Global Real-World Evidence of Sofosbuvir/Velpatasvir as a Highly Effective Treatment and Elimination Tool in People with Hepatitis C Infection Experiencing Mental Health Disorders.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is prevalent in people with mental health disorders, a priority population to diagnose and cure in order to achieve HCV elimination. This integrated analysis pooled data from 20 cohorts in seven countries to evaluate the real-world effectiveness of the pangenotypic direct-acting antiviral (DAA) sofosbuvir/velpatasvir (SOF/VEL) in people with mental health disorders. HCV-infected patients diagnosed with mental health disorders who were treated with SOF/VEL for 12 weeks without ribavirin as part of routine clinical practice were included. The primary outcome was sustained virological response (SVR) in the effectiveness population (EP), defined as patients with an available SVR assessment. Secondary outcomes were reasons for not achieving SVR, characteristics of patients with non-virological failures, adherence, and time from HCV RNA diagnosis to SOF/VEL treatment initiation. A total of 1209 patients were included; 142 did not achieve an SVR for non-virological reasons (n = 112; 83 lost to follow-up, 20 early treatment discontinuations) or unknown reasons (n = 30). Of the 1067 patients in the EP, 97.4% achieved SVR. SVR rates in the EP were ≥95% when stratified by type of mental health disorder and other complicating baseline characteristics, including active injection drug use and antipsychotic drug use. Of 461 patients with data available in the EP, only 2% had an adherence level < 90% and 1% had an adherence level < 80%; all achieved SVR. Patients with mental health disorders can be cured of HCV using a well-tolerated, pangenotypic, protease inhibitor-free SOF/VEL regimen. This DAA allows the implementation of a simple treatment algorithm, with minimal monitoring requirements and fewer interactions with central nervous system drugs compared with protease-inhibitor DAA regimens.

Biomarkers for characterization and therapeutic orientation in castration-resistant prostate cancer. / Biomarcadores para la caracterización y orientación terapéutica en Cáncer de Próstata Resistente a la Castración (CPRC).

Whole exome sequencing studies haverevealed the molecular landscape of metastatic CastrateResistant Prostate Cancer (mCRPC) providingnew information about prognostic and predictive factorsof response to therapies. These studies highlightedpotentially actionable targets leading to the beginingof the biomarker-driven era in prostate cancer.Alterations in androgen receptor (AR), DNA repair genes,PI3K-AKT-MTOR pathway or in genes involved incell cycle are frequently observed in mCRPC patientsand may be relevant in the resistance induced mechanismto approve therapy in this setting. Poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase (PARP) inhibitor in BRCA mutatedpatients, pembrolizumab (inmune checkpoint inhibitors)in mCRPC patients with mismatch repair genedefects and microsatellite instability and ipatasertib(AKT inhibitor) in patients with loss of function inPTEN are examples on how molecular information canbe useful to improve treatment selection. Nonethelessthe heterogeneity of advanced PC, the lack of consensusregarding the optimal biological source of analysisand the optimal time and technique for the analisysare still challenges that need to be defined in the nextfuture. The aim is to review the current literature concerningprognostic and predictive marker of responseto therapies in the mCRPC setting.

