In Vitro Effects of Methylprednisolone over Oligodendroglial Cells: Foresight to Future Cell Therapies.

The implantation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells may be a useful therapeutic strategy for targeting remyelination. However, it is yet to be established how these cells behave after implantation and whether they retain the capacity to proliferate or differentiate into myelin-forming oligodendrocytes. One essential issue is the creation of administration protocols and determining which factors need to be well established. There is controversy around whether these cells may be implanted simultaneously with corticosteroid treatment, which is widely used in many clinical situations. This study assesses the influence of corticosteroids on the capacity for proliferation and differentiation and the survival of human oligodendroglioma cells. Our findings show that corticosteroids reduce the capacity of these cells to proliferate and to differentiate into oligodendrocytes and decrease cell survival. Thus, their effect does not favour remyelination; this is consistent with the results of studies with rodent cells. In conclusion, protocols for the administration of oligodendrocyte lineage cells with the aim of repopulating oligodendroglial niches or repairing demyelinated axons should not include corticosteroids, given the evidence that the effects of these drugs may undermine the objectives of cell transplantation.

Nerve autofluorescence under near-ultraviolet light: cutting-edge technology for intra-operative neural tissue visualization in 17 patients.

BACKGROUND: Nerve visualization and the identification of other neural tissues during surgery is crucial for numerous reasons, including the prevention of iatrogenic nerve and neural structure injury and facilitation of nerve repair. However, current methods of intra-operative nerve detection are generally expensive, unproven, and/or technically challenging. Recently, we have documented, in both in vivo animal models and ex vivo human tissue, that nerves autofluorescence when viewed in near-ultraviolet light (NUV). In this paper, we describe our use of nerve autofluorescence to facilitate the visualization of nerves and other neural tissues intra-operatively in 17 patients undergoing a range of surgical procedures. METHODS: Employing the same prototype axon imaging system previously documented to markedly enhance nerve visualization in both in vivo animal and ex vivo human models, surgical fields were observed in 17 patients under both white and NUV light during parotid tumor resection (n = 3), thyroid tumor resection (n = 7), and surgery for peripheral nerve and spinal tumors and injury (n = 7). RESULTS: In all 17 patients, the intra-operative use of the imaging system both was feasible and markedly enhanced the localization of all neural tissues throughout their course within the surgical field. All 17 procedures were successful and devoid of any peri-operative complications or post-operative neurological deficits. CONCLUSIONS: Intra-operatively visualizing auto-fluorescent peripheral nerves and other neural tissues under NUV light is feasible in human patients across a range of clinical scenarios and appears to appreciably enhance nerve and other neural tissue visualization. Controlled studies to explore this technology further are needed.

Vaccination adjuvated against hepatitis B in Spanish National Healthcare System (SNS) workers typed as non-responders to conventional vaccines.

