Anetoderma after disseminated Mpox.

Anetoderma or macular atrophy is a rare skin condition of unclear pathogenesis, often associated with autoimmune diseases and skin damage from various infections. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), syphilis, and poxviruses have been implicated in the development of anetoderma. A 37-year-old male patient with HIV and recent unprotected sexual encounters presented with more than 400 skin lesions, consistent with Mpox. Symptomatic treatment for Mpox resulted in acute symptom resolution. However, 8 months later he developed papular anetoderma lesions in areas previously affected by Mpox. Biopsy confirmed the loss of elastic fibers in the affected skin areas, leading to the diagnosis of Mpox-induced anetoderma. This report presents a unique case of anetoderma following Mpox in an HIV-positive patient.

IgG antibody response to pneumococcal-conjugated vaccine (Prevenar®13) in children with immunodeficiency disorders.

Measurement of anti-pneumococcal capsular polysaccharides (anti-PnPs) IgG titers is an important tool in the immunologic assessment of patients with suspected immunodeficiency disorders (ID) to reduce the morbi-mortality and minimize severe infections. Retrospectively, we studied the relationship among anti-PnPs IgG response to 3 doses of Prevenar®13, levels of immune system components, leukocyte populations, and clinical data in children with ID. Serum samples were collected at least 4 weeks post vaccination. Subsequently, multi-serotype enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed. Eighty-seven children (under 12 years) were enrolled. Primary immunodeficiency disorder (PID) was the most common disorder (45) followed by possible immunodeficiency disorder (POID) (19), secondary immunodeficiency disorder (SID) (15), and mixed immunodeficiency disorder (MID) (8). The median age was 3 (1.50-5.33) years, 65% of patients were male. Deficient production of anti-PnPs IgG (titer ≤ 50 mg/L) was detected in 47 patients (54%), especially in the MID group, all of them under immunosuppressive therapy. In PCV13 responders, the mean of leukocyte population levels was higher with statistically significance differences in CD4 + /CD8 + T lymphocytes (p = 0.372, p = 0.014) and CD56 + /CD16 + NK (p = 0.016). Patients with previous bone marrow transplantation were the worst PCV13 responders. Pneumococcal IgG antibody titers (post-vaccination) along with clinical and analytical markers represented.

Prospective observational study on scar sequelae after MPOX infection: an analysis of 40 patients.

BACKGROUND: Monkeypox (MPOX) caused a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) outbreak between 2022 and 2023, with a recent rise in cases that prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare the disease a PHEIC once again. There is little information on its long-term scarring sequelae. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to assess the risk and characteristics of scarring in patients with MPOX in a tertiary hospital. METHODS: This is a prospective cohort study including patients diagnosed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. Clinical data were collected and followed up at 12-15 months to assess scarring and its impact on quality of life. RESULTS: Of the 40 patients, 19 (47.5%) developed scars, which were more common in those with initial cutaneous manifestations. Scars significantly affected the quality of life, especially in the genital and mucosal areas. The limited sample and loss to follow-up may affect the validity of the results. CONCLUSION: Scarring is a frequent and disfiguring sequela of MPOX, particularly in patients with early skin symptoms. Prevention and close follow-up are crucial in mitigating these complications.

Basaloid large cell lung carcinoma presenting as cutaneous metastasis at the colostomy site after abdominoperineal resection for rectal carcinoma.

The occurrence of a tumor at the colostomy site after abdominoperineal resection for rectal carcinoma is rare and it may be related to a previously resected carcinoma or another primary tumor. We report a 61-year-old man who developed an ulcerated skin nodule at her colostomy site 6 years after resection of a rectal adenocarcinoma. Histopathologically, the skin nodule was composed of atypical large and pleomorphic cells with high mitotic rate and they were arranged in nests and within lymphatic channels in the dermis. The neoplastic cells were immunoreactive for cytokeratin (CK) AE1/3, CK7, CK34ßE12, epithelial membrane antigen and vimentin while detection of human papillomavirus and Epstein-Barr virus DNA was negative. A diagnosis of basaloid large cell carcinoma of pulmonary origin was suggested and it was confirmed by computed tomography-guided fine needle aspiration of a right subpleural mass. A metastatic tumor at the colostomy site is an exceptional finding and may be the first manifestation of lung cancer, especially if it consist of pleomorphic large cells with high mitotic rate and basaloid immunophenotype.

Estimating the Prevalence of Cardiac Amyloidosis in Old Patients with Heart Failure-Barriers and Opportunities for Improvement: The PREVAMIC Study.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) could be a common cause of heart failure (HF). The objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence of CA in patients with HF. METHODS: Observational, prospective, and multicenter study involving 30 Spanish hospitals. A total of 453 patients ≥ 65 years with HF and an interventricular septum or posterior wall thickness > 12 mm were included. All patients underwent a 99mTc-DPD/PYP/HMDP scintigraphy and monoclonal bands were studied, following the current criteria for non-invasive diagnosis. In inconclusive cases, biopsies were performed. RESULTS: The vast majority of CA were diagnosed non-invasively. The prevalence was 20.1%. Most of the CA were transthyretin (ATTR-CM, 84.6%), with a minority of cardiac light-chain amyloidosis (AL-CM, 2.2%). The remaining (13.2%) was untyped. The prevalence was significantly higher in men (60.1% vs 39.9%, p = 0.019). Of the patients with CA, 26.5% had a left ventricular ejection fraction less than 50%. CONCLUSIONS: CA was the cause of HF in one out of five patients and should be screened in the elderly with HF and myocardial thickening, regardless of sex and LVEF. Few transthyretin-gene-sequencing studies were performed in older patients. In many patients, it was not possible to determine the amyloid subtype.

Programmed Death-Ligand 1 (PD-L1) as Immunotherapy Biomarker in Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer constitutes the most common malignant neoplasm in women around the world. Approximately 12% of patients are diagnosed with metastatic stage, and between 5 and 30% of early or locally advanced BC patients will relapse, making it an incurable disease. PD-L1 ligation is an immune inhibitory molecule of the activation of T cells, playing a relevant role in numerous types of malignant tumors, including BC. The objective of the present review is to analyze the role of PD-L1 as a biomarker in the different BC subtypes, adding clinical trials with immune checkpoint inhibitors and their applicable results. Diverse trials using immunotherapy with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 in BC, as well as prospective or retrospective cohort studies about PD-L1 in BC, were included. Despite divergent results in the reviewed studies, PD-L1 seems to be correlated with worse prognosis in the hormone receptor positive subtype. Immune checkpoints inhibitors targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis have achieved great response rates in TNBC patients, especially in combination with chemotherapy, making immunotherapy a new treatment option in this scenario. However, the utility of PD-L1 as a predictive biomarker in the rest of BC subtypes remains unclear. In addition, predictive differences have been found in response to immunotherapy depending on the stage of the tumor disease. Therefore, a better understanding of tumor microenvironment, as well as identifying new potential biomarkers or combined index scores, is necessary in order to make a better selection of the subgroups of BC patients who will derive benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Correlation between MAMMI-PET findings and anatomopathological outcomes in breast cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE: Imaging tests are a key element in the preoperative diagnosis of patients with breast cancer. Whole-body PET-computed tomography (PET/CT) breast studies have a limited spatial resolution, although dedicated breast PET (dbPET) devices such as the Mammography with Molecular Imaging PET (MAMMI-PET), have an increased sensitivity to detect tumor foci, especially those smaller than 2 cm. The purpose of this study is to define the validity and reliability of this new device. METHODS: A prospective and analytical observational study was carried out in a sample of patients with histologically confirmed breast cancer who were treated at our hospital between January 2017 and November 2018. The anatomopathological study findings for the surgical pieces were used as gold standards and we calculated their concordance with the findings from the MAMMI-PET as well as the validity and reliability parameters for this test. RESULTS: Data from 32 patients and 44 lesions (36 malignant and 8 benign) were evaluated. The mean patient age was 51.50 ± 11.68 years. Twenty patients had received neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). The technique concordance rate was weak ( K = 0.349, P = 0.001) and was 84.3% for benign lesions and 62.6% for malignant ones. The MAMMI-PET sensitivity was 75%, whereas its specificity was 57.1%; the positive predictive value was 81.8% and the negative predictive value was 47.1%, with an overall precision of 70%. The MAMMI-PET sensitivity was higher in patients who had not undergone NACT and was significantly higher in patients with luminal B breast cancer compared to the luminal A subtype. CONCLUSION: The MAMMI-PET device had acceptable sensitivity and a high positive predictive value for the preoperative evaluation of patients with breast cancer; it was especially useful for lesions whose diagnosis with other imaging tests had been doubtful.