Estudios de secuenciación completa delexoma han revelado el perfil molecular del pacientecon Cáncer de Próstata Resistente a la Castración metastásico(CPRCm) proporcionando nueva informaciónsobre factores pronósticos y predictivos de respuestaa las distintas alternativas terapéuticas. Muchos deestos estudios han resaltado numerosas dianas molecularesaccionables desde un punto de vista farmacológico,conduciéndonos al comienzo de la medicina deprecisión en el Cáncer de Próstata (CP). Alteracionesen el Receptor de Andrógenos (RA), en genes reparadoresde DNA, en la vía de PI3K-AKT-MTOR o en genesimplicados en el ciclo celular son frecuentementeobservadas en CPRCm y pueden ser relevantes en la selección terapéutica y en la comprensión de los mecanismosde resistencia.Los inhibidores de la poli (ADP-ribosa) polimerasaen pacientes con mutaciones en BRCA, pembrolizumab(inhibidor de los puntos de control inmunológico)en pacientes CPRCm con alteraciones en genesimplicados en el "mismatch repair" o inestabilidad demicrosatélites e ipatasertib (inhibidor de AKT) en pacientescon pérdida de función de PTEN son ejemplosde cómo la información molecular puede ser útil paraoptimizar la selección terapéutica en este escenario.No obstante, la heterogeneidad del CP avanzado, lafalta de consenso sobre la fuente biológica óptima parael análisis, el momento y la técnica de análisis continúansiendo desafíos a definir en un fututo próximo.El objetivo es revisar la literatura actual sobre marcadorespronósticos y predictivos de respuesta a tratamientoen el entorno del CPRCm.

Biomarcadores para la caracterización y orientación terapéutica en cáncer de próstata resistente a la castración (cprc) / Biomarkers for characterization and therapeutic orientation in castration-resistant prostate cáncer

- Estudios de secuenciación completa delexoma han revelado el perfil molecular del pacientecon Cáncer de Próstata Resistente a la Castración metastásico (CPRCm) proporcionando nueva informaciónsobre factores pronósticos y predictivos de respuestaa las distintas alternativas terapéuticas. Muchos deestos estudios han resaltado numerosas dianas moleculares accionables desde un punto de vista farmacológico, conduciéndonos al comienzo de la medicina deprecisión en el Cáncer de Próstata (CP). Alteracionesen el Receptor de Andrógenos (RA), en genes reparadores de DNA, en la vía de PI3K-AKT-MTOR o en genes implicados en el ciclo celular son frecuentementeobservadas en CPRCm y pueden ser relevantes en la selección terapéutica y en la comprensión de los mecanismos de resistencia.Los inhibidores de la poli (ADP-ribosa) polimerasaen pacientes con mutaciones en BRCA, pembrolizumab (inhibidor de los puntos de control inmunológico) en pacientes CPRCm con alteraciones en genesimplicados en el “mismatch repair” o inestabilidad demicrosatélites e ipatasertib (inhibidor de AKT) en pacientes con pérdida de función de PTEN son ejemplosde cómo la información molecular puede ser útil paraoptimizar la selección terapéutica en este escenario.No obstante, la heterogeneidad del CP avanzado, lafalta de consenso sobre la fuente biológica óptima parael análisis, el momento y la técnica de análisis continúan siendo desafíos a definir en un fututo próximo.El objetivo es revisar la literatura actual sobre marcadores pronósticos y predictivos de respuesta a tratamiento en el entorno del CPRCm. (AU)

Whole exome sequencing studies haverevealed the molecular landscape of metastatic Castrate Resistant Prostate Cancer (mCRPC) providingnew information about prognostic and predictive factors of response to therapies. These studies highlighted potentially actionable targets leading to the begining of the biomarker-driven era in prostate cancer.Alterations in androgen receptor (AR), DNA repair genes, PI3K-AKT-MTOR pathway or in genes involved incell cycle are frequently observed in mCRPC patientsand may be relevant in the resistance induced mechanism to approve therapy in this setting. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor in BRCA mutatedpatients, pembrolizumab (inmune checkpoint inhibitors) in mCRPC patients with mismatch repair genedefects and microsatellite instability and ipatasertib (AKT inhibitor) in patients with loss of function inPTEN are examples on how molecular information canbe useful to improve treatment selection. Nonethelessthe heterogeneity of advanced PC, the lack of consensus regarding the optimal biological source of analysisand the optimal time and technique for the analisysare still challenges that need to be defined in the nextfuture. The aim is to review the current literature concerning prognostic and predictive marker of responseto therapies in the mCRPC setting. (AU)

Changes in resting-state measures of prostate cancer patients exposed to androgen deprivation therapy.

The aim of the present work is to describe the differences in rs-fMRI measures (Amplitude of low frequency fluctuations [ALFF], Regional Homogeneity [ReHo] and Functional Connectivity [FC]) between patients exposed to Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and a control group. Forty-nine ADT patients and fifteen PC-non-ADT patients (Controls) were included in the study. A neuropsychological evaluation and a resting-state fMRI was performed to evaluate differences in ALFF and ReHo. Region of interest (ROI) analysis was also performed. ROIs were selected among those whose androgen receptor expression (at RNA-level) was the highest. FC analysis was performed using the same ROIs. Higher ALFF in frontal regions and temporal regions was identified in Controls than in ADT patients. In the ROI analysis, higher activity for Controls than ADT patients was shown in the left inferior frontal gyrus and in the left precentral gyrus. Lower ALFF in the right hippocampus and the lateral geniculate nucleus of the right thalamus was identified for Controls than ADT patients. Higher ReHo was observed in Controls in the left parietal-occipital area. Finally, ADT patients presented an increase of FC in more regions than Controls. These differences may reflect an impairment in brain functioning in ADT users.

Subarachnoid hemorrhage and visuospatial and visuoperceptive impairment: disruption of the mirror neuron system.

Nearly 20 % of patients who suffer a subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) still display cognitive impairment even a year after follow-up. Visuospatial and visuoperceptive domains may be impaired in this cognitive impairment and may not have been fully studied in these patients. Furthermore, these cognitively impaired domains have been associated with activity in the so-called mirror neuron system (MNS). The aim of the study is to analyze the pattern of brain activity with an MNS task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study in SAH patients. A complete neuropsychological assessment and fMRI study (with observation and execution conditions) were performed in patients with a history of SAH registered in the database of the Hospital Universitario de Canarias and a healthy control group. The patients had to meet all the following inclusion criteria for the study (less than 50 years old; SAH with a Fisher score 1-3; no vasospasm or ischemia; minimum follow-up of one year). Twelve SAH patients were studied. Three of which displayed visuospatial/visuoperceptive impairment. fMRI study showed the presence of higher activity in MNS regions in these patients than in patients with normal visuospatial/visuoperceptive functions. Furthermore, there was a negative correlation between the test scores and brain activity in premotor regions of the studied patients. SAH patients with visuospatial/visuoperceptive impairment have greater activity in the MNS regions. This finding may be associated with a subcortical dysfunction, leading to a disruption of neural activity and less efficient behavior of this brain network.

Clinical Features and Complications in Idiopathic Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Case Studies.

BACKGROUND: Negative angiography subarachnoid hemorrhage, also known as idiopathic subarachnoid hemorrhage (iSAH), is a challenging pathologic condition whose evolution and final outcome is difficult to predict with certainty. This article describes the clinical features, the type of complications and rates, as well as the final outcome of patients with iSAH. METHODS: A prospective evaluation of patients with SAH was performed. Patients with a diagnosis of iSAH were included. Demographic data, clinical features, complication rates, and functional outcomes were all collected. iSAH cases were subsequently compared with patients with aneurysmal SAH (aSAH) taken from the same period. RESULTS: Forty-nine patients fulfilled the criteria for iSAH. Patients with aSAH presented with a worse clinical condition and had a larger amount of blood in the initial computed tomography (CT) scan than iSAH patients. There were no differences in the incidence of acute hydrocephalus, and there was a positive correlation with the Fisher score and the initial clinical status in both groups. Vasospasm was more frequent among patients with aSAH, but the relationship between the incidence of vasospasm and the amount of blood in the initial CT scan was not linear. Good functional outcome was present in > 90% of iSAH patients. CONCLUSIONS: Although iSAH generally has a good prognosis, it may be accompanied with serious complications. The incidence of acute hydrocephalus in iSAH is similar to that in aSAH. There is a lower incidence of vasospasm in iSAH than aSAH. A different relationship seems to exist between these complications and the amount of blood in the CT scan.