Topical Application of Minocycline Hydrochloride and Systemic Nicotinamide and Traditional Chinese Medicine for Benign Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid: A Case Report

A history of recurrent benign mucous membrane pemphigoid episodes had plagued patients. Major treatments include immunosuppressant or systemic glucocorticoid drugs, but all of them have side effects. Therefore, we tried to find a way to minimize side effects by using traditional Chinese medicine, and speeding up the healing process.

Сlostridium difficile Infection in a COVID-19 Patient

Aim. The clinical observation highlights plausible compound origins of diarrhoea, fever and neutrophilic leucocytosis in COVID-19 and the rationale to exclude Clostridium difficile infection in such patients.Key points. A 57-yo female patient was admitted in May 2020 with the complaints of 39 °C fever, general weakness, polymyalgia, diarrhoea to 3–4 times a day (mushy stool, no morbid inclusions). Initial diarrhoea was non-severe and likely triggered by the coronavirus infection. A background antibiotic and putative-immunosuppressive therapy proceeded with watery diarrhoea to 7–8 times a day and C. difficile toxins A and B detected in stool. The C. difficile infection relapsed on day 10 of vancomycin withdrawal and associated with elevated body temperature, diarrhoea and neutrophil leucocytosis; signs of colitis determined in ultrasound and CT. Exacerbation was successfully treated in a repeated metronidazole-combined vancomycin course.Conclusion. Patients with COVID-19 are at risk of clostridial colitis due to massive antibiotic, systemic glucocorticoid and biologics-based therapy they receive. The opportunistic bacterial infection of C. difficile often proceeds undetected due to its potential mirroring of COVID-19 presentation. A screening algorithm in COVID-19 patients with diarrhoea should imply steps for C. difficile detection.

Pregnancy in a woman with secondary osteoporosis. A case report

BACKGROUND: Glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis is one of the most serious complications of prolonged (more than three months) systemic glucocorticoid therapy. Rapid bone loss occurs in the first months of treatment, which is a significant risk factor, especially during pregnancy and lactation. When taking systemic glucocorticoid therapy in a daily dose of 5 mg or more (in prednisone equivalent), the relative risk of vertebral fractures increases by 2.9 times. RESULTS: This article examines a clinical case of pregnancy and childbirth of 32-year-old woman diagnosed with secondary complicated osteoporosis during treatment with systemic glucocorticosteroids, who has a history of spine compression fractures during lactation after a previous pregnancy. Vitamin D deficiency was diagnosed and corrected during this pregnancy, which minimized the risk of fractures. A baby was delivered through the birth canal. Bisphosphonate therapy was started six months after birth. No new fractures were diagnosed within two years of observation. CONCLUSIONS: The approach to the management, diagnosis and delivery of pregnant patients with secondary osteoporosis treated long-term with glucocorticosteroids should be multidisciplinary. It is imperative to prescribe vitamin D and calcium preparations throughout pregnancy and lactation.

Case Report: Home-based Management of Severe COVID-19 with Low-dose Tofacitinib

Human lives and nations’ economies have been adversely affected worldwide by the COVID-19 pandemic. The hyperinflammatory state associated with the disease may be related to mortality. Systemic glucocorticoid is the first-line therapy for cytokine storm. Various immunomodulatory drugs such as tocilizumab and baricitinib have been used in those not responding to glucocorticoid monotherapy. Amid the peak crisis of COVID-19 in India, there was an extreme paucity of medications, oxygen, and hospital beds. We describe three patients with COVID-19 who received low-dose tofacitinib (an oral Janus kinase inhibitor) in addition to moderate-dose glucocorticoid. These patients were treated at their homes, as the hospitals were short of beds. Rapid reduction in hypoxemia along with gradual resolution of other signs of the disease were observed. The results are reassuring regarding the feasibility of managing of severe COVID-19 outside the hospital setting when healthcare resources are overwhelmed by pandemic-related caseload.

