Republication of "Evidence Versus Practice: Operative Treatment Preferences in Hallux Valgus"

Background

There is substantial variability in the operative treatment of hallux valgus despite the existence of high quality evidence to guide treatment decisions. The purpose of this study was to determine the current trends in the treatment of mild, moderate, and severe hallux valgus and if greater degrees of consensus correlate with the presence of higher-level evidence.

Methods

Members of the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society completed a 14-item survey. A total of 131 (14%) of 922 members completed the survey. Three cases representing 3 stages of HV were presented, and respondents selected their preferred treatment. Preferred forms of proximal and distal metatarsal osteotomies, as well as mode of fixation for each, were inquired.

Results

In the treatment of mild hallux valgus without second metatarsalgia, 80% of those surveyed chose a distal metatarsal osteotomy, while, if second metatarsalgia was present, 56% chose a distal metatarsal osteotomy with a second metatarsal-shortening osteotomy. In the treatment of moderate hallux valgus, there was generally less consensus, while, in the treatment of severe hallux valgus, a majority of those surveyed chose a Lapidus procedure, with the addition of a second metatarsal-shortening osteotomy in the presence of second metatarsalgia. The most popular distal and proximal metatarsal osteotomies, respectively, were chevron osteotomy (80%) and opening wedge osteotomy (33%). The presence of Level I evidence did not significantly correlate with higher degrees of consensus.

Conclusion

Despite the existence of high-quality evidence supporting the use of certain procedures in the treatment of HV, there exists an apparent lack of consensus among surgeons about the choice of surgical procedures. Moreover, higher-level evidence was not correlated with greater consensus in hallux valgus.

Level of Evidence

Level II.

An Adjudication Protocol for Severe Pneumonia

Background

Clinical end points that constitute successful treatment in severe pneumonia are difficult to ascertain and vulnerable to bias. The utility of a protocolized adjudication procedure to determine meaningful end points in severe pneumonia has not been well described.

Methods

This was a single-center prospective cohort study of patients with severe pneumonia admitted to the medical intensive care unit. The objective was to develop an adjudication protocol for severe bacterial and/or viral pneumonia. Each episode of pneumonia was independently reviewed by 2 pulmonary and critical care physicians. If a discrepancy occurred between the 2 adjudicators, a third adjudicator reviewed the case. If a discrepancy remained after all 3 adjudications, consensus was achieved through committee review.

Results

Evaluation of 784 pneumonia episodes during 593 hospitalizations achieved only 48.1% interobserver agreement between the first 2 adjudicators and 78.8% when agreement was defined as concordance between 2 of 3 adjudicators. Multiple episodes of pneumonia and presence of bacterial/viral coinfection in the initial pneumonia episode were associated with lower interobserver agreement. For an initial episode of bacterial pneumonia, patients with an adjudicated day 7-8 clinical impression of cure (compared with alternative impressions) were more likely to be discharged alive (odds ratio, 6.3; 95% CI, 3.5-11.6).

Conclusions

A comprehensive adjudication protocol to identify clinical end points in severe pneumonia resulted in only moderate interobserver agreement. An adjudicated end point of clinical cure by day 7-8 was associated with more favorable hospital discharge dispositions, suggesting that clinical cure by day 7-8 may be a valid end point to use in adjudication protocols.

Risk Factors Associated with the Severity of COVID-19

The case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has become a global crisis. In addition, more variants of the virus have been discovered with easier transmission and more harmful effects. Thus, understanding the risk factors associated with the susceptibility and severity of COVID-19 is critical for disease control. This review article aims to describe the risk factors associated with the severity of COVID-19. This study uses the article review method from research results obtained through searching the journal sites Google Scholar, PubMed, ProQuest and ScientDirect in the 2020-2021 period. To find articles that match the inclusion criteria we used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) strategy. A total of nine studies met the inclusion criteria for this review. These nine studies were assessed for quality, data extraction and synthesis. Risk factors that contribute to the severity of COVID-19 are age, gender, chronic comorbidities, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, kidney failure, cancer and a history of smoking. New findings, unvaccinated patients are at higher risk of severity. Risk factors associated with the severity of COVID-19 include a person's individual characteristics, co-morbidities, smoking history and unvaccinated.

Case report: reuse of tirofiban leads to very severe thrombocytopenia

Background

Telofiban is a class of small molecule non-peptide tyrosine derivatives containing RGD sequences. It is the only platelet surface glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa receptor antagonist (GPI) currently marketed in China. In patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction(STEMI) who receive percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with a heavy thrombotic load, postoperative intravenous tirofiban can prevent complications of myocardial ischemia due to sudden coronary artery occlusion. With the increase in the clinical use of tirofiban, the number of adverse reactions related to thrombocytopenia induced by tirofiban has gradually increased. Still, most of them have thrombocytopenia after the first use. We report one case of very severe thrombocytopenia following the reuse of tirofiban.

