Drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome with lupus manifestations due to mesalazine in a patient with ulcerative colitis

Mesalazine is often used as first-line therapy for ulcerative colitis. Several reports have pointed to systemic adverse reactions associated with this drug. Most have evoked a drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome, while some have described lupus syndromes but with limited clinical and varied biological features. A 75-year-old man presented with fever, dyspnoea, chest pain, polyarthralgia, and myalgia, following mesalazine introduction. Clinical symptoms and low-titre positive antihistone antibodies disappeared after mesalazine withdrawal without recourse to steroids. Pericardial effusion and 8F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake on positron emission tomography/CT scan, and glomerular haematuria and proteinuria also disappeared. Cytokine-lymphocyte transformation tests showed a strong sensitisation pattern with interleukin-5 production. This case advances our knowledge of the mechanism of mesalazine-induced adverse effects, namely via drug-induced hypersensitivity with lupus manifestations, which we are the first to report.

Deep learning diagnostic and risk-stratification pattern detection for COVID-19 in digital lung auscultations: clinical protocol for a case-control and prospective cohort study

Background

Lung auscultation is fundamental to the clinical diagnosis of respiratory disease. However, auscultation is a subjective practice and interpretations vary widely between users. The digitization of auscultation acquisition and interpretation is a particularly promising strategy for diagnosing and monitoring infectious diseases such as Coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19) where automated analyses could help decentralise care and better inform decision-making in telemedicine. This protocol describes the standardised collection of lung auscultations in COVID-19 triage sites and a deep learning approach to diagnostic and prognostic modelling for future incorporation into an intelligent autonomous stethoscope benchmarked against human expert interpretation.

Methods

A total of 1000 consecutive, patients aged ≥ 16 years and meeting COVID-19 testing criteria will be recruited at screening sites and amongst inpatients of the internal medicine department at the Geneva University Hospitals, starting from October 2020. COVID-19 is diagnosed by RT-PCR on a nasopharyngeal swab and COVID-positive patients are followed up until outcome (i.e., discharge, hospitalisation, intubation and/or death). At inclusion, demographic and clinical data are collected, such as age, sex, medical history, and signs and symptoms of the current episode. Additionally, lung auscultation will be recorded with a digital stethoscope at 6 thoracic sites in each patient. A deep learning algorithm (DeepBreath) using a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Support Vector Machine classifier will be trained on these audio recordings to derive an automated prediction of diagnostic (COVID positive vs negative) and risk stratification categories (mild to severe). The performance of this model will be compared to a human prediction baseline on a random subset of lung sounds, where blinded physicians are asked to classify the audios into the same categories.

Discussion

This approach has broad potential to standardise the evaluation of lung auscultation in COVID-19 at various levels of healthcare, especially in the context of decentralised triage and monitoring.

Trial registration: PB_2016-00500, SwissEthics. Registered on 6 April 2020.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12890-021-01467-w.

[Issues and challenges related to COVID-19 in acute geriatric care: lessons learned from the Geneva experience]

The older patients have been the most affected by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. In addition, this infection has been responsible for high mortality rate in this population. In this article we wanted to describe the clinical findings we encountered in older people with COVID-19 and share some of the issues and challenges we faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Predictors of In-Hospital Mortality in Older Patients With COVID-19: The COVIDAge Study

OBJECTIVE

To determine predictors of in-hospital mortality related to COVID-19 in older patients.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Patients aged 65 years and older hospitalized for a diagnosis of COVID-19.

METHODS

Data from hospital admission were collected from the electronic medical records. Logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard models were used to predict mortality, our primary outcome. Variables at hospital admission were categorized according to the following domains: demographics, clinical history, comorbidities, previous treatment, clinical status, vital signs, clinical scales and scores, routine laboratory analysis, and imaging results.

RESULTS

Of a total of 235 Caucasian patients, 43% were male, with a mean age of 86 ± 6.5 years. Seventy-six patients (32%) died. Nonsurvivors had a shorter number of days from initial symptoms to hospitalization (P = .007) and the length of stay in acute wards than survivors (P < .001). Similarly, they had a higher prevalence of heart failure (P = .044), peripheral artery disease (P = .009), crackles at clinical status (P < .001), respiratory rate (P = .005), oxygen support needs (P < .001), C-reactive protein (P < .001), bilateral and peripheral infiltrates on chest radiographs (P = .001), and a lower prevalence of headache (P = .009). Furthermore, nonsurvivors were more often frail (P < .001), with worse functional status (P < .001), higher comorbidity burden (P < .001), and delirium at admission (P = .007). A multivariable Cox model showed that male sex (HR 4.00, 95% CI 2.08-7.71, P < .001), increased fraction of inspired oxygen (HR 1.06, 95% CI 1.03-1.09, P < .001), and crackles (HR 2.42, 95% CI 1.15-6.06, P = .019) were the best predictors of mortality, while better functional status was protective (HR 0.98, 95% CI 0.97-0.99, P = .001).

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

In older patients hospitalized for COVID-19, male sex, crackles, a higher fraction of inspired oxygen, and functionality were independent risk factors of mortality. These routine parameters, and not differences in age, should be used to evaluate prognosis in older patients.

Functional Independence Measure score is associated with mortality in critically ill elderly patients admitted to an intermediate care unit

Background

Age alone is not a robust predictor of mortality in critically ill elderly patients. Chronic health status and functional status before admission could be better predictors. This study aimed to determine whether functional status, assessed using the Functional Independence Measure (FIM), could be an independent predictor of mortality in a geriatric population admitted to an intermediate care unit (IMCU).

Methods

A monocentric, retrospective, observational study of all patients aged ≥75 years old admitted to Geneva University Hospitals’ geriatric IMCU between 01.01.2012 and 31.05.2016. The study’s primary outcome metrics were one-year mortality’s associations with a pre-admission FIM score and other relevant prospectively recorded prognostic variables.

Results

A total of 345 patients were included (56% female, mean age 85 +/− 6.5 years). Mean FIM score was 66 +/− 26. One-year mortality was 57%. Dichotomized low (≤ 63) and high FIM (> 63) scores were associated with one-year mortalities of 68 and 44%, respectively. Logistic regression calculations found an association between pre-admission FIM score and one-year mortality (p <  0.0001), including variables usually associated with mortality (e.g., age, sex, comorbidities, mini-mental health state score, renal function). Multivariate survival analysis showed a significant difference between groups, with a hazard ratio of 0.29 (95% CI: 0.13–0.65) for patients with high FIM scores.

Conclusions

In the present study, higher functional status, assessed using the FIM tool before admission to an IMCU, was significantly and independently associated with lower one-year mortality. This opens up perspectives on the potential value of FIM for establishing a finer prognosis and better triage of critically ill older patients.

Feasibility and safety of high-intensity interval training for the rehabilitation of geriatric inpatients (HIITERGY) a pilot randomized study

BACKGROUND

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has been shown to be more effective than moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) for the physical rehabilitation. However, data on its suitability for older hospitalized patients is scarce.

METHODS

Randomized controlled trial in a hospital setting. Inclusion of 100 patients, ≥65 years old, hospitalized for rehabilitation after an acute medical condition, in a two-week rehabilitation program of either four HIIT or three MICT sessions per week. Completion was defined as participation in all but two planned sessions accomplishing ≥50% of each session. We assessed: upper-limb muscle strength (handgrip isometric strength test), lower-limb muscle strength (quadriceps and ankle flexion and extension tests); gait speed and spatio-temporal parameters (instrumented walkway), and exercise capacity (6-min walk test). All adverse events were recorded as safety endpoints.

RESULTS

An intention-to-treat analysis showed a 44% completion rate for the HIIT group (95% CI, 30-59) and 77% for MICT (95% CI, 55-82). A modified intention-to-treat analysis restricted to patients who participated in ≥1 session showed an 88% completion rate in the HIIT group (95%CI, 69-97) and an 80% completion rate in MICT (95%CI, 65-90). The exercises most frequently undertaken were the pedal exerciser (54%) and the NuStep (32%). There were no significant differences in the various measures. No serious adverse events occurred.

CONCLUSION

A HIIT rehabilitation program for this population was feasible, safe and had a high adherence rate.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

Clinicatrials.gov ID: NCT02318459. Trial registration date: November 7th, 2014. Retrospectively registered. This study adheres to the CONSORT guidelines.

Type I Gaucher disease with bullous pemphigoid and Parkinson disease: A case report

RATIONALE

Gaucher disease (GD) is a rare genetic lysosomal storage disorder inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern. GD is due to the deficiency of a lysosomal enzyme, acid beta-glucosidase (or glucocerebrosidase). Type 1 Gaucher disease (GD1) is characterized by thrombocytopenia, anemia, an enlarged spleen, and liver as well as bone complications (Erlenmeyer flask deformity, osteoporosis, lytic lesions, pathological and vertebral fractures, bone infarcts, and avascular necrosis leading to degenerative arthropathy). The diagnosis is usually made in first decades but is sometimes delayed. Parkinson disease, neoplasia, and immune system abnormalities may be associated with GD1.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A patient known for hepatosplenomegaly with hyperferritinemia, anemia, and thrombocytopenia was admitted for Lewy body dementia and bullous pemphigoid.

DIAGNOSES

Type 1 Gaucher disease.

INTERVENTION

No specific treatment started.

OUTCOMES

patient died ten months later due to pneumonia.

LESSONS

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of the association between GD1, bullous pemphigoid, and Lewy body dementia. We discuss the central role of alpha-synuclein in these pathologies.

[Right heart failure : important forold and young patientsA challenge from the acute to the chronic]

The prevalence of the right heart failure (RHF) is poorly known. However, RHF is often a consequence of left heart failure due to an interdependance between both ventricles. RHF should be indentified because of prognostic relevance. RHF is defined by the inability to maintain adequate cardiac output through the lung circulation. It can result from volume overload, pressure overload, or a disorder of systolic function. Adaptive mechanisms such as dilation or hyper-trophy will maintain adequate hemodynamics. Once these mechanisms become insufficient, congestive signs and hemodynamic consequences will appear. Diagnosis is based on echocardiography. The treatment of RHF is similar to left heart failure. In case of acute RHF, treatment depends of the etiology of RHF. Optimization of the volemia is a central objective of therapeutics.

A Case of Tuberculous Granulomatous Panniculitis without Vasculitis

We report a case of tuberculous granulomatous panniculitis without vasculitis in an 87-year-old female patient with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. One month after starting chemotherapy with chlorambucil and prednisone she presented superficial erythematous plaques on the anterior side of the left leg. Three weeks later erythematous painless deep nodules appeared on the left popliteal fossa and on the left thigh. Cutaneous biopsy revealed granulomatous panniculitis without caseation necrosis or vasculitis. Polymerase chain reaction for Mycobacterium tuberculosis revealed positivity in the skin. The final diagnosis was reactivation of latent tuberculosis (TB) induced by deep immunosuppression associated with chemotherapy and haematological disease. Tuberculous granulomatous panniculitis without vasculitis is a rare presentation of cutaneous TB and may be part of the heterogeneous histopathologic spectrum of erythema induratum of Bazin (nodular vasculitis). Our case shows that the diagnosis of cutaneous TB requires the correlation of clinical findings with histopathology and microbiological tests.

[Pressures ulcers, basis of prevention and treatment in the elderly]

Pressure sore is a frequent and painful pathology in the elderly. Upon hospitalization, risk assessment and prevention must be systematic. Pressure ulcer treatment will combine prevention principles, local debridement and moisture control. The interdisciplinary interventions of other health professionals (such as occupational therapist, physiotherapist, dieticians) can be crucial. Last but not least: for wound treatment to be a success, the patient must be considered in his globality.

[How to increase the necropsy rate in hospital?]

The autopsy serves to identify the causes of a patient's death. For some years it is undergoing an important decline but nevertheless the post-mortem examination remains one of the basic tools for the assessment of medical care. The aim of this paper is to detect the reasons for the decline of this practice, to review the contribution of autopsy to medicine and to analyze the effects of physicians training at the request of autopsy to boost this practice.

[Drug-induced refractory arterial hypertension]

Polymedication is frequent in geriatric everyday practice and often leads to unwanted drug-drug interactions. Physicians must be aware of the potential interaction-induced with intoxications or therapeutic ineffectiveness. The clinical case presented here illustrates the importance of entertaining the possibility of such an interaction every time that the expected therapeutical effect of a substance is not reached. Our patient had refractory arterial hypertension despite taking five different antihypertensive drugs in hospital, while on carbamazepine for a facial neuralgia. This substance induces the cytochrome P450, which catalyse the metabolism of most of the antihypertensives used. After the discontinuation of carbamazepine and on tritherapy, the blood pressure profile has significantly improved.