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Pressão arterial elevada em cuidados pediátricos: o diagnóstico precoce e a terapêutica podem reduzir o risco de eventos cardiovasculares na idade adulta
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Cardiac rehabilitation programs for heart failure patients in the time of COVID-19
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Rapid test detection of anti-infliximab antibodies: performance comparison with three different immunoassays
Get PDFBackground and aims: Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of infliximab (IFX) and anti-infliximab antibodies (ATIs) is essential for treatment optimisation in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. The aim of this study was to estimate and compare the agreement and accuracy between a new rapid test and three established enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) to quantify ATIs levels, and to evaluate the impact of exogenous IFX on the performance of these assays.
Methods: We analysed 200 serum samples from 57 IBD outpatients in IFX induction or maintenance therapy at six IBD centres in Portugal. ATI levels were quantified using the rapid test Quantum Blue® (QB) Anti-Infliximab (Bühlmann) and three established ELISAs: In-House, Theradiag (Lisa Tracker Anti-Infliximab), and Immundiagnostik (IDKmonitor Infliximab). ATIs were quantified in patients' serum samples and spiked samples with exogenous IFX, based on analytical and clinical cutoffs. Qualitative agreement and accuracy were estimated by Cohen's kappa (k) with 95% confidence intervals.
Results: ATIs quantification with clinical cutoffs showed a slight agreement between QB rapid test and In-House [k = 0.163 (0.051-0.276)] and Immundiagnostik [k = 0.085 (0.000-0.177)]. Regarding IFX/ATIs status, the QB rapid test showed a substantial agreement with Theradiag [k = 0.808 (0.729-0.888)] and a fair agreement with In-House [k = 0.343 (0.254-0.431)] and Immundiagnostik [k = 0.217 (0.138-0.297)]. The QB rapid test could not detect ATI-positive levels in samples with exogenous IFX at 5-300 µg/ml. Interference on ATIs detection was observed at exogenous IFX ⩾30 µg/ml for In-house and Immundiagnostik assays.
Conclusion: QB rapid test is only suitable to detect ATI-positive levels in the absence of IFX.The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was funded in part by the Portuguese IBD Study Group (GEDII), and in part by PDE/BDE/114583/2016, from Portuguese national funds by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Identifiable relatives in the family history: not without individual consent
Get PDFThe family history is a traditional section of the clinical record. Data on family members in the clinical record may be anonymous but yet these may be easily identifiable; therefore, exposing the relatives of the patient to the fact that a written record is produced, mentioning them, without their consent. This is in direct contradiction with European data protection and other regulations and in contradiction with a reasonable ethical perspective. For the purpose of obtaining an image of the present state of affairs, we used as a convenience sample, the series of Case Records published in 2019 in The New England Journal of Medicine (January to December). From a total number of 40 reports, identifiable relatives were present in 30. The number of identifiable relatives varied between none and 6. It is not the right of each individual to disclose sensitive clinical information regarding other persons, without consent from these latter. Family history should no longer include identifiable relatives, unless consent is obtained from each identifiable person. The authors offer the following guidelines on this topic: (1) Do not mention any identifiable relative of the patient in the medical history without consent from the said relative; (2) Do not mention in the family history clinical conditions seemingly unrelated to the present clinical situation; (3) Do not mention in the family history clinical conditions that the patient does not (him/) herself have and that may be seen as social stigmata; (4) Consult the institutional Ethics committee in case of reasonable doubt.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Implementation of an infection control program with emphasis on cohorting to patients with carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae. The experience of 2 years in a tertiary teaching hospital in northern Portugal
Get PDFBackground: The emergence of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) represents a major public health threat. Our purpose was to evaluate a surveillance and cohorting program implemented in patients infected or carriers of CPE.
Methods: A prospective registry of CPE carriers or infected patients was analyzed from October 2015 until December 2017. All inpatients presenting with CPE were included in a hospital cohort with dedicated healthcare staff and contact precaution measures.
Results: A total of 480 patients were identified, of which 15.8% (n = 76) were infected. Men comprised 56.7% of the cohort (n = 272) and 69.2% (n = 332) were elderly. About 46.3% (n = 222) had a previous hospital admission and 81.7% (n = 392) had at least 1 antibiotic course in the previous 90 days. There was a decline in infected patients in 2017. Periodic and admission screenings accounted for 63% and 74% of cases in 2016 and 2017, with increased detection rate comparing with contact/investigation screenings. In 2017, significantly fewer patients were identified outside the admission/point of prevalence screening (P = .009). In 2017 the proportion of invasive carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae amongst CPE in our center was below the national average (2016: 13.3% vs 5.2%; 2017: 6.6% vs 8.6%). A reduction of the consumption of carbapenems was also observed in 2017.
