Use of tocilizumab, remdesivir, and high-dose methylprednisolone prevents intubation in an ESRD patient with COVID-19 pneumonia

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected over 200 million patients worldwide. COVID-19 is transmitted through respiratory droplets from patient to patient or by touching a surface that has been contaminated by an infected patient. Many COVID-19 patients have other comorbidities, such as end-stage renal disease. Currently, management of COVID-19 in patients with end-stage renal disease is unclear. Some studies have shown improvement in this population with the use of tocilizumab, a humanized interleukin-6 monoclonal antibody, in addition to the standard therapy as per guidelines published by the National Institutes of Health. In this case report, we present a patient case where the use of remdesivir, tocilizumab, and pulse-dose methylprednisolone significantly improved symptoms and inflammatory biomarkers associated with COVID-19 in a patient with end-stage renal disease.

Safety Comparison of Conventional Versus Extended Infusion of Pulse Methylprednisolone in Multiple Sclerosis Exacerbation Retrospective Study

Objective: - To ascertain the adverse events and changes in vital signs (heart rate (HR), systolic (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and serum potassium level during and after intravenous methylprednisolone (IVMP) in multiple sclerosis exacerbation.Design: retrospective review study conducted at Hamad General Hospital (HGH), all patients who are admitted 2019-2020 with MS exacerbation without any other comorbidities will be categorized into 2 groups depending on infusion rate, one group received conventional intravenous methylprednisolone pulse dose over 30minutes to one hour, while the second group received methylprednisolone pulse dose intravenously over an extended period)(four to six hours). Multiple readings of vital signs and, potassium level through steroid administration time will be assessed to determine if there is an infusion-related significant difference in adverse events between both groups.Methods: 74 adult patients with MS relapse who have been admitted at Hamad General Hospital (HGH) and satisfied pre-specified inclusion criteria were invited to participate in the study.Results: 74 patients with MS included in the study, 61 patients (83.6%) were received methylprednisolone dose 500 mg -1000 mg in conventional infusion rate while 12 patients (16.4%) were received pulse steroid in extended duration. There was no significant difference in mean blood pressure before and after IVMP in both groups. There was a small but statistically significant increase in mean heart rate in the conventional group immediately after first and second but not 3rd dose of IVMP compared to baseline 3.5± 8.9 and 4.85± 13.9 P < 0.003. There was a minimal non-significant increase in potassium level in the conventional group (P = 0.17), while there is a non-significant decrease in potassium level in the extended group (P=0.72).Conclusion: IVMP is considered safe and effective in the treatment of MS exacerbation regardless of intravenous infusion duration. There was no significant difference in vital signs among different infusion rates. However, there was a small but statistically significant increase in mean heart rate in the conventional group immediately after first and second but not 3rd dose of IVMP compared to baseline. No significant difference was observed in potassium levels before and after IVMP. We, therefore, recommend that potassium level monitoring should be only restricted to patients with other risk factors of hypokalemia.

Leukocytoclastic Vasculitis as a Rare Dermatologic Extraintestinal Manifestation of Ulcerative Colitis in an Elderly Patient with Positive PR3-ANCA

Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease that in rare cases may develop extraintestinal manifestations. This case report aims to add to the limited clinical data on leukocytoclastic vasculitis and possible ANCA-associated vasculitis as rare cutaneous and rheumatologic extraintestinal manifestations of IBD, particularly in elderly patients. Our case involves a 79-year-old male with a history of mild-moderate ulcerative colitis on oral mesalamine 2.4 g daily and pyoderma gangrenosum who presented with recurrent bilateral polyarthralgia, joint swelling, diffuse lower extremity purpura, acute kidney injury, and scrotal rash. Autoimmune titers were significant for positive ANA and PR3-ANCA. Biopsy of purpuric lesions demonstrated findings suggestive of leukocytoclastic vasculitis. The patient was promptly treated with pulse-dose methylprednisolone for 3 days with rapid improvement of symptoms.

