CA 15-3 prognostic biomarker in SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia.

The severity of lung involvement is the main prognostic factor in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Carbohydrate antigen 15-3 (CA 15-3), a marker of lung damage and fibrosis, could help predict the prognosis of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. This was a retrospective and observational study. CA 15-3 was analyzed in the blood samples of patients consecutively admitted for SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia and whose blood samples were available in the biobank. Other prognostic markers were also measured (interleukin 6 [IL6], C-reactive protein [CRP], D-dimer, troponin T, and NT-ProBNP). The occurrence of in-hospital complications was registered, including death, the need for medical intensive care, and oxygen therapy at discharge. In this study, 539 patients were recruited (54.9% men, mean age: 59.6 ± 16.4 years). At admission, the mean concentrations of CA 15-3 was 20.5 ± 15.8 U/mL, and the concentration was correlated with male sex, older age, and other severity markers of coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) (IL6, CRP, D-dimer, troponine T, and NT-ProBNP). CA 15-3 levels were higher in patients who died (n = 56, 10.4%) (35.33 ± 30.45 vs. 18.8 ± 12.11, p < 0.001), who required intensive medical support (n = 78, 14.4%; 31.17 ± 27.83 vs. 18.68 ± 11.83; p < 0.001), and who were discharged with supplemental oxygen (n = 64, 13.3%; 22.65 ± 14.41 vs. 18.2 ± 11.7; p = 0.011). Elevated CA 15-3 levels (above 34.5 U/mL) were a strong predictor of a complicated in-hospital course, in terms of a higher risk of death (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.74, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.22-11.9, p = 0.022) and need for intensive care (adjusted OR 4.56, 95% CI: 1.37-15.8) after adjusting for all other risk factors. The degree of lung damage and fibrosis evaluated in terms of CA 15-3 concentrations may allow early identification of the increased risk of complications in patients with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia.

Protective hood prototype for bronchoscopy during Covid-19 / Prototipo de cubierta protectora para broncoscopias durante la infeccion COVID-19

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Effect of vitamin D supplementation on asthma control in patients with vitamin D deficiency: the ACVID randomised clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between asthma and vitamin D deficiency has been known for some time. However, interventional studies conducted in this regard have shown conflicting results. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation in asthmatic patients in improving the degree of control of asthma. METHODS: Randomised, triple-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study in adult asthmatic patients with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin-D3 <30 ng/mL. The intervention group received oral supplementation with 16 000 IU of calcifediol per week, and the control group had placebo added to their usual asthma treatment. The study period was 6 months. The primary endpoint was the degree of asthma control as determined by the asthma control test (ACT). Secondary endpoints included quality of life measured using the mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire, the number of asthma attacks, oral corticosteroid cycles, the dose of inhaled corticosteroids, number of emergency visits, unscheduled consultations with the primary care physician and hospitalisations for asthma. RESULTS: One hundred and twelve patients were randomised (mean age 55 years, with 87 (78%) being women). Of the 112 patients, 106 (95%) completed the trial. Half the patients (56) were assigned to the intervention group and the other half to the control group. A statistically significant clinical improvement was observed in the intervention group (+3.09) compared with the control group (-0.57) (difference 3.66 (95% CI 0.89 to 5.43); p<0.001) as measured using ACT scores. Among the secondary endpoints, a significant improvement in the quality of life was found in the intervention group (5.34), compared with the control group (4.64) (difference 0.7 (95% CI 0.15 to 1.25); p=0.01). CONCLUSION: Among adults with asthma and vitamin D deficiency, supplementation with weekly oral calcifediol compared with placebo improved asthma control over 6 months. Further research is needed to assess long-term efficacy and safety. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02805907.

Epidemiology of Nasopharyngeal Carriage by Haemophilus influenzae in Healthy Children: A Study in the Mediterranean Coast Region.

BACKGROUND: Haemophilus influenzae, a colonizer of the nasopharynx, in children causes mainly otitis and sinusitis. The primary objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of pharyngeal colonization by H. influenzae, and the secondary objectives were to identify risk factors associated with H. influenzae colonization and its antibiotic susceptibility. METHODS: A prospective, multicenter study of nasopharyngeal carriers of H. influenzae was conducted in the pediatric consulting rooms of 10 primary healthcare centers in Murcia (Spain). The study consisted of 404 healthy children less than 5 years of age and was carried out during winter (January-March) and summer (July-September) of 2015. A nasopharyngeal sample was collected from each child, and an epidemiologic survey was completed by a pediatrician. RESULTS: In total, 112 (27.7%) children had colonization by H. influenzae, with 73.2% of cases in winter and 26.8% of cases in summer (P < 0.001). The median (interquartile range) age in months of the colonized children (13 months, 12-47.5) was lower than that of the noncolonized children (46 months, 12-49) (P < 0.001). All H. influenzae found were nontypeable H. influenzae (NTHi). Among 112 isolates, 20% were ampicillin resistant, of which 10% produced ß-lactamase, and 9% were ampicillin resistant and did not produce ß-lactamase. A logistic regression analysis showed that young age (odds ratio: 0.98) and the winter period (odds ratio: 3.41; P < 0.001) were risk factors for colonization by NTHi. CONCLUSIONS: Colonization by NTHi is high in this Mediterranean coast region with remarkable ampicillin resistant. Younger age and the winter period were facilitating factors.

