Risultati per: Sclerosi multipla e legame con il virus della mononucleosi

Oncologi, ‘subito un piano di recupero per la prevenzione’

Annals of Internal Medicine, Ahead of Print.

Introduction
Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors are an important therapeutic option in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, but increase the risk of developing herpes zoster. Although a dry recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) that can be used under immunosuppressive conditions has recently been developed, its optimal use and appropriate timing in patients scheduled to start JAK inhibitors is still unclear. The present study is designed to clarify the appropriate timing of JAK inhibitor initiation to measure varicella zoster virus (VZV)-specific IgG titers and VZV-specific T cell response in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who start tofacitinib at the first RZV vaccination or at the second one.

Methods and analysis
STOP HZ (Effectiveness and S afe T y O f P rophylactic Recombinant H erpes Z oster Virus Vaccination for Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients with Tofacitinib Treatment) study is a multicentre, open-label, randomised, comparative study in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who are scheduled to start tofacitinib. This study enrols 60 study subjects in 12 sites. Enrolled subjects receive RZV two times on day 1 and week 8 and initiate tofacitinib 5 mg two times a day at the time of their first RZV (day 1, group A) or second RZV (week 8, group B) based on randomisation. The random assignment is performed centrally in a 1:1 ratio. Patients in Group B continue the same treatment until the start of tofacitinib treatment. Primary endpoint is VZV-specific IgG antibody titers at week 12 compared with those at baseline in each group. Secondary endpoints include comparison of VZV-specific IgG antibody between the groups, changes in disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis, VZV-specific T cell response and adverse events.

Ethics and dissemination
The study has been approved by the Certified Review Board of Keio (No. 2022008), and conforms to the Declaration of Helsinki and good clinical practice guidelines. Written informed consent is obtained from participants prior to enrolment. The results of this study are planned to be submitted for publishment in relevant peer-review journals.

Trial registration number
jRCTs031230329.

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a significant global health burden, affecting over 250 million people worldwide who are at risk of developing liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Currently available nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) are effective in controlling viraemia; however, functional cure, defined as loss of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), is rare and difficult to achieve and likely requires robust immune responses, reflecting the need for innovative therapeutic strategies.1 Thus, the future of treating chronic HBV infections relies on combination therapies that include both direct-acting antiviral agents and immunomodulatory agents.2 In this context, selgantolimod (SLGN), an agonist of Toll-like receptor 8 (TLR8), could be a promising candidate. Its efficacy in the treatment of chronic HBV infections has been investigated in preclinical models and clinical trials,3–5 but there remains limited understanding of its impact on immune effectors within the…

Circulation, Volume 150, Issue Suppl_1, Page A4144514-A4144514, November 12, 2024. Introduction:Human Immunodeficiency Virus Associated Cardiomyopathy (HIVAC) is characterized by left ventricular (LV) systolic or diastolic dysfunction with or without LV dilatation and heart failure symptoms. The introduction of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has changed the fulminant systolic heart failure presentation of HIV myocarditis to diastolic heart failure. We present a unique case of dilated cardiomyopathy in a young patient without advanced HIV illness which has rarely been documented in the literature. This is a rare presentation of HIVAC in the post-ART era.Case Report:A 32-year-old male with a past medical history (PMH) of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) presented with complaints of new onset worsening shortness of breath and lower extremity edema for four weeks. He was diagnosed with HIV seven years ago and was not compliant with ART. Laboratory testing showed a cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4) 823 and HIV load 2550. Myocarditis was ruled out by normal troponin levels and no new changes on the electrocardiogram (ECG). Transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) showed dilated left ventricle (LV), LV global hypokinesis, LV ejection fraction (LVEF) 10-15%, dilated right ventricle, biatrial dilation, moderate to severe mitral regurgitation, severe tricuspid regurgitation, pulmonary artery (PA) systolic pressure 73 mmHg and no pericardial effusion. Coronary angiography was negative for coronary artery disease (CAD). The patient was started on carvedilol and outpatient evaluation for a left ventricular assistance device.Discussion:Systolic dysfunction in patients with HIVAC carried a poor prognosis in the pre-ART era and was common in patients with elevated c-reactive protein (CRP), tobacco use, and previous myocardial infarction (MI). After the advent of ART, systolic dysfunction is rare and replaced by diastolic cardiomyopathy in the setting of ART use. Diagnosis is usually by excluding other etiologies and biopsy is not necessarily required. Management is usually guideline-directed medical therapy (i.e. beta blocker, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone antagonists, sodium-glucose cotransporter-2) and device-based therapy but there is still data lacking to assess its benefit.

