Effect of gender on the reliability of COVID-19 rapid antigen test among elderly

Defining con-founders that affect the reliability of diagnostic tests for coronavirus disease 2019 is vital to breaking the chain of infection. The elderly population is a higher risk group for the emerging virus. However, gender seems to exert a critical role in modifying the infection risk among women owing to hormonal changes. The menopause transition is an exceptional period for older women where the protective and immunomodulatory effects of the estrogen hormone are lost. Accordingly, attention should be given to postmenopausal women since they will have an increased risk compared to their pre-menopausal peers.     

The impact of the updated EORTC/MSG criteria on the classification of hematological patients with suspected invasive pulmonary aspergillosis

ObjectivesOur aim was to evaluate the effect of the updated European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and Mycoses Study Group 2019 definitions for invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) on patient classification and the related all-cause 12-week mortality.MethodsIn this retrospective cohort study from our tertiary care centre, we reclassified patients with haematological malignancy who underwent bronchoalveolar lavage between 2014 and 2019 for suspected IPA using the novel EORTC 2019 criteria. We performed receiver operating characteristic curve analysis to define the optimal cut-off for positive PCR and galactomannan and present survival analyses and their possible association with these diagnostic criteria through post hoc comparisons with log rank and Cox regression.ResultsFrom 323 episodes of suspected IPA in 282 patients, 73 were reclassified: 31 (42.5%) from possible to probable IPA, 5 (6.8%) from EORTC criteria not met to probable IPA, and 37 (50.7%) from EORTC criteria not met to possible IPA. Probable IPA increased therefore 11.1% (64/323, 19.8% to 100/323, 30.9%), mostly due to positive PCR (31/36, 86.1%). There was no difference in mortality between newly defined possible and probable IPA (log rank p = 0.950). Mortality was higher in probable cases with lower cycle thresholds (Ct values) versus higher Ct values (p = 0.004). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed an optimal Ct value cut-off of 36.8 with a sensitivity of 75% (95% CI 64.9%–85.1%) and a specificity of 61.7% (95% CI 53.5–69.9) for 12-week mortality.DiscussionThe new EORTC criteria led to 11.1% more probable IPA diagnoses, mostly due to Aspergillus PCR. Restricting positive PCR to below a certain threshold might improve the discrimination of the new EORTC IPA categories for mortality.     

Assessing Antibiotic Adherence and Improving Antibiotic Stewardship in Common Interventional Radiology Procedures

PurposeIn 2018, The Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (JVIR) updated its guidelines regarding periprocedural antibiotics. However, some institutions are slower to adopt these new guidelines. Additionally, antibiotic-resistant bacteria and sepsis are serious concerns due in part to incorrect usage of antibiotics. The purpose of this study is to assess institutional adherence to 2018 JVIR guidelines for the purpose of improving antibiotic stewardship.Materials and methodsA total of 800 cases over a 10-month time period were retrospectively identified and charted following the release of guidelines. Inclusion criteria for the study were adults aged 21 years or older undergoing mediport placement, tunneled central line (TCL) placement, nephrostomy tube exchange, percutaneous biliary drain, or cholecystostomy tube exchange. Exclusion criteria included immunocompromised and pregnant individuals as 2018 guidelines may not fit these patient populations. Guideline adherence for each procedure was recorded as a percentage; the timing of the antibiotic usage was also recorded and compared to the guidelines (within 60 minutes before incision).ResultsIn total, 49 mediport placements, 118 tunneled central line placements – 44 hemodialysis (HD) catheters and 74 nonhemodialysis (non-HD) catheters, 100 nephrostomy exchanges, and 82 biliary tube exchanges were included. Antibiotics were used in 83.6% (41/49) of mediport patients, 11.3% (5/44) of non-HD TCL patients, 20.5% (15/74) of HD TCL patients, 55% (55/100) nephrostomy tube changes, and 65.4% (55/84) of biliary or cholecystostomy tube exchanges. Out of those given prophylaxis, guideline-recommended antibiotics were used in 100% (41/41) of mediport, 100% (20/20) of TCL (both HD and non-HD catheters), 9% (5/55) of nephrostomy tube exchanges, and 1.8% (1/55) of biliary tube exchanges. Guideline-recommended timing was followed in 75.3% across all cases (ranging from 72.2% in mediports to 79.3% in biliary exchanges).ConclusionThis study of antibiotic practices at a single university-based academic institution revealed that antibiotic usage is not fully up to date with 2018 guidelines. For mediports, non-HD TCL placements, and nephrostomy tube exchanges, institutional changes should be made to reduce periprocedural antibiotic use, as antibiotics are no longer recommended for these procedures. For HD TCL and biliary exchanges, proper adherence to recommended prophylactic antibiotics should be followed. In addition, education about the correct antibiotic timing should be emphasized to increase compliance with guidelines.     

