Expression of PD-L1 in Lung Carcinoma and Its Correlation with Histopathological Grade, Stage, and Survival of Patients

Objective PD-L1, a 40 kDa type 1 transmembrane protein, suppresses the adaptive arm of the immune system. The interaction of PD-1 with the ligand PD-L1 inhibits cytokine production and plays a role in the progression of lung cancer. The present study was performed to observe the expression of PD-L1 in lung carcinoma patients and its correlation with histopathological grade, stage, and survival of patients.

Materials and Methods This prospective study included all new cases of lung carcinoma diagnosed on histopathological or cytopathological examination over a period of 1 year. PD-L1 immunoexpression was statistically analyzed and graded according to the Tumor Proportion Score in all cases and correlated with histopathological grade, stage, and survival of patients.

Results This study included 56 cases of lung carcinoma with 64.2% cases showing PD-L1 positivity, out of which 44.6% were non-small cell and 19.6% were small cell lung carcinoma. In all, 32.1% cases with lymphovascular invasion, 53.5% with necrosis, and 37.5% cases with greater than 5/10 HPF mitotic figures showed positive PD-L1 expression. Paired cell blocks and histopathology showed 70% concordance for PD-L1 expression. 16.1% cT3N1M0 cases and 25% stage IIIA cases showed PD-L1 positivity. In all, 60.7% patients with positive PD-L1 expression did not survive for 12 months following diagnosis.

Conclusion PD-L1 immunoexpression was increased in lung carcinoma cases and was associated with poor histomorphological features including lymphovascular invasion, necrosis, and increased mitotic activity. PD-L1 correlated with cases having decreased 12-month survival and stage IIIA carcinoma. Thus, it may be useful in the stratification of patients who benefit from the PD-L1 targeted therapy.

Clinical, radiological and histopathological profile of patients with endobronchial lesions on fibreoptic bronchoscopy

Various pulmonary diseases, both benign as well as malignant, manifest in the form of endobronchial lesions on bronchoscopy. Malignancy is frequently the provisional diagnosis in the mind of a chest physician undergoing an endobronchial biopsy. Other benign diseases, however, may present similarly on bronchoscopy and computerized tomography (CT) scan. This observational study was conducted to better understand why there is such a wide range of endobronchial lesions with even more diverse radiological and pathological presentations. The research was carried out at the Department of Respiratory Medicine, Himalayan Institute of Medical Science (HIMS), Swami Ram Nagar, Dehradun. Subjects were recruited from HIMS, Dehradun patients over a 12-month period (August 2020 to July 2021). The study included patients (over the age of 18) who had a fibreoptic bronchoscopy and were found to have an endobronchial lesion. After a thorough history, examination, and application of the inclusion and exclusion criteria. 120 patients were enrolled. The majority of patients were between the ages of 56 and 65, with males outnumbering females. The majority of the patients were smokers, and the most common complaint was shortness of breath. Poorly differentiated carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma were the most common endobronchial lesions in men, while small cell carcinoma was the most common in women. A mass lesion was the most common radiological finding, followed by mediastinal lymphadenopathy, and an exophytic lesion was the most common endobronchial lesion detected in bronchoscopy. We looked at the diseases that cause endobronchial lesions and their clinico-radiological and histopathological profiles. This study clearly demonstrates the importance of studying the histopathological profiles of patients with endobronchial growth, which can mimic malignancy in rare cases.

Scrub typhus in Uttarakhand & adjoining Uttar Pradesh: Seasonality, clinical presentations & predictors of mortality

Background & objectives:

Scrub typhus is a re-emerging mite-borne rickettsiosis, which continues to be underdiagnosed, with lethal consequences. The present study was conducted to determine the seasonality, clinical presentation and predictors of mortality in patients with scrub typhus at a tertiary care teaching hospital in northern India.

Methods:

Scrub typhus was suspected in patients attending the hospital as per the standard case definition and serological evidence was obtained by performing an IgM ELISA.

Results:

A total of 284 patients with scrub typhus from urban and rural areas were seen, predominantly from July to November. The most common clinical presentation was a bilateral community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), which resembled pneumonia due to atypical pathogens and often progressed to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). An acute undifferentiated febrile illness (AUFI) or a febrile illness associated with altered sensorium, aseptic meningitis, shock, abdominal pain, gastrointestinal bleeding or jaundice was also seen. Eschars were seen in 17 per cent of patients, and thrombocytopenia, transaminitis and azotaemia were frequent. There were 24 deaths (8.5%) caused predominantly by ARDS and multi-organ dysfunction. The mortality in patients with ARDS was high (37%). ARDS [odds ratio (OR)=38.29, 95% confidence interval (CI): 9.93, 147.71] and acute kidney injury (OR=8.30, 95% CI: 2.21, 31.21) were the major predictors of death.

Interpretation & conclusions:

The present findings indicate that scrub typhus may be considered a cause of CAP, ARDS, AUFI or a febrile illness with multisystem involvement, in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, especially from July to November. Empiric therapy of CAP may include doxycycline or azithromycin to ensure coverage of underlying unsuspected scrub typhus.

Brain Dead Presentation of Snake Bite

Snakebite is considered as a significant public health problem contributing considerably to morbidity and mortality. A neurotoxic snake bite can present from mild ptosis to complete paralysis with external and internal ophthalmoplegia. Three patients presented in emergency intubated outside with deeply comatose, fixed dilated pupil, and absent doll's eye reflex mimicking as brain dead.

Severe Sepsis Due to Chryseobacterium indologenes, a Possible Emergent Multidrug-Resistant Organism in Intensive Care Unit-Acquired Infections

Opportunistic infections in the intensive care unit are quite common which can cause devastating disease in many hospitalized and immunocompromised patients. Chryseobacterium indologenes is one such microorganism which is an emerging cause of nosocomial infections. Many cases had been reported from its infections, but the treatment protocol for its management is still not established. We present two cases of C. indologenes infections which were hospital acquired. The pandrug-resistant nature of the bacteria and the associated mortality were uncommon with these two cases.

Drug-resistant tuberculosis coexisting with invasive candidiasis in an immunocompetent 30-year-old woman: A case report

Invasive candidiasis coexisting with drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (DR-TB) in the immunocompetent patient is a rare entity. We report a 30-year-old woman, nondiabetic, who presented to us with complaints of acute onset cough, breathlessness, and fever since 20 days. On thorough investigations, she was diagnosed to be suffering from coexisting drug-resistant tuberculosis and invasive candidiasis. Prompt treatment initiated at right time helped us in saving her life. The unique presentation of this case and that too in an immunocompetent female makes it an interesting case.

Emergence of Carbapenem Resistant Non-Fermenting Gram-Negative Bacilli Isolated in an ICU of a Tertiary Care Hospital

INTRODUCTION

The emergence and spread of Multi-Drug Resistant (MDR) Non-Fermenting Gram-Negative Bacilli (NFGNB) in Intensive Care Units (ICU) and their genetic potential to transmit diverse antibiotic resistance regardless of their ability to ferment glucose poses a major threat in hospitals. The complex interplay of clonal spread, persistence, transmission of resistance elements and cell-cell interaction leads to the difficulty in controlling infections caused by these multi drug-resistant strains. Among non-fermenting Gram-negative rods, the most clinically significant species Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia are increasingly acquiring resistant to carbapenems. Carbapenems once considered as a backbone of treatment of life threatening infections appears to be broken as the resistance to carbapenems is on rise.

AIM

To document the prevalence of carbapenem resistance in non-fermenting Gram-negative bacilli isolated from patients with respiratory tract infections in the ICU of Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, Dehradun.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This is a cross-sectional study conducted in ICU patients between October 2015 to March 2016. A total of 366 lower respiratory tract samples were collected from 356 patients with clinical evidence of lower respiratory tract infections in form of Endotracheal (ET) aspirate, Tracheal Tube (TT) aspirate and Bronchoalveolar Lavage (BAL) specimen. Organism identification and the susceptibility testing was done by using an automated system VITEK 2.

RESULTS

Out of 366 samples received 99 NFGNB were isolated and most common sample was ET aspirate sample 256 (64.5%). Acinetobacter baumannii was the most common NFGNB isolated 63 (63.63%) followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa 25 (25.25%), Elizabethkingia meningoseptica seven (7.07%) and Strenotrophomonas maltophilia four (4.04%). We observed that 90.5% Acinetobacter baumannii were resistant to imipenem and 95.2% resistant to meropenem, Pseudomonas aeruginosa came out to be 52% resistant to imipenem and 56% resistant to meropenem while Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Elizabethkingia meningoseptica were 100% resistant to carbapenems as they are intrinsically resistant to carbapenems.

CONCLUSION

The resistance rate of carbapenems for NFGNB infections is very high in our study and variable in different regions. Overall carbapenem resistance is on rise. So, the infection control team and microbiologist needs to work together to determine the risk carried by multi drug resistant non-fermenting gram-negative infections and the resistance surveillance programs are mandatory to control these bacteria in ICU settings.

Tracheobronchomalacia/excessive dynamic airway collapse in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with persistent expiratory wheeze: A pilot study

BACKGROUND

Tracheobronchomalacia (TBM) refers to a condition in which structural integrity of cartilaginous wall of trachea is lost. Excessive dynamic airway collapse (EDAC) is characterized by excessive invagination of posterior wall of trachea. In both these conditions, airway lumen gets compromised, especially during expiration, which can lead to symptoms such as breathlessness, cough, and wheezing. Both these conditions can be present in obstructive lung diseases; TBM due to chronic airway inflammation and EDAC due to dynamic compressive forces during expiration. The present study was planned with the hypothesis that TBM/EDAC could also produce expiratory wheeze in patients with obstructive airway disorders. Hence, prevalence and factors affecting presence of this entity in patients with obstructive airway diseases were the aims and objectives of this study.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Twenty-five patients with obstructive airway disorders (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] or bronchial asthma), who were stable on medical management, but having persistent expiratory wheezing, were included in the study. They were evaluated for TBM/EDAC by bronchoscopy and computed tomographic scan of chest. The presence of TBM/EDAC was correlated with variables including age, sex, body mass index (BMI), smoking index, level of dyspnea, and severity of disease.

RESULTS

Mean age of the patients was 62.7 ± 7.81 years. Out of 25 patients, 14 were males. TBM/EDAC was found in 40% of study subjects. Age, sex, BMI, severity of disease, frequency of exacerbations and radiological findings etc., were not found to have any association with presence of TBM/EDAC.

CONCLUSION

TBM/EDAC is common in patients with obstructive airway disorders and should be evaluated in these patients, especially with persistent expiratory wheezing as diagnosis of this entity could provide another treatment option in these patients with persistent symptoms despite medical management.

Relationship between carotid intima thickness and silent cerebral infarction in patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy

AIM

To examine the relationship between carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) and silent cerebral infarction (SCI) in order to determine whether CIMT is a predictor of SCI in patients of type 2 diabetic nephropathy.

METHODS

A total of 80 patients of type 2 diabetic nephropathy were selected on the basis of fasting and 2-hour post-prandial blood sugar, 24 hrs albumin estimation in urine, urea and creatinine in the serum. The selected candidates underwent MRI brain and carotid B mode ultrasonography to find out the event of SCI and to evaluate the CIMT respectively.

RESULTS

The SCI was found in 30 (37.5%) patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy. The mean age, BMI, blood pressure (BP), macroalbuminuria, S. lipids, low GFR, duration of diabetes and CIMT were significantly higher in the subject with SCI than in those without it. Multiple logistic analyses indicated that age, BP, and CIMT were found to be significant and independent risk factors of SCI in type 2 diabetic nephropathy subjects.

CONCLUSION

CIMT is a surrogate and reliable predictor of higher risk of SCI among type 2 diabetic nephropathy patients.

Brain death--think twice before labeling a patient

Brain death is defined as the cessation of cerebral and brainstem function. A 12-year-old boy presented with alleged history of snake bite. He was brain dead with Glasgow Coma Score of 3 and absent corneal reflexes. However, it was only neuroparalytic effect of the venom, which improved in due course of time with antivenoms. This case highlights the occurrence of both internal and external ophthalmoplegia, which would mimic brain death in many ways, thus prompting an intensivist to consider withdrawing ventilatory support, which would be disastrous.

Noninvasive ventilation in acute respiratory failure due to H1N1 influenza

We present a case of severe H1N1 influenza with hypoxemic acute respiratory failure necessitating mechanical ventilation benefited from noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV). The NIPPV may be of great use in treating patients with H1N1-related acute respiratory distress syndrome in a resource poor setting or when invasive ventilator is unavailable.

Diagnostic dilemma of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody seropositivity in human immunodeficiency virus infection

We present a case of a 48-year-old male who was diagnosed and treated for Wegener's granulomatosis on the basis of history, clinical features, computed tomography (CT) and antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) positivity. The patient initially improved and later on during course of the disease he was found to be human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seropositive. The potential pitfalls of cANCA in a HIV-infected patient are discussed.

Aromatase inhibitors and musculoskeletal symptoms

AIMS

Recent evidence shows aromatase inhibitors (AIs) to be of benefit over tamoxifen in the adjuvant setting. It is also apparent that musculoskeletal symptoms associated with AIs may be a significant problem in the clinical setting. The aim of this article is to review the data on AIs with respect to musculoskeletal symptoms in the adjuvant setting.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A review on the literature relating to AIs in the adjuvant setting and musculoskeletal symptoms.

RESULTS

Results of phase III trials show lower incidence of musculoskeletal symptoms than reported in the clinical setting.

DISCUSSION

AIs offer a significant advantage over tamoxifen. More research is required to ascertain the cause and to define the spectrum of musculoskeletal symptoms reported in women taking AIs. Decision of appropriate treatment should be made jointly between clinician and patient after full discussion of the risks and benefits.

Clinical Trials Assessing the Optimal Management of Brain Metastases — the State of Play

These three clinical trials offer the opportunity to answer the controversies and uncertainties that exist in managing patients with brain metastases: for patients with solitary brain metastasis there is the EORTC trial, for patients with NSCLC, where there is a certainty that the patient should receive radiotherapy, there is TACTIC, and where there is uncertainty of the benefit of radiotherapy there is QUARTZ. We would encourage all clinical oncologists seeing patients with brain metastases to consider patients for entry into any one of these trials.