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Background and Aims Viral infections occur acutely but can also progress chronically, with the immune system having a central role in immunopathoge-nesis. The question arises whether all alterations in immune responses are reversible after viral elimination (spontaneously or by therapy). Therefore, the aim of this study is to compare soluble infammatory markers (SIM) during and after infection with SARS-CoV-2 and acute and chronic HCV-infections. Patients and Method Patients with acute HCV (n = 29), chronic HCV (n = 54), SARS-CoV-2 (n = 39) and 31 healthy-controls were included. Blood samples were tested at baseline, end of treatment/infection, and follow-up ( >= 9 months after baseline). IL-12p70, IL-1b, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, TNF, IFN-g, IL-10, IL-22, CXCL-10, MCP-1, MIP-1b, ITAC were quantified using the HD-SP-X Imaging and Analysis SystemTM. Results SIM profiles in patients with acute HCV were substantially elevated at baseline and the decrease during follow-up was considerably less compared to the SARS-CoV-2 cohort. In chronic HCV-patients, viral elimination by therapy resulted in a decrease in SIM, although not always to those of controls. Cirrhotic HCV patients had higher SIM levels after HCV elimination than non-cirrhotic chronic HCV-patients. In the SARS-CoV-2 cohort, most SIM returned to levels of controls 3 months after baseline. Conclusions SIM profiles and kinetics after viral elimination difer between blood-borne acute and chronic HCV- and respiratory SARS-CoV-2-infections. The immunologic imprint 9 months after cured HCV-infection (both acute and chronic) appears to be more pronounced than after SARS-CoV-2-infection. Further analysis is needed to correlate the SIM profle with the clinical pheno-type (long-HepC vs. long-COVID-19).
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Introduction: Synthesized in 1962, ketamine is used as a sedative, antidepressant and for the management of complex chronic pain. More recently, besides its therapeutic use, ketamine has been increasingly used as a recreational drug among young adults. As a result, an increasing number of reports have described side effects associated with its chronic exposure. This review aims to present the current evidence on the toxicity associated with chronic ketamine exposure. Method(s): Considering the limited literature on the topic, Pubmed and Embase were searched and all types of articles were considered, including systematic reviews, retrospective studies, case series and animal studies. Evidence: Chronic ketamine exposure is associated with urological toxicity manifesting mainly by lower urinary tract symptoms with features of ulcerative cystitis. More severe forms with upper urinary tract involvement can require multiple line treatments, including surgery. There are reports of gastrointestinal toxicity with abdominal pain, liver function test derangement and cholangiopathy. More recently, reports have described the association between prolonged ketamine sedation during covid-19 outbreak and cholangiopathies. Development of tolerance, brain and psychiatric changes have been described. These can manifest in cognitive impairment and psychiatric disorders, with schizophrenia-like symptoms. Possible cardiovascular alterations have been described in few reports. Whereas supportive treatment can offer transient relief, ketamine cessation remains the cornerstone of the treatment. Conclusion(s): There is evidence of toxicity associated with chronic ketamine exposure on the different systems studied in this review. Nevertheless, due to the limitation of the studies more prospective studies would be required to clarify those findings.Copyright © 2023 Societe Francaise de Toxicologie Analytique
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The proceedings contain 374 papers. The topics discussed include: optical biopsy with linked color imaging accurately predicts inflammation in ulcerative colitis;predicting use of opiates in patients with inoperable pancreatic cancer: a retrospective cohort study;unbiased clustering of breath signature in NAFLD identifies disease progression high-risk patient phenotype - 5 year study;prevalence of malnutrition screening;the association between IBD and mental ill health: a retrospective primary care cohort study;the interleukin 22//neutrophil axis is associated with treatment resistance in ulcerative colitis;neuromuscular dysfunction in patients with nausea and vomiting syndrome defined by body surface gastric mapping;two-tiered liver fibrosis assessment in primary care annual diabetic screening 3 year follow up;can an algorithm help in the difficult dilemma of upper gastrointestinal bleed and anticoagulant COVID-19 pandemic and alcohol-specific hospital admissions;and upper gastrointestinal hemorrhages and COVID-19: a nationwide cohort study of the pandemic's impact on hospitalizations.
