Alterations in gut immunological barrier in SARS-CoV-2 infection and their prognostic potential.

Although coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is primarily associated with mild respiratory symptoms, a subset of patients may develop more complicated disease with systemic complications and multiple organ injury. The gastrointestinal tract may be directly infected by SARS-CoV-2 or secondarily affected by viremia and the release of inflammatory mediators that cause viral entry from the respiratory epithelium. Impaired intestinal barrier function in SARS-CoV-2 infection is a key factor leading to excessive microbial and endotoxin translocation, which triggers a strong systemic immune response and leads to the development of viral sepsis syndrome with severe sequelae.

Optical coherence tomography angiography in Parkinson's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: To examine the association between optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) retinal measurements and Parkinson's disease (PD).

Methods: We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE from inception up to November 5th, 2021 for studies examining the differences between OCTA retinal measurements in PD patients and healthy controls. We used the Hartung-Knapp-Sidik-Jonkman random-effects method to combine study-specific standardized mean differences (SMD) in pooled effect estimates and a meta-analytic extension of the E-value metric to quantify the confounding bias capable of nullifying the pooled estimates.

Efficacy and safety of fremanezumab for migraine prophylaxis in patients with at least three previous preventive failures: Prospective, multicenter, real-world data from a Greek registry.

Objective: To prospectively assess the efficacy and safety of fremanezumab for migraine prophylaxis in patients with failure of at least three previous preventive treatments. Changes in disability as quality-of-life outcomes after fremanezumab treatment were also examined.

Methods: Two hundred and four patients with either high-frequency EM (HFEM) or chronic migraine (CM), who attained at least three consecutive monthly sessions with fremanezumab 225 mg and otherwise met the inclusion criteria, were included in the study.

Treatment for cognitive and neuropsychiatric non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease: current evidence and future perspectives.

Introduction: Non-motor symptoms (NMS) affect patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) from the prodromal to the advanced stages. NMS phenotypes greatly vary and have a huge impact on patients' and caregivers' quality of life (QoL). The management of cognitive and neuropsychiatric NMS remains an unmet need.

Results of a Web-Based Survey on 2105 Greek Migraine Patients-Second Part: Efficacy of Acute and Prophylactic Migraine Treatments and Corresponding Patients' Reported Satisfaction.

The Greek Society of Migraine and Headache Patients conducted, in 2020, its second online survey, titled "Migraine in Greece-2020", after publication of the first similar online survey conducted in 2018. To compare the current findings with the corresponding data obtained in 2018, we herein release the second part of results obtained from the 2020 survey on the efficacy of preventive and symptomatic anti-migraine medications and the patients' reported satisfaction with these treatments. We surveyed 2105 migraine patients from all over Greece with the use of a 151-questions specific migraine-focused questionnaire in Greek language, which was distributed through the online research software "SurveyMonkey".

Neurological Complications of Conventional and Novel Anticancer Treatments.

Various neurological complications, affecting both the central and peripheral nervous system, can frequently be experienced by cancer survivors after exposure to conventional chemotherapy, but also to modern immunotherapy. In this review, we provide an overview of the most well-known adverse events related to chemotherapy, with a focus on chemotherapy induced peripheral neurotoxicity, but we also address some emerging novel clinical entities related to cancer treatment, including chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment and immune-mediated adverse events. Unfortunately, efficacious curative or preventive treatment for all these neurological complications is still lacking.

OnabotulinumtoxinA Add-On to Monoclonal Anti-CGRP Antibodies in Treatment-Refractory Chronic Migraine.

We sought to assess the effectiveness of combining dual therapy with onabotulinumtoxinA (BTX) add-on to anti-calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) monoclonal antibodies (anti-CGRP MAbs) in treatment-refractory patients with chronic migraine (CM). We retrospectively reviewed the medical files of 19 treatment-refractory patients with CM who had failed to two oral migraine preventatives, at least three consecutive BTX cycles (less than 30% response rate), at least three consecutive sessions with either fremanezumab or erenumab (less than 30% response rate), and were eventually switched to dual therapy with BTX add-on to any of the already-given anti-CGRP MAbs. We then assessed from baseline to each monotherapy or dual intervention predefined efficacy follow-up the changes in the following efficacy outcomes: (i) monthly headache days (MHD), (ii) monthly days with moderate/severe peak headache intensity, and (iii) monthly days with intake of any acute headache medication.

Results of a Web-based survey of 2105 Greek migraine patients in 2020: demographics, clinical characteristics, burden and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the course of migraine.

The Greek Society of Migraine and Headache Patients (GSMHP), maintaining a strong commitment to research and information, conducted its second web-based online survey named "Migraine in Greece-2020", following its first one conducted in 2018. The 2020 study included 2,105 migraine patients who were called to answer 151 questions. The purposes of the current research were to record the demographic and clinical characteristics of migraine patients in Greece, including the severity and effects of migraine on respondents' quality of life, as well as to survey the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the course of migraine.

Wearables, sensors, and smart devices for the detection and monitoring of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neurotoxicity: Systematic review and directions for future research.

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neurotoxicity (CIPN) diagnosis is largely based on patient reported outcomes. Wearables, sensors, and smart devices may potentially provide early detection and monitoring of CIPN. We systematically reviewed data on wearables, sensors, and smart devices to detect and/or monitor signs and symptoms of CIPN.

Effectiveness and Safety of Certolizumab Pegol in Axial Spondyloarthritis in a Real-World Setting in Greece: A Sub-Analysis of the Prospective Non-Interventional CIMAX Cohort Study.

Objectives: We report the effectiveness and safety of certolizumab pegol (CZP) treatment in a real-world Greek axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) population, including patients with radiographic (r-axSpA) and non-radiographic (nr-axSpA) disease.

