A Short Corticosteroid Course Reduces Symptoms and Immunological Alterations Underlying Long-COVID.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Utrero-Rico A
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8614904 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BackgroundAnxiety, often seen as comorbidity in multiple sclerosis (MS), is a frequent neuropsychiatric symptom and essentially affects the overall disease burden. Here, we aimed to decipher anxiety-related networks functionally connected to atrophied areas in patients suffering from MS.MethodsUsing 3-T MRI, anxiety-related atrophy maps were generated by correlating longitudinal cortical thinning with the severity of anxiety symptoms in MS patients. To determine brain regions functionally connected to these maps, we applied a technique termed "atrophy network mapping". Thereby, the anxiety-related atrophy maps were projected onto a large normative connectome (n = 1000) performing seed-based functional connectivity. Finally, an instructed threat paradigm was conducted with regard to neural excitability and effective connectivity, using transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with high-density electroencephalography.ResultsThinning of the left dorsal prefrontal cortex was the only region that was associated with higher anxiety levels. Atrophy network mapping identified functional involvement of bilateral prefrontal cortex as well as amygdala and hippocampus. Structural equation modeling confirmed that the volumes of these brain regions were significant determinants that influence anxiety symptoms in MS. We additionally identified reduced information flow between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala at rest, and pathologically increased excitability in the prefrontal cortex in MS patients as compared to controls.ConclusionAnxiety-related prefrontal cortical atrophy in MS leads to a specific network alteration involving structures that resemble known neurobiological anxiety circuits. These findings elucidate the emergence of anxiety as part of the disease pathology and might ultimately enable targeted treatment approaches modulating brain networks in MS.
| S-EPMC9131528 | biostudies-literature
Project description:About 10% of people infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 experience post COVID-19 disease. We analysed data from 968 adult patients (5350 person-months) with a confirmed infection enroled in the ComPaRe long COVID cohort, a disease prevalent prospective e-cohort of such patients in France. Day-by-day prevalence of post COVID-19 symptoms was determined from patients' responses to the Long COVID Symptom Tool, a validated self-reported questionnaire assessing 53 symptoms. Among patients symptomatic after 2 months, 85% still reported symptoms one year after their symptom onset. Evolution of symptoms showed a decreasing prevalence over time for 27/53 symptoms (e.g., loss of taste/smell); a stable prevalence over time for 18/53 symptoms (e.g., dyspnoea), and an increasing prevalence over time for 8/53 symptoms (e.g., paraesthesia). The disease impact on patients' lives began increasing 6 months after onset. Our results are of importance to understand the natural history of post COVID-19 disease.
| S-EPMC8983754 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Intervention 1: ?1st Arm: Short course radiotherapy with 25 Gy in 5 fractions with concurrent chemotherapy regimen including Capecitabine 625mg/m2/bid for 5 days and Oxaliplatin 50mg/m2/day for 1 day then one cycle chemotherapy with XELOX regimen (Capecitabine 1000mg/m2/bid for 14 days and Oxaliplatin 130mg/m2/day for 1 day) 3 - 4 weeks after completion of radiotherapy then surgery at least 8 weeks after the radiotherapy last session. Intervention 2: 2nd Arm (Control): Long course radiotherapy with 50 Gy in 25 fractions with concurrent Capecitabine 825mg/m2/bid for 5 days each week then one cycle chemotherapy with XELOX regimen (Capecitabine 1000mg/m2/bid for 14 days and Oxaliplatin 130mg/m2/day for 1 day) 3 - 4 weeks after completion of radiotherapy then surgery at least 8 weeks after the radiotherapy last session.;Treatment - Drugs;Treatment - Drugs;?1st Arm: Short course radiotherapy with 25 Gy in 5 fractions with concurrent chemotherapy regimen including Capecitabine 625mg/m2/bid for 5 days and Oxaliplatin 50mg/m2/day for 1 day then one cycle chemotherapy with XELOX regimen (Capecitabine 1000mg/m2/bid for 14 days and Oxaliplatin 130mg/m2/day for 1 day) 3 - 4 weeks after completion of radiotherapy then surgery at least 8 weeks after the radiotherapy last session.;2nd Arm (Control): Long course radiotherapy with 50 Gy in 25 fractions with concurrent Capecitabine 825mg/m2/bid for 5 days each week then one cycle chemotherapy with XELOX regimen (Capecitabine 1000mg/m2/bid for 14 days and Oxaliplatin 130mg/m2/day for 1 day) 3 - 4 weeks after completion of radiotherapy then surgery at least 8 weeks after the radiotherapy last session.
