Pleural Effusion as a Negative Prognostic Factor in Patients with Acute Pancreatitis and COVID-19.

We conducted a retrospective multicentre study to investigate the association between acute pancreatitis, COVID-19, and pleural effusion. The study involved a total of 433 patients. Among them, 405 patients did not have COVID-19 infection, while 28 patients had both acute pancreatitis and COVID-19. Out of the 28 patients with both conditions, 12 also had pleural effusion. Among the 405 patients with acute pancreatitis without COVID-19, 48 had pleural effusion. The results showed that the relative risk of death associated with pleural effusion was approximately 4 times higher in patients with COVID-19 and pleural effusion compared to those with pleural effusion without COVID-19.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Outcomes in Acute Pancreatitis: A Propensity Score Matched Study Comparing before and during the Pandemic.

We aimed to evaluate the outcomes and survival of patients with acute pancreatitis who shared the same clinical form, age, and sex before the pandemic, during the pandemic, and among those with confirmed COVID-19 infection upon hospital admission. This consideration used the sparse data in the existing literature on the influence of the pandemic and COVID-19 infection on patients with acute pancreatitis. To accomplish this, we conducted a multicentric, retrospective case-control study using propensity score matching with a 2:1 match of 28 patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection and acute pancreatitis, with 56 patients with acute pancreatitis pre-pandemic, and 56 patients with acute pancreatitis during the pandemic. The study outcome demonstrated a six-fold relative risk of death in patients with acute pancreatitis and SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to those with acute pancreatitis before the pandemic. Furthermore, restrictive measures implemented during the pandemic period led to a partial delay in the care of patients with acute pancreatitis, which likely resulted in an impairment of their immune state. This, in certain circumstances, resulted in a restriction of surgical treatment indications, leading to a three-fold relative risk of death in patients with acute pancreatitis during the pandemic compared to those with acute pancreatitis before the pandemic.

Diagnosis of lung cancer by flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy: a descriptive study.

Flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FFB) remains the most important minimally invasive method for the diagnosis of lung cancer (LC). We performed a retrospective study to assess the main endoscopic findings of malignant lung tumors in the large airways in a cohort of Romanian patients. The group consisted of 32 (84.21%) men and six (15.78%) women, with an average age of 64.63±6.07 years. The bronchoscopic examination allowed the detection and biopsy of 36 malignant lung tumors, and in two other cases, due to malignant atelectasis, the patients were sent to a Department of Thoracic Surgery, to perform the biopsy following the surgery. Histopathological (HP) examination revealed the presence of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in 19 (50%) patients, adenocarcinoma (ADC) in 11 (28.94%) patients and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) in eight (21.05%) patients. The macroscopic and microscopic analysis of the lung tumors showed that infiltrative forms were found in most cases (58.33%), followed by exophytic (mass) endobronchial lesions (22.22%) and mixed forms (19.44%). If most infiltrative forms were SCC (66.66%), the exophytic and mixed lesions were most frequently ADC (50% and 57.14%). The tumor lesions caused both malignant bronchial stenosis (57.89%) and malignant atelectasis (42.1%). The main mechanisms involved in bronchial malignant obstruction were endoluminal (50%), mixed (31.57%) and extraluminal (18.42%) mechanisms. In conclusion, FFB remains the main method of diagnosing LC in the large airways. The most common macroscopic appearance of lung tumors revealed by bronchoscopy was the infiltrative appearance. In half of our patients, the malignant bronchial obstruction was achieved by endoluminal mechanism. The most common pathological form found in our patients was the SCC, as described in half of the investigated patients.

Post-COVID-19 Syndrome Based on Disease Form and Associated Comorbidities.

(1) Background: SARS-CoV-2 has infected more than 97 million people worldwide and caused the death of more than 6 million. (2) Methods: Between 1 October and 31 December 2020, 764 patients diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection were selected based on RT-PCR test results. The following parameters were noted: age, gender, origin, days of hospitalization, COVID-19 experienced form, radiographic imaging features, associated comorbidities, and recommended treatment at discharge. (3) Results: The mean age at the time of COVID-19 infection was 55.2 years for men and 55.3 years for women. There was a similar age distribution among patients, regardless of gender. There was a substantial difference between the average lengths of hospitalization and those with residual symptoms-most patients who reported symptoms after discharge had been admitted with moderately severe forms of illness. Fatigue was the main remaining symptom (36%). (4) Conclusions: In conclusion, to clarify the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on patients in the long term, further studies are needed to investigate the elements assessed. Well-designed recovery programs will be needed to effectively manage these patients, with multidisciplinary collaboration and a team of professionals involved in all aspects of post-COVID patient health.

Retrospective Study of Lung Tumor Cases Presenting at a Large Tertiary Hospital in Romania between 2017 and 2020.

