Prediction Accuracy of Serial Lung Ultrasound in COVID-19 Hospitalized Patients (Pred-Echovid Study).

The value of serial lung ultrasound (LUS) in patients with COVID-19 is not well defined. In this multicenter prospective observational study, we aimed to assess the prognostic accuracy of serial LUS in patients admitted to hospital due to COVID-19. The serial LUS protocol included two examinations (0-48 h and 72-96 h after admission) using a 10-zones sequence, and a 0 to 5 severity score. Primary combined endpoint was death or the need for invasive mechanical ventilation. Calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow test and calibration curves), and discrimination power (area under the ROC curve) of both ultrasound exams (SCORE1 and 2), and their difference (DIFFERENTIAL-SCORE) were performed. A total of 469 patients (54.2% women, median age 60 years) were included. The primary endpoint occurred in 51 patients (10.9%). Probability risk tertiles of SCORE1 and SCORE2 (0-11 points, 12-24 points, and ≥25 points) obtained a high calibration. SCORE-2 showed a higher discrimination power than SCORE-1 (AUC 0.72 (0.58-0.85) vs. 0.61 (0.52-0.7)). The DIFFERENTIAL-SCORE showed a higher discrimination power than SCORE-1 and SCORE-2 (AUC 0.78 (0.66-0.9)). An algorithm for clinical decision-making is proposed. Serial lung ultrasound performing two examinations during the first days of hospitalization is an accurate strategy for predicting clinical deterioration of patients with COVID-19.

Systemic thrombosis in a large cohort of COVID-19 patients despite thromboprophylaxis: A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Incidence of thrombotic events associated to Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is difficult to assess and reported rates differ significantly. Optimal thromboprophylaxis is unclear. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to analyze the characteristics of patients with a confirmed thrombotic complication including inflammatory and hemostatic parameters, compare patients affected by arterial vs venous events and examine differences between survivors and non-survivors. We reviewed compliance with thromboprophylaxis and explored how the implementation of a severity-adjusted protocol could have influenced outcome. METHODS: Single-cohort retrospective study of COVID-19 patients admitted, from March 3 to May 3 2020, to the Infanta Leonor University Hospital in Madrid, epicenter of the Spanish outbreak. RESULTS: Among 1127 patients, 80 thrombotic events were diagnosed in 69 patients (6.1% of the entire cohort). Forty-three patients (62%) suffered venous thromboembolism, 18 (26%) arterial episodes and 6 (9%) concurrent venous and arterial thrombosis. Most patients (90%) with a confirmed thrombotic complication where under low-molecular-weight heparin treatment. Overt disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) was rare. Initial ISTH DIC score and pre-event CRP were significantly higher among non-survivors. In multivariate analysis, arterial localization was an independent predictor of mortality (OR = 18, 95% CI: 2.4-142, p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Despite quasi-universal thromboprophylaxis, COVID-19 lead to a myriad of arterial and venous thrombotic events. Considering the subgroup of patients with thrombotic episodes, arterial events appeared earlier in the course of disease and conferred very poor prognosis, and an ISTH DIC score ≥ 3 at presentation was identified as a potential predictor of mortality. Severity-adjusted thromboprophylaxis seemed to decrease the number of events and could have influenced mortality. Randomized controlled trials are eagerly awaited.

Los anticoagulantes orales de acción directa en el tratamiento de la enfermedad tromboembólica venosa asociada a cáncer / Direct oral anticoagulants for the treatment of venous thromboembolism in patients with cancer

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[Microbiota, cancer and immune therapy]. / Microbiota, cáncer e inmunoterapia.

The relationship between cancer and microbes is complex and not entirely known. The objective of this manuscript is to review the scientific evidence on the relationship between the microbiome, cancer and immunotherapy. A non-systematic literature review was done in the databases MEDLINE, COCHRANE, and DATABASE, and articles of greater scientific rigor, mainly reviews or prospective studies/randomized clinical trials published to date (May 2018), were selected. Terms used in the search included: microbiome, microbiota, cancer, immune checkpoint inhibitors, PD-L1, PD-1 and CTLA-4.

La relación entre el cáncer y la microbiota es compleja y no del todo conocida. El objetivo de esta publicación es revisar la evidencia científica sobre la relación existente entre el microbioma, el cáncer y la inmunoterapia. Para ello se ha realizado una revisión no sistematizada de la literatura por medio de la consulta de la base de datos de MEDLINE, COCHRANE y DATABASE y se han seleccionado los artículos de mayor rigor científico, principalmente revisiones y estudios prospectivos/ensayos clínicos randomizados publicados hasta mayo de 2018. Los términos utilizados en la investigación fueron microbioma, cáncer, inmunoterapia, inhibidores de immune checkpoints, PD-L1, PD-1 y CTLA-4.

Metastatic Thymic Carcinoma with Long Survival After Treatment with Sunitinib.

