Publications by authors named "Pujol R"
Background: Gut microbial involvement has been speculated in chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). The aim of the study was to compare the gut microbiome composition and diversity in CSU patients uncontrolled with second-generation antihistamines (sgAHs) and healthy individuals, as well as to explore any association between gut microbiome and disease characteristics.
Methods: A cross-sectional case-control study including 20 CSU patients unresponsive to standard doses of sgAHs, and 15 age-and-sex matched healthy controls was conducted.
Background: Allogeneic haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation is the standard treatment for bone marrow failure (BMF) in patients with Fanconi anaemia, but transplantation-associated complications such as an increased incidence of subsequent cancer are frequent. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the infusion of autologous gene-corrected haematopoietic stem cells as an alternative therapy for these patients.
Methods: This was an open-label, investigator-initiated phase 1/2 clinical trial (FANCOLEN-1) and long-term follow-up trial (up to 7 years post-treatment) in Spain.
Objective: To report a radical surgical technique for perianal melanomas involving the anal margin in standing horses.
Study Design: Observational retrospective study.
Sample Population: Twenty client-owned horses presented for surgical excision of extensive (≥4 cm) perianal melanomas.
Article Synopsis
- Fanconi anemia (FA) is a rare genetic disorder marked by varying symptoms and significant chromosome fragility, leading to severe health issues like cancer and bone marrow failure.
- The Spanish Registry of Patients with FA gathered data from 227 patients over 30 years, revealing an 86% cumulative cancer incidence by age 50, with outcomes differing based on chromosome fragility and specific gene mutations.
- Findings suggest that patients with mutations allowing some protein function (genetic hypomorphism) tend to have better health outcomes, indicating potential for new therapies that could enhance mutant FA protein function to improve patient prognosis.
Article Synopsis
- The study focused on creating a new test to detect specific autoantibodies in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) using RNA immunoprecipitation and massive parallel sequencing techniques.
- Researchers analyzed serum samples from 307 SSc patients, with 57 undergoing detailed testing that identified 30,966 RNA molecules, ultimately narrowing down to 197 significant molecules linked to SSc-related autoantibodies.
- The new assay demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity in detecting autoantibodies, revealing not only known targets but also potential new ones associated with different clinical aspects of SSc.
Article Synopsis
- - A study evaluated the effectiveness and safety of dupilumab for treating bullous pemphigoid in elderly patients, with a focus on those who typically have other health issues that make standard treatments unsuitable.
- - The results showed that 53.4% of patients achieved complete remission within 4 weeks and 95.7% by week 52, with a significant reduction in itchiness and a dramatic decrease in the need for corticosteroids.
- - The treatment was found to be safe, with most adverse events being mild, and factors like shorter disease duration and exclusive skin involvement were linked to better treatment responses.
Article Synopsis
- The Basophil Activation Test (BAT) is identified as a key biomarker for predicting autoimmune chronic spontaneous urticaria (aiCSU), but its real-world application and relation to omalizumab therapy are still under-researched.
- A study conducted between 2010 and 2024 analyzed the clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) based on their BAT results, collecting data on various biomarkers and treatment responses.
- Results showed that BAT positive patients exhibited specific traits such as low IgE levels and higher positivity for markers like anti-thyroid peroxidase; notably, these patients experienced shorter effectiveness of omalizumab treatment, highlighting the importance of BAT in clinical settings.
Article Synopsis
- Patch test outcomes can be affected by age, but there are mixed findings on how age impacts these results.
- The study involved over 13,000 patients and revealed that middle-aged adults (31-65 years) had the highest rates of positive skin sensitisation results, particularly for certain substances like nickel and potassium dichromate.
- Overall, while age does influence some patch test results, most allergens showed consistent reactivity across ages, underscoring the importance of standard testing regardless of age.
Recurrent aphthous stomatitis in a child successfully treated with apremilast.
Pediatr Dermatol
September 2024
Article Synopsis
- A 13-year-old boy had recurrent canker sores for two years, which didn’t improve with previous treatments.
- He started treatment with apremilast, a medication that showed positive results.
- This case is notable as it's the first documented instance of a pediatric patient being treated with apremilast for canker sores.
Article Synopsis
- B-cell epidermotropism is a rare occurrence in skin lymphomas, typically seen in systemic lymphomas like splenic marginal zone lymphoma.
- This type of lymphoma can present with skin symptoms before other signs, such as an enlarged spleen, and may involve bone marrow or blood.
- The case discussed highlights the importance for clinicians to recognize this feature, as it may indicate further disease spread and necessitate more thorough initial staging.
Interleukin (IL)-9 is present in atopic dermatitis (AD) lesions and is considered to be mainly produced by skin-homing T cells expressing the cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen (CLA). However, its induction by AD-associated triggers remains unexplored. Circulating skin-tropic CLA and extracutaneous/systemic CLA memory T cells cocultured with autologous lesional epidermal cells from AD patients were activated with house dust mite (HDM) and staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo explore preoperative and operative risk factors for red blood cell (RBC) transfusion requirements during liver transplantation (LT) and up to 24 h afterwards. We evaluated the associations between risk factors and units of RBC transfused in 176 LT patients using a log-binomial regression model. Relative risk was adjusted for age, sex, and the model for end-stage liver disease score (MELD) (adjustment 1) and baseline hemoglobin concentration (adjustment 2).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Frequent attendance is a common issue for primary care health centres. The phenomenon affects the quality of care, increases doctors' workloads and can lead to burnout.This study presents the results of an educational intervention for primary care physicians, aimed at helping them to decrease the prevalence rate of excessive attendance by patients at their centres.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPC) are the most frequent postoperative complications, with an estimated prevalence in elective surgery ranging from 20% in observational cohort studies to 40% in randomized clinical trials. However, the prevalence of PPCs in patients undergoing emergency abdominal surgery is not well defined. Lung-protective ventilation aims to minimize ventilator-induced lung injury and reduce PPCs.
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