Standardisation of defined approaches for skin sensitisation testing to support regulatory use and international adoption: position of the International Cooperation on Alternative Test Methods

Skin sensitisation is the regulatory endpoint that has been at the centre of concerted efforts to replace animal testing in recent years, as demonstrated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) adoption of five non-animal methods addressing mechanisms under the first three key events of the skin sensitisation adverse outcome pathway. Nevertheless, the currently adopted methods, when used in isolation, are not sufficient to fulfil regulatory requirements on the skin sensitisation potential and potency of chemicals comparable to that provided by the regulatory animal tests. For this reason, a number of defined approaches integrating data from these methods with other relevant information have been proposed and documented by the OECD. With the aim to further enhance regulatory consideration and adoption of defined approaches, the European Union Reference Laboratory for Alternatives to Animal testing in collaboration with the International Cooperation on Alternative Test Methods hosted, on 4-5 October 2016, a workshop on the international regulatory applicability and acceptance of alternative non-animal approaches, i.e., defined approaches, to skin sensitisation assessment of chemicals used in a variety of sectors. The workshop convened representatives from more than 20 regulatory authorities from the European Union, United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Brazil and China. There was a general consensus among the workshop participants that to maximise global regulatory acceptance of data generated with defined approaches, international harmonisation and standardisation are needed. Potential assessment criteria were defined for a systematic evaluation of existing defined approaches that would facilitate their translation into international standards, e.g., into a performance-based Test Guideline. Informed by the discussions at the workshop, the ICATM members propose practical ways to further promote the regulatory use and facilitate adoption of defined approaches for skin sensitisation assessments.

[Rehabilitation of hip fractures. Systematic review]

INTRODUCTION

Hip fractures are considered among one of the most disabling injuries in patients older than 60 years of age. This fractures are associated with a high incidence of mortality and it is the leading cause of hospital admission that requires surgical treatment in Orthopaedic Trauma Centers.

METHODS

This systematic review aimed to group, classify and report the best level of evidence of physical therapy and rehabilitation of patients that have been treated with osteostynthesis after trochanteric or subtrochanteric fracture. The outcomes of efficacy and safety were return to activities of daily living, independence and rate of complications.

RESULTS

We identified 3,889 abstracts from PubMed, and 1,567 abstracts from other sources, after eliminating duplicates, and posterior to a thorough screening 378 abstracts were read. From these, 316 abstracts were excluded, and 62 articles were considered eligible. After reading for relevant outcomes 41 articles were excluded. Synthesis was based in 21 studies.

CONCLUSIONS

Long term results of specialized physical therapy, appear to be crucial in the first months after surgery, and not that important after the four months after surgery. Recent literature supports that the differences of daily activities and independence of the patients that survive a hip fracture tend to be similar with no difference in the type of physical therapy.

Prospective multicentre study on barbed reposition pharyngoplasty standing alone or as a part of multilevel surgery for sleep apnoea

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to demonstrate in a prospective multicentre study that Barbed Reposition Pharyngoplasty (BRP) procedure is safe and effective in management of obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) patients.

DESIGN

Prospective study.

SETTING

Multicentre study.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnoea.

MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES

Values of postoperative apnoea-hypopnea index (AHI), oxygen desaturation index (ODI), epworth sleepiness scale (ESS).

RESULTS

111 Barbed Reposition Pharyngoplasty procedures standing alone or as a part of multilevel surgery for OSAHS, performed between January and September 2016, were analysed in 15 different centres. The average hospitalisation period was 2.5 ± 0.5 days. The mean patient age was 46.3 ± 10.5 years. The average body mass index at the time of the procedure was 27.9 ± 3.2, and the majority of the patients were men (83%). The mean preoperative and postoperative apnoea/hypopnea index was 33.4 ± 19.5 and 13.5 ± 10.3, respectively (P < .001). The mean preoperative and postoperative ESS score was 10.2 ± 4.5 and 6.1 ± 3.6, respectively (P < .001). The mean preoperative and postoperative ODI were 29.6 ± 20.7 and 12.7 ± 10.8, respectively (P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients undergoing BRP standing alone or as part of a multilevel approach for the treatment of OSAHS have a reasonable expectation for success with minimal morbidity.

Is Invasive Pressure Monitoring More Reliable Than Non-Invasive in Patients with Cardiovascular Pathology? - A Case Report

INTRODUCTION

Patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy (CEA) require strict arterial blood pressure (BP) control to maintain adequate cerebral perfusion. Invasive blood pressure (IBP) is the gold standard, however artifacts may lead to erroneous readings.

METHODS

We report a case of CEA using IBP monitoring.