Use of systemic glucocorticoids and risk of breast cancer in a prospective cohort of postmenopausal women

Background Glucocorticoids could theoretically decrease breast cancer risk through their anti-inflammatory effects or increase risk through immunosuppression. However, epidemiological evidence is limited regarding the associations between glucocorticoid use and breast cancer risk. Methods We investigated the association between systemic glucocorticoid use and breast cancer incidence in the E3N cohort, which includes 98,995 women with information on various characteristics collected from repeated questionnaires complemented with drug reimbursement data available from 2004. Women with at least two reimbursements of systemic glucocorticoids in any previous 3-month period since January 1, 2004, were defined as exposed. We considered exposure as a time-varying parameter, and we used multivariable Cox regression models to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) of breast cancer. We performed a competing risk analysis using a cause-specific hazard approach to study the heterogeneity by tumour subtype/stage/grade. Results Among 62,512 postmenopausal women (median age at inclusion of 63 years old), 2864 developed breast cancer during a median follow-up of 9 years (between years 2004 and 2014). Compared with non-exposure, glucocorticoid exposure was not associated with overall breast cancer risk [HR = 0.94 (0.85–1.05)]; however, it was associated with a higher risk of in situ breast cancer and a lower risk of invasive breast cancer [HRinsitu = 1.34 (1.01–1.78); HRinvasive = 0.86 (0.76–0.97); Phomogeneity = 0.01]. Regarding the risk of invasive breast cancer, glucocorticoid exposure was inversely associated with oestrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer [HRER+ = 0.82 (0.72–0.94); HRER− = 1.21 (0.88–1.66); Phomogeneity = 0.03]; it was also inversely associated with the risk of stage 1 or stage 2 tumours but positively associated with the risk of stage 3/4 breast cancers [HRstage1 = 0.87 (0.75–1.01); HRstage2 = 0.67 (0.52–0.86); HRstage3/4 = 1.49 (1.02–2.20); Phomogeneity = 0.01]. Conclusion This study suggests that the association between systemic glucocorticoid use and breast cancer risk may differ by tumour subtype and stage.

Rationale and design of REGULATE: an observational study protocol for relationship between plasma metabolome and the efficacy of systemic glucocorticoid in acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background Acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) significantly increases the mortality of patients with COPD. Guidelines have recommended systemic glucocorticoid as a regular treatment. Recently, evidence has shown that systemic glucocorticoid cannot be a benefit to all of the patients with AECOPD. Thus, the problem that how the clinicians can screen the patients who can benefit from systemic glucocorticoid needs to be solved urgently. This study is aimed to detect the metabolic biomarkers and metabolic pathways that are related to the efficacy of systemic glucocorticoid and contribute to the precise treatment of COPD. Methods and design In this study, we will utilize ultraperformance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC–MS) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC–MS) methods for the analysis of the metabolites in AECOPD patients and compare the metabolites profiles between patients with systemic glucocorticoid treatment success group and treatment failure group. We aim to detect the metabolic biomarkers and metabolic pathways that are related to the efficacy of systemic glucocorticoid and contribute to the precise treatment of COPD. Discussion Previous studies have found that plasma metabolome changed significantly after dexamethasone treatment in healthy participants. Furthermore, inter-person variability was high and remained uninfluenced by treatment, suggesting the potential of metabolomics for predicting the efficacy and side effects of systemic glucocorticoid. Therefore, we hypothesized that metabolome changes in patients with AECOPD may be associated with the efficacy of systemic glucocorticoid. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov registration number NCT04710849. Registered 15 January 2021, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04710849.

Vasopressor-Sparing Strategies in Patients with Shock: A Scoping-Review and an Evidence-Based Strategy Proposition

Despite the abundant literature on vasopressor therapy, few studies have focused on vasopressor-sparing strategies in patients with shock. We performed a scoping-review of the published studies evaluating vasopressor-sparing strategies by analyzing the results from randomized controlled trials conducted in patients with shock, with a focus on vasopressor doses and/or duration reduction. We analyzed 143 studies, mainly performed in septic shock. Our analysis demonstrated that several pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies are associated with a decrease in the duration of vasopressor therapy. These strategies are as follows: implementing a weaning strategy, vasopressin use, systemic glucocorticoid administration, beta-blockers, and normothermia. On the contrary, early goal directed therapies, including fluid therapy, oral vasopressors, vitamin C, and renal replacement therapy, are not associated with an increase in vasopressor-free days. Based on these results, we proposed an evidence-based vasopressor management strategy.