Primary outcome(s): Complications. Timepoint: At the Initiation of Radiotherapy up to one month after surgery. Method of measurement: Common terminology criteria for cancer related therapy adverse events.
Study Design: Randomization: Randomized, Blinding: Not blinded, Placebo: Not used, Assignment: Parallel, Purpose: Treatment.
| 2495080 | ecrin-mdr-crc
Project description:Use of systemic corticosteroids for the treatment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients is not well described. A 58-year-old man with fever and progressive dyspnea was admitted to the Showa University Hospital, and showed severe respiratory failure which needed mechanical ventilation. His chest computed tomography scanning showed emphysema and bilateral ground-glass opacity caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. He received 30 mg prednisolone for five days with antiviral drug of favipiravir, and was successfully extubated on day five. A SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test became negative on day 15. He was discharged on day 21. Serum IgM and IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 converted to positive on day 7 and they kept positive on day 54 for both IgM and IgG. Combination treatment of short-course systemic corticosteroid and favipiravir might improve the prognosis for critically ill COVID-19 pneumonia with COPD without negative influence on viral clearance or antibody production.
| S-EPMC7450252 | biostudies-literature
Project description:PurposeLong-course chemoradiotherapy (LCRT) has been widely recommended in a majority of rectal cancer patients. Recently, encouraging data on short-course radiotherapy (SCRT) for rectal cancer has emerged. In this study, we aimed to compare these two methods in terms of short-term outcomes and cost analysis under the Korean medical insurance system.Materials and methodsSixty-two patients with high-risk rectal cancer, who underwent either SCRT or LCRT followed by total mesorectal excision (TME), were classified into two groups. Twenty-seven patients received 5 Gy×5 with two cycles of XELOX (capecitabine 1000 mg/m² and oxaliplatin 130 mg/m² every 3 weeks) followed by TME (SCRT group). Thirty-five patients received capecitabine-based LCRT followed by TME (LCRT group). Short-term outcomes and cost estimation were assessed between the two groups.ResultsPathological complete response was achieved in 18.5% and 5.7% of patients in the SCRT and LCRT groups, respectively (p=0.223). The 2-year recurrence-free survival rate did not show significant difference between the two groups (SCRT vs. LCRT: 91.9% vs. 76.2%, p=0.394). The average total cost per patient for SCRT was 18% lower for inpatient treatment (SCRT vs. LCRT: $18787 vs. $22203, p<0.001) and 40% lower for outpatient treatment (SCRT vs. LCRT: $11955 vs. $19641, p<0.001) compared to LCRT. SCRT was shown to be the dominant treatment option with fewer recurrences and fewer complications at a lower cost.ConclusionSCRT was well-tolerated and achieved favorable short-term outcomes. In addition, SCRT showed significant reduction in the total cost of care and distinguished cost-effectiveness compared to LCRT.
