In the case reported, herpes virus I after having caused relapsing keratitis in an eye promoted the formation of a severe corneal ulcer caused by Scopulariopsis brevicaulis, a saprophytic mycete found in soil, which only once has been described as the cause of keratitis in man. Scopulariopsis was identified microscopically after culturing the conjunctival secretion on Sabouraud dextrose agar medium, while DNA probe tests confirmed the absence of herpes virus I. Topical and oral administration of miconazole and scraping of the corneal infiltrate dispersed the infection. Subsequently local steroids were given to reduce the neo-vascularization, and a therapeutic contact lens was applied because of intercurrent corneal thinning. Three months after beginning antifungal therapy, the visual acuity had increased from 1/120 to 1/10. The case described confirms that S. brevicaulis can cause opportunist infections in a cornea previously damaged by a different agent.
Background Mucosal healing (MH) is an important treatment goal for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Vedolizumab (VDZ), a gut-selective anti-lymphocyte trafficking agent, has shown potential to achieve MH.1,2 EARNEST, a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of VDZ in chronic pouchitis,3 offers a robust dataset systematically collected from the inflamed pouch mucosa to further explore the impact of VDZ treatment on MH. Methods EARNEST evaluated intravenous VDZ (300 mg) vs placebo (PBO) administered at weeks 0, 2, 6, 14, 22, and 30, in adult patients (pts) with active chronic pouchitis despite antibiotic therapy after proctocolectomy and ileal pouch-anal anastomosis for ulcerative colitis. Endoscopic imaging was captured and centrally read at baseline, Week (W) 14, and W34. Total ulceration and SES-CD (modified to apply to a single segment) were evaluated. Microscopic inflammation was also evaluated using the Pouchitis Disease Activity Index (PDAI) histological component. Pre-specified exploratory endpoints included changes in total ulceration and SES-CD remission (score ≤2); MH was defined post-hoc as SES-CD=0 plus PDAI histology score ≤1 (none/mild polymorphic nuclear leukocyte infiltration and no ulceration). Fecal calprotectin (FCP) levels were explored by MH status. PDAI remission (score <7 and ≥3 point-reduction from baseline) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ) remission (score ≥170) were assessed in pts with/without MH at W14. Results In total, 98 pts had endoscopic evaluations (VDZ n=48; PBO n=50). Ulcers/erosions were higher in VDZ pts at baseline with a greater reduction at W14 and W34 with VDZ vs PBO (Table 1). More pts treated with VDZ vs PBO achieved reduction in ulcerated surface area, complete absence of ulceration/erosions and SES-CD remission. At W14, 7/42 (16.7%) pts had MH on VDZ vs 1/40 (2.5%) on PBO. All 7 VDZ pts with MH at W14 were in PDAI remission at W14 and W34; 6/7 (85.7%) pts achieved IBDQ remission at W14 and 5/7 (71.4%) achieved IBDQ remission at both W14 and W34. Of the 35 VDZ-treated pts without MH at W14, 11/35 (31.4%) achieved PDAI remission at W14, 11/35 (31.4%) at W34, and 9/35 (25.7%) at both W14 and W34; 13/35 (37.1%) achieved IBDQ remission at W14, 17/35 (48.6%) at W34, and 12/35 (34.3%) at both W14 and W34. MH was associated with FCP ≤250 µg/g while ~40-60% of pts without MH had FCP >250 µg/g (Table 2). Conclusion VDZ was associated with better control of markers of inflammation vs PBO, based upon improvements in endoscopic/histologic outcomes in the pouch mucosa, as well as improved outcomes reported by pts. These effects of VDZ in the pouch mucosa are consistent with those observed in the wider patient population with IBD.