Case summary

A 65-year-old man of Han nationality, 170 cm in height, 85 kg in weight, and 29.4 BMI, suffered from cerebral infarction 13 years ago and left with right limb movement disorder. Five days before this hospitalization, the patient underwent PCI, and three stents were implanted. After the operation, anti-platelet tirofiban and nadroparin calcium were given, and no thrombocytopenia was found. The patient still retains 80% stenosis due to anterior descending branches and plans to undergo PCI again half a month later. The patient with a history of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, diabetic nephropathy, and cerebral infarction usually took 100 mg of aspirin and 75 mg of clopidogrel, antiplatelet therapy, and had no history of food and drug allergy. One day after discharge, the patient suddenly felt chest tightness and wheezing. The laboratory showed hypersensitivity troponin 2.85 ng/ml (normal 0-0.0268 ng/ml), and the admission ECG showed ST-T changes in leads I, aVL, V5-V6. On the 6th day of hospitalization, PCI was performed, a stent was implanted in the proximal section of the anterior descending branch opening, and tirofiban(10 ug/kg, 3 min bolus, then 0.1 ug/kg/min) antiplatelet therapy was given after surgery. About 10 min after the tirofiban infusion, the patient suddenly shivered, accompanied by convulsions, accompanied by elevated body temperature (up to 39.4°C), accompanied by epistaxis and microscopic hematuria. An urgent blood test showed that the platelets dropped to 1 × 109/L, tirofiban and aspirin stopped immediately, and the antiplatelet therapy of clopidogrel was retained. After infusion of methylprednisolone sodium succinate and gamma globulin, the patient's platelets gradually recovered, and the patient was successfully discharged seven days later in stable condition.

Conclusion

This case is typical of severe thrombocytopenia caused by reusing tirofiban. This case may provide new insights into: 1. Patients who did not have thrombocytopenia after the first use of tirofiban may still have extremely severe thrombocytopenia after re-exposure to tirofiban. Routine platelet count monitoring and early identification of thrombocytopenia are the essential links. 2. Thrombocytopenia caused by re-exposure to tirofiban may have a faster onset, deeper degree, and slower recovery due to antibodies retained after the first exposure to tirofiban; 3. Platelet transfusions may not be necessary for patients with severe thrombocytopenia; 4. Immunosuppressants help suppress the body's immune response, promote platelet recovery, and can be reduced or discontinued when platelets rise and may be safe; 5. After tirofiban for PCI, continuing the maintenance dose of clopidogrel may be safe if the patient has no significant bleeding events.

Workers' Perspectives on Workplace Disclosure of Serious Mental Illness and Their Employers' Responses

Persons with serious mental illness are often reluctant to disclose their disability to an employer because of the intense stigma associated with their illness. Yet, disclosure may be desirable to gain access to employer-provided job accommodations, or to achieve other goals. In this article, we aimed to (1) describe the contexts in which workers in regular employment disclose a mental illness to their employer and (2) describe employer responses to disclosure, as perceived by the workers themselves. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 40 workers, who were currently or formerly employed in a mainstream, regular job, post-onset of mental illness. Workers were asked to describe the circumstances that led to disclosure, and to describe their employers' responses to disclosure. Conventional content analysis was applied to identify common themes in the transcribed interviews. Analyses revealed five mutually exclusive disclosure contexts: seeking job accommodations, seeking protection, seeking understanding, responding to an employer's symptom-based inquiries, or being exposed by a third party or event. Analyses also revealed a wider range of employer responses-positive, negative, and ambiguous-than has been suggested by studies in which employers described their reactions to worker disclosure. Some themes were more prevalent among current versus former workers. Overall, the disclosure process appeared to be more complex than has been described by extant frameworks to date, and the linkages between disclosure contexts and employer response themes suggested that many workers did not receive the responses they were seeking from their employers.

Characteristics of people seeking consultation after progressing to severe dementia: A mixed-method analysis

OBJECTIVES

This explores the characteristics of patients with worsening dementia who did not receive a specialized medical examination or care.

METHODS

This study utilized a mixed methods analysis. Of the 2712 people who received the Mini Mental State of Examination (MMSE) at the Community Consultation Center for Citizens with MCI and Dementia between December 2007 and December 2019, 1413 people who scored 23 points or less were included. Participants were categorized into mild, moderate, and severe groups, based on their MMSE scores. Participants' characteristics-gender, age, presence or absence of an escort, demographics, family type, and presence or absence of a family doctor-were compared between the groups. To further understand the severe group's characteristics, clinical psychologists recorded consultation forms were categorized.