| S-EPMC10232996 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesTo assess the potential immunological and virological effects that result from short-course antiretroviral treatment during primary HIV infection (PHI). And to investigate whether treatment initiation time, treatment duration and follow-up time after treatment interruption would affect these post-treatment immunovirological outcomes.MethodsWe systematically searched PubMed, Cochrane Library (to September 2013) and retrieved conference abstracts for studies regarding effects of early treatment during PHI on CD4 count and viral load (VL). Using the method of calculating weighted mean differences with Stata11.0, we conducted meta-analyses on the effect of early treatment on CD4 count and VL. Then we performed subgroup analyses by follow-up time after treatment interruption, treatment initiation time and treatment duration. Baseline immunovirological characteristics were also analyzed to account for potential bias.ResultsCompared to the untreated arm, treatment during PHI not only increased CD4 count by 85.92 cells/?l but also lowered viral load by 0.30 log copies/ml within one year after treatment interruption. However, the benefits declined gradually, reaching no significance 12-24 months after treatment interruption. Baseline immunovirological characteristics and sensitivity analyses of randomized controlled trials indicated that the benefits mentioned above were underestimated. Extending treatment duration beyond 12 months did not increase efficacy.ConclusionsShort-course treatment during PHI was associated with immunological and virological benefits which last for at least one year after treatment interruption. The conclusions from our study would help the decision-making in the clinical management of PHI.
| S-EPMC3855754 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ImportanceAlthough both short-course radiotherapy and long-course chemoradiotherapy have been practiced in parallel for more than 15 years, no cost-effectiveness analysis comparing these 2 approaches in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer has been published.ObjectiveTo analyze the cost-effectiveness of short-course radiotherapy vs long-course chemoradiotherapy for the treatment of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer.Design, setting, and participantsThis economic evaluation used a cost-effectiveness model simulating 10-year outcomes for 1 million hypothetical patients aged 65 years with locally advanced rectal cancer treated with either short-course radiotherapy or long-course chemoradiotherapy, followed by surgery and chemotherapy. Utilities and probabilities from the literature and costs from the Healthcare Bluebook and Medicare fee schedules were used to determine incremental cost-effectiveness ratios. It was assumed that long-course chemoradiotherapy would result in higher rates of low anterior resection (LAR). To model preference-sensitive care, a 2-way sensitivity analysis was conducted in which the utilities of the no-evidence-of-disease (NED) states with LAR and abdominoperineal resection (APR) were simultaneously varied. The analysis was repeated for patients with distal rectal tumors. Analysis was conducted from January to October 2018.ExposuresShort-course radiotherapy and long-course chemoradiotherapy.Main outcomes and measuresIncremental cost-effectiveness ratios.ResultsShort-course radiotherapy was the cost-effective strategy compared with long-course chemoradiotherapy (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio, $133 495 per quality-adjusted life-year). Two-way sensitivity analysis revealed that the cost-effective approach for a given patient depended on the utilities for the NED-LAR and NED-APR states. Assuming that a greater proportion of patients with locally advanced distal tumors undergoing long-course chemoradiotherapy (39%) would proceed to LAR compared with those treated with short-course radiotherapy (19%), long-course chemoradiotherapy was the cost-effective approach (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio, $61 123 per quality-adjusted life-year).Conclusions and relevanceShort-course radiotherapy was the cost-effective strategy compared with long-course chemoradiotherapy for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer. The cost-effectiveness of short-course radiotherapy vs long-course chemoradiotherapy was sensitive to the utilities of the NED-LAR and NED-APR health states, highlighting the importance of care that is sensitive to patient preference. Long-course chemoradiotherapy was the cost-effective approach for patients with distal tumors.
| S-EPMC6481445 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionThis study aimed to assess the feasibility of evaluating the short-term and long-term effectiveness of a surgery residency prep course throughout the intern year.MethodsThe authors offered a surgery residency prep course to graduating medical students. We used an anonymous survey to assess the perceived confidence in medical knowledge, clinical skills and surgical skills pre-course, post-course, and at six months into residency. Participants also completed a pre- and post-course quiz.ResultsEleven students completed the course and participated in a pre-course survey, seven completed the post-course survey, and four completed the six month survey. Students felt significantly more confident for intern year following the course compared to before the course (4.0 vs. 2.7, p = 0.018). There was no significant change in perceived confidence at six months compared to post-course results (4.0 vs. 3.9, p = 0.197). Objectively, there was a significant improvement in postcourse quiz results compared to pre-course quiz results (12.9 vs. 10.6, p = 0.004).ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that a surgery prep course may have long-term positive effects on resident confidence when entering a surgery residency.
