Early indicators of disease progression in Fabry disease that may indicate the need for disease-specific treatment initiation: findings from the opinion-based PREDICT-FD modified Delphi consensus initiative

Renal and multisystem effectiveness of 3.9 years of migalastat in a global real-world cohort: Results from the followME Fabry Pathfinders registry

Fabry disease is a progressive, X-linked lysosomal disorder caused by reduced or absent α-galactosidase A activity due to GLA variants. The effects of migalastat were examined in a cohort of 125 Fabry patients with migalastat-amenable GLA variants in the followME Pathfinders registry (EUPAS20599), an ongoing, prospective, patient-focused registry evaluating outcomes for current Fabry disease treatments. We report annualised estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and Fabry-associated clinical events (FACEs) in a cohort of patients who had received ≥3 years of migalastat treatment in a real-world setting. As of August 2022, 125 patients (60% male) had a mean migalastat exposure of 3.9 years. At enrolment, median age was 58 years (males, 57; females, 60) with a mean eGFR of 83.7 mL/min/1.73 m2 (n = 122; males, 83.7; females, 83.8) and a median left ventricular mass index of 115.1 g/m2 (n = 61; males, 131.2; females, 98.0). Mean (95% confidence interval) eGFR annualised rate of change in the overall cohort (n = 116) was -0.9 (-10.8, 9.9) mL/min/1.73 m2/year with a similar rate of change observed across patients with varying levels of kidney function at enrolment. Despite population age and baseline morbidity, 80% of patients did not experience a FACE during the mean 3.9 years of migalastat exposure. The incidence of renal, cardiac, and cerebrovascular events was 2.0, 83.2, and 4.1 events per 1000 patient-years, respectively. These data support a role of migalastat in preserving renal function and multisystem effectiveness during ≥3 years of migalastat treatment in this real-world Fabry population.

A Delphi panel to build consensus on assessing disease severity and disease progression in adult patients with hypophosphatasia in the United States

BACKGROUND

Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is an inborn error of metabolism with a variable presentation. We conducted a modified Delphi panel to obtain expert consensus on knowledge gaps regarding disease severity and progression in adult patients with HPP.

METHODS

Healthcare professionals (HCPs) with experience managing adult patients with HPP were recruited to participate in a 3-round Delphi panel (round 1: paper survey and 1:1 interview; rounds 2-3: email survey). Panelists rated the extent of their agreement with statements about disease severity and progression in adult patients with HPP. Consensus was defined as ≥ 80% agreement.

RESULTS

Ten HCPs completed round 1; nine completed rounds 2 and 3. Consensus was reached on 46/120 statements derived from steering committee input. Disease severity markers in adult patients with HPP can be bone-related (recurrent/poorly healing fractures, pseudo-fractures, metatarsal fractures, osteomalacia) or involve dentition or physiologic/functional manifestations (use of mobility devices/home modifications, abnormal gait, pain). Disease progression markers can include recurrent/poorly healing low-trauma fractures, development of ectopic calcifications, and/or impairment of functional activity. Panelists supported the development of a tool to help assess disease severity in the clinic and track changes in severity over time. Panelists also highlighted the role of a multidisciplinary team, centers with expertise, and the need to refer patients when disease severity is not clear.

CONCLUSIONS

These statements regarding disease severity, progression, and assessment methods address some knowledge gaps in adult patients with HPP and may be helpful for treating HCPs, although the small sample size affects the ability to generalize the healthcare provider experience.

Fabry-specific treatment in Australia: time to align eligibility criteria with international best practices

BACKGROUND

Disease-specific therapy aims to improve symptoms, stabilise current disease and delay progression in patients with Fabry disease. In Australia, treatment access is subject to eligibility criteria initially established in 2004. Patients and their clinicians question why these criteria have remained unchanged despite significant progress in disease understanding.

AIMS

Appraise the clinical quality of the Australian treatment access criteria.