RESULTS

More than 80% of the patients in each group had a family doctor. Moreover, all the severe groups had escorts, and the role of family members and supporters was important for the consultation. In the severe group, 29 patients had never received specialized medical care. Their characteristics were coded "non-existence" (fewer people or opportunities to notice their needs), "connection failure" (a lack of access or connections to consultations), and "evaluation failure" (not recognized as a problem requiring consultation).

CONCLUSIONS

It is necessary to improve primary physician education, disseminate knowledge, and raise awareness about dementia, besides building and strengthening networks to alleviate the isolation of dementia patients and their families. The psychological aspects of family members' denial regarding their family members with dementia must be addressed through intervention.

Multidimensional Machine Learning for Assessing Parameters Associated With COVID-19 in Vietnam: Validation Study

BACKGROUND

Machine learning (ML) is a type of artificial intelligence strategy. Its algorithms are used on big data sets to see patterns, learn from their results, and perform tasks autonomously without being instructed on how to address problems. New diseases like COVID-19 provide important data for ML. Therefore, all relevant parameters should be explicitly quantified and modeled.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to determine (1) the overall preclinical characteristics, (2) the cumulative cutoff values and risk ratios (RRs), and (3) the factors associated with COVID-19 severity in unidimensional and multidimensional analyses involving 2173 SARS-CoV-2 patients.

METHODS

The study population consisted of 2173 patients (1587 mild status [mild group] and asymptomatic patients, 377 moderate status patients [moderate group], and 209 severe status patients [severe group]). The status of the patients was recorded from September 2021 to March 2022. Two correlation tests, relative risk, and RR were used to eliminate unbalanced parameters and select the most remarkable parameters. The independent methods of hierarchical cluster analysis and k-means were used to classify parameters according to their r values. Finally, network analysis provided a 3-dimensional view of the results.

RESULTS

COVID-19 severity was significantly correlated with age (mild-moderate group: RR 4.19, 95% CI 3.58-4.95; P<.001), scoring index of chest x-ray (mild-moderate group: RR 3.29, 95% CI 2.76-3.92; P<.001; moderate-severe group: RR 3.03, 95% CI 2.4023-3.8314; P<.001), percentage of neutrophils (mild-moderate group: RR 3.18, 95% CI 2.73-3.70; P<.001; moderate-severe group: RR 3.32, 95% CI 2.6480-4.1529; P<.001), quantity of neutrophils (moderate-severe group: RR 3.15, 95% CI 2.6153-3.8025; P<.001), albumin (moderate-severe group: RR 0.46, 95% CI 0.3650-0.5752; P<.001), C-reactive protein (mild-moderate group: RR 3.4, 95% CI 2.91-3.97; P<.001), and ratio of lymphocytes (moderate-severe group: RR 0.34, 95% CI 0.2743-0.4210; P<.001). Significant inversion of correlations among the severity groups is important. Alanine transaminase and leucocytes showed a significant negative correlation (r=-1; P<.001) in the mild group and a significant positive correlation in the moderate group (r=1; P<.001). Transferrin and anion Cl showed a significant positive correlation (r=1; P<.001) in the mild group and a significant negative correlation in the moderate group (r=-0.59; P<.001). The clustering and network analysis showed that in the mild-moderate group, the closest neighbors of COVID-19 severity were ferritin and age. C-reactive protein, scoring index of chest x-ray, albumin, and lactate dehydrogenase were the next closest neighbors of these 3 factors. In the moderate-severe group, the closest neighbors of COVID-19 severity were ferritin, fibrinogen, albumin, quantity of lymphocytes, scoring index of chest x-ray, white blood cell count, lactate dehydrogenase, and quantity of neutrophils.

CONCLUSIONS

This multidimensional study in Vietnam showed possible correlations between several elements and COVID-19 severity to provide clinical reference markers for surveillance and diagnostic management.

Severe and Very Severe Myalgic Encephalopathy/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ME/CFS in Norway: Symptom Burden and Access to Care