| S-EPMC10829851 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThere is no proven antiviral or immunomodulatory therapy for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The disease progression associated with the proinflammatory host response prompted us to examine the role of early corticosteroid therapy in patients with moderate to severe COVID-19.MethodsWe conducted a single pretest, single posttest quasi-experiment in a multicenter health system in Michigan from 12 March to 27 March 2020. Adult patients with confirmed moderate to severe COVID were included. A protocol was implemented on 20 March 2020 using early, short-course, methylprednisolone 0.5 to 1 mg/kg/day divided in 2 intravenous doses for 3 days. Outcomes of standard of care (SOC) and early corticosteroid groups were evaluated, with a primary composite endpoint of escalation of care from ward to intensive care unit (ICU), new requirement for mechanical ventilation, and mortality. All patients had at least 14 days of follow-up.ResultsWe analyzed 213 eligible subjects, 81 (38%) and 132 (62%) in SOC and early corticosteroid groups, respectively. The composite endpoint occurred at a significantly lower rate in the early corticosteroid group (34.9% vs 54.3%, P = .005). This treatment effect was observed within each individual component of the composite endpoint. Significant reduction in median hospital length of stay was also observed in the early corticosteroid group (5 vs 8 days, P < .001). Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated an independent reduction in the composite endpoint at 14-days controlling for other factors (adjusted odds ratio: 0.41; 95% confidence interval, .22 - .77).ConclusionsAn early short course of methylprednisolone in patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 reduced escalation of care and improved clinical outcomes.Clinical trials registrationNCT04374071.
| S-EPMC7314133 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundMillions of COVID-19 survivors experience a wide range of long-term symptoms after acute infection, giving rise to serious public health concerns. To date, few risk factors for post-COVID-19 conditions have been determined. This study evaluated the role of pre-infection sleep quality/duration and insomnia severity in the incidence of long-term symptoms after COVID-19.Material and methodsThis prospective study involved two assessments (April 2020 and 2022). At the baseline (April 2020), sleep quality/duration and insomnia symptoms in participants without current/prior SARS-CoV-2 infection were measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). At the follow-up (April 2022), we asked a group of COVID-19 survivors to retrospectively evaluate the presence of twenty-one symptoms (psychiatric, neurological, cognitive, bodily, and respiratory) that have been experienced one month (n = 713, infection in April 2020-February 2022) and three months after COVID-19 (n = 333, infection in April 2020-December 2021). In April 2022, participants also reported how many weeks passed to fully recover from COVID-19. Zero-inflated negative binomial models were used to estimate the effect of previous sleep on the number of long-term symptoms. Binomial logistic regressions were performed to evaluate the association between sleep variables, the incidence of each post-COVID-19 symptom, and the odds of recovery four/twelve weeks after infection.ResultsAnalyses highlighted a significant effect of pre-infection sleep on the number of symptoms one/three months after COVID-19. Previous higher PSQI and ISI scores, and shorter sleep duration significantly increased the risk of almost every long-term symptom at one/three months from COVID-19. Baseline sleep problems were also associated with longer recovery times to return to the pre-infection daily functioning level after COVID-19.ConclusionsThis study suggested a prospective dose-dependent association between pre-infection sleep quality/quantity and insomnia severity with the manifestation of post-COVID-19 symptoms. Further research is warranted to determine whether preventively promoting sleep health may mitigate the COVID-19 sequelae, with substantial public health and societal implications.
| S-EPMC10251724 | biostudies-literature