Comparative Efficacy and Safety of Baricitinib Against Traditional Therapies in Severe Alopecia Areata: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Introduction: Alopecia areata is a common autoimmune disease which results in reversible hair loss. Janus kinase inhibitors are prescribed for severe alopecia areata with encouraging results. There are no studies comparing the efficacy and safety of Janus kinase inhibitors to traditional treatment options, such as topical immunomodulators and traditional immunosuppressants.

Real-World Data on Brodalumab Treatment in Patients with Moderate-to-Severe Plaque Psoriasis: An Observational Study from the Czech Republic BIOREP Registry.

Introduction: The aim of this observational, multicenter study was to assess the real-world use of brodalumab for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in patients in the Czech Republic, using data from the BIOREP registry.

Methods: The study included 273 patients aged ≥ 18 years with moderate-to-severe psoriasis who received brodalumab. Endpoints were drug survival (time from treatment initiation to discontinuation), effectiveness [Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI)], and health-related quality-of-life [Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI)].

Glucose and trehalose metabolism through the cyclic pentose phosphate pathway shapes pathogen resistance and host protection in Drosophila.

Activation of immune cells requires the remodeling of cell metabolism in order to support immune function. We study these metabolic changes through the infection of Drosophila larvae by parasitoid wasp. The parasitoid egg is neutralized by differentiating lamellocytes, which encapsulate the egg.

JAK/STAT mediated insulin resistance in muscles is essential for effective immune response.

Background: The metabolically demanding nature of immune response requires nutrients to be preferentially directed towards the immune system at the expense of peripheral tissues. We study the mechanisms by which this metabolic reprograming occurs using the parasitoid infection of Drosophila larvae. To overcome such an immune challenge hemocytes differentiate into lamellocytes, which encapsulate and melanize the parasitoid egg.

How to eliminate pathogen without killing oneself? Immunometabolism of encapsulation and melanization in .

Cellular encapsulation associated with melanization is a crucial component of the immune response in insects, particularly against larger pathogens. The infection of a larva by parasitoid wasps, like , is the most extensively studied example. In this case, the encapsulation and melanization of the parasitoid embryo is linked to the activation of plasmatocytes that attach to the surface of the parasitoid.

Macrophage-derived insulin antagonist ImpL2 induces lipoprotein mobilization upon bacterial infection.

The immune response is an energy-demanding process that must be coordinated with systemic metabolic changes redirecting nutrients from stores to the immune system. Although this interplay is fundamental for the function of the immune system, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Our data show that the pro-inflammatory polarization of Drosophila macrophages is coupled to the production of the insulin antagonist ImpL2 through the activity of the transcription factor HIF1α.

5-Years Analysis of Effectivity and Toxicity of Ultra-Hypofractionated Proton Radiotherapy in the Treatment of Low- and Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer-A Retrospective Analysis.

Background: We retrospectively analyzed the 5-year biochemical disease-free survival (bDFS) and occurrence of late toxicity in prostate cancer patients treated with pencil beam scanning (PBS) proton radiotherapy.

Methodology: In the period from January 2013 to June 2018, 853 patients with prostate cancer were treated with an ultra-hypofractionated schedule (36.25 GyE/five fractions).

The way to data: opinions and recommendations for the provision of health data for secondary use.

Healthcare data held by state-run organisations is a valuable intangible asset for society. Its use should be a priority for its administrators and the state. A completely paternalistic approach by administrators and the state is undesirable, however much it aims to protect the privacy rights of persons registered in databases.

Access to novel cancer medicines in four countries in Central and Eastern Europe in relation to clinical benefit.

Background: Almost 100 novel cancer medicines have been approved in Europe over the last decade. Limited public health care resources in countries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) call for a prioritization of access to effective medicines. We investigated how both reimbursement status and waiting time to reimbursement correlate with the magnitude of clinical benefit provided by novel medicines in four selected countries (Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia).

The Impact of Subclinical Hypothyroidism on the Quality of Life During Pregnancy: Mapping 5-Level Version of EQ-5D and ThyPRO-39.

Objectives: To describe how subclinical hypothyroidism (SubHypo) influences the quality of life (QoL) during pregnancy.

Methods: In primary data collection (NCT04167423), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4), thyroid peroxidase antibodies, generic quality of life (QoL; 5-level version of EQ-5D [EQ-5D-5L]), and disease-specific QoL (ThyPRO-39) were measured among pregnant women. SubHypo during each trimester was defined according to the 2014 European Thyroid Association guidelines (TSH > 2.

Short-term risk of periprocedural stroke relative to radial vs. femoral access: systematic review, meta-analysis, study sequential analysis and meta-regression of 2,188,047 real-world cardiac catheterizations.

Objectives: To verify whether transradial (TRA) compared to transfemoral (TFA) cardiac catheterization reduces the risk of periprocedural stroke (PS).

Methods: We reviewed (CRD42021277918) published real-world cohorts reporting the incidence of PS within 3 days following diagnostic or interventional catheterization. Meta-analyses and meta-regressions of odds ratios (OR) performed using the DerSimonian and Laird method were checked for publication bias (Egger test) and adjusted for false-positive results (study sequential analysis SSA).

Novel approach to decision making for orphan drugs.

Background: Out of 185 orphan medicinal products (OMPs) registered in 2015-2021, a mere 110 (59 percent) were available to Czech patients, and only 54 (29 percent) were officially reimbursed. Moreover, this proportion has steadily decreased over time. After years of public debate induced by this unsatisfactory OMP patient access, the national viewpoint shifted toward creating a special pathway for the reimbursement of OMP.

Patient-reported symptoms are a more reliable predictor of the societal burden compared to established physician-reported activity indices in inflammatory bowel disease: a cross-sectional study.

Background: The societal burden of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) is not well documented, and further studies are needed to quantify the costs of the disease state. Thus, the aim was to estimate the societal burden and identify its predictors.

Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study complemented by objective data from patient medical records was performed for patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC).

Relationship between Patient Preferences, Attitudes to Treatment, Adherence, and Quality of Life in New Users of Teriflunomide.

A poor patient adherence often limits the real-world effectiveness of an oral disease-modifying therapy (DMT) for multiple sclerosis (MS). In the present study, we aimed to map patient preferences, attitudes toward treatment, and quality of life to identify the predictors of non-adherence to teriflunomide. This was a single-arm, non-interventional, multicenter study (Czech Act 378/2007 Coll.

Indirect treatment comparison and cost-minimization analysis of riociguat versus selexipag in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Objectives: The comparative efficacy between riociguat and selexipag in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) has never been described in literature. Our aim was to prepare indirect treatment comparison (ITC) to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of riociguat in Czechia.

Methods: A systematic literature review identified two relevant trials with comparable endpoints to inform a Bucher ITC of relative and absolute effects.

Health and economic impact of subcutaneous allergen immunotherapy in patients with pollen-induced allergic rhinoconjunctivitis: real-word evidence from the Czech Republic.

The prevalence of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (AR) has been increasing over the years, and allergen immunotherapy (AIT) remains the only disease-modifying treatment. However, cost-effectiveness data remain scarce. In this single-arm, noninterventional, prospective, multicenter study, we describe the effectiveness, safety and costs of subcutaneous AIT for pollen-induced allergic rhinoconjunctivitis.

Efficacy of switches within the class of IL-17 inhibitors: An analysis of data from the Czech nationwide registry of psoriatic patients receiving biological/targeted therapy (BIOREP).

The IL-17 cytokine family encompasses six different homodimers and heterodimers referred to as IL-17A-F. Due to some differences in the mechanism of IL-17 inhibition, aninsufficient effect of one IL-17 inhibitor does not necessarily imply lack of efficacy of the other agent of the same class. Aim of study was analysis of the success rate of switches among IL-17 inhibitors (secukinumab, ixekizumab, and brodalumab) in patients treated in the Czech Republic.

Efficacy, safety, and drug survival of patients with psoriasis treated with IL-17 inhibitors - brodalumab, ixekizumab, and secukinumab: real-world data from the Czech Republic BIOREP registry.

Background: Real-world data on the use of interleukin-17 (IL-17) inhibitors for the treatment of psoriasis are limited.

Objective: To evaluate and compare the efficacy, safety, and drug survival of IL-17 inhibitors.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed the BIOREP registry data of patients treated with at least one IL-17 inhibitor (secukinumab, ixekizumab, and brodalumab).

[Direct costs in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation newly indicated to apixaban: a retrospective prospective single arm cohort study].

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) affects 46.3 million people; its prevalence has tripled over the last 50 years. AF leads to formation of blood clots increasing four-fold the risk of a stroke.

Adsorption of Oxygen to High Entropy Alloy Surfaces for up to 2 ML Coverage Using Density Functional Theory and Monte Carlo Calculations.

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) manufactured with refractory elements are candidates for high-temperature structural applications. To enhance our understanding of oxidation in these complex systems, the early stages of oxidation on the surface of AlNbTaTiZr were studied using density functional theory and thermodynamic modeling. Surface slabs were generated from bulk configurations sampled from equilibrium using a multicell Monte Carlo method for phase prediction.

Dupilumab for the treatment of atopic dermatitis: real-world data from the Czech Republic BIOREP registry.

Background: Dupilumab has been approved to treat moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis; however, the data in a real-world setting are still limited.

Objective: To analyze the effectiveness and safety of dupilumab.

Methods: This was a real-life Czech multicenter retrospective study from patients treated with dupilumab for severe AD.

Accession Site Does Not Influence the Risk of Stroke after Diagnostic Coronary Angiography or Intervention: Results from a Large Prospective Registry.

Introduction: Periprocedural stroke represents a rare but serious complication of cardiac catheterization. Pooled data from randomized trials evaluating the risk of stroke following cardiac catheterization via transradial versus transfemoral access showed no difference. On the other hand, a significant difference in stroke rates favoring transradial access was found in a recent meta-analysis of observational studies.

Factors influencing the end-of-life decisionmaking process about care in hospitalized patients.

The quality of end-of-life care of hospitalized patients is an important topic, but so far little explored in the Czech Republic. The aim of this study was to map the factors influencing the end-of-life care decision-making process in selected Czech hospitals and to describe it based on data from medical records and from the perspective of a doctor. The research included data obtained from the medical records of 240 deceased patients (mean age 76.