Evaluation of interleukin-8 levels in the diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in patients with haematological malignancies.

This study aimed to determine the level of interleukin (IL)-8 in diagnosing of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA). We conducted this study with 50 controls and 25 IPA patients with haematological malignancies. Demographic data, haematological diagnoses, chemotherapy regimen, galactomannan level, fungal culture, and computed tomography findings of the patients were evaluated prospectively. IL-8 levels were studied with the ELISA method. The mean age of patients in the case group was 60.84 ± 15.38 years, while that of the controls was 58.38 ± 16.64 years. Of the patients, 2/25 were classified as having 'proven', 13/25 as 'probable', and 10/25 as 'possible' invasive aspergillosis (IA). Serum IL-8 levels were found to be significantly higher in the case group compared to the controls. There was a negative correlation between serum IL-8 levels and neutrophil counts and a positive correlation with the duration of neutropenia. A significant cutoff value for serum IL-8 parameter in detecting IPA disease was obtained as ≥274 ng/l; sensitivity was 72%; specificity was 64%; PPV was 50%; and NPV was 82%. In the subgroup analysis, there was no significant difference in serum IL-8 levels between the case group and the patients in the neutropenic control group, while a significant difference was found in with the patients in the non-neutropenic control group. Serum IL-8 levels in neutropenic patients who develop IPA are not adequate in terms of both the diagnosis of the disease and predicting mortality. New, easily applicable methods with high sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing IPA are still needed.

Although a significant cutoff value for serum interleukin (IL)-8 was found in the diagnosis of IPA, there was no statistical difference in serum IL-8 when subgroup analysis was performed with neutropenic control patients. Therefore, serum IL-8 is not a successful marker in diagnosing neutropenic patients with IPA.

[Invasive Mold Infections in Patients with Hematologic Malignities: The Effects of Environmental Factors]. / Hematolojik Maligniteli Hastalarda Invaziv Küf Enfeksiyonlari: Çevresel Faktörlerin Etkisi.

Invasive fungal infections (IFI) continue to be an important cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with hematological malignancies. Candida and Aspergillus species constitute most of the IFI in these patients.. It has been reported that most of the invasive aspergillosis epidemics are related to the construction works in the hospital. In this study, we aimed to investigate the frequency of IFI in the old and the new hospital building after relocation in patients with hematological malignancies. Of 8042 patients who were hospitalized in the Department of Hematology, Ondokuz Mayis University Faculty of Medicine between January 2015 and September 2019, 412 patients who were initiated antifungal therapy were included in the study. The patients in the hematology clinic, which were moved to the new oncology hospital building in January 2018, were grouped as prior and after relocation, and their demographical data, hematological diagnosis, chemotherapy regimens, mortality, IFI, focus of infection, presence of central venous catheter, antifungal prophylaxis and treatment, galactomannan level, fungal culture and computed tomography (CT) findings were evaluated retrospectively. It was determined that 55% of the patients were male and the median age was 58 (range:18-93). The rate of IFI development was 5.12% (n= 412) and the rate of invasive mold infection was 1.2% (n= 145). The most common hematological disease for which antifungal treatment initiated was acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with a rate of 50% (n= 206/412). Of patients, 73% received induction chemotherapy (42%, first induction, 31% reinduction), 13.4% received consolidation therapy. Invasive mold infection was diagnosed as 40% possible, 59% probable, 1% proven. While patients had similar characteristics such as age, gender, hematological disease, chemotherapy regimens and antifungal prophylaxis prior and after transportation, the rate of development of invasive mold infection was 2.1%, 2.06 / 1000 patient days, before transportation, 1.37% (p= 0.009), 1.15/1000 patient days (p<0.001) after transportation, and it was statistically significantly lower after transportation. The median value of galactomannan antigen was detected as 0.17 (0.02-5.9). Blood cultures revealed 10.3% fungal growth and the most common growth was Candida albicans with 54.8% and Mucor spp. as mold with 3.2%. Large-scale construction works such as renovation, extension and demolition works in old hospital buildings are a permanent condition in different units. Clinicians should be aware of that infections due to opportunistic fungi can be seen in immunosuppressive patients close to such construction sites, and even cause epidemics. It should be kept in mind that these infections, which can progress with serious morbidity and mortality are difficult to treat but can be prevented by infection control measures.