There is a striking lack of systematic knowledge regarding the symptom burden, capacity for activities of daily living, and supportive measures for the most severely ill ME/CFS patients. The present study seeks to address this through a national, Internet-based survey targeting patients with severe and very severe ME/CFS and their carers. Responses from 491 patients were included, with 444 having severe and 47 very severe ME/CFS with the classification based on the best estimate from patient responses. In addition, 95 respondents were reclassified from patients' own classification to moderate and included for comparison. The onset was before 15 years of age for 45% in the very severe and 32% in the severe group. Disease duration was more than 15 years for 19% in the very severe and 27% in the severe group. Patient symptom burden was extensive. The most severely affected were totally bedridden, unable to talk, and experienced dramatic worsening of symptoms after minimal activity or sensory stimuli. Care and assistance from healthcare and social services were often described as insufficient or inadequate, often worsening the symptom load and burden of care. A substantial lack of disease knowledge among healthcare providers in general was reported. Yet approximately 60% in the severe and very severe groups found services provided by occupational therapists and family doctors (general practitioners) helpful, while a smaller proportion experienced appropriate help from other health personnel groups. This indicates that help and support are highly needed and possible to provide. On the other hand, this must be approached carefully, as a substantial number of patients experienced deterioration from contact with healthcare personnel. Family carers described an extensive burden of care with often inadequate help from healthcare providers or municipal authorities. Patient care by family members of very severe ME/CFS patients constituted more than 40 h a week for 71% of this patient group. The carers described a large negative impact on their work and financial situation, and on their mental wellbeing. We conclude that childhood onset was common, burden of disease was extensive, and support from responsible societal health and social support providers was commonly grossly inadequate.

Plasma Proteomic Variables Related to COVID-19 Severity: An Untargeted nLC-MS/MS Investigation

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection leads to a wide range of clinical manifestations and determines the need for personalized and precision medicine. To better understand the biological determinants of this heterogeneity, we explored the plasma proteome of 43 COVID-19 patients with different outcomes by an untargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry approach. The comparison between asymptomatic or pauci-symptomatic subjects (MILDs), and hospitalised patients in need of oxygen support therapy (SEVEREs) highlighted 29 proteins emerged as differentially expressed: 12 overexpressed in MILDs and 17 in SEVEREs. Moreover, a supervised analysis based on a decision-tree recognised three proteins (Fetuin-A, Ig lambda-2chain-C-region, Vitronectin) that are able to robustly discriminate between the two classes independently from the infection stage. In silico functional annotation of the 29 deregulated proteins pinpointed several functions possibly related to the severity; no pathway was associated exclusively to MILDs, while several only to SEVEREs, and some associated to both MILDs and SEVEREs; SARS-CoV-2 signalling pathway was significantly enriched by proteins up-expressed in SEVEREs (SAA1/2, CRP, HP, LRG1) and in MILDs (GSN, HRG). In conclusion, our analysis could provide key information for 'proteomically' defining possible upstream mechanisms and mediators triggering or limiting the domino effect of the immune-related response and characterizing severe exacerbations.

Parameters to Predict the Outcome of Severe and Critical COVID-19 Patients when Admitted to the Hospital

Manifestations of COVID-19 are diverse and range from asymptomatic to severe, critical illness and death. Cases requiring hospital care (in severe and critical illnesses) are associated with comorbidities and hyperactivation of the immune system. Therefore, in this exploratory observational study, we analyzed which parameters are associated with mortality. We evaluated: demographic characteristics (age, sex and comorbidities), laboratory data (albumin, leukocytes, lymphocytes, platelets, ferritin), days of hospital stay, interleukins (IL-2, IL-6, IL-7, IL-10, IL-17) and sP-selectin in 40 Mexican patients admitted to medical emergencies with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19, a complete clinical record, and who signed the informed consent. Twenty severe (they required intermediate care with non-invasive ventilation) and twenty critically ill patients (they required mechanical ventilation) were classified, and these were subsequently compared with healthy and recovered subjects. A significant difference was found between the hospitalized groups in the parameters of age, ferritin, days of hospital stay and death with p values = 0.0145, p = 0.0441, p = 0.0001 and p = 0.0001, respectively. In the determination of cytokines and P-selectin, a significant difference was found between the following groups: recovered patients and healthy volunteers compared with hospitalized patients in severe and critical condition. Importantly, IL-7 remained elevated one year later in recovered patients. Taken together, these values determined at the time of hospital admission could be useful to monitor patients closely and evaluate in-hospital progress, hospital discharge, and out-of-hospital progress.

Unusual blood smear with multiple stages of plasmodium falciparum infection and intraleukocytic malaria pigments in an expatriate with severe malaria and delayed clearance of parasites

A French expatriate in Ethiopia presented with severe Plasmodium falciparum infection. The blood smear was remarkable associating multiple stages of parasites including circulating schizonts with a high rate of intraleukocytic malaria pigments. Under artesunate treatment, without polymorphism in PfK13 gene, delayed clearance of parasites occurred, probably following the massive merogony.

A Delayed Diagnosis of Myxedema Coma

A 58-year-old man without any personal or familial cardiac history presented to the emergency department with complaints of worsening left-sided chest pain that began at rest, described as a burning sensation and escalating to a 9/10 severity. He denied any personal or familial cardiac history but admitted that he had not been medically evaluated in approximately five years. His physical examination was notable for obesity, xerosis, macroglossia, and bilateral lower extremity edema. His initial labs demonstrated critical troponin levels that peaked at 11.5 ng/mL and he was diagnosed with a myocardial infarction and underwent cardiac catheterization with percutaneous stenting of the left anterior descending artery. His post-operative period was complicated by prolonged lethargy that was determined to be myxedema coma two days later when his thyroid stimulating hormone level was found to be 78 mIU/mL.