Circulation, Volume 150, Issue Suppl_1, Page A4123849-A4123849, November 12, 2024. Background:Older adults and adults with comorbidities are at increased risk for severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease and related complications.Aims:To estimate the risk of myocardial infarction (MI) and all−cause mortality among adults aged ≥50 years hospitalized with RSV compared to those with no recent acute respiratory illness (ARI) and those hospitalized with influenza.Methods:Data from Optum’s de−identified Clinformatics® Data Mart Database were analyzed (October 2015–June 2023) in this retrospective cohort study. Adults aged ≥50 years with ≥12 months of continuous enrollment were assigned to cohorts based on RSV or influenza hospitalization (from ICD−10 codes; RSV and flu cohorts) or no recent ARI (control cohort). Index dates for RSV and flu cohorts were the start of an ARI that included hospitalization. Baseline characteristics were measured in the 12 months pre−index. MI (from ICD−10 codes) and all−cause mortality were measured during follow−up and compared between cohorts using time−varying coefficient multivariable adjusted Cox models (MI results accounted for the competing risk of death).Results:In the RSV cohort (n=14,759), mean age (76.5 years) and mean Charlson comorbidity index (CCI; 3.3) were higher than the flu (n=77,468; 75.4 years, CCI=2.9) and control (n=73,795; 69.5 years, CCI=1.0) cohorts. Adjusted HRs (95% CI) for MI and all−cause mortality risk were significantly higher in the RSV vs control cohort across follow−up, ranging from 30.96 (26.22–36.54) within 30 days post−index to 2.26 (2.04–2.51) >365 days post−index for MI and 10.77 (9.19–12.63) within 30 days post−index to 2.29 (2.18–2.42) >365 days post−index for mortality. Compared to the flu cohort, adjusted MI and mortality risk in the RSV cohort were lower during the 30 days post−index (MI: 0.87 [0.82–0.92]; mortality: 0.84 [0.78–0.90]) but higher >365 days post−index (MI: 1.11 [1.01–1.22]; mortality: 1.05 [1.01–1.10]).Conclusion:MI and all−cause mortality risk were higher for hospitalized RSV cases compared to controls. Smaller differences in outcomes were observed when comparing hospitalized RSV cases with hospitalized influenza cases, with varying direction over time. With existing evidence of increased MI and mortality risk after influenza and these findings on MI and mortality risk after RSV, future research should aim to further understand the impact of RSV on cardiovascular outcomes and assess the role of RSV prevention in lowering the risk of MI and mortality.

Circulation, Volume 150, Issue Suppl_1, Page A4140628-A4140628, November 12, 2024. Introduction:Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection increases the risk of heart failure, particularly Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction (HFrEF). Guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT), including beta-blockers (BB), renin-angiotensin system inhibitors (RASi), mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs), and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), has been shown to decrease morbidity and mortality in patients with HFrEF.Hypothesis:Lower GDMT prescription rates would be associated with higher 30-day readmission or mortality rates in patients with HIV and HFrEFAims:To assess GDMT prescription rates and their impact on short-term morbidity and mortality in patients with HIV and HFrEF.Methods:Patients diagnosed with HIV and HFrEF who were admitted with acute heart failure within Emory Healthcare from 2010 to 2020 were identified using ICD codes. Diagnoses were confirmed by physician review. Baseline demographics, CD4 count, viral load (VL), prescriptions for GDMT and antiretroviral medications at the time of admission were assessed. A simple GDMT score was created, assigning 1 point for each medication prescribed (0-3, excluding SGLT2i given the study timeframe). Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the association of the GDMT score with 30-day readmission or death, adjusting for age, sex, race, hypertension, diabetes, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and VL.Results:The study included 161 patients (mean age 56 years, 22.9% women, 86.3% Black, 55% with VL

Introduction
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a silent epidemic that needs a comprehensive and contextualised approach to manage. Access to readily available, affordable and acceptable HCV point-of-care (POC) in vitro diagnostics (IVDs) is equally required to meet the global HCV goals. However, most guidelines for evaluating these IVDs such as the WHO prequalification process and country-specific standards disproportionately focus on diagnostic performance. The real-time connectivity, ease of specimen collection, affordability, sensitivity, specificity, user-friendliness, rapidity and robustness, equipment-free or simplicity and deliverability to end-users (REASSURED) criteria provide a holistic and user-oriented evaluation of the IVDs in the populations they are meant to be used. Therefore, as part of a multinational study in sub-Saharan Africa, we will conduct an evaluation of the Bioline HCV POC test for diagnosing HCV infection in primary healthcare settings of Ghana using the REASSURED criteria.

Methods and analysis
This field evaluation will be conducted in three phases. The first phase will use a cross-sectional field evaluation study design to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the Bioline HCV POC test. The second phase will use mixed methods to ascertain operational characteristics and users’ perceptions. In the third phase, a cross-sectional survey will be used to estimate the costs of accessing HCV diagnostics services using three proposed HCV testing models to inform the affordability of the testing pathways and linkage to care in the primary healthcare clinics. This phase will run concurrently with the second phase of the study. Thematic content analysis and quantitative data analysis will be performed using ATLAS.ti V.23.0.6 and StataCorp LLC’s Stata statistical software V.16.0, respectively.

Ethics and dissemination
The study protocol has been reviewed and fully approved by the Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee, University of Pretoria (281/2023) and the Ghana Health Service Ethics Review Committee (GHS-ERC013/08/23). This diagnostic trial has also been registered in the Pan African Clinical Trial Registry (PACTR202410837698664). The findings of the study will be presented in relevant peer-reviewed journals, at local and international conferences, and to all stakeholders involved.

New England Journal of Medicine, Volume 391, Issue 18, November 7, 2024.

‘La società ha abusato del brevetto ostacolando una cura rivale’

Vaccinare contro influenza e bronchioliti. La Guida dei pediatri

New England Journal of Medicine, Ahead of Print.

Ora disponibile in Italia l’anticorpo monoclonale nirsevimab

Several new tick-borne viruses have been discovered in various parts of the world in the past 10 years. The latest may be a previously unknown orthonairovirus known as Wetland virus (WELV).