Estudio comparativo de la ecografía Doppler frente a la biopsia de arteria temporal en el diagnóstico de la arteritis de células gigantes

[Abstract] Background. Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a vasculitis that affects medium- and large-sized arteries. Temporal artery biopsy is the gold standard for diagnosis. In view of the high demand for temporal biopsies, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of Doppler ultrasonography in patients with suspected giant cell arteritis, to determine its sensitivity and specificity as a diagnostic test and to determine whether it would be possible to substitute biopsy for ultrasonography. Materials and methods. A prospective study was undertaken including 57 patients from February 2015 to July 2016, who have undergone both ultrasonography and temporal biopsy. Results. A total of 57 patients were included, 3 of whom died during the follow-up, and a patient was excluded from the study when she refused to have the biopsy. Another 21 patients were diagnosed with GCA by a rheumatologist after a minimum of 6 months of follow-up and 22 patients had positive ultrasonography, 8 of whom were diagnosed with GCA and 4 with polymyalgia rheumatica. In our study, the sensitivity of ultrasonography was 42.6%, and the specificity was 65.7%. A total of 19 patients had a positive biopsy, all of them were diagnosed with GCA. In our study, the sensitivity of the biopsy was 73.7% and the specificity was 100%. Conclusions. In view of the data from our study, the usefulness of ultrasonography is questionable, and research about the role of ultrasonography in this disease should be further studied.[Resumen] Introducción. La arteritis de células gigantes (ACG) es una vasculitis que afecta a arterias de mediano y gran calibre. La biopsia de la arteria temporal es la técnica diagnóstica de elección. Atendiendo a la demanda asistencial que supone, pretendemos evaluar la utilidad de la ecografía Doppler en los pacientes con sospecha de ACG, su sensibilidad y especificidad como prueba diagnóstica y si puede suplir a la biopsia. Materiales y métodos. Se ha realizado un estudio prospectivo de 57 pacientes entre febrero de 2015 y julio de 2016, que han sido diagnosticados con exploración mediante ecografía Doppler y biopsia de arteria temporal. Resultados. Fueron incluidos 57 pacientes, de los cuales 3 fallecieron durante el seguimiento y una paciente fue excluida del estudio al negarse a la biopsia. Otros 21 pacientes fueron diagnosticados de ACG por un especialista reumatólogo tras un mínimo de 6 meses de seguimiento. Presentaron ecografía positiva 22 pacientes, de los cuales 8 fueron diagnosticados de ACG y 4 de polimialgia reumática. En nuestro estudio, la sensibilidad de la ecografía es del 42.6% y la especificidad es del 65.7%. Otros 19 pacientes presentaron biopsia positiva: todos ellos fueron diagnosticados de ACG. La biopsia presentóuna sensibilidad de un 73.7% y una especificidad de un 100%. Conclusiones. Según nuestro estudio, la utilidad de la ecografía es limitada y son necesarias nuevas investigaciones para determinar su papel en esta entidad

Indoleamine, 2-3 dioxygenase activity could be an early marker of graft rejection in heart transplantation

[Abstract] Background. The indoleamine, 2-3 dioxygenase (IDO) is an inducible intracellular enzyme with immunosuppressive effects mainly on lymphocyte populations. It has been postulated that indirect determination of IDO serum activity may be a marker of renal graft rejection, but its potential usefulness in heart transplantation (HT) is unknown. Methods. This longitudinal study included 98 HT patients (83% males) who survived ≥1 year. Mean age was 54.14 ± 11.57 years. Serum IDO activity was analyzed one month after HT by means of high performance liquid chromatography and correlated with the cumulative incidence of acute rejection (AR) during one-year follow-up. AR was defined as biopsy-proven ≥ ISHLT grade 2R rejection or empirically treated non-biopsy-proven rejection. The study sample was divided into two groups: AR group (n = 51), including patients who experienced at least one AR episode during the first year after HT; No-AR group (N = 47), including the remaining patients. Results. Mean serum IDO activity one month after HT was significantly higher (P = .021) in the AR group (3.32 ± 1.56) than in the no-AR group (2.62 ± 1.35). No significant association between serum IDO activity and gender (male: 3.1 ± 1.56, women: 2.43 ± 0.99, P = .092), recipient age (r = −.07, P = .943) or donor age (r = 0.108, P = 0.293) was observed. By means of binary logistic regression, an odds ratio of 1.4 [CI 95%: 1.033-1.876, P = .03] per unit increase of act-IDO was estimated, with no significant modification upon forced adjustment for age and sex. Mean glomerular filtration rate 1 month after HT was 67.01 ± 28.51 mL/min/m2. No significant correlation between this parameter and serum IDO activity was observed (r = .160, P = .117). Conclusions. Our study suggests that serum IDO activity one month after HT might be associated with a higher risk of AR during one-year follow-up. This association seems to be independent of recipient gender, age or renal function