Case report: A novel FARS2 deletion and a missense variant in a child with complicated, rapidly progressive spastic paraplegia

Defects in FARS2 are associated with either epileptic phenotypes or a spastic paraplegia subtype known as SPG77. Here, we describe an 8-year-old patient with severe and complicated spastic paraplegia, carrying a missense variant (p.Pro361Leu) and a novel intragenic deletion in FARS2. Of note, the disease is unexpectedly progressing rapidly and in a biphasic way differently from the previously reported cases. Our study provides the first detailed molecular characterization of a FARS2 deletion and its underlying molecular mechanism, and demonstrates the need for combining different tools to improve the diagnostic rate.

Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 1 Polymorphisms and Lipid Profile in Mexican Patients With COVID-19

BACKGROUND/AIM

Renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is present in a diverse type of cells and plays an important role in lung physiology and pathophysiology. Angiotensin converting enzymes (ACE) are part of the RAS system. There are still controversies about the association of I/D polymorphisms of ACE1 with COVID-19 severity. The goal of the study was to determine whether there is an association of the I/D polymorphism with severity of COVID-19 in Mexican patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The study included voluntary participants: 53 healthy individuals negative to RT-PCR COVID-19 (control), and 165 patients positive to COVID-19. Severity was defined by the need of hospitalization, invasive ventilation, shock, or multiple organ failure. The patient group consisted of 28 asymptomatic, 82 with mild, and 55 with severe COVID-19. I/D polymorphism was determined by PCR. Rutinary laboratory tests were performed in all the participants.

RESULTS

DD polymorphism was significantly associated with severe COVID-19, independently of comorbidities, or any other variable. Receiver operator characteristic curves demonstrated association of low total cholesterol, low high-density lipoproteins, and high c-reactive protein with severity of COVID-19.

CONCLUSION

The DD polymorphism was associated with the course of the infection and severity of COVID-19 in a sample of Mexican patients.

Association between vitamin D deficiency and diabetic foot ulcer wound in diabetic subjects: A meta-analysis

A meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the association between vitamin D deficiency and diabetic foot ulcer wounds in diabetic subjects. A systematic literature search up to March 2022 incorporated 7586 subjects with diabetes mellitus at the beginning of the study; 1565 were using diabetic subjects with foot ulcer wounds, and 6021 were non-ulcerated diabetic subjects. Statistical tools like the dichotomous and contentious method were used within a random or fixed-influence model to establish the odds ratio (OR) and mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to evaluate the influence of vitamin D deficiency in managing diabetic foot ulcer wound. Diabetic subjects with foot ulcer wounds had significantly lower vitamin D levels (MD, -6.48; 95% CI, -10.84 to -2.11, P < .004), higher prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (<50 nmoL/L) (OR, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.32-2.52, P < .001), and higher prevalence of severe vitamin D deficiency (OR, 2.53; 95% CI, 1.65-3.89, P < .001) compared with non-ulcerated diabetic subjects. Diabetic subjects with foot ulcer wounds had significantly lower vitamin D levels, higher prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, and higher prevalence of severe vitamin D deficiency compared with non-ulcerated diabetic subjects. Further studies are required to validate these findings.

Expert review of global real-world data on COVID-19 vaccine booster effectiveness and safety during the omicron-dominant phase of the pandemic

INTRODUCTION

COVID-19 vaccines have been highly effective in reducing morbidity and mortality during the pandemic. However, the emergence of the Omicron variant and subvariants as the globally dominant strains have raised doubts about the effectiveness of currently available vaccines and prompted debate about potential future vaccination strategies.

AREAS COVERED

Using the publicly available IVAC VIEW-hub platform, we reviewed 52 studies on vaccine effectiveness (VE) after booster vaccinations. VE were reported for SARS-CoV-2 symptomatic infection, severe disease and death and stratified by vaccine schedule and age. In addition, a non-systematic literature review of safety was performed to identify single or multi-country studies investigating adverse event rates for at least two of the currently available COVID-19 vaccines.

EXPERT OPINION

Booster shots of the current COVID-19 vaccines provide consistently high protection against Omicron-related severe disease and death. Additionally, this protection appears to be conserved for at least 3 months, with a small but significant waning after that. The positive risk-benefit ratio of these vaccines is well established, giving us confidence to administer additional doses as required. Future vaccination strategies will likely include a combination of schedules based on risk profile, as overly frequent boosting may be neither beneficial nor sustainable for the general population.