Thymic carcinomas are the most aggressive histological subtype of thymic tumors with limited data to guide correct management. No standard treatments are available for patients with advanced thymic carcinoma after progressing while on platinum-based chemotherapy. We present a case of a patient with metastatic thymic carcinoma with an unusual response and favorable evolution after receiving treatment with sunitinib, obtaining a progression-free survival of 23 months, much higher than reported to date. We review the literature on the efficacy of sunitinib in metastatic thymic carcinoma after progression to first-line treatment with platinum combinations.

Anticoagulantes orales directos: puesta al día / Direct oral anticoagulants: An update

Durante medio siglo los antagonistas de la vitamina K han sido la única opción disponible para la terapia anticoagulante oral. En los últimos años se han desarrollado anticoagulantes orales directos: un inhibidor directo de la trombina (dabigatrán etexilato) y 3 inhibidores directos del factor X activado (rivaroxabán, apixabán y edoxabán). Todos ellos han demostrado un beneficio-riesgo favorable, comparables en eficacia y seguridad a los anticoagulantes tradicionales antagonistas de la vitamina K, en la prevención del ictus y la embolia sistémica en pacientes con fibrilación auricular no valvular, la profilaxis y el tratamiento del tromboembolismo venoso y el síndrome coronario agudo. En 2008 la Agencia Europea del Medicamento aprobó el primer anticoagulante oral directo, dabigatrán. Posteriormente, rivaroxabán, apixabán y edoxabán fueron autorizados. En este artículo se revisa la experiencia acumulada con cada uno de estos fármacos

Vitamin K antagonists were the only choice for chronic oral anticoagulation for more than half a century. Over the past few years, direct oral anticoagulants have emerged, including one direct thrombin inhibitor (dabigatran etexilate) and three factor Xa inhibitors (apixaban, edoxaban and rivaroxaban). In randomised controlled trials comparing direct oral anticoagulants with traditional vitamin K antagonists, the direct oral anticoagulants all showed a favourable benefit-risk balance in their safety and efficacy profile, in prevention of thromboembolic events in patients with atrial fibrillation and in the prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism and acute coronary syndrome. In 2008, dabigatran was the first direct oral anticoagulant approved by the European Medicine Agency. Subsequently, rivaroxaban, apixaban and edoxaban were also authorised. This article reviews the evidence related to the use of these drugs

Direct oral anticoagulants: An update. / Anticoagulantes orales directos: puesta al día.

Vitamin K antagonists were the only choice for chronic oral anticoagulation for more than half a century. Over the past few years, direct oral anticoagulants have emerged, including one direct thrombin inhibitor (dabigatran etexilate) and three factor Xa inhibitors (apixaban, edoxaban and rivaroxaban). In randomised controlled trials comparing direct oral anticoagulants with traditional vitamin K antagonists, the direct oral anticoagulants all showed a favourable benefit-risk balance in their safety and efficacy profile, in prevention of thromboembolic events in patients with atrial fibrillation and in the prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism and acute coronary syndrome. In 2008, dabigatran was the first direct oral anticoagulant approved by the European Medicine Agency. Subsequently, rivaroxaban, apixaban and edoxaban were also authorised. This article reviews the evidence related to the use of these drugs.

[Palliative chemotherapy in metastatic adrenal carcinoma beyond the first line: a case report and literature review]. / Quimioterapia paliativa tras progresión a la primera línea en el carcinoma suprarrenal metastásico: caso clínico y revisión de la literatura.

There are no approved therapeutic regimes for adrenal carcinoma following progression to a first line of chemotherapy/mitotane although a high percentage of patients are candidates to receive them. In the present article we review the possible therapeutic alternatives after the progression to a first line of treatment in patients with adrenal carcinoma and we report a case in which a prolonged overall survival is achieved, much higher than expected, probably in relation to the multidisciplinary management of the case and the use of most of the therapeutic arsenal available.

En el carcinoma suprarrenal metastásico no existen esquemas de tratamiento aprobados tras la progresión a una primera línea de quimioterapia/mitotane, si bien un alto porcentaje de pacientes son candidatos a recibirlos. En este artículo realizamos una revisión sobre las posibles alternativas terapéuticas tras la progresión a una primera línea de tratamiento en pacientes con carcinoma suprarrenal metastásico. A propósito de la misma, se presenta un caso clínico en el que se consigue una prolongada supervivencia global, mucho mayor de la esperable, probablemente debido al manejo multidisciplinario del caso y a la utilización de la mayor parte del arsenal terapéutico disponible.

Clinical Case of Metastatic Adrenocortical Carcinoma With Unusual Evolution: Review the Literature.

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare and heterogeneous malignancy, with an incidence of approximately 0.72 per million cases per year leading to 0.2% of all cancer deaths in the United States. Metastatic ACC has a dismal prognosis with an overall survival of less than 1 year. We present a case of a 37-year-old man with metastatic ACC with unusual good prognosis and review the therapeutic options in the literature.