Polymorphisms in genes related to the complement system and antibody-mediated cardiac allograft rejection

[Abstract] Background. Heart transplantation (HT) is a life-saving treatment for patients with end-stage heart failure. One of the main problems after HT is the humoral response termed antibody-mediated rejection (AMR). Complement activation plays a key role in AMR contributing to graft damage. The aim of this study was to analyze genetic variants in genes related to the complement pathways that could be associated with the development of AMR. Methods. Analysis of 51 genes related to the complement pathway was performed by next-generation sequencing in 46 HT recipients, 23 with and 23 without AMR. Statistical analysis was performed with SNPstats and R. Results. We identified 2 single nucleotide polymorphisms, 1 in the mannose-binding lectin 2 gene (p.Gly54Asp-MBL2) and 1 in the complement factor properdin gene (p.Asn428(p=)-CFP), that showed significant association with the absence and development of AMR, respectively. Moreover, the presence of the rare allele in p.Gly54Asp-MBL2 control patients correlated with an immunodeficiency of mannose-binding lectin (6.24 ng/ml vs 207.50 ng/ml, p < 0.01), whereas the presence of the rare allele p.Asn428(p=)-CFP in patients with AMR correlated with higher levels of properdin protein (14.65 μg/ml vs 10.77 μg/ml, p < 0.05). Conclusions. AMR is a complex phenotype affected by many recipient factors. Variants in p.Gly54Asp-MBL2 and p.Asn428(p=)-CFP genes, encoding mannose-binding lectin 2 and properdin, may influence the risk of AMR.Instituto de Salud Carlos III; PI13/0217

Amiloidosis cardiaca por cadenas ligeras y por transtirretina: características clínicas, historia natural y predictores pronósticos

[Abstract] Introduction and objectives. Light-chain amyloidosis (AL-CA) and transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR-CA) are the most common types of cardiac amyloidosis (CA). We sought to study the clinical characteristics and prognosis of both diseases. Methods. We conducted a single-centre, retrospective review of all patients diagnosed with CA between 1998 and 2018. Clinical characteristics, complementary tests, survival and other adverse clinical events were studied. Results. We identified 105 patients with CA, 65 ATTR-CA and 40 AL-CA. Mean age was 74.4 years; 24.8% were women. In both groups, heart failure was the most frequent clinical presentation (55.2%). The most prevalent electrocardiographic findings were the pseudoinfarct pattern (68.5%) and a Sokolow-Lyon index <1.5 mV (67.7%), with no differences between the two subtypes of CA. One-year, 3-year, and 5-year survival was 43.3%, 40.4% and 35.4%, respectively, in AC-AL patients, and 85.1%, 57.3% and 31.4% in AC-ATTR patients (p = .004). AL-CA subtype (HR 3.41, CI95% 1.45−8.06, p = .005), previous admission for heart failure (HR 4.25, 95% CI 1.63−11.09, p = .003) and a NYHA class III-IV (HR 2.76, 95% CI 1.09−7.03, p = .033) were independent predictors of mortality, while beta-blocker therapy was associated with longer survival (HR .23, 95% CI .09–.59, p = .002). Conclusions. Differences exist between the clinical presentation of AL-CA and ATTR-CA patients. Both diseases, particularly AL-CA, are associated with poor life prognosis.[Resumen] Antecedentes y objetivos. La amiloidosis cardiaca (AC) por cadenas ligeras (AC-AL) y por transtirretina (AC-ATTR) son los dos subtipos más frecuentes de la enfermedad. Nos propusimos caracterizar clínicamente estas entidades y analizar su pronóstico. Material y métodos. Realizamos una revisión retrospectiva de todos los pacientes diagnosticados de AC entre 1998 y 2018 en un centro español. Además de recoger las características clínicas y los resultados de las pruebas complementarias al diagnóstico, analizamos la supervivencia y la incidencia de desenlaces clínicos adversos. Resultados. Identificamos 105 pacientes con AC, 65 AC-ATTR y 40 AC-AL. La edad media era de 74,4 años; el 24,8% eran mujeres. En ambos grupos la insuficiencia cardiaca (IC) fue la forma de presentación clínica más frecuente (55,2%). Los hallazgos electrocardiográficos más prevalentes fueron el patrón de pseudoinfarto (68,5%) y un índice de Sokolow-Lyon <1,5 mV (67,7%), sin diferencias entre los dos subtipos. La supervivencia a 1, 3 y 5 años fue del 43,3%, 40,4% y 35,4%, respectivamente, en pacientes con AC-AL y de 85,1%, 57,3% y 31,4% en pacientes con AC-ATTR (p = 0,004). El subtipo AC-AL (HR 3,41, IC95% 1,45-8,06, p = 0,005), el ingreso previo por IC (HR 4,25, IC95% 1,63-11,09, p = 0,003) y una clase NYHA III-IV (HR 2,76, IC95% 1,09-7,03, p = 0,033) fueron predictores independientes de mortalidad, mientras que el tratamiento betabloqueante se asoció con una mayor supervivencia (HR 0,23, IC95% 0,09-0,59, p = 0,002). Conclusiones. Existen ciertas diferencias en la presentación clínica de los pacientes con AC-AL y AC-ATTR. Ambas entidades, y muy especialmente la AC-AL, presentan un pobre pronóstico vital

Specialized proresolving mediators protect against experimental autoimmune myocarditis by modulating Ca2+ handling and NRF2 activation

Specialized proresolving mediators and, in particular, 5(S), (6)R, 7-trihydroxyheptanoic acid methyl ester (BML-111) emerge as new therapeutic tools to prevent cardiac dysfunction and deleterious cardiac damage associated with myocarditis progression. The cardioprotective role of BML-111 is mainly caused by the prevention of increased oxidative stress and nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-like 2 (NRF2) down-regulation induced by myocarditis. At the molecular level, BML-111 activates NRF2 signaling, which prevents sarcoplasmic reticulum–adenosine triphosphatase 2A down-regulation and Ca2+ mishandling, and attenuates the cardiac dysfunction and tissue damage induced by myocarditis.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the European Regional Development Fund (SAF-2017-84777R), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) (PI17/01093, PI17/01344, and PI20/01482), Sociedad Española de Cardiología, Proyecto Traslacional 2019 and Asociación del Ritmo Cardiaco (SEC, España), Proyecto Asociación Insuficiencia Cardiaca (Trasplante Cardiaco) 2020, Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional, Fondo Social Europeo, and CIBERCV, a network funded by ISCIII, Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (PGC2018-097019-B-I00), Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad/Agencia Estatal de Investigación 10.13039/501100011033 PID2020-113238RB-I00, PID2019-105600RB-I00, the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria grant PRB3 [PT17/0019/0003-ISCIII-SGEFI/ERDF, ProteoRed]), and “la Caixa” Foundation (project code HR17-00247). The Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares is supported by the ISCIII, the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades. Dr Ruiz-Hurtado is Miguel Servet I researcher of ISCIII (CP15/00129 Carlos III Health Institute). Dr Tamayo and R.I. Jaén, and M. Gil-Fernández were or currently are PhD students funded by the Formación de Profesorado Universitario program of the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (FPU17/06135; FPU16/00827, FPU1901973)

Specialized proresolving mediators protect against experimental autoimmune myocarditis by modulating Ca2+ handling and NRF2 activation

Preclinical research[Abstract] Specialized proresolving mediators and, in particular, 5(S), (6)R, 7-trihydroxyheptanoic acid methyl ester (BML-111) emerge as new therapeutic tools to prevent cardiac dysfunction and deleterious cardiac damage associated with myocarditis progression. The cardioprotective role of BML-111 is mainly caused by the prevention of increased oxidative stress and nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-like 2 (NRF2) down-regulation induced by myocarditis. At the molecular level, BML-111 activates NRF2 signaling, which prevents sarcoplasmic reticulum–adenosine triphosphatase 2A down-regulation and Ca2+ mishandling, and attenuates the cardiac dysfunction and tissue damage induced by myocarditis.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España); SAF-2017-84777RInstituto de Salud Carlos III; PI17/01093Instituto de Salud Carlos III; PI17/01344Instituto de Salud Carlos III; PI20/01482Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España); PGC2018-097019-B-I00Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (España); 10.13039/501100011033Ministerio de Industria, Economía y Competitividad; PID2020-113238RB-I00Ministerio de Industria, Economía y Competitividad (España); PID2019-105600RB-I00Fundación La Caixa; HR17-0024