Identifying key genes related to inflammasome in severe COVID-19 patients based on a joint model with random forest and artificial neural network

Background

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been spreading astonishingly and caused catastrophic losses worldwide. The high mortality of severe COVID-19 patients is an serious problem that needs to be solved urgently. However, the biomarkers and fundamental pathological mechanisms of severe COVID-19 are poorly understood. The aims of this study was to explore key genes related to inflammasome in severe COVID-19 and their potential molecular mechanisms using random forest and artificial neural network modeling.

Methods

Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in severe COVID-19 were screened from GSE151764 and GSE183533 via comprehensive transcriptome Meta-analysis. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks and functional analyses were conducted to identify molecular mechanisms related to DEGs or DEGs associated with inflammasome (IADEGs), respectively. Five the most important IADEGs in severe COVID-19 were explored using random forest. Then, we put these five IADEGs into an artificial neural network to construct a novel diagnostic model for severe COVID-19 and verified its diagnostic efficacy in GSE205099.

Results

Using combining P value < 0.05, we obtained 192 DEGs, 40 of which are IADEGs. The GO enrichment analysis results indicated that 192 DEGs were mainly involved in T cell activation, MHC protein complex and immune receptor activity. The KEGG enrichment analysis results indicated that 192 GEGs were mainly involved in Th17 cell differentiation, IL-17 signaling pathway, mTOR signaling pathway and NOD-like receptor signaling pathway. In addition, the top GO terms of 40 IADEGs were involved in T cell activation, immune response-activating signal transduction, external side of plasma membrane and phosphatase binding. The KEGG enrichment analysis results indicated that IADEGs were mainly involved in FoxO signaling pathway, Toll-like receptor, JAK-STAT signaling pathway and Apoptosis. Then, five important IADEGs (AXL, MKI67, CDKN3, BCL2 and PTGS2) for severe COVID-19 were screened by random forest analysis. By building an artificial neural network model, we found that the AUC values of 5 important IADEGs were 0.972 and 0.844 in the train group (GSE151764 and GSE183533) and test group (GSE205099), respectively.

Conclusion

The five genes related to inflammasome, including AXL, MKI67, CDKN3, BCL2 and PTGS2, are important for severe COVID-19 patients, and these molecules are related to the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome. Furthermore, AXL, MKI67, CDKN3, BCL2 and PTGS2 as a marker combination could be used as potential markers to identify severe COVID-19 patients.

Failure of double filtration plasmapheresis to treat severe pemphigus vulgaris: A case report

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a chronic, mucocutaneous, autoimmune bullous disease. Double filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP) may be effective when PV fails to be controlled by conventional corticosteroid treatment. The patient was a 64-year-old man with erythema, blisters, and erosions on his head, face, mouth, trunk, limbs, and scrotum for over a month. He was diagnosed with severe PV, and the original rash area continued to expand after treatment with systemic corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, and intravenous immunoglobulin, with massive exudate and ≥5 new blisters and macules still occurring daily. Subsequently, the patient completed three sessions of DFPP. After the first DFPP, the original erosion surface exudate was significantly reduced and gradually healed. After the second DFPP, the erosion area and exudate increased compared with the previous one. After the third DFPP, the rash did not improve further and had a tendency to continue to progress. During the entire three sessions of DFPP, the patient had new blisters and bullae on his limbs every day. The Nikolsky's sign of the limbs turned negative at the initial stage, and then the trunk and limbs Nikolsky's sign became positive again. The titer of autoantibodies did not decrease significantly after the plasmapheresis. The patient eventually died of secondary lung infection and septic shock. The efficacy of DFPP in this patient with refractory severe PV was poor.

Relation between Cytokine Levels and Pulmonary Dysfunction in COVID-19 Patients: A Case-Control Study