TRIAL DESIGN: An interventional, phase 4, single group assignment, without masking (open label), preventive clinical trial was carried out in health workers with biological risk in their tasks, who have been filed as non-responders to conventional vaccination against Hepatitis B. METHODS: 67 health workers with biological risk in their tasks, who have been filed as non-responders to conventional vaccination against Hepatitis B, were enrolled in the Clinical Trial. All participants were from 18 years up to 64 years old. INCLUSION CRITERIA: NHS workers -including university students doing their internships in health centres dependent on the National Health System (inclusion of students is regulated and limited by specific instructions on labour prevention in each autonomous community)- classified as non-responders. The criteria defining them as non-responders to the conventional hepatitis B vaccine is anti HBsAb titers < 10 mUI/ml following the application of six doses of conventional vaccine at 20 µg doses (two complete guidelines). The objective of this study was to provide Health workers-staff with an additional protection tool against hepatitis B infection, and to evaluate the efficacy of the adjuvanted vaccine in healthy non-responders to conventional hepatitis B vaccine. The primary outcome was the measurement of antibody antiHBs before the first Fendrix® dose and a month after the administration of each dose. Other outcome was collection of adverse effects during administration and all those that could be related to the vaccine and that occur within 30 days after each dose. In this study, only one group was assigned. There was no randomization or masking. RESULTS: The participants were recruited between April 13, 2018 and October 31, 2019. 67 participants were enrolled in the Clinical Trial and included the analyses. The primary immunisation consists of 4 separate 0.5 ml doses of Fendrix®, administered at the following schedule: 1 month, 2 months and 6 months from the date of the first dose. Once the positivity was reached in any of the doses, the participant finished the study and was not given the following doses. 68.66% (46 out 67) had a positive response to first dose of Fendrix®. 57.14% (12 out 21) had a positive response to second dose of Fendrix®. 22.22% (2 out 9) had a positive response to third dose of Fendrix and 42.96% (3 out 7) had a positive response to last dose of Fendrix®. Overall, 94.02% (64 out 67) of participants had a positive response to Fendrix®. No serious adverse event occurred. CONCLUSIONS: The use of Fendrix®, is a viable vaccine alternative for NHS workers classified as "non-responders". Revaccination of healthy non-responders with Fendrix®, resulted in very high proportions of responders without adverse events. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered in the Spanish National Trial Register (REEC), ClinicalTrials.gov and inclusion has been stopped (identifier NCT03410953; EudraCT-number 2016-004991-23). FUNDING: GRS 1360/A/16: Call for aid for the financing of research projects in biomedicine, health management and socio-health care to be developed in the centres of the Regional Health Management of Autonomous Community of Castile-Leon. In addition, this work has been supported by the Spanish Platform for Clinical Research and Clinical Trials, SCReN (Spanish Clinical Research Network), funded by the Subdirectorate General for Research Evaluation and Promotion of the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII), through the project PT13/0002/0039 and project PT17/0017/0023 integrated in the State Plan for R&D&I 2013-2016 and co-financed by and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Estudio patológico intraoperatorio en la cirugía tiroidea: ¿cuánto contribuye a la estrategia quirúrgica? / Intraoperative pathologic evaluation in thyroid surgery: how much does it contribute to surgical strategy?

Antecedentes: el papel del estudio patológico intraoperatorio (EPI) en cirugía tiroidea ha sido discutido largamente y es todavía motivo de controversia. Objetivo: estimar los resultados del EPI en el diagnóstico de malignidad, su relación con la biopsia por punción-aspiración preoperatoria con aguja fina (PAAF) y el estudio patológico diferido (EPD), así como su contribución al cambio en la estrategia quirúrgica en cirugía tiroidea. Material y métodos: revisión retrospectiva de las historias clínicas de 773 pacientes operados por patología tiroidea entre enero de 2014 y diciembre de 2015. En todos se efectuó EPI y EPD; a 686 (89%) pacientes también se les efectuó la biopsia por PAAF preoperatoria. Resultados: los resultados del EPI fueron benigno en 215 pacientes (27,8%), maligno en 419 (54,2%) y no definitivo en 139 (18,0%). Cuando estos resultados fueron comparados con la EPD se encontraron 19 casos (8,8%) de falsos negativos y 4 (0,95%) de falsos positivos. Considerando solo los resultados definitivos, el EPI tuvo sensibilidad 95%, especificidad 98%, valor predictivo positivo 99%, valor predictivo negativo 91% y exactitud 91%. Cuando se comparó el EPI con la PAAF preoperatoria, los valores de sensibilidad más bajos (44%) correspondieron a las categorías de Bethesda III y IV. El EPI influyó en la estrategia quirúrgica en 95 pacientes (12,28%): en 53 (6,8%), la hemitiroidectomía cambió a tiroidectomía total; en 37 (4,8%), el diagnóstico de metástasis ganglionares permitió realizar un vaciamiento modificado de cuello, y en 5 (0,6%) ocurrieron ambas situaciones. Conclusión: el EPI tuvo altos valores de utilidad diagnóstica cuando se compararon con el EPD. También se correlacionó con la PAAF preoperatoria, pero tuvo menos utilidad en las categorías Bethesda III y IV. El EPI contribuyó a cambiar la decisión de técnica quirúrgica en un grupo de pacientes y evitar una segunda operación.