A brachytherapia szerepe az ajak-szájüregi daganatok kuratív ellátásában

Összefoglaló. A szájüregi daganatok kuratív kezelésében az elsődlegesen választandó műtét mellett a sugárterápiának is jelentős szerepe van. A lokális tumormentesség biztosításához azonban dóziseszkaláció szükséges. Ennek külső besugárzással való megvalósítása a környező normálszövetek fölösleges dózisterhelésével és az ebből következő mellékhatások előfordulásának emelkedésével jár. A brachytherapia (BT) – amelynek során radioaktív sugárforrást/sugárforrásokat juttatunk a tumorba vagy annak közelébe – lehetővé teszi a helyileg magasabb dózis leadását a környező ép szövetek kímélésével. A BT a korai, T1–2N0 stádiumú szájüregi tumoroknál – kedvező prognosztikai faktorok mellett – akár kizárólagosan vagy mint posztoperatíve egyedül alkalmazott terápiás modalitás jön szóba. Kedvezőtlenebb prognózis esetén vagy előrehaladottabb stádiumban (T3–4 vagy N+) a műtétet és/vagy a percutan irradiációt kiegészítő eljárásként alkalmazható kedvező sugárfizikai tulajdonságai miatt. A kis dózisteljesítményű (low-dose-rate, LDR) BT-t már évtizedek óta alkalmazzák a terápiában, de ezt kezdi kiszorítani a nagy dózisteljesítményű (high-dose-rate, HDR), illetve a pulzáló dózisteljesítményű (pulse-dose-rate, PDR) BT. A jelen áttekintő tanulmány célja irodalmi adatok alapján a BT szerepének és indikációjának ismertetése a szájüregi daganatok kuratív kezelésében, alrégiókra lebontva. Orv Hetil. 2021; 162(37): 1471–1479. Summary. Radiation therapy plays a significant role in the curative treatment of oral cavity tumors, in addition to the primary choice of surgery. However, dose escalation is required to ensure local tumor control. Its implementation with external irradiation is accompanied by an unnecessary dose exposure to the surrounding normal tissues and an increase in the incidence of consequent side effects. Brachytherapy (BT), in which a radiation source/sources is/are placed inside or close to the tumor, allows a higher dose to be delivered locally, sparing the surrounding intact tissues. In addition to favorable prognostic factors in early T1–2N0 stage oral cavity tumors, BT is considered either exclusively or as a sole postoperative therapeutic modality. At less favorable prognosis or at a more advanced stage (T3–4 or N+), BT can be used as a complementary procedure after surgery and/or percutaneous irradiation based on its favorable radio-physical properties. Low-dose-rate (LDR) BT has been used in the therapy for decades, but recently it has been replaced by high-dose-rate (HDR) and pulse-dose-rate (PDR) BT. The purpose of this review is to describe the role and indications of BT in the treatment of oral cavity tumors categorized into subregions, based on the literature data. Orv Hetil. 2021; 162(37): 1471–1479.

Lupus Eritematosus Sistemik pada Pria

Introduction: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease characterized by presence of nucleus autoantibody and affected multiple organ. Systemic lupus erythematosus is more common in women than men with ratio 2:1 to 15:1. Men with SLE often have a more aggressive clinical course, lead to a poorer prognosis compared with women with SLE. Case Report: A man, 29 years old came to hospital with main complain joint pain increased since 1 week ago, accompanied with red spot on face, trunk, hands, foot, and back, hair loss, swollen leg, mouth ulcer, and fatique. Malar rash and discoid rash were identified from physical examination. From laboratorium, ANA profile was positive for RNP/Sm, Sm, dsDNA, and histone. Skin biopsy showed a lupus discoid. Conclusion: The patient was treated with pulse-dose methylprednisolone for 3 days and showed a good response clinically.

Rare Presentation of Concomitant Alopecia Areata and Vitiligo in a Teenager

Introduction: Alopecia areata (AA) and vitiligo are two chronic, autoimmune skin diseases. While these two conditions are common, their co-existence is rare. Case Presentation: A 13-year-old Caucasian female presented to the dermatology clinic with a 1-2-month history of hair loss on her occipital scalp. The patient was diagnosed with AA and prescribed topical mometasone 1% lotion twice daily and pulse-dose prednisolone solution 12 mL 1 day per month for 3 months. At her 3-month follow-up, the patient reported new-onset hair depigmentation. On physical examination, the patient’s occipital scalp and right eyelash demonstrated a depigmented patch of hair, concerning for vitiligo. The patient was diagnosed with concomitant disease and topical tofacitinib was added to her treatment regimen. Discussion/Conclusion: The colocalization of AA and vitiligo is rare, and the presentation suggests an underlying pathogenic link between the two skin diseases. While the definitive immunologic pathway remains unknown, researchers have narrowed down inflammatory markers involved in the development of both conditions, including CD8+ cytotoxic T-cells, interferon gamma (IFN-ɣ), and IFN-ɣ-induced chemokines. We present a 13-year-old female patient who presented to the clinic with scalp alopecia and later developed overlying scalp and eyelash vitiligo. The rare nature of the patient’s presentation makes concomitant disease a therapeutic challenge and can impose significant psychological distress to a pediatric patient.