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Background and aims: The global pandemic has inevitably diverted resources away from management of chronic diseases, including cirrhosis, where up to 40% of patients are readmitted with new cirrhosis decompensation events. Whilst there is increasing knowledge on COVID-19 infection in liver cirrhosis, little is described on the impact of the pandemic on decompensated cirrhosis admissions and outcomes, which was the aim of this study. Method: A single-centre, retrospective study, evaluated decompensated cirrhosis admissions to a tertiary London hepatology and transplantation centre, from October 2018 to February 2021. Patients were included if they had an admission with cirrhosis decompensation defined as new onset jaundice or ascites, infection, encephalopathy, portal hypertensive bleeding or renal dysfunction. Admissions were excluded if they lasted <24 hours,were elective or occurred post liver-transplant. Results: Therewere 351 admissions in the pre-COVID period (October 2018 to February 2020) and 240 admissions during the COVID period (March 2020 to February 2021), with an average of 20.4 admissions per month throughout. Patients transferred in from secondary centres had consistently higher severity scores during the COVID period (UKELD 58 versus 54;p = 0.007, MELD Na 22 versus 18;p = 0.006, AD score 55.0 versus 51.0;p = 0.055). The proportion of ITU admissions pre versus during-COVID stayed constant (22.9% versus 19.2%), but there was a trend towards increased ICU admissions with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) (73.9% versus 63.8% prepandemic). Of those admitted to the intensive care without ACLF, there was a significant increase in EF-CLIF acute decompensation (AD) scores during the COVID period (58 versus 48, p = 0.009). In addition, there was a trend towards increased hospital re-admission rates during the COVID period (29.5% versus 21.5%, p = 0.067). When censored at 30 days, time to death post discharge was significantly reduced during the COVID period (p < 0.05) with a median time to death of 35 days compared to 62 days pre-COVID.(Figure Presented)Conclusion: This study provides a unique perspective on the impact that the global pandemic had on the clinical course and characteristics of decompensated cirrhosis admissions. The findings of increased early mortality and re-admissions, and higher AD scores, indicating increased disease morbidity, highlight the need to maintain resourcing on providing high-level hepatology care. Given that COVID-19 will likely be a chronic issue, alternative care pathways such as remote monitoring may need adoption to facilitate continuity of care post-discharge and to reduce readmission rates and morbidity in the future
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Kombucha, originated in China 2000 years ago, is a sour and sweet-tasted drink, prepared traditionally through fermentation of black tea. During the fermentation of kombucha, consisting of mainly acidic compounds, microorganisms, and a tiny amount of alcohol, a biofilm called SCOBY forms. The bacteria in kombucha has been generally identified as Acetobacteraceae. Kombucha is a noteworthy source of B complex vitamins, polyphenols, and organic acids (mainly acetic acid). Nowadays, kombucha is tended to be prepared with some other plant species, which, therefore, lead to variations in its composition. Pre-clinical studies conducted on kombucha revealed that it has desired bioactivities such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, anti-hypercholestorelomic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, etc. Only a few clinical studies have been also reported. In the current review, we aimed to overhaul pre-clinical bioactivities reported on kombucha as well as its brief compositional chemistry. The literature data indicate that kombucha has valuable biological effects on human health.
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On behalf of the GRAALL group, the Czech Republic ALL group, the Finland ALL group and the EWALL group. Introduction. Treatment of older patients (pts) with B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) remains an unmet medical need. Inotuzumab ozogamicin (INO), an anti-CD22 antibody conjugated to calicheamicin, is approved for the treatment of relapsed/refractory BCP-ALL in adults, sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) being the major adverse event associated with INO. A previous first line study conducted by the MDACC in pts 60 years or older successfully used INO in combination with a lower intensity version of the hyper-CVAD (mini-hyper-CVD). Due to the occurrence of SOS, the total doses were fixed at 1.3 mg/m² for cycle 1 followed by 3 cycles at 1 mg/m² (Kantarjian H et al. Lancet Oncol, 2018). Here, we aimed to assess the activity and safety of fractionated INO at a reduced dosage in combination with