Current Treatment for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

The combination of surgical procedure (open or endoscopic techniques), rehabilitation and antioxidant therapy (Alpha lipoic acid, curcumin) is superior to monotherapies in the prognosis and recovery of patients with this pathology. The prescription of these medications by their mechanisms of action should be allocated prior to decompression surgery and should continue receiving medication during the rehabilitation time. Clinical and electrophysiological follow-ups are required to verify the improvement

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of thymoma-associated myasthenia gravis

[Background and purpose] Prognosis of myasthenia gravis (MG) in patients with thymoma is not well established. Moreover, it is not clear whether thymoma recurrence or unresectable lesions entail a worse prognosis of MG.[Methods] This multicenter study was based on data from a Spanish neurologist-driven MG registry. All patients were aged >18 years at onset and had anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies. We compared the clinical data of thymomatous and nonthymomatous patients. Prognosis of patients with recurrent or nonresectable thymomas was assessed.[Results] We included 964 patients from 15 hospitals; 148 (15.4%) had thymoma-associated MG. Median follow-up time was 4.6 years. At onset, thymoma-associated MG patients were younger (52.0 vs. 60.4 years, p < 0.001), had more generalized symptoms (odds ratio [OR]: 3.02, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.95–4.68, p < 0.001) and more severe clinical forms according to the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) scale (OR: 1.6, 95% CI: 1.15–2.21, p = 0.005). Disease severity based on MGFA postintervention status (MGFA-PIS) was higher in thymomatous patients at 1 year, 5 years, and the end of follow-up. Treatment refractoriness and mortality were also higher (OR: 2.28, 95% CI: 1.43–3.63, p = 0.001; hazard ratio: 2.46, 95% CI: 1.47–4.14, p = 0.001). Myasthenic symptoms worsened in 13 of 27 patients with recurrences, but differences in long-term severity were not significant. Fifteen thymomatous patients had nonresectable thymomas with worse MGFA-PIS and higher mortality at the end of follow-up.[Conclusions] Thymoma-associated MG patients had more severe myasthenic symptoms and worse prognosis. Thymoma recurrence was frequently associated with transient worsening of MG, but long-term prognosis did not differ from nonrecurrent thymoma. Patients with nonresectable thymoma tended to present severe forms of MG.This work is supported by Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias (FIS) grant FIS19/01774, Instituto de Salud Carlos III and cofunded by the European Union (ERDF/ESF, A Way to Make Europe/Investing in Your Future). Rodrigo Álvarez-Velasco was supported by a PhD for Medical Doctors grant from the Pla Estratègic de Recerca i Innovació en Salut (PERIS), Generalitat de Catalunya (SLT008/18/00207). Elena Cortés-Vicente was supported by a Juan Rodés grant (JR19/00037) from the Fondo de Investigación en Salud, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministry of Health (Spain).Peer reviewe

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio

CIBERER : Spanish national network for research on rare diseases: A highly productive collaborative initiative

Altres ajuts: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII); Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación.CIBER (Center for Biomedical Network Research; Centro de Investigación Biomédica En Red) is a public national consortium created in 2006 under the umbrella of the Spanish National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII). This innovative research structure comprises 11 different specific areas dedicated to the main public health priorities in the National Health System. CIBERER, the thematic area of CIBER focused on rare diseases (RDs) currently consists of 75 research groups belonging to universities, research centers, and hospitals of the entire country. CIBERER's mission is to be a center prioritizing and favoring collaboration and cooperation between biomedical and clinical research groups, with special emphasis on the aspects of genetic, molecular, biochemical, and cellular research of RDs. This research is the basis for providing new tools for the diagnosis and therapy of low-prevalence diseases, in line with the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) objectives, thus favoring translational research between the scientific environment of the laboratory and the clinical setting of health centers. In this article, we intend to review CIBERER's 15-year journey and summarize the main results obtained in terms of internationalization, scientific production, contributions toward the discovery of new therapies and novel genes associated to diseases, cooperation with patients' associations and many other topics related to RD research

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

Miradas desde la historia social y la historia intelectual: América Latina en sus culturas: de los procesos independistas a la globalización

Fil: Benito Moya, Silvano G. A. Universidad Católica de Córdoba. Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades; Argentina.Fil: Universidad Católica de Córdoba. Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades; Argentina

Primer caso en México y América Latina de linfoma anaplásico de células gigantes en paciente con implantes mamarios

