Performance of Lung Ultrasound as a Screening Tool for Subclinical Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease: A Multicenter Study.

Background: The screening strategy for interstitial lung disease (ILD) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis is currently debated. Although high-resolution CT (HRCT) imaging is the gold standard for diagnosing ILD, its systematic use as a screening tool is not yet recommended. The role of lung ultrasound (LUS) in assessing ILD has been previously explored.

Reversing protonation of weakly basic drugs greatly enhances intracellular diffusion and decreases lysosomal sequestration.

For drugs to be active they have to reach their targets. Within cells this requires crossing the cell membrane, and then free diffusion, distribution, and availability. Here, we explored the in-cell diffusion rates and distribution of a series of small molecular fluorescent drugs, in comparison to proteins, by microscopy and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP).

Orthostatic intolerance with tachycardia (postural tachycardia syndrome) and without (hypocapnic cerebral hypoperfusion) represent a spectrum of the same disorder.

Background: Spectrum of chronic orthostatic intolerance without orthostatic hypotension includes postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS), with orthostatic tachycardia and hypocapnic cerebral hypoperfusion (HYCH), without orthostatic tachycardia. This study compared autonomic, cerebrovascular, and neuropathic features of POTS and HYCH.

Methods: This retrospective study evaluated patients with orthostatic intolerance referred for autonomic testing.

Disparities in screening and risk stratification for hispanic adults with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.

Background Aims: Cut-points for non-invasive tests (NITs) for risk stratification in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) were derived from predominantly non-Hispanic populations. It is unknown if these cut-points perform adequately in Hispanic individuals. We assessed the performance characteristics of current NIT cut-points among Hispanic patients and determined whether they could be further optimized.

Development and external validation of a model to predict multidrug-resistant bacterial infections in patients with cirrhosis.

Unlabelled: With the increasing rate of infections caused by multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO), selecting appropriate empiric antibiotics has become challenging. We aimed to develop and externally validate a model for predicting the risk of MDRO infections in patients with cirrhosis.

Methods: We included patients with cirrhosis and bacterial infections from two prospective studies: a transcontinental study was used for model development and internal validation (n = 1302), and a study from Argentina and Uruguay was used for external validation (n = 472).

Variant-proof high affinity ACE2 antagonist limits SARS-CoV-2 replication in upper and lower airways.

SARS-CoV-2 has the capacity to evolve mutations that escape vaccine- and infection-acquired immunity and antiviral drugs. A variant-agnostic therapeutic agent that protects against severe disease without putting selective pressure on the virus would thus be a valuable biomedical tool that would maintain its efficacy despite the ongoing emergence of new variants. Here, we challenge male rhesus macaques with SARS-CoV-2 Delta-the most pathogenic variant in a highly susceptible animal model.

Towards evidence-based empiric antibiotic recommendations for spontaneous infections in patients with cirrhosis.

Background: With the emergence of multidrug-resistant infections, healthcare professionals must evaluate the effectiveness of empiric antibiotic treatments.

Aims: To assess the antibiotic susceptibility patterns of microorganisms causing spontaneous infections in patients with cirrhosis and to evaluate the suitability of empiric antibiotic treatments based on major clinical guidelines.

Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized two datasets from prospective studies of patients with cirrhosis and culture-positive spontaneous bacterial infections in Argentina and Uruguay.

The building of an institutional liver transplant registry: opportunities and challenges.

To improve current data systems for institutional decision-making, the Adult Liver Transplant Registry was established at the Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Argentina. This article describes its design and implementation and reports on the outcomes for patients transplanted since its January 2020 launch. A multidisciplinary team designed the registry by identifying key variables from a literature review while considering balance between data depth and feasibility.

Infections in cirrhosis.

Cirrhosis is an immune dysfunction state, and as such, patients with cirrhosis are susceptible to bacterial, fungal, and viral infections. Because of infection, these patients have a propensity to develop multiorgan failure, which is associated with high mortality. Bacterial infections are the most prevalent type of infection in patients with cirrhosis, with the prevalence of bacterial infections in patients admitted for an acute decompensating event ranging from 24% to 29%.

An artificial intelligence-generated model predicts 90-day survival in alcohol-associated hepatitis: A global cohort study.

Background And Aims: Alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH) poses significant short-term mortality. Existing prognostic models lack precision for 90-day mortality. Utilizing artificial intelligence in a global cohort, we sought to derive and validate an enhanced prognostic model.

Enhancing ACLF prediction by integrating sarcopenia assessment and frailty in liver transplant candidates on the waiting list.

Background & Aims: Malnutrition, sarcopenia, and frailty are prevalent in cirrhosis. We aimed to assess the correlation between assessment tools for malnutrition, sarcopenia, and frailty in patients on the liver transplant (LT) waiting list (WL), and to identify a predictive model for acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) development.

Methods: This prospective single-center study enrolled consecutive patients with cirrhosis on the WL for LT (May 2019-November 2021).

Lung ultrasound is a promising screening tool to rule out interstitial lung disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Background And Objective: It is still controversial how to screen for interstitial lung disease (ILD) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We aimed to evaluate the performance of lung ultrasound (LUS) as a screening tool for RA-ILD and to compare it with the performance of chest auscultation, chest x-ray and pulmonary function tests (PFTs).