RESULTS

A 64-year-old man, American Society Anaesthesiology (ASA) physical status 3 (diffuse atheromathosis, dyslipidemia and non-medicated hypertension), was presented for an elective right CEA. ASA standard, neuromuscular block monitoring, anesthesia depth and cerebral oximetry were used as monitorization. On preanaesthetic assessment noninvasive BP (NIBP) had no significant difference between right and left arms (180/90 mmHg). IBP monitoring was placed in left radial artery after several attempts in both arms. Surgery was performed under balanced general anesthesia (GA). Intra-operatively the patient remained stable (140/86 mmHg) however the systolic carotid artery stump pressure (SP) was 210-220mmHg. This finding was confirmed by measuring NIBP in both legs. At this point NIBP was used to monitor and guide the BP target until the end of the procedure and during postoperative period (PO) in postanesthetic care unit (PACU). Surgery proceeded uneventfully. After discharge to the ward (48h stay at PACU), a hypertensive crisis lead to cervical neck haematoma which required emergent surgery under GA. Intraoperatively the BP was assessed with NIBP. After a new period of 48h at PACU the patient was discharged to the ward and subsequently from the hospital on the 8th postoperative day, without further complications.

CONCLUSION

IBP allow beat-by-beat measures with optimization of BP in order to improve cerebral perfusion during CEA. IBP can be inaccurate in patients with diffuse atheromatosis. NIBP may be an alternative, however is not continuous and is expected to be less accurate than the IBP.1 The high IBP-NIBP difference (>40 mmHg) was clinically relevant and in this patient might be explained by diffuse atheromatosis. NIBP was compatible with carotid SP, indicating that, in this case was a reliable and accurate method of monitoring.

Tuberculosis in prisoners and their contacts in Chile: estimating incidence and latent infection

SETTING

Contact investigation of tuberculosis (TB) patients in Chilean prisons.

OBJECTIVE

1) To estimate TB incidence and the prevalence of latent tuberculous infection (LTBI) among prisoners and their contacts; and 2) to determine factors associated with disease transmission.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study conducted in 46 prisons (51% of the total prison population) to assess the prevalence of and risk factors for LTBI among contacts of prisoners newly diagnosed with pulmonary TB. We used in vitro interferon-gamma release assays to establish LTBI and a questionnaire to address risk factors.

RESULTS

During the 1-year follow-up, we studied 418 contacts of 33 active TB cases. We found high TB incidence (123.9 per 100,000 prisoners) and high LTBI prevalence (29.4%) among contacts. LTBI rates are significantly higher in prison inmates than in non-prisoners (33.2% vs. 15.6%). Male sex, illicit drugs, malnutrition, corticosteroid use, low educational level and sharing a cell with a case increase the risk of LTBI. Multivariate analyses showed that corticosteroid use, duration of incarceration and overcrowding are the most relevant determinants for LTBI among all contacts.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results confirm that incarceration increases the risk of tuberculous infection and TB disease, and that it was associated not only with origin from vulnerable groups, but also with the prison environment. Reinforcing TB control is essential to prevent TB transmission in prisons.

[Vascular interventional radiology: a fundamental procedure for the management of paediatric trauma]

INTRODUCTION

The management of active bleeding with haemodinamic lability in the paediatric trauma patient is difficult and generally leads to damage control surgery. Vascular Interventional Radiology (VIR) techniques are useful for the diagnosis as for the definitive treatment.

AIM

The aim of our study was to describe our experience and evaluate effectiveness of VIR in the management of the paediatric trauma patient with active bleeding signs.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis (2003-2014) of politraumatic patients who showed contrast blush on computed tomography and then treated by VIR techniques.

RESULTS

In the reported study period 16 patients underwent VIR procedures. Medium age was 13 years (5-17). The most frequent lesion mechanism was traffic accident (8 out of 17) and 93,75% were blunt traumas. Findings on initial Computed Tomography were 12 contrast blushes and 2 absences of arterial flow. In 2 cases the contrast blush appeared 48 hours after the accident. Arteriography allowed us to localize the bleeding vessels in all the cases, performing selective or supraselective renal (7), pelvic (5), hepatic (3), splenic (1) and intercostal (1) embolization. One patient required an endoprothesis for renal revascularization. Two cases needed additional surgical procedures (2 nephrectomies) because of complete section of the renal artery (1) and disruption of the ureteropelvic junction (1). One case required hemofiltration in relation to rhabdomyolysis.

CONCLUSION

In our experience VIR is a valuable diagnostic and therapeutic procedure for the management of paediatric trauma patients, with high effectiveness and a low complication rate.

Basal Gnathostomes provide unique insights into the evolution of vitamin B12 binders

The uptake and transport of vitamin B12 (cobalamin; Cbl) in mammals involves a refined system with three evolutionarily related transporters: transcobalamin 1 (Tcn1), transcobalamin 2 (Tcn2), and the gastric intrinsic factor (Gif). Teleosts have a single documented binder with intermediate features to the human counterparts. Consequently, it has been proposed that the expansion of Cbl binders occurred after the separation of Actinopterygians. Here, we demonstrate that the diversification of this gene family took place earlier in gnathostome ancestry. Our data indicates the presence of single copy orthologs of the Sarcopterygii/Tetrapoda duplicates Tcn1 and Gif, and Tcn2, in Chondrichthyes. In addition, a highly divergent Cbl binder was found in the Elasmobranchii. We unveil a complex scenario forged by genome, tandem duplications and lineage-specific gene loss. Our findings suggest that from an ancestral transporter, exhibiting large spectrum and high affinity binding, highly specific Cbl transporters emerged through gene duplication and mutations at the binding pocket.