GP73 level in patients with chronic hepatitis B: Relationship with liver biopsy, levels of ALT, AST and HBV DNA.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: In this study, we investigated the Golgi protein 73 (GP73) level in Hepatitis B and determined the correlation between Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, and liver histopathology. Materials and. METHODS: GP73 levels were estimated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in serum samples from patients. Liver biopsy specimens were examined by the same pathologist. RESULTS: : This study included a total of 127 patients who underwent liver biopsy. Of patients, 85% were HBeAg negative. HBV DNA level was median 134667 IU/mL (2247-170000000 IU/mL), Liver biopsy results revealed a mean Histological Activity Index (HAI) grade of 7.7 ± 3.4 and a mean fibrosis stage of 2.25 ± 1.06 gr/dL. GP73 was as follows: a mean of 14.8 ± 7.9 ng/mL and a median of 12.9 (4.8-50.1) ng/mL. A weak correlation between GP73 level and AST (r = 0.236, P = 0.11), fibrosis stage (r = 0.287, P = 0.002), and HAI grade (r = 0.218, P = 0.016) was noted. No statistically significant correlation was detected between GP73 and ALT (r = 0.16, P = 0.08), HBV DNA (r = 0.13, P = 0.08). CONCLUSION: Although recent studies revealed a strong correlation and increased GP73 levels in accordance with HAI scores and the fibrosis grade of liver, we detected a weak correlation between serum GP73 levels and HAI scores, fibrosis stage, and AST. This may be due to the insufficient number of patients with higher HAI grading and fibrosis staging in our study. Therefore, we concluded that, in cases of low-moderate fibrosis and HAI grading, GP73 seemed not to be useful and a reliable marker to replace liver biopsy.

[Brucellosis as a cause of hemophagocytic syndrome]. / Hemofagositik sendrom sebebi olarak bruselloz.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare syndrome of excessive inflammation and tissue destruction due to abnormal immune activation and inflammation. HLH can occur primarily due to genetic etiology, or secondarily associated with malignancies, autoimmmune diseases or infections. There are a number of reports that revealed the relationship of hemophagocytosis with brucellosis. In this report, we described a brucellosis-related HLH case. A 73-year-old male who work as farmer was admitted to our hospital with the complaints of fever continuing for 10 days, loss of appetite and back pain. Physical examination revealed right upper quadrant tenderness and hepatomegaly. Since the patient exhibited five of the diagnostic criteria for HLH (fever, hepatosplenomegaly, bicytopenia, hypertriglyceridemia and high ferritin level), he was diagnosed as secondary HLH. PCR, microscopic agglutination and indirect fluorescent antibody tests gave negative results for the diagnosis of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, leptospirosis and Q fever, respectively. On the other hand, Rose Bengal test for brucellosis was positive, while standard tube agglutination test (STA) was negative. The patient's serum yielded a very high positive (1/1280) result when Coombs' test was performed in terms of the possibility of blocking antibodies or prozone phenomenon. Additionally, B.melitensis was isolated from his blood culture on the sixth day. The patient was treated with doxycycline and rifampicin, and on the 10th day of antibiotic therapy the patient was discharged and recommended to complete his treatment up to 6 weeks. In conclusion, in patients with secondary HLH symptoms especially in the endemic areas, brucellosis should be considered as a predisposing infection.

