Clinical and Epidemiologic Features of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Children: A 6-year Study from an Iranian Referral Hospital

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 461-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamadreza Abdolsalehi ◽  
Babak Pourakbari ◽  
Shima Mahmoudi ◽  
Mina Moradzadeh ◽  
Hossein Keshavarz ◽  
...  

Background:: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is an emerging zoonosis disease that is endemic in the northwestern and southern part of Iran. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics and laboratory findings of the children with VL hospitalized at Children Medical Center Hospital (CMC), Tehran, Iran. Methods:: A retrospective study was performed based on studied medical records of children with a final diagnosis of VL from 2011 to 2016. For each patient’s demographics, clinical laboratory findings and treatment were examined. Results:: The clinical features of 17 children were examined and the most frequent symptoms were fever (94.1%, n=16), pallor, loss of appetite (76.5%, n=13), splenomegaly (82.4%, n=14) and hepatomegaly (58.8%, n=10). The most frequent laboratory abnormalities were hematological including anemia (94.1%, n=16), leukopenia (52.9%, n=9) and thrombocytopenia (70.5%, n=12). In order to detect anti-Leishmania antibodies, DAT was performed in 11 patients and 82% of them were positive (titers ≥ 1: 3200). In addition, rK39 was used in 9 cases and 7 children (78%) had positive results. Direct parasitology revealed the presence of amastigotes of Leishmania in bone marrow aspirate (BMA) stained by Giemsa stain in 9 patients (69%, among 13 children). Conclusion:: Leishmaniasis is a regional disease therefore management and control of disease, particularly in an endemic area, as well as detection of new emerging foci are recommended.

2014 ◽  
Vol 138 (3) ◽  
pp. 322-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiffany Michele Hébert ◽  
Sara Maleki ◽  
Ljiljana V. Vasovic ◽  
Jeffrey L. Arnold ◽  
Jacob J. Steinberg ◽  
...  

Context.—Pathology residency training programs should aim to teach residents to think beyond the compartmentalized data of specific rotations and synthesize data in order to understand the whole clinical picture when interacting with clinicians. Objective.—To test a collaborative autopsy procedure at Montefiore Medical Center (Bronx, New York), linking residents and attending physicians from anatomic and clinical pathology in the autopsy process from the initial chart review to the final report. Residents consult with clinical pathology colleagues regarding key clinical laboratory findings during the autopsy. This new procedure serves multiple functions: creating a team-based, mutually beneficial educational experience; actively teaching consultative skills; and facilitating more in-depth analysis of the clinical laboratory findings in autopsies. Design.—An initial trial of the team-based autopsy system was done from November 2010 to December 2012. Residents were then surveyed via questionnaire to evaluate the frequency and perceived usefulness of clinical pathology autopsy consultations. Results.—Senior residents were the most frequent users of clinical pathology autopsy consultation. The most frequently consulted services were microbiology and chemistry. Eighty-nine percent of the residents found the clinical pathology consultation to be useful in arriving at a final diagnosis and clinicopathologic correlation. Conclusion.—The team-based autopsy is a novel approach to integration of anatomic and clinical pathology curricula at the rotation level. Residents using this approach develop a more holistic approach to pathology, better preparing them for meaningful consultative interaction with clinicians. This paradigm shift in training positions us to better serve in our increasing role as arbiters of outcomes measures in accountable care organizations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Randa I. Farah ◽  
Ebtesam Dannoun ◽  
Nisreen Abu Shahin ◽  
Saif Aldeen AlRyalat

Objectives. Few reports of lupus nephritis (LN) from Jordan and the Middle East exist. This study assessed the demographic, clinical, and basic laboratory characteristics of Jordanian patients with LN and correlations with the histological class of LN. Methods. This was a retrospective study of all patients who underwent kidney biopsy between 2007 and 2018 at a tertiary medical center in Jordan. Patients’ demographic, clinical, laboratory, and pathological data were reviewed. Results. In total, 79 patients were included in this study [mean age, 29.95 ± 12.16 years; 11 men (13.9%), 68 women (86.1%)]. Asymptomatic proteinuria and hematuria were the most common presentations in LN patients at biopsy (59.5%). The study revealed a significant difference in frequency of nephritic syndrome (p= 0.01) between sexes (10.3% female vs. 45.5% male). Class IV was the most common pathological class of LN [37 (46.8%)], followed by class V [15 (19%)] and class III [10 (12.7%)]. Post hoc analysis of the associations between laboratory values and histopathological patterns revealed a significant correlation between class IV lupus and renal failure (p= 0.018) and class IV lupus and anti-DNA antibodies p= 0.030). End-stage renal disease (ESRD) occurred in 25% of lupus nephritis cases. There was an increased likelihood of ESRD among men than women (45% vs. 22%). Overall mortality was 10%. Conclusion. Although some clinical and laboratory findings correlate with histological types of LN, clinical and laboratory parameters of Jordanian patients with LN are not predictive of the histological type, although differences with regional studies were noted.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 373-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Preethi Ramachandran ◽  
Ifeanyichkwu Onukogu ◽  
Snigdha Ghanta ◽  
Mahesh Gajendran ◽  
Abhilash Perisetti ◽  
...  

Introduction: Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are increasingly being recognized in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It is unclear if the presence of GI symptoms is associated with poor outcomes in COVID-19. We aim to assess if GI symptoms could be used for prognostication in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients admitted to a tertiary medical center in Brooklyn, NY, from March 18, 2020, to March 31, 2020, with COVID-19. The patients’ medical charts were reviewed for the presence of GI symptoms at admission, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. COVID-19 patients with GI symptoms (cases) were compared with COVID-19 patients without GI symptoms (control). Results: A total of 150 hospitalized COVID-19 patients were included, of which 31 (20.6%) patients had at least 1 or more of the GI symptoms (cases). They were compared with the 119 COVID-19 patients without GI symptoms (controls). The average age among cases was 57.6 years (SD 17.2) and control was 63.3 years (SD 14.6). No statistically significant difference was noted in comorbidities and laboratory findings. The primary outcome was mortality, which did not differ between cases and controls (41.9 vs. 37.8%, p = 0.68). No statistically significant differences were noted in secondary outcomes, including the length of stay (LOS, 7.8 vs. 7.9 days, p = 0.87) and need for mechanical ventilation (29 vs. 26.9%, p = 0.82). Discussion: In our study, the presence of GI manifestations in COVID-19 at the time of admission was not associated with increased mortality, LOS, or mechanical ventilation.


Author(s):  
Le Dinh Vinh Phuc ◽  
Cao Ba Loi ◽  
Huynh Hong Quang ◽  
Le Duc Vinh ◽  
Cao Truong Sinh ◽  
...  

Background: Human toxocariasis is prevalent in many countries but this disease has been rarely reported from Vietnam. We aimed to investigate the clinical and laboratory findings and assess possible association between these findings in patients with toxocariasis in Vietnam. Methods: A prospectively study, between October 2017 and June 2019 was performed involving 120 toxocariasis patients at Medic Medical Center, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The diagnosis of toxocariasis was established based on clinical, laboratory (eosinophilia, raised IgE concentration) and serological (positive Toxocara IgG ELISA test) evaluation as well as the exclusion of other helminthic coinfection.   Results: The most frequently reported manifestation was of skin (n = 93, 77.5%), including urticarial (n= 69, 57.5%) followed by neurologic, gastrointestinal and pulmonary signs/symptoms. Hepatic involvement occurred in 8.3% of the patients. No significant relationship between clinical findings and laboratory parameters was found except the higher values of eosinophil count and IgE concentration among patients with liver involvement. There was a significant relationship between eosinophil count and IgE concentration (r=0.389, P<0.001). Serological findings did not show a correlation with clinical and other laboratory findings. Conclusion: Our data revealed a wide range of clinical symptoms/signs and a high incidence of skin manifestations in patients with toxocariasis. Eosinophil count and IgE concentration are valuable markers for the evaluation of the disease.


2019 ◽  
pp. 68-73
Author(s):  
Trong Nghia Nguyen ◽  
Thi Nhan Nguyen ◽  
Thi Dua Dao

Background: The metabolic syndrome is a constellation of cardiometabolic risk factors that tend to cluster together in affected individuals more often than predicted by chance. The presence of the metabolic syndrome substantially increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and is associated with a range of adverse clinical outcomes, many of which are closely associated with aging. Current estimates suggest that approximately 20 - 25% of the world’s population is affected by the metabolic syndrome. The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome rises with age and more than 45% of people aged over 60 years have the metabolic syndrome. Recent studies show that low vitamin D status is very common in the world and this is a risk factor of metabolic syndrome. Objective: (1) Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration in subjects with metabolic syndrome. (2) Cut off value of plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration for predicting metabolic syndrome. Material and method: A cross-sectional study with control group on 318 adult subjects for health examinations at International Medical Center at Hue Central Hospital, including 139 subjects with metabolic syndrome and control group of 179 healthy subjects. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the IDF, NHLBI, AHA, WHF, IAS, IASO (2009). Plasma hydroxyvitamin D concentration was measured using chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay. Reciever operating characteristic (ROC) curve were generated to assess sensitivity and specificity for different cut off value of 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration for predicting metabolic syndrome. Results: Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration in subjects with metabolic syndrome was 26.4 ng/ml, incidence of plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency (59.7%) was significantly higher than in control group (23.5%) (p < 0.001). The optimal cut off point for 25-OH-D concentration for predictor of metabolic syndrome as 26.4 ng/ml (AUC=0.657, sensitivity=53.4%, specificity=71.6%). Conclusion: In 139 subjects with metabolic syndrome, the plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration was 26.4 ng/ml and the incidence of 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency in the metabolic syndrome group was 59.7%. The optimal cut off point for plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration for predictor of metabolic syndrome as 26.4 ng/ml. Key words: Metabolic syndrome, 25-hydroxyvitamin D


Author(s):  
Hamid Owaysee Osquee ◽  
Sepehr Taghizadeh ◽  
Mehdi Haghdoost ◽  
Hadi Pourjafar ◽  
Fereshteh Ansari

Introduction: In this article, we report data on confirmed CCHF cases from Iran and describe the association between studying factors and outcomes of the disease. Objective: Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is an acute and fatal disease with various clinical and paraclinical characteristics. Methods: In the Study design, we evaluated demographic characteristics, clinical, laboratory and sonographic findings of 160 CCHF confirmed cases during 2003 and 2012 in Zabol (A city in Sistan and Baluchestan province of Iran). The association between these factors and the fatal outcome was evaluated by regression analysis. Results: The disease had a fatal outcome in 7 (4.4%) of patients. Females had more severe symptoms and higher odds for death (odds ratio11.57, p=0.005). Leukocytosis (p<0.001), PT (p<0.001) and PTT (p=0.008) elongation, AST (p=0.010) and ALT (p<0.001) elevation were significantly associated with fatal outcome. CNS related symptoms (odds ratio 5.9, p=0.027) in clinical examination and ascites (odds ratio 38.4, p=0.012) and liquid in the pelvic cavity (odds ratio 24.2, p=0.004) were also identified as risk factors of death in this study. Conclusions: Our data suggest that in addition to clinical and laboratory findings practitioners consider sonography for CCHF prognosis.


Pain Medicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mona Hussein ◽  
Wael Fathy ◽  
Ragaey A Eid ◽  
Hoda M Abdel-Hamid ◽  
Ahmed Yehia ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives Headache is considered one of the most frequent neurological manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This work aimed to identify the relative frequency of COVID-19-related headache and to clarify the impact of clinical, laboratory findings of COVID-19 infection on headache occurrence and its response to analgesics. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Recovered COVID-19 patients. Subjects In total, 782 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 infection. Methods Clinical, laboratory, and imaging data were obtained from the hospital medical records. Regarding patients who developed COVID-19 related headache, a trained neurologist performed an analysis of headache and its response to analgesics. Results The relative frequency of COVID-19 related headache among our sample was 55.1% with 95% confidence interval (CI) (.516–.586) for the estimated population prevalence. Female gender, malignancy, primary headache, fever, dehydration, lower levels of hemoglobin and platelets and higher levels of neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and CRP were significantly associated with COVID-19 related headache. Multivariate analysis revealed that female gender, fever, dehydration, primary headache, high NLR, and decreased platelet count were independent predictors of headache occurrence. By evaluating headache response to analgesics, old age, diabetes, hypertension, primary headache, severe COVID-19, steroid intake, higher CRP and ferritin and lower hemoglobin levels were associated with poor response to analgesics. Multivariate analysis revealed that primary headache, steroids intake, moderate and severe COVID-19 were independent predictors of non-response to analgesics. Discussion Headache occurs in 55.1% of patients with COVID-19. Female gender, fever, dehydration, primary headache, high NLR, and decreased platelet count are considered independent predictors of COVID-19 related headache.


2020 ◽  
pp. jim-2020-001506
Author(s):  
Avinoam Markovich ◽  
Ohad Ronen

Acute suppurative parotitis (ASP) is an acute infection of the parotid gland that necessitates hospitalization in some patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical laboratory values including hydration, nutritional status, inflammatory markers and age, and to compare them with duration of hospitalization of patients with ASP. This is a retrospective chart review in a tertiary academic center. We investigated the factors affecting length of hospitalization in patients admitted to Galilee Medical Center with a diagnosis of ASP between 2010 and 2018. Of the 60 patients with ASP included in the study, 24 were male. The average age of patients was 60, ranging from 18 to 99. We found statistically significant correlations between length of hospitalization and patient age (r=0.3), C reactive protein (r=0.3), white cell count (WCC) at presentation (r=0.3), blood urea nitrogen to creatinine ratio (BUN:Cr) (r=0.2), and platelet levels at discharge (r=0.4). Examination of these factors on multivariate analysis found hospitalization duration was exclusively affected by patients’ level of dehydration as represented by BUN:Cr. Patient age, WCC levels at presentation, and platelet levels were not found to be statistically significant. Treatment and interventions should be planned accordingly.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-245
Author(s):  
René Hage ◽  
Carolin Steinack ◽  
Fiorenza Gautschi ◽  
Susan Pfister ◽  
Ilhan Inci ◽  
...  

We report clinical features, treatments and outcomes in 18 lung transplant recipients with laboratory confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. We performed a single center, retrospective case series study of lung transplant recipients, who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 between 1 February 2020 and 1 March 2021. Clinical, laboratory and radiology findingswere obtained. Treatment regimens and patient outcome data were obtained by reviewing the electronic medical record. Mean age was 49.9 (22–68) years, and twelve (67%) patients were male. The most common symptoms were fever (n = 9, 50%), nausea/vomiting (n = 7, 39%), cough (n = 6, 33%), dyspnea (n = 6, 33%) and fatigue (n = 6, 33%). Headache was reported by five patients (28%). The most notable laboratory findings were elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Computed Tomography (CT) of the chest was performed in all hospitalized patients (n = 11, 7%), and showed ground-glass opacities (GGO) in 11 patients (100%), of whom nine (82%) had GGO combined with pulmonary consolidations. Six (33%) patients received remdesivir, five (28%) intravenous dexamethasone either alone or in combination with remdesivir, and 15 (83%) were treated with broad spectrum antibiotics including co-amoxicillin, tazobactam-piperacillin and meropenem. Four (22%) patients were transferred to the intensive care unit, two patients (11%) required invasive mechanical ventilation who could not be successfully extubated and died. Eighty-nine percent of our patients survived COVID-19 and were cured. Two patients with severe COVID-19 did not survive.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S770-S771
Author(s):  
Christian C Lamb ◽  
Joseph Yabes ◽  
Shilpa Hakre ◽  
Jason Okulicz

Abstract Background The prevalence of Neisseria gonorrhea (GC) and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) is much higher at extragenital anatomic sites among men who have sex with men (MSM) with HIV infection. National guidelines recommend that all MSM with HIV infection undergo screening for extragenital sexually transmitted infections (EG-STIs), however uptake is low in many primary care settings. We evaluated EG-STI screening by primary care providers (PCPs) for US Air Force (USAF) members with incident HIV infection. Methods All USAF members newly diagnosed with HIV infection who received initial HIV specialty care with Infectious Disease (ID) providers at Brooke Army Medical Center from 2016-2018 (n=98) were included. A retrospective chart review was conducted to evaluate STI screening performed by PCPs within 1 week of HIV diagnosis compared to screening at entry into ID care. Demographic, clinical, laboratory and behavioral risk data were collected. STI screening included GC/CT EG-STIs, urethral GC/CT, syphilis, and hepatitis B and C. Results Patients were predominantly male (97.9%) with a median age of 26 (IQR 23, 32) years at HIV diagnosis (Table 1). A previous history of STIs was reported in 53 (54.1%) patients and the majority of males self-identified as MSM (66.3%) or bisexual (22.5%). The median time from HIV diagnosis to ID evaluation was 26 days (IQR 9, 33). PCPs performed any STI screening in 61 (62.2%) patients (Table 2). EG-STI screening was conducted in 3 (3.1%) patients overall and in (3.4%) MSM/bisexuals. A total of 31 (31.6%) patients had missed STIs; the majority due to EG-STIs of the rectum (71%) and pharynx (21.9%). All EG-STIs would have been missed by urethral GC/CT screening alone. Table 1 Table 2 Conclusion EG-STI screening uptake was low among PCPs evaluating USAF members with incident HIV infection. Underutilization of EG-STI screening can result in missed infections and forward transmission of GC/CT. Barriers to low uptake need to be explored. Continued education and training of PCPs may be necessary to improve uptake of EG-STI screening. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures


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