Convalescent Plasma Therapy in Immunocompromised Patients Infected With the BA.1 or BA.2 Omicron SARS-CoV-2.

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant has led to a complete reconfiguration of the therapeutic landscape, with all monoclonal antibodies having lost any neutralization activity. We report here a case series of 75 immunocompromised patients infected by the Omicron variant who benefited from COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP). At Day 28, the overall survival was 76% (95% CI 67-86) with no significant difference in the clinical outcome between patients with hematological malignancies, solid organ transplantation or autoimmune diseases. No safety concern was reported during the course of the study. These results showed that CCP is well tolerated and represents a treatment option for immunocompromised patients who remain highly impacted by the COVID19 epidemic.

Cerebrovascular events in Takayasu arteritis: a multicenter case-controlled study.

OBJECTIVES: Takayasu arteritis (TA) is a giant cell arteritis usually affecting young women and characterized by inflammatory and ischemic signs of large vessel involvement, including extracranial cerebral arteries. The impact of stroke on TA prognosis has not been well evaluated. METHODS: We performed a retrospective multicenter review of patients with definite TA who experienced at least one stroke and compared the findings to 17 matched patients with TA diagnosis without neurological involvement. RESULTS: Seventeen patients (15 women, median age at stroke diagnosis 44 years) receiving a diagnosis of TA and stroke between 2002 and 2016 in our institution were included, from a cohort of 126 patients suffering from TA (13.5%). At diagnosis, patients from both groups had comparable cardiovascular risk factors. The first cerebrovascular event was ischemic stroke (n = 15) or transient ischemic attack (n = 2). In eight patients, stroke occurred after the TA diagnosis was made. In four patients, stroke occurred after carotid surgery. At the end of follow-up, 59% of patients had a neurological impairment, 35% had a recurrence of stroke, and 24% suffered from epilepsy. CONCLUSIONS: Stroke is a major cause of disability in TA patients. Internal carotid surgery may be performed with caution because of the risk of stroke after the procedure.

Inclusion body myositis and human immunodeficiency virus type 1: A new case report and literature review.

Prevalence of muscle disease in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is less than 1% of patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Sporadic inclusion body myositis (IBM) is observed in a few cases of patients infected by retroviruses such as HIV-1. A Caucasian man was diagnosed with HIV when he was 30 years old. The viral load was undetectable and CD4 cell count was 600/mm3 when the diagnosis of inclusion body myositis was confirmed. Histological findings were typical of IBM. The treatment consisted of immunoglobulin therapy for three years without effect. Twenty-two patients were found in the English and French literature. They are younger than those who suffer from IBM without HIV (median age = 47, range: 30 to 59), and they are mostly men with considerable serum creatine kinase (CK) elevation (median CK level = 1322 IU/L, range: 465 to 10270), most of them were treated with Zidovudine.

Sarcoidosis in Patients with Antisynthetase Syndrome: Presentation and Outcome.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the uncommon co-occurrence of antisynthetase syndrome (AS) and sarcoidosis. METHODS: From 2000 to 2015, patients with sarcoidosis were extracted from a retrospective multicentric cohort of 352 patients with AS. RESULTS: Ten patients (2.8%; 6 men, 8 whites, 5 smokers, median age 50 yrs) had both AS and sarcoidosis. Most of the time, sarcoidosis and AS occurred simultaneously (n = 7). Antibody testing revealed anti-Jo1 (n = 5), anti-PL12 (n = 4), or anti-PL7 (n = 1). Finally, no patient had a worsening of muscular condition, 5 patients presented respiratory deterioration, 3 remained stable, and 2 showed improvement. CONCLUSION: Sarcoidosis may be underdiagnosed in patients with AS.