[Influence of the degree of anaemia on the prognosis of older adults with heart failure (SPAN-HF study)]. / Influencia del grado de anemia en el pronóstico de los pacientes de edad avanzada con insuficiencia cardíaca (Estudio SPAN-HF).

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether a sustained optimal haemoglobin value in the 3 months after admission for heart failure (HF) decompensation reduces morbidity and mortality during the 12 months after admission for acute HF. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Retrospective study of the 1408 patients older than 65 years included in the RICA registry divided into 3 groups: no anaemia (group A), recovered anaemia (group B), and persistent anaemia (group C), according to haemoglobin levels on admission, and 3 months after discharge. Kaplan-Meier curves were constructed, comparing the groups using the log-rank test and a Cox regression model was performed to analyse survival. RESULTS: 578 (41.1%), 299 (21.2%) and 531 (37.7%) were included in groups A, B and C, respectively. We recorded a total of 768 deaths and readmissions. There were 23 (4%), 12 (4%) and 49 (9.2%), (p=.001) individuals who died due to HF and 154 (27%), 73 (24%) and 193 (36%) (P<.001) admissions for this pathology, respectively. Patients with persistent anaemia had a higher risk of death (RR 1.29, 95% CI 1.04-1.61, P=.024) or readmission (1.92, 95% CI 1.16-3, 19; P=.012) due to HF. CONCLUSIONS: Persistent anaemia in the months after admission for HF increases morbidity and mortality in the subsequent year.

Update on systemic treatment in early triple negative breast cancer.

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a heterogeneous disease representing about 15% of all breast cancers. TNBC are usually high-grade histological tumors, and are generally more aggressive and difficult to treat due to the lack of targeted therapies available, and chemotherapy remains the standard treatment. There is a close relationship between pathological complete response after chemotherapy treatment and higher rates of disease-free survival and overall survival. In this review of systemic treatment in early triple negative breast cancer, our purpose is to analyze and compare different therapies, as well as to highlight the novelties of treatment in this breast cancer subtype.

Prevalence of advanced heart failure and use of palliative care in admitted patients: Findings from the EPICTER study.

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: Palliative care in patients with advanced heart failure is strongly recommended by Clinical Practice Guidelines. We aimed to calculate the prevalence of advanced heart failure in admitted patients, to describe their management, and to analyse the factors that influence their referral to specialised palliative care. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional, multicentre study that consecutively included patients admitted for heart failure in 74 Spanish hospitals. If they met criteria for advanced heart failure, their treatment, complications and procedures were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 3153 patients were included. Of them, 739 (23%) met criteria for advanced heart failure. They were more likely to be women, older and to have a history of anaemia, chronic kidney disease and cognitive impairment. For their management, furosemide infusions (30%) and vasodilators (21%) were used. Refractory symptoms were treated with opioids (47%) and benzodiazepines (44%). Palliative care was only provided in the last hours of life in 48% of them. A multidisciplinary approach, involving palliative care specialists was sought in 15% of these patients. Treatment with furosemide infusions, an advanced New York Heart Association functional class, to meet advanced HF criteria and the presence of cancer were associated with the referral to specialised palliative care. CONCLUSIONS: Almost one in four patients admitted with HF met criteria of advanced disease. They were older and had more comorbidities. Specialist palliative care services were involved in only a minority of patients, mainly those who were highly symptomatic or had cancer.

