The Impact of Thrombocytopenia and Lymphopenia on Mortality in Patients Infected with Influenza Virus: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION: Influenza virus causes significant global annual morbidity and mortality. Thrombocytopenia is recognized as a poor prognostic factor in sepsis and is associated with mortality, while lymphopenia has been established as a poor prognostic factor in other viral infections. We aimed to assess the incidence of thrombocytopenia and lymphopenia in seasonal influenza and their effect on clinical outcomes. METHODS: This single-center, retrospective, cohort study included consecutive adult patients, hospitalized in Rabin Medical Center between October 2017 and April 2018, with laboratory-confirmed influenza. Patients were grouped according to blood counts on admission: (1) thrombocytopenia (<150 K/mL), (2) lymphopenia (<0.5 K/mL), and (3) both thrombocytopenia and lymphopenia. Patients without thrombocytopenia and lymphopenia were designated as controls. The primary outcome was 30-day all-cause mortality. Risk factors were identified by univariable and multivariable analyses, using logistic regression and reported as odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: A total of 625 patients were included, 112 (18%) had thrombocytopenia, 98 (15.6%) had lymphopenia, and 107 (17%) had both. The crude 30-day all-cause mortality was 7.6% (48/625). Mortality rates were 7.1% (8/112) for the thrombocytopenia group, 11.2% (11/98) for the lymphopenia group, and 14.9% (16/107) for patients with both versus 4.2% (13/308) in the control (p = 0.000 for all). In a multivariable regression model, significant thrombocytopenia (<100 K/µL) [OR 5.07 (95% CI 1.5-16.2)], age [OR 1.07 (95% CI 1.02-1.11)], time to oseltamivir [OR 1.006 (95% CI 1.002-1.11)], and significant respiratory support [OR 8.85 (3.4-22.6)] were associated with 30-day all-cause mortality. CONCLUSION: Patients hospitalized with seasonal influenza and thrombocytopenia <100 K/mL on admission, have an increased 30-day all-cause mortality.

Acute Kidney Injury and Hair-Straightening Products: A Case Series.

RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE: Keratin-based hair-straightening treatment is a popular hair-styling method. The majority of keratin-based hair-straightening products in Israel contain glycolic acid derivatives, which are considered safe when used topically. Systemic absorption of these products is possible, and anecdotal reports have described kidney toxicity associated with their use. We report a series of cases of severe acute kidney injury (AKI) following use of hair-straightening treatment in Israel during the past several years. STUDY DESIGN: Case series. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: We retrospectively identified 26 patients from 14 medical centers in Israel who experienced severe AKI and reported prior treatment with hair-straightening products in 2019-2022. FINDINGS: The 26 patients described had a median age of 28.5 (range, 14-58) years and experienced severe AKI following a hair-straightening procedure. The most common symptoms at presentation were nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Scalp rash was noted in 10 (38%) patients. Two patients experienced a recurrent episode of AKI following a repeat hair-straightening treatment. Seven patients underwent kidney biopsies, which demonstrated intratubular calcium oxalate deposition in 6 and microcalcification in tubular cells in 1. In all biopsies, signs of acute tubular injury were present, and an interstitial infiltrate was noted in 4 cases. Three patients required temporary dialysis. LIMITATIONS: Retrospective uncontrolled study, small number of kidney biopsies. CONCLUSIONS: This series describes cases of AKI with prior exposure to hair-straightening treatments. Acute oxalate nephropathy was the dominant finding on kidney biopsies, which may be related to absorption of glycolic acid derivatives and their metabolism to oxalate. This case series suggests a potential underrecognized cause of AKI in the young healthy population. Further studies are needed to confirm this association and to assess the extent of this phenomenon as well as its pathogenesis.

A Systematic Review Assessing the Underrepresentation of Cancer Patients in COVID-19 Trials.

BACKGROUND: The new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has emerged as a global pandemic that threatens thousands around the world. Observational cohort studies have demonstrated that cancer patients have inferior outcomes due to underlying malignancy, treatment-related immunosuppression, or increased comorbidities. We aimed to examine the representation of cancer patients (hematological malignancies and solid tumors) in COVID-19 therapeutic and prophylactic interventional trials. METHODS: In this review, all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published between December 2019 and August 2021 were included. We included only trials evaluating medications that were recommended by NIH guidelines: steroids, tocilizumab, remdesivir, and REGN-COV2. RESULTS: The search yielded 541 potentially relevant RCTs, 22 of which were considered suitable. All trials included patients with solid cancer and hematological malignancies in the formal reported inclusion criteria. However, only two trials reported the accurate number of cancer patients included. Ten trials excluded neutropenic patients and seven trials excluded thrombocytopenic patients. Eleven trials excluded patients that were treated with any immunosuppression treatment. None of the two trials that included cancer patients reported separate outcomes for this population. CONCLUSION: Our systematic review shows that cancer patients are underrepresented in COVID-19 interventional therapeutic trials, and evidence regarding outcomes are lacking.