METHODS

The Fabry Australia Medical Advisory Committee (N = 6) used the Appraisal of Guidelines for REsearch and Evaluation Global Rating Scale (AGREE II GRS) to assess the clinical quality of the current treatment eligibility criteria. They reviewed the literature, developed 17 clinical statements to help guide reforms of the eligibility criteria and achieved consensus (achievement of ≥75% agreement in the range 5-7 on a 7-point Likert scale) through anonymous voting. The findings were applied to develop proposals for revised classification and treatment initiation criteria.

RESULTS

The current treatment eligibility criteria underperformed on the AGREE II GRS. They are pragmatic but out-of-step with contemporary data. Consensus was achieved on all 17 proposed clinical statements. There was strong agreement to differentiate classical male Fabry patients to facilitate timelier access to Fabry-specific treatment. There was also agreement on the value of adopting relevant organ involvement criteria in classical female patients and patients with non-classical disease.

CONCLUSIONS

Australian access criteria are misaligned with current clinical evidence. The clinical statements and proposed classification and initiation criteria should prompt discussions to support more equitable access to treatment and better align Australian practice with contemporary evidence and international guidelines.

ACcurate COnsensus Reporting Document (ACCORD) explanation and elaboration: Guidance and examples to support reporting consensus methods

BACKGROUND

When research evidence is limited, inconsistent, or absent, healthcare decisions and policies need to be based on consensus amongst interested stakeholders. In these processes, the knowledge, experience, and expertise of health professionals, researchers, policymakers, and the public are systematically collected and synthesised to reach agreed clinical recommendations and/or priorities. However, despite the influence of consensus exercises, the methods used to achieve agreement are often poorly reported. The ACCORD (ACcurate COnsensus Reporting Document) guideline was developed to help report any consensus methods used in biomedical research, regardless of the health field, techniques used, or application. This explanatory document facilitates the use of the ACCORD checklist.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

This paper was built collaboratively based on classic and contemporary literature on consensus methods and publications reporting their use. For each ACCORD checklist item, this explanation and elaboration document unpacks the pieces of information that should be reported and provides a rationale on why it is essential to describe them in detail. Furthermore, this document offers a glossary of terms used in consensus exercises to clarify the meaning of common terms used across consensus methods, to promote uniformity, and to support understanding for consumers who read consensus statements, position statements, or clinical practice guidelines. The items are followed by examples of reporting items from the ACCORD guideline, in text, tables and figures.

CONCLUSIONS

The ACCORD materials - including the reporting guideline and this explanation and elaboration document - can be used by anyone reporting a consensus exercise used in the context of health research. As a reporting guideline, ACCORD helps researchers to be transparent about the materials, resources (both human and financial), and procedures used in their investigations so readers can judge the trustworthiness and applicability of their results/recommendations.

A systematic literature review on the health-related quality of life and economic burden of Fabry disease

BACKGROUND

Fabry disease (FD) is a rare lysosomal storage disease associated with glycolipid accumulation that impacts multiple physiological systems. We conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) to characterize the humanistic (quality of life [QoL]) and economic burden of FD.

METHODS

Searches were conducted in the Embase, MEDLINE®, and MEDLINE® In-Process databases from inception to January 19, 2022. Conference abstracts of specified congresses were manually searched. Additional searches were performed in the Cochrane and ProQuest databases for the humanistic SLR and the National Health Service Economic Evaluations Database for the economic SLR. Studies of patients with FD of any sex, race, and age, and published in the English language were included. There was no restriction on intervention or comparator. For the humanistic SLR, studies that reported utility data, database/registry-based studies, questionnaires/surveys, and cohort studies were included. For the economic SLR, studies reporting economic evaluations or assessing the cost of illness and resource use were included.

RESULTS

Of the 1363 records identified in the humanistic search, 36 studies were included. The most commonly used QoL assessments were the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (n = 16), EQ-5D questionnaire descriptive system or visual analog scale (n = 9), and the Brief Pain Inventory (n = 8). Reduced QoL was reported in patients with FD compared with healthy populations across multiple domains, including pain, physical functioning, and depressive symptoms. Multiple variables-including sex, age, disease severity, and treatment status-impacted QoL. Of the 711 records identified in the economic burden search, 18 studies were included. FD was associated with high cost and healthcare resource use. Contributors to the cost burden included enzyme replacement therapy, healthcare, and social care. In the seven studies that reported health utility values, lower utility scores were generally associated with more complications (including cardiac, renal, and cerebrovascular morbidities) and with classical disease in males.

