Outcome of tocilizumab treatment in corticosteroid-resistant thyroid eye disease / Resultados del tratamiento con tocilizumab en la enfermedad ocular tiroidea resistente a glucocorticoides

Introduction: Thyroid eye disease (TED) is a complex and incompletely understood rare autoimmune disorder.ObjectivesTo analyze the experience and the outcomes obtained with the use of intravenous tocilizumab in the treatment of TED.MethodsA retrospective analysis of adult patients diagnosed with active TED resistant to intravenous corticosteroids treated in a tertiary hospital between May 2012 and May 2021.ResultsEleven patients were included with a mean age of 52±12 (range 35–67) years. Nine patients were female and two were male. Patients received a median of 5±3.2 doses. Twenty out of twenty-four eyes achieved inactivation of TED at week 16. Proptosis response was achieved in 6/8 patients and diplopia response in 3/8 patients. The GO-QOL questionnaire showed clinically significant improvement in 9/11 patients. No serious adverse effects were reported during tocilizumab treatment. One patient required decompressive surgery 15 months after tocilizumab therapy.ConclusionThe results obtained show that the use of tocilizumab in the treatment of this pathology can be a good alternative. (AU)

Introducción: La orbitopatía tiroidea (OT) es una enfermedad rara autoinmune compleja que no se conoce completamente.ObjetivosAnalizar la experiencia y los resultados obtenidos con el uso de tocilizumab intravenoso en el tratamiento de la OT.MétodosAnálisis retrospectivo de pacientes adultos diagnosticados de OT activa resistente a glucocorticoides por vía intravenosa tratados en un hospital terciario entre mayo del 2012 y mayo del 2021.ResultadosSe incluyó a 11 pacientes con una edad media de 52±12 (rango 35 a 67) años. Nueve pacientes eran mujeres y 2, hombres. Los pacientes recibieron una mediana de 5±3,2 dosis. Veinte de 24 ojos lograron la inactivación de la OT en la semana 16. Se logró respuesta a la proptosis en 6/8 pacientes y respuesta a diplopía en 3/8 pacientes. El cuestionario GO-QoL mostró una mejora clínicamente significativa en 9/11 pacientes. No se notificaron efectos adversos graves durante el tratamiento con tocilizumab. Un paciente requirió cirugía descompresiva 15 meses después del tratamiento con tocilizumab.ConclusionesLos resultados obtenidos muestran que el uso de tocilizumab en el tratamiento de esta enfermedad puede ser una buena alternativa. (AU)

Outcome of tocilizumab treatment in corticosteroid-resistant thyroid eye disease.

INTRODUCTION: Thyroid eye disease (TED) is a complex and incompletely understood rare autoimmune disorder. OBJECTIVES: To analyze the experience and the outcomes obtained with the use of intravenous tocilizumab in the treatment of TED. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of adult patients diagnosed with active TED resistant to intravenous corticosteroids treated in a tertiary hospital between May 2012 and May 2021. RESULTS: Eleven patients were included with a mean age of 52±12 (range 35-67) years. Nine patients were female and two were male. Patients received a median of 5±3.2 doses. Twenty out of twenty-four eyes achieved inactivation of TED at week 16. Proptosis response was achieved in 6/8 patients and diplopia response in 3/8 patients. The GO-QOL questionnaire showed clinically significant improvement in 9/11 patients. No serious adverse effects were reported during tocilizumab treatment. One patient required decompressive surgery 15 months after tocilizumab therapy. CONCLUSION: The results obtained show that the use of tocilizumab in the treatment of this pathology can be a good alternative.

Impact of the use of antibiotics on the clinical response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with non-small cell lung cancer / Impacto del uso de antibióticos en la respuesta clínica de los inhibidores del punto de control en pacientes con carcinoma de pulmón no microcítico

Objectives. Recent research suggests that the use of antibiotics could reduce the efficacy of checkpoint inhibitors, in addition to other well-known factors. It could be due to gut microbiota modification, which impact over the immune system response. However, the information available so far is contradictory. The objective of this research was to clarify whether antibiotic use influences efficacy of checkpoint inhibitors treatments in non-small cell lung cancer patients in clinical practice. Methods. Therefore, a retrospective observational study was designed. Use of antibiotics among patients treated with atezolizumab, pembrolizumab or nivolumab was assessed within 2 months of checkpoint inhibitors treatments initiation. Results. A total of 140 patients were included, mostly men, with good performance status (ECOG 0-1), all of them previously treated with chemotherapy. An antibiotic prescription was identified in 31% of these patients, mainly fluoroquinolones or beta-lactams. The most frequent indication was respiratory infection. Both progression-free survival and overall survival were lower for patients treated with anti-infective drugs, although this difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion. More studies are needed to draw conclusions about the impact of antibiotics on the efficacy of immunotherapy. (AU)

