Global phylogenomic assessment of Leptoseris and Agaricia reveals substantial undescribed diversity at mesophotic depths.

BACKGROUND: Mesophotic coral communities are increasingly gaining attention for the unique biological diversity they host, exemplified by the numerous mesophotic fish species that continue to be discovered. In contrast, many of the photosynthetic scleractinian corals observed at mesophotic depths are assumed to be depth-generalists, with very few species characterised as mesophotic-specialists. This presumed lack of a specialised community remains largely untested, as phylogenetic studies on corals have rarely included mesophotic samples and have long suffered from resolution issues associated with traditional sequence markers. RESULTS: Here, we used reduced-representation genome sequencing to conduct a phylogenomic assessment of the two dominant mesophotic genera of plating corals in the Indo-Pacific and Western Atlantic, respectively, Leptoseris and Agaricia. While these genome-wide phylogenies broadly corroborated the morphological taxonomy, they also exposed deep divergences within the two genera and undescribed diversity across the current taxonomic species. Five of the eight focal species consisted of at least two sympatric and genetically distinct lineages, which were consistently detected across different methods. CONCLUSIONS: The repeated observation of genetically divergent lineages associated with mesophotic depths highlights that there may be many more mesophotic-specialist coral species than currently acknowledged and that an urgent assessment of this largely unstudied biological diversity is warranted.

Incidence, complications, and costs of peripheral venous catheter-related bacteraemia: a retrospective, single-centre study.

BACKGROUND: Peripheral venous catheter (PVC) complications occur on average in approximately half of patients, necessitating premature PVC removal, suspending administration of ongoing therapies, and catheter replacement. AIM: To estimate the current incidence, complications, and costs of bloodstream infection (BSI) attributable to PVCs. METHODS: Patients with PVC-related BSI (cases) were matched with patients without PVC-related BSI (controls). FINDINGS: From January 1st, 2018 to March 31st, 2020, a total of 9833 out of 113,068 patients visiting the emergency department (9%) were hospitalized in a medical ward after insertion of a PVC. Among them, 581 (6%) had at least one positive blood culture. Twenty-five (4%) of these were judged as having a PVC-related BSI. Major complications were noted in nine patients. One patient presented severe sepsis requiring admission to intensive care unit for eleven days followed by thoracic (T4-T7) spondylodiscitis requiring prolonged antimicrobial therapy. Another patient developed mitral valve endocarditis also requiring prolonged antimicrobial therapy. One patient developed a pre-sacral abscess three months after initial PVC infection and required hospital readmission for 19 days for drainage. Median (interquartile range) hospital stay costs were €11,597 (8,479-23,759) for cases and €6,789 (4,019-10,764) for controls, leading to median additional costs of €5,587. CONCLUSION: Though the risk of developing PVC-related BSI in patients admitted to medical wards may seem low, complications of PVC-related BSI are severe, and associated mortality remains high. The financial resources used to treat these complications could be better spent on prevention, including the use of high-quality materials and technologies, and improved training of healthcare providers.

Peripheral venous catheter colonization after skin disinfection with 0.5% aqueous sodium hypochlorite, preceded or not by one application of 70% ethanol (DACLEAN): a single-centre, randomized, open-label, pilot study.

Few data are available on the efficacy of 0.5% aqueous sodium hypochlorite (SH) for skin disinfection before peripheral catheter insertion. A total of 239 patients were randomly assigned to either one application of SH alone or one application of SH preceded by one application of 70% ethanol (ET-SH). Catheter colonization, defined as a catheter tip culture growing >1000 cfu of a micro-organism per millilitre, occurred in 29 patients (33% of 89 colonizations per 1000 catheter-days) in the SH group and in 31 patients (33% of 126 colonizations per 1000 catheter-days) in the ET-SH group.

A computed tomography study of the fibula: morphology, morphometry, intramedullary anatomy, application prospects on intramedullary nailing.

