No accelerated progression of subclinical atherosclerosis with integrase strand transfer inhibitors compared to non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors.

Background: The role of integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTI) in the cardiovascular risk of people with HIV is controversial.

Objectives: To assess the association of INSTI to subclinical atherosclerosis progression measured with the carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT).

Methods: Prospective study in virologically suppressed people with HIV receiving INSTI- or NNRTI-based regimens.

Distinct gut microbiota signatures associated with progression of atherosclerosis in people living with HIV.

Background: The relationship of microbiota composition dynamics and the progression of subclinical atherosclerosis in people with HIV (PWH) remains unknown.

Methods: 96-week, prospective, longitudinal study in virologically-suppressed PWH. Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) measurements and stool samples were obtained at baseline, 48-week and 96-week visits.

Integrating SARS-CoV-2-specific interferon-γ release assay testing in the evaluation of patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

The cellular immune response is essential in the protection against severe disease in patients with established SARS-CoV-2 infection. The novelty of this study lies in the evaluation of the overall performance of a standardized assay to measure cellular immune response, the SARS-CoV-2-specific interferon-γ release assay (IGRA), in hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19. The SARS-CoV-2 IGRA was shown to accurately classify patients based on disease severity and prognosis, and the study revealed that test performance was not affected by the SARS-CoV-2 variant or control tube results.

Pericarditis caused by Mycobacterium africanum: case report.

Background: Mycobacterium africanum is a member of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) and is endemic in West Africa, where it causes up to half of all cases of pulmonary tuberculosis. Here, we report the first isolation of Mycobacterium africanum from the pericardial effusion culture of a patient with tuberculous pericarditis.

Case Presentation: A 31-year-old man, native from Senegal, came to the emergency room with massive pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade requiring pericardiocentesis.

Robust long-term immunity to SARS-CoV-2 in patients recovered from severe COVID-19 after interleukin-6 blockade.

Background: Whether interleukin-6 (IL-6) blockade in patients with COVID-19 will affect the protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 has become an important concern for anti-IL-6 therapy. We aimed to investigate the effects of IL-6 blockade on long-term immunity to SARS-CoV-2.

Methods: Prospective, longitudinal cohort study conducted in patients hospitalized for severe or critical COVID-19 with laboratory confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Impact of the COVID pandemic on vascular access creation for haemodialysis in 16 Spanish haemodialysis centres.

Background: The coronavirus disease (COVID) pandemic has resulted in a major disruption in healthcare that has affected several medical and surgical specialties. European and American Vascular Societies have proposed deferring the creation of an elective vascular access (VA) [autologous or prosthetic arteriovenous fistula (AVF) or arteriovenous graft (AVG)] in incident patients on haemodialysis (HD) in the era of the COVID pandemic. The aim of this study is to examine the impact of the COVID pandemic on VA creation and the central venous catheter (CVC)-related hospitalizations and complications in HD patients dialyzed in 16 Spanish HD units of three different regions.

Clinical Performance of a Standardized Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Interferon-γ Release Assay for Simple Detection of T-Cell Responses After Infection or Vaccination.

Background: We evaluated a standardized interferon-γ (IFN-γ) release assay (IGRA) for detection of T-cell immune response after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection or vaccination.

Methods: This prospective study included patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with different severity of illness and follow-up (FU), vaccinated subjects, and healthy unvaccinated persons. SARS-CoV-2 T-cell response was measured using a specific quantitative IGRA in whole blood (Euroimmun, Germany) and TrimericS-IgG and neutralizing antibodies with validated serological platforms.

Impact of the Addition of Baricitinib to Standard of Care Including Tocilizumab and Corticosteroids on Mortality and Safety in Severe COVID-19.

Baricitinib is a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor with a broader anti-inflammatory activity than tocilizumab and an antiviral potential although no head-to-head trials are available. The benefits of adding baricitinib to patients with COVID-19 experiencing clinical progression despite the standard of care (SOC), including corticosteroids and tocilizumab, are also unknown. A cohort study included microbiologically confirmed COVID-19 hospitalizations.

Late reinfection with a different severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 clade in a patient with refractory arterial hypertension: a case report.

Background: Differentiating between persistent infection with intermittent viral shedding and reinfection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 remains challenging. Although a small number of cases with genomic evidence of second infection have been reported, limited information exists on frequency and determinants of reinfection, time between infections, and duration of immunity after the primary infection.

Case Presentation: We report a reinfection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in a 52-year-old caucasian male whose primary infection was diagnosed in May 2020, during the first wave of the pandemic in Spain, and the second occurred 8 months later, in January 2021.

Preemptive interleukin-6 blockade in patients with COVID-19.

Excessive interleukin-6 signaling is a key factor contributing to the cytokine release syndrome implicated in clinical manifestations of COVID-19. Preliminary results suggest that tocilizumab, a humanized monoclonal anti-interleukin-6 receptor antibody, may be beneficial in severely ill patients, but no data are available on earlier stages of disease. An anticipated blockade of interleukin-6 might hypothetically prevent the catastrophic consequences of the overt cytokine storm.

Intradialytic Exercise: One Size Doesn't Fit All.

Hemodialysis patients commonly have impaired physical performance and mental health. We studied the effects of an intradialytic exercise program on these variables. 27 patients (33% women; 68 ± 13 years) were enrolled in a 14-week intradialytic endurance-resistance training program ('exercise' group, 40 programmed sessions per patient); 40 hemodialysis patients (28% women; 68 ± 11 years) performing no exercise during the same time length were used as controls.