Objetivos. Investigaciones recientes sugieren que el uso de antibióticos podría reducir la eficacia de los inhibidores del punto de control inmunológico, además de otros factores ya conocidos. Podría deberse a la modificación de la microbiota, por su impacto en la respuesta del sistema inmune. En cualquier caso, la información disponible hasta el momento es contradictoria. El objetivo de esta investigación es esclarecer si el uso de antibióticos influye en la eficacia de los inhibidores del punto de control para el tratamiento de pacientes con carcinoma de pulmón no microcítico en la práctica clínica. Métodos. Se diseñó un estudio observacional, retrospectivo. Se investigó el uso de antibióticos entre aquellos pacientes a tratamiento con atezolizumab, pembrolizumab o nivolumab en los 2 meses previos o posteriores a su inicio. Resultados. Se incluyeron 140 pacientes, principalmente hombres con aceptable estado general (ECOG 0-1), todos previamente tratados con quimioterapia. Se identificó una prescripción antibiótica en el 31% de la población, principalmente fluoroquinolonas o betalactámicos. La indicación más frecuente para dicha prescripción era la infección respiratoria. Tanto la supervivencia libre de progresión con la supervivencia global fue inferior en el grupo tratado con antiinfecciosos, aunque no se alcanzó significación estadística. Conclusiones. Son necesario más estudios para concluir acerca del impacto de los antibióticos en la eficacia de la inmunoterapia. (AU)

Dosificación de cefazolina prequirúrgica en pacientes obesos y no obesos. ¿Importa el peso? / Dosage of presurgical cefazolin in obese and non-obese patients. Does weight matter?

OBJETIVO: Actualmente no existe evidencia clara que guíe la dosificación de cefazolina en pacientes obesos en profilaxis quirúrgica. El objetivo fue evaluar la efectividad de este antibiótico con una dosis estándar de 2 g en la prevención de infección de herida quirúrgica (IHQ) en pacientes obesos en comparación con no obesos. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Revisión retrospectiva de varones ≥100 kg con cefazolina profiláctica entre 1 enero y 30 junio de 2019 en un hospital universitario en el servicio de traumatología. Los pacientes fueron estratificados en 2 grupos: obesos (≥ 100 kg e índice masa corporal (IMC)>30 kg/m2) y no obesos. Fueron excluidos aquellos que carecían de seguimiento en los 90 días posteriores a la intervención quirúrgica (IQ), aquellos con infección activa en el momento de la IQ o tratados con inmunosupresores. Se recogieron datos demográficos, altura, peso real, tabaquismo, diabetes, uso concomitante de inmunosupresores, datos de la IQ y presencia de infección hasta el día 90. RESULTADOS: 57 pacientes fueron sometidos a IQ traumatológica con cefazolina profiláctica, 26 no obesos y 23 obesos. Ambos grupos presentaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en cuanto a peso, IMC y uso de cefazolina post-IQ. No se observaron diferencias significativas en el resto de variables. Dos (8,7%) obesos y dos (7,7%) pacientes no obesos desarrollaron IHQ, siendo la diferencia entre los grupos estadísticamente no significativa, tras 63 días post-IQ de media. CONCLUSIÓN: Este estudio demuestra que no existe diferencia significativa en IHQ con la dosis profiláctica de 2 g de cefazolina entre obesos y no obesos

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of the effectiveness of a standard dose of cefalozin 2 grams for surgical site infection (SSI) prevention in obese patients compared to non-obese patients. There is no still controversy surrounding which is the best dosage of this antibiotic in obese patients for surgical prophylaxis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective review of men who received prophylactic cefazolin between January 1st, 2019 and June 30th, 2019 in a traumatology department of a university hospital. Patients were stratified into 2 groups: obese (≥ 100 kg and body mass index (BMI)> 30 kg / m2) and non-obese. Patients without a 90 days follow-up after surgery and/or with an active infection at the time of surgery and/or treated with immunosuppressants were excluded. Demographic data, height, real weight, smoking, diabetes, concomitant use of immunosuppressants, surgery data and presence of infection until day 90 were collected. RESULTS: A total of 57 patients underwent traumatic surgery with prophylactic cefazolin, 26 non-obese and 23 obese, were studied. Both groups presented statistically significant differences in weight, BMI and post-surgery use of cefazolin. No significant differences were observed in the other variables. Two obese (8.7%) and two non-obese (7.7%) patients developed SSIs after 63 days post-surgery on average, following the difference between the groups being statistically non-significant. CONCLUSION: This study shows that there is no significant difference in SSI with a standard prophylactic dose of two grams of cefazolin between obese and non-obese patients

Alemtuzumab for relapsing multiple sclerosis in clinical practice: A four-year retrospective one-center study.

BACKGROUND: Disease-modifying therapies for multiple sclerosis have been developed tremendously over the last two decades. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to review the short-, medium-, and long-term safety of alemtuzumab in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). METHOD: This retrospective observational study (2015-2019) included all patients with highly active or rapidly progressing and aggressive RRMS who were treated with alemtuzumab at the Cabueñes University Hospital. The short-, medium-, and long-term adverse effects were evaluated following the risk management program of the European Medicines Agency. RESULTS: 39 patients were included, 23 of them received at least two cycles of treatment. Most patients showed at least one adverse event. The following adverse reactions were reported: infusional reactions (17), urinary tract infections (six), thrombopenia (five), and thyroid dysfunction (six). CONCLUSION: In clinical practice alemtuzumab showed an acceptable safety profile in selected patients even if all of them suffered at least one adverse effect. Thorough and prolonged follow-up is required to further confirm the safety of this drug.