CONCLUSION

FD remains associated with a high cost and healthcare resource use burden, and reduced QoL compared with healthy populations. Integrating information from QoL and economic assessments may help to identify interventions that are likely to be of most value to patients with FD.

Updated Evaluation of Agalsidase Alfa Enzyme Replacement Therapy for Patients with Fabry Disease: Insights from Real-World Data

The clinical use of agalsidase alfa as enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) for Fabry disease (FD) has spread since 2001, and a large body of evidence of its effectiveness has been collected. This review presents the clinical and laboratory results achieved with agalsidase alfa, which has been published in the literature. Agalsidase alfa infusion slows down or stops the progression of renal damage, expressed by reduction or stabilization of the annual decline of the glomerular filtration rate; yearly decrease of glomerular filtration rate (slope) sometimes is reduced until its stabilization. ERT prevents or reduces the occurrence of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or slows the increase over time if it is already present. Moreover, regarding neurological manifestations, ERT improves neuropathic pain and quality of life, and recent data indicated that it may also prevent the burden of cerebrovascular disease. In addition to ERT's clinical benefits, crucial topics like the most appropriate time to start therapy and the role of anti-drug antibodies (ADA) are analyzed. Treatment with agalsidase alfa in patients with FD substantially improves their outcomes and enhances their quality of life in patients with FD.

Clinical staging of Anderson-Fabry cardiomyopathy: An operative proposal

As a slowly progressive form of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), Anderson-Fabry disease (FD) resembles the phenotype of the most common sarcomeric forms, although significant differences in presentation and long-term progression may help determine the correct diagnosis. A variety of electrocardiographic and imaging features of FD cardiomyopathy have been described at different times in the course of the disease, and considerable discrepancies remain regarding the assessment of disease severity by individual physicians. Therefore, we here propose a practical staging of FD cardiomyopathy, in hopes it may represent the standard for cardiac evaluation and facilitate communication between specialized FD centres and primary care physicians. We identified 4 main stages of FD cardiomyopathy of increasing severity, based on available evidence from clinical and imaging studies: non-hypertrophic, hypertrophic - pre-fibrotic, hypertrophic - fibrotic, and overt dysfunction. Each stage is described and discussed in detail, following the principle that speaking a common language is critical when managing such complex patients in a multi-disciplinary and sometimes multi-centre setting.

Clinical significance of small nerve fiber involvement in the early diagnosis and treatment of patients with Fabry disease

INTRODUCTION

Peripheral nervous system is early involved in Fabry disease (FD) and preferentially the small nerve fibers, causing the characteristic neuropathic pain crises usually beginning in childhood. Early detection of this likely underdiagnosed disease is an important approach because causal therapies are available.

METHODS

We conducted a case-series study to investigate the small nerve fiber involvement in FD and its contribution to the diagnosis of the disease but also to the timely effective therapy administration. We used specific structured scales of symptoms and signs to detect peripheral neuropathy, as well as suitable functional and structural tests to diagnose the small fiber neuropathy (SFN).

RESULTS

Twenty-seven consecutive patients (14 men, mean age 44.62 ± 10.70 years) with suspected FD were included in this study. Most of the patients presented symptoms of small nerve fiber involvement, which were accompanied by abnormal test results, fulfilling the criteria for SFN. The detection of SFN in our patients allowed the completion of the FD diagnostic criteria and thus the initiation of therapy. In five patients the SFN diagnosis determined the administration of therapy, whereas in two others it might be considered.

CONCLUSION

Our results further suggest the importance of early diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy, especially of small nerve fiber involvement, in patients with suspected FD as it contributes crucially not only to the diagnosis but also to the timely effective initiation of FD therapy.

Consensus recommendations for the treatment and management of patients with Fabry disease on migalastat: a modified Delphi study

Objective

Fabry disease is a progressive disorder caused by deficiency of the α-galactosidase A enzyme (α-Gal A), leading to multisystemic organ damage with heterogenous clinical presentation. The addition of the oral chaperone therapy migalastat to the available treatment options for Fabry disease is not yet universally reflected in all treatment guidelines. These consensus recommendations are intended to provide guidance for the treatment and monitoring of patients with Fabry disease receiving migalastat.

