Characteristics of children and adolescents with multidrug-resistant and rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis and their association with treatment outcomes: a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis.

Background: There are few data on the treatment of children and adolescents with multidrug-resistant (MDR) or rifampicin-resistant (RR) tuberculosis, especially with more recently available drugs and regimens. We aimed to describe the clinical and treatment characteristics and their associations with treatment outcomes in this susceptible population.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis.

The genetic landscape of mitochondrial diseases in the next-generation sequencing era: a Portuguese cohort study.

Rare disorders that are genetically and clinically heterogeneous, such as mitochondrial diseases (MDs), have a challenging diagnosis. Nuclear genes codify most proteins involved in mitochondrial biogenesis, despite all mitochondria having their own DNA. The development of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies has revolutionized the understanding of many genes involved in the pathogenesis of MDs.

Intraneural lipoma of the ulnar nerve: A rare case report and review.

Intraneural lipoma of the ulnar nerve is a rare peripheral nerve tumor in an uncommon location. Although its benign course, it can cause disabling symptoms such as pain, diminished sensation or paraesthesia, tenderness, and occasionally even loss of strength. We present the case of a middle age woman with insidious paresthesias and swelling of the hypothenar eminence of the left hand for over 1 year.

Interventional cardiology in cancer patients: A position paper from the Portuguese Cardiovascular Intervention Association and the Portuguese Cardio-Oncology Study Group of the Portuguese Society of Cardiology.

The field of Cardio-Oncology has grown significantly, especially during the last decade. While awareness of cardiotoxicity due to cancer disease and/or therapies has greatly increased, much of the attention has focused on myocardial systolic disfunction and heart failure. However, coronary and structural heart disease are also a common issue in cancer patients and encompass the full spectrum of cardiotoxicity.

Clinical standards for the management of adverse effects during treatment for TB.

Adverse effects (AE) to TB treatment cause morbidity, mortality and treatment interruption. The aim of these clinical standards is to encourage best practise for the diagnosis and management of AE. 65/81 invited experts participated in a Delphi process using a 5-point Likert scale to score draft standards.

The Use of Radiomic Analysis in Cardiovascular Diseases.

A The recent years of the cardiovascular medicine saw a rapid development of advanced imaging modalities. The new era of personalized medicine takes advantage of what can be interpreted from medical images, searching for underlying connections between image phenotyping and biological characteristics to support precise clinical decisions. The application of radiomics in cardiovascular imaging has lagged behind other fields, such as oncology.

Is amiodarone still a reasonable therapeutic option for rhythm control in atrial fibrillation?

Amiodarone is the most potent antiarrhythmic drug available and is commonly prescribed to treat and prevent not only life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias but also atrial fibrillation (AF). The latest European Society of Cardiology AF guidelines state that amiodarone is recommended for long-term rhythm control in all AF patients but that other antiarrhythmic drugs should be considered first whenever possible, due to its extracardiac toxicity. In patients without significant or with only minimal structural heart disease, amiodarone is not listed as a possibility in their therapeutic scheme.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection: a country dissemination experience and outcomes.

Objective: An increasing use of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has been reported in Western countries, although some differences in training schemes and outcomes have been described. We aimed to report the training model, implementation, and outcomes of ESD in Portugal.

Methods: All endoscopists trained at our center from our country (n = 9) were invited to a survey regarding: (a) training period; (b) ESD outcomes and (c) implementation of ESD in each respective center.

Screening, Diagnosis and Management of Atrial Fibrillation in Cancer Patients: Current Evidence and Future Perspectives.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia in the general population, carrying a high morbimortality burden, and this also holds true in cancer patients. The association between AF and cancer goes even further, with some studies suggesting that AF can be a marker of occult cancer. There is, however, a remarkable paucity of data concerning specific challenges of AF management in cancer patients.

Clinical standards for drug-susceptible pulmonary TB.

The aim of these clinical standards is to provide guidance on 'best practice´ for diagnosis, treatment and management of drug-susceptible pulmonary TB (PTB). A panel of 54 global experts in the field of TB care, public health, microbiology, and pharmacology were identified; 46 participated in a Delphi process. A 5-point Likert scale was used to score draft standards.

Impact of oral anticoagulation therapy on postoperative atrial fibrillation outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Post-operative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is the most common complication after cardiac surgery. Recent studies had shown this phenomenon is no longer considered transitory and is associated with higher risk of thromboembolic events or death. The aim of this study was to systematically review and analyze previous studies comparing oral anticoagulation therapy with no anticoagulation, regarding these long-term outcomes.

Tenecteplase for thrombolysis in stroke patients: Systematic review with meta-analysis.