Methods: Cross-sectional study of consecutive RA patients evaluated at a Rheumatology Clinic in Buenos Aires between January and December 2022.

The outcomes of treatment for homebound adults with complex medical conditions in a hospital-at-home unit in the southern district of Israel.

Background: A model of hospital-at-home services called the Home Care Unit ("the unit") has been implemented in the southern region of the Clalit Healthcare Services in Israel. The aim of the present study was to characterize this service model.

Methods: A retrospective cross-over study.

Mismatch between subjective and objective dysautonomia.

Autonomic symptom questionnaires are frequently used to assess dysautonomia. It is unknown whether subjective dysautonomia obtained from autonomic questionnaires correlates with objective dysautonomia measured by quantitative autonomic testing. The objective of our study was to determine correlations between subjective and objective measures of dysautonomia.

Determinants of clinical response to empirical antibiotic treatment in patients with cirrhosis and bacterial and fungal infections-Results from the ICA "Global Study" (EABCIR-Global Study).

Background: The administration of an appropriate empirical antibiotic treatment is essential in cirrhosis and severe bacterial infections. We aimed to investigate the predictors of clinical response of empirical antibiotic treatment in a prospective cohort of patients with cirrhosis and bacterial and fungal infections included in the International Club of Ascites "Global Study."

Methods: Patients hospitalized with cirrhosis and bacterial/fungal infection were prospectively enrolled at 46 centers.

Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and access to health care in patients with spinal muscular atrophy in Argentina.

The FAME registry gathers the majority of patients with SMA in Argentina. From it, the clinical, sociodemographic and access to treatment characteristics were analyzed in 322 patients (range 8 months-61 years) included from 2008 to 2021. Important data were obtained for the planning of medical care of these patients such as: similar distribution of patient care in public and private hospitals, time gap between onset of symptoms and diagnoses, low level of completion of copy count, estimate of 16 new diagnoses per year between 2014 and 2018, and 68% of patient in specific pharmacological treatment.

Sex Differences in Treatment Response to Nucleos(t)ide Therapy in Chronic Hepatitis B: A Multicenter Longitudinal Study.

Background & Aims: It is unclear if there may be sex differences in response to nucleos(t)ide analogs including virologic response (VR), biochemical response (BR), complete response (CR), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) incidence among hepatitis B patients. We compared nucleos(t)ide analog treatment outcomes by sex.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of 3388 treatment-naïve adult hepatitis B patients (1250 female, 2138 male) from the Real-World Evidence from the Global Alliance for the Study of Hepatitis B Virus consortium who initiated therapy with either entecavir or tenofovir from 22 sites (Argentina, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the United States).

Association Between Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors Prevalent Use and COVID-19-Related Mortality: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Purpose/background: Since the emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), many efforts have been made to prevent and to treat the disease. In this line, the anti-inflammatory effect of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) as alternatives for treating chronic inflammatory diseases has been studied. There is previous evidence of the usefulness of these drugs for reducing COVID-19 impact.

Integrated analysis of the transcriptome and its interaction with the metabolome in metabolic associated fatty liver disease: Gut microbiome signatures, correlation networks, and effect of PNPLA3 genotype.

Interactions between communities of the gut microbiome and with the host could affect the onset and progression of metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), and can be useful as new diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. In this study, we performed a multi-omics approach to unravel gut microbiome signatures from 32 biopsy-proven patients (10 simple steatosis -SS- and 22 steatohepatitis -SH-) and 19 healthy volunteers (HV). Human and microbial transcripts were differentially identified between groups (MAFLD vs.

Modulation of type I interferon responses potently inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication and inflammation in rhesus macaques.

Type I interferons (IFN-I) are critical mediators of innate control of viral infections but also drive the recruitment of inflammatory cells to sites of infection, a key feature of severe coronavirus disease 2019. Here, IFN-I signaling was modulated in rhesus macaques (RMs) before and during acute SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) infection using a mutated IFN-α2 (IFN-modulator; IFNmod), which has previously been shown to reduce the binding and signaling of endogenous IFN-I. IFNmod treatment in uninfected RMs was observed to induce a modest up-regulation of only antiviral IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs); however, in SARS-CoV-2-infected RMs, IFNmod reduced both antiviral and inflammatory ISGs.

RBD-based high affinity ACE2 antagonist limits SARS-CoV-2 replication in upper and lower airways.

SARS-CoV-2 has the capacity to evolve mutations to escape vaccine-and infection-acquired immunity and antiviral drugs. A variant-agnostic therapeutic agent that protects against severe disease without putting selective pressure on the virus would thus be a valuable biomedical tool. Here, we challenged rhesus macaques with SARS-CoV-2 Delta and simultaneously treated them with aerosolized RBD-62, a protein developed through multiple rounds of evolution of SARS-CoV-2 RBD to acquire 1000-fold enhanced ACE2 binding affinity.

MELD 3.0 adequately predicts mortality and renal replacement therapy requirements in patients with alcohol-associated hepatitis.

Background & Aims: Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score better predicts mortality in alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH) but could underestimate severity in women and malnourished patients. Using a global cohort, we assessed the ability of the MELD 3.0 score to predict short-term mortality in AH.