Targeted proteomics in extracellular vesicles identifies biomarkers predictive for therapeutic response in sarcoidosis.

Background: ∼30% of patients with sarcoidosis, a systemic granulomatous disease of unknown cause, need treatment to alleviate symptoms or prevent organ damage. Prednisone and methotrexate (MTX) are the most commonly used drugs; however, success of treatment varies from patient to patient. In this study, we search for biomarkers and pathways that predict response to treatment with prednisone or MTX in extracellular vesicles (EVs).

The Role of FDG PET/CT in Assessing Cardiac Sarcoidosis with No High-Risk Cardiac Features and Normal CMR.

Background: Diagnosing cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) is challenging due to the variable presentation and the lack of consensus on optimal screening strategies. Early identification is critical to prevent adverse outcomes. This study evaluates the role of FDG-PET/CT in assessing CS in patients with no high-risk cardiac features and normal cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR).

Family history of pulmonary fibrosis impacts prognosis in patients with sarcoidosis.

https://bit.ly/40KC7Cr.

Predicting benefit from adjuvant therapy with corticosteroids in community-acquired pneumonia: a data-driven analysis of randomised trials.

Background: Despite several randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on the use of adjuvant treatment with corticosteroids in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), the effect of this intervention on mortality remains controversial. We aimed to evaluate heterogeneity of treatment effect (HTE) of adjuvant treatment with corticosteroids on 30-day mortality in patients with CAP.

Methods: In this individual patient data meta-analysis, we included RCTs published before July 1, 2024, comparing adjuvant treatment with corticosteroids versus placebo in patients hospitalised with CAP.

Holter Monitoring and Cardiac Biomarkers in Screening for Cardiac Sarcoidosis.

Introduction: Early detection of cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) is crucial due to its association with severe complications such as ventricular arrhythmias, heart failure, and sudden cardiac death. Advanced imaging techniques like cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) and 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (FDG-PET/CT) are effective in detecting CS but not easily accessible. The optimal method for selecting patients for advanced screening remains uncertain.

New phenotyping questionnaire for diagnosing sarcoidosis-associated small fiber neuropathy.

Small fiber neuropathy is a common complication in patients with sarcoidosis and its prevalence is estimated at 40-86%. The underlying mechanism influences the presentation of small fiber neuropathy. For example, patients with metabolic diseases are often associated with a classic length-dependent small fiber neuropathy pattern, while patients with inflammatory diseases are more often present with a non-length-dependent small fiber neuropathy.

A systematic review on the effectiveness of robot-assisted minimally invasive gastrectomy.

Background: Robot-assisted minimally invasive gastrectomy (RAMIG) is increasingly used as a surgical approach for gastric cancer. This study assessed the effectiveness of RAMIG and studied which stages of the IDEAL-framework (1 = Idea, 2A = Development, 2B = Exploration, 3 = Assessment, 4 = Long-term follow-up) were followed.

Methods: The Cochrane Library, Embase, Pubmed, and Web of Science were searched for studies on RAMIG up to January 2023.

Genetic Interventions for Spinocerebellar Ataxia and Huntington's Disease: A Qualitative Study of the Patient Perspective.

Background: For various genetic disorders characterized by expanded cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG) repeats, such as spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) subtypes and Huntington's disease (HD), genetic interventions are currently being tested in different clinical trial phases. The patient's perspective on such interventions should be included in the further development and implementation of these new treatments.

Objective: To obtain insight into the thoughts and perspectives of individuals with SCA and HD on genetic interventions.

rs12702634 and rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease in European ancestry.

Objective: Recently, a genome-wide association study identified an association between RA-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD) and rs12702634 in the Japanese population, especially for patients with a usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) pattern. We aimed to replicate this association in a European population and test for interaction with rs35705950.

Methods: In this genetic case-control association study, patients with RA and ILD and controls with RA and no ILD were included from France, the USA and the Netherlands.

Decreased serpin C1 in extracellular vesicles predicts response to methotrexate treatment in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis.