PURPOSE: The intramedullary percutaneous pinning in fractures of the lateral malleolus is a technique of osteosynthesis that can reduce complications of ORIF. Our study describes the morphology and the morphometry of the fibula, in particular intramedullary, so as to specify the best fibular nail features. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study on CT acquisitions of fibulae in vivo. We studied total length, and the distal malleolar angle. Regarding intramedullary morphology, six axial study levels were defined. Each level was assigned a morphometric classification (oval, triangular, quadrangular or irregular), and a measure of the diameter of the cavity. The distance between the smaller diameter and the malleolar tip was investigated. RESULTS: We included 50 patients for 97 fibulae. The average age was 66.5 years. The irregular morphology type was the most frequently found. The average length was 370.5 mm (SD = 18.1; CI 95% [366.9; 374.1]), the average distal malleolar angle was 163.5° (SD = 3.7; CI 95% [162.7; 164.2]). The average minimal intramedullary diameter at malleolus level was 3.2 mm (SD = 1.2; CI 95% [3.0; 3.5]), with a minimum size reaching 95.8 mm (SD = 13.8; CI 95% [93.0; 98.5]) of the malleolar tip. CONCLUSIONS: The analysis of morphological parameters of the fibula, in particular the lateral malleolus and intramedullary morphology is necessary for the design of a morpho-adapted nail. Interpersonal variability must be taken into account by the implant industry to offer nails of suited lengths and diameters.

[Deep venous thrombosis caused by congenital inferior vena cava agenesis]. / Une thrombose veineuse profonde révélant une agénésie de la veine cave inférieure.

Congenital agenesis of the inferior vena cava, although rare, is found preferentially in young patients with proximal deep venous thrombosis. Exact diagnosis can be made thanks to enhanced computed tomography scan and/or magnetic resonance imaging, while Doppler ultrasonography is insufficient to establish an inferior vena cava malformation. A consensus has not yet been established for the treatment but lifelong anticoagulation with elastic stocking support to prevent post-thrombotic syndrome is commonly considered in most cases. We report a case of an unprovoked deep venous thrombosis caused by a congenital agenesis of the inferior vena cava localized to the infrarenal segment, in a 24-year-old man. An anticoagulation with low molecular weight heparin was started and prolonged oral anticoagulation was prescribed. In the absence of the usual thrombotic risk factors, the presence of an inferior vena cava anomaly should be considered.

Quality control implementation for universal characterization of DNA and RNA viruses in clinical respiratory samples using single metagenomic next-generation sequencing workflow.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing (mNGS) has increasingly been used for an accurate assumption-free virological diagnosis. However, the systematic workflow evaluation on clinical respiratory samples and implementation of quality controls (QCs) is still lacking. METHODS: A total of 3 QCs were implemented and processed through the whole mNGS workflow: a no-template-control to evaluate contamination issues during the process; an internal and an external QC to check the integrity of the reagents, equipment, the presence of inhibitors, and to allow the validation of results for each sample. The workflow was then evaluated on 37 clinical respiratory samples from patients with acute respiratory infections previously tested for a broad panel of viruses using semi-quantitative real-time PCR assays (28 positive samples including 6 multiple viral infections; 9 negative samples). Selected specimens included nasopharyngeal swabs (n = 20), aspirates (n = 10), or sputums (n = 7). RESULTS: The optimal spiking level of the internal QC was first determined in order to be sufficiently detected without overconsumption of sequencing reads. According to QC validation criteria, mNGS results were validated for 34/37 selected samples. For valid samples, viral genotypes were accurately determined for 36/36 viruses detected with PCR (viral genome coverage ranged from 0.6 to 100%, median = 67.7%). This mNGS workflow allowed the detection of DNA and RNA viruses up to a semi-quantitative PCR Ct value of 36. The six multiple viral infections involving 2 to 4 viruses were also fully characterized. A strong correlation between results of mNGS and real-time PCR was obtained for each type of viral genome (R2 ranged from 0.72 for linear single-stranded (ss) RNA viruses to 0.98 for linear ssDNA viruses). CONCLUSIONS: Although the potential of mNGS technology is very promising, further evaluation studies are urgently needed for its routine clinical use within a reasonable timeframe. The approach described herein is crucial to bring standardization and to ensure the quality of the generated sequences in clinical setting. We provide an easy-to-use single protocol successfully evaluated for the characterization of a broad and representative panel of DNA and RNA respiratory viruses in various types of clinical samples.

