COVID-19 Prevalence in UNIVI Group Nursing Homes and Multilevel Geriatric Hospitals: Epidemiological Study of Immunological Status with Rapid Serological Tests for Diagnostic Guidance and Follow Up.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: To date, data are lacking on the proportion of residents, and employees who have actually been exposed to SARS-Cov-2 in nursing homes and geriatric healthcare institutions, as well as the evolution of their serological status and the recurrence of Covid-19. The primary objective was to determine the prevalence of COVID-19 using NG Biotech rapid serological tests among caregivers and residents. The secondary objectives were to determine: prevalence according to RT PCR tests or clinical diagnosis; the risk factors (autonomy, arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus) and clinical presentation (e.g. respiratory, abdominal or cutaneous symptoms, asthenia, fever) among residents; the risk factors (age, sex, profession, family situation) among caregivers; the evolution of the serological status at 1, 3 and 6 months using NG Biotech rapid serological tests; the symptomatic recurrence of Covid 19 at 1, 3 and 6 months. DESIGN: Multicentric prospective observational. SETTING: Study location: 27 nursing homes and 3 multilevel geriatric hospitals belonging to the UNIVI Group in France. PARTICIPANTS: 1334 professionals: 692 among multilevel geriatric hospitals (mean age: 43.6+/-11.8; 441 (82.4%) female) and 642 among nursing homes (mean age: 43.5+/-12.4; 685 (85.9%) female), and 1145 residents (mean age: 89+/-7.5; 898 (78.7%) female). MEASUREMENTS: Prevalence using NG Biotech rapid serological tests, medical diagnosis, RT-PCR tests.Risk factors among residents using the medical file and among caregivers using questionnaires.Clinical presentation in residents using the medical file. RESULTS: The prevalence using NG Biotech rapid serological test in residents was 14.4 % (168 of 1142 available diagnostics), the global prevalence (positive RT-PCR or positive serological test) was 22.7% (203 of 895 available diagnostics). The prevalence using NG Biotech rapid serological test in professionals was 12.8% (164 of 1315 available diagnostics), the global prevalence (positive RT-PCR test or positive serological test) was 23.8% (222 of 933 available diagnostics). The risk factors among residents were: living in an Alzheimer unit, and being a contact case. Being independent for activities of daily living was protective. The risk factor among caregivers was being a contact case. Another risk factor was the job; nurse assistants, nurses, and physicians were the most exposed. Residents had atypical clinical presentations including frequent geriatric syndromes (falls, delirium). 68.3% (71 of 104) of the initially positive residents still had a positive rapid serological test at 1 month follow up and 74 % (54 of 73) at 3 months follow up. 77.9% (88 of 113) of the initially positive employees still had a positive rapid serological test at 1 month follow up. Symptomatic reinfection was exceptional in caregivers or in residents during follow up. CONCLUSION: COVID 19 prevalence among caregivers and residents in nursing homes and geriatric health Institutions is underestimated when using only one method for diagnosis. Geriatric syndromes such as falls and delirium in residents should trigger further investigations on a COVID-19 cause. Immunity was persistent in ¾ of caregivers and residents during the 3 months follow up. The high prevalence of COVID 19 in geriatric institutions pleads in favor of the French vaccination policy, initially targeting as a priority the most vulnerable and dependent people, followed by staff members in healthcare institutions and nursing homes. More studies on the persistence of immunity and the perspective of Covid 19 mutations will help determine the long-term vaccine booster policy.

[Seroprevalence, risk factors and clinical presentation after the first wave of COVID-19 in nursing homes of the UNIVI group: The SEROCOVID study]. / Séroprévalence, facteurs de risque et présentation clinique après la première vague COVID-19 dans les EHPAD du groupe UNIVI : étude SEROCOVID.

