Anti-Ku Antibodies: Clinical Associations, Organ Damage, and Prognostic Implications in Connective Tissue Diseases.

Anti-Ku antibodies are rare autoantibodies associated with connective tissue diseases (CTDs), but their clinical significance remains poorly understood due to limited studies. Semi-quantitative immunodot assays yield positive, negative, or borderline results, with the clinical relevance of borderline findings remaining unclear. The purpose of this study is to characterize the clinical spectrum of anti-Ku-positive patients and evaluate the clinical significance of anti-Ku-borderline results in CTD management.

Diagnosis of Systemic Rheumatic Disease Using the Connective Tissue Disease Screen.

Connective tissue diseases (CTDs) comprise a heterogeneous group of autoimmune conditions characterized by diverse clinical manifestations and autoantibody profiles, posing significant diagnostic challenges. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the diagnostic performance of automated connective tissue disease screening assays, commonly known as CTD screens, in diagnosing systemic rheumatic diseases. Eleven studies, including cohort and case-control designs, involving a total of 2384 CTD-positive patients, 8972 controls without CTD, and 679 healthy blood donors, were analyzed.

Effect of Metabolic Stress to High-Load Exercise on Muscle Damage, Inflammatory and Hormonal Responses.

To assess the impact of metabolic stress on blood lactate, muscle damage, inflammatory and hormonal responses following a high-load (70% maximum) strength training session, we compared two methods with a similar number of repetitions but that differed by their metabolic demand: the 3/7 method consisting in two series of five sets of an increasing number of repetitions (3 to 7) with a short inter-set interval (15 s) and the 8 × 6 method that comprises eight sets of six repetitions with a longer inter-set interval (2.5 min). Blood concentrations in lactate, creatine kinase (CK), myoglobin (MB), interleukine-6 (IL-6), leukocytes, growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and cortisol were determined before and after each session.

Pilot study on the use of basophil activation tests and skin tests for the prevention of allergic transfusion reactions.

Background And Objectives: Management of severe allergic transfusion reactions (ATR) is challenging. In this study, we investigate the usefulness of skin tests and basophil activation tests (BAT) in chronically transfused patients for the prevention of future ATR.

Materials And Methods: BAT and skin tests were carried with the supernatant of red blood cell (RBC) units for a sickle-cell disease patient under chronic exchange transfusion who has presented a severe ATR, in order to prevent potential future ATR.

Tocilizumab-Induced Unexpected Increase of Several Inflammatory Cytokines in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients: The Anti-Inflammatory Side of IL-6.

Early evidence during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic indicated high levels of interleukin (IL)-6 in patients with severe COVID-19. This led to the off-label use of tocilizumab (TCZ) during the first wave of the pandemic. While the monoclonal antibody blocks IL-6 pathway, its effect on other inflammatory cytokines remains poorly described.

A score combining early detection of cytokines accurately predicts COVID-19 severity and intensive care unit transfer.

Objectives: We aimed to explore cytokine profile in patients as it relates to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity, and to establish a predictive cytokine score to discriminate severe from non-severe cases and provide a prognosis parameter for patients that will require intensive care unit (ICU) transfer.

Methods: Serum samples of 63 patients diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection were collected early after hospital admission (day 0-3). Patients were categorized in five groups based on the clinical presentation, the PaO2/FiO2 ratio and the requirement of mechanical ventilation.

Variability of Faecal Calprotectin in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients: An Observational Case-control Study.

Background And Aims: Several factors have been reported to affect faecal calprotectin [FC] values, and significant variation in FC concentrations has been observed in inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] patients. We aimed to evaluate FC variability in IBD patients, and to assess the robustness of a single stool punch.

Methods: This is a single-centre observational case-control study.

Disulfiram inhibition of cyanide formation after acetonitrile poisoning.

Context: Cyanide poisoning may be caused by acetonitrile, a common industrial organic solvent and laboratory agent.

Objective: To describe the potential use of disulfiram in treating acetonitrile poisoning in a human clinical case and to further study its effect in human liver microsomes in vitro.

Case Details: A 30-year-old man initially presented with a cholinergic toxic syndrome following ingestion of aldicarb.

Pneumococcal aetiology and serotype distribution in paediatric community-acquired pneumonia.

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a major cause of morbidity in children. This study estimated the proportion of children with pneumococcal CAP among children hospitalised with CAP in Belgium and describes the causative serotype distribution after implementation of the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. Children 0-14 years hospitalised with X-ray-confirmed CAP were prospectively enrolled in a multicentre observational study.

Different T cell memory in preadolescents after whole-cell or acellular pertussis vaccination.

To better understand vaccine-induced protection and its potential failure in light of recent whooping cough resurgence, we evaluated quantity as well as quality of memory T cell responses in B. pertussis-vaccinated preadolescent children. Using a technique based on flow cytometry to detect proliferation, cytokine production and phenotype of antigen-specific cells, we evaluated residual T cell memory in a cohort of preadolescents who received a whole-cell pertussis (wP; n=11) or an acellular pertussis vaccine (aP; n=13) during infancy, and with a median of 4 years elapsed from the last pertussis booster vaccine, which was aP for all children.