Introduction: Alteplase is an approved treatment for acute ischemic stroke. Tenecteplase is a genetically modified form of alteplase, with lower cost and a more favourable pharmacokinetic profile allowing bolus injection. The aim of this study was to compare both drugs in adult patients with acute ischemic stroke undergoing thrombolysis.

Myocardial deformation measures by cardiac magnetic resonance tissue tracking in myocarditis: Relationship with systolic function and myocardial damage.

Introduction And Objectives: Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR)-based tissue tracking (TT) enables quantification of myocardial deformation and may be used as an objective measure of myocardial involvement in myocarditis. The aims of this study were to characterize myocardial deformation alterations in myocarditis and to determine their relationship with the extent of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), regional wall motion abnormalities (WMA) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).

Methods: A single-center, retrospective study was conducted by identifying patients with clinically suspected myocarditis who underwent CMR between 2012 and 2016.

Tuberculosis Disease in Children and Adolescents on Therapy With Antitumor Necrosis Factor-ɑ Agents: A Collaborative, Multicenter Paediatric Tuberculosis Network European Trials Group (ptbnet) Study.

Background: In adults, anti-tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) therapy is associated with progression of latent tuberculosis (TB) infection (LTBI) to TB disease, but pediatric data are limited.

Methods: Retrospective multicenter study within the Paediatric Tuberculosis Network European Trials Group, capturing patients <18 years who developed TB disease during anti-TNF-α therapy.

Results: Sixty-six tertiary healthcare institutions providing care for children with TB participated.

Original Intracerebral Hemorrhage Score for the Prediction of Short-Term Mortality in Cerebral Hemorrhage: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objectives: To systematically assess the discrimination and calibration of the Intracerebral Hemorrhage score for prediction of short-term mortality in intracerebral hemorrhage patients and to study its determinants using heterogeneity analysis.

Data Sources: PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge, Scopus, and CENTRAL from inception to September 15, 2018.

Study Selection: Adult studies validating the Intracerebral Hemorrhage score for mortality prediction in nontraumatic intracerebral hemorrhage at 1 month/discharge or sooner.

Prognostic models for intracerebral hemorrhage: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Prognostic tools for intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) patients are potentially useful for ascertaining prognosis and recommended in guidelines to facilitate streamline assessment and communication between providers. In this systematic review with meta-analysis we identified and characterized all existing prognostic tools for this population, performed a methodological evaluation of the conducting and reporting of such studies and compared different methods of prognostic tool derivation in terms of discrimination for mortality and functional outcome prediction.

Methods: PubMed, ISI, Scopus and CENTRAL were searched up to 15th September 2016, with additional studies identified using reference check.

Assessment and Comparison of the Four Most Extensively Validated Prognostic Scales for Intracerebral Hemorrhage: Systematic Review with Meta-analysis.

Background/objective: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a devastating disorder, responsible for 10% of all strokes. Several prognostic scores have been developed for this population to predict mortality and functional outcome. The aim of this study was to determine the four most frequently validated and most widely used scores, assess their discrimination for both outcomes by means of a systematic review with meta-analysis, and compare them using meta-regression.

Left-side pericardial agenesis: Putting the pieces together.

A 56-year-old woman complained of atypical chest pain. At initial diagnostic workup, chest radiograph and transthoracic echocardiogram depict specific findings that raised the suspicion of pericardial agenesis. Cardiac computed tomography showed extreme levoposition of the heart and interposition of lung parenchyma between the aorta and the pulmonary artery.

Aortic Valve Calcium Volume Predicts Paravalvular Regurgitation and the Need for Balloon Post-Dilatation After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

Objective: This study sought to evaluate the impact of aortic valve (AV) and left ventricle outflow tract (LVOT) calcium on paravalvular regurgitation (PVR) and need for balloon post-dilatation (BPD) during transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).

Methods: The overall study population comprised 152 patients. Calcium mass and volume of AV and LVOT were estimated from contrast-enhanced multislice computed tomography imaging, using 3 thresholds for calcium detection [650, 850, and 1,050 Hounsfield units (HU)].

Knee osteoarthrosis secondary to ochronosis - clinical case.

Alkaptonuria is a rare metabolic disease in which a deficiency of the enzyme homogentisate dioxygenase causes an accumulation of homogentisic acid. Ochronosis consists of excessive deposition of homogentisic acid in the connective tissue and presents as a chestnut brown or black pigmentation. With aging, the accumulation of pigments from homogentisic acid in the joints causes osteoarthrosis.

Role of cardiac multidetector computed tomography in the exclusion of ischemic etiology in heart failure patients.

Introduction And Aims: Differentiation of ischemic from non-ischemic etiology in heart failure (HF) patients has both therapeutic and prognostic implications. One possible approach to this differentiation is direct visualization of the coronary tree. Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) has emerged as an alternative to invasive coronary angiography (ICA), but its performance and additional clinical value are still not well validated in patients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction.