A case report of COVID-19 in a patient with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: The current literature is scarce as to the outcomes of COVID-19 infection in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients and whether immunosuppressive or chemotherapeutic agents can cause worsening of the patients' condition during COVID-19 infection. CASE PRESENTATION: Our case is a 59-year-old gentleman who presented to the Emergency Department of the Cancer Institute of Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil on 10th May 2020 with a worsening dyspnea and chest pain which had started 3 days prior to presentation to the Emergency Department. He had a past history of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma for which he was receiving chemotherapy. Subsequent PCR testing demonstrated that our patient was SARS-CoV-2 positive. CONCLUSION: In this report, we show a patient with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the middle of chemotherapy, presented a mild clinical course of COVID-19 infection.

Adenosine deaminase and tuberculous meningitis--a systematic review with meta-analysis.

Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is a severe infection of the central nervous system, particularly in developing countries. Prompt diagnosis and treatment are necessary to decrease the high rates of disability and death associated with TBM. The diagnosis is often time and labour intensive; thus, a simple, accurate and rapid diagnostic test is needed. The adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity test is a rapid test that has been used for the diagnosis of the pleural, peritoneal and pericardial forms of tuberculosis. However, the usefulness of ADA in TBM is uncertain. The aim of this study was to evaluate ADA as a diagnostic test for TBM in a systematic review. A systematic search was performed of the medical literature (MEDLINE, LILACS, Web of Science and EMBASE). The ADA values from TBM cases and controls (diagnosed with other types of meningitis) were necessary to calculate the sensitivity and specificity. Out of a total of 522 studies, 13 were included in the meta-analysis (380 patients with TBM). The sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic odds ratios (DOR) were calculated based on arbitrary ADA cut-off values from 1 to 10 U/l. ADA values from 1 to 4 U/l (sensitivity >93% and specificity <80%) helped to exclude TBM; values between 4 and 8 U/l were insufficient to confirm or exclude the diagnosis of TBM (p = 0.07), and values >8 U/l (sensitivity <59% and specificity >96%) improved the diagnosis of TBM (p < 0.001). None of the cut-off values could be used to discriminate between TBM and bacterial meningitis. In conclusion, ADA cannot distinguish between bacterial meningitis and TBM, but using ranges of ADA values could be important to improve TBM diagnosis, particularly after bacterial meningitis has been ruled out. The different methods used to measure ADA and the heterogeneity of data do not allow standardization of this test as a routine.

A Brazilian university hospital position regarding transplantation criteria for HIV-positive patients according to the current literature.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection was considered a contraindication for solid organ transplantation (SOT) in the past. However, HIV management has improved since highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) became available in 1996, and the long-term survival of patients living with HIV has led many transplant programs to reevaluate their policies regarding the exclusion of patients with HIV infection.Based on the available data in the medical literature and the cumulative experience of transplantation in HIV-positive patients at our hospital, the aim of the present article is to outline the criteria for transplantation in HIV-positive patients as recommended by the Immunocompromised Host Committee of the Hospital das Clínicas of the University of São Paulo.

Yellow fever.

The yellow fever (YF) virus is a Flavivirus, transmitted by Haemagogus, Sabethes or Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The disease is endemic in forest areas in Africa and Latin America leading to epizootics in monkeys that constitute the reservoir of the disease. There are two forms of YF: sylvatic, transmitted accidentally when approaching the forests, and urban, which can be perpetuated by Aedes aegypti. In Brazil, the last case of urban YF occurred in 1942. Since then, there has been an expansion of transmission areas from the North and Midwest regions to the South and Southeast. In 2017, the country faced an important outbreak of the disease mainly in the states of Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo and Rio de Janeiro. In 2018, its reach extended from Minas Gerais toward São Paulo. Yellow fever has an incubation period of 3 to 6 days and sudden onset of symptoms with high fever, myalgia, headache, nausea/vomiting and increased transaminases. The disease ranges from asymptomatic to severe forms. The most serious forms occur in around 15% of those infected, with high lethality rates. These forms lead to renal, hepatic and neurological impairment, and bleeding episodes. Treatment of mild and moderate forms is symptomatic, while severe and malignant forms depend on intensive care. Prevention is achieved by administering the vaccine, which is an effective (immunogenicity at 90-98%) and safe (0.4 severe events per 100,000 doses) measure. In 2018, the first transplants in the world due to YF were performed. There is also an attempt to evaluate the use of active drugs against the virus in order to reduce disease severity.