Evaluation of a WHO-validated serotype-specific serological assay for the diagnosis of pneumococcal etiology in children with community-acquired pneumonia.

Background: The etiologic diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains challenging in children because blood cultures have low sensitivity. Novel approaches are needed to confirm the role of Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Methods: In this study, pneumococcal etiology was determined by serology using a subset of blood samples collected during a prospective multicentre observational study of children <15 years of age hospitalized in Belgium with radiogram-confirmed CAP.

The influence of bypass procedures and other anatomical changes in the gastrointestinal tract on the oral bioavailability of drugs.

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract plays an important role in the absorption of orally administered drugs. However, in some cases the anatomy of the GI tract is changed due to GI surgery, which has the potential of influencing drug bioavailability. In this review, we aim to compile, review, and comment the existing but sometimes fragmented scientific data regarding the impact of GI surgery on the oral bioavailability of drugs.

Switch from intravenous to enteral moxifloxacin in critically ill patients: a pilot study.

Critically ill patients generally receive moxifloxacin intravenously to achieve rapid bacterial killing. An early switch from intravenous to enteral moxifloxacin may be considered because of its good oral bioavailability in healthy volunteers. Since bioavailability may be altered in critically ill patients due to pathophysiological changes, this study aimed to investigate whether enteral moxifloxacin is bioequivalent to intravenous moxifloxacin in such patients.

Impact of corneal cross-linking on drug penetration in an ex vivo porcine eye model.

Purpose: To analyze the influence of corneal cross-linking (CXL) using ultraviolet-A and riboflavin on corneal drug penetration of topically applied drugs.

Methods: In an ex vivo porcine eye model, eyes were randomly assigned to CXL or control treatment. Central corneal thickness and anterior chamber depth were measured with a Pentacam device.

Development and validation of a fast and sensitive UPLC-MS/MS method for the quantification of six probe metabolites for the in vitro determination of cytochrome P450 activity.

A fast and sensitive UPLC-MS/MS method was developed and validated for the simultaneous quantification of six probe metabolites for the in vitro cytochrome P450 activity determination in hepatic microsomes from patients with hepatic impairment. The metabolites acetaminophen (CYP1A2), 4'-hydroxy-mephenytoin (CYP2C19), 4-hydroxy-tolbutamide (CYP2C9), dextrorphan (CYP2D6), 6-hydroxy-chlorzoxazone (CYP2E1) and 1-hydroxy-midazolam (CYP3A4), together with the internal standard chlorpropamide, were separated on a Waters Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column (50 mm × 2.1mm, 1.

Oral bioavailability of moxifloxacin after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery.

Objectives: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery is the most commonly performed procedure for the treatment of morbid obesity. This anatomical alteration may affect the absorption and consequently the bioavailability of oral drugs. This study aims to investigate the oral bioavailability of moxifloxacin in 12 healthy volunteers who underwent gastric bypass surgery.

Pharmacokinetics of two formulations of omeprazole administered through a gastrostomy tube in patients with severe neurodevelopmental problems.

Aims: Omeprazole is often administered through a gastrostomy tube as either (i) a Multiple Unit Pellet System (MUPS®) tablet disintegrated in water (MUPS® formulation), or (ii) a suspension in 8.4% sodium bicarbonate (suspension formulation). This bioavailability study evaluates this practice in tube-fed patients with severe neurodevelopmental problems.

Antibody deficiency due to a missense mutation in CD19 demonstrates the importance of the conserved tryptophan 41 in immunoglobulin superfamily domain formation.

Immunoglobulin superfamily (IgSF) domains are conserved structures present in many proteins in eukaryotes and prokaryotes. These domains are well-capable of facilitating sequence variation, which is most clearly illustrated by the variable regions in immunoglobulins (Igs) and T cell receptors (TRs). We studied an antibody-deficient patient suffering from recurrent respiratory infections and with impaired antibody responses to vaccinations.

A bio-analytical hydrophilic interaction LC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous quantification of omeprazole and lansoprazole in human plasma in support of a pharmacokinetic omeprazole study in children.

A hydrophilic interaction LC method with MS/MS was developed and validated for the simultaneous quantification of omeprazole and lansoprazole in human plasma. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a Betasil silica column using a high organic mobile phase (eluent A: ACN/formic acid 997.5:2.

Selective defect of anti-pneumococcal IgG in a patient with persistent polyclonal B cell lymphocytosis.

Background: Persistent polyclonal B cell lymphocytosis (PPBL) is a rare condition characterized by increased IgM and large excess of B cells with an IgD(+) CD27(+) phenotype. In normal individuals, these cells play a central role in the defense against pneumococcal infection. So far, few studies have characterized humoral immune responses in PPBL patients.