Glucocorticoids: Fuelling the Fire of Atherosclerosis or Therapeutic Extinguishers?

Glucocorticoids are steroid hormones with key roles in the regulation of many physiological systems including energy homeostasis and immunity. However, chronic glucocorticoid excess, highlighted in Cushing’s syndrome, is established as being associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Atherosclerosis is the major cause of CVD, leading to complications including coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction and heart failure. While the associations between glucocorticoid excess and increased prevalence of these complications are well established, the mechanisms underlying the role of glucocorticoids in development of atheroma are unclear. This review aims to better understand the importance of glucocorticoids in atherosclerosis and to dissect their cell-specific effects on key processes (e.g., contractility, remodelling and lesion development). Clinical and pre-clinical studies have shown both athero-protective and pro-atherogenic responses to glucocorticoids, effects dependent upon their multifactorial actions. Evidence indicates regulation of glucocorticoid bioavailability at the vasculature is complex, with local delivery, pre-receptor metabolism, and receptor expression contributing to responses linked to vascular remodelling and inflammation. Further investigations are required to clarify the mechanisms through which endogenous, local glucocorticoid action and systemic glucocorticoid treatment promote/inhibit atherosclerosis. This will provide greater insights into the potential benefit of glucocorticoid targeted approaches in the treatment of cardiovascular disease.

A rare case of atypical bone marrow sarcoidosis without pulmonary involvement in a Japanese woman

Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disease of unknown origin characterised by the presence of non-caseating granulomatous lesions. Extrapulmonary sarcoidosis with bone marrow involvement is rare and even more so without pulmonary involvement. Here, we describe a case of 69-year-old woman diagnosed as having bone marrow and hepatic sarcoidosis without pulmonary involvement based on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography findings. She was successfully treated with systemic glucocorticoid therapy.

AB0353 ADRENAL INSUFFICIENCY AFTER GLUCOCORTICOID TREATMENT OF GIANT CELL ARTERITIS

Background:Adrenal insufficiency is frequently neglected and underappreciated, potentially severe complication of systemic glucocorticoid therapy.Objectives:We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of glucocorticoid induced adrenal insufficiency in giant cell arteritis (GCA).Methods:We analysed adrenal function data in a cohort of GCA patients diagnosed between July 2014 and July 2019, in whom discontinuation of methylprednisolone therapy was planned. Adrenal function was tested by Corticotropin stimulation test (CST). To perform the CST, methylprednisolone was substituted with hydrocortisone (20mg qd in three divided doses) for one to four weeks before the test. Adrenal insufficiency was defined as cortisol level <450 nmol/l measured 30 minutes after the corticotropin injection; additionally, the result of the CST was defined as borderline when the cortisol level 30 minutes after corticotropin injection was between 450 nmol/l and 500 nmol/l.Results:Adrenal function was tested in 74/215 GCA patients before definite methylprednisolone withdrawal (after a median 13.5 (12.9 – 22.4) months of glucocorticoid therapy). The mean (SD) methylprednisolone dose, prior to substitution with hydrocortisone and subsequent CST, was 3.1 (1.6) mg. Adrenal insufficiency was detected in 36/74 patients (48.6%); additionally, 10/74 patients (13.5%) had a borderline CST result. Seventeen patients with either adrenal insufficiency or borderline CST result, had a repeated CST after median (IQR) 11.6 (8.9; 12.6) months. Adrenal insufficiency persisted in 11/17 (64.7%) patients, and 1/17 patients had a borderline CST. A third CST was performed in 4/12 patients with abnormal second CST after median (IQR) 8.3 (6.9; 10.6) months. Adrenal function recovered in one patient, while the adrenal insufficiency persisted in the remaining 3 patients.Conclusion:Adrenal insufficiency is a common and potentially long-lasting glucocorticoid induced adverse event in GCA patients.Disclosure of Interests:None declared