Lung cancer is a major health concern worldwide. A rise in smoking incidence amongst both genders, increased exposure to air pollutants and unhealthy lifestyle choices steadily contribute to this global situation. Our aim was to assess the main characteristics of this type of cancer through a retrospective analysis at a major referral center. We selected valid and complete electronic medical records of patients admitted between 2017 and 2020 at the Emergency County Hospital of Craiova, one of the largest hospitals in Romania and a major referral center for the region of Oltenia. We obtained ethical approval from both the hospital and the University and analyzed anonymized records by ICD-10 diagnostic code, extracting gender and age data, as well as associated conditions, length of stay, as well as the medical departments where the patient was hospitalized. Our results showed an increased incidence amongst men, with the majority of cases between 50 and 70 years of age. Median hospitalization period was of 6 days, with higher values for oncology and the lowest in thoracic surgery. Distant metastases, pleurisy and hemoptysis were the most prevalent comorbidities encountered. In conclusion, our study presents important data on the main characteristics of lung cancer patients in Romania.

The Profile of the Patients with Double Infection HIV and TB in South West of Romania.

BACKGROUND: Co-infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) / tuberculosis (TB) raises important diagnostic and treatment problems as the lung is one of the target organs for HIV. Studies have shown that an HIV patient is 5-15 times more likely to switch from Koch's bacillus-infected status to active tuberculosis. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Retrospective study on 207 patients with HIV/TB coinfection in the Oltenia area registered in the Regional Center for Monitoring and Evaluation of HIV/AIDS infection in Craiova to define the profile of patients with double TB-HIV infection in southern Romania for cases registered between 2005-2015. RESULTS: 53.14% of patients were females. Most cases were from rural areas (56.10%) Half of them are born between 1988 and 1990 but only 5% graduated university. 66.18% don't have a job and are supported by state with a monthly minimum income. 29.4% are smokers. More than 60% of cases had pulmonary TB and other 25% had concomitant pulmonary and extrapulmonary TB. TB and HIV have been diagnosed almost at the same time in 25% of cases. At the time of TB diagnosis 75% of patients had CD4+lymphocytes count <200cel/ml. We also noticed the absence of prophylaxis for TB in patients infected with HIV (PIH) and high incidence of hepatitis B (30.43%). CONCLUSIONS: Clinical expression, radiological and bacteriological aspects are often atypical in HIV/TB coinfected patients. The lack of TB prophylaxis and TB endemicity in the studied area may justify the large number of TB cases in HIV-infected patients.

ERS International Congress 2020: highlights from the Respiratory Infections assembly.

In the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic year 2020, the 30th European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress took place for the first time in a fully virtual format. Despite the challenging nature of the task to create and deliver an online event of this size and scope, it turned out to be a great success, welcoming over 33 000 delegates to the specially designed online platform and offering more than 450 scientific and educational sessions. Somewhat predictably, this year's ERS International Congress dedicated a full day to the topic of COVID-19, highlighting that infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a respiratory disease that is particularly important this year. In this article, the Early Career Members of the Assembly 10 (Respiratory Infections and Tuberculosis) review some of the most interesting sessions including presentations and posters on respiratory infections and tuberculosis that were deemed as important.

ERS ECM Awardee 2021, a preview of LSC 2022 and a brief overview of the Respiratory Channel.

This article presents the ERS Early Career Member Award winner 2021 (@agbasteiro), and provides a brief description of the @EuroRespSoc Lung Science Conference 2022 and the Respiratory Channel https://bit.ly/2XTylbK.

ERS International Congress, Madrid, 2019: highlights from the Respiratory Infections Assembly.

The European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress organised in Madrid, Spain, in 2019 welcomed >22 000 participants from 134 countries. For each ERS assembly, an impressive number of abstracts were submitted. The topics covered by Assembly 10 (Respiratory Infections and Tuberculosis) were included this year in the top five research areas with the most submitted abstracts, with a total of 424 abstracts accepted for presentation. As it would be difficult for any delegate to stay up to date with all the scientific advances in the field, we wanted to highlight three of the Congress sessions that included presentations on respiratory infections and tuberculosis that we deemed as important and we hope the readers will consider this material of great interest.

Concomitant lung and intestinal tuberculosis - case report.