Background: the role of intraoperative pathologic evaluation (IPE) in thyroid surgery has largely been discussed and it is still controversial. Objective: to estimate the results of IPE in diagnosis of malignancy, its correlation with preoperative fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy and permanent pathologic evaluation (PPE), and its contribution to change surgical strategy in thyroid surgery. Materials and methods: retrospective chart review of 773 patients operated on for thyroid disease between January 2014 and December 2015. All patients underwent IPE and PPE; 686 (89%) patients had also preoperative FNA biopsy. Results: IPE resulted benign in 215 patients (27.8%), malignant in 419 (54.2%) and non definitive in 139 (18.0%). When these results were compared with PPE, 19 cases were false negative (8.8%) and 4 false positive (0.95). Considering only definitive results, IPE had sensitivity 95%, specificity 98%, positive predictive value 99%, negative predictive value 91% and accuracy 91%. When IPE was compared with preoperative FNA biopsy, lowest values of sensitivity (44%) corresponded with Bethesda categories III and IV. IPE influenced surgical strategy in 95 patients (12.28%): in 53 (6.8%) hemithyroidectomy changed to total thyroidectomy, in 37 (4.8%) lymph node metastases diagnosis allowed to perform modified neck dissection, and in 5 (0.6%) both situations occurred. Conclusion: IPE had high values of diagnostic utility when compared with PPE. It also correlated with preoperative FNA biopsy, but had less utility in Bethesda categories III and IV. IPE contributed to change surgical technical decision in a subset of patients and avoid a second operation.

Detection of Parathyroid Autofluorescence Using Near-Infrared Imaging: A Multicenter Analysis of Concordance Between Different Surgeons.

BACKGROUND: Parathyroid glands (PGs) exhibit autofluorescence (AF) when excited by near-infrared laser. This multicenter study aims to analyze how this imaging could facilitate the detection of PGs during thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy procedures. METHODS: This was a retrospective Institutional Review Board-approved analysis of prospectively collected data at three centers. Near-infrared fluorescence imaging (NIFI) was used to detect AF from PGs during thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy procedures. Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the utility of NIFI to identify PGs and concordance at these centers. RESULTS: Overall, 210 patients underwent total thyroidectomy (n = 95), thyroid lobectomy (n = 41), and parathyroidectomy (n = 74) (n = 70 per center). Using NIFI, AF was detected from 98% of visually identified PGs. Upon initial exploration, 46% of PGs were not visible to the naked eye due to coverage by soft tissue, but AF from these glands could be detected by NIFI without any further dissection. Overall, a median of one PG per patient was detected by NIFI in this fashion before being identified visually (p = nonsignificant between centers). On logistic regression, smaller PGs were more likely to be missed visually, but localized by AF on NIFI (odds ratio with increasing size, 0.91; p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: In our experience, NIFI facilitated PG identification by detecting their AF, before conventional recognition by the surgeon, in 37-67% of the time. Despite the variability in this rate across centers, there was a concordance in detecting AF from 97 to 99% of the PGs using NIFI. We suggest the incorporation of AF on NIFI alongside conventional visual cues to aid identification of PGs during neck operations.

Increased identification of parathyroid glands using near infrared light during thyroid and parathyroid surgery.

BACKGROUND: Parathyroid gland (PG) identification during thyroid and parathyroid surgery is challenging. Accidental parathyroidectomy increases the rate of postoperative hypocalcaemia. Recently, autofluorescence with near infrared light (NIRL) has been described for PG visualization. The aim of this study is to analyze the increased rate of visualization of PGs with the use of NIRL compared to white light (WL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients undergoing thyroid and parathyroid surgery were included in this study. PGs were identified with both NIRL and WL by experienced head and neck surgeons. The number of PGs identified with NIRL and WL were compared. The identification of PGs was correlated to age, sex, and histopathological diagnosis. RESULTS: Seventy-four patients were included in the study. The mean age was 48.4 (SD ±13.5) years old. Mean PG fluorescence intensity (47.60) was significantly higher compared to the thyroid gland (22.32) and background (9.27) (p < 0.0001). The mean number of PGs identified with NIRL and WL were 3.7 and 2.5 PG, respectively (p < 0.001). The difference in the number of PGs identified with NIRL and WL and fluorescence intensity was not related to age, sex, or histopathological diagnosis, with the exception of the diagnosis of thyroiditis, in which there was a significant increase in the number of PGs visualized with NIRL (p = 0.026). CONCLUSION: The use of NIRL for PG visualization significantly increased the number of PGs identified during thyroid and parathyroid surgery, and the differences in fluorescent intensity among PGs, thyroid glands, and background were not affected by age, sex, and histopathological diagnosis.

