The clinical role of bacteremia and bacterial spread into the irrigation fluid during percutaneous nephrolithotomy: a prospective study.

PURPOSE: Backflow of pathogens and endotoxins from the renal pelvis to the bloodstream is one supposed mechanism for infectious complications development after endourological stones surgery. The aim of this study is detecting to prove bacterial spread into irrigation fluid and bloodstream during percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) and to correlate these findings with clinical and microbiological parameters and infectious complications (IC). METHODS: Bladder urine culture (BUC) was retrieved before PCNL; during the procedure, 2 blood samples (BC) and an irrigation fluid sample during fragmentation (SFUC) were collected for culture. Stone culture (SC) was also obtained. Patients were evaluated post-operatively for IC. RESULTS: Sixty-one patients were prospectively included. IC occurred in 15 patients (24.6%). SFUC was positive in 7/61 (11.5%); BC in 10/61 (16.4%). Among patients with positive BC; BUC, SFUC and SC were positive in 9 (90%), 6 (60%), and 8 (80%) cases, respectively. Out of 10 patients with positive BC, 4 developed post-operative IC. Pre-operative renal impairment (p = 0.04), intraoperative-evaluated stone residual (p = 0.02), BUC (p = 0.004), and SC (p = 0.008) were associated with IC. No correlation was found between bacterial spread in the irrigation fluid and blood and IC. CONCLUSION: We proved that bacteria can be detected into the irrigation fluid and blood during PCNL. This transient bacteremia appears to be unrelated to IC development.

Anti-Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide Antibody Index in the Cerebrospinal Fluid for the Diagnosis and Monitoring of Rheumatoid Meningitis.

Rheumatoid meningitis (RM) is a rare but often aggressive neurological complication of rheumatoid arthritis. The diagnosis of RM, besides the clinical, radiological, and laboratory criteria, usually requires a cerebral biopsy. Based on the two cases presented in this paper, we propose a new laboratory marker. Cerebrospinal fluid and serum anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) IgG were measured, and the intrathecal synthesis of anti-CCP antibodies (anti-CCP antibody index) was calculated using the hyperbolic function. The anti-CCP antibody index was positive in both cases at first diagnosis and progressively decreased after treatments. Together with clinical and radiological criteria, the calculation of the anti-CCP intrathecal synthesis, more than the simple measurement of serum or cerebrospinal fluid anti-CCP antibody titers, may represent a useful tool for RM diagnosis and, possibly, for treatment response.

Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in HIV-negative patients, a frequently overlooked problem. A case series from a large Italian center.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) still has substantial morbidity and mortality. For non-HIV patients, the course of infection is severe, and management guidelines are relatively recent. We collected all PCP cases (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer criteria) diagnosed in HIV-negative adult inpatients in 2019-2020 at our center in northern Italy. RESULTS: Of 20 cases, nine had microbiologic evidence of probable (real-time polymerase chain reaction, RT-PCR) and 11 proven (immunofluorescence) PCP on respiratory specimens. Half were female; the median age was 71.5 years; 14 of 20 patients had hematologic malignancies, five had autoimmune/hyperinflammatory disorders, and one had a solid tumor. RT-PCR cycle threshold (Ct) was 24-37 for bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and 32-39 for sputum; Ct was 24-33 on BAL proven cases. Of 20 cases, four received additional diagnoses on BAL. At PCP diagnosis, all patients were not on anti-pneumocystis prophylaxis. We retrospectively assessed prophylaxis indications: 9/20 patients had a main indication, 5/9 because of prednisone treatment ≥ 20 mg (or equivalents) for ≥4 weeks. All patients underwent antimicrobial treatment according to guidelines; 18/20 with concomitant corticosteroids. A total of 4/20 patients died within 28 days from diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Despite appropriate treatment, PCP is still associated to high mortality (20%) among non-HIV patients. Strict adherence to prophylaxis guidelines, awareness of gray areas, and prompt diagnosis can help manage this frequently overlooked infection.

Immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy due to statins exposure.