AGT haplotype in ITGA4 gene is related to antibody-mediated rejection in heart transplant patients

[Abstract] Introduction. One of the main problems involved in heart transplantation (HT) is antibody-mediated rejection (AMR). Many aspects of AMR are still unresolved, including its etiology, diagnosis and treatment. In this project, we hypothesize that variants in genes involved in B-cell biology in HT patients can yield diagnostic and prognostic information about AMR. Methods. Genetic variants in 61 genes related to B-cell biology were analyzed by next generation sequencing in 46 HT patients, 23 with and 23 without AMR. Results. We identified 3 single nucleotide polymorphisms in ITGA4 gene (c.1845G>A, c.2633A>G, and c.2883C>T) that conformed the haplotype AGT-ITGA4. This haplotype is associated with the development of AMR. Moreover, AMR patients with the haplotype AGT-ITGA4 present lower levels of integrin α-4 in serum samples compared to the reference GAC haplotype in control patients. Conclusion. We can conclude that polymorphisms in genes related to the biology of B-cells could have an important role in the development of AMR. In fact, the AGT haplotype in ITGA4 gene could potentially increase the risk of AMR.Instituto de Salud Carlos III; PI13/0217

Impact of the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the outcome of neurosurgical patients: A nationwide study in Spain

Objective To assess the effect of the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the outcome of neurosurgical patients in Spain. Settings The initial flood of COVID-19 patients overwhelmed an unprepared healthcare system. Different measures were taken to deal with this overburden. The effect of these measures on neurosurgical patients, as well as the effect of COVID-19 itself, has not been thoroughly studied. Participants This was a multicentre, nationwide, observational retrospective study of patients who underwent any neurosurgical operation from March to July 2020. Interventions An exploratory factorial analysis was performed to select the most relevant variables of the sample. Primary and secondary outcome measures Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify independent predictors of mortality and postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results Sixteen hospitals registered 1677 operated patients. The overall mortality was 6.4%, and 2.9% (44 patients) suffered a perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Of those infections, 24 were diagnosed postoperatively. Age (OR 1.05), perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection (OR 4.7), community COVID-19 incidence (cases/10 5 people/week) (OR 1.006), postoperative neurological worsening (OR 5.9), postoperative need for airway support (OR 5.38), ASA grade =3 (OR 2.5) and preoperative GCS 3-8 (OR 2.82) were independently associated with mortality. For SARS-CoV-2 postoperative infection, screening swab test <72 hours preoperatively (OR 0.76), community COVID-19 incidence (cases/10 5 people/week) (OR 1.011), preoperative cognitive impairment (OR 2.784), postoperative sepsis (OR 3.807) and an absence of postoperative complications (OR 0.188) were independently associated. Conclusions Perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection in neurosurgical patients was associated with an increase in mortality by almost fivefold. Community COVID-19 incidence (cases/10 5 people/week) was a statistically independent predictor of mortality. Trial registration number CEIM 20/217

Regional finite-state error repair

[Abstract] We describe an algorithm to deal with error repair over finite-state architectures. Such a technique is of interest in spelling correction as well as approximate string matching in a variety of applications related to natural language processing, such as information extraction/recovery or answer searching, where error-tolerant recognition allows misspelled input words to be integrated in the computational process. Our proposal relies on a regional least-cost repair strategy, dynamically gathering all relevant information in the context of the error location. The system guarantees asymptotic equivalence with global repair strategies

Spelling correction on technical documents

[Abstract] We describe a novel approach to spelling correction applied on technical documents, a task that requires a number of especific properties such as eficiency, safety and maintenance. In opposite to previous works, we explore the region close to the point at which the recognition halts, gathering all relevant information for the repair process in order to avoid the phenomenom of errors in cascade. Our approach seems to reach the same quality provided by the most performance classic techniques, but with a significant reduction on both time and space costsMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad; TIN2004-07246-C03-01Xunta de Galcia; PGIDIT03SIN30501PRXunta de Galcia; PGIDIT02SIN01EMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad; TIN2004-07246-C03-02Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad; HP2002-008