Conclusion: The implementation of the program has increased the number of patients identified by the preventive method and stabilized the emergence of new CPE cases. Furthermore, the program cohort compared well with the national picture, with a lower number of infected patients and a lower proportion of carbapenem-resistant K pneumoniae in invasive specimens. These indicators reflect the added value of the CPE surveillance and cohorting program.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Diagnosis and treatment of iron-deficiency anemia in gastrointestinal bleeding: A systematic review
No full textBackground: Anemia is considered a public health issue and is often caused by iron deficiency. Iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) often originates from blood loss from lesions in the gastrointestinal tract in men and postmenopausal women, and its prevalence among patients with gastrointestinal bleeding has been estimated to be 61%. However, few guidelines regarding the appropriate investigation of patients with IDA due to gastrointestinal bleeding have been published.
Aim: To review current evidence and guidelines concerning IDA management in gastrointestinal bleeding patients to develop recommendations for its diagnosis and therapy.
Methods: Five gastroenterology experts formed the Digestive Bleeding and Anemia Workgroup and conducted a systematic literature search in PubMed and professional association websites. MEDLINE (via PubMed) searches combined medical subject headings (MeSH) terms and the keywords "gastrointestinal bleeding" with "iron-deficiency anemia" and "diagnosis" or "treatment" or "management" or "prognosis" or "prevalence" or "safety" or "iron" or "transfusion" or "quality of life", or other terms to identify relevant articles reporting the management of IDA in patients over the age of 18 years with gastrointestinal bleeding; retrieved studies were published in English between January 2003 and April 2019. Worldwide professional association websites were searched for clinical practice guidelines. Reference lists from guidelines were reviewed to identify additional relevant articles. The recommendations were developed by consensus during two meetings and were supported by the published literature identified during the systematic search.
Results: From 494 Literature citations found during the initial literature search, 17 original articles, one meta-analysis, and 13 clinical practice guidelines were analyzed. Based on the published evidence and clinical experience, the workgroup developed the following ten recommendations for the management of IDA in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding: (1) Evaluation of hemoglobin and iron status; (2) Laboratory testing; (3) Target treatment population identification; (4) Indications for erythrocyte transfusion; (5) Treatment targets for erythrocyte transfusion; (6) Indications for intravenous iron; (7) Dosages; (8) Monitoring; (9) Indications for intravenous ferric carboxymaltose treatment; and (10) Treatment targets and monitoring of patients. The workgroup also proposed a summary algorithm for the diagnosis and treatment of IDA in patients with acute or chronic gastrointestinal bleeding, which should be implemented during the hospital stay and follow-up visits after patient discharge.
Conclusion: These recommendations may serve as a starting point for clinicians to better diagnose and treat IDA in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding, which ultimately may improve health outcomes in these patients.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Síndrome do intestino irritável: novidades de uma doença antiga
Get PDFIrritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorder, which can affect all members of a society, regardless of age, sex, race or socioeconomic status. Because of its high prevalence and chronic nature, it represents a significant economic burden. In fact, these patients have a relevant impairment of their quality of life, which limits their work productivity and daily social activities, especially when it is associated with other disorders, such as anxiety and depression. The diagnosis of IBS relies on symptom-based diagnostic criteria with normal results on a limited number of complementary tests that rule out other possible diagnoses. The aetiology of this condition is incompletely established. However, evidence suggests that it is a multifactorial disorder with several different mechanisms that have been implicated as responsible for the symptoms. Since the treatment strategy is usually based on predominant symptoms and their severity, it is important to recognise the underlying mechanisms in order to successfully relief the visceral pain and altered bowel habits. The aim of this non-systematic review of the literature was to explore the pathophysiology and treatment options of IBS, highlighting the most recent evidence, from the new Rome IV criteria to the new drug armamentarium.A síndrome do intestino irritável é um distúrbio gastrointestinal funcional, que pode afetar todos os membros da sociedade, independentemente da idade, sexo, raça ou estrato socioeconómico. Devido à sua elevada prevalência e natureza crónica, representa um encargo económico significativo. De facto, estes doentes apresentam uma alteração relevante da sua qualidade de vida, o que limita a sua produtividade laboral e atividades de vida diárias, sobretudo quando está associada a outros distúrbios, tais como ansiedade e depressão. O diagnóstico da síndrome do intestino irritável depende de critérios diagnósticos baseados em sintomas, com resultados normais num número limitado de testes complementares que exluem outros diagnósticos possíveis. A etiologia desta doença não está completamente estabelecida. No entanto, a evidência sugere que se trata de um distúrbio multifatorial com vários mecanismos diferentes que têm sido implicados como responsáveis pelos sintomas. Visto que a estratégia terapêutica é geralmente baseada nos sintomas predominantes e sua gravidade, é importante reconhecer os mecanismos subjacentes para aliviar com sucesso a dor visceral e a alteração dos hábitos intestinais. O objetivo desta revisão literária não sistemática consistiu em explorar a fisiopatologia e opções terapêuticas disponíveis para a síndrome do intestino irritável, realçando a evidência mais recente, desde os novos critérios Roma IV até ao novo arsenal farmacológico.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Cuidados Paliativos nos doentes com Doença Hepática avançada que aguardam transplante hepático: revisão
Get PDFIntroduction: End-stage liver disease (ESLD) is the advanced phase of most liver diseases. The cure is liver transplantation (LT), only available for a minority of patients. This review summarizes the evidence regarding palliative care (PC) in ESLD patients awaiting LT.