Prevalence and distribution of human papillomavirus findings in swab specimens from gynaecology clinics of the east coast of Spain.

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) among females in the east coast of Spain. A total of 1956 women visiting gynaecology clinics for routine check-ups were included in the study. Swabs were analyzed for HPV DNA by consensus polymerase chain reaction followed by direct sequencing. The overall HPV prevalence was 12.99%. HPV vaccine types 6, 11, 16 and 18 were detected in 6.13% of female participants.

Distribution of human papillomavirus types in women from Valencia, Spain, with abnormal cytology.

OBJECTIVE: To determine human papillomavirus (HPV) types among cervical smears using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and to contribute to the knowledge of human papillomavirus genotype distribution and prevalence of oncogenic types in cervical lesions in Spain. STUDY DESIGN: Consensus PCR and direct s quencing of PCR products (DNA HPV typing) were used in a retrospective study to determinate the type or types of HPVon 974 cytology smears of women with abnormal cytology results. RESULTS: Of 974 smears, 79.8% were high-risk (H-R) HPVs, 19.7% low-risk (L-R) HPVs, 4.6% indeterminate-risk (I-R) HPVs, considering both single and multiple infections. Multiple infections were detected in 4.7% of the cytologies. We detected 40 different HPV types: 17 H-R (HPV26 not detected), 10 L-R (HPVs 40 and HPV 61 not detected) and 13 I-R. The highest percentage of H-R HPV was found in those women with a cytologic high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) (87.4%). HPV 16 was the most frequent genotype. CONCLUSION: There was a significantly her prevalence rate of H-R HPV in HSIL than in low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) and atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US) (p < 0.01). HPV 16 (39.5%) was the most frequent genotype, with a significantly higher prevalence rate of this type in HSIL than in LSIL and ASC-US (p < 0.05 and p < 0.001, respectively). The study of the distribution of HPV and the presence of oncogenic HPV types in our population is important to assess the cost effectiveness of the current vaccines.

Budget impact of ferric carboxymaltose treatment in patients with chronic heart failure and iron deficiency in Spain.

OBJECTIVE: The treatment of iron deficiency (ID) with ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) improves the functional class and quality of life of chronic heart failure (CHF) patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and reduces the rate of hospitalization due to worsening CHF. This study aims to evaluate the budget impact for the Spanish National Health System (SNHS) of treating ID in reduced LVEF CHF with FCM compared to non-iron treatment. METHODS: We simulated a hypothetical cohort of 1000 CHF patients with ID and reduced LVEF based on the Spanish population characteristics. A decision-analytic model was also built using the data from the largest FCM clinical trial (CONFIRM-HF) that lasted for a year. We considered the use of healthcare resources from a national prospective study. A deterministic sensitivity analysis was carried out varying the corresponding baseline data by ±25%. RESULTS: The cost of treating the simulated population with FCM was €2,570,914, while that of the non-iron treatment was €3,105,711, which corresponds to a cost saving of €534,797 per 1,000 patients in one year. Cost savings were mainly due to a decrease in the number of hospitalizations. All sensitivity analysis showed cost savings for the SNHS. CONCLUSIONS: FCM results in an annual cost saving of €534.80 per patient, and would thus be expected to reduce the economic burden of CHF in Spain.

The use of transient elastometry for assessing liver fibrosis in patients with HIV and hepatitis C virus coinfection.

