European journal of internal medicine
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Jun 2020
Computed tomography assessment of evolution of interstitial lung disease in systemic sclerosis: Comparison of two scoring systems.
The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the internal and external responsiveness of a computed-aided method (CaM) with a conventional visual reader-based score (CoVR) to measure interstitial lung disease (ILD) in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) on high resolution computed tomography (HRCT). ⋯ Quantitative analysis of CaM was more responsive than the CoVR method to accurately evaluate and monitor SSc-ILD progression or response to therapy.
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Jun 2020
Efficacy and safety of tocilizumab in severe COVID-19 patients: a single-centre retrospective cohort study.
Tocilizumab (TCZ), a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting the interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor, has been proposed for the treatment of COVID-19 patients; however, limited data are available on the safety and efficacy. ⋯ At day 28, clinical improvement and mortality were not statistically different between tocilizumab and standard treatment patients in our cohort. Bacterial or fungal infections were recorded in 13% of tocilizumab patients and in 12% of standard treatment patients. Confirmation of efficacy and safety will require ongoing controlled trials.