Methods

A modified Delphi process was conducted to determine consensus on treatment decisions and monitoring of patients with Fabry disease receiving migalastat. The multidisciplinary panel comprised 14 expert physicians across nine specialties and two patients with Fabry disease. Two rounds of Delphi surveys were completed and recommendations on the use of biomarkers, multidisciplinary monitoring, and treatment decisions were generated based on statements that reached consensus.

Results

The expert panel reached consensus agreement on 49 of 54 statements, including 16 that reached consensus in round 1. Statements that reached consensus agreement are summarized in recommendations for migalastat treatment and monitoring, including baseline and follow-up assessments and frequency. All patients with Fabry disease and an amenable mutation may initiate migalastat treatment if they have evidence of Fabry-related symptoms and/or organ involvement. Treatment decisions should include holistic assessment of the patient, considering clinical symptoms and organ involvement as well as patient-reported outcomes and patient preference. The reliability of α-Gal A and globotriaosylsphingosine as pharmacodynamic response biomarkers remains unclear.

Conclusion

These recommendations build on previously published guidelines to highlight the importance of holistic, multidisciplinary monitoring for patients with Fabry disease receiving migalastat, in addition to shared decision-making regarding treatments and monitoring throughout the patient journey. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT.

Management of pain in Fabry disease in the UK clinical setting: consensus findings from an expert Delphi panel

BACKGROUND

Fabry disease is a rare, X-linked inherited lysosomal storage disorder, that manifests as a heterogeneous disease with renal, cardiac and nervous system involvement. The most common pain experienced by people with Fabry disease are episodes of neuropathic pain reported in up to 80% of classical hemizygous male patients and up to 65% of heterozygous female patients. No clear consensus exists within UK clinical practice for the assessment and management of pain in Fabry disease based on agreed clinical practice and clinical experience. Here we describe a modified Delphi initiative to establish expert consensus on management of pain in Fabry disease in the UK clinical setting.

METHODS

Delphi panel members were identified based on their demonstrated expertise in managing adult or paediatric patients with Fabry disease in the UK and recruited by an independent third-party administrator. Ten expert panellists agreed to participate in two survey rounds, during which they remained anonymous to each other. Circulation of the questionnaires, and collection and processing of the panel's responses were conducted between September 2021 and December 2021. All questions required an answer.

RESULTS

The Delphi panel reached a consensus on 21 out of 41 aspects of pain assessment and management of pain in Fabry disease. These encompassed steps in the care pathway from the goals of therapy through to holistic support, including the use of gabapentin and carbamazepine as first-line analgesic medications for the treatment of neuropathic pain in Fabry disease, as well as the proactive management of symptoms of anxiety and/or depression associated with Fabry pain.

CONCLUSIONS

The consensus panel outcomes reported here have highlighted strengths in current UK clinical practice, along with unmet needs for further research and agreement. This consensus is intended to prompt the next steps towards developing clinical guidelines.

Clinical evaluation, accurate diagnosis and treatment of four pedigrees with Fabry's disease

OBJECTIVE

This article analyzes the data of four families with mutations of the GLA (galactosidase) gene with a special focus on the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and interdisciplinary clinical management of Fabry disease (FD) and enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) treatment, and has the aim to assess more accurate prevention and treatment strategy.

METHODS

The MSSI (Mainz Severity Score Index) scale was used to evaluate the clinical data of five children diagnosed in our hospital, and the genotypes of all the patients with FD were collected. Two of the male children started ERT. We summarize the clinical effect and the evaluation of globotriaosylsphingosine (Lyso-GL-3) before and after treatment.

RESULTS

Five children were confirmed as having FD using the family histories, clinical manifestations, α-galactosidase A (a-Gal A) activity, and genetic test results. Two children used agalsidase α every 2 weeks regularly, after ERT. Their clinical symptoms improved, their pain intensity was significantly relieved, and upon re-examination their Lyso-GL-3 decreased conspicuously and no serious adverse reactions occurred. We report for the first time four families with children with FD. The youngest child was only 1 year old. The four families included one girl which is rare in X-linked lysosomal storage diseases.