Aim: The study aimed to assess the relationships between serum cytokine levels and pulmonary dysfunctions in individuals with COVID-19. These correlations may help to suggest strategies for prevention and therapies of coronavirus disease. Patients and methods: Fifty healthy participants and one hundred COVID-19 patients participated in this study. COVID-19 participants were subdivided into moderate and severe groups based on the severity of their symptoms. In both patients and healthy controls, white blood cells (WBCs) and lymphocytes counts and serum C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)-1, IL-4, IL-6, IL-18, and IL-35 levels were estimated. All the patients were examined by chest computed tomography (CT) and the COVID-19 Reporting and Data System (CO-RADS) score was assessed. Results: All COVID-19 patients had increased WBCs count and CRP, IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-18, and IL-35 serum levels than healthy controls. Whereas WBCs, CRP, and cytokines like IL-6 showed significantly higher levels in the severe group as compared to moderate patients, IL-4, IL-35, and IL-18 showed comparable levels in both disease groups. Lymphocytes count in all patient groups exhibited a significant decrease as compared to the heathy controls and it was significantly lower in severe COVID-19 than moderate. Furthermore, CO-RADS score was positively connected with WBCs count as well as CRP and cytokine (IL-35, IL-18, IL-6, IL-4 and IL-1β) levels in both groups. CO-RADS score, also demonstrated a positive correlation with lymphocytes count in the moderate COVID-19 patients, whereas it demonstrated a negative correlation in the severe patients. The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis indicated that IL-1β, IL-4, IL-18, and IL-35 were fair (acceptable) predictors for COVID-19 in moderate cases. Whereas IL-6 was good predictor of COVID-19 in severe cases (AUC > 0.800), IL-18 and IL-35 were fair. Conclusion: Severe COVID-19 patients, compared to individuals with moderate illness and healthy controls, had lower lymphocyte counts and increased CRP with greater WBCs counts. In contrast to moderate COVID-19 patients, severe COVID-19 patients had higher levels of IL-6, but IL-4, IL-18, and IL-35 between both illness categories were at close levels. IL-6 level was the most potent predictor of COVID-19 progress and severity. CO-RADS 5 was the most frequent category in both moderate and severe cases. Patients with a typical CO-RADS involvement had a higher CRP and cytokine (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-4, IL-18, and IL-35) levels and WBCs count with a lower lymphocyte number than the others. Cytokine and CRP levels as well as WBCs and lymphocyte counts were considered surrogate markers of severe lung affection and pneumonia in COVID 19 patients.

Factors Associated with 30-Day in-Hospital Mortality Among Patients Admitted with Severe Covid-19 in Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital

Background

COVID-19 has created a burden on the healthcare system globally. Severe COVID-19 is linked with high hospital mortality. Data regarding 30-day in-hospital mortality and its factors has not been explored in southwestern Uganda.

Methods

We carried out a retrospective, single-center cohort study, and included all in-patients with laboratory-confirmed, radiological, or clinical severe COVID-19 admitted between April 2020 and September 2021 at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH). Demographic, laboratory, treatment, and clinical outcome data were extracted from patients' files. These data were described comparing survivors and non-survivors. We used logistic regression to explore the factors associated with 30-day in-hospital mortality.

Results

Of the 283 patients with severe COVID-19 admitted at MRRH COVID-19 unit, 58.1% were male. The mean age ± standard deviation (SD) was 61±17.4 years; there were no differences in mean age between survivors and non-survivors (59 ± 17.2 versus 64.4 ±17.3, respectively, p=0.24) The median length of hospital stay was 7 (IQR 3-10) days (non-survivors had a shorter median length of stay 5 (IQR 2-9) days compared to the survivors; 8 (IQR 5-11) days, p<0.001. The most frequent comorbidities were hypertension (30.5%) and diabetes mellitus (30%). The overall 30-day in-hospital mortality was 134 of 279 (48%) mortality rate of 47,350×105 with a standard error of 2.99%. The factors associated with 30-day in-hospital mortality were age: 65 years and above (aOR, 3.88; 95% CI, 1.24-11.70; P =0.020) a neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio above 5 (aOR, 4.83; 95% CI, 1.53-15.28; P =0.007) and oxygen requirement ≥15L/min (aOR, 15.80; 95% CI, 5.17-48.25; P <0.001).

Conclusion

We found a high 30-day in-hospital mortality among patients with severe forms of COVID-19. The identified factors could help clinicians to identify patients with poor prognosis at an early stage of admission.

Rituximab for the treatment of refractory anti-glomerular basement membrane disease

BACKGROUND

Anti-glomerular basement membrane (anti-GBM) disease is a rare but severe autoantibody-mediated immune disorder. The typical clinical presentation includes rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis and often concurrent pulmonary hemorrhage. The present study is aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of rituximab either used alone or with other immunosuppressants.

METHODS

Eight patients diagnosed with anti-GBM disease and treated with rituximab from 2014 to 2020 were retrospectively reviewed.

RESULTS

Eight patients included 5 males and 3 females with a median age of 58.5 years. They all presented severe kidney injuries and 1 patient had lung hemorrhage. At diagnosis, the median of serum creatinine was 246 µmol/L (ranging from 91 to 850 µmol/L), with 3 patients requiring dialysis. All of them received corticosteroids and plasmapheresis. Rituximab was given as either standard four weekly doses or one pulse ranging from 100 to 600 mg. After a median follow-up of 34.5 months, kidney function was partially recovered or stabilized in 5/8 (62.5%) patients, free of dialysis. Anti-GBM antibodies remained undetected in all patients during follow-up. No severe adverse effect associated with rituximab was observed.