[External cephalic version in case of persisting breech presentation at term: motivations and women's experience of the intervention]. / Version céphalique externe en cas de siège persistant à terme : motivations et vécu de l'intervention par les femmes.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy and acceptability of external cephalic version (ECV). MATERIALS AND METHOD: From 2004 to 2008, 212 pregnant women between 34-37 weeks of gestation with fetus in breech presentation were included in a randomized clinical trial and 125 externals cephalic versions were studied. RESULTS: A success rate of 37.6%t was recorded. At 34 weeks of gestation, 80.6% of women were considering an ECV in the event of persistent breech position at 37 weeks. These women expressed the desire to give birth vaginally (52% versus 24.4%, P<0.001). In contrast, others women preferred an elective cesarean section to avoid the risk of a breech vaginal delivery. Women felt pain during the ECV and scored 60 on average using the analogical visual scale. Women rated on a verbal rating scale the ECV as severely painful to unbearable (68%), and as stressful (70%). Despite this, the majority of women would recommend ECV to their friends or would be willing to repeat it for themselves. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: ECV remains a scary and painful medical procedure. More research is needed to reduce the impact. The use of analgesic medication for this indication is controversial. Hypnosis could be an alternative to evaluate.

[Auditory and vestibular findings in Fabry disease: a study of 25 patients]. / Atteintes ORL de la maladie de Fabry : à propos de 25 observations.

PURPOSE: Fabry disease (FD, OMIM 301500) is an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder due to deficient activity of the enzyme alpha-galactosidase A. Males and females exhibit severe organ involvement. The high incidence of otological symptoms was recently reported. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Monocentric and retrospective study of twenty-five patients with FD (13 families; seven males and 18 females). The patients underwent audiological assessment before initiation and during enzyme replacement therapy. We also analysed neurologic heart and kidney status. RESULTS: Twenty patients (80%; 13 females and seven males) complained of otologic symptoms. Audiological evaluation showed a sensorineural hearing loss in 17 patients, bilateral in 16 out of them. Vestibular examination showed a functional impairment in two patients (one female, one male). Correlations were found between hearing loss and either kidney disease (73,3%), neurological complications (100%) and cardiomyopathy (80%). Fourteen patients (56%; seven females, seven males) received enzyme replacement therapy. Improvement or stabilization of the audiological evaluation was reported in seven patients, whereas worsening was observed in three patients. CONCLUSION: This study confirms the high frequency of audiological involvements in females and males with FD. Our analysis suggests that the frequency of hearing loss is increased in the presence of renal or neurologic involvement or cardiomyopathy. There is no clinically significant efficacy of enzyme replacement therapy on hearing function. Although the pathophysiology remains unknown, a vascular mechanism responsible of the inner ear involvement seems to be privileged.

Prognostic value of serum CA 125 bi-exponential decrease during first line paclitaxel/platinum chemotherapy: a French multicentric study.

BACKGROUND: CA 125 assays enable treatment-response monitoring in ovarian cancer. METHODS: A multicentric study of CA 125 kinetics under paclitaxel/platinum-based chemotherapy was performed in 130 stage IIc-IV patients. CA 125 half-life and nadir concentration were compared to patient outcome. Some patients (n=38, 29.2%) presented a CA 125 bi-exponential decrease and its clinical implication was studied. Survival analyses for disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) used univariate (Kaplan-Meier) and multivariate (Cox model). RESULTS: During a median follow-up time of 29 months (range 5-106 months), 111 patients (85%) relapsed and 94 (72%) died from ovarian cancer. Patients were split into 4 groups according to their pattern of CA 125 decrease: non-assessable half-life because of a low pre-chemotherapy CA 125 level (n=38), half-life < or = 14 days and mono-exponential CA 125 decay (n=18), half-life < or = 14 days and bi-exponential CA 125 decay (n=21), and half-life > 14 days (n=53). In Cox models, nadir concentration, residual tumour volume and number of chemotherapy courses were found to be independent prognostic factors for DFS and OS. The group classification was found to be an independent prognostic factor only for DFS. However, when nadir was not introduced in the models, the CA 125 kinetics groups were the most important prognostic factor for OS. CONCLUSION: Characteristics of CA 125 kinetics during first line paclitaxel/platinum chemotherapy have a strong and independent prognostic value. A CA 125 bi-exponential decrease is an indicator of bad prognosis.

Change in CA 125 levels after the first cycle of induction chemotherapy is an independent predictor of epithelial ovarian tumour outcome.