CONCLUSION

The clinical phenotype of FD in childhood is nonspecific, and the misdiagnosis rate is high. Most children with FD have a delayed diagnosis, and their organs are often seriously damaged in adulthood. Pediatricians must improve their diagnosis and treatment awareness, screen high-risk groups, and emphasize multidisciplinary cooperation and holistic lifestyle management after diagnosis. The diagnosis of the proband is also conducive to the mining of other cases of FD families and has important guiding significance for prenatal diagnosis.

The Impact of Kidney Biopsy for Fabry Nephropathy Evaluation on Patients’ Management and Long-Term Outcomes: Experience of a Single Center

Background: Fabry disease (FD) is a rare lysosomal storage disease causing progressive loss of target organ function. All renal cell types are involved from the early stages, even before clinical signs can be detected. FD-specific therapies can stop/mitigate disease progression. Thus, it is important to validate early markers of renal lesions so that they can be adopted as criteria for timely treatment initiation. Materials and methods: We retrospectively analyzed and extensively evaluated 21 FD case patients; this evaluation included a kidney biopsy. We looked for the influence of pathological findings on the management of FD patients. In addition, we investigated the association between general and FD-specific features and long-term patients’ outcomes. We defined a combined endpoint as being at least one of the following: 50% decrease of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) from baseline, kidney failure (KF), end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), or death and mortality. Results: Our cohort of 21 FD patients (11 males and 10 females) was stratified according to the presence of the combined endpoint: group 1 (n = 15) included patients without the combined endpoint, while group 2 (n = 6) patients reached the combined endpoint outcome. Patients from group 2 presented lower mean baseline eGFR (72.2 ± 38.7 mL/min/1.73 m² vs. 82.5 ± 26.4 mL/min/1.73 m²) without statistical significance (p = 0.44), but significantly (p = 0.22) higher median baseline proteinuria (2.7 g/24 h vs. 0.4 g/24 h). Specific lysosomal deposits were identified in all patients. Segmental sclerosis was present in all patients with the combined endpoint and in only 33% of patients without the combined endpoint (p = 0.009). Global sclerosis and interstitial fibrosis were present in both groups, with no significant differences. A total of 15 out of the 16 treatment-naïve patients (7 males and 9 females) started FD-specific therapy after kidney biopsy. Treatment was initiated in all male FD patients and in 8 female patients. In 2 females, pathological findings in kidney biopsy offered important reasons to start FD treatment, although specific criteria of the Romanian protocol for prescription of FD-specific therapy were still not fulfilled. Cox univariate analysis showed that every increase in 24 h proteinuria with 1 g is associated with a 65% risk of developing the combined endpoint (HR = 1.65; 95%CI: 1.05–2.58; p = 0.02), and that the presence of segmental sclerosis increased the risk of developing the combined endpoint by 51.3 times (HR = 51.3; 95% CI: 95% CI: 1.67–103.5; p = 0.01). Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that the cumulative risk of developing the combined endpoint was higher in patients in whom segmental sclerosis (100% vs. 0%, log-rank test, p = 0.03) was present. Conclusions: Histological evaluation is an important tool for the detection of early kidney involvement and provides additional support to the early initiation of FD-specific therapy. Presence of segmental sclerosis can predict the long-term outcomes of kidney disease deterioration and mortality and may be used as an early indicator of disease progression. Additionally, in the absence of other criteria according to current guidelines, specific FD renal lesions as revealed by kidney biopsy might become a distinct criterion to initiate FD therapy.