Breathing pattern in a phase I clinical trial of intraspinal injection of autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

The safety of autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells (ABMNC) intraspinal infusion in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients was evaluated considering breathing and sleep patterns. Patients between 20 and 65 years old were eligible if they had definite ALS, spinal onset, a disease duration between 6 and 36 months, FVC>50%, and a below 90% oxygen saturation (T90) <2% of sleep time. The transplant was performed 6 months after enrollment. ABMNC were infused at thoracic 3-4 level. Eleven patients were included. The REM sleep decreased slightly one year after the cell transplant but not significantly. There were no differences in apnea-hipopnea index, mean oxygen saturation and nadir desaturation evolution. An increase of T90 was observed 180 and 360 days after injection (2.95±1.51% and 4.30±4.10% respectively), although it was not statistically significant. The central drive determined by occlusion pressure (P01) and inspiratory flow showed non-significant differences after one year. Intramedullary injection of ABMNC did not worsen the cortico medullar diaphragmatic pathways.

Neurotrophic bone marrow cellular nests prevent spinal motoneuron degeneration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients: a pilot safety study.

The objective of this article is to assess the safety of intraspinal infusion of autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMNCs) and, ultimately, to look for histopathological signs of cellular neurotrophism in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. We conducted an open single arm phase I trial. After 6 months observation, autologous BMNCs were infused into the posterior spinal cord funiculus. Safety was the primary endpoint and was defined as the absence of serious transplant-related adverse events. In addition, forced vital capacity (FVC), ALS-functional rating scale (ALS-FRS), Medical Research Council scale for assessment of muscle power (MRC), and Norris scales were assessed 6 and 3 months prior to the transplant and quarterly afterward for 1 year. Pathological studies were performed in case of death. Eleven patients were included. We did not observe any severe transplant-related adverse event, but there were 43 nonsevere events. Twenty-two (51%) resolved in ≤2 weeks and only four were still present at the end of follow-up. All were common terminology criteria for adverse events grade ≤2. No acceleration in the rate of decline of FVC, ALS-FRS, Norris, or MRC scales was observed. Four patients died on days 359, 378, 808, and 1,058 post-transplant for reasons unrelated to the procedure. Spinal cord pathological analysis showed a greater number of motoneurons in the treated segments compared with the untreated segments (4.2 ± 0.8 motoneurons per section [mns per sect] and 0.9 ± 0.3 mns per sect, respectively). In the treated segments, motoneurons were surrounded by CD90+ cells and did not show degenerative ubiquitin deposits. This clinical trial confirms not only the safety of intraspinal infusion of autologous BMNC in ALS patients but also provides evidence strongly suggesting their neurotrophic activity.

Quality control of the ambulatory polygraphy using automatic analysis.

It is necessary to ensure the quality of sleep studies conducted at home given that there can be potential variations. Automatic analysis is simple and could help in an audit. The objective is to find a predictive model of visual reading using an automatic analysis of saturation and respiratory signal in order to establish a reading standard with a polygraph used at home on patients who have sleep apnea-hypopnea clinical symptoms. The analysis was carried out using the following two definitions of hypopnea: an event with a duration of >or= 10 s with a decrease of > 30% of the respiratory signal; and an event associated either with a desaturation of >or= 3% or with a desaturation of >or= 4%. A total of 189 studies were selected from a representative sample of 218 patients. Two pneumologists carried out the readings together. The agreement between the visual respiratory disturbance index (RDI) [ie, apneas plus hypopneas] for both definitions and the automatic respiratory signal analysis (ie, automatic RDI [RDIa]) or the automatic desaturation index of 3% (DI3%a) and of 4% (DI4%a) showed limits from a Bland-Altman plot that were too large. However, a multiple linear regression analysis with RDIa and DI3%a or RDIa and DI4%a presented an acceptable level of agreement with RDI for both definitions (p < 0.001; r(2) = 96.2% and 97%, respectively). The 95% confidence interval for the differences between the RDI and the model was +/- 10.1 or +/- 8.8 events per hour, so a study should be revised outside of these limits. A predictive multiple regression model that uses the automatic analysis of the oximetry and respiratory signal could establish a standard for the visual reading of polygraphy at home.