From Testicle to Brain: A Case of Disseminated Tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis remains a major cause of death by infection in the world. Disseminated tuberculosis occurs most frequently in the context of reactivation of a previously latent infection and is invariably lethal if untreated. Age, late presentation, and serious underlying disease are strong death predictors. We report the case of a 72-year-old male patient who presented to the emergency room with sudden onset hemiparesis and aphasia, with no acute lesions on contrast CT. Two months prior to the current event, the patient had undergone surgery for a testicular abscess in a different hospital. Since the surgery, he had progressive and unexplained weight loss and dysphagia. The medical team reviewed patient records from this hospital and the one where the surgery took place and concluded that the histopathology results from the surgery were not reviewed in the post-surgery follow-up consult and that the diagnosis of genitourinary tuberculosis was never made. This disease, untreated, evolved into disseminated tuberculosis with central nervous system involvement, causing the neurological deficits the patient presented and leading to his death. Surveillance and notification systems exist for individual and public health safeguarding. In the present case, failure to review the pathology report after surgery, coupled with the absence of notification from the laboratory, delayed the diagnosis and led to patient death. This report suggests a need for continuous system improvement, with integrated healthcare records and interinstitutional communication channels, in order to minimize information loss, diagnostic delays, and public health risks.

Gonococcal Infection: Case Report of Bacteremia and Brief Review of a Series of Cases.

Neisseria (N) gonorrhoeae is the microorganism responsible for the second-most reported sexually transmitted disease in the world, commonly infecting mucosal surfaces such as the endocervix, urethra, and pharynx. Gonococcal disease is generally non-symptomatic or pauci-symptomatic, but if untreated, it can progress to a more serious disease with joint, cardiac, or nervous system involvement. Disseminated gonococcal infection occurs in 0.5 to 3% of patients with gonorrhea and can present with purulent arthritis or a combination of dermatitis, tenosynovitis, and migratory polyarthralgia. This article presents the case of a 45-year-old woman examined in the emergency room for fever and acute pain in her right shoulder and knee. A few days later, the patient developed petechiae and vesiculopustular lesions on her right hand. Blood analysis showed elevated inflammation markers, and cultures yielded gram-negative diplococcus identified as N. gonorrhoeae. The patient was successfully treated with ceftriaxone, with complete remission of signs and symptoms of infection. The article then examines a series of 42 cases of gonococcal disease diagnosed in a tertiary hospital, their microbiologic susceptibilities, and the antibiotics chosen to treat them.

Multiple autoimmune syndrome: Clinical, immunological and genotypic characterization.

INTRODUCTION: The existence of subphenotypes common to several autoimmune diseases (AIDs) suggests a shared physiopathology - autoimmune tautology. Multiple Autoimmune Syndrome (MAS) - the coexistence of three or more AIDs in one person-, best illustrates that polyautoimmunity is more than a coincidence. OBJECTIVES: Characterize and compare the monoautoimmune and MAS patients. Understand if clustering of AIDs leads to differences in disease severity, autoantibodies expression or genetic polymorphisms that could be markers for polyautoimmunity. METHODS: Currently adult patients were selected from unit cohort. MAS was assumed when ≥3 AIDs were present. 343 patients were included after exclusion criteria: having two AIDs or undetermined diagnosis. Clinical and immunological data were collected from medical files. HLA-DRB1 was genotyped by PCR-SSP methodology and PTPN22(rs2476601) polymorphisms by TaqMan Real Time PCR. Data were analysed using Chi-Square, Fisher's exact tests and logistic regression. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. RESULTS: In comparison with control population: ELEVATED FREQUENCIES: HLA-DRB1*03 in study cohort (OR=3.68,p<0.001) and in monoautoimmune SLE (OR=2.79,p<0.001) and SjS (OR=8.27,p<0.001); HLA-DRB1*15 in monoautoimmune SjS (OR=2.39,p = 0.011); HLA-DRB1*16 in MAS SLE (OR=2.67,p = 0.031); PTPN22_T in all groups except monoautoimmune SjS and triple positive systemic MAS. DIMINISHED FREQUENCIES: HLA-DRB1*11 in study cohort (OR=0.57,p = 0.013), in MAS SLE (OR=0.39,p = 0.031) and monoautoimmune SjS (OR=0.10,p = 0.005); HLA-DRB1*13 in study cohort (OR=0.52,p = 0.001) and in monoautoimmune SLE (OR=0.53,p = 0.009) and SjS (OR=0.38,p = 0.031); HLA-DRB1*14 in study cohort (OR=0.32,p = 0.013) and monoautoimmune SLE (OR=0.21,p = 0.021); SLE group: HLA-DRB1*07 frequency was higher in monoautoimmune patients (OR=0.43,p = 0.023). MAS patients had significantly more NPSLE (OR=2.99,p<0.001), subacute cutaneous lesions (OR=2.30,p = 0.037), muscle&tendon (OR=2.00,p = 0.045), and haematological (OR=3.18,p = 0.006) involvement and Raynaud's (OR=2.94,p<0.001). SjS group: MAS patients had more frequently cryoglobulins (OR=2.96,p = 0.030), low complement (OR=2.43,p = 0.030) and Raynaud's (OR=4.38,p<0.001); monoautoimmune patients had more parotid enlargement (OR=0.12,p<0.001). APS group: MAS patients had more non-thrombotic manifestations (OR=4.69,p = 0.020) and Raynaud's (OR=9.12,p<0.001). Triple positive systemic MAS (SLE+SjS+APS) had more frequently severe kidney involvement (OR=11.67,p = 0.021) and CNS thrombosis (OR=4.44,p = 0.009). Anti-U1RNP increased frequency was transversally attributable to MAS. CONCLUSIONS: The coexistence of AIDs contributes to a more severe disease course. We confirmed previously established genetic risk and protection factors and suggest a new protective one - HLA-DRB1*14. HLA-DRB1*07 and anti-U1RNP could be markers for mono and polyautoimmunity, respectively; HLA-DRB1*13 could be a predictor for vascular risk in patients with multiple AIDs. PTPN22(rs2476601) polymorphism could be associated with less severe disease.