Statin-induced necrotizing autoimmune myopathy (IMNM) is an autoimmune disorder induced by anti-3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme-A reductase (anti-HMGCR) antibodies. We performed a retrospective clinical, histological, and radiological evaluation of 5 patients with a 3-year therapeutic follow-up. All patients used statins and then experienced proximal weakness that persisted after drug cessation. Muscle biopsies revealed a primary necrotizing myopathy without inflammatory infiltrates. All patients required immunomodulant combination therapy to achieve clinical remission. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed the presence of edema in the medial gastrocnemius, posterior and central loggia of the thigh, posterior loggia of the arm, and the infraspinatus and subscapularis muscles, as well as extensive inflammation of the subcutaneous tissues and muscolaris fasciae. Serum analysis, muscle biopsy, and MRI are fundamental for IMNM diagnosis and follow-up. The growing use of statins in the general population raises the importance of acquaintance with this disease in clinical practice.

Value of a commercial kit for detecting anti-C1q autoantibodies and correlation with immunological and clinical activity of lupus nephritis.

BACKGROUND: The association of anti-C1q antibodies (anti-C1q) with the renal activity of lupus nephritis (LN) and the methods for their determination is still a matter of debate. METHODS: In 116 serum samples of 66 patients with biopsy proven LN, we aimed: 1) to compare the results of the determination of anti-C1q obtained by a commercial kit with a clinically validated in-house ELISA; 2) to evaluate the correlation of anti-C1q with the most important immunological and clinical parameters employed in LN, i.e., antibodies to dsDNA (anti-dsDNA), C3 and C4 complement component, haemoglobin and haematuria. RESULTS: Good correlation and agreement between the two methods (r=0.81, p<0.0001; contingency coefficient=0.70, p<0.0001, respectively) were demonstrated. No differences were observed between the two assays by ROC curves comparison. Anti-C1q levels were significantly higher in patients with active LN [44 arbitrary units (AUs)] in comparison to those with inactive LN (23 AUs, p=0.047) and significantly correlated with anti-dsDNA (r=0.44, p<0.0001), complement fractions (C3: r=-0.33, p=0.001; C4: r=-0.29, p=0.003), haemoglobin levels (r=-0.34, p=0.0004) and the number of urinary red blood cells (r=0.26, p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest the validity of this commercial assay in detecting anti-C1q and confirm the association of anti-C1q with renal involvement of LN and the importance of introducing this parameter in the analytical panel for the evaluation of LN activity.

Insulin-like growth factor II mRNA binding protein 3 (IMP3) expression in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and its relationship with HIV-infection status.

UNLABELLED: Background Cervical cancer is preventable through screening, and HIV treatment guidelines recommend that all HIV-infected women receive cervical cancer twice during the year after HIV diagnosis and annually thereafter. Different immunohistochemical markers have been studied to highlight cervical intraepithelial lesions of low and high grade, the most widely used being p16. Recent studies have shown that insulin-like growth factor mRNA binding protein 3 (IMP3) plays a role in the development of invasive squamous cell carcinoma from cervical dysplasia, both in histology and in liquid-based cytology. METHODS: We evaluated the clinical significance of the immunohistochemical expression of IMP3 and p16 in histological samples of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia from 56 samples of HIV-positive and 30 samples of HIV-negative patients. RESULTS: A significant difference was found in IMP3 and p16 protein expression between HIV-positive and HIV-negative specimens. All cases of HIV-positive low grade squamous intraepithelial neoplasia (L-SIL) with IMP3 expression progressed in high grade (H)-SIL. However, the HIV-positive patients with IMP3-negative L-SIL remained stable or had a negative follow up. The L-SIL of HIV-negative patients with IMP3 protein expression had an uneventful follow up. IMP3-positive H-SIL recurred with low- or high-grade dysplasia during follow up after conisation in both populations. All IMP3-negative L-SIL and H-SIL had negative pap tests at follow up. CONCLUSIONS: In HIV-positive cases, IMP3 showed a higher sensitivity than p16 in identifying patients at risk of progression and recurrence.