BACKGROUND: CA 125 assays enable treatment response monitoring in ovarian cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This multicentric study was carried out to assess the prognostic value of the CA 125 change after the first and the second courses of induction chemotherapy (CT). Of the 494 stage IIc-IV patients, 194 had a surgical second look, 397 (80.4%) relapsed and 382 (77.3%) died from cancer. Median (range) follow-up time was 34 months (3-215 months). RESULTS: In Cox models, CA 125 change after the first course (P < 0.0001), residual tumour (P = 0.003), CA 125 before the second course (P = 0.025) and patients' age (P = 0.048) were independent prognostic factors for overall survival (OS). A normal CA 125 before each of the two first CT courses or a CA 125 decrease >50% after the first course with a normal CA 125 before the second course identify patients with good prognosis. Both criteria retained a significant value in predicting second-look findings by univariate and multivariate analysis (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Among well-established prognostic factors in ovarian cancers, the CA 125 change after first course of CT was independent prognostic factors for both achievement of pathological complete response and OS.

CA 125 half-life and CA 125 nadir during induction chemotherapy are independent predictors of epithelial ovarian cancer outcome: results of a French multicentric study.

BACKGROUND: CA 125 assays enable treatment-response monitoring in ovarian cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A multicentric study of CA 125 kinetics under induction chemotherapy was performed in 631 patients. CA 125 half-life was calculated by mono-compartmental logarithmic regression. Nadir CA 125 concentration and time to nadir were also studied. Survival analyses for disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) used univariate (Kaplan-Meier) and multivariate (Cox) models. RESULTS: For 553 stage IIC-IV patients, 459 (83.0%) relapsed and 444 (80.3%) died from cancer. Median (range) follow up time was 32 months (2-214 months). Median (range) for CA 125 kinetics were: 263 kU/l (5-52000 kU/l) before 1st course, 15.8 days (4.5-417.9 days) for CA 125 half-life, 16 kU/l (3-2610 kU/l) for nadir and 85 days (0-361 days) for time to nadir. Pre-chemotherapy CA 125, its half-life, nadir concentration and time to nadir all had a univariate prognostic value for DFS and OS (P<0.0001). In Cox models, CA 125 half-life, residual tumour (P<0.0001 for both), nadir concentration (P=0.0002) and stage (P=0.0118) were the most powerful prognostic factors for DFS. For OS, the significant variables were similar, with age ranking last (P=0.0319). CONCLUSION: Among well-established prognostic factors in ovarian cancers, CA 125 half-life and nadir concentration bear a strong and independent prognostic value.

Drug-induced cardiotoxicity studied by longitudinal B-type natriuretic peptide assays and radionuclide ventriculography.

BACKGROUND: To study the longitudinal variations of plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) with reference to left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) during and after chemotherapy with cardiotoxic drugs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We prospectively measured plasma BNP using an immunoradiometric assay in 12 anthracycline-treated breast cancer patients monitored for a mean time of 880+/-293 days (pilot group). Prior to each cycle and throughout the following year, LVEF and cardiac output were measured by radionuclide ventriculography. Anthracycline pharmacokinetics was studied during the first cycle. Relationships between serial observations were analysed with the general linear mixed effects model. Identical methods were subsequently applied to a test group of 67 anthracycline or trastuzumab-treated patients. RESULTS: Five out of 70 (6.33%) patients developed anthracycline-induced heart failure. BNP concentrations were found to be positively correlated to anthracycline cumulative dose and negatively to LVEF values. Variables entering the mixed models were cumulative anthracycline dose, time and cardiac output. CONCLUSION: An infra-clinical cardiotoxicity of anthracyclines as defined by BNP elevation is frequent but reversible. Patients who developed heart failure showed a continuous BNP increase and concentrations over 100 ng/ml.

Tissue expression and serum levels of the oncoprotein HER-2/neu in 157 primary breast tumours.

