Internal medicine
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Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy carries a potential risk of inducing hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation. However, the HBV kinetics during and after DAA therapy in patients co-infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HBV remain unknown. We retrospectively evaluated the HBV kinetics during and after sofosbuvir/ribavirin therapy in four HBV inactive carriers co-infected with HCV. ⋯ Changes in HBV-DNA levels during treatment differed among patients. The hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) levels uniformly decreased (mean -0.530 logIU/mL) by the end of treatment and returned to near the baseline in all patients. Sofosbuvir/ribavirin therapy thus demonstrated a suppressive effect on HBsAg.
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Objectve To assess the impact of glycemic variability on blood pressure in hospitalized patients with cardiac disease. Methods In 40 patients with cardiovascular disease, the glucose levels were monitored by flash continuous glucose monitoring (FGM; Free-Style Libre™ or Free-Style Libre Pro; Abbott, Witney, UK) and self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) for 14 days. Blood pressure measurements were performed twice daily (morning and evening) at the same time as the glucose level measurement using SMBG. ⋯ A multiple regression analysis showed that night glucose variability using FGM was more closely correlated with the ME difference [r=0.62 (95% confidence interval, 0.019-0.051); p<0.001] than with the age, body mass index, or smoking history. Night glucose variability was also more closely associated with the ME difference in patients with unstable angina pectoris (UAP) than in those with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or heart failure (HF) (r=0.83, p=0.058). Conclusion Night glucose variability is associated with the ME blood pressure difference, and FGM is more accurate than the 5-point SMBG approach for detecting such variability.
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We previously reported a 39-year-old man who presented with pulmonary and cerebral Cryptococcus gattii (genotype VGIIa) infection and was successfully treated with liposomal amphotericin B and flucytosine induction therapy. Following induction therapy, oral fluconazole treatment was initiated as consolidation therapy. ⋯ The oral administration of voriconazole for more than 18 months alleviated his symptoms. Voriconazole might be useful for controlling refractory cases of C. gattii infection.
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Case Reports
Listeria monocytogenes Bacteremia During Isatuximab Therapy in a Patient with Multiple Myeloma.
An elderly patient with multiple myeloma (MM) was being treated with several regimens and developed a severe drug eruption, necessitating the use of atovaquone instead of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) prophylaxis. For progressive MM, treatment with isatuximab, an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody, was started. ⋯ CD38 is closely related to the innate immune response against L. monocytogenes, and isatuximab may increase the risk of infection. Therefore, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole may be useful in the prevention of not only PCP but also L. monocytogenes infection.
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Review Case Reports
Vimentin-positive and Alpha-fetoprotein-elevated Nuclear Protein of the Testis Midline Carcinoma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.
Nuclear protein of the testis (NUT) midline carcinoma (NMC) is a rare malignant tumor expressing NUT with BRD4/3 rearrangements and is sometimes misdiagnosed as germinoma, especially in alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)-elevated cases. A 28-year-old man had a mediastinal tumor with multiple bone metastases and elevated AFP levels. Imaging/laboratory findings led to a pathological diagnosis of extragonadal germinoma. ⋯ A posthumous examination clarified the NUT rearrangement. Even in cases with characteristic findings, such as elevated AFP levels and vimentin positivity, NMC should be considered as a differential diagnosis. We note, however, that adriamycin-ifosfamide has some efficacy in such cases.