Systemic sclerosis: severe pulmonary arterial hypertension and pericardial effusion at diagnosis.

A 51-year-old female patient with a recent hospital admission reported to the emergency room (ER) with progressive worsening of fatigue, dyspnoea and chest discomfort. She had been recently admitted and discharged with the diagnosis of pericarditis and medicated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and diuretics. She returned to the ER with persisting symptoms.

Ice volume and climate changes from a 6000 year sea-level record in French Polynesia.

Mid- to late-Holocene sea-level records from low-latitude regions serve as an important baseline of natural variability in sea level and global ice volume prior to the Anthropocene. Here, we reconstruct a high-resolution sea-level curve encompassing the last 6000 years based on a comprehensive study of coral microatolls, which are sensitive low-tide recorders. Our curve is based on microatolls from several islands in a single region and comprises a total of 82 sea-level index points.

Prevalence and prognostic impact of anemia and iron deficiency in patients hospitalized in an internal medicine ward: The PRO-IRON study.

Objectives: To assess prevalence, predictive factors, and prognostic impact on in-hospital mortality of anemia, iron deficiency anemia (IDA), iron deficiency with or without anemia (ID), and iron deficiency without anemia (IDWA) in patients admitted to an internal medicine ward.

Methods: This 1-year prospective study collected data on demographics, medical history, and blood tests in 771 consecutive patients on admission.

Results: Most patients were ≥65 years old (80%) and had hypertension (63%), moderate chronic kidney disease (CKD) (43%), and heart failure (41%).

The CYLD p.R758X worldwide recurrent nonsense mutation detected in patients with multiple familial trichoepithelioma type 1, Brooke-Spiegler syndrome and familial cylindromatosis represents a mutational hotspot in the gene.

Background: Multiple familial trichoepithelioma type 1 (MFT1; MIM 601606), a rare monogenic skin disease with autosomal dominant inheritance, is characterized by the development of multiple skin-colored papules on the central area of the face, frequently occurring in the nasolabial area. The disease is associated with various mutations in the cylindromatosis (CYLD; MIM 605018) gene that are also responsible for familial cylindromatosis (FC) and Brooke-Spiegler syndrome (BSS).

Methods: Recently we have identified a Spanish MFT1 pedigree with two affected family members (father and daughter).

What do we know about carbon monoxide poisoning and cardiac compromise?

Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is one of the most common types of poisoning and the leading cause of death by poisoning worldwide. Cardiac injury caused by CO poisoning has been little described despite being a predictor of poor prognosis. We present the case of a healthy 24-year-old woman, admitted to our emergency room due to an episode of lipothymia without loss of consciousness.

[Histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis: (Kukuchi-Fujimoto disease): a diagnostic challenge].

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease, also called Histiocytic necrotizing lymphadentis, is a rare, benign and self-limited disease, with unknown etiology, that affects mainly young women, and is characterized by adenopathy (usually localized in the cervical region) and fever. Diagnosis is based on histopathological findings in ganglionar tissue obtained in excisional biopsy, which allows, in most cases, the differential diagnosis with other similar clinical conditions, but which have a completely different clinical evolution and therapeutic needs. We report a case of a twenty four year old woman with persistent cervical lymphadenopathy, in which histopathological examination followed by immunohistochemical analysis of ganglionar tissue revealed to be Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease.

Immediate effect of ultrasound and ischemic compression techniques for the treatment of trapezius latent myofascial trigger points in healthy subjects: a randomized controlled study.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine immediate effects of ischemic compression (IC) and ultrasound (US) for the treatment of myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) in the trapezius muscle.

Methods: Sixty-six volunteers, all CEU-Cardenal Herrera University, Valencia, Spain, personnel, participated in this study. Subjects were healthy individuals, diagnosed with latent MTrPs in the trapezius muscle.

J2ME and smart phones as platform for a Bluetooth body area network for patient-telemonitoring.

A prototype of a system based on a Bluetooth Body Area Network (BAN) for continuous and wireless telemonitoring of patients' biosignals is presented. Smart phones and Java (J2ME) have been selected as platform to build a central node in patients' BAN. A midlet running in the smart phone compiles information about patient's location and health status.

Neuroimaging characteristics in subgroup of GBMs with p53 overexpression.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a heterogeneous group of tumors, and neuroimaging characteristics have not been well-defined in molecular subgroups. Eighty-five patients with GBM were analyzed regarding imaging characteristics and correlation to p53 expression. The p53 positivity was graded according to percentage of positive cells (Grade 0, for < 10%; Grade 1, for <25%; Grade 2, for 26-50%; Grade 3, for >50% labeled cells).

Elevated thrombopoietin serum concentrations in myelodysplasias.

Thrombopoietin (TPO) serum levels were quantified in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes using an ELISA test for TPO. We found that TPO levels were significantly elevated in the whole group of patients as compared with normal healthy donors (521.9 75.

Intracolonic glycerol induces abdominal contractions in rats: role of 5-HT3 receptors.

Serotonin and 5-HT3 receptors may be involved in the activation of nociceptive afferent pathways by rectal distension. In rats, intracolonic infusion of glycerol is able to trigger nociceptive inputs as evidenced by the occurrence of abdominal constrictions. This work was designed to evaluate the influence of 5-HT3 receptor antagonists on this reflex and to approach the site of action by comparing their relative efficacies according to the route of administration.