Acquired FXIII inhibitor: Patient characteristics and treatment outcome, a case series in Taiwan.

INTRODUCTION: Acquired factor XIII (FXIII) inhibitor is a rare but possibly underdiagnosed bleeding disorder. To date, less than one hundred cases have been reported, but the number has increased rapidly in recent years, especially in Japan. Because of the rarity of this disorder, no treatment guidelines are available. In some reports, physicians treated the bleeding with cryoprecipitate or factor XIII concentrate and eradicated the inhibitor with various immune suppressants. METHODS: From January 2015 to December 2018, we collected consecutive patients diagnosed as having acquired FXIII inhibitor. FXIII activity and inhibitor were measured by a fluorescent factor XIII assay using isopeptidase reaction catalyzed by activated factor XIII and the Bethesda method, respectively. Factor XIII antigen was measured by latex-enhanced immunoassay. RESULTS: We found five adult patients with detectable FXIII inhibitor. Four of them were older than 70. Two had systemic lupus erythematosus. All the patients presented with ecchymosis and intramuscular hematoma. No life-threatening bleeding was observed. Delayed diagnosis was common with varied time periods needed to achieve a correct diagnosis. All bleedings were treated and improved by cryoprecipitate. Steroids were given to all patients and cyclophosphamide, rituximab, and other immune suppressants were also used. FXIII inhibitor was totally resolved in three, partially resolved in one, and persisted in one patient. CONCLUSION: We documented five patients with acquired FXIII inhibitor, found over 4 years. The most common presentations were ecchymosis and intramuscular hematomas. Cryoprecipitate was effective in controlling most bleeds. Steroid, cyclophosphamide and rituximab were effective in eradicating inhibitor in some patients.

Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention of Noninfectious Acute Anterior Uveitis with or without Human Leukocyte Antigen B27 in Adults - Expert Consensus in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: Anterior uveitis is the most common anatomical type of uveitis. Patients with noninfectious anterior uveitis may develop various ocular complications and eventually visual impairment. Appropriately differentiating the etiologies can help clinicians to predict the outcome, arrange clinical follow-up, and decide the treatment or prevention strategy. Adequate treatment and effective prevention strategies can reduce the frequency of recurrence and the risk of developing complications. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B27 is the most common positive finding in patients with noninfectious AAU in many countries including Taiwan. PURPOSE: To report a consensus from experienced uveitis specialists and rheumatologists was made in Taiwan. METHODS: A panel of nine ophthalmologists from nine different referral centers with expertise in the management of uveitis and an experienced rheumatologist was held on January 16, 2022. A comprehensive literature review was performed. Differential diagnoses for etiologies, general treatments, and prevention strategies were discussed. Each statement in the consensus was made only if more than 70% of the experts agreed. RESULTS: A flow chart and seven statements regarding the differential diagnoses for etiologies, treatments and preventions, and co-management with rheumatologists were included in the consensus. CONCLUSIONS: This article discusses the general diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of noninfectious acute anterior uveitis, with or without HLA-B27, in adults for general ophthalmologists to improve overall outcomes of these patients.

Help me fix: The provision of injection assistance at an unsanctioned overdose prevention site in Toronto, Canada.

BACKGROUND: There is an acute public health crisis from opioid-related poisoning and overdose in Canada. The Moss Park Overdose Prevention Site (MP-OPS) - an unsanctioned overdose prevention site - opened in a downtown park in Toronto in August 2017, when no other supervised consumption services existed in the province. As an unsanctioned site, MP-OPS was not constrained by federal rules prohibiting assisted injection, and provided a unique opportunity to examine assisted injection within a supervised setting. Our objective was to examine the association between assisted injection and overdose, and whether any association between assisted injection and overdose differs according to gender. METHODS: Drawing on data from 5657 visits to MP-OPS from October 2017 to March 2018, we used multivariable logistic regression to investigate the relationship between assisted injection and overdose. To examine the influence of gender on this relationship, we further conducted stratified analyses by gender. RESULTS: Among 5657 visits to MP-OPS, 471 (8.3%) received assisted injection, of which 242 (51.4%) were received by women and 226 (48.0%) by men. Using multivariable logistic regression, assisted injection was not associated with overdose in the overall sample (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]1.58, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.94, 2.67). In gender-stratified models, women receiving assisted injection were more than twice as likely (aOR 2.23, 95% CI: 1.17, 4.27) to experience overdose than women who did not receive assisted injection, and no association between assisted injection and overdose was found among men. CONCLUSION: Findings that women receiving assisted injecting are at higher odds of overdose within the supervised setting of the MP-OPS are consistent with previous literature on assisted injection in community settings. Rules banning assisted injection in supervised consumption services may be putting a group of people, particularly women and those injecting fentanyl, at higher risk of health harms by denying them access to a supervised space where prompt overdose response is available.

Sub-tenon anesthesia for segmental scleral buckling and assessment of postoperative pain.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of sub-Tenon anesthesia for segmental scleral buckling. METHODS: Thirty-two patients diagnosed with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment were treated with segmental scleral buckling under sub-Tenon anesthesia. After topical anesthesia, a buttonhole was made through the conjuntiva and Tenon's capsule 4 mm posterior to the limbus. Four milliliters of anesthetic solution was then delivered into the posterior sub-Tenon space using a blunt cannula. The buckling procedure was done immediately after the completion of anesthesia. We evaluated akinesia and recorded the pain with a visual analogue scale after surgery. RESULTS: There were no anesthesia related complications. Twenty-two patients (69%) reported no pain during surgery. Nine patients (28%) felt pain during surgery. However, the pain was tolerable and the surgeries were finished smoothly with or without a supplemental anesthetic solution. One patient (3%) experienced uncomfortable pain and needed an additional retrobulbar block. Five patients (16%) retained complete eye movement 5 min after anesthesia, and only 4 patients (13%) experienced total akinesia. At the end of the surgery, 16 patients (50%) had total akinesia and 2 patients (6%) retained complete eye movement. CONCLUSIONS: Sub-Tenon anesthesia is efficient and safe in segmental scleral buckling. It can prevent the complications of peribulbar or retrobulbar anesthesia and is a good alternative to both methods of anesthesia, especially in highly myopic eyes.