Real-world corticosteroid use in severe pneumonia: a propensity-score-matched study.

BACKGROUND: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide despite correct antibiotic use. Corticosteroids have long been evaluated as a treatment option, but heterogeneous effects on survival have precluded their widespread implementation. We aimed to evaluate whether corticosteroids might improve clinical outcomes in patients with severe CAP and high inflammatory responses. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: We analyzed two prospective observational cohorts of patients with CAP in Barcelona and Rome who were admitted to intensive care with a high inflammatory response. Propensity score (PS) matching was used to obtain balance among the baseline variables in both groups, and we excluded patients with viral pneumonia or who received hydrocortisone. RESULTS: Of the 610 patients admitted with severe CAP, 198 (32%) received corticosteroids and 387 had major criteria for severe CAP. All patients had a baseline serum C-reactive protein above 15 mg/dL. Patients who received corticosteroids were more commonly male, had more comorbidities (e.g., cancer or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), and presented with significantly higher sequential organ failure assessment scores. Eighty-nine patients met major severity criteria (invasive mechanical ventilation and/or septic shock) and were matched per group. Twenty-eight-day mortality was lower among patients receiving corticosteroids (16 patients, 18%) than among those not receiving them (28 patients, 31%; p = 0.037). After PS matching, corticosteroid therapy reduced the 28-day mortality risk in patients who met major severity criteria (hazard ratio (HR) 0.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.29-0.98) (p = 0.043). In patients who did not meet major severity criteria, no benefits were observed with corticosteroid use (HR 0.88 (95%CI 0.32-2.36). CONCLUSIONS: Corticosteroid treatment may be of benefit for patients with CAP who have septic shock and/or a high inflammatory response and requirement for invasive mechanical ventilation. Corticosteroids appear to have no impact on mortality when these features are not present.

Forum for debate: Safety of allogeneic blood transfusion alternatives in the surgical/critically ill patient.

In recent years, several safety alerts have questioned or restricted the use of some pharmacological alternatives to allogeneic blood transfusion in established indications. In contrast, there seems to be a promotion of other alternatives, based on blood products and/or antifibrinolytic drugs, which lack a solid scientific basis. The Multidisciplinary Autotransfusion Study Group and the Anemia Working Group España convened a multidisciplinary panel of 23 experts belonging to different healthcare areas in a forum for debate to: 1) analyze the different safety alerts referred to certain transfusion alternatives; 2) study the background leading to such alternatives, the evidence supporting them, and their consequences for everyday clinical practice, and 3) issue a weighted statement on the safety of each questioned transfusion alternative, according to its clinical use. The members of the forum maintained telematics contact for the exchange of information and the distribution of tasks, and a joint meeting was held where the conclusions on each of the items examined were presented and discussed. A first version of the document was drafted, and subjected to 4 rounds of review and updating until consensus was reached (unanimously in most cases). We present the final version of the document, approved by all panel members, and hope it will be useful for our colleagues.

Adverse reactions during transfusion of thawed haematopoietic progenitor cells from apheresis are closely related to the number of granulocyte cells in the leukapheresis product.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The infusion of thawed haematopoietic progenitor cells from apheresis (HPC-A) is associated with minor but frequent adverse reactions (ARs), which has been mainly attributed to dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO). Nevertheless, other factors may play a role in the pathogenesis of such toxicity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The ARs on a cohort of 423 cryopreserved HPC-A infusions for 398 patients in HPC transplantation program were analysed. RESULTS: ARs were reported in 105 graft infusions (24·8%) and most of them were graded as mild to moderate. The most frequently reported ARs were gastrointestinal and respiratory, and three patients presented epileptic seizure. The volume of DMSO/kg (P < 0·001), volume of red-blood-cells/kg (P = 0·02), number of nuclear cells (NCs)/kg (P <0·001) and number of granulocytes/kg (P<0·001) in the infused graft were significant in the univariate analysis for the occurrence of ARs. The amount of granulocytes/kg remained significant in the multivariate analysis (P<0·001). The grade of ARs also correlated with the amount of cryopreserved granulocytes. CONCLUSION: The incidence and grade of ARs during infusion of cryopreserved HPC-A are related to the amount of granulocytes in the graft.