INTRODUCTION: The pandemic caused by SARS-COV-2 infection spread rapidly during the "first wave" through France between March and May 2020. It was responsible for high mortality in subjects with comorbidities and the elderly who lived in nursing homes. In May 2020, 75% of the deaths occurred in people over 75 years old in nursing homes. It is difficult to estimate accurately the prevalence of COVID-19 infection during this period because only 50% of the diagnoses in nursing homes were made by RT-PCR. During this period, the diagnosis was mainly based on the clinical symptoms. POPULATION AND METHODS: We carried out a prospective study among residents of the 27 EHPADs in the UNIVI group (SEROCOVID study) between August 31 and October 16, 2020 using rapid ELISA serotests carried out by pricking the fingertip. We looked for the seroprevalence by the use of rapid serotests as well as the overall prevalence by cumulating the positive results of the RT-PCR when done and of the rapid serotest. The secondary objectives were the study of risk factors for infection by multivariate analysis as well as the description of the symptoms that led to the diagnosis. RESULTS: In total, 1145 residents were included aged on average 89±7.5 years old (female 78.7%). The time between the COVID-19 disease and the rapid inclusion serotest was on average 5±1.7 months. The prevalence estimated by the three diagnostic evaluation methods (medical diagnosis, RT-PCR or by rapid serotest ELISA) is about 14%, underestimated compared to the overall prevalence at 22.7%. The study of risk factors in multivariate analysis shows that the most dependent residents, living in a protected unit due to behavioral disorders or whose close contact with a person with COVID-19 had significantly higher rates of infection. Finally, the symptoms most frequently observed in residents differed from those in younger subjects with geriatric characteristics, such as the higher frequency of digestive symptoms and geriatric syndromes. Fever has only been observed in one third of cases in the elderly. Smell and taste disorders were seldom described. CONCLUSION: Our study provides an estimate of the overall prevalence as well as the mean seroprevalence of COVID-19 in EHPAD residents five months after the diagnosis of COVID-19 disease. The difference between the two estimates is probably explained by the frailty and decreased immunity of the nursing home residents. Therefore, it would need to be reactivated by vaccination of all residents, even those already infected with SARS-COV-2. These elements corroborate the governmental strategy of vaccination deployed in all residents of EHPAD regardless of their previous contact with the virus.

[Neuropsychological benefit of cataract surgery among sight impaired Alzheimer's patient]. / Modifications des troubles du comportement après l'opération de la cataracte chez les patients Alzheimer.

PURPOSE: Evaluation of neuropsychological benefits of cataract surgery for 46 Alzheimer patients on the basis of neuropsychiatric index (NPI), as the principal criterion of analysis of the VIVA study. METHODS: Prospective, monocentric neuropsychiatric study, performed from 2005 to 2011. All Alzheimer's patients with 10

[Referral of vulnerable patients: new professional strategies]. / Les consultations de précarité: nouvelles stratégies professionnelles.

Nowadays hospitals are facing their responsibilities with necessitous patients care, in terms of social protection issues, adequate practice behaviours and professional challenges. The humanitarian aid new wave and innovative social interventions partially explain the success of some militant professionals. An historical approach ambulatory care facilities for deprived people and biographical interviews of health and social professionals show three logics: humanistic motivation, ethical responsibility and media-political charism. In spite of differences in careers promotion, field actors are volunteers to develop together new socially oriented strategies.

Four markers of collagen metabolism as possible indicators of disease in the adult respiratory distress syndrome.

During the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), an irreversible fibrotic process can occur extremely rapidly. To establish indices of ARDS in pneumonia as well as the severity of the lung fibrosis, we have undertaken for the first time a study of four markers of collagen metabolism obtained from both bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and serum: Type I (CI), Type III (CIII), N-terminal peptide of Type III procollagen (PIIINP), and galactosylhydroxylysylglucosyltransferase activity (GGT). We studied 61 patients (13 coma controls, 29 with pneumonia, and 19 with ARDS). In BALF, the average values of CI, CIII, PIIINP, and GGT were significantly higher in ARDS than in the control patients. The values for patients with pneumonia, although increased, were significantly lower than those in ARDS for CI, CIII, and PIIINP. In serum, the mean CI and PIIINP were significantly increased in pneumonia and ARDS, but the mean CIII was significantly increased only in ARDS compared with the control group. Significant positive linear correlations were observed for ARDS between CI and CIII or PIIINP and CIII in BALF and serum. Such correlations were observed for pneumonia only in serum. Molecular mass determinations demonstrated that CI- and CIII-related antigens in BALF were essentially intact triple helices of collagens or procollagens. Among patients with histologically defined interstitial fibrosis, the level of PIIINP in BALF was significantly higher for those with an additional intraalveolar fibrosis. In conclusion, measurements of these collagen markers may be useful for assessing disease activity and reflecting the flux of collagen molecules in the lung.