Chikungunya in kidney transplant recipients: A series of cases.

Chikungunya (CHIK) is a mosquito-borne virus (CHIKV) infection that recently appeared in the Americas and thousands of confirmed cases have been reported in Brazil since the first autochthonous cases were reported in September 2014. We reported four cases of CHIK in kidney transplant recipients. The diagnosis was confirmed by positive CHIKV real-time polymerase chain reaction in two cases and positive CHIKV-IgM serology in two patients. The time between transplantation and CHIKV infection ranged from 2 to 11 years. All of them had arthralgia, and 3 of them had fever. Other symptoms were mild conjunctivitis, rash, and retro-orbital pain. Kidney function remained stable in all cases. In three patients prednisone doses were temporally increased and the symptoms disappeared concurrently with the increase of the dose. As for the fourth patient, the prednisone dose remained unchanged and yet she improved. Other immunosuppressive drugs were not changed for the four cases. As far as we know, there are only two previously reported cases of CHIK among solid organ transplant recipients besides the four cases reported here. Despite the small number of cases, we can speculate that the use of immunosuppression might have played a role in the paucity of symptoms and the gradual complete recovery with no complication.

Peginterferon still has a place in the treatment of hepatitis C caused by genotype 3 virus.

Despite recent advances in therapy for chronic hepatitis C (CHC), the disease caused by genotype 3 virus (GEN3) is still considered a treatment challenge in certain patient subgroups. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the peginterferon (Peg-IFN) and ribavirin (RBV) combination treatment for GEN3/CHC patients, and to evaluate sustained virological response (SVR) indicators and early treatment interruption due to serious adverse events (SAE). This was a retrospective observational study of GEN3/CHC patients, co-infected or not by HIV and treated with Peg-IFN/RBV in nine Brazilian healthcare centers. The study sample included 184 GEN3/CHC patients; 70 (38%) were co-infected with HIV. The overall SVR rate was 57.1% (95% CI 50-64). Among co-infected and mono-infected patients, the SVR rate was 51.4% (36/70) and 60.5% (69/114), respectively (p=0.241). Thirty-four (18.5%) patients experienced SAE and interrupted treatment. SVR was negatively associated with the use of Peg-IFN alpha 2b (PR 0.75; 95% CI 0.58-0.99; p=0.045) and to early treatment interruption due to SAE (PR 0.36; 95% CI 0.20-0.68; p=0.001). Early treatment interruption due to SAE was associated with age (PR 1.06; 95% CI 1.02-1.10; p<0.001) and occurrence of liver cirrhosis (PR 2.06; 95% CI 1.11-3.83; p=0.022). In conclusion, Peg-IFN/RBV might represent an adequate treatment option, mainly in young patients without advanced liver disease or when the use of direct-action drugs is limited to specific patient groups.

Adenosine deaminase and tuberculous pericarditis--a systematic review with meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity in pericardial fluid is a valuable aid in the diagnosis of tuberculous pericarditis (TP), but there is no systematic review performed to evaluate the benefits of ADA activity as an adjunctive test for TP diagnosis. The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the utility of ADA activity as a diagnostic marker of TP on patients presenting with pericardial effusion. METHODS: MEDLINE, LILACS and Cochrane Library databases (1980-2005) searches to identify articles related to adenosine deaminase activity on TP diagnosis. Articles with patients with at least one TP diagnostic criteria were included. The controls were patients with other pericardial diseases with moderate or large pericardial effusion. To calculate the sensitivity, specificity, as well as positive and negative likelihood ratios we extracted the total number of confirmed TP cases over all patients with pericardial effusion as well as the number of cases with ADA activity values of 40 U/L and over. RESULTS: Thirty one studies met our initial inclusion criteria and five articles were selected. The heterogeneity limited the specificity analysis (p=0.004). The method yielded a sensitivity and specificity of 88% and 83%, respectively. The SROC curve presented an area with a tendency towards 1 (value of 0.9539) and corroborates the diagnostic value of ADA activity. CONCLUSIONS: The present study confirms the clinical value of ADA activity as adjunctive diagnostic marker of TP among other causes of pericardial effusion.