Motivational enhancement treatment in outpatient addiction centers: A multisite randomized trial.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Motivational Enhancement Treatment in Spanish (METS) is a brief intervention aimed at resolving patient ambivalence towards behavior change that has demonstrated efficacy in substance use disorder treatment to reduce use and increase treatment engagement in different populations. In order to have evidence for its implementation in Mexico, a multi-site, randomized, two-arm, controlled clinical trial was conducted at three outpatient addiction treatment centers in the country to compare the effect of METS with Counseling as Usual (CAU). METHOD: One hundred and twenty patients were randomized to receive three sessions of METS (n = 54) or CAU (n = 66) during the first four weeks of treatment and were assessed during the following 12 weeks. Primary outcome measures were self-reported days of substance use and of treatment services utilization, which were tested using Generalized Estimating Equations. RESULTS: Results associated both conditions with significant changes in substance use over, whereas there were no differences between conditions in substance use or in service utilization. CONCLUSIONS: Findings do not support the hypothesis that METS is more effective than CAU, but suggest that brief interventions at treatment initiation may improve patient outcomes.

Antecedentes/Objetivos: La Intervención de Incremento Motivacional (METS) es una intervención breve para resolver la ambivalencia del paciente con respecto a su comportamiento y ha demostrado eficacia en distintas poblaciones para reducir el consumo de sustancias e incrementar la asistencia al tratamiento en adicciones. Con el objetivo de generar evidencia para su implementación en México, se desarrolló un ensayo clínico controlado, multi-sede, aleatorizado, de dos brazos en tres centros de tratamiento ambulatorio para adicciones, para comparar el efecto de METS con el del tratamiento usual (CAU). Método: Ciento veinte pacientes fueron aleatorizados a tres sesiones de METS (n = 54) o CAU (n = 66) durante las primeras cuatro semanas de tratamiento y evaluados durante las siguientes doce. Se midieron resultados mediante autoinforme de días con consumo de sustancias y días de utilización de servicios, los cuales fueron analizados mediante ecuaciones de estimación generalizadas. Resultados: Los resultados asociaron ambas condiciones a cambios significativos en uso de sustancias a lo largo del tiempo, pero no demostraron diferencias entre condiciones en el uso de sustancias o en la utilización de servicios. Conclusiones: Los hallazgos contradicen la hipótesis de superioridad de METS sobre CAU, pero sugieren que las intervenciones breves al inicio del tratamiento pudieran mejorar la respuesta del paciente.

Cutting Edge in Thyroid Surgery: Autofluorescence of Parathyroid Glands.

BACKGROUND: Identification of parathyroid glands may be challenging during thyroid and parathyroid surgery. Accidental resection of the glands may increase the morbidity of the surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate accuracy in identification of autofluorescent parathyroid glands with the use of near infrared light in real time. STUDY DESIGN: Patients undergoing thyroid and parathyroid surgery between June and August 2015 were included in the study. During the procedure, the surgical field was exposed to near infrared laser light in order to analyze the intensity of the fluorescence of different tissues (parathyroid glands, thyroid glands, and background). Surgical images were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: Twenty-eight patients were included in the study. Nineteen patients were women and 9 were men. Seven patients had primary hyperparathyroidism, 4 had hyperthyroidism, 3 had goiters, and 11 had thyroid cancer. Three patients had mixed pathologies, including 2 patients with thyroid cancer and primary hyperparathyroidism and 1 patient with goiter and primary hyperparathyroidism. Identification of autofluorescent parathyroid glands was achieved in all patients with near infrared light. The mean fluorescent intensity of parathyroid glands was 40.6 (±26.5), thyroid glands 31.8 (±22.3), and background 16.6 (±15.4). Parathyroid glands demonstrated statistically higher fluorescence intensity compared with the thyroid gland and background (p < 0.0014). No postoperative hypocalcemia or other complications related to the surgery were registered. CONCLUSIONS: Visualization of autofluorescent parathyroid glands with the use of near infrared light allows high rates of parathyroid gland identification and could be a safe, feasible, and noninvasive method for intraoperative identification of parathyroid glands in real time. Further clinical studies must be performed to determine the cost-effectiveness and clinical application of this method.

[Immobilization of the polytraumatized patient]. / Inmovilización del pacíente con politraumatismo.

At present in our country, traumatic injuries is the leading cause of death and one of great morbidity. In order to reduce this phenomena to the maximum, it is important to know the rules to follow at the moment when one identifies vital at risk situations as well as knowing how to properly handle patients suffering traumatic orthopedic injuries with the various commercially available devices at present. Do not forget that more than 1000 medullary lesions occur annually in our country, many of these caused by a iatrogenic state provoked by curious and/or professional people.