Tuberculosis (TB) is responsible for one in five deaths for young women (between 15-44 years old). Almost 9 million persons are diagnosed with TB each year and around 2 million deaths are due to TB or TB complications. Abdominal TB has no specific clinical symptoms, no imagistic and no specific laboratory tests, all these making the diagnosis more difficult. Most often, clinical, radiographic, and histopathological (HP) aspects in TB enteritis are nonspecific and may suggest cancer or inflammatory bowel disease. We present the case of a 42-year-old male patient, with intestinal and lung TB presenting as intestinal obstruction to emphasize the importance of clinical suspicion and histopathology for final diagnosis. Chest and abdomen computed tomography (CT) evidenced a few left-sided pulmonary nodules and wall thickening of some parts of the small and large bowel. Also, CT evidenced nearby mesenteric lymphadenopathy. He was admitted in the Department of Surgery and later confirmed with intestinal TB. Because of modified chest radiography, further investigations identified Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the sputum. Final diagnosis was concomitant lung and intestinal TB confirmed by sputum and histopathology. The patient received proper anti-tuberculous treatment and his condition improved after the first month. The physician treating the organ is the one that should establish the diagnosis of extra-respiratory TB; however, treatment and later follow-up are multidisciplinary. TB should always be suspected in any patient with nonspecific symptoms. The TB case is defined according to disease localization, bacteriological or HP confirmation, therapeutic history and human immunodeficiency (HIV) infection status.

New members of the ECMC and lessons from the ATS Conference.

Meet the new members of the @EarlyCareerERS committee http://ow.ly/DfHA30kE7sk.

Profile of Respiratory and Extra-Respiratory Tuberculosis in Patients Living with HIV in Dolj County between 2005-2015.

INTRODUCTION: Tuberculosis (TB) is the commonest and the deadliest opportunistic infection in patients living with HIV/ AIDS. PURPOSE: The paper aims to assess patients with and without TB-HIV coinfection in Dolj county registered in Regional and National database in order to identify risk factors for progression to active TB for immunodepresive patients. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We performed a retrospective descriptive study using records of 336 patients infected with HIV (PIH)-data from medical charts between 2005-2015 and we compared with the data for 1120 patients without HIV between 2005-2012. RESULTS: 64,1% were females and 35,89% were males. Most cases were from rural areas (61,54%) most of them graduating primary (17,94%) and secondary school (48,71%). Most of them don't have a job (87%) and are supported by state with a monthly miminum income. Majority is born between 1980-1990 (64,1%), with predominance of Romanians (92.31%) compared to the Roma. Regarding all TB diagnoses (pulmonary and extrapulmonary) 117 had at least one episode of active TB. TB and HIV have been diagnosed almost at the same time in 25,64% cases. At the time of TB diagnosis 87% of patients had CD4+lymphocytes count <200cel/ml. We also noticed the absence of prophylaxis for TB in PIH, high incidence of hepatitis B among those with HIV/TB coinfection (34%). CONCLUSIONS: Active TB in patients with HIV infection is correlated with severe immunosuppression, poor education, and atypical clinical expression and radiological findings and more cases of extrapulmonary TB.

Lymph node tuberculosis after melanoma treatment - sometimes the patient is lucky.

Tuberculosis (TB) is considered a pulmonary disease that can however disseminate to other organs through hematogenous dissemination following primary TB infection. Evolution of the disease can either be precocious, before healing of the primary infection, or late after primary infection, due to reactivation of initial lesions usually because of simultaneous immunosuppressive factors such as diabetes, renal disease, hepatic disease or different type of immunosuppressing treatments. Rare cases when tuberculosis and cancer are diagnosed at the same time create diagnostic difficulties and therapeutic challenges. We present the case of an asymptomatic 52-year-old female that was diagnosed "by chance, at the right moment" with a form of skin melanoma on the right forearm, for which she received a rather well tolerated cytostatic treatment. At the end of this treatment, she was also investigated for a breast mass that proved to be benign; however, enlarged lymph nodes were discovered in the right armpit were discovered upon further investigation. One of the lymph nodes was surgically removed, as first suspicion was of a metastasis from the skin melanoma. However, it was lymph node tuberculosis therefore anti-tuberculosis treatment was initiated. The patient tolerated the treatment with minor side effects. On few occasions, a patient can be diagnosed with incipient stages of skin melanoma and even more rarely the same patient is diagnosed and treated prematurely for lymph node tuberculosis. Sometimes, a successful outcome needs an organized and well-educated patient and a little luck.

Lung Involvement in Multiple Myeloma - Case Study.

INTRODUCTION: Mutiple mieloma (MM) cells are rarely found in extramedullary sites. The sites of extramedullary dissemination reported in the literature are spleen, liver, lymph nodes, kidneys, thyroid gland, adrenal gland, ovary, tests, lung, pleura, pericardium, intestinal tract and skin. We report a case in which the myeloma was diagnosed after we discovered the presence of monoclonal plasma cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL). Matherial and method: a case in which diagnosis was established from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid demonstrating the presence of monoclonal plasma cells in Craiova Pneumology Departament. RESULTS: Analysis of BAL fluid for the presence of plasma cells and for cytoplasmic immunoglobulin DNA provides a noninvasive means of establishing the diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Pulmonary parenchyma is an uncommon site of extramedullary involvement in multiple myeloma. Interstitial lung disease as pulmonary manifestation of multiple myeloma is even rarer; only isolated cases with histological proofs have been reported in the literature.