Acute myeloid leukemia with paraneoplastic pemphigus successfully treated with a personalized antileukemic and immunosuppressive strategy.

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is a rare blistering disease often considered a primary sign of a paraneoplastic syndrome. Retrospective studies have established its link with hematological malignancies, particularly lymphoproliferative disorders. Here, we present what we believe to be the inaugural case of successful simultaneous management of BP and de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in a 28-year-old male patient. Given the rarity and severity of both conditions, our treatment strategy aimed to maximize efficacy by combining immunosuppressive therapy (initially plasmapheresis with high-dose corticosteroids, followed by anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody and intravenous immunoglobulins 2 g/m2) with lymphodepleting antileukemic chemotherapy utilizing Fludarabine (FLAG-IDA induction regimen). Following diagnosis, considering the patient's youth and the concurrent presence of two rare and potentially life-threatening diseases, we opted for an aggressive treatment. Upon achieving complete morphological remission of AML with measurable residual disease (MRD) negativity, despite incomplete resolution of BP, we proceeded with high-dose cytarabine consolidation followed by peripheral stem cell harvest and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). Our conditioning regimen for ASCT involved Bu-Cy with the addition of anti-thymocyte globulins. At day + 100 post-ASCT, bone marrow evaluation confirmed morphological remission and MRD negativity. Meanwhile, BP had completely resolved with normalization of BP180 antibody levels.

A new point-of-care test for the rapid detection of urinary tract infections.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common infections in all age groups. Fast and accurate diagnosis is essential to ensure a timely and effective therapy. Alongside with reference culture-based methods, several point-of-care tests (POCTs) for early detection of UTIs have been developed, but they have not been significantly implemented in current clinical practice. The Micro Biological Survey (MBS) POCT is a simple test developed by MBS Diagnostics Ltd. (London, UK) for the detection and management of UTIs. The present study has been undertaken to investigate the potentials and limits of the MBS POCT. A total of 349 patients were enrolled in two open-label, monocentric, non-interventional clinical trials in collaboration with an Emergency Medicine department and the outpatient clinic of two hospitals in Rome. Results of urine analysis using the MBS POCT were compared with those of the routine culture-based tests for UTI diagnosis performed by the hospital laboratory. The MBS POCT provided fast results revealing high bacterial count UTIs (≥ 105 CFU/ml) with 97% accuracy, 92% sensitivity, 100% specificity, 99% PPV, and 96% NPV within a 5-h analytical time threshold.

A new point-of-care test for the rapid antimicrobial susceptibility assessment of uropathogens.

Bacterial resistance to antimicrobials is considered a major issue worldwide. This condition may account for treatment failure of urinary tract infections, which are among the most common infections both in community and healthcare settings. Therapy against uropathogens is generally administered empirically, possibly leading to unsuccessful therapy, recurrence and development of antibiotic resistance. The reduction in analytical time to obtain antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) results could play a key role in reducing the cost of healthcare, providing information about antibiotic efficacy and thus preventing from either exploiting new and expensive antibiotics unnecessarily or using obsolete and ineffective ones. A more rational choice among treatment options would hence lead to more effective treatment and faster resolution. In this paper we evaluated the performance of a new Point Of Care Test (POCT) for the rapid prediction of antimicrobial susceptibility in urine samples performed without the need of a laboratory or specialized technicians. 349 patients were enrolled in two open-label, monocentric, non-interventional clinical trials in partnership with an Emergency Medicine ward and the Day Hospital of two large healthcare facilities in Rome. Antibiogram was carried out on 97 patients. Results from analysis of urine samples with the POCT were compared with those from routine AST performed on culture-positive samples, displaying high accuracy (>90%) for all tested antimicrobial drugs and yielding reliable results in less than 12 hours from urine collection thus reducing analytical and management costs.

Increase of plasma IL-9 and decrease of plasma IL-5, IL-7, and IFN-γ in patients with chronic heart failure.

