Highlights Dexamethasone, or alternative steroids, are recommended in severe COVID-19. The use of tocilizumab in COVID-19, with or without steroids, is still controversial. Risk for mortality was assessed in 186 COVID-19 patients receiving tocilizumab. Mortality was associated with older age, chronic heart failure and liver disease. In tocilizumab-treated patients, the additional use of steroids was beneficial.

No abstract

Background: The current standard of care immunosuppressive regimen in kidney transplantation (KT) includes a combination of mycophenolates (MMF/MPA) with a calcineurin inhibitor (CNI). Methods:We designed a systematic review including all randomized clinical trials (RCTs) assessing the outcomes in KT recipients receiving mTORi+CNI compared with regimens containing MMF/MPA or azathioprine with CNI.Results: A total of 24 studies with 7356 participants were included. The comparison of mTORi-CNI versus MMF/MPA-CNI did not show differences in acute rejection, mortality or graft loss rates. Better graft function was observed using MMF/MPA-CNI than using mTORi+CNI, but this difference was not evident when the mTORi was associated with reduced dose CNI in more recent studies with everolimus.Dyslipidemia, lymphoceles and impaired wound healing were more frequent with mTORi-CNI and diarrhea and leukopenia more frequent with MMF/MPA-CNI. Viral infections at any time and malignant neoplasia beyond 2 years were less frequent with mTORi-CNI. Rates of discontinuation due to adverse effects in the mTORi groups varied between 17% and 46% compared to 0-26.6% in MMF/MPA groups. The current use of lower mTORi dosage has decreased discontinuation rates. Conclusions:Efficacy is similar with mTORi+CNI and MMF/MPA-CNI. The safety profile is the predominant difference between the two regimens.

Tumor-specific T cell responses are strongly impaired in CNI-treated patients but recover after mTOR-i conversion, reducing SCC relapses.