[Ostial stenosis of the left main coronary artery after mediastinal radiotherapy. Apropos of a case]. / Sténose ostiale du tronc commun de la coronaire gauche après radiothérapie médiastinale. A propos d'un cas.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a well-known complication of mediastinal irradiation. We report a case of subocclusive ostial stenosis of the left main coronary artery, in a 27 years old man, who had been irradiated 14 years before for a stage 4 Hodgkin's disease. Among the 68 reported cases of CAD attributed to radiotherapy, 11 involved an ostial stenosis of either right coronary artery, or left main coronary artery or both. Thus mediastinal irradiation seems to be a definite cause of ostial coronary artery stenosis; several types of myocardial revascularization have been suggested for this kind of CAD.

[Specificity and serum concentrations of tumor necrosis factor in septic shock]. / Spécificité et évolution du tumor necrosis factor (TNF) sérique dans le choc septique.

Several lines of evidence implicate tumor necrosis factor (TNF), a cytokine produced by monocytes-macrophages, in the systemic manifestations of shock induced by Gram-negative bacteria. Whether the increase of circulating TNF levels is specific to septic shock as compared to sepsis without shock or to non-septic shock is still unclear. Since TNF values recorded at the time of admission to the hospital vary widely, statistical analysis has not been possible. Therefore, we postulated that the evolution of a patient's TNF serum level as compared to his initial value may better distinguish the survivor from the non-survivor than a single initial determination. Using a radioimmunoassay, we measured the TNF concentrations in the sera of 7 patients with severe infections without shock, 16 patients with septic shock and 8 patients with non-septic shock. Blood samples were drawn within the first 12 hours after the onset of shock. Patients with cancer, HIV infection, or under steroid therapy were excluded. Repeated measurements were made during the first 3 days of septic shock in 10 patients. The circulating TNF level, determined upon admission, appears to be neither specific nor predictive of the outcome of septic shock. In contrast, persistently high levels of circulating TNF seem to be well correlated with a poor prognosis, since 5 out of 6 patients with elevated TNF values died of septic shock.

Pharmacokinetics of intravenous salbutamol in renal insufficiency and its biological effects.

Salbutamol was administered intravenously to 5 patients with renal function impairment for estimation its pharmacokinetic parameters. The mean terminal half-life was 256 min, similar to previously reported values in healthy adults. The mean clearance (167 ml/min) and the mean volume of distribution (551) were decreased. These parameters were not correlated with the creatinine clearance. A slight but significant decrease was observed in the plasma potassium level up to 125 min after the salbutamol infusion. The heart rate was significantly increased, and the increase in 3 patients was correlated with the salbutamol concentration. The biological effects of the drug were less marked than expected.

Hemodynamic tolerance and plasma volume variations during plasma exchange. Replacement fluid: albumin alone or albumin plus gelatin?

Little is known about mechanisms of systemic hypotension frequently reported during plasma exchange (PE). Type of substitution fluids may interfere with hemodynamic tolerance. In a prospective study, right heart catheterization was performed during 18 PE by filtration with isovolumic substitution. Blood volume was measured with 51Cr tagged erythrocytes and plasma volume (PV) calculated from hematocrit. Substitution fluids were either albumin (A; n = 9) or A + gelatin (A + G; n = 9). In both groups, PE induces significant (p less than 0.01) decreases of mean arterial pressure: group A: - 21 +/- 14%; group A + G: - 23 +/- 15%; of pulmonary wedge pressure: group A: - 41 +/- 33%; group A + G: - 36 +/- 22%; of cardiac index: group A: - 38 +/- 18%; group A + G: - 25 +/- 15%. Plasma volume also decreases after PE: group A: - 13.5 +/- 4%; group A + G: - 18.5 +/- 4%. None of the variations are significantly different between the two groups. So we think that substitution with albumin alone has no advantage for hemodynamic tolerance.