Therapeutic alternatives for the prevention of intra peritoneal adhesions

Intestinal adhesions are bands of fibrous tissue created by the intimate contact of two injured surface tissues; these appear in 93% of the patient undergoing intra-abdominal or gastrointestinal surgery. The comorbidities associated with the formation of adhesions have an impact on quality care offered to patients, leading to an increase in healthcare. Goals of this study was to perform a review that includes different therapeutic alternatives in basic and clinical research to prevent the formation of postoperative abdominal peritoneal adhesions. A bibliographic search was conducted in different databases including Pub med, Medline, Cochrane, science direct, from the years 2000 to 2018 using the keywords: gastrointestinal adhesions, small bowel obstruction, prophylaxis, treatment. Only experimental and clinical articles were selected. The development of peritoneal adhesions in most of the experimental studies occurred with cecal abrasion, studying the effect of biodegradable materials, drugs and gels such as mXG Hydrogel. Nanofiber membranes, agents created with recombinant technology such as periostin antisense oligonucleotide and aerosol applications such as polysaccharide 4DryField PH, are positioned to replace in the future the actual limited mechanical barriers application commonly used in abdominal surgery such as seprafilm and interceed. There are several anti-adhesion agents in experimental phase with different mechanism of action that could be used in the short term to prevent the formation of post-surgical intestinal adhesions. The inclusion of gastrointestinal surgeons in basic research is increasing and necessary with multidisciplinary collaboration. It is expected in short term the study and development of a greater number of materials to minimize tissue trauma and decrease the formation of post-surgical adhesions

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

Design and baseline characteristics of the finerenone in reducing cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in diabetic kidney disease trial

Background: Among people with diabetes, those with kidney disease have exceptionally high rates of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality and progression of their underlying kidney disease. Finerenone is a novel, nonsteroidal, selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist that has shown to reduce albuminuria in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) while revealing only a low risk of hyperkalemia. However, the effect of finerenone on CV and renal outcomes has not yet been investigated in long-term trials. Patients and Methods: The Finerenone in Reducing CV Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease (FIGARO-DKD) trial aims to assess the efficacy and safety of finerenone compared to placebo at reducing clinically important CV and renal outcomes in T2D patients with CKD. FIGARO-DKD is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, event-driven trial running in 47 countries with an expected duration of approximately 6 years. FIGARO-DKD randomized 7,437 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate >= 25 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and albuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio >= 30 to <= 5,000 mg/g). The study has at least 90% power to detect a 20% reduction in the risk of the primary outcome (overall two-sided significance level alpha = 0.05), the composite of time to first occurrence of CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure. Conclusions: FIGARO-DKD will determine whether an optimally treated cohort of T2D patients with CKD at high risk of CV and renal events will experience cardiorenal benefits with the addition of finerenone to their treatment regimen. Trial Registration: EudraCT number: 2015-000950-39; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02545049