Listeria-Associated Lymphadenitis: A Series of 11 Consecutive Cases and Review of the Literature

We studied 11 cases of culture-proven Listeria-associated lymphadenitis reported to the French National Reference Center for Listeria from 1994 to 2019 and 8 additional published cases. Listeria-associated lymphadenitis is rare, but it is associated with a mortality as high as for invasive listeriosis, and it is frequently diagnosed with concomitant neoplasia.

Study of nutritional parameters and physical activity in psoriasis patients attended at a reference center in Northeastern Brazil / Estudo de parâmetros nutricionais e atividade física em pacientes com psoríase atendidos em um centro de referência no Nordeste do Brasil

Psoriasis is defined as an immune-mediated disease, which has a chronic and relapsing nature, multifactorial etiology, strong participation of genetic, immunological and environmental factors. Studies show the association of psoriasis with risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. An adequate diet combined with the practice of physical activity is capable of positively influencing the prognosis of the disease. The present study aimed to assess the nutritional status and physical activity practice of patients diagnosed with psoriasis seen at the Reference, Support and Treatment Center for Psoriasis Patients of the University Hospital Lauro Wanderley (HULW), in João Pessoa, Paraiba state from October to December 2018. Patients were evaluated by means of a semi-structured questionnaire to collect information such as identification data, skin color, family history of the disease, previous pathological history, life habits and feeding. High BMI prevailed in 80% of the patients, being 35% overweight and 45% obese. The result showed that 45% of the patients had a diagnosis of type 2 DM and 60% of SAH. When asked about the diagnosis of dyslipidemia, 25% of the patients reported having high cholesterol and/or triglyceride and 10% of the patients did not know how to report. With regard to the practice of physical activity, 65% of patients reported performing physical activities, of which 84.6% performed it at a frequency of 1 to 3 times a week and 15.4%, from 4 to 7 times. This preliminary study allowed us to identify the nutritional profile and the practice of physical activity of individuals with psoriasis treated at a Reference Center. The results showed the coexistence of psoriasis and comorbidities related to the metabolic syndrome in the majority of patients evaluated, with a predominance of obesity, systemic arterial hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Epidemiological Profile of 96 Intracranial Tumors Treated in a Single Reference Center

Objectives The present study aims to categorize the prevalence of intracranial tumors surgically treated at the neurosurgery service of Hospital Universitário Evangélico Mackenzie (HUEM) between 2016 and 2018. Material and Methods This survey included patients surgically treated due to primary or metastatic intracranial neoplasia between 2016 and 2018 at a referral center in the city of Curitiba. These patients were analyzed for epidemiological, histopathological, and topographic data, and they underwent an assessment of the outcome at the time of hospital discharge. Results A total of 96 patients met the inclusion criteria. The most prevalent tumor was the glioma, with 39.6% of the sample, with glioblastoma being the most prevalent histological type. Brain metastases and meningiomas represented, respectively, 21.9% and 18.8% of the total. There was a predominance of supratentorial and intra-axial tumors in our sample. Conclusion Glioma was the most commonly found tumor, directly associated with high morbidity and mortality. The development of new and more effective drugs with action directed at the molecular level of intracranial tumors may be the path to a longer survival and improvement in the quality of life of these patients.

NGS Evaluation of a Bernese Cohort of Unexplained Erythrocytosis Patients

(1) Background: Clinical and molecular data on patients with unexplained erythrocyto-sis is sparse. We aimed to analyze the clinical and molecular features of patients with congenital erythrocytosis in our tertiary reference center. (2) Methods: In 34 patients with unexplained erythrocytosis, a 13-gene Next-Generation Sequencing erythrocytosis panel developed at our center was conducted. (3) Results: In 6/34 (18%) patients, eight different heterozygous gene variants were found. These patients were, therefore, diagnosed with congenital erythrocytosis. Two patients had two different gene variants each. All variants were characterized as variants of unknown significance as they had not previously been described in the literature. The rest of the patients (28/34, 82%) had no detected gene variants. (4) Conclusions: Our experience shows that the NGS panel can be helpful in determining the reasons for persistent, unexplained erythrocytosis. In our cohort of patients with erythrocytosis, we identified some, thus far unknown, gene variants which may explain the clinical picture. However, further investigations are needed to determine the relationship between the molecular findings and the phenotype.