Background Efficacy and safety of the IL-23 inhibitor risankizumab (RZB) have been assessed in patients with moderate-to-severe Crohn’s disease (CD) following induction/maintenance treatment.1,2 Responders to RZB in a Phase 2 induction/maintenance study2,3 could enrol in an open-label extension (OLE), NCT02513459.4 Final safety and efficacy results from this RZB OLE study are reported here. Methods Patients achieving clinical response (CResp) (decrease from baseline [BL] in CD Activity Index [CDAI] ≥100) without remission (CRem) (CDAI <150) after Period 2 (Week 26) or CResp/CRem after Period 3 (Week 52) of the preceding study1 received open-label 180 mg subcutaneous (SC) RZB every 8 weeks (Q8W) for up to 206 weeks. Patients who lost CResp/CRem at screening of the OLE were re-induced with open-label 600 mg IV RZB at Weeks 0, 4, and 8. Patients receiving re-induction treatment only received subsequent 180 mg SC RZB Q8W if they regained CResp/CRem following re-induction. A centrally read ileocolonoscopy was performed yearly. Treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs) were collected up to 20 weeks after the last RZB dose. CRem and endoscopic remission (ER [CD Endoscopic Index of Severity (CDEIS) ≤4 or CDEIS ≤2 for patients with isolated ileitis at BL]) were reported up to Week 152. Non-responder imputation (NRI) and observed case analysis were used for binary endpoints. Results Sixty-five patients with CD were enrolled in the OLE, with 4 patients re-induced. At BL of the preceding study, median (range) age was 34 (19–67) years and median (range) disease duration was 10 (2–38) years. Sixty patients (92%) were previously exposed to TNF antagonists. In the OLE, median (range) exposure to RZB was 1014.0 (114–1317) days. Twenty-one (32%) patients prematurely discontinued RZB, including 6 (9%) who had developed an AE. AEs were reported in 60 (92%) patients; 23 (35%) experienced serious AEs. The most common AEs were nasopharyngitis (31%), gastroenteritis (23%), and fatigue (20%). Serious infections were reported in 6 (9%) patients and opportunistic infections in 3 (5%) patients. No tuberculosis, malignancies, or deaths occurred. At Week 0 of the current study, 47 (72%) patients were in CRem and 27 (42%) patients had ER. Both CRem and ER were sustained up to Week 152 (Table). Conclusion In this final analysis of patients with CD receiving long-term open-label RZB treatment, the safety profile of RZB remained consistent with previous data² with no new safety signals. Clinical and endoscopic remissions were sustained. References
Background Real-world treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC) requires a patient-centric, holistic definition of ‘comprehensive remission' that goes beyond standard regulatory definitions. In an international initiative, we reviewed aspects of UC that affect patients and attempted to achieve consensus on which aspects should be considered in a definition of ‘comprehensive remission’, using a modified Delphi process. This initiative summarized expert consensus recommendations on aspects of UC that are important to patients and that affect their lives, how to measure and score these aspects, and objective markers of mucosal inflammation that are relevant to evaluate in remission, such as endoscopic and histological activity and inflammatory biomarkers. Methods The Delphi consensus panel comprised 10 physicians with expertise in UC and one patient advocate, and two additional physicians chaired the process. To inform the Delphi statements, we asked 18 patients about their experiences of living with UC in remission, asked panel members about their experience of treating patients and systematically reviewed associations between outcome measures in UC. Panel members voted on a 6-point Likert scale in three rounds of anonymous voting, the final round of which was preceded by a live discussion. Consensus was met if ≥ 67% of the panel agreed with the statement (4–6 on the 6-point Likert scale). Statements not meeting consensus in voting rounds 1 and 2 were revised and any not meeting consensus by the end of voting round 3 were discarded (Figure 1). Results The panel agreed that a definition of comprehensive remission should include aspects of UC that are currently measured in clinical trials (blood in stools, stool frequency, disease-related quality of life [QoL], endoscopic remission, histological inflammatory activity, inflammatory biomarkers and discontinuation of corticosteroids), but also additional patient-reported symptoms should be added. These were bowel urgency, abdominal pain, extra-intestinal manifestations, fatigue and sleep disturbance (Table 1). Suggestions for how the severity could be measured and thresholds for remission were agreed for each aspect, with the exception of extra-intestinal manifestations. Disease activity evaluated using ultrasound was voted as important to consider but was not recommended to be included in a measure of comprehensive remission at this stage. Conclusion We used a robust methodology to reach agreement and provide recommendations on the aspects of UC that can be used to define comprehensive remission and assessed in clinical practice. We plan to develop this as a combined measure which may also have applicability in clinical trials.
The ultrasound is a noninvasive diagnostic method and gained increasing importance in the plane of the emergency. Their usefulness for the recognition of anatomical structures and detection of a difficult airway. This method increases the quality of care in the emergency room. The objective of the study was to evaluate the ultrasound ́ training for the identification of normal and variation in the anatomic airway, and their usefulness during tracheal intubation. There were two periods of training. First period: 2013- February/2013 July, learning of normal human anatomy in cadaveric material corpses (in formaldehyde 10%) and the identification of normal anatomic structures. Training in the use of ultrasound (transdutor 7.5 MHz). Second period: August/2013- December/2013, case of patients that requiring emergency intubation were analyzed in which airway ultrasound were performed. The anatomo-clinical-surgical/ultrasonographic correlation was analyzed during placement of the endotracheal tube and its identification in the airway. Two hundred twenty ultrasound examinations were performed during tracheal intubation. 134 (60.91%) were made during surgery, 110 (82.09%) were programmed surgery and 24 (17.91%) emergency surgery; and 86 (39.09%) required intubation in shock room. Two groups were classified: Group 1: surgically treated patients (Group A: programed surgery: 104 (94.54%) correctly identified intubation, and in 6 (5.46%) esophageal intubation was detected, and Group B emergency surgery: in 23 (95.83%) correct placement was identified and 1 (4.17%) was esophageal intubation. Group 2: patients intubated in the shock room: 80 (93.03%) were correctly intubated and, 6 (6.97%) had esophageal intubation. In all groups, esophageal intubation was detected only in 13 patients (5.91%), using ultrasound during the procedure. The use of ultrasound for the recognition of the airway, is useful to favor the correct intubation and management of difficult airway. The ultrasound training and anatomo-clinical-surgical application is critical because it would improve the quality of care and decreasing the risk of adverse events.
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