Comparison of two different treatment regimens’ efficacy in neovascular age-related macular degeneration in Turkish population—based on real life data-Bosphorus RWE Study Group

AIM: To compare two different anti-vascular endothelial growth factor(anti-VEGF) treatment regimens'-a priori pro re nata(PRN) and PRN regimen following^(th)e loading phaseanatomical and functional results in neovascular agerelated macular degeneration(n AMD) patients. METHODS: Totally 544 n AMD patients followed and treated with aflibercept(n=135) and ranibizumab(n=409)at 9 different centers between 2013 and 2015 were enrolled into^(th)is retrospective multicenter study. Patients with initial best corrected visual acuity(BCVA) interval of 1.3-0.3(log MAR) and a minimum follow-up of 12 mo were included. Patients under two different regimens-a priori pro re nata(1+PRN) or 3 consecutive intravitreal injections followed by a PRN regimen(3+PRN)-were compared in BCVA at 3^(th), 6^(th) and 12^(th) months, and in central macular^(th)ickness(CMT) at 6^(th) and 12^(th) months. The total study group, intravitreal ranibizumab(IVR) and intravitreal aflibercept(IVA) groups were evaluated separately. RESULTS: The mean CMT decreased in^(th)e 1+PRN(n=101) regimen from 407 to 358 and 340 μm and in^(th)e 3+PRN(n=443) group from 398 to 318 and finally to 310 μm at months 6 and 12, respectively. Anatomically,^(th)e CMT reduction at 6^(th) month(48.5 vs 76.4;P<0.05) was statistically significant in favor of 3+PRN group. BCVA changed in 1+PRN group from 0.77 to 0.78, 0.75 and 0.75;in 3+PRN group from 0.81 to 0.69, 0.72, and 0.76 at months 3, 6, and 12, respectively. Visual gain was statistically better in 3+PRN group at 3^(th) month(-0.01 vs 0.12;P<0.001). In IVR group, CMT reduction was in greater in 3+PRN at 6^(th)(44 vs 72) and 12^(th) month(61 vs 84), but statistically insignificant. The 3+PRN group revealed statistically better visual results at 3^(th) month(-0.02 vs 0.11, P<0.05). In IVA group, although statistically insignificant, CMT reduction(61 vs 89, 6^(th) month;85 vs 97, 12^(th) month) and visual gain(0.02 vs 0.16;0.02 vs 0.14;0.05 vs 0.11) was found in favor of 3+PRN group at all visits.CONCLUSION: The loading dose of anti-VEGF treatments in n AMD leads to significantly better anatomical and functional results, regardless of the agent, specially in early follow-up interval.

Treatment regimen design in clinical radiotherapy for hepatoma

Recently, the paper by Wang et at published in World Journal of Gastroenterology has given rise to great interest of many researchers. It is well known that hepatoma is one of the lethal diseases with a high incidence in the world, especially in Asia. Radiotherapy is the main treatment modality of hepatoma in clinical practice. Unfortunately, intrinsic radiosensitivity of cancer cells is not fully understood, though a large number of papers on it are now available. Yang and colleagues 21 have developed the premature chromosome condensation technique for clinical radiotherapy of hepatoma. A precise and quick measurement of cell radiosensitivity can detect the highrisk results after exposure to a large dose.

Effectiveness and Safety of 9-Month Treatment Regimen for Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis in the Philippines

Background: The Philippines has a burden of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB). One of the key challenges in the programmatic management of DR-TB (PMDT) is the high rate of loss to follow-up (38% in the 2010 cohort). An urgent need for a shorter, more tolerable, less expensive treatment regimen exists. The aim of the operational study is to determine the efficacy and safety of the short treatment regimen among drug resistant TB. Methods: This is a prospective single-arm cohort study evaluating the effectiveness and safety of a shorter 9 - 11-month treatment regimen (9MTR) for rifampicin-resistant/multi-drug resistant TB (RR/MDR-TB) in 10 PMDT facilities. All eligible consenting adult patients with rifampicin-resistant TB were enrolled and received the standardized 9-month treatment regimen (9MTR), including injectables, with a follow-up after 12 months of treatment completion. Results: A total of 329 patients were enrolled from July 2015 to December 2016. At the 6th month post-enrollment, 256 (77.8%) of them had culture-negative test results. The end-of-treatment success rate was 74.1% (224 [68.0%] were cured and 20 [6.1%] completed the treatment). On the other hand, 10 (3.0%) died, 41 (12.5%) lost to follow-up, 33 (10.0%) withdrawn, 1 (0.3%) treatment failure. In the 12th month after 9MTR completion, among the 244 patients with successful treatment, 198 (81.1%) had culture-negative results, while there were 46 patients whose culture tests were not done. One patient developed TB relapse with fluoroquinolone resistance. The majority of the adverse events were mild that occurred mostly during the first 6 months of treatment. Conclusion: The 9-month treatment regimen had a high treatment success rate with a favorable safety profile. The loss to follow-up was reduced;however, it was still a challenge. The introduction of the 9MTR via operational research had a major impact on building national capacity and infrastructure for the programmatic adoption of a new regimen. Ten PMDT centers received training and experience, created diagnostic pathways, and active drug safety monitoring and management were built.

Combined intensive preconditioning regimen allo-HSCT with imatinib for treatment of Ph chromosome positive acute lymphocyte leukemia

Objective To evaluate the outcome of combination of intensive preconditioning regimen allo - HSCT with imatinib for treatment of Ph chromosome positive acute lymphocyte leukemia ( ALL) . Methods Between 2009 and 2010,8 patients diagnosed as Ph + ALL received

Chinese Society of Cardiology guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of adult fulminant myocarditis

Fulminant myocarditis is an acute diffuse inflammatory disease of myocardium.It is characterized by acute onset,rapid progress and high risk of death.Its pathogenesis involves excessive immune activation of the innate immune system and formation of inflammatory storm.According to China’s practical experience,the adoption of the“life support-based comprehensive treatment regimen”(with mechanical circulation support and immunomodulation therapy as the core)can significantly improve the survival rate and long-term prognosis.Special emphasis is placed on very early identification,very early diagnosis,very early prediction and very early treatment.

Weathering the storm:COVID-19 infection in patients with hematological malignancies

The coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)is an emerging infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2).Within a matter of months,this highly contagious novel virus has led to a global outbreak and is still spreading rapidly across continents.In patients with COVID-19,underlying chronic diseases and comorbidities are associated with dismal treatment outcomes.Owing to their immunosuppressive status,patients with hematological malignancies(HMs)are at an increased risk of infection and have a worse prognosis than patients without HMs.Accordingly,intensive attention should be paid to this cohort.In this review,we summarize and analyze specific clinical manifestations for patients with coexisting COVID-19 and HMs.Furthermore,we briefly de-scribe customized management strategies and interventions for this susceptible cohort.This review is intended to guide clinical practice.