Intermittent hypoxia is an independent marker of poorer glycaemic control in patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes.

AIM: This study investigated the association between intermittent hypoxia and glycaemic control in patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (T2D) not treated for sleep apnoea. METHODS: This was a single-centre cross-sectional study of stable patients with T2D and HbA1c ≥7% (53 mmol/mol). Patients underwent overnight pulse oximetry and, if intermittent hypoxia-defined by a 4% oxyhaemoglobin desaturation index ≥15-was observed, respiratory polygraphy was performed. All participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Questionnaire and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. The association between intermittent hypoxia and poorer glycaemic control (defined by an HbA1c level above the median of 8.5%) was estimated by multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Out of 145 patients studied, 54 (37.2%) had intermittent hypoxia (with sleep apnoea confirmed in 53). Patients with intermittent hypoxia had 0.7% (7.7 mmol/mol) higher median HbA1c levels than patients without intermittent hypoxia (P=0.001). Intermittent hypoxia was associated with poorer glycaemic control after adjusting for obesity, age at onset and duration of diabetes, insulin requirement, sleep quality and depressive mood (OR: 2.31, 95% CI: 1.06-5.04, model adjusted for body mass index; OR: 2.46, 95% CI: 1.13-5.34, model adjusted for waist-to-height ratio). CONCLUSION: Intermittent hypoxia, a consequence of sleep apnoea, is frequent and has a strong independent association with poorer glycaemic control in patients with uncontrolled T2D.

[Hodgkin's disease. Etiopathogenic role of Epstein-Barr virus in Tarragona]. / Enfermedad de Hodgkin. Papel etiopatogénico del virus de Epstein-Barr en las comarcas de Tarragona.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to assess the proportion of Hodgkin disease (HD) expressing Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in our area (Tarragona-Spain). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was performed on paraffin embedded HD tissues from 49 patients to examine the presence of latent membrane protein (LMP-1) by immunohistochemistry and for EBER-1 in situ hybridization. RESULTS: Overall, EBV (EBER-1 and/or LMP positive) was expressed in 20 cases (40.8%). This percentage was higher, but not significant, in mixed cellularity, and significant higher in patients over 55 years old. No differences between sexes were observed. CONCLUSIONS: EBV is associated with 40.8% of HD in area of Tarragona.

[Blood cholesterol in patients with cancer]. / Colesterol sérico en pacientes neoplásicos.

In a retrospective, descriptive and observational study realized between 1995 and January 1997 the seric levels cholesterol of 610 patients with cancer and 61 healthy ones, who were used as controls were revised. The serum cholesterol observed in the patients with cancer were lower than the ones observed in the healthy controls. These differences show and statistical significance. We could see in our study that cholesterol were lower in patients with disseminate disease than in the ones with localize disease and that had and statistical value. The number of patients included in each type of tumor, the seric cholesterol were lower than the ones obtained in the control group apart from the patients with metastasis in and unknown origin tumor which have not been significant.

[Pulmonary tuberculosis: effectiveness and tolerance of a 6-month treatment schedule using 4 drugs]. / Tuberculosis pulmonar: eficacia y tolerancia de la pauta de tratamiento de seis meses con cuatro fármacos.

255 patients diagnosed of pulmonary and/or pleural tuberculosis are prospectively studied. All patients received four drugs: isoniazine (INH), rifampin, pirazinamide and ethambutol during the first two months of treatment. Afterwards they continued for four months with two drugs in order to complete the six month treatment period. This schedule has been effective (0.7% of failures) in 99.3% of the patients. Two relapses were detected in the 229 patients who completed the two years follow up. 72 patients (28.2%) presented clinical secondary effects due to the treatment (40 cases of cutaneous affectation, 23 of gastrointestinal intolerance and 8 arthralgias respectively). Also, hyperuricemia was detected in 83% of the patients and a high transaminases level in 42.3%. In 13 patients treatment was cancelled or modified due to the secondary effects. In summary, this schedule of treatment has proved to be effective without an important frequency of serious secondary effects which can be objectively seen in the classical schedules of 9 months with 3 drugs (INH, RF, ET), nevertheless an increased frequency of minor secondary effects were detected.