Methods: We performed a sub-analysis of the Greek cohort from CIMAX (NCT02354105), a multicentre, non-interventional cohort study that prospectively investigated CZP treatment in patients with axSpA. The primary outcome was change from baseline (CfB) in Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) to Week 52.

Serum neurofilament levels correlate with electrodiagnostic evidence of axonal loss in paclitaxel-induced peripheral neurotoxicity.

Introduction: Paclitaxel-induced peripheral neurotoxicity (PIPN) typically manifests as a predominantly sensory axonopathy. Nerve conduction studies (NCS) represent the gold standard method to quantify axonal impairment in PIPN. Serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) levels are emerging biomarkers for quantifying axonal damage in peripheral neuropathies.

Characteristics, Management, and Outcomes of Inferior Scapula Angle Fractures: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Fractures of the inferior angle of the scapula represent a rare entity, with few cases published in the literature to date. Their optimal management is still unclear. A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed and Google Scholar of reports published between 1977 and 2022.

Assessing the Significance of the Circadian Time of Administration on the Effectiveness and Tolerability of OnabotulinumtoxinA for Chronic Migraine Prophylaxis.

We aimed to provide insights on the role of the circadian time of administration in influencing the efficacy and tolerability/safety profile of OnabotulinumtoxinA (BoNTA) for chronic migraine (CM) prophylaxis. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical files of BoNTA-naïve patients with CM who completed three consecutive cycles of treatment, according to the standard PREEMPT paradigm. Participants were classified to those scheduled to be treated in the morning hours from 8:00 to 12:00 (AM) or afternoon hours from 13:00 to 18:00 (PM).

Treatment Satisfaction, Patient Preferences, and the Impact of Suboptimal Disease Control in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients in Greece: Analysis of the Greek Cohort of SENSE study.

Objectives: SENSE was an international, non-interventional cross-sectional study that assessed treatment satisfaction in patients with suboptimally controlled active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who were under treatment with any approved agent exposed to ≤ 2 biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) at the time of enrolment. The current publication concerns the subanalysis of the results from the Greek cohort.

Methods: Treatment satisfaction was assessed with Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication (TSQM), with good treatment satisfaction defined as TSQM global ≥80.

Tibia Tuberosity Fracture and Patellar Tendon Rupture Combination in a Pediatric Patient: Case Report and Narrative Review.

A combination of tibial tuberosity (TT) fracture (TTF) along with patellar tendon (PT) rupture (PTR) is rare. We report a 15-year-old male who presented to our ED with acute knee pain and an inability to actively extend the knee after jumping during a basketball game. Diagnosis of simultaneous PTR is crucial as it changes clinical management.

Real-life Experience With Rituximab-CHOP Every 21 or 14 Days in Primary Mediastinal Large B-cell Lymphoma.

Background/aim: Primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMLBCL) is an aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), whose prognosis has greatly improved since the incorporation of the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab into current therapeutic regimens. Evidence, however, on the optimal time interval between consecutive chemoimmunotherapy (CIT) cycles is still scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy outcomes of the more commonly administered 3-weekly regimens to the biweekly ones in a PMLBCL patients' population, who were mostly treated with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone every 21 days (R-CHOP-21) or R-CHOP-14.

Quiescent Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Manifesting with Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura and Acute Renal Failure: A Case Report and Short Literature Review.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disease, and haematologic manifestations are part of its spectrum. Herein, we report a case of a patient with a long-standing diagnosis of SLE, presenting with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) and acute renal failure, without co-existent clinical and laboratory markers of disease activity, causing diagnostic questions. A short literature review concerning TTP and SLE is also presented.

The Burden on Carers with Multiple Sclerosis.

Background: The family members of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are called to become carers, playing a vital and difficult role in supporting the patients in their daily life. The aim of this study was to investigate the extent of the multidimensional burden on the carers of multiple sclerosis.

Methods: Data were collected from 111 carers with MS patients.

Should we be Afraid of Immune Check Point Inhibitors in Cancer Patients with Pre-Existing Rheumatic Diseases? Immunotherapy in Pre-Existing Rheumatic Diseases.

Background: Cancer immunotherapy is rapidly expanding but its clinical efficacy is hampered by immune related adverse events (ir-AE). There is a concern regarding patients with pre-existing auto-immune diseases (PAD) undergoing immunotherapy.

Methods: An electronic search was performed (Medline) to identify cases of patients with PAD treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI).

Better outcomes of COVID-19 in vaccinated compared to unvaccinated patients with systemic rheumatic diseases.

Objective: Τo report outcomes of breakthrough COVID-19 in comparison with COVID-19 in unvaccinated patients with systemic rheumatic diseases (SRDs).

Methods: Patients with SRD with COVID-19 (vaccinated and unvaccinated) were included by their rheumatologists in a registry operated by the Greek Rheumatology Society in a voluntarily basis. Type, date and doses of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines were recorded, and demographics, type of SRD, concurrent treatment, comorbidities and COVID-19 outcomes (hospitalisation, need for oxygen supplementation and death) were compared between vaccinated and unvaccinated patients.

Fatigue Acetabular Fracture after Lumbopelvic Instrumented Fusion in Elderly.

Purpose: Only several cases of acetabular "fatigue"/insufficiency fractures have been reported in elderly patients with osteoporosis. However, fatigue acetabular fracture below lumbopelvic fixation has not been published. This review reports on the frequency and mechanisms of acetabular fatigue fractures in elderly individuals, including postmenopausal osteoporosis, and presents a case of an acetabular "fatigue" fracture in association with lumbopelvic fusion.