BACKGROUND: Several cytokines are associated with the development and/or progression of chronic heart failure (CHF). Our aim was to look more closely at the cytokine networks involved in CHF, and to assess whether disease etiology affects cytokine expression. The study population was comprised of a) 69 patients with stable CHF, New York Heart Association (NYHA) II/IV classes, secondary to ischaemic (ICM) and non ischaemic dilated (NIDCM) cardiomyopathy and b) 16 control subjects. We analyzed and compared the plasma levels of 27 pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators, in the study population and assessed for any possible correlation with echocardiographic parameters and disease duration. METHODS: 27 cytokines and growth factors were analyzed in the plasma of ICM- (n = 42) and NIDCM (n = 27) NYHA class II-IV patients vs age- and gender-matched controls (n = 16) by a beadbased multiplex immunoassay. Statistical analysis was performed by ANOVA followed by Tukey post-hoc test for multiple comparison. RESULTS: Macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1ß, Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), interleukin (IL)-9, Monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1, and IL-8 plasma levels were increased in both ICM and NIDCM groups vs controls. In contrast, IL-7, IL-5, and Interferon (IFN)-γ were decreased in both ICM and NIDCM groups as compared to controls. Plasma IL-6 and IL-1 ß were increased in ICM and decreased in NIDCM, vs controls, respectively.IL-9 levels inversely correlated, in ICM patients, with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) while IL-5 plasma levels inversely correlated with disease duration, in NYHA III/IV ICM patients.This is the first time that both an increase of plasma IL-9, and a decrease of plasma IL-5, IL-7 and IFN-γ have been reported in ICM as well as in NIDCM groups, vs controls. Interestingly, such cytokines are part of a network of genes whose expression levels change during chronic heart failure. The altered expression levels of MIP-1 ß, VEGF, MCP-1, IL-1 ß, IL-6, and IL-8, found in this study, are in keeping with previous reports. CONCLUSIONS: The increase of plasma IL-9, and the decrease of plasma IL-5, IL-7 and IFN-γ in ICM as well as in NIDCM groups vs controls may contribute to get further insights into the inflammatory pathways involved in CHF.

Gene expression profiles in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of chronic heart failure patients.

The present study was aimed at identifying chronic heart failure (CHF) biomarkers from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in patients with ischemic (ICM) and nonischemic dilated (NIDCM) cardiomyopathy. PBMC gene expression profiling was performed by Affymetrix in two patient groups, 1) ICM (n = 12) and 2) NIDCM (n = 12) New York Heart Association (NYHA) III/IV CHF patients, vs. 3) age- and sex-matched control subjects (n = 12). Extracted RNAs were then pooled and hybridized to a total of 11 microarrays. Gene ontology (GO) analysis separated gene profiling into functional classes. Prediction analysis of microarrays (PAM) and significance analysis of microarrays (SAM) were utilized in order to identify a molecular signature. Candidate markers were validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. We identified a gene expression profiling that distinguished between CHF patients and control subjects. Interestingly, among the set of genes constituting the signature, chemokine receptor (CCR2, CX(3)CR1) and early growth response (EGR1, 2, 3) family members were found to be upregulated in CHF patients vs. control subjects and to be part of a gene network. Such findings were strengthened by the analysis of an additional 26 CHF patients (n = 14 ICM and n = 12 NIDCM), which yielded similar results. The present study represents the first large-scale gene expression analysis of CHF patient PBMCs that identified a molecular signature of CHF and putative biomarkers of CHF, i.e., chemokine receptor and EGR family members. Furthermore, EGR1 expression levels can discriminate between ICM and NIDCM CHF patients.

Association of PLA2 polymorphism of the ITGB3 gene with early fetal loss.

To study the association between early fetal loss and the presence of the PLA2 polymorphism of the ITGB3 gene we conducted a case-control study on 98 cases (i.e., women in fertile age, who experienced at least one episode of early fetal loss) and 38 healthy controls. PLA2 polymorphism was present in 44.2% of cases and 18.4% of controls, and cases with one (n = 24) event had an odds ratio (OR) = 2.7 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.7-10.0), with two events (n = 52) an OR = 3.8 (95% CI 1.3-11.5), and with three (n = 16) or four abortions (n = 6) had a combined OR = 4.4 (95% CI 1.2-17.0), compared to controls, indicating that PLA2 polymorphism may be implicated in an inherited form of thrombophilia, and to early fetal loss.

Chronic idiopathic acrocyanosis and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T (p.Ala222Val) and A1298C (p.Glu429Ala) polymorphisms.

