequelae, cerebrovascular disease, and peripheral neuropathy. Further neurological research in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) is needed to address the burden of neurological complications in HIV-positive patients, particularly regarding CNS viral reservoirs and their effects on eradication.
Topics: AIDS Dementia Complex; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Anti-HIV Agents; Child; Child, Preschool; Global Health; HIV Infections; Humans; Middle Aged
PubMed: 29547440
DOI: 10.1097/QAD.0000000000001796 -
Transplantation Reviews (Orlando, Fla.) Dec 2023Kidney transplant (KT) recipients of HLA identical siblings (HLAid) have lower immunological risk, but there are no specific recommendations for immunosuppression. Our... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Kidney transplant (KT) recipients of HLA identical siblings (HLAid) have lower immunological risk, but there are no specific recommendations for immunosuppression. Our aim was to analyze evidence about results from HLAid living-donor recipients under different immunosuppression in the current era of immunological risk assessment.
METHODS
Systematic review of studies describing associations between outcomes of HLAid living-donor KT recipients according to their immunological risk and applied immunosuppression.
RESULTS
From 1351 studies, 16 (5636 KT recipients) were included in the analysis. All studies were retrospective, ten comparing immunosuppression strategies, and six immunological risk strata. Of those ten, six studies were published in 1990 or earlier and only three included tacrolimus. The evidence is poor, and the inclusion of calcineurin inhibitors does not demonstrate better results. Furthermore, only few studies describe different immunosuppression regimens according to the patient immunological risk and, in general, they do not include the assessment with new solid phase assays.
CONCLUSIONS
There are no studies analyzing the association of outcomes of HLAid KT recipients with current immunological risk tools. In the absence of evidence, no decision or proposal of immunosuppression adapted to modern immunological risk assessment can be made currently by the Descartes Working Group.
Topics: Humans; Kidney Transplantation; Living Donors; Retrospective Studies; Graft Survival; Graft Rejection; Immunosuppression Therapy; Transplant Recipients; Immunosuppressive Agents; HLA Antigens
PubMed: 37657355
DOI: 10.1016/j.trre.2023.100787 -
Indian Journal of Ophthalmology May 2021The incidence of leishmaniasis is reported to be up to 1 million per year. To date, there has been no comprehensive review describing the diversity of clinical... (Review)
Review
The incidence of leishmaniasis is reported to be up to 1 million per year. To date, there has been no comprehensive review describing the diversity of clinical presentations of ocular leishmaniasis (OL) and its treatment. This systematic review aims to address this knowledge gap and provide a summary of the clinical presentation, natural course, and treatment options for OL. Our study identified a total of 57 published articles as describing cases of OL involving: adnexa (n = 26), orbit (n = 1), retina (n = 7), uvea (n = 18) and cornea (n = 6). Though well described and easily treated, palpebral leishmaniasis is often misdiagnosed and may lead to chronic issues if untreated. The retinal manifestations of Leishmaniasis consist of self-resolving hemorrhages secondary to thrombocytopenia. Two main uveitis etiologies have been identified: uveitis in the context of active Leishmanial infection (associated with immunosuppression) and uveitis occurring as an immune reconstitution syndrome. Corneal involvement in most geographic areas generally follows an aggressive course, most often ending in corneal perforation if left untreated. In the Americas, a chronic indolent interstitial keratitis may also occur. Topical steroids are of little use in keratitis (systemic antileishmanials being the cornerstone of treatment). However, these are essential in cases of uveitis, with or without concomitant systemic antileishmanial therapy. In conclusion, though ocular involvement in Leishmaniasis is rare, severe sight-threatening consequences follow if left untreated. Early diagnosis, enthusiastic follow-up and aggressive treatment are essential for good outcomes.
Topics: Cornea; Corneal Perforation; Humans; Keratitis; Leishmaniasis; Uveitis
PubMed: 33913831
DOI: 10.4103/ijo.IJO_2232_20 -
Salud Publica de Mexico Dec 2020Objetivo. Establecer criterios médicos de retorno al trabajo en personal con riesgo de complicaciones por Covid-19. Material y métodos. Se realizó una revisión...
Objetivo. Establecer criterios médicos de retorno al trabajo en personal con riesgo de complicaciones por Covid-19. Material y métodos. Se realizó una revisión sistemática para identificar las condiciones y las características clínicas que influyen en el riesgo de desarrollar Covid-19 grave. Resultados. Se ha demostrado incremento del riesgo en obesidad, edad >60 años, diabetes mellitus, hipertensión arterial, enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica, enfermedad cardiovascular, enfermedad renal crónica y cáncer. Solamente en diabetes se ha estudiado si el control previo influye. Se proponen condiciones específicas y el nivel de riesgo epidemiológico para el retorno al trabajo. Conclusiones. El retorno laboral de estos grupos debe priorizarse buscando favorecer el control de la enfermedad, identificando el estado de salud que incrementa el riesgo y protegiendo el derecho al trabajo. Se presentan recomendaciones para guiar la reincorporación al trabajo.
