Beyond the symptoms: Personalizing giant cell arteritis care through multidimensional patient reported outcome measure.

BACKGROUND: Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) is the commonest form of systemic vasculitis in people over the age of 50. Published research highlighted the lack of a disease-specific patient reported outcomes (PROMs) for GCA. OBJECTIVES: To assess the validity, reliability and responsiveness to change of a devised disease specific patient self-reported outcome measures questionnaire for Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA). METHODS: The GCA-PROMs was conceptualized based on frameworks outlined in the OMERACT developed core set of Outcome Measures for Large-Vessel Vasculitis and the guiding principles of the FDA guidance. Initially, cognitive interviews were conducted to identify item pool of questions. Item selection and reduction was achieved based on patients as well as an interdisciplinary group of specialists. Rasch and internal consistency reliability analyses were implemented. RESULTS: A total of 54 GCA patients completed the questionnaire. The GCA-PROMs questionnaire was reliable as demonstrated by a high standardized alpha (0.878-0.983). Content construct assessment of the GCA-PROMs functional disability and QoL revealed significant correlation (p< 0.01) with both HAQ and EQ-5D. Changes in functional disability, QoL showed significant (p< 0.01) variation with diseases activity status in response to therapy. CONCLUSIONS: The developed GCA-PROMs questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument for assessment of GCA patients. A stratified treatment regimen depending on the individual patient's risk factors as well as preferences and associated comorbidities is the best approach to tailored patient management.

The role of microalbuminuria as a predictor of subclinical cardiovascular events in rheumatoid arthritis patients and its relation to disease activity.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease that affects many body tissues and leads to major morbidity and mortality. Renal disease in RA is clinically important because it restricts the management of primary disease and increases mortality. The objectives of this study are to (1) investigate the difference between RA patients with and without microalbuminuria (MAU) and (2) find out the relation between MAU and disease activity as well as subclinical cardiovascular effects. Ninety RA patients were divided into two groups according to the presence of MAU, in addition to 30 healthy volunteers. ESR, hs-CRP, RF, lipid profile, urinary microalbumin, GFR, renal function tests, carotid intima media thickness (cIMT), flow-mediated dilatation of the brachial artery (FMD), ECG, and echocardiographic examination were performed for patients and controls. MAU positive RA patients revealed significantly higher lipid profile, ESR, hs-CRP, DAS 28, cIMT, and lower FMD as well as ECG and echocardiographic abnormalities compared to MAU negative RA patients. Moreover, there was significant positive correlation between MAU and DAS28, hs-CRP, LDL, cIMT as well as negative correlation with FMD%. In our study, all RA patients with MAU had a normal serum creatinine concentration and gave a negative result with Albustix. MAU is significantly correlated with ESR, hs-CRP, lipid profile, cIMT, and FMD% in RA patients; therefore, it can be used as an index to measure disease activity as well as subclinical cardiovascular affection in RA patients.

Long-term toxicity of cisplatin in germ-cell tumor survivors.

CONTEXT: Testicular germ-cell tumors (GCT) are highly curable. A multidisciplinary approach, including cisplatin-based chemotherapy has resulted in cure in the majority of patients with GCT. Thus, the life expectancy of survivors will extend to many decades post-diagnosis. Late treatment toxicities associated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy may impact their future health. OBJECTIVE: To systematically evaluate evidence regarding the long-term toxicity of cisplatin in GCT survivors. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: We carried out a critical review of PubMed/Medline in February 2017 according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) statement. Identified reports were reviewed according to the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) criteria. Eighty-three publications were selected for inclusion in this analysis. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Included reports evaluated long-term toxicities of cisplatin-based chemotherapy in GCT survivors. Studies reporting neuro- and ototoxicity, secondary malignancies, cardiovascular, renal and pulmonary toxicities, hypogonadism and infertility were found. Seven studies (8%) reported genetic underpinnings of long-term toxicities and 3 (4%) and 14 (19%) studies correlated long-term toxicities with circulating platinum levels and cumulative dose of cisplatin, respectively. Significant risks for long-term toxicities associated with cisplatin and platinum-based regimens were reported. The cumulative dose of cisplatin and circulating platinum were reported as risk factors. Several single-nucleotide polymorphisms identified patients susceptible to cisplatin compared with wild-type individuals. CONCLUSIONS: GCT survivors cured with cisplatin-based chemotherapy are at risk for long-term side-effects. Detection of single-nucleotide polymorphisms could be a valuable tool for predicting long-term toxicities. PATIENT SUMMARY: Herein, this article summarizes the available evidence of long-term toxicity of cisplatin-based chemotherapy in GCT survivors and provide insights from Indiana University.

Insulin-mimetic effect of (-) epicatechin on osmotic fragility of human erythrocytes.

(-) Epicatechin, a benzopyran extracted from the bark of Pterocarpus marsupium, is reported to have insulin like activity. The present work is undertaken to study the effect of insulin on erythrocyte osmotic fragility (OF) and then to evaluate the insulin-like role of (-) epicatechin on human erythrocytes. Insulin exerts a protective effect on erythrocyte OF and shows a dose response which is similar to other typical insulin effects i.e. a maximum at 0.1 nM and a lower effect at higher and lower concentration. (-) Epicatechin (1 mM) also shows protective effect, similar to insulin, on the OF. Ouabain (1 mM) has completely abolished the insulin effect on OF, and failed to have any effect on the action of (-) epicatechin, showing that (-) epicatechin and insulin act by a different mechanism of action while eliciting their protective effects on red cell OF.