El Linfoma Anaplásico de Células Gigantes (LACG) asociado a implantes mamarios es una patología poco frecuente. Desde el primer caso publicado en la década de los noventa, en los últimos años hemos observado un mayor número de casos recogidos en la literatura. Si bien se tiene información de aproximadamente 90 casos publicados en el mundo, algunos autores mencionan la posibilidad de que existan más de 100 o 200 casos, por lo que su presencia ha suscitado mucha controversia, si bien en general se sigue considerando una patología infrecuente. Hasta donde hemos podido conocer, presentamos el primer caso de LACG documentado por un cirujano plástico en México y América Latina, en una mujer de 43 años de edad portadora de implantes mamarios, con historia de asimetría mamaria unilateral por seroma tardío, y en la que tras 2 punciones sin mejoría de la sintomatología se realizó retirada del implante y capsulectomía, confirmando en líquido periprotésico la presencia del LACG

Where Does the Transplanted Fat is Located in the Gluteal Region? Research Letter

Introduction: Liposuction is one of the most popular plastic surgery procedures. As in any surgery, there are risks and complications, especially when combined with fat injection. Case reports of fat embolism have been reported. A possible explanation is the puncture and tearing of gluteal vessels during the procedure, especially when a deep injection is planned. Objective: To identify the places where fat can be located after injection during a fat graft in the gluteus. Methods: An experimental study was done in which colorant was injected in four directions using four different quadrants of the gluteus. We Injected 10 cc six times following clock hands until 60 cc were injected, and the cutaneous flap and the muscles were then elevated. Our main purpose was to describe where the colorant went and if it was in contact with the vessels (superior and inferior gluteal vessels). In total, four gluteus muscles were injected and dissected. Results: Injection in the lower lateral quadrant was mainly into the muscle, and colorant was observed in the hypogastric vessels. The injection in the upper quadrants stayed mainly in the subcutaneous tissue. Conclusions. During surgery, it is important to identify the location of the perforators and to avoid a deep injection, especially from the lower lateral quadrant to the superior medial quadrant (Q4 to Q1), as the probability of puncturing and injecting fat into the main vessels from this direction is higher

Efecto de terapia descongestiva compleja en linfedema secundario al tratamiento quirúrgico y calidad de vida en mujeres con cáncer de mama

INTRODUCTION: Lymphedema (LE) is characterized by abnormal increase of interstitial liquid. It can be secondary to breast cancer treatment, affecting patients’ life quality (LQ). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of complex decongestive therapy (CDT) with manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) in women with breast cancer from secondary LE to modified radical mastectomy (MRM) on the volume of the affected extremity and the perception of LQ. METHOD: Breast cancer women with post-surgery secondary LE treated with 5 sessions of CDT every day. Previous to each session, 7 circumferences of the affected extremity were measured with LE to obtain the volume with Kuhnke formula. Besides, the EORTC QLQ-C30 (life quality) was applied before the CDT and after. Scores of EORTC QLQ-C30 and the average volume of affected extremities by LE before and after the CDT were compared. RESULTS: The average volume of extremities with LE decreased significantly (p<0.0005), 15.5 % after 5 sessions of CDT. Also the perception of LQ and some other symptoms improved significantly with p<0.05. CONCLUSION: CDT in LE decreases the volume of the affected extremity and improves the perception of LQ. MLD is a tool that improves health condition integrally in women with breast cancer and secondary LE to MRM.INTRODUCCIÓN: el linfedema (LE) se caracteriza por aumento anormal de líquido intersticial. Puede ser secundario al tratamiento en cáncer de mama (CaMa), afecta la calidad de vida (CV) de los pacientes que lo padecen. OBJETIVO: evaluar el efecto de la terapia descongestiva compleja (TDC) con drenaje linfático manual (DLM) en mujeres con CaMa con LE secundario a mastectomía radical modificada (MRM) sobre el volumen de la extremidad afectada y la percepción de CV. MÉTODO: se evaluaron mujeres con CaMa con LE secundario posquirúrgico tratadas con TDC durante 5 sesiones diarias. Previo a cada sesión, se midieron 7 circunferencias de la extremidad con LE para obtener el volumen con la fórmula de Kuhnke. Además, se aplicó el instrumento EORTC QLQ-C30 (calidad de vida) antes de iniciar la TDC y al concluir. Se compararon los puntajes del EORTC QLQ-C30 y el volumen de las extremidades afectadas por LE, antes y después de la TDC. RESULTADOS: el volumen promedio de las extremidades con LE disminuyó de forma significativa (p<0.0005) un 15.5% después de 5 sesiones de TDC. También la percepción de CV (“salud global” y “función física”) y algunos síntomas mejoraron de forma significativa con p<0.05. CONCLUSIÓN: la TDC en LE disminuye el volumen de la extremidad afectada y mejora la percepción de CV; el DLM es una herramienta que mejora la condición de salud de forma integral en mujeres con CaMa y LE secundario a MRM