Fabry Disease in Slovakia: How the Situation Has Changed over 20 Years of Treatment

Fabry disease (FD, OMIM#301500) is a rare inborn error of the lysosomal enzyme α-galactosidase (α-Gal A, EC 3.2.1.22) and results in progressive substrate accumulation in tissues with a wide range of clinical presentations. Despite the X-linked inheritance, heterozygous females may also be affected. Hemizygous males are usually affected more severely, with an earlier manifestation of the symptoms. Rising awareness among health care professionals and more accessible diagnostics have positioned FD among the most-common inherited metabolic diseases in adults. An early and correct diagnosis of FD is crucial with a focus on personalised therapy. Preventing irreversible destruction of vital organs is the main goal of modern medicine. The aim of this study was to offer a complex report mapping the situation surrounding FD patients in Slovakia. A total of 48 patients (21 males, 27 females) with FD are registered in the Centre for Inborn Errors of Metabolism in Bratislava, Slovakia. In our cohort, we have identified three novel pathogenic variants in five patients. Three patients presented with the frameshift mutation c.736delA, and two others presented with the missense mutations c.203T>C, c.157A>C. Moreover, we present a new clinical picture of the pathogenic variant c.801+1G>A, which was previously described and associated with the renal phenotype.

Do clinical guidelines facilitate or impede drivers of treatment in Fabry disease?

Background

Variable disease progression confounds accurate prognosis in Fabry disease. Evidence supports the long-term benefit of early intervention with disease-specific therapy, but current guidelines recommend treatment initiation based on signs that may present too late to avoid irreversible organ damage. Findings from the ‘PRoposing Early Disease Indicators for Clinical Tracking in Fabry Disease’ (PREDICT-FD) initiative included expert consensus on 27 early indicators of disease progression in Fabry disease and on drivers of and barriers to treatment initiation in Fabry disease. Here, we compared the PREDICT-FD indicators with guidance from the European Fabry Working Group and various national guidelines to identify differences in signs supporting treatment initiation and how guidelines themselves might affect initiation. Finally, anonymized patient histories were reviewed by PREDICT-FD experts to determine whether PREDICT-FD indicators supported earlier treatment than existing guidance.

Results

Current guidelines generally aligned with PREDICT-FD on indicators of renal involvement, but most lacked specificity regarding cardiac indicators. The prognostic significance of neurological indicators such as white matter lesions (excluded by PREDICT-FD) was questioned in some guidelines and excluded from most. Some PREDICT-FD patient-reported signs (e.g., febrile crises) did not feature elsewhere. Key drivers of treatment initiation in PREDICT-FD were: (A) male sex, young age, and clinical findings (e.g., severe pain, organ involvement), (B) improving clinical outcomes and preventing disease progression, and (C) a family history of Fabry disease (especially if outcomes were severe). All guidelines aligned with (A) and several advocated therapy for asymptomatic male patients. There was scant evidence of (B) in current guidance: for example, no countries mandated ancillary symptomatic therapy, and no guidance advocated familial screening with (C) when diagnosis was confirmed. Barriers were misdiagnosis and a lack of biomarkers to inform timing of treatment. Review of patient histories generally found equal or greater support for treatment initiation with PREDICT-FD indicators than with other guidelines and revealed that the same case and guideline criteria often yielded different treatment recommendations.

Conclusions

Wider adoption of PREDICT-FD indicators at a national level could promote earlier treatment in Fabry disease. Clearer, more concise guidance is needed to harmonize treatment initiation in Fabry disease internationally.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13023-022-02181-4.

ECG-based score estimates the probability to detect Fabry Disease cardiac involvement

OBJECTIVES

To elaborate an ECG-based nomogram estimating the probability to detect cardiac involvement by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) in Fabry Disease (FD).

METHODS

119 FD patients and 26 healthy controls underwent ECG and CMR. Test (n = 88, 60%) and validation cohorts (n = 57, 40%) were randomly derived. Cardiac involvement was defined as the presence of low myocardial T1 value, a CMR-surrogate of myocardial glycosphingolipid storage. ECG changes associated with low T1 value were identified in the test cohort, included in the nomogram and then tested in the validation cohort.

RESULTS

Sokolow-Lyon index (AUC = 0.769), ratio between P-wave and PR-segment durations (Pwave/PRsegment) (AUC = 0.778), QRS duration (AUC = 0.703), QT (AUC = 0.769) duration were independently associated with the presence of low T1 on CMR at multivariate analysis. An ECG-based nomogram including these four parameters was accurate in identifying patients with CMR evidence of glycosphingolipid storage (c-index of the derived-nomogram = 0.90 in the test group; 0.81 in the validation group).