BACKGROUND: Chronic idiopathic acrocyanosis is a common acrosyndrome. Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is an enzyme involved in the metabolism of folate. Two functional polymorphisms of MTHFR have been identified, C677T and A1298C. OBJECTIVE: To compare the prevalence of these two MTHFR polymorphisms in patients with chronic idiopathic acrocyanosis to a control group. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted on 43 consecutive patients with acrocyanosis and on 100 controls. RESULTS: The risk of acrocyanosis was significantly higher in patients homozygous for the mutation c.677C>T compared to those with no mutation (OR = 4.8 (95%CI 1.5-14.9)). The homozygosity TT was associated with an increased homocysteine level. CONCLUSION: On the basis of our findings, acrocyanosis could be considered as a cutaneous sign of a "latent" cardiovascular risk. This should be taken into account particularly when acrocyanosis is associated either to other medical conditions that determine vessel wall damage or to conditions that predispose to the risk of thromboembolism.

Folate status and homocysteine level in Italian patients aged under 60 on oral anticoagulant therapy.

BACKGROUND: Folate deficiency occurs frequently and the related hyper-homocysteinaemia is considered a risk factor for thrombosis. We investigated folate status and homocysteine (Hcy) concentration in patients under 60 years on oral anticoagulant therapy (OAT) for previous venous or arterial thrombosis and in healthy blood donors. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Thirty-nine patients (mean age 35.2 years) on OAT for longer than 6 months and forty 44 healthy blood donors (mean age 36.0 years) were evaluated. Diet, serum folate (SF), red blood cell folate (RCF), homocysteinaemia, vitamin B12 levels and the mutation C677T of methylenetetrahydrofolate-reductase (MTHFR) gene were determined. RESULTS: The mean SF and Hcy concentrations were significantly higher in patients compared with blood donors (SF = 17.7 versus 10.5 nmol/L, P < 0.0001; Hcy = 11.7 versus 8.9 micromol/L, P = 0.009). Twelve out of 39 patients and 7 out of 44 blood donors were homozygous for the mutation C677T of MTHFR gene. Among the remaining subjects, non-homozygous for the mutation, the patients (27) had mean SF and Hcy levels significantly higher than the (37) blood donors (SF = 18.1 versus 10.8 nmol/L, P < 0.0001; Hcy = 10.3 versus 7.9 micromol/L P < 0.0006). CONCLUSION: Italian patients aged under 60 years on OAT and non-homozygous for the mutation C677T of MTHFR gene, had SF and Hcy concentrations significantly higher than the control group.

Noninvasive diagnosis of incomplete endovascular aneurysm repair: D-dimer assay to detect type I endoleaks and nonshrinking aneurysms.

PURPOSE: To test the hypothesis that D-dimer (D-D), a cross-linked fibrin degradation product of an ongoing thrombotic event, could be a marker for incomplete aneurysm exclusion after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. METHODS: In a multicenter study, 83 venous blood samples were collected from 74 AAA endograft patients and controls. Twenty subjects who were >6 months postimplantation and had evidence of an endoleak and/or an unmodified or increasing AAA sac diameter formed the test group. Controls were 10 nondiseased subjects >65 years old, 18 AAA surgical candidates, and 26 postoperative endograft patients with no endoleak and a shrinking aneurysm. Blood samples were analyzed for D-D through a latex turbidimetric immunoassay. The endograft patients were stratified into 5 clinical groups for analysis: no endoleak and decreasing sac diameter, no endoleak and increasing/unchanged sac diameter, type II endoleak and decreasing sac diameter, type II endoleak and increasing/unchanged sac diameter, and type I endoleak. RESULTS: Individual D-D values were highly variable, but differences among clinical groups were statistically significant (p < 0.0001). D-D values did not vary significantly between patients with stable, untreated AAAs and age-matched controls (238 +/- 180 ng/mL versus 421 +/- 400 ng/mL, p > 0.05). Median D-D values increased at 4 days postoperatively (963 ng/mL versus 382 ng/mL, p > 0.05) and did not vary thereafter if there was no endoleak and the aneurysm sac decreased. D-D mean values were higher in patients with type I endoleak (1931 +/- 924 ng/mL, p < 0.005) and those with unchanged/increasing sac diameters (1272 +/- 728 ng/mL) than in cases with decreasing diameters (median 638 +/- 238 ng/mL) despite the presence of endoleak (p < 0.0005). CONCLUSIONS: Elevated D-D may prove to be a useful marker for fixation problems after endovascular AAA repair and may help rule out type I endoleak, thus excluding patients from unnecessary invasive tests.