Performance assessment of urine flow cytometry (UFC) to screen urines to reflex to culture in immunocompetent and immunosuppressed hosts.

PURPOSE: Urine flow cytometry (UFC) is an automated method to quantify bacterial and white blood cell (WBC) counts. We aimed to determine whether a threshold for these parameters can be set to use UFC as a sensitive screen to predict which urine samples will subsequently grow in culture. METHODOLOGY: Urines submitted to our microbiology laboratory at a tertiary care centre from 22 July 2015-17 February 2016 underwent UFC (Sysmex UF-1000i) analysis, regular urinalysis and urine culture. Positive urine cultures were defined as growth ≥104 c.f.u. ml-1 of organisms associated with urinary tract infections. The correlation of UFC bacterial and WBC counts with urine culture was assessed using receiver operating characteristics curves. The sensitivity (SN), specificity (SP), negative predictive values (NPVs), positive predictive values (PPVs) and false negative rate (FNR) were calculated at various thresholds in immunocompetent and immunosuppressed patients. RESULTS: A total of 15 046 urine specimens were submitted, of which 14 908 were analysable in the study. The average time to UFC result from receipt in the laboratory was 0.76 h (+/-1.04). The test performance at a set threshold of UFC bacteria ≥20 or WBC >5 was: SN=96.0 %, SP=39.2 %, PPV=47.0 %, NPV=94.5 % and FNR=4.0 %. This threshold eliminates 26 % of urine cultures. Immunosuppressed hosts had a lower sensitivity of 90.6 % and a higher FNR of 9.4 %. CONCLUSIONS: UFC is a rapid and sensitive method to screen out urine samples that will subsequently be negative and to reflex urines to culture that will subsequently grow. UFC results are available within 1 h from receipt and enable the elimination of culture when the set threshold is not met.

Clinical utility of soluble interleukin-2 receptor in hemophagocytic syndromes: a systematic scoping review.

The serum-soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2r) level is considered an important diagnostic test and disease marker in hemophagocytic syndromes/hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HPS/HLH). However, this cytokine receptor is rarely measured in clinical practice and has been excluded from recent diagnostic/classification criteria such as the HScore and macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) 16. We performed a systematic scoping review of 64 articles (1975-2016) examining the clinical utility of sIL-2r in HPS/HLH. Twenty-two articles describe sIL-2r as a sensitive diagnostic marker for HLH, but only three distinct datasets actually address sensitivity. The original HLH-2004 Guidelines reported sensitivity of 93% and specificity of 100% for sIL-2r ≥ 2400, based on a pediatric dataset (n = 152) which is published for the first time in this review. Two pediatric studies reported sensitivity of 89% for sIL-2r ≥ 2400 in diagnosis of MAS complicating juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) (n = 27) and 88% for secondary HLH in acute liver failure (n = 9). Twenty articles described sIL-2r as a dynamic marker of disease activity that falls with response to treatment, and 15 described high initial sIL-2r levels >10,000 U/mL as a poor prognostic marker. The ability of sIL-2r to distinguish between subtypes of HPS/HLH was inconsistent. This review confirms the importance of soluble IL-2r as a diagnostic and disease marker in HPS/HLH, but also reveals the need for more primary data about its performance characteristics, particularly in adults. More emphasis should be made in including this simple, inexpensive test in clinical practice and studies of HPS/HLH.

Lamivudine, Entecavir, or Tenofovir Treatment of Hepatitis B Infection: Effects on Calcium, Phosphate, FGF23 and Indicators of Bone Metabolism

ABSTRACT Background. Patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) are often treated with nucleoside/nucleotide antiviral agents and metabolic bone toxicity is a possible concern. Objective. To determine the relationships between fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), a phosphaturic hormone, bone mineral density (BMD), and bone biochemical abnormalities in these patients. Material and methods. This is a cross-sectional observational study comparing HBV-infected subjects treated for at least one year with tenofovir (TDF), lamuvidine (LVD), entacavir (ETV), or not treated (CON). Patients with abnormalities in either calcium (Ca), phosphate (PO4), intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) or FGF23 were further evaluated with BMD by DXA. Results. No difference in liver enzymes or renal function seen among groups, but hypophosphatemia was seen in all groups with the highest incidence with TDF treatment (14%). FGF 23 levels were found to be elevated in 11.1% of TDF patients, 2.77% amongst controls. No elevations were found in the LVD or ETV groups. Among a subset of subjects (FGF23, PO4, and/or Ca abnormalities) who underwent further evaluation, 67% had insufficient 25-OH vitamin D, and 30% had elevated 24 h urinary Ca or PO4 excretion. No patients with FGF23 abnormalities had urine abnormalities. 40% had low DXA Z-score (<-2) at spine or hip but there was no difference between control and antiviral treatment groups and the mean FRAX score was 2.33% for major osteoporotic fractures and 0.29% for hip fracture. Conclusion. Abnormalities in bone metabolism, particularly involving vitamin D insufficiency, in HBV-treated subjects were observed with a small increased likelihood in TDF treated patients.

Soluble interleukin-2 receptor is a sensitive diagnostic test in adult HLH.

Serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2r) is an important disease marker in hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), but there are no published data on its diagnostic value in adults. We conducted a single-center retrospective study of 78 consecutive adults who had sIL-2r measured for suspected HLH. Serum sIL-2r levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (adult reference range, 241-846 U/mL). There were 38 patients with HLH and 40 with a non-HLH diagnosis (such as sepsis, liver disease, histiocyte disorders, autoimmune disease, leukemia, or lymphoma). The receiver operating characteristic curve demonstrated that sIL-2r is a good to excellent diagnostic test for adult HLH, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.90 (95% confidence interval, 0.83-0.97) compared with AUC 0.78 (95% confidence interval, 0.67-0.88) for ferritin. The optimal threshold for sIL-2r was 2515 U/mL (sensitivity, 100%; specificity, 72.5%). Although there was a large indeterminate range for sIL-2r, a level of 2400 U/mL or less was helpful for ruling out HLH (sensitivity, 100%), and more than 10 000 U/mL was helpful for ruling in HLH (specificity, 93%). Higher mean sIL-2r levels were seen in malignancy-associated HLH (20 241 U/mL) compared with infection-associated HLH and macrophage activation syndrome (9720 and 5008 U/mL, respectively; P < .05). Levels above 10 000 U/mL were not associated with worse prognosis in patients with HLH. Serum sIL-2r is a sensitive test for diagnosis of adult HLH, but is not as specific as previously reported in children. Additional studies enriched with patients without HLH who have conditions associated with T-cell activation, such as lymphoma and autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome, are needed.

A novel deletion in the iron-response element of the L-ferritin gene, causing hyperferritinaemia cataract syndrome.

A 47-year-old woman, presenting to her family physician with fatigue, was incidentally found to have persistently elevated ferritin. There was clinically no suggestion of iron overload, and laboratory testing showed transferrin saturation at the low end of the reference range. After ruling out acquired causes of hyperferritinaemia, as well as laboratory interference, further questioning revealed a history of bilateral early-onset cataracts, allowing a diagnosis of hyperferritinaemia cataract syndrome to be made. DNA sequencing of the 5' untranslated region of the L-ferritin gene revealed a novel 4-base deletion in the iron response element, within a region known to be crucial for binding iron regulatory protein.

Malignant catatonia mimicking pheochromocytoma.

Malignant catatonia is an unusual and highly fatal neuropsychiatric condition which can present with clinical and biochemical manifestations similar to those of pheochromocytoma. Differentiating between the two diseases is essential as management options greatly diverge. We describe a case of malignant catatonia in a 20-year-old male who presented with concurrent psychotic symptoms and autonomic instability, with markedly increased 24-hour urinary levels of norepinephrine at 1752 nmol/day (normal, 89-470 nmol/day), epinephrine at 1045 nmol/day (normal, <160 nmol/day), and dopamine at 7.9 µ mol/day (normal, 0.4-3.3 µ mol/day). The patient was treated with multiple sessions of electroconvulsive therapy, which led to complete clinical resolution. Repeat urine collections within weeks of this presenting event revealed normalization or near normalization of his catecholamine and metanephrine levels. Malignant catatonia should be considered in the differential diagnosis of the hypercatecholamine state, particularly in a patient who also exhibits concurrent catatonic features.

Cardiovascular and metabolic effects of medroxyprogesterone acetate versus conjugated equine estrogen after premenopausal hysterectomy with bilateral ovariectomy.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To compare the cardiovascular and metabolic effects of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) with those of conjugated equine estrogen (CEE) as single-hormone therapies in women who underwent hysterectomy with bilateral ovariectomy. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of a 12-month, double-blind, randomized, parallel-therapy trial. SETTING: Four teaching hospitals and one community hospital in Vancouver, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-three healthy women who underwent premenopausal hysterectomy with bilateral ovariectomy. INTERVENTION: Subjects received either MPA 10 mg/day (18 women) or CEE 0.6 mg/day (15 women) for 12 months, started immediately after hysterectomy with bilateral ovariectomy. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Lipid profiles (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL], total cholesterol, apolipoprotein B, and triglyceride levels), homeostatic measures (hemoglobin A(1c) and fasting blood glucose level), hormone levels (free and bioavailable testosterone, cortisol, sex hormone-binding globulin [SHBG], and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate), inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein [CRP] and serum albumin levels), and anthropometric measures (body mass index [BMI], truncal fat, and total body fat) were assessed over the 12-month period. After 12 months, the women assigned to MPA had lesser increases in BMI (p=0.04), triglyceride (p=0.003), HDL (p<0.0005), SHBG (p<0.0005), total testosterone (p=0.003), and CRP values (p=0.01) and higher serum albumin levels (p<0.0005) compared with the women receiving CEE. CONCLUSION: Therapy with CEE, but not MPA, after surgical menopause appears to predispose healthy women to low-grade inflammation, as evidenced by its independent associations with elevated CRP and reduced albumin levels. In women treated with MPA, the favorable levels of inflammatory markers, BMI, and triglyceride levels need to be confirmed in larger controlled trials, as progesterone therapy may provide a safe and effective alternative to estrogen for vasomotor symptoms in women with surgical menopause.