Pierluigi Brugnaro, Erika Morelli, Francesca Cattelan, Andrea Petrucci, Francesco Colombo, Sara Caputo, Licia Laurino, Sandro Panese
{"title":"The serious threat of late presenters HIV-infected patients in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.","authors":"Pierluigi Brugnaro, Erika Morelli, Francesca Cattelan, Andrea Petrucci, Francesco Colombo, Sara Caputo, Licia Laurino, Sandro Panese","doi":"10.53854/liim-3001-14","DOIUrl":"10.53854/liim-3001-14","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The impact of current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the healthcare services had serious consequences, especially for the most fragile populations such as HIV-positive subjects. In the period April to September 2020 we reported four cases of HIV-infected late presenters with an AIDS-defining life-threatening condition that, due to the difficult access to the hospital during the pandemic, were characterized by a delayed HIV recognition and institution of correct treatment. Even after two decades of highly active antiretroviral therapy late presenters HIV-infected patients still represent a serious clinical challenge.</p>","PeriodicalId":17977,"journal":{"name":"Le infezioni in medicina : rivista periodica di eziologia, epidemiologia, diagnostica, clinica e terapia delle patologie infettive","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8929730/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83294379","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M. Jin, Zhijun Li, Xinwei Li, Mengtong Xie, Weizhen Li, L. Ai, Yaoyao Sun, Xiaodan Cheng, Yan Sheng, Jinnan Zhang, N. Jiang, Qiong Yu
{"title":"Development of a nomogram to assess the impact of the myocardial injury on the prognosis of COVID-19 patients.","authors":"M. Jin, Zhijun Li, Xinwei Li, Mengtong Xie, Weizhen Li, L. Ai, Yaoyao Sun, Xiaodan Cheng, Yan Sheng, Jinnan Zhang, N. Jiang, Qiong Yu","doi":"10.53854/liim-3002-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53854/liim-3002-8","url":null,"abstract":"Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been spreading worldwide. Many COVID-19 patients were accompanied by myocardial injury during the course of the disease. To evaluate the association of cardiac injury with clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients, we recruited 261 COVID-19 cases admitted to Tongji Hospital of Huazhong University of Science and Technology in this study. Compared with patients without myocardial injury, those with myocardial injury were older, with shorter hospital stays and lower survival rates. They also had higher levels of inflammatory biomarkers (Interleukin-6,8,10 and C-reactive protein), coagulation biomarkers, liver and kidney function markers. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that patients with myocardial injury had a higher mortality rate. The multivariate Cox regression model and the nomogram revealed that myocardial injury, co-morbidity, and abnormal procalcitonin (PCT) levels were independent risk factors of the mortality of COVID-19 patients. The linear correlation analysis and the ROC curve suggested a predictive value of the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in cardiac injury. Summarily, myocardial injury in COVID-19 patients is associated with a higher mortality risk. Attention should be paid to monitoring myocardial injury in patients with significantly elevated myocardial markers and NLR at admission.","PeriodicalId":17977,"journal":{"name":"Le infezioni in medicina : rivista periodica di eziologia, epidemiologia, diagnostica, clinica e terapia delle patologie infettive","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73709165","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Arghavan Zebardast, M. Pazhoohan, Azadeh Yazdani Cherati, M. Salehi, Saghar Saber Amoli, Y. Yahyapour, Mohammad Ranaee, J. Shirvani, Farzin Sadeghi
{"title":"Higher viral load of Epstein-Barr virus in gastric cancer compared with non-cancerous gastroduodenal tissues.","authors":"Arghavan Zebardast, M. Pazhoohan, Azadeh Yazdani Cherati, M. Salehi, Saghar Saber Amoli, Y. Yahyapour, Mohammad Ranaee, J. Shirvani, Farzin Sadeghi","doi":"10.53854/liim-3002-12","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53854/liim-3002-12","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)-associated gastric cancer is a distinct molecular subtype of gastrointestinal carcinomas as defined by the Cancer Genome Atlas. Methods In the present study 237 samples from Iranian patients diagnosed with gastric cancer and gastroduodenal disease were retrospectively examined for EBV infection by quantitative Real-Time PCR. Results Of the 237 samples tested, EBV DNA was detected in 37 samples (15.6%), in 13 of the 81 gastric cancer cases (16%), and 24 of the 156 non-cancerous samples (15.4%). The EBV infection rate was found higher in patients with gastric ulcer (35%) and duodenal ulcer (21.9%) compared to patients with gastric cancer (16%) and gastritis (19.6%). The EBV-encoded small RNA (EBER) copy number in the gastric cancer group (mean = 2.14×10-1 with range of 2.14×10-2 to 4.10×10-1 copies/ cell) was higher than gastroduodenal diseases group (mean = 1.39×10-2 with range 1.11×10-3 to 2.35×10-2 copies/ cell), and this difference was statistically significant (P >0.001). Conclusion The higher number of copies of EBV-EBER in the gastric cancer group compared to the non-cancer group confirmed the possible role of EBV in inducing cancer.","PeriodicalId":17977,"journal":{"name":"Le infezioni in medicina : rivista periodica di eziologia, epidemiologia, diagnostica, clinica e terapia delle patologie infettive","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"76420956","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alessandra Belati, Roberta Novara, D. Bavaro, A. Procopio, C. Fico, L. Diella, F. Romanelli, S. Stolfa, A. Mosca, F. Di Gennaro, A. Saracino
{"title":"Thoracic aorta graft infection by avibactam-resistant KPC-producing K. pneumoniae treated with meropenem/vaborbactam: a case report and literature review.","authors":"Alessandra Belati, Roberta Novara, D. Bavaro, A. Procopio, C. Fico, L. Diella, F. Romanelli, S. Stolfa, A. Mosca, F. Di Gennaro, A. Saracino","doi":"10.53854/liim-3002-14","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53854/liim-3002-14","url":null,"abstract":"Meropenem/vaborbactam (M/V) is a new carbapenem-carbapenemase inhibitor combination drug active against extensively drug resistant Gram-negative pathogens. Studies about its efficacy and place in therapy are limited in \"real-life\" and no data are available for deep site infections, like vascular graft infections. We present a case of a patient successfully treated with M/V for a thoracic aorta graft infection, placed for a traumatic penetrating aortic ulcer, due to an extensively KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae resistant to ceftazidime/ avibactam. Furthermore, we conducted a systematic literature review concerning vascular graft infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae and the papers published until now about the use of M/V for the treatment of ceftazidime/avibactam-resistant K. pneumoniae. Meropenem/vaborbactam is a promising antibiotic for difficult-to-treat Gram-negative bacteria with limited therapeutic options. Only few reports have been published and more studies are needed to assess which is the best place in therapy of M/V.","PeriodicalId":17977,"journal":{"name":"Le infezioni in medicina : rivista periodica di eziologia, epidemiologia, diagnostica, clinica e terapia delle patologie infettive","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75029303","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M. Edgar, Saranya A Selvaraj, Karen E Lee, Yohama Caraballo-Arias, Mason Harrell, A. Rodríguez-Morales
{"title":"Healthcare workers, epidemic biological risks - recommendations based on the experience with COVID-19 and Ebolavirus.","authors":"M. Edgar, Saranya A Selvaraj, Karen E Lee, Yohama Caraballo-Arias, Mason Harrell, A. Rodríguez-Morales","doi":"10.53854/liim-3002-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53854/liim-3002-2","url":null,"abstract":"Infectious disease outbreaks frequently cause illness and death among Healthcare Workers (HCWs). We compare strategies from recent, past and ongoing outbreak measures used to protect HCWs, including those facing additional challenges such as racial disparities, violence and stigmatization. Outbreaks and pandemics superimposed on countries with preexisting crises have also affected emergency response to these viral outbreaks. Strategies to protect HCWs include adherence to recommended infection prevention and control measures; new technology such as rapid point-of-care tests and remote monitoring; adopting national public health preparedness plans to ensure the supply and allocation of PPE, staff, and testing supplies; occupational health and mental health support services. Lessons learned from recent pandemics should be used by Infection Prevention and Control and Occupational Health staff to refine preparedness plans to protect HCWs better.","PeriodicalId":17977,"journal":{"name":"Le infezioni in medicina : rivista periodica di eziologia, epidemiologia, diagnostica, clinica e terapia delle patologie infettive","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78717914","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
V. D. dos Santos, T. Sugai, L. C. Modesto, J. C. Modesto
{"title":"Cutaneous complications of COVID-19 vaccines.","authors":"V. D. dos Santos, T. Sugai, L. C. Modesto, J. C. Modesto","doi":"10.53854/liim-3002-20","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53854/liim-3002-20","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":17977,"journal":{"name":"Le infezioni in medicina : rivista periodica di eziologia, epidemiologia, diagnostica, clinica e terapia delle patologie infettive","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79948989","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M. Guarino, Benedetta Perna, Alessandra Pastorelli, Paolo Bertolazzi, G. Caio, M. Maritati, R. De Giorgio, C. Contini