BACKGROUND: Transient elastometry (TE) is accurate for detecting significant liver fibrosis and cirrhosis in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-monoinfected patients. However, this procedure has been insufficiently validated in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and HCV coinfection. The purpose of this study was to validate reported cutoff values of TE that discriminate significant liver fibrosis and cirrhosis in HIV-HCV-coinfected subjects. METHODS: Liver stiffness measurements were obtained for 169 HIV-HCV-coinfected adult patients who had undergone a liver biopsy or who had received a nonhistologic diagnosis of cirrhosis within 12 months before or after a liver stiffness measurement. Patients had received no prior therapy for HCV infection. RESULTS: TE measurements ranged from 3.6 kPa to 75 kPa. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.87 (95% confidence interval, 0.84-0.93) for significant liver fibrosis and 0.95 (95% confidence interval, 0.92-0.99) for cirrhosis. To diagnose significant liver fibrosis, a cutoff value of 7.2 kPa was associated with a positive predictive value of 88% and a negative predictive value of 75%. Thirty-four patients (20%) were misclassified when this cutoff value was used. Thirteen (24%) of 54 patients with liver stiffness values <7.2 kPa had significant liver fibrosis detected by liver biopsy. To diagnose cirrhosis, a cutoff value of 14.6 kPa was associated with a positive predictive value of 86% and a negative predictive value of 94%. Thus, 13 patients (10%) had disease that was misclassified using this cutoff value. CONCLUSIONS: We found that the diagnostic accuracy of TE was high for detecting cirrhosis and good for diagnosis of significant liver fibrosis. However, the performance of TE was low for discriminating mild fibrosis from significant liver fibrosis, which might limit the applicability of this technique in clinical practice.

[Kinetics of Bartonella spp. IgG antibodies in cat-scratch disease and in asymptomatic HIV-infected patients]. / Dinámica de anticuerpos IgG frente a Bartonella spp. en la enfermedad por arañazo de gato y en pacientes asintomáticos infectados por el virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Our goal was to investigate the kinetics of serum IgG antibodies against Bartonella spp. in patients with cat-scratch disease and in HIV-infected indiviuals. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Sequential determinations were made in seven patients with cat scratch disease and in seven HIV-infected individuals who were seropositive for this bacteria. RESULTS: In five patients from each group, serum antibodies fell under the positivity threshold within two years. Two HIV coinfected patients harbored Bartonella spp. DNA in bone marrow. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the finding of a positive titer of serum IgG against Bartonella spp. is a marker of acute or recent infection.

[Effect of highly active antiretroviral therapy on the clinical onset of AIDS defined by clinical episodes]. / Efecto del tratamiento antirretroviral de gran actividad sobre la forma de presentación del sida definido por episodios clínicos.

BACKGROUND: The frequency of opportunistic infections and the mortality of HIV-infected patients have changed notably since the widespread use of highly active antiretroviral therapy. Accordingly, the spectrum of first AIDS-defining conditions may have changed too. The aim of the present study was to analyze whether there have been changes in the clinical presentation of AIDS after the extensive use of highly active antiretroviral therapy. PATIENTS AND METHOD: We performed an analysis of the presentation forms of AIDS in 190 patients with a prospective follow-up who developed this disease between April 1989 and December 2000. We compared the first AIDS-defining conditions occurring until December 1996 with those occurring after January 1997. RESULTS: Visceral leishmaniasis was the first AIDS-defining condition in 18 patients (14.2%) during the first period, whereas it was the AIDS-onset disease in two cases (3.1%) during the second period (P = 0.01). Tuberculosis was the first diagnosis in 63 patients (50%) in the first period and in 26 cases (40.6%) in the second period (P = 0.22). The frequency of other first AIDS-defining disorders remained unchanged along the whole study time. CONCLUSION: With regard to the clinical onset of AIDS, there has been a significant reduction in the frequency of visceral leishmaniasis as the first AIDS-defining disorder after the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy. Tuberculosis continues to be the more frequent clinical debut condition of AIDS.