low-intensity chemotherapy as frontline therapy for older pts with CD22+ Philadelphia chromosome-negative (Ph-neg) BCP-ALL. Methods. EWALL-INO is a single arm prospective phase 2 multicentric study conducted in European centers belonging to the EWALL group. Eligibility criteria were pts aged 55y or older, performance status ≤2, and newly diagnosed CD22+ (20% or more of positive blast cells) Ph-neg BCP-ALL without central nervous system involvement. After a prephase including 5 days (D) of dexamethasone (DEX) 10mg per D and a single intrathecal injection (IT), the induction regimen was begun and split in 2 parts. Induction part I (Induc1) consisted of one triple IT, vincristine (VCR) 2 mg (1 mg over 70y) D1 D8 D15 D22 and DEX 20 mg D1D2 D8D9 D15D16 D22D23 combined with 3 injections of INO (0.8 mg/m² D1, 0.5 mg/m² D8 and D15). Induction part II (Induc2) was offered to pts in CR or CRp (CR with platelets < 100 G/l) after Induc1 or as salvage therapy. Induc2 consisted of DEX 20mg D1D8, cyclophosphamide (CY) 300 mg/m² D1 to D3, one triple IT D2 and 2 injections of INO (0.5 mg/m² D1 and D8). Pts in CR/CRp were programmed to receive 6 blocks of consolidation (Ara-C 1.5g/m²/12h adapted to renal clearance D1D2 and DEX 10mg/12h D1D2, cycles 1 and 4;Methotrexate (MTX) 1.5 g/m² over 24h D1, VCR 1 or 2 mg D1, one triple IT D2 and 6-mercaptopurin (6-MP) D1 to D7, cycles 2 and 5;CY 500 mg/m² D1D2, VP16 75 mg/m² D1D2, one triple IT D2 and MTX 25 mg/m² D1, cycles 3 and 6) followed by a POMP maintenance (VCR, 6-MP, MTX, DEX) during 18 months. Allograft was allowed after at least 3 blocks of consolidation at the discretion of the investigators. The evaluable population was pts who received at least 1 dose of INO. Analyses were by modified intention to treat and performed JUN 28, 2021. All pts gave informed consent. The study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under the NCT number: NCT03249870. Results. Between DEC 29, 2017 and JUN 22, 2021, 115 pts (out of 130 planned pts) were enrolled including 6 pts with screen failure. The first 90 eligible pts (up to MAR 1, 2021) were considered for this analysis to obtain a minimum of 4 months follow-up. Median age was 69y (range 55-84) and median follow-up for alive pts was 1.18 years (range 0.3-3.5). At time of analysis, 90 and 88 pts had started induc1 and induc2, respectively. Treatment related mortality was 2.2% (2/90) and CR/CRp rate was 85.5% (77/90, 6 CRp) after induc1. Three cases relapsed between induc1 and induc2 and 5 pts were salvaged by induc2 allowing to a CR/CRp rate of 87.7% (79/90, 8 CRp) after induc2. One pts died from refractory disease during induc2. One, 2, 3 4 and 5 injections of INO were administered to 2 (2.2%), 2(2.2%), 11 (12.2%), 2 (2.2%) and 73 pts (81.1%) respectively. Only 6 pts were allografted. One-year OS was estimated to be 78.5% (95%CI 68-85.9) and median OS was not reached. One-year relapse free survival was 74.5% (95CI 63.5-82.6) (Figure 1). Grade 3-4 liver toxicity was observed in 8 pts (8.8%) during the study including 3 pts (3.3%) developing SOS, 2 related to INO during induc1 and one occurred after transplant. Twenty-nine pts died during the follow-up, 16 from relapses (overall incidence 18%) and 13 from adverse events (overall incidence 14.4%), including one COVID19 fatal infection during consolidation. Conclusion. Fractionated inotuzumab ozogamicin at reduced doses (0.8/0.5/0.5/0.5 mg/m²) combined with low-intensity chemotherapy is a very active and well tolerated frontline therapy for older patients with CD22+ Ph-neg BCP-ALL. [Formula presented] Disclosures: Doubek: Janssen-Cilag, AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Amgen, Gilead, Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding. Huguet: Novartis: Other: Advisor;Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Other: Advisor;Celgene: Other: Advisor;BMS: Other: Advisor;Amgen: Other: Advisor;Pfizer: Other: Advisor. Raffoux: ABBVIE: Consultancy;PFIZER: Consultancy;CELGENE/BMS: Consultancy;ASTELLAS: Consultancy. Boissel: CELGENE: Honoraria;Servier: Consultancy, Honoraria;Incyte: Honoraria;Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding;Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding;Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria, Research Funding;PFIZER: Consultancy, Honoraria;JAZZ Pharma: Honoraria, Research Funding;SANOFI: Honoraria. Dombret: Amgen: Honoraria, Research Funding;Incyte: Honoraria, Research Funding;Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria, Research Funding;Novartis: Research Funding;Pfizer: Honoraria, Research Funding;Servier: Research Funding;Abbvie: Honoraria;BMS-Celgene: Honoraria;Daiichi Sankyo: Honoraria. Rousselot: Incyte, Pfizer: Consultancy, Research Funding. OffLabel Disclosure: Inotuzumab ozogamicin as first line therapy in newly diagnosed CD22+ Philadelphia chromosome-negative B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia