Background: Long-term remission of acromegaly after somatostatin analog withdrawal has been reported in 18-42% of patients in studies with a relatively small number of patients using different inclusion and remission criteria. The objectives of this study were to establish the probability and predictive factors for short- and long-term remission [normal IGF-1 for age/sex: IGF-1 ≤1.00 × upper limit of normal (ULN)] after octreotide long-acting release (LAR) withdrawal in a larger population of well-controlled patients with acromegaly (normal mean IGF-1 in the last 24 months).
Methods: This is a prospective multicenter study in which 58 well-controlled patients with acromegaly receiving only octreotide LAR as a primary or postsurgical treatment were included in 14 university centers in Brazil. All patients had been on stable doses and dose intervals of octreotide LAR in the last year, and none had been submitted to radiotherapy. The main outcome measure was serum IGF-1 after 8 weeks (short-term) and 60 weeks (long-term) of octreotide LAR withdrawal.
Results: Seventeen of 58 patients (29%) were in remission in the short term, and only 4 patients achieved long-term remission after treatment withdrawal. The Kaplan-Meier estimated remission probability at 60 weeks was 7% and decreased to 5% at 72 weeks. The short-term remission rate was significantly higher (44%; p = 0.017) in patients with pretreatment IGF-1 <2.4 × ULN. No other predictive factor for short- or long-term remission was found.
Conclusion: Our results show that long-term remission of acromegaly after octreotide LAR withdrawal was an uncommon and frequently unsustainable event and do not support the recommendation of a systematic withdrawal of treatment in controlled patients.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000446542 | DOI Listing |
Background: Acne is an inflammatory skin disease afflicting the majority of the world's population at some point in their lifetime, and is seen to be chronic in about 50% of cases. Acne leads to significant social withdrawal, depression, and disfiguring scars in many cases. Available treatments are characterized by high rates of relapse, dangerous side effects, and social stigma, which often leads to poor patient compliance and treatment failure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Rheumatol
January 2025
T. Takeuchi, MD PhD, Saitama Medical University, Saitama, Japan.
Objective: This study examines the impact of dose step-down in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who achieved sustained disease control with baricitinib 4-mg once-daily up to 96-weeks.
Methods: Patients who completed a baricitinib phase 3 study could enter a long-term extension (LTE). In the LTE, patients who received baricitinib 4-mg for ≥15 months and maintained clinical disease activity index (CDAI) low disease activity (LDA) or remission (REM) were blindly randomized to continue 4-mg or taper to 2-mg.
Background: When Behçet's disease is complicated with gastrointestinal ulcers, it is referred to as intestinal Behçet's disease (BD). Clinically uncommon, this condition can involve the entire gastrointestinal tract, often presenting diagnostic challenges in differentiation from Crohn's disease.
Methods: In this case, atypical BD was diagnosed through endoscopic examination, whereas latent tuberculosis infection (LBTI) was confirmed via T-SPOT and PPD tests.
Sci Rep
January 2025
Department of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 58 Zhongshan Road II, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
Nephrotic syndrome (NS) occurs in 5-15% of patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN), resulting in poorer long-term outcomes compared to those without NS. Clinical features and renal prognosis for patients with both NS and IgAN across different kidney pathologies have not been fully elucidated. This study included patients with primary IgAN through renal biopsy at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 2001 to November 2021 presenting with NS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPsychother Psychosom
January 2025
Bipolar Disorder Research Program (PROMAN), Institute of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil.
Introduction: Impairments in social cognition in bipolar disorder (BD) have been extensively described in the last decade but few treatment strategies have been studied to address this issue. This study presents findings from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) investigating the efficacy of metacognitive training for bipolar disorder (MCT-BD) compared to Treatment as Usual (TAU) among individuals with BD in remission. The aim was to determine whether MCT-BD could improve social cognition and overall functioning in this population.
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