Incidence of multiple sclerosis in Chile. A hospital registry study

OBJECTIVE

To study the incidence of MS in Chile by examining the hospitalizations across all geographical regions of the country and to examine whether there is a correlation between these rates and the latitude or ultraviolet radiation.

METHODS

This is a descriptive study examining the national registry of hospitalizations because of MS (code G35 in ICD-10) from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2006. Incidence rates were calculated by gender and geographical region and standardized to the world population estimated for 2010.

RESULTS

A total of 6857 hospitalizations were analyzed. There were 935 individuals; 63.9% were women. The mean incidence rate for 2002-2006 period was 0,90 (95% CI: 0.75-1.05). The annualized incidence rates for regions from North to South were as follows: I Tarapaca 0.54 (95% CI: 0.0-1.21), II Antofagasta 0,93 (0.10-1.75), III Atacama 1.07 (0.0-2.31), IV Coquimbo 0.63 (0.01-1.24), V Valparaiso 0.83 (0.38-1.27), VI O'Higgins 0.72 (0.14-1.30), VII Maule 0.52 (0.06-0.98), VIII BIO BIO 0.81 (0.41-1.21), IX Araucanía 0.43 (0.0-0.86), X Los Lagos 0.91 (0.35-1.46), XI Aysen 0.99 (0.0-2.98), XII Magallanes 3.54 (0.57-6.51), and XIII Metropolitana 1.10 (0.84-1.36). There were no significant correlations between hospitalization rates and latitude, except for region XII. UV radiation levels showed significant differences only for region XII.

CONCLUSION

There is a moderate risk of MS in Chile. The southernmost region showed significantly higher incidence rates than those in the rest of the country (a cluster zone). We did not find any correlation between incidence rates and latitude or UV radiation.

Mobilization and collection of peripheral blood stem cells: guidelines for blood volume to process, based on CD34-positive blood cell count in adults and children

We report 189 mobilizations and 489 collections of peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) performed in 139 autologous transplantation patients and in 28 donors for allogeneic transplantations whose ages ranged from 2-68 years. We observed a correlation (P < .001; Pearson's coefficient 0.64) between CD34-positive cells and granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming units examined to estimate PBSC. In a subset of 287 collections (97 adults and 49 children) we obtained peripheral blood (PB) CD34-positive cell counts at 2 to 4 hours before leukapheresis. We noted a correlation between PB CD34-positive cell counts before leukapheresis and the number of CD34-positive cells per kilogram of body weight collected in the whole apheresis of the day (P < .001; Pearson's coefficient 0.82). An even better correlation was obtained between PB CD34-positive cells preapheresis and the yield of each individual blood volume (BV) processed (P < .001; Pearson's coefficient 0.87). Healthy donors and patients in each age group behaved similarly. In addition, the collection yield was greater among children than adults. These findings allowed us to develop a simple predictive model to estimate the BV to process for a target dose of CD34-positive cells per kilogram, based on the level of PBSC before apheresis in children and adults.

Abdominal pseudocyst complicating incisional hernia repair: our experience and literature review

Giant pseudocyst is a rare complication of incisional hernia repairs whose etiology and incidence remains unknown. We have reviewed all cases of abdominal incisional hernia repair in our abdominal wall unit since its creation 6 years ago. Pseudocyst formation was observed in seven cases out of 871 incisional hernia repair operations. Four of them underwent surgical exploration with excision of the mass. To the best of our knowledge, only 18 cases of giant pseudocyst have been described in the literature. From both our personal experience and the reported literature, we understand that abdominal pseudocyst is an extremely rare or underreported late complication of hernia repair surgery. The complete excision of the cyst and its fibrous wall is the definitive treatment of choice.

Transesophageal access to the cardiac cavities and descending thoracic aorta via echoendoscopy. An experimental study

OBJECTIVE

The applications of endoscopic ultrasonography have diversified over recent years. The possibility of reaching cardiac territory has been successfully explored in experimental models, opening up a new field of possibilities for diagnostic and therapeutic interventions that were unthinkable until very recently. The aims set out in this study are to evaluate cardiac anatomy, its approach, the safety of the experimental procedure and the resulting morphological and histological changes after the procedure.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study has been performed on two adult pigs. They have undergone different surgical approaches to the cardiac cavities and descending thoracic aorta with excellent results.

RESULTS

Different cardiac structures have been identified and operated upon (right auricle, left auricle, left ventricle, cardiac valves), as well as major vessels. The use of contrast, both intracavitary and from a peripheral vein, enabled us to verify the anatomical spaces studied. During the procedures we monitored for arrhythmias, hemodynamic behavior, possibility of infection by obtaining sample hemocultures before and after procedures, and response to punctures.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study has enabled us to evaluate access to the heart from the esophageal lumen using endoscopic ultrasonography, with results that are very similar to those described in the current bibliography. However, we offer two novelties: puncture of the right auricle through the interauricular partition and puncture of the descending thoracic aorta, both performed with ease and apparent safety.