Mortality risk factors in burn care units considering the clinical significance of acinetobacter infections.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate risk factors and the role of Acinetobacter isolates in mortality due to burns since morbidity and mortality rates are considerably high. METHODS: A total of four hundred and sixty-five patients hospitalized in our Burn Care Unit between January 2009 and May 2011 were reviewed retrospectively. Logistic regression analysis was used in order to predict the risk. RESULTS: Mortality rates were as follows: 7.5% in general, 3.9% for under 17 years of age, 12% for between 18-64 years of age, and 24% for over 65 years of age (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: As the burnt body surface area increased, higher mortality rates were detected. Despite higher mortality rates, Acinetobacter infections were not found risk factors for mortality.

Severe Toxoplasmic Hepatitis in an Immunocompetent Patient.

Acute Toxoplasma gondii infection causes different clinical courses in 10-20% of cases. In immunocompetent patients, toxoplasmosis most often presents as asymptomatic cervical lymphadenopathy. Clinical manifestations such as pneumonia, myocarditis, hepatitis, and encephalitis are rarely reported. We present the case of an immunocompetent patient with a serious and complicated clinical course of toxoplasmic hepatitis with a maculopapular rash. The diagnosis was confirmed by serology and identification of bradyzoites in liver biopsy samples.

[Investigation of the frequency of PER-1 type beta-lactamase and antimicrobial resistance rates in nosocomial isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa]. / Hastane Kaynakli Pseudomonas aeruginosa Izolatlarinda PER-1 Tipi Beta-Laktamaz Sikliginin ve Antibiyotiklere Direnç Oranlarinin Arastirilmasi

Pseudomonas aeruginosa which is a common cause of nosocomial infections, usually leads to treatment difficulties due to multi-drug resistance. PER-1 type extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing bacteria are shown to be common in Turkey. Since limited number of antibiotics such as antipseudomonal penicillins, cephalosporins, aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones and carbapenems are available for the treatment of P.aeruginosa infections, it is essential to monitor and eventually control the spread of antibiotic resistance genes. The aims of this study were to investigate the presence of PER-1 type ESBLs in nosocomial P.aeruginosa isolates and to evaluate their resistance to some commonly used antibiotics. A total of 110 P.aeruginosa strains isolated from clinical samples [40 urine, 26 exudate, 20 blood, 24 others (sputum, tracheal aspirate, tissue biopsy, cerebrospinal fluid, pleural fluid, conjunctiva)] of the inpatients who were proven to have nosocomial infections in Ondokuz Mayis University Faculty of Medicine Hospital between May 2002-June 2003 were included in the study. Identification of the isolates was performed by ATB system ID 32 GN (bio-Merieux, France). Antibiotic susceptibilities were detected by standard disk diffusion method and PER-1 type ESBL was searched by polymerase chain reaction using PER-1 and PER- 2 primers. PER-1 positivity was detected in 62 of 110 (56.4%) P.aeruginosa isolates and 51 of 65 (78.5%) ceftazidime-resistant strains. The highest susceptibility rate was detected for ciprofloxacin (76.4%), while the lowest susceptibility rate was for ticarcillin-clavulanic acid (22.7%). Rates of resistance to beta-lactam agents (excluding piperacillin/tazobactam), amikacin and gentamicin were statistically significantly higher for PER-1 positive strains than PER-1 negative ones. Resistance rates to ceftazidime, cefepime, aztreonam, piperacillin and ticarcillin-clavulanic acid in PER-1 positive isolates versus negative ones were as 82.3% vs. 29.2% (p< 0.01), 75.8% vs. 25% (p< 0.01), 83.9% vs. 30.4% (p< 0.01), 73.8% vs. 52.2% (p< 0.05), 85.5% vs. 66.7% (p< 0.05), respectively. Considering resistance rates to piperacillin-tazobactam and ciprofloxacin, PER-1 positive isolates versus negatives were 35.5% vs. 31.3%, and 19.4% vs. 29.2%, respectively, revealing no statistical significance (p> 0.05). As a result, PER-1 type ESBL frequency and beta- lactam and aminoglycoside resistance rates were found remarkably high in nosocomial P.aeruginosa strains isolated in our hospital. It was concluded that antibiotic resistance should be continously monitorized and necessary measures to prevent further increase in resistance should be promptly established.