[Assessment of internship sites in Internal