Lancet
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Chagas disease is an anthropozoonosis from the American continent that has spread from its original boundaries through migration. It is caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, which was identified in the first decade of the 20th century. Once acute infection resolves, patients can develop chronic disease, which in up to 30-40% of cases is characterised by cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, megaviscera, and, more rarely, polyneuropathy and stroke. ⋯ In particular, the efficacy and tolerability profile of therapeutic agents is far from ideal. Furthermore, the population affected is older and more complex (eg, immunosuppressed patients and patients with cancer). Nevertheless, in recent years, our knowledge of Chagas disease has expanded, and the international networking needed to change the course of this deadly disease during the 21st century has begun.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Daytime variation of perioperative myocardial injury in cardiac surgery and its prevention by Rev-Erbα antagonism: a single-centre propensity-matched cohort study and a randomised study.
On-pump cardiac surgery provokes a predictable perioperative myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion injury which is associated with poor clinical outcomes. We determined the occurrence of time-of-the-day variation in perioperative myocardial injury in patients undergoing aortic valve replacement and its molecular mechanisms. ⋯ Fondation de France, Fédération Française de Cardiologie, EU-FP7-Eurhythdia, Agence Nationale pour la Recherche ANR-10-LABX-46, and CPER-Centre Transdisciplinaire de Recherche sur la Longévité.
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Coeliac disease occurs in about 1% of people in most populations. Diagnosis rates are increasing, and this seems to be due to a true rise in incidence rather than increased awareness and detection. Coeliac disease develops in genetically susceptible individuals who, in response to unknown environmental factors, develop an immune response that is subsequently triggered by the ingestion of gluten. ⋯ Diagnosis requires the presence of duodenal villous atrophy, and most patients have circulating antibodies against tissue transglutaminase; in children, European guidelines allow a diagnosis without a duodenal biopsy provided that strict symptomatic and serological criteria are met. Although a gluten-free diet is an effective treatment in most individuals, a substantial minority develop persistent or recurrent symptoms. Difficulties adhering to a gluten-free diet have led to the development of non-dietary therapies, several of which are undergoing trials in human beings.