Development and comparative evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 S-RBD and N based ELISA tests in various African endemic settings.

Management of the COVID-19 pandemic relies on molecular diagnostic methods supported by serological tools. Herein, we developed S-RBD- and N- based ELISA assays useful for infection rate surveillance as well as the follow-up of acquired protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2. ELISA assays were optimized using COVID-19 Tunisian patients' sera and prepandemic controls. Assays were further validated in 3 African countries with variable endemic settings. The receiver operating curve was used to evaluate the assay performances. The N- and S-RBD-based ELISA assays performances, in Tunisia, were very high (AUC: 0.966 and 0.98, respectively, p < 0.0001). Cross-validation analysis showed similar performances in different settings. Cross-reactivity, with malaria infection, against viral antigens, was noticed. In head-to-head comparisons with different commercial assays, the developed assays showed high agreement. This study demonstrates, the added value of the developed serological assays in low-income countries, particularly in ethnically diverse populations with variable exposure to local endemic infectious diseases.

Pulmonary involvement in primary Sjögren's syndrome: contribution of the different means in the systematic investigation.

The prevalence of pulmonary involvement in primary Sjögren´s syndrome (pSS) varies depending on investigation methods. Our study aimed to identify the contribution of the different means of investigation in the systematic screening for pulmonary involvement in pSS. This is a retrospective and descriptive study including medical records of pSS patients, who validated the 2016 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism classification criteria for pSS and who had undergone pulmonary assessment. We enrolled 30 patients: twenty-nine females (97%) and one male (3%). The mean age was 55±17.4. In nine patients (30%), pulmonary disease revealed the diagnosis. Dyspnoea and cough were respectively reported by 43% (N=13) and 30% (N=9) of patients. The six-minute walk test showed desaturation in four cases (14%) and the percent predicted distance was less than 70% in three cases (11%). Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) showed restrictive patterns (N=7, 26%), obstructive patterns (N=2, 7%), combined patterns (N=1, 4%), and isolated small airway disease (N=1, 4%). The prevalence of pulmonary involvement based on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) was 31% (N=9/29). The most frequent interstitial lung disease (ILD) was observed in five scans (56%) and usual interstitial pneumonia was the most frequently seen in three cases (60%). Bronchiolitis was observed in four cases (25%) out of 16 abnormal scans. The six-minute walk test results correlated with PFT results (P<0.05). Pulmonary involvement was noted in 50% of cases (N=15). It was clinically silent in one-third of cases (N=5). In conclusion, pulmonary involvement in Sjögren´s syndrome can be asymptomatic in 33% of cases. The six-minute walk test has a strong correlation with the results of PFT, it should be considered as an assessment tool that reflects the functional state of the patient.

A challenging entity: multiple sclerosis or collagen tissue disorders: A case series of 6 patients.

BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis and other demyelinating processes are sometimes difficult to differentiate from the neurological involvement in autoimmune diseases. Distinguishing multiple sclerosis from other lesions due to autoimmune diseases is crucial to avoid unsuitable or delayed treatments. METHODS: Charts of 6 patients diagnosed with mimicking multiple sclerosis between 1996 and 2014 were retrospectively assessed. RESULTS: The mean age at diagnosis was 35±7 years. The most commonly neurological manifestation at onset was paraparesis due to transverse myelopathy and uni/bilateral optic neuropathy. All our patients suffered from recurrent episodes of optic neuritis with a mean lag time of 12 months. Other initial presenting neurological manifestations in our patients included ataxic gait and pyramidal syndrome. Systemic symptoms occurred a long time before or after their initial neurological presentation. All patients had numerous T2 hyperintense lesions in the periventricular white matter and spinal cord with contrast enhancement. The antibodies tests revealed the presence of significant amounts of anti-nuclear antibodies. The anti-phospholipid antibodies were negative in all patients. All patients were treated with corticosteroid therapy and neurological features were cleared in all cases. CONCLUSION: Multiple sclerosis, other myelitis and optic neuritis, are sometimes difficult to differentiate from CNS involvement in autoimmune disease. Indeed, the clinical presentation, immunological profile and MRI lesions may be similar.