CONCLUSION

Rituximab may be an alternative therapy in the treatment of patient with severe or refractory anti-GBM disease.

Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy in children with severe atopic dermatitis

Children with severe atopic dermatitis (AD) can benefit from intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy. This study aimed to identify the efficacy and safety of IVIG therapy in children with severe AD. Twenty pediatric AD patients were enrolled in this study. Patients with an Investigator's Global Assessment score of 0 or 1 or a reduction of 2 points after treatment were defined as high-responders (HRs), otherwise, they were defined as low-responders (LRs). Twelve patients (60%) achieved an excellent treatment response after 2 months, while eight (40%) had a low response. The Scoring Atopic Dermatitis index had improved significantly at 2 months post-treatment compared with baseline (p < 0.001). Baseline total serum IgE levels and eosinophil counts were elevated in all subjects and decreased significantly at 2 months post-treatment (p = 0.004 and 0.021, respectively). Baseline IgE levels were significantly higher in the HR group compared with the LR group (p = 0.020). The treatment was well tolerated. Fever was the most common adverse event and occurred in five patients (25%). In conclusion, IVIG could be a safe and effective therapy for children with severe AD and may be more effective in patients with higher IgE levels. Further studies are needed to investigate the different therapeutic responses in patients with different AD phenotypes.

Predominance of Severe Plasma Leakage in Pediatric Patients With Severe Dengue in Puerto Rico

BACKGROUND

We evaluated clinical and laboratory findings among patients with nonsevere or severe dengue in Puerto Rico to examine whether clinical manifestations vary by age.

METHODS

During 2012-2014, we enrolled patients who arrived at the emergency department with fever or history of fever within 7 days of presentation. Serum samples were tested for dengue virus (DENV) by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and IgM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Severe dengue was defined as severe plasma leakage or shock, severe bleeding, or organ involvement at presentation, during hospitalization, or follow-up.

RESULTS

Of 1089 dengue patients identified, 281 (26%) were severe. Compared to those with nonsevere dengue, patients with severe dengue were more often aged 10-19 years (55% vs 40%, P < .001) and hospitalized (87% vs 30%, P < .001). Severe plasma leakage or shock was more common among children aged 0-9 (59%) or 10-19 years (86%) than adults (49%) (P < .01). Severe bleeding was less common among 10-19 year olds (24%) compared to 0-9 year olds (45%) and adults (52%; P < .01).

CONCLUSIONS

Severe plasma leakage was the most common presentation among children, highlighting important differences from adults. Vaccination against dengue could help prevent severe dengue among children in Puerto Rico.

Plasma Exchange for the Treatment of Severe Hypertriglyceridemic Pancreatitis With Diabetic Ketoacidosis: A Case Report From Sub-Saharan Africa

The triad of acute pancreatitis, diabetic ketoacidosis, and hyperlipidemia is exceedingly rare. Case reports describing this uncommon triad have successfully been managed with insulin infusions only. Herein, we highlight the challenges in making this diagnosis and present Sub-Saharan Africa's first experience with therapeutic plasma exchange in the management of hypertriglyceridemic pancreatitis associated with diabetic ketoacidosis, which was initially refractory to insulin infusion alone.

Hyponatremia among preeclampsia patients - a potential sign of severity

OBJECTIVES

Although hyponatremia in preeclamptic patients was previously described, its significance remains unknown. We aimed to describe the prevalence and clinical significance of hyponatremia among a cohort of preeclamptic patients.

METHODS

An electronic medical record based retrospective cohort study included all singleton deliveries at Hadassah University Medical Center between 2003 and 2015. Preeclampsia, with and without severe features, was defined using the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) Hypertension in Pregnancy Guidelines. Hyponatremia was defined as a sodium (Na) level ≤130 mEq/L, and severe hyponatremia as <125 mEq/L. A group of normotensive pregnant women, matched for gestational age, gravdity and parity, served as control.

RESULTS

A total of 700 preeclamptic patients were identified during the study period. Hyponatremia was noted in 14.6% compared to 0 of 79 patients in the control group. Hyponatremia was strongly correlated with severe features of preeclampsia, adverse neonatal and obstetrical outcome. Severe hyponatremia was strongly correlated with preeclampsia with severe features. Furthermore, even among subgroup of preeclamptic patients without severe features, hyponatremia correlated with less favorable pregnancy outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Among relatively large cohort of preeclamptic patients, hyponatremia was not a rare finding. We found it more common in patients with preeclampsia and severe features. As women with preeclampsia are at risk for hyponatremia, serum sodium levels should be monitored, especially in those with severe features. In preeclamptic patients without severe features, hyponatremia may indicate a need for closer surveillance. However, larger studies are needed to establish hyponatremia as a marker of severity.