Topics: Age Factors; Asthma; Breast Feeding; COVID-19; Cardiovascular Diseases; Comorbidity; Diabetes Mellitus; Female; HIV Infections; Humans; Hypertension; Immunosuppression Therapy; Middle Aged; Neoplasms; Obesity; Pregnancy; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic; Return to Work; Risk Factors
PubMed: 33984204
DOI: 10.21149/11984 -
Clinical Endocrinology Aug 2021Acute suppurative thyroiditis (AST) is a rare but potentially fatal condition which can initially be difficult to distinguish from the more common subacute thyroiditis... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
Acute suppurative thyroiditis (AST) is a rare but potentially fatal condition which can initially be difficult to distinguish from the more common subacute thyroiditis (SAT). We aim to update understanding of this medical emergency.
DESIGN
A systematic review over the past 20 years was performed on the epidemiology, clinical features, investigations, management and outcomes of AST. All full-text cases of microscopy or culture- proven AST in the English literature were included.
RESULTS
200 cases of AST have been described in 148 articles from January 2000 - January 2020. Bacterial AST is most common, often presenting with neck pain (89%) and fever (82%). Immunosuppression and pyriform sinus fistula are the most common causes, most often due to gram-positive aerobes. Transient hyperthyroidism is common (42%). Aspiration and antibiotics are becoming a more common treatment. Overall mortality was 7.8%. Tuberculous and fungal AST are less likely to present with fever and neck pain. Fungal AST is more common in immunosuppressed individuals (31%) and has a high overall mortality (33%). Tuberculous AST is more common in TB endemic areas.
CONCLUSION
The symptoms and signs of AST commonly overlap with SAT and initially can be hard to diagnose. AST can be rapidly morbid or even fatal. Clinicians need to consider AST when they assess patients with thyroiditis who are systemically unwell, have high fever, high white cell count and c-reactive protein, tender neck and abnormal neck imaging. An investigative and treatment strategy is described based on a systematic review of the literature.
Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Diagnosis, Differential; Humans; Neck; Thyroiditis; Thyroiditis, Suppurative
PubMed: 33559162
DOI: 10.1111/cen.14440 -
Transplantation Reviews (Orlando, Fla.) Jul 2022The COVID-19 pandemic has a great impact on solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients due to their comorbidities and their maintenance immunosuppression. So far, studies... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
The COVID-19 pandemic has a great impact on solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients due to their comorbidities and their maintenance immunosuppression. So far, studies about the different aspects of the impact of the pandemic on SOT recipients are limited.
OBJECTIVES
This systematic review summarizes the risk factors that make SOT patients more vulnerable for severe COVID-19 disease or mortality and the impact of immunosuppressive therapy. Furthermore, their clinical outcomes, mortality risk, immunosuppression, immunity and COVID-19 vaccination efficacy are discussed.
METHODS
A systematic search on PubMed was performed to select original articles on SOT recipients concerning the following four topics: (1) mortality and clinical course; (2) risk factors for mortality and composite outcomes; (3) maintenance immunosuppression; (4) immunity to COVID-19 infection and (5) vaccine immunogenicity. Relevant data were extracted, analyzed and summarized in tables.
RESULTS
This systematic review includes 77 articles. Mortality was associated with advanced age. Post-transplantation time or comorbidities were variably identified as independent risk factors for mortality or severe disease. However, generally, no comorbidity was reported as a major risk factor. SOT recipients have a higher risk of acute kidney injury, but no higher rate of mortality compared to non-transplanted patients was found. Immunosuppression was individually adjusted, without leading to high rates of graft dysfunction. Generally, no association between type of immunosuppression and mortality was found. SOT patients established humoral and cellular immune responses after COVID-19 disease comparable to immunocompetent people. At last, SOT patients experience a diminished immune response after two-dose vaccination with SARS-COV-2-mRNA-vaccines.
CONCLUSION
More research is needed to address the direct effect of COVID-19 disease on the graft in lung transplant recipients, as well as the factors ameliorating the immune response in SOT recipients.
Topics: COVID-19; COVID-19 Vaccines; Humans; Organ Transplantation; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2; Transplant Recipients
PubMed: 35809422
DOI: 10.1016/j.trre.2022.100710 -
Current Opinion in Otolaryngology &... Jun 2015To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of allergen immunotherapy (AIT) in the treatment of allergic rhinitis and asthma. Individual studies and systematic reviews that... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of allergen immunotherapy (AIT) in the treatment of allergic rhinitis and asthma. Individual studies and systematic reviews that included information on AIT economic outcomes as compared with symptomatic drug treatment (SDT) were evaluated.