Primary Hyperparathyroidism and Hyperthyroidism in a Patient with Myotonic Dystrophy: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Various endocrine manifestations are commonly described in myotonic dystrophy (MD), including primary hypogonadism, diabetes mellitus, and thyroid and parathyroid dysfunction. We describe a 46-year-old woman with a family history of MD with her son. She was diagnosed with cardiac arrhythmia and required the implantation of a pacemaker. She was noted to have a bilateral cataract. She complained of muscle weakness, diffuse myalgia, and palpitation. The electromyography (EMG) showed myotonic discharges. Laboratory tests showed high serum calcium 2.83 mmol/L, serum phosphate 1.2 mmol/L, parathormone 362.5 pg/mL, thyroid stimulating hormone TSH 0.02 mIU/L (normal range: 0.34-5.6 mIU/L), FT4 21.17 ng/mL, and negative anti-thyroperoxidase antibodies. Cervical ultrasound revealed a multinodular goiter. The 99mTc-MIBI scintigraphy localized a lower right parathyroid adenoma. The clinical data, the family history of MD, EMG data, and endocrine disturbances were strongly suggestive of MD associated with hyperthyroidism and primary hyperparathyroidism.

Late-onset primary antiphospholipid syndrome in the elderly: a report of seven cases.

AIM: We describe the clinical profile of elderly with primary antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). METHODS: Charts of seven elderly patients diagnosed with APS between 1996 and 2012 were retrospectively assessed. RESULTS: The mean age at diagnosis was 77 ± 6 years (67-84 years). Two patients had experienced frequent miscarriages. Five patients presented with deep venous thrombosis of the lower limb, one had venous thrombosis of the upper limb and brachiocephalic vein and another had a cerebral ischemic stroke. The antiphospholipid antibodies tests revealed the presence of significant amounts of anticardiolipin antibodies, 12 weeks apart, twice in four patients. The antibodies to ß2-glycoprotein 1 were positive twice in two patients and lupus anticoagulant in one of these. All patients were treated with heparin and long-term anti-vitamin K and thrombosis was cleared in all cases. Two patients presented with bleeding complications: hematuria and hematoma of the buttock in one patient and rectal bleeding in another case. Two elderly developed a colon cancer and lymphoma 1 year later. CONCLUSION: In this report, we report on primary APS in the elderly, to discuss its prevalence and the clinical significance of positive antiphospholipid antibodies in subjects over the age of 65 years.

[Implementation of the safe surgery checklist of the World Health Organization at the University Hospital of Monastir (Tunisia)]. / Implémentation de la liste de contrôle chirurgical de l'Organisation Mondiale de la Santé au niveau de l'hôpital universitaire de Monastir (Tunisie).

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of introduction of the WHO safe surgery checklist in the university hospital of Monastir over a period of five months. METHODS: We conducted a longitudinal study (before - after) with evaluation of five result indicators which were: percentage of surgical site infections, not prescribed antibioprophylaxis, unplanned return to the operating room, postoperative length of stay and postoperatively death. RESULTS: We identified 185 patients during the period and 323 patients after the introduction of the WHO checklist. The proportion of surgical site infection decreased significantly from 13.5% in the reference period to 1.3% after the introduction of the checklist (p < 0.001). The proportion of unplanned return to the operative room was 10.3% before the introduction of the checklist and deceased significantly to 1.3% at the intervention period (p = 0.003). The proportion of not prescribed antibioprophylaxis and median post-operative length of stay deceased also significantly during the study period (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The surgical checklist control contributes to the development of a safety culture in the operating room. Maintaining its use should be supported by incentives such as certification and accreditation.

An unusual cause of optic neuritis: Rickettsiosis disease

Optic neuritis (ON) may be associated to a range of autoimmune or infectious diseases. We report herein a case of ON induced by Rickettsia conorii. A 53-year-old woman presented with a recent decrease in visual acuity and headache. ON was diagnosed on the basis of ophthalmologic examination and flash visual evoked potentials. Etiological investigation made in our department eliminated first autoimmune disorders (vasculitis and connective tissue diseases). Rickettsial optic neuritis was confirmed by detection of specific antibodies in serum and the negativity of other serologic tests. An association between corticosteroids and cyclines was prescribed with improvement of visual acuity.

Cerebral Aneurysms: A Rare Feature of Behçet's Disease-A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Behçet's disease (BD) is a multisystem vascular inflammatory disease with several clinical manifestations. Intracranial aneurysms are an extremely rare but nevertheless severe complication of BD. We report a case of a 44-year-old man. The diagnosis of BD was made based on the presence of recurrent oral aphthous ulcers and positive human leukocyte antigen (HLA-) B51 in the absence of evidence of other diseases. MRI showed an ancient ischemic right capsulolenticular lesion, subacute white matter hypersignals of the left capsule lenticular region, and multiple arterial aneurysms. The patient underwent two-month systemic high-dose corticosteroids and immunosuppressive therapy associated with severe neurological deficiency upon admission and severe impairment upon discharge. A thorough review of the literature showed 20 case reports of intracranial aneurysms in BD.