A Brazilian university hospital position regarding transplantation criteria for HIV-positive patients according to the current literature

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection was considered a contraindication for solid organ transplantation (SOT) in the past. However, HIV management has improved since highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) became available in 1996, and the long-term survival of patients living with HIV has led many transplant programs to reevaluate their policies regarding the exclusion of patients with HIV infection. Based on the available data in the medical literature and the cumulative experience of transplantation in HIV-positive patients at our hospital, the aim of the present article is to outline the criteria for transplantation in HIV-positive patients as recommended by the Immunocompromised Host Committee of the Hospital das Clínicas of the University of São Paulo.

Yellow fever

Summary The yellow fever (YF) virus is a Flavivirus, transmitted by Haemagogus, Sabethes or Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The disease is endemic in forest areas in Africa and Latin America leading to epizootics in monkeys that constitute the reservoir of the disease. There are two forms of YF: sylvatic, transmitted accidentally when approaching the forests, and urban, which can be perpetuated by Aedes aegypti. In Brazil, the last case of urban YF occurred in 1942. Since then, there has been an expansion of transmission areas from the North and Midwest regions to the South and Southeast. In 2017, the country faced an important outbreak of the disease mainly in the states of Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo and Rio de Janeiro. In 2018, its reach extended from Minas Gerais toward São Paulo. Yellow fever has an incubation period of 3 to 6 days and sudden onset of symptoms with high fever, myalgia, headache, nausea/vomiting and increased transaminases. The disease ranges from asymptomatic to severe forms. The most serious forms occur in around 15% of those infected, with high lethality rates. These forms lead to renal, hepatic and neurological impairment, and bleeding episodes. Treatment of mild and moderate forms is symptomatic, while severe and malignant forms depend on intensive care. Prevention is achieved by administering the vaccine, which is an effective (immunogenicity at 90-98%) and safe (0.4 severe events per 100,000 doses) measure. In 2018, the first transplants in the world due to YF were performed. There is also an attempt to evaluate the use of active drugs against the virus in order to reduce disease severity.

Peginterferon still has a place in the treatment of hepatitis C caused by genotype 3 virus

Despite recent advances in therapy for chronic hepatitis C (CHC), the disease caused by genotype 3 virus (GEN3) is still considered a treatment challenge in certain patient subgroups. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the peginterferon (Peg-IFN) and ribavirin (RBV) combination treatment for GEN3/CHC patients, and to evaluate sustained virological response (SVR) indicators and early treatment interruption due to serious adverse events (SAE). This was a retrospective observational study of GEN3/CHC patients, co-infected or not by HIV and treated with Peg-IFN/RBV in nine Brazilian healthcare centers. The study sample included 184 GEN3/CHC patients; 70 (38%) were co-infected with HIV. The overall SVR rate was 57.1% (95% CI 50-64). Among co-infected and mono-infected patients, the SVR rate was 51.4% (36/70) and 60.5% (69/114), respectively (p=0.241). Thirty-four (18.5%) patients experienced SAE and interrupted treatment. SVR was negatively associated with the use of Peg-IFN alpha 2b (PR 0.75; 95% CI 0.58-0.99; p=0.045) and to early treatment interruption due to SAE (PR 0.36; 95% CI 0.20-0.68; p=0.001). Early treatment interruption due to SAE was associated with age (PR 1.06; 95% CI 1.02-1.10; p<0.001) and occurrence of liver cirrhosis (PR 2.06; 95% CI 1.11-3.83; p=0.022). In conclusion, Peg-IFN/RBV might represent an adequate treatment option, mainly in young patients without advanced liver disease or when the use of direct-action drugs is limited to specific patient groups