Vaccine-Induced Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia: A Case Report.

While the number of people who have been vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Portugal keeps rising, the risk of complications, although rare, keeps rising too. We report a case of vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) in a 30-year-old previously healthy male after vaccination with Ad26.COV2.S. The patient presented to the emergency department (ED) with abdominal pain and headache. Laboratory tests revealed thrombocytopenia, high D-dimer levels, and fibrinogen consumption. Thoracoabdominal CT scan showed a thrombus in the portal mesenteric venous axis. A positive PF4 heparin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay confirmed the VITT diagnosis, and the patient was started on intravenous immunoglobulin. Both clinical complaints and laboratory findings resolved within six days, and he was discharged to follow-up. This case shows that general symptoms after vaccination should not be depreciated, highlights the importance of early diagnosis and treatment, and raises new questions about the follow-up and further study of these patients.

Edaravone for acute ischemic stroke - Systematic review with meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Ischemic stroke is a major cause of death and disability. Despite major advances in reperfusion therapies, most patients don´t benefit from these treatments as the time window for such interventions is limited. Therefore, other treatment options are desirable. Edaravone has been demonstrated in previous studies to reduce neurologic deficits in stroke patients. OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that edaravone reduces functional dependence in ischemic stroke patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and observational studies comparing edaravone to placebo in adult patients with ischemic stroke. The efficacy outcomes of interest were good and excellent functional outcomes at 90 days, defined as modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores of 0-2 and 0-1 respectively. The safety outcomes of interest were intracranial hemorrhage and mortality. RESULTS: 19 studies were included. Edaravone treatment was associated with improved chances of 90-day good (OR=1.31, 95% CI 1.06-1.67) and excellent (OR=1.26, 95% CI 1.04-1.54) functional outcomes. Mortality was also lower in edaravone treated patients (OR=0.50, 95% CI 0.45-0.56). There were no differences in terms of intracranial hemorrhage. Most studies were observational and performed in Asian populations, especially Japan. Heterogeneity was high for all outcomes but reduced when analysis was restricted to randomized trials. CONCLUSION: Edaravone is a promising treatment for ischemic stroke patients, with a more favorable time window. However, more randomized studies including patient populations outside Asia are required to confirm this hypothesis.

Clinical Features and Prognostic Factors of 245 Portuguese Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19.

Introduction Since the declaration of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic in March 2020, Portugal was considered a role model with regards to the first COVID-19 wave. However, a third wave started in 2021 started, turning the country into the worst in the world regarding new infections and death rate per capita in the last weeks of January 2021. No significant data regarding the country's first wave of hospitalized patients have been published. Those data may help understand the differences over time regarding patients and the clinical approach to them. Herein, we present data of COVID-19 patients hospitalized at the main tertiary hospital of the second-most affected county at the time and identify risk factors associated with disease progression and outcomes. Materials and methods We performed a prospective observational study of patients admitted with COVID-19 to a central hospital between March 20 and June 1, 2020. The primary endpoint of this study was 30-day mortality or the need for ventilatory support and the secondary outcomes were both outcomes individually. Results 245 patients were included, with a median age of 79 years, 52% males. Hypertension (n = 172) and dyslipidemia (n = 114) were the most frequent comorbidities. Half of the patients (n = 121) were treated with hydroxychloroquine. The primary outcome occurred in 114 patients; mortality at 30 days was 35%. Age (OR 1.05; 1.02-1.07) and active cancer (OR 3.89; 1.43-10.57) were associated with the primary outcome, with dyslipidemia being protective (OR 0.46; 0.25-0.80). Treatment with hydroxychloroquine or lopinavir/ritonavir was not associated with the main outcome. Patients who had been symptomatic for more than 7 days had lower mortality (OR 0.23; 0.09-0.63). Discussion In the present study, age and cancer were associated with higher mortality, as noted in prior articles. The population had a higher median age than reported in previous studies, which may explain the increased mortality. The protective association of dyslipidemia was not previously described. This association was not related to statin intake. Conclusion The reported high mortality of COVID-19 is rarely seen in other infectious diseases. Our elderly population probably reflects more reliably the incidence of COVID-19 in European countries with constricted age pyramids.