Neorickettsia helminthoeca associated lymphoid,enteric, and pulmonary lesions in dogs from Southern Brazil: An immunohistochemical study

Neorickettsia helminthoeca (NH), the agent of salmon poisoning disease or canine neorickettiosis (CN), is a bacterial endosymbiont of the nematode Nanophyetus salmincola, and infections are spreading among specific fish‐eating mammalians. This article describes the pathologic and immunohistochemical findings associated with spontaneous NH‐induced infections in dogs from Southern Brazil. The principal pathologic findings were hypertrophy of Peyer patches and lymphadenopathy with lymphocytic proliferation, chronic interstitial pneumonia, and chronic enteritis associated with positive intralesional immunoreactivity to antigens of NH within macrophages and histiocytes. Positive immunoreactivity against canine parvovirus‐2 (CPV‐2) or/and canine distemper virus was not detected in the evaluated intestinal segments or in the samples from the cerebellum and lungs, respectively, from the dogs evaluated. These findings demonstrated that NH was involved in the enteric, pulmonary, and lymphoid lesions herein described, and provide additional information to confirm the occurrence of this bacterial endosymbiont within this geographical location. It is proposed that chronic pneumonia should be considered as a pathologic manifestation of NH‐induced infections. Additionally, our results show that the occurrences of CN seem to be underdiagnosed in Southern Brazil due to the confusion with the incidence of CPV‐2.     

In the Era of mRNA Vaccines,Is There Any Hope for HIV Functional Cure?

Over 36 million people worldwide are infected with HIV. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has proven to be highly effective to prevent HIV-1 transmission, clinical progression and death. Despite this success, the number of HIV-1 infected individuals continues increasing and ART should be taken for life. Therefore, there are two main priorities: the development of preventive vaccines to protect from HIV acquisition and achieve an efficient control of HIV infection in the absence of ART (functional cure). In this sense, in the last few years, there has been a broad interest in new and innovative approaches such as mRNA-based vaccines. RNA-based immunogens represent a promising alternative to conventional vaccines because of their high potency, capacity for rapid development and potential for low-cost manufacture and safe administration. Some mRNA-based vaccines platforms against infectious diseases have demonstrated encouraging results in animal models and humans. However, their application is still limited because the instability and inefficient in vivo delivery of mRNA. Immunogens, design, immunogenicity, chemical modifications on the molecule or the vaccine delivery methods are all crucial interventions for improvement. In this review we, will present the current knowledge and challenges in this research field. mRNA vaccines hold great promises as part of a combined strategy, for achieving HIV functional cure.     

Accuracy of MRI-guided Versus Systematic Prostate Biopsy in Patients Under Active Surveillance: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

This meta-analysis focuses on the accuracy of upgrading to clinically significant prostate cancer (PCa) by multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging-targeted biopsy (MRI-TB) versus systematic biopsy (SB). We searched the Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, Scopus, and Literatura Latino Americana em Ciências da Saúde databases through January 2020 for comparative, retrospective/prospective, paired-cohort, and randomized clinical trials with paired comparisons. The population consisted of patients with low-risk PCa in active surveillance with at least 1 index lesion on imaging. We evaluated the quality of evidence by using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 score. Group comparisons considered the differences between the area under the curve summary receiver operating characteristic curve in a 2-tailed method. We also compared the positive predictive value of the best single method (MRI-TB or SB) and the referral study test (combined biopsy, a combination of MRI-TB and SB). The meta-analysis included 6 studies enrolling 741 patients. The pooled sensitivity for the 2 groups was 0.79 (95% confidence interval, 0.74-0.83; I² = 75%) and 0.67 (95% confidence interval, 0.63-0.74; I² = 55.4%), respectively. The area under the curve for the MRI-TB and SB groups were 0.99 and 0.92 (P < .001), respectively. The positive predictive value for the MRI-TB and combined biopsy groups were similar. The accumulated evidence suggests better results for MRI-TB compared with SB. Therefore, use of MRI-TB alone may be preferable in patients in active surveillance harboring low-risk PCa.     

Fibrous dysplasia of the jaws: Integrating molecular pathogenesis with clinical,radiological, and histopathological features

Fibrous dysplasia is a non‐neoplastic developmental process that affects the craniofacial bones, characterized by painless enlargement as a result of bone substitution by abnormal fibrous tissue. Postzygotic somatic activating mutations in the GNAS1 gene cause fibrous dysplasia and have been extensively investigated, as well as being helpful in the differential diagnosis of the disease. Fibrous dysplasia may involve one (monostotic) or multiple bones (polyostotic), sporadically or in association with McCune‐Albright syndrome, Jeffe‐Lichenstein syndrome, or Mazabreud syndrome. This review summarizes the current knowledge on fibrous dysplasia, emphasizing the value of integrating the understanding of its molecular pathogenesis with the clinical, radiological, and histopathological features. In addition, we address important aspects related to the differential diagnosis and patient management.     

Endoscopy mitigation strategy with telemedicine and low-cost device use for COVID-19 prevention: A fourth-level Colombian center experience

Background and study aimsThe COVID-19 outbreak has reorganized surgical team conditions regarding endoscopy. The number of interventions has been reduced, the number of healthcare professionals must be limited, and both the patients and physicians are more protected than ever.Patients and MethodsIn the highest peak of contagion in Colombia, endoscopy, colonoscopy, and esophagogastroduodenoscopy were performed using a low-cost disposable device. A total of 1388 procedures were performed. Every patient was assessed for symptoms via a telephone call, at the health center, and after the procedure, following specific attention routes.ResultsAfter procedure follow-up, no positive cases of COVID-19 were noted.ConclusionThe methodology reduced the risk of infection during the COVID-19 pandemic.     

Characteristics of Acute Asthma Patients Attended Frequently Compared with Those Attended Only Occasionally in an Emergency Department

Asthma patients that depend on emergency department (ED) services are generally considered to have extremely poor disease control and prognosis. It is important to identify characteristics related to poor disease control and frequent visits to the ED to apply appropriate clinical management. This study comprised a cross-sectional survey of consecutive patients with asthma exacerbation (age ≥12 years) presenting at the adult ED of a large, tertiary care, university-affiliated hospital over a 2-month period. The frequent visitors (FV) were defined by ≥3 visits to the ED in the preceding year, and the occasional visitors (OV) by ≤2 visits. Eighty-six patients (61 females and 25 males) were included in the study (mean age 38 ± 18 years). Of these patients, 51.2% were FV and 48.8% were OV. Sixty-nine percent had annual income lower than A$3000 and 66.3% had ≤8 years of the formal education. Only 18.6% had used inhaled corticosteroids, 79.1% identified the asthma attack severity, 70.9% increased or initiated inhaled β-agonist, 20.9% increased or initiated steroid therapy, and 55.8% had an asthma action plan for attack. The number of hospital admissions in past year (OR 4.3, P = .02), use of home nebulizer (OR 3.6, P = .05) and the lack of a written asthma action plan (OR 3.3, P = .03) were independently associated with frequent visits to the ED. We conclude that a substantial proportion of the patients that visit the ED are FV. These patients are more likely to have hospital admission in the past year, to use a home nebulizer, and to lack a written asthma action plan. They should be considered the most important target for asthma education.