Publications by authors named "Todor Popov"
Advanced laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is the second most prevalent type of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Identifying microRNAs (miRNAs) related to key regulatory molecules or mechanisms could offer an alternative approach to developing new treatment strategies. The aim of our study is to evaluate significant correlations among deregulated miRNAs in advanced laryngeal carcinoma and to analyze, in silico, their strength of association, targets, and the most deregulated pathways.
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- The study looked at how safe allergen immunotherapy (AIT) is in real-life situations by keeping track of any negative reactions people had.
- They found that out of 1,545 adults getting AIT for allergies, only a small number (about 7.4%) experienced adverse events, and serious reactions were very rare.
- Having asthma and using a certain type of AIT called subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) put some people at a higher risk of side effects, while using modified allergens seemed to help reduce the risk.
Article Synopsis
- - The traditional healthcare approach often overlooks patients' personal experiences and strengths, focusing mainly on disease treatment. Person-centered care aims to align medical decisions with individual values and preferences, particularly for those with chronic conditions.
- - This paper seeks to enhance care for rhinitis and asthma by developing digital care pathways and incorporating real-world evidence to create a more patient-centered approach.
- - Key components of the review include advancements in mHealth, the integration of artificial intelligence, a novel classification system for airway diseases, and proposals for the ARIA 2024 guidelines, all targeting a sustainable and applicable healthcare model.
Background: Biologic asthma therapies reduce exacerbations and long-term oral corticosteroids (LTOCS) use in randomized controlled trials (RCTs); however, there are limited data on outcomes among patients ineligible for RCTs. Hence, we investigated responsiveness to biologics in a real-world population of adults with severe asthma.
Methods: Adults in the International Severe Asthma Registry (ISAR) with ≥24 weeks of follow-up were grouped into those who did, or did not, initiate biologics (anti-IgE, anti-IL5/IL5R, anti-IL4/13).
Exploring Definitions and Predictors of Response to Biologics for Severe Asthma.
J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract
September 2024
Background: Biologic effectiveness is often assessed as response, a term that eludes consistent definition. Identifying those most likely to respond in real-life has proven challenging.
Objective: To explore definitions of biologic responders in adults with severe asthma and investigate patient characteristics associated with biologic response.
Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is a significant global health burden, for which there has been limited evidence of improved survival rates. Although the roles of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)1α and HIF2α have been well documented in hypoxia, the involvement of HIF3α, particularly in LSCC, has been inadequately explored. The present study aimed to investigate the correlation between HIFα subunits and the hypoxia-related long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) MALAT1 and HOTAIR in 63 patients diagnosed with LSCC.
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- The study investigates how pre-biologic biomarker levels, specifically immunoglobulin E (IgE), blood eosinophil count (BEC), and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), influence asthma treatment outcomes when patients start biologic therapy.
- Conducted across 23 countries with over 3750 patients, the research focused on changes in exacerbation rates, symptom control, and lung function about a year after starting treatment.
- Results showed that higher levels of BEC and FeNO were linked to significant improvements in lung function for specific biologic therapies, while IgE was not a strong predictor of treatment effectiveness.
Article Synopsis
- There is currently no agreed-upon definition for asthma remission in real life, and the factors that help patients achieve it after starting biologics are not well understood.
- A study analyzed data from 23 countries to see how many adults with severe asthma reached multidomain-defined remission after beginning biologic treatment, using specific criteria for remission.
- Results showed that less than a quarter of participants achieved full remission, with higher chances for those with fewer exacerbations, lower corticosteroid use, and better control and lung function before treatment, suggesting that early intervention is crucial for better outcomes.
Article Synopsis
- Angioedema (AE) is a condition characterized by localized swelling in the skin or mucous membranes and can be hereditary or acquired, making its classification complex due to various underlying mechanisms and taxonomies.
- The DANCE initiative, involving 91 experts from 35 countries, aimed to create a unified consensus on the definition, acronyms, and classification of AE through an extensive online discussion and voting process over 16 months.
- The resulting DANCE classification introduces five types of AE, standardizes terminology, and is designed to enhance research and patient care while complementing existing clinical guidelines without replacing them.
The field cancerization theory is an important paradigm in head and neck carcinoma as its oncological repercussions affect treatment outcomes in diverse ways. The aim of this study is to assess the possible interconnection between peritumor mucosa and the process of tumor neoangiogenesis. Sixty patients with advanced laryngeal carcinoma were enrolled in this study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Exacerbation frequency strongly influences treatment choices in patients with severe asthma.
Research Question: What is the extent of the variability of exacerbation rate across countries and its implications in disease management?
Study Design And Methods: We retrieved data from the International Severe Asthma Registry, an international observational cohort of patients with a clinical diagnosis of severe asthma. We identified patients aged ≥ 18 years who did not initiate any biologics prior to baseline visit.
Background: There is little agreement on clinically useful criteria for identifying real-world responders to biologic treatments for asthma.
Objective: To investigate the impact of pre-biologic impairment on meeting domain-specific biologic responder definitions in adults with severe asthma.
Methods: This was a longitudinal, cohort study across 22 countries participating in the International Severe Asthma Registry (https://isaregistries.
Article Synopsis
- Previous studies on how comorbidities affect the effectiveness of biologic agents in asthma were limited in size and duration, lacking comparisons between different biologic classes.
- This cohort study analyzed data from the International Severe Asthma Registry across 21 countries to assess changes in asthma outcomes after starting biologic therapy in patients with type 2-related comorbidities.
- Results showed that patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and nasal polyps (NPs) experienced significantly better outcomes, including fewer exacerbations and improved asthma control, while allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis did not influence therapy effectiveness.
Importance: The current clinical criterion standard for measuring abnormal eyeball protrusion is still the historic Hertel exophthalmometer, which is prone to reading errors. Therefore, a smartphone application has been developed to measure exophthalmos.
Objective: To evaluate a relatively simple noninvasive measurement method for exophthalmos using a smartphone.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and impact of comorbidities in adults with severe asthma, as their presence can complicate asthma management practices.* -
- Data was analyzed from the International Severe Asthma Registry, identifying 30 comorbidities linked to asthma, with findings indicating a significant percentage of patients experience multiple comorbidities that affect their asthma outcomes.* -
- Results showed that patients with specific comorbidities like allergic rhinitis and nasal polyposis had higher rates of asthma exacerbations and were more likely to require long-term oral corticosteroids, highlighting the need for effective management strategies.*
Background: Concern about disease exacerbations and fear of reactions after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccinations are common in chronic urticaria (CU) patients and may lead to vaccine hesitancy.
Objective: We assessed the frequency and risk factors of CU exacerbation and adverse reactions in CU patients after COVID-19 vaccination.
Methods: COVAC-CU is an international multicenter study of Urticaria Centers of Reference and Excellence (UCAREs) that retrospectively evaluated the effects of COVID-19 vaccination in CU patients aged ≥18 years and vaccinated with ≥1 dose of any COVID-19 vaccine.
Background: Although it has been shown that allergen immunotherapy (AIT) is well-tolerated in children, systematic and prospective surveillance of AIT safety in real life settings is needed.
Methods: The multinational Allergen Immunotherapy Adverse Events Registry (ADER) was designed to address AIT safety in real life clinical practice. Data on children ≤18 years old with respiratory allergies undergoing AIT were retrieved.
Background: Effectiveness of biologics has neither been established in patients with high oral corticosteroid exposure (HOCS) nor been compared with effectiveness of continuing with HOCS alone.
Objective: To examine the effectiveness of initiating biologics in a large, real-world cohort of adult patients with severe asthma and HOCS.
Methods: This was a propensity score-matched, prospective cohort study using data from the International Severe Asthma Registry.
Background: Delayed airway obstruction and the resulting severe dyspnea with acute distress are rare but life-threatening postoperative thyroidectomy complications. Unfortunately, if not adequately attended to on time, they could cost a patient's life.
Case Description: A 47-year-old female patient who underwent thyroidectomy was left at the end of surgery with a tracheostomy, because of tracheomalacia and recurrent laryngeal nerve injury.
Background: Patients with severe asthma may present with characteristics representing overlapping phenotypes, making them eligible for more than one class of biologic. Our aim was to describe the profile of adult patients with severe asthma eligible for both anti-IgE and anti-IL5/5R and to compare the effectiveness of both classes of treatment in real life.
Methods: This was a prospective cohort study that included adult patients with severe asthma from 22 countries enrolled into the International Severe Asthma registry (ISAR) who were eligible for both anti-IgE and anti-IL5/5R.
Background: Immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) is a common adverse event of CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy. Other neurological adverse events, however, have not methodically been described and studied. Furthermore, safety data on CAR-T cell therapy in patients with central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma remain limited.
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- Many severe asthma patients with high oral corticosteroid exposure (HOCS) are eligible for biologic treatments but often do not start them; this study compares those that do and don’t initiate biologics.
- The study analyzed data from 1,412 patients worldwide between 2015 and 2021, finding that 70.5% initiated a biologic, with differences in patient characteristics influencing this decision, such as higher blood eosinophil counts and more health complications in those who did start treatment.
- Despite similar rates of asthma exacerbations, one-third of severe HOCS patients did not receive biologics, indicating a gap in treatment that may depend on specific disease features rather than just exacerbation frequency. *