Robust antibody response after a third BNT162b2 vaccine compared to the second among immunocompromised and healthy individuals,a prospective longitudinal cohort study

PurposeAs protection from COVID-19 following two doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine showed a time dependent waning, a third (booster) dose was administrated. This study aims to compare the antibody response following the third dose versus the second and to evaluate post-booster seroconversion.MethodsA prospective observational study conducted in Maccabi Healthcare Services. Serial SARS-CoV-2 Spike IgG tests, 1,2,3 and 6 months following the second vaccine dose and one month following the third were obtained. Neutralizing antibody levels were measured in a subset of participants. Per individual SARS-CoV-2 Spike IgG titer ratios were calculated one month after the booster administration compared to titers one month following the second dose and prior to booster.ResultsAmong 110 participants, 56 (51%) were women. Mean age was 61.7 ± 1.9 years and 66 (60%) were immunocompromised. One month after third dose, IgG titers were induced 7.83 (95 %CI 5.25–11.67) folds and 2.40 (95 %CI 1.90–3.03) folds compared to one month after the second, in the immunocompromised and immunocompetent groups, respectively. Of the 17 immunocompromised participants who were seronegative after the second dose, 4 (24%) became seropositive following the third. Comparing the titers prior to the third dose, an increase of 50.7 (95 %CI 32.5–79.1) fold in the immunocompromised group and 25.7 (95 %CI 19.1–34.7) fold in and immunocompetent group, was observed.ConclusionA third BNT162b2 vaccine elicited robust humoral response, superior to the response observed following the second, among immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals.     

骨形态发生蛋白2及碱性成纤维生长因子2对大鼠骨髓间充质干细胞膜片增殖和成骨分化的影响

文题释义： 细胞膜片技术：是在体外接种培养高密度的细胞，使其相互融合生长至100%而形成的透明致密膜状物。该技术不需要胰酶消化即可收集细胞，因此保留了大量的胞外基质、细胞间连接以及细胞-基质连接等结构。目前细胞膜片技术已成为组织工程领域的研究热点，已被推广应用于牙周膜、角膜、心脏、软骨、食管等多种组织器官修复。 成骨细胞：主要由内外骨膜和间充质始祖细胞分化而来，在复杂的骨形成过程中发挥着主要的功能，承担着骨基质的合成、分泌和矿化。骨髓间充质干细胞具有多向分化潜能，能定向分化为成骨细胞，其成骨分化过程可受多种因素的影响，如细胞因子的调控、遗传因素和激素水平等。背景：现阶段骨形态发生蛋白2和碱性成纤维生长因子2对骨髓间充质干细胞膜片增殖、成骨分化的影响和作用机制还尚未可知，如何将生长因子与组织工程细胞膜片技术相整合，最终将其用于骨缺损修复具有重要意义。 目的：探讨单独及联合应用骨形态发生蛋白2和碱性成纤维生长因子2对骨髓间充质干细胞膜片增殖和成骨分化的影响。 方法：体外分离培养鉴定SD大鼠骨髓间充质干细胞并构建细胞膜片，选用不同质量浓度的骨形态发生蛋白2和碱性成纤维生长因子2单独及联合诱导骨髓间充质干细胞膜片，CCK-8法结合碱性磷酸酶活性检测确定2种因子促进膜片增殖和成骨分化的最佳有效质量浓度；然后对骨髓间充质干细胞膜片进行成骨诱导，通过大体及显微镜观察、Vonkossa染色、茜素红染色、RT-PCR检测相关成骨标志物来评估诱导效果。 结果与结论：单独应用骨形态发生蛋白2可增强骨髓间充质干细胞膜片的碱性磷酸酶活性，最佳质量浓度为100 μg/L(P < 0.001)，单独应用碱性成纤维生长因子2能加速骨髓间充质干细胞膜片的增殖，最佳质量浓度为20 μg/L(P < 0.001)，而联合应用既可以促进膜片增殖又能提高其碱性磷酸酶活性(P < 0.001)；经成骨诱导后，4组膜片在形态学上无明显差异，均能诱导骨髓间充质干细胞膜片的成骨分化，其中联合组钙结节最明显(P < 0.001)，可显著促进膜片晚期成骨分化并抑制其早期成骨分化，具有明显的协同促进作用(P < 0.001)。结果表明，骨形态发生蛋白2和碱性成纤维生长因子2联合应用时具有协同作用，既可以促进骨髓间充质干细胞膜片增殖，又能显著增强其成骨诱导能力。ORCID: 0000-0003-1918-579X(何惠宇) 中国组织工程研究杂志出版内容重点：干细胞；骨髓干细胞；造血干细胞；脂肪干细胞；肿瘤干细胞；胚胎干细胞；脐带脐血干细胞；干细胞诱导；干细胞分化；组织工程     

Polymerase Chain Reaction and Goldmann-Witmer Coefficient Testing in the Diagnosis of Infectious Uveitis in HIV-Positive and HIV-Negative Patients in South Africa

Purpose: To use polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Goldmann-Witmer coefficient (GWC) calculation to diagnose infectious uveitis.

Methods: Prospective cross-sectional study.

Results: Twenty-seven of 106 patients had positive PCR and/or GWC results on aqueous humor (AH) sampling and 15 of 27 (55.6%) were HIV-positive. Patients with non-anterior uveitis (NAU) were more likely to be HIV+ (p = 0.005). More than 1 possible pathogen was identified in 9 of 27 patients of whom 7 were HIV+. The final clinical diagnosis was discordant with AH findings in 9 of 27 cases. A positive EBV PCR result was associated with a discordant diagnosis (p = 0.001). All cases of herpetic anterior uveitis (42.9% HIV+) tested PCR-/GWC+ while all cases of herpetic NAU tested PCR+/GWC- (83.3% HIV+). All rubella virus cases were PCR+/GWC+.

Conclusion: PCR is useful to diagnose herpetic NAU in HIV+ patients while GWC is useful to diagnose herpetic anterior uveitis.