{"title":"A case of ceftriaxone-induced liver injury and literature review.","authors":"M. Guarino, Benedetta Perna, Alessandra Pastorelli, Paolo Bertolazzi, G. Caio, M. Maritati, R. De Giorgio, C. Contini","doi":"10.53854/liim-3002-16","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53854/liim-3002-16","url":null,"abstract":"Background Liver injury evoked by drugs spans various clinical manifestations ranging from mild biochemical abnormalities to acute liver failure. Ceftriaxone is a third-generation cephalosporin often used in clinical practice for its long half-life, high tissue penetration rate, wide spectrum and good safety profile. Ceftriaxone, as other cephalosporins have little hepatotoxicity; however, few cases of toxic hepatitis induced by this antibiotic have been reported. Case Presentation We describe a case of acute, drug-induced liver injury ('hepatitis') in a 77 years-old female patient treated with ceftriaxone for pneumonia. After 48 hours from antibiotic administration, clinical condition worsened with a clinical and laboratory profile compatible with an acute non cholestatic liver injury. Ceftriaxone administration was immediately stopped and the patient was treated with hydro-electrolyte replacement, high-flow oxygen, vitamin K infusion, steroids and proton-pump inhibitors with a progressive clinical improvement. Conclusions Even if rare, a ceftriaxone-induced hepatotoxicity (confirmed by RUCAM score), should be considered when all other possible causes have been excluded.","PeriodicalId":17977,"journal":{"name":"Le infezioni in medicina : rivista periodica di eziologia, epidemiologia, diagnostica, clinica e terapia delle patologie infettive","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77603995","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
E. Meregildo-Rodriguez, Eleodoro Vladimir Chunga-Chévez, Robles-Arce Luis Gianmarco, G. Vásquez-Tirado
{"title":"Further insights into to the role of statins against active tuberculosis: systematic review and meta-analysis.","authors":"E. Meregildo-Rodriguez, Eleodoro Vladimir Chunga-Chévez, Robles-Arce Luis Gianmarco, G. Vásquez-Tirado","doi":"10.53854/liim-3002-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53854/liim-3002-4","url":null,"abstract":"Objectives Tuberculosis is a major cause of global morbidity and mortality. Statins could be associated with a lower risk of some infectious diseases, including tuberculosis. Statins could reduce the risk of latent tuberculosis infection and active tuberculosis, acting as an adjuvant in treating tuberculosis. This study aimed to determine if statins reduce the risk of active tuberculosis. Methods We systematically analyzed 8 databases from inception to December 2021. We included articles without language restriction if they met our inclusion and exclusion criteria and the PECO strategy (Population: adults without active pulmonary tuberculosis; Exposure: treatment with any statin; Comparator: no use of statins; Outcome: active tuberculosis). Odds Ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled using random- effects models regardless of heterogeneity quantified by Cochran's Q and I2 statistics. We performed subgroup analyses according to the participants' diabetic status and follow-up length (≤10 years or >10 years). Results Twelve articles reporting observational studies involving 3.038.043 participants, including at least 32.668 cases of active tuberculosis. Eight reported retrospective cohort studies, three nested case-control study, and one was a case control study.According to our meta-analysis, statins may reduce the risk of active tuberculosis, in the general population (OR 0.66; 95% CI, 0.54-0.81), in non-diabetic (OR 0.66; 95% CI, 0.54-0.80) and in diabetic patients (OR 0.65; 95% CI, 0.49-0.87). This protective effect did not differ according to the participants' diabetic status nor follow-up length (test for subgroup differences I2=0). We found significant clinical and methodological heterogeneity. Similarly, the forest plot, and the I2 and Chi2 statistics suggested considerable statistical heterogeneity (I2=95%, p<0.05, respectively). Of the 12 included studies, 9 were at low risk of bias and 3 were at high risk of bias. Similarly, according to the funnel plot, it is very likely that there are important publication biases. Conclusion Statin use may significantly reduce the risk of tuberculosis in the general population, diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Nevertheless, caution should be exercised when interpreting these conclusions, due to the quality of the evidence, the heterogeneity of the studies, the presence of bias, and the difficulty in extrapolating these results to populations of other races and ethnicities.","PeriodicalId":17977,"journal":{"name":"Le infezioni in medicina : rivista periodica di eziologia, epidemiologia, diagnostica, clinica e terapia delle patologie infettive","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90203731","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dr. Rohini Motwani, V. Deshmukh, Ashutosh Kumar, C. Kumari, K. Raza, H. Krishna
{"title":"Pathological involvement of placenta in COVID-19: a systematic review.","authors":"Dr. Rohini Motwani, V. Deshmukh, Ashutosh Kumar, C. Kumari, K. Raza, H. Krishna","doi":"10.53854/liim-3002-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53854/liim-3002-1","url":null,"abstract":"The mammalian placenta, which is responsible for bonding between the mother and the fetus, is one of the first organs to develop. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has caused a great threat to public health and affected almost all the organs including the placenta. Owing to limited available data on vertical transmission and pathological changes in the placenta of SARS-CoV-2 positive patients, we aim to review and summarize histopathological and ultrastructural changes in the placental tissue following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2009 guidelines were used for review writing. Multiple studies have reported significant pathological changes in the placental tissue of SARS-CoV-2 positive mothers. On the other hand, some studies have demonstrated either no or very little involvement of the placental tissue. The most common pathological changes reported are fetal and maternal vascular malformation, villitis of unknown etiology, thrombus formation in the intervillous space and sub-chorionic space, and chorangiosis. Reports on vertical transmission are less in number. The observations of this review present a strong base for the pathological involvement of the placenta in SARS-CoV-2 infected mothers. However, a smaller number of original studies have been done until now, and most of them have small sample sizes and lack matched control groups, which are the big limitations for drawing an effective conclusion at this stage. Antenatal care can be improved by a better understanding of the correlation between maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection and placental pathology in COVID-19.","PeriodicalId":17977,"journal":{"name":"Le infezioni in medicina : rivista periodica di eziologia, epidemiologia, diagnostica, clinica e terapia delle patologie infettive","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88456309","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rosalind Stonham, Chantelle Monck, L. Orchard, L. Baker, Nusreen Ahmad-Saeed, Simon Friar, Buddhini Samaraweera, A. Mahanama, E. Pelosi, E. Wilson-Davies, Ahilanadan Dushianathan, K. Saeed
{"title":"Can a quantitative assessment of SARS-CoV-2 PCR predict degree of severity and outcomes in critical care patients with COVID-19?","authors":"Rosalind Stonham, Chantelle Monck, L. Orchard, L. Baker, Nusreen Ahmad-Saeed, Simon Friar, Buddhini Samaraweera, A. Mahanama, E. Pelosi, E. Wilson-Davies, Ahilanadan Dushianathan, K. Saeed","doi":"10.21203/RS.3.RS-239574/V1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/RS.3.RS-239574/V1","url":null,"abstract":"Real-Time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) is the gold standard diagnostic method for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Cycle threshold (Ct) is defined as the number of heating and cooling cycles required during the PCR process. Ct-values are inversely proportional to the amount of target nucleic acid in a sample. Our aim, in this retrospective study, was to determine the impact of serial SARS-CoV-2 qPCR Ct-values on: mortality, need for mechanical ventilation (MV) and development of acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with COVID-19. Ct values were evaluated during the time points from pre-ICU admission to week 1, week 2 and week 3 during ICU stay; impact on mortality, need for MV and AKI was determined. There was a continuous increment in Ct-values over the ICU stay from 1st week through to 3rd week. Although not significant, lower ICU 1st week Ct-values were associated with Black ethnicity, increased need for MV and mortality. However, patients who had developed AKI at any stage of their illness had significantly lower Ct-values compared to those with normal renal function. When ICU 1st-week Ct-values are subcategorised as <20, 20-30 and >30 the 28-day survival probability was less for patients with Ct-values of <20. This report shows that the impact of Ct-values and outcomes, especially AKI, among patients at different time points prior to and during ICU stay, larger studies are required to confirm out findings.","PeriodicalId":17977,"journal":{"name":"Le infezioni in medicina : rivista periodica di eziologia, epidemiologia, diagnostica, clinica e terapia delle patologie infettive","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78384660","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}