BACKGROUND: We studied HER-2 expression in paired serum and tissue samples, in 157 selected cases from 701 consecutive primary breast cancer patients with pre-treatment HER-2 extracellular domain (ECD) > or = 10 ng/ml, or < 10 ng/ml but showing a HER-2 ECD lead time before first metastasis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: HER-2 ECD was measured by the Immuno 1 automated ELISA (Bayer). Tumour tissue was analysed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) with Dako A 0485 and CB 11 antibodies and scored with the Dako scoring system. RESULTS: Mean HER-2 ECD was 12.48+/-7.08 ng/ml and 21/157 (13.4%) sera were > or = 15 ng/ml (cut-off). Forty tumours (25.48%) showed both invasive and intraductal components, 3 (1.91%) were pure in situ carcinomas and 114 (72.61%) were pure invasive tumours. Elevated HER-2 ECD concentration was related only to pT (p=0.0008), histological grade (p=0.0465), presence of comedonecrosis (p=0.0123) or comedo-type carcinoma (p=0.041) and was unrelated to the presence of an intraductal component. HER-2 ECD was > or = 15 ng/ml in 48% of Dako 3+ and 60% of CB 11 2+ and 3+ tumours. By logistic regression analysis, the significant parameters associated with HER-2 ECD concentration were pT (p=0.0038) and Dako 3+ scores (p=0.0005). In Dako 3+ or CB 11 2+3+ tumours, elevated mean HER-2 ECD concentrations were observed only when pT exceeded 28-30 mm (p=0.0062 and p=0.0036, respectively). CONCLUSION: In breast tumours, a threshold in size and HER-2 overexpression is necessary to observe elevated concentrations of HER-2 ECD at diagnosis. This information may be useful when the primary tumour is not available for IHC.

Serum HER-2 extracellular domain: relationship with clinicobiological presentation and prognostic value before and after primary treatment in 701 breast cancer patients.

PURPOSE: To determine the clinical correlations and prognostic value of serum HER-2 (sHER-2) before and after primary breast cancer treatment. METHODS: sHER-2 from 701 consecutive patients with stage I-III tumors (median follow-up 7.7 years) was assayed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Immuno 1, Bayer Diagnostics). RESULTS: The median pretreatment sHER-2 concentration was 8.30 ng/mL (range 3.15-82.00 ng/mL). Forty-seven patients (6.7%) had sHER-2 concentrations >12 ng/mL (cutoff level). Pretreatment sHER-2 correlated positively with CA 15.3 (p=0.0169), pathological tumor size (p=0.0082), number of invaded lymph nodes (pN, p=0.0160) and histological grading (p=0.0086). Kaplan-Meier analyses indicated that pretreatment sHER-2 was of prognostic value for contralateral breast cancer (p=0.0018), metastasis-free survival (MFS) (p=0.0008) - particularly lung (p=0.0082) and liver metastases (p=0.0035) - and overall disease-specific survival (DSS) (p=0.0020). According to pN status, pretreatment sHER-2 was of prognostic value only for pN-positive patients (p=0.0017). When combined with estradiol or progesterone receptor status, patients with elevated sHER-2 and receptor-negative tumors had a significantly shorter DSS (p<0.0001 for both receptors). Post-treatment sHER-2 also had individual prognostic value for MFS (p=0.0144) and DSS (p=0.0212). In multivariate analysis, only sHER-2 after primary treatment was an independent prognostic variable for MFS and DSS (p=0.0078 and p=0.0058, respectively). CONCLUSION: sHER-2 elevation in early breast cancer correlates with the principal criteria of tumor aggressiveness, thus permitting selection of patients with a high risk of visceral metastases and contralateral breast tumors. Post-treatment sHER-2 is an independent prognostic factor enabling to identify patients likely to benefit from aggressive adjuvant treatments.

[Aquadynia: a role for VIP?]. / Aquadynie: rôle du VIP?

BACKGROUND: Aquadynia (water-related cutaneous pain) is a very rare disorder, recently described. CASE REPORT: A 40 year-old woman suffered from aquagenic pruritus, complicated by paresthesia and pain. There was no clinical argument in favor of a psychiatric disorder, Fabry's disease or any other disease. Clinical and histological cutaneous examinations were normal. Immunohistochemical study of neurotransmitters (substance P, calcitonin gene-related peptide or CGRP, vasoactive intestinal peptide or VIP, somatostatine) did not show any modification in nerve density. However, VIP-immunoreactive epidermal cells were observed. Electromyography and study of somesthesic-evoked potentials were normal. No treatment had provided any efficacy. Clonidine and capsaicin had been prescribed with partial success. DISCUSSION: Three other cases of aquadynia have been reported. Differential diagnoses of aquadynia are aquagenic pruritus and urticaria, hysteria or simulation, Fabry's disease, erythermalgia, peripheral neuropathy or polycythemia vera. The presence of VIP-immunoreactive cells suggests that VIP could be produced by these cells after contact with water. The effects of propanolol and clonidine on aquadynia are in favor of an adrenal component.