Clinical and polysomnographic predictors of severe obstructive sleep apnea in the South Indian population

Background:With the emergence of lifestyle diseases in epidemic proportions, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is being increasingly recognized in less developed countries as well.Aim:We sought to study the demographic, clinical, and polysomnographic (PSG) predictors of OSA severity in a cohort of South Indian patients.Results:There were 152 (119 males and 33 females) subjects with a mean age of 53.8 years and body mass index (BMI) of 29.31. Mean AHI was 36.2/h (range: 5.1-110) and 66 subjects had severe OSA. Around 12% had the presenting complaint as insomnia, mainly of sleep maintenance. Of the subjects, 35% had witnessed apneas and 67% had excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS); 40% of patients had ≥2 risk factors. PSG parameters showed short sleep onset latency with a high arousal index. Mean apnea duration was 24.92 s. We found that age >55 years, BMI >25 kg/m², witnessed apneas, EDS, hypertension, dyslipidemia, reduced slow wave sleep duration, mean apnea duration >20 s, and desaturation index >10/h correlated well with OSA severity while the arousal index, sleep latency and efficiency, and exposure to smoking and alcohol showed no association.Conclusions:Older subjects with witnessed apneas are likely to have more severe OSA. Even though overall sleep architecture was similar between the groups, severe OSA had shorter slow wave sleep, longer apneas, and higher nocturnal hypoxemia.     

Pulmonary malakoplakia: a report of two cases

Malakoplakia of lung is an unusual condition that has been reported to occur in association with immunocompromised state, particularly in those with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. We present two cases of pulmonary malakoplakia in immunocompetent individuals. The diagnosis was made on histopathological examination of surgically resected specimen.     

Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the pancreas with loss of mismatch repair in a patient with Lynch syndrome

Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) of the pancreas is a precancerous lesion with a well-described progression to carcinoma. This case report describes a 61-year-old woman with a history significant for multiple cancers and a confirmed germline mutation of MSH2, a mismatch repair gene responsible for Lynch syndrome, who was also found to have an IPMN of the pancreas. Phenotypic manifestations of Lynch syndrome in this patient included multiple adenomas and adenocarcinomas of the colon and also several other Lynch syndrome-associated cancers. The patient's adenocarcinoma of the colon and IPMN of the pancreas showed identical immunohistochemical staining profiles with loss of expression of MSH2 and MSH6 proteins and high levels of microsatellite instability. The immunohistochemical staining and microsatellite instability patterns of the adenocarcinoma of the colon and IPMN gives strong evidence to support the consideration of IPMN as part of the spectrum of lesions found in Lynch syndrome.     

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Treatment with Adalimumab (Humira®) and Intravenous Immunoglobulin Improves Pregnancy Rates in Women Undergoing IVF*

Problem The purpose of this study was to investigate whether treatment with TNF‐α inhibitors and/or intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) increases in vitro fertilization (IVF) success rates among young (<38 years) women with infertility and T helper 1/T helper 2 cytokine elevation. Method of study Seventy‐five sub‐fertile women with Th1/Th2 cytokine elevation were divided into four groups: Group I: Forty‐one patients using both IVIG and Adalimumab (Humira^®), Group II: Twenty‐three patients using IVIG, Group III: Six patients using Humira^®, and Group IV: Five patients using no IVIG or Humira^®. Results The implantation rate (number of gestational sacs per embryo transferred, with an average of two embryos transferred by cycle) was 59% (50/85), 47% (21/45), 31% (4/13) and 0% (0/9) for groups I, II, III and IV respectively. The clinical pregnancy rate (fetal heart activity per IVF cycle started) was 80% (33/41), 57% (13/23), 50% (3/6) and 0% (0/5) and the live birth rate was 73% (30/41), 52% (12/23), 50% (3/6) and 0% (0/5) respectively. There was a significant improvement in implantation, clinical pregnancy and live birth rates for group I versus group IV (P = 0.0007, 0.0009, and 0.003, respectively) and for group II versus group IV (P = 0.009, 0.04 and 0.05, respectively). Conclusion The use of a TNF‐α inhibitor and IVIG significantly improves IVF outcome in young infertile women with Th1/Th2 cytokine elevation.