27 research outputs found
Red-flag symptom clusters in transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy
© 2015 The Authors. Journal of the Peripheral Nervous System published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Peripheral Nerve Society. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.Transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy (TTR-FAP) is a rare, progressive, life-threatening, hereditary disorder caused by mutations in the transthyretin gene and characterized by extracellular deposition of transthyretin-derived amyloid fibrils in peripheral and autonomic nerves, heart, and other organs. TTR-FAP is frequently diagnosed late because the disease is difficult to recognize due to phenotypic heterogeneity. Based on published literature and expert opinion, symptom clusters suggesting TTR-FAP are reviewed, and practical guidance to facilitate earlier diagnosis is provided. TTR-FAP should be suspected if progressive peripheral sensory-motor neuropathy is observed in combination with one or more of the following: family history of a neuropathy, autonomic dysfunction, cardiac hypertrophy, gastrointestinal problems, inexplicable weight loss, carpal tunnel syndrome, renal impairment, or ocular involvement. If TTR-FAP is suspected, transthyretin genotyping, confirmation of amyloid in tissue biopsy, large- and small-fiber assessment by nerve conduction studies and autonomic system evaluations, and cardiac testing should be performed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Riverine sustainment 2012
Student Integrated ProjectIncludes supplementary materialThis technical report analyzed the Navy's proposed Riverine Force (RF) structure and capabilities for 2012. The Riverine Sustainment 2012 Team (RST) examined the cost and performance of systems of systems which increased RF sustainment in logistically barren environments. RF sustainment was decomposed into its functional areas of supply, repair, and force protection. The functional and physical architectures were developed in parallel and were used to construct an operational architecture for the RF. The RST used mathematical, agent-based and queuing models to analyze various supply, repair and force protection system alternatives. Extraction of modeling data revealed several key insights. Waterborne heavy lift connectors such as the LCU-2000 are vital in the re-supply of the RF when it is operating up river in a non-permissive environment. Airborne heavy lift connectors such as the MV-22 were ineffective and dominated by the waterborne variants in the same environment. Increase in manpower and facilities did appreciable add to the operational availability of the RF. Mean supply response time was the biggest factor effecting operational availability and should be kept below 24 hours to maintain operational availability rates above 80%. Current mortar defenses proposed by the RF are insufficient.N
Atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome Treated With Ravulizumab or Eculizumab: A Claims-Based Evaluation of Health Care Resource Utilization and Clinical Outcomes in the United StatesPlain language summary
Rationale and Objective: Ravulizumab and eculizumab have shown efficacy for the treatment of atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS), but real-world evidence for ravulizumab is limited owing to its more recent approval. This real-world database study examined outcomes for adult patients switching to ravulizumab from eculizumab and patients treated with individual treatments. Study Design: A retrospective, observational study using the Clarivate Real World Database. Setting and Population: US health-insurance billing data (January 2012 to March 2021) of patients aged 18 years or older with ≥1 diagnosis relevant to aHUS, ≥1 claim for treatment with eculizumab or ravulizumab, and no evidence of other indicated conditions. Exposures: Treatment-switch (to ravulizumab after eculizumab), ravulizumab-only, and eculizumab-only cohorts were examined. Outcomes: Clinical procedures, facility visits, health care costs, and clinical manifestations. Analytical Approach: Paired-sample statistical testing compared the mean numbers of claims for each group 0-3 months before (preindex period) and 0-3 months and 3-6 months after (postindex period) the index date (point of initiation with a single treatment or treatment switch). Results: In total, 322 patients met the eligibility criteria at 3-6 months postindex in the treatment-switch (n=65), ravulizumab-only (n=9), and eculizumab-only (n=248) cohorts. The proportions of patients with claims for key clinical procedures continued to be small after treatment switch and were small (0%-11%) across all cohorts at 3-6 months postindex. Inpatient visits were reduced in the postindex period across all cohorts. At 3-6 months after treatment switch, patients reported fewer claims for outpatient, private practice, and home visits and lower median health care costs. The proportions of patients with claims for clinical manifestations of aHUS were generally reduced in the postindex period compared with those of the preindex period. Limitations: Low patient numbers receiving ravulizumab only. Conclusions: The health-insurance claims data showed a reduced health care burden for US adult patients after treatment with ravulizumab or eculizumab for treatment of aHUS
Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials Comparing Latanoprost with Timolol in the Treatment of Asian Populations with Chronic Angle-Closure Glaucoma
<div><p>Background</p><p>To evaluate the efficacy and safety of latanoprost compared with timolol in the treatment of Asian patients with chronic angle-closure glaucoma (CACG).</p><p>Methods</p><p>Relevant trials were identified through systematic searches of Medline, EMBASE, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar and several Chinese databases. The main outcome measures included absolute and relative reduction of intraocular pressure (IOP) at mean, peak and trough from baseline, ocular adverse effects and systemic adverse events.</p><p>Results</p><p>Seven randomized controlled trials with 685 patients were included. In comparison with timolol, latanoprost reduced absolute IOP in CACG patients by more than 2.3 mmHg (95%CI, 1.8∼2.9, P<0.01), 2.4 mmHg (95%CI, 1.9∼2.9, P<0.01) and 2.5 mmHg (95%CI, 1.6∼3.3, P<0.01) at mean, peak and trough, respectively. As for relative IOP, there is 9.0% (95%CI, 6.6∼11.4, P<0.01), 9.7% (95%CI, 7.6∼11.8, P<0.01), and 10.8% (95%CI, 7.4∼14.3, P<0.01) greater reduction among latanoprost users than among timolol users. The differences were statistically significant at all time points (1, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 weeks). More ocular adverse effects (OR = 1.49, 95% CI, 1.05∼2.10, P = 0.02) and less systemic adverse events (OR = 0.46, 95% CI, 0.25∼0.84, P = 0.01) were observed in latanoprost group in comparison with timolol group.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>Compared with timolol, latanoprost was significantly more effective in lowering IOP of Asian patients with CACG, with higher risk of ocular adverse effects but lower risk of systemic adverse events, and might be a good substitute for CACG patients.</p></div
Positive Effectiveness of Tafamidis in Delaying Disease Progression in Transthyretin Familial Amyloid Polyneuropathy up to 2 Years: an Analysis from the Transthyretin Amyloidosis Outcome Survey (THAOS)
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Baseline disease characteristics in Brazilian patients enrolled in Transthyretin Amyloidosis Outcome Survey (THAOS)
ABSTRACT Transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR) is characterized by the deposit of mutant or wild-type transthyretin that forms amyloid fibrils, which are extracellularly deposited within tissues and organs. Clinical manifestations of familial amyloid polyneuropathy vary according to the mutation, age at onset and geographical location. This study aimed to describe baseline disease characteristics of Brazilian patients with transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy (ATTR-FAP) enrolled in the Transthyretin Amyloidosis Outcome Survey (THAOS). Methods: The THAOS is an international, noninterventional, longitudinal, observational, web-based registry designed to characterize ATTR. The outcome measures included demographics (age at symptom onset, gender, time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis, family history), genotype, and clinical characteristics (presence of amyloid deposit, frequency of misdiagnosis, presenting symptomatology). The analysis was conducted in a dataset from Brazilian patients (from November 2008 to January 2016). Results: One hundred and sixty participants (52.5% male) were included in the analysis. The majority of participants (90.6%) reported a positive family history of ATTR-FAP Median age at symptom onset was 32.5 years. Val30Met mutation was found in 91.9%. Misdiagnosis was observed in 26.6% of symptomatic patients. Over one-third (35.3%) of the misdiagnosed patients experienced a delay of more than one year before receiving a correct diagnosis. At presentation, 79.7% of the patients had motor, 87.5% sensory and 93.8% autonomic symptoms. Conclusion: ATTR-FAP in Brazil starts early, has a strong family history and the majority has Val30Met mutation. Misdiagnosis is common and the most common presentation is of a sensorimotor and autonomic neuropathy