Methods: Review of the literature available in Medline, Scopus and Web of Knowledge, with keywords ESLD and PC.
Results: Fifteen of the 230 articles reviewed met the inclusion criteria. Ten main themes were addressed: symptom burden; perspectives of life-sustaining treatment and comfort for patients, families and health professionals; goals of care discussions; patient and family needs; quality of life; PC and survival; referral to PC, barriers and opportunities; integration of PC; outpatient care and cost-effectiveness analysis. The referral of patients to PC was only evaluated in a few studies, all of which reported low referral rates. Better knowledge of how PC professionals can support other professionals was considered important, and also better ways to integrate PC were considered essential.
Conclusion: ESLD patients awaiting LT have a significant need for PC and, despite the insufficient response, were reported to benefit from this type of care. Future research is essential to determine the means to overcome barriers and better integrate PC for ESLD patients awaiting LT.Introdução: A doença hepática avançada (DHA) corresponde à fase mais avançada das doenças hepáticas. O transplante hepático (TH) é o tratamento curativo, disponível apenas para uma minoria de doentes. Esta revisão sumariza a evidência sobre cuidados paliativos (CP) em doentes com DHA que aguardam TH.
Métodos: Revisão da literatura existente na Medline, Scopus e Web of Knowledge. Palavras chave pesquisadas CP e DHA.
Resultados: Quinze dos 230 artigos encontrados cumpriram critérios de inclusão. Dez temáticas foram abordadas: carga sintomática; discussão de objectivos de cuidados; perspectivas sobre tratamentos de suporte artificial e conforto; necessidades do doente e família; qualidade de vida; CP e impacto no prognóstico; referenciação para CP, barreiras e oportunidades; integração dos CP; cuidados de ambulatório e análises de custo-benefício. Poucos estudos avaliaram a referenciação para CP, todos com baixas taxas. Mais conhecimento e formação dos profissionais que acompanham doentes com DHA parece ser necessário, bem como, melhor articulação entre os diferentes intervenientes.
Conclusão: Doentes com DHA que aguardam TH apresentam importantes necessidades de CP. Apesar da insuficiente resposta a este nível, parecem beneficiar deste tipo de cuidados. Estudos futuros que clarifiquem como ultrapassar as barreiras e a melhor integração dos CP nos doentes que aguardam TH são essenciais.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
β-Adrenoceptor Activation in Breast MCF-10A Cells Induces a Pattern of Catecholamine Production Similar to that of Tumorigenic MCF-7 Cells
Get PDFAdrenaline, which participates in the neuroendocrine response that occurs during stress and perimenopause, may be tumorigenic. This exploratory study aimed at investigating whether non-tumorigenic and tumorigenic human breast epithelial cell lines are able to synthesize adrenaline. The study was carried out in non-tumorigenic (MCF-10A) and tumorigenic (MCF-7) human breast cell lines. Expression of enzymes involved in adrenaline synthesis was characterized by RT-qPCR, immunocytochemistry and western blot. Catecholamines and analogue compounds were quantified by HPLC-ECD. Functional assessment of the impact of drugs on cells' tumorigenic potential was assessed by determination of cell viability and clonogenic ability. Both MCF-10A and MCF-7 cells produce catecholamines, but the capacity to produce adrenaline is lower in MCF-10A cells. β-adrenoceptor activation increases the capacity of MCF-10A cells to produce adrenaline and favor both cell viability and colony formation. It is concluded that exposure of human breast epithelial cells to β-adrenoceptor agonists increases cell proliferation and the capacity to produce adrenaline, creating an autocrine potential to spread these adrenergic effects in a feed-forward loop. It is conceivable that these effects are related to tumorigenesis, bringing a new perspective to understand the claimed anticancer effects of propranolol and the increase in breast cancer incidence caused by stress or during perimenopause.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
New Potential Biomarkers for Chronic Kidney Disease Management—A Review of the Literature
Get PDFThe prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing worldwide, and the mortality rate continues to be unacceptably high. The biomarkers currently used in clinical practice are considered relevant when there is already significant renal impairment compromising the early use of potentially successful therapeutic interventions. More sensitive and specific biomarkers to detect CKD earlier on and improve patients' prognoses are an important unmet medical need. The aim of this review is to summarize the recent literature on new promising early CKD biomarkers of renal function, tubular lesions, endothelial dysfunction and inflammation, and on the auspicious findings from metabolomic studies in this field. Most of the studied biomarkers require further validation in large studies and in a broad range of populations in order to be implemented into routine CKD management. A panel of biomarkers, including earlier biomarkers of renal damage, seems to be a reasonable approach to be applied in clinical practice to allow earlier diagnosis and better disease characterization based on the underlying etiologic process.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio