Communicable Diseases Prioritized for Surveillance and Epidemiological Research: Results of a Standardized Prioritization Procedure in Germany, 2011.

PLoS One. 2011;6(10):e25691

Authors: Balabanova Y, Gilsdorf A, Buda S, Burger R, Eckmanns T, Gärtner B, Groß U, Haas W, Hamouda O, Hübner J, Jänisch T, Kist M, Kramer MH, Ledig T, Mielke M, Pulz M, Stark K, Suttorp N, Ulbrich U, Wichmann O, Krause G

Abstract
INTRODUCTION: To establish strategic priorities for the German national public health institute (RKI) and guide the institute's mid-term strategic decisions, we prioritized infectious pathogens in accordance with their importance for national surveillance and epidemiological research. METHODS: We used the Delphi process with internal (RKI) and external experts and a metric-consensus approach to score pathogens according to ten three-tiered criteria. Additional experts were invited to weight each criterion, leading to the calculation of a median weight by which each score was multiplied. We ranked the pathogens according to the total weighted score and divided them into four priority groups. RESULTS: 127 pathogens were scored. Eighty-six experts participated in the weighting; "Case fatality rate" was rated as the most important criterion. Twenty-six pathogens were ranked in the highest priority group; among those were pathogens with internationally recognised importance (e.g., Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Influenza virus, Hepatitis C virus, Neisseria meningitides), pathogens frequently causing large outbreaks (e.g., Campylobacter spp.), and nosocomial pathogens associated with antimicrobial resistance. Other pathogens in the highest priority group included Helicobacter pylori, Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Varicella zoster virus and Hantavirus. DISCUSSION: While several pathogens from the highest priority group already have a high profile in national and international health policy documents, high scores for other pathogens (e.g., Helicobacter pylori, Respiratory syncytial virus or Hantavirus) indicate a possible under-recognised importance within the current German public health framework. A process to strengthen respective surveillance systems and research has been started. The prioritization methodology has worked well; its modular structure makes it potentially useful for other settings.

PMID: 21991334 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Efficacy of a tyrosine kinase inhibitor in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

N Engl J Med. 2011 Sep 22;365(12):1079-87

Authors: Richeldi L, Costabel U, Selman M, Kim DS, Hansell DM, Nicholson AG, Brown KK, Flaherty KR, Noble PW, Raghu G, Brun M, Gupta A, Juhel N, Klüglich M, du Bois RM

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive lung disease with a high mortality rate. Because the signaling pathways activated by several tyrosine kinase receptors have been shown to be involved in lung fibrosis, it has been suggested that the inhibition of these receptors may slow the progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
METHODS: In a 12-month, phase 2 trial, we assessed the efficacy and safety of four different oral doses of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor BIBF 1120 as compared with placebo in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The primary end point was the annual rate of decline in forced vital capacity (FVC). Secondary end points included acute exacerbations, quality of life (measured with the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire [SGRQ]), and total lung capacity. ResulTS: A total of 432 patients underwent randomization to receive one of four doses of BIBF 1120 (50 mg once a day, 50 mg twice a day, 100 mg twice a day, or 150 mg twice a day) or placebo. In the group receiving 150 mg of BIBF 1120 twice a day, FVC declined by 0.06 liters per year, as compared with 0.19 liters per year in the placebo group, a 68.4% reduction in the rate of loss with BIBF 1120 (P = 0.06 with the closed testing procedure for multiplicity correction; P = 0.01 with the hierarchical testing procedure). This dose also resulted in a lower incidence of acute exacerbations, as compared with placebo (2.4 vs. 15.7 per 100 patient-years, P = 0.02) and a small decrease in the SGRQ score (assessed on a scale of 0 to 100, with lower scores indicating better quality of life) as compared with an increase with placebo (-0.66 vs. 5.46, P = 0.007). Gastrointestinal symptoms (which led to more discontinuations in the group receiving 150 mg twice a day than in the placebo group) and increases in levels of liver aminotransferases were more frequent in the group receiving 150 mg of BIBF 1120 twice daily than in the placebo group.
CONCLUSIONS: In patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, BIBF 1120 at a dose of 150 mg twice daily, as compared with placebo, was associated with a trend toward a reduction in the decline in lung function, with fewer acute exacerbations and preserved quality of life. (Funded by Boehringer Ingelheim; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00514683 .).

PMID: 21992121 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Systematic review: the relationship between interstitial lung diseases and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease.

Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2011 Oct 17;

Authors: Hershcovici T, Jha LK, Johnson T, Gerson L, Stave C, Malo J, Knox KS, Quan S, Fass R

Abstract
Background  A potential relationship has been suggested between gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and interstitial lung diseases (ILDs). Aim  To evaluate whether there is a causal relationship between GERD and different ILDs. Methods  We conducted a systematic search of literature published between 1980 and 2010. After a review by two independent authors, each study was assigned an evidence-based rating according to a standard scoring system. Results  We identified 319 publications and 22 of them met the entry criteria. Of those, the relationship between GERD and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) was investigated in 14 articles, pulmonary involvement in systemic sclerosis (SSc) in six articles and pulmonary involvement in mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) in two articles. We found the prevalence of GERD and/or oesophageal dysmotility to be higher in patients with different types of ILD as compared with those without ILD [Evidence B]. Among patients with IPF, 67-76% demonstrated abnormal oesophageal acid exposure off PPI treatment. No relationship was demonstrated between severity of GERD and severity of IPF [Evidence B]. Data are scant on outcomes of antireflux treatment in patients with IPF. There is a correlation between the severity of ILD and the degree of oesophageal motor impairment in patients with SSc and MCTD [Evidence B]. Conclusions  Based on the currently available data, a causal relationship between GERD and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis cannot be established. There is scant evidence about antireflux therapy in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients. There may be an association between lung and oesophageal involvement in systemic sclerosis and mixed connective tissue disease, but a causal relationship cannot be established.

PMID: 21999527 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]