ABSTRACT
Due to the increasing use of immunosuppressants, particularly biological therapy, as well as HIV epidemics, latent tuberculosis (LTBI) is being activated, and this disease, which had been rather forgotten in the Western world, is becoming a topical issue in the recent years. Numerous categories of patients should be tested for latent tuberculosis, using PPD or IGRA tests. Interpreting test results is a very touchy issue, since it is the way to determine therapy of latent TB, that is, to decide on chemoprophylaxis. For the last two years, during the Covid-19 pandemics, large percentage of patients received high doses of corticosteroid and other types of immunosuppressant therapies, and it is therefore necessary to consider the potential risks for these patients, in terms of contracting tuberculosis and perhaps testing them for LTBI. (English) [ FROM AUTHOR] Usled sve šire upotrebe imunosupresivne, posebno biološke terapije i epidemije HIV-a, a usled aktivacije latentne tuberkuloze (LTBI), ova, pomalo zaboravljena bolest u zapadnom svetu postaje poslednjih godina veoma aktuelna. Postoji veliki broj kategorija bolesnika koje treba testirati na latentnu tuberkulozu, PPD ili IGRA testovima. Tumačenje ovih testova je veoma delikatno jer se na osnovu njega donosi odluka o sprovođenju terapije latentne tuberkuloze, odnosno hemioprofilaksi. Poslednje dve godine, u toku pandemije kovid-19, ogroman procenat pacijenata primao je visoke doze kortikosteroidne i druge imunosupresivne terapije, te je neophodno u narednom periodu razmišljati i o potencijalnim rizicima koje bi ovi bolesnici mogli imati, u smislu obolevanja od tuberkuloze i potencijalno sprovesti testiranje na LTBI. (Croatian) [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Medicinski Glasnik / Medical Gazette is the property of Specijalna bolnica za bolesti stitaste zlezde i bolesti metabolizma Zlatibor and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)
ABSTRACT
Biotherapy has recently become a hotspot research topic with encouraging prospects in various fields due to a wide range of treatments applications, as demonstrated in preclinical and clinical studies. However, the broad applications of biotherapy have been limited by critical challenges, including the lack of safe and efficient delivery systems and serious side effects. Due to the unique potentials of biomaterials, such as good biocompatibility and bioactive properties, biomaterial-assisted biotherapy has been demonstrated to be an attractive strategy. The biomaterial-based delivery systems possess sufficient packaging capacity and versatile functions, enabling a sustained and localized release of drugs at the target sites. Furthermore, the biomaterials can provide a niche with specific extracellular conditions for the proliferation, differentiation, attachment, and migration of stem cells, leading to tissue regeneration. In this review, the state-of-the-art studies on the applications of biomaterials in biotherapy, including drug delivery, vaccine development, gene therapy, and stem cell therapy, have been summarized. The challenges and an outlook of biomaterial-assisted biotherapies have also been discussed.