RECENT FINDINGS
One systematic review that included 14 studies concluded that subcutaneous and sublingual immunotherapy may be cost-effective compared with SDT from around 6 years. Another systematic review of 24 studies comparing economic outcomes of subcutaneous allergy immunotherapy and/or sublingual allergy immunotherapy with SDT found compelling evidence for cost-savings with both forms of AIT over SDT. There was no strong evidence indicating superior cost-efficacy of subcutaneous allergy immunotherapy or sublingual allergy immunotherapy over SDT in either of these systematic reviews. Individual studies have demonstrated AIT cost-savings as high as 80% compared with SDT. Significant cost-savings were reported as early as 3 months after AIT initiation. In some studies, cost-efficacy time-point was not established until after treatment discontinuation - presumably due to time required for the clinical benefits to outweigh the AIT treatment costs. Although some economic modeling studies included the costs of 'asthma prevented', the collective literature of AIT economics provides very little to no information about the cost benefits of the preventive aspect of AIT.
SUMMARY
Overall, individual studies and systematic reviews provide strong evidence for the cost-effectiveness of AIT over SDT. The magnitude of cost-efficacy is likely underestimated in that few studies consider the cost-savings due to AIT's long-term benefits or preventive effect.
Topics: Asthma; Cost Control; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Desensitization, Immunologic; Humans; Rhinitis, Allergic
PubMed: 25887973
DOI: 10.1097/MOO.0000000000000150 -
Gastroenterologia Y Hepatologia Mar 2019A severe shortage of suitable allografts is a long-standing and worldwide problem for patients who are waiting for organ transplantation. Hepatocyte transplantation has...
A severe shortage of suitable allografts is a long-standing and worldwide problem for patients who are waiting for organ transplantation. Hepatocyte transplantation has been proposed as an alternative therapeutic approach for liver disease patients to address this urgent and unmet medical need. The cell replacement approach does not replace orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), but rather it complements OLT especially for patients who do not require whole liver replacement, such as those with congenital metabolic disorders. This review article summarizes the current knowledge and limitations of clinical hepatocyte transplantation and aims to advance our understanding toward the goal of developing novel cell replacement therapies for patients who are on the OLT waiting list.
Topics: Hepatocytes; Humans; Liver Diseases; Liver Transplantation; Metabolism, Inborn Errors; Transplantation Conditioning
PubMed: 30470565
DOI: 10.1016/j.gastrohep.2018.10.007 -
Experimental and Clinical... Aug 2016Kidney transplant remains the best type of renal replacement therapy in most patients with end-stage kidney disease, even in those with high immunologic risk.... (Review)
Review
Kidney transplant remains the best type of renal replacement therapy in most patients with end-stage kidney disease, even in those with high immunologic risk. Immunosuppression in these patients is regarded as more complex, owing to the higher risk of both acute and chronic rejection. The advent of induction immunosuppression has resulted in a lower incidence of acute rejection and consequently improved short-term patient and allograft outcomes. Indeed, the use of these agents, especially in high-risk recipients, has become standard of care at most transplant centers. Transplant physicians are constantly faced with the challenge of estimating the recipients' immunologic risk and tailoring their immunosuppression accordingly. This review article aims to provide an up-to-date evaluation of the various studies available, which investigated the use of induction agents in kidney transplant, specifically in high-risk recipients. It evaluates the use of the most frequently used polyclonal antibody (rabbit antithymocyte globulin) versus the less commonly used monoclonal antibody alemtuzumab, superseded agents such as muromonab-CD3, and potentially emerging agents such as rituximab, bortezomib, and eculizumab. With this systematic review, we hope to inform the scientific community and facilitate this controversial decision through the implementation of robust scientific evidence.
Topics: Drug Therapy, Combination; Evidence-Based Medicine; Graft Rejection; Graft Survival; Humans; Immunosuppressive Agents; Kidney Transplantation; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 27041548
DOI: 10.6002/ect.2015.0328 -
Translational Gastroenterology and... 2018Translational medicine has become a priority, but there is still a big difference between the arrival of new treatments and investment. Basic science should not be... (Review)
Review
Translational medicine has become a priority, but there is still a big difference between the arrival of new treatments and investment. Basic science should not be neglected because the translation from basic research is not sustained in the absence of basic research. The purpose of this literature review was to analyze the translational medicine in the liver transplant field: liver ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI), immunosuppression, clinical and surgical complications, small-for-size syndrome (SFSS), rejection, and ongoing innovations (liver machine, liver preservation, artificial livers, and regenerative medicine). We performed a systematic literature review that were updated in October 2016. The searches were performed in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Review, PubMed/Medline, Embase, and LILACS databases. All the selected studies on the management of translational medical research in liver transplantation (LT) were analyzed. Initially the search found 773 articles. Methodological viewing and analysis of the articles, followed by the application of scientific models, including translational medicine in the liver transplant field. In conclusions, this review demonstrates the application of scientific research with translation medical benefits regarding the LT. The literature has a great tendency, improvements and investments in the study of translational medicine in LT. Innovative studies and technologies from basic science help to clarify clinical doubts. Moreover, evidence increases the importance of scientific research in quality of clinical practice care.
PubMed: 30603727
DOI: 10.21037/tgh.2018.10.14