A case of encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis in a patient with chronic schistosomiasis.

Encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis (EPS) is a debilitating condition, mainly associated with long-term peritoneal dialysis, where up-regulation of intra-abdominal inflammatory pathways leads to a fibrocollagenous peritoneal membrane formation resembling a cocoon. EPS causes intestinal encapsulation leading to bowel obstruction and dilatation. Chronic schistosomiasis is characterized by dysregulation of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. EPS has never been reported before in patients with chronic schistosomiasis. We report the first, to our knowledge, case of a 57-year-old male originated from Burkina Faso with chronic intestinal and urogenital schistosomiasis and EPS. Although causality cannot be established solely by this case, we hypothesize that EPS may be the result of chronic inflammatory activation, due to immune dysregulation driven by chronic schistosomiasis. The potential pathogenetic linkage between these two conditions should be further explored.

Preliminary Data of a Quantitative Point of Care Test for SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies From Greece.

BACKGROUND: Antibody testing is necessary to identify immune individuals in the post-initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We prospectively evaluated the performance of a quantitative point-of-care test (POCT) for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. The patient group (PG) comprised of hospitalized confirmed COVID-19 cases. Asymptomatic healthcare volunteers with negative rRT-PCR were included in the control group (CG). Measurement of IgM and IgG was obtained by dry fluorescence immunoassay. RESULTS: Twenty-six PG (65.9±15.4 years old, male 57.7%) and 18 CG (45.6±10.1 years old, male 33.3%) were included. By manufacturer's cut-off (≥0.04 mIU/ml), sensitivity and specificity were 73.08% and 88.89% for IgM and 88.46% and 33.33% for IgG, respectively. Estimated areas under the ROC curve were 0.907 and 0.848 for IgM and IgG, respectively. Results were improved using a cut-off of IgM ≥0.05 mIU/ml and IgG ≥0.10 mIU/ml. CONCLUSION: Using stringent cut-off values, SARS-CoV-2 antibody POCT detects immune people and can be used during socioeconomic normalization of communities.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of measles outbreak in adults: A multicenter retrospective observational study of 93 hospitalized adults in Greece.

OBJECTIVES: Measles outbreaks are increasingly reported among countries that were close-to-eliminate measles infection. There are few reports of clinical characteristics of measles in adults in the contemporary literature. In this study we aim to describe the clinical characteristics and complications of measles infection in hospitalized adults during the recent epidemic in Greece. METHODS: A multicentre observational retrospective study was conducted in three tertiary hospitals in Greece. All adult hospitalized patients (≥18 years old) with serologically confirmed and/or clinical features compatible with measles were included. Pediatric patients and patients with missing data were excluded. RESULTS: In total, 93 patients, 40 males (43 %) and 53 females (57 %), mostly young patients were included. Most of them (87 %) had no past medical history. Among women, 4 were pregnant. 56 (60.2 %) and 25 (26.9 %) patients reported either unknown or incomplete vaccination for measles. Ribavirin was administered in 8 (8.6 %) patients. Pneumonitis and hepatic involvement were the most common complications, occurring in 43 (46.2 %) and 75 (80.6 %) patients respectively. Pneumonitis was significantly associated with male sex, older age, lower lymphocyte counts and higher C-reactive protein (CRP) on admission. One pregnant woman suffered spontaneous fetal miscarriage and one patient died due to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and high-risk pulmonary embolism. CONCLUSION: Considerable proportions of incompletely vaccinated or unvaccinated adults have led to the re-emergence of measles in countries with reported close-to-elimination rates. Pneumonitis is a major complication among adults with measles. More studies are imperative in order to explore the role of immune paresis in measles.