CONCLUSION

We propose a practical ECG-based nomogram accurately estimating the probability to detect low T1 values by CMR in FD patients. The application of this tool in clinical practice could improve early detection of FD cardiac involvement.

Pathology and pathogenic pathways in fabry nephropathy

BACKGROUND

The pathophysiology of renal damage in Fabry nephropathy involves a complex biological mechanism. The intracellular deposition globotriaosylceramide (Gb3) is just the first step of the mechanism. The glycolipid deposition occurs in all renal cells (endothelial, epithelial and mesangial cells). It stimulates many biological processes, including cytokine release, epithelial-mesenchymal transdifferentiation, oxidative stress and the remodelling of vascular walls, resulting in subtle initial inflammation and eventually tissue fibrosis. It has been hypothesized that the processes activated by Gb3 deposition can subsequently progress independently of cellular deposition and that even Gb3 clearance by specific therapy cannot retard or stop these pathways.

AIM

This review aims to gather the reported evidence of these cellular alterations and the resulting histological changes. Our approach is similar to a routine study of kidney biopsy.

RESULTS

In the first part of the review, "histology" section, we describe the structures involved (glomeruli, vessels, tubules and interstitium) from a histological point of view. While in the second part, "pathogenesis" section, we present some interpretations about the implicated pathways based on the up-to-date available evidence.

Design of assessment tool for unplanned endotracheal extubation of artificial airway patients

Aim

Unplanned endotracheal extubation (UEE) is one of the most common adverse events reported in patients with artificial airway. Current research in UEE is mostly limited to the summary of risk factors and analysis of prevention strategies. The aim of the study was to develop an assessment tool for medical staff to assess the risk of unplanned extubation in endotracheal intubation patients.

Design

The design was a qualitative study.

Methods

Based on literature review, group discussion, pre‐investigation, the initial risk assessment scale on unplanned extubation for endotracheal intubation patients was established. Fifteen experts from thirteen tertiary‐A hospitals across eight provinces participated in two rounds of Delphi panel.

Results

The risk assessment tool on unplanned extubation for endotracheal intubation patients was established by the Delphi method. It was composed of 11 indicators, which got agreement among two rounds panel.

Outcomes of Kidney Transplantation in Fabry Disease: A Meta-Analysis

Background: Fabry disease (FD) is a rare X-linked lysosomal storage disorder with progressive systemic deposition of globotriaosylceramide, leading to life-threatening cardiac, central nervous system, and kidney disease. Current therapy involves symptomatic medical management, enzyme replacement therapy (ERT), dialysis, kidney transplantation, and, more recently, gene therapy. The aim of this systematic review was to assess outcomes of kidney transplantation among patients with FD. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted utilizing MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Database, from inception through to 28 February 2020, to identify studies that evaluate outcomes of kidney transplantation including patient and allograft survival among kidney transplant patients with FD. Effect estimates from each study were extracted and combined using the random-effects generic inverse variance method of DerSimonian and Laird. Results: In total, 11 studies, including 424 kidney transplant recipients with FD, were enrolled. The post-transplant median follow-up time ranged from 3 to 11.5 years. Overall, the pooled estimated rates of all-cause graft failure, graft failure before death, and allograft rejection were 32.5% (95%CI: 23.9%–42.5%), 14.5% (95%CI: 8.4%–23.7%), and 20.2% (95%CI: 15.4%–25.9%), respectively. In the sensitivity analysis, limited only to the recent studies (year 2001 or newer when ERT became available), the pooled estimated rates of all-cause graft failure, graft failure before death, and allograft rejection were 28.1% (95%CI: 20.5%–37.3%), 11.7% (95%CI: 8.4%–16.0%), and 20.2% (95%CI: 15.5%–26.0%), respectively. The pooled estimated rate of biopsy proven FD recurrence was 11.1% (95%CI: 3.6%–29.4%), respectively. There are no significant differences in the risks of all-cause graft failure (p = 0.10) or mortality (0.48) among recipients with vs. without FD. Conclusions: Despite possible FD recurrence after transplantation of 11.1%, allograft and patient survival are comparable among kidney transplant recipients with vs. without FD.