Background: Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disease of unknown etiology primarily affecting the lungs. Treatment is needed when disease symptoms worsen and organ function deteriorates. In pulmonary sarcoidosis, prednisone and methotrexate (MTX) are the most common anti-inflammatory therapies.

Cost-utility analysis of TAVI compared with surgery in patients with severe aortic stenosis at low risk of surgical mortality in the Netherlands.

Background: There is growing evidence to support the benefits of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) over surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis (sSAS) who are at high- or intermediate-risk of surgical mortality. The PARTNER 3 trial showed clinical benefits with SAPIEN 3 TAVI compared with SAVR in patients at low risk of surgical mortality. Whether TAVI is also cost-effective compared with SAVR for low-risk patients in the Dutch healthcare system remains uncertain.

A new variant in the gene: diverse clinical phenotypes and expression in the lung.

Introduction: Pulmonary fibrosis is a severe disease which can be familial. A genetic cause can only be found in ∼40% of families. Searching for shared novel genetic variants may aid the discovery of new genetic causes of disease.

Cost and Utility Estimates per Modified Rankin Scale Score up to 2 Years Post Stroke: Data to Inform Economic Evaluations From a Societal Perspective.

Objectives: Model-based health economic evaluations of ischemic stroke are in need of cost- and utility estimates related to relevant outcome measures. This study aims to describe societal cost- and utility estimates per modified Rankin Scale (mRS)-score at different time points within 2 years post stroke.

Methods: Included patients had a stroke between 3 months and 2.

Cost-effectiveness of endovascular treatment after 6-24 h in ischaemic stroke patients with collateral flow on CT-angiography: A model-based economic evaluation of the MR CLEAN-LATE trial.

Background: The MR CLEAN-LATE trial has shown that patient selection for endovascular treatment (EVT) in the late window (6-24 h after onset or last-seen-well) based on the presence of collateral flow on CT-angiography is safe and effective. We aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness of late-window collateral-based EVT-selection compared to best medical management (BMM) over a lifetime horizon (until 95 years of age).

Materials And Methods: A model-based economic evaluation was performed from a societal perspective in The Netherlands.

New Insights via RNA Profiling of Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded Lung Tissue of Pulmonary Fibrosis Patients.

In sporadic idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (sIPF) and pulmonary fibrosis caused by a mutation in telomere (TRG-PF) or surfactant related genes (SRG-PF), there are a number of aberrant cellular processes known that can lead to fibrogenesis. We investigated whether RNA expression of genes involved in these processes differed between sIPF, TRG-PF, and SRG-PF and whether expression levels were associated with survival. RNA expression of 28 genes was measured in lung biopsies of 26 sIPF, 17 TRG-PF, and 6 SRG-PF patients.

Fully Automatic, Semiautomatic, and Manual Corneal Nerve Fiber Analysis in Patients With Sarcoidosis.

Purpose: No guidelines are available on the preferred method for analyzing corneal confocal microscopy (CCM) data. Manual, semiautomatic, and automatic analyzes are all currently in use. The purpose of the present study was threefold.

Methotrexate Polyglutamate Concentrations as a Possible Predictive Marker for Effectiveness of Methotrexate Therapy in Patients with Sarcoidosis: A Pilot Study.

Introduction: Methotrexate (MTX), a folate antagonist, is often used as second-line treatment in patients with sarcoidosis. Effectiveness of MTX has large inter-patient variability and at present therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of MTX is not possible. Upon administration, MTX is actively transported into cells and metabolized to its active forms by adding glutamate residues forming MTXPG resulting in enhanced cellular retention.

Establishing a Diagnosis of Pulmonary Sarcoidosis.

Pulmonary sarcoidosis is the most prevalent manifestation of sarcoidosis and the commonest diagnosis in clinics for ILD. Due to the lack of a simple and reliable test, making the diagnosis is often challenging. There are three criteria that must always be considered: (1) compatible clinical presentation; (2) evidence of granuloma formation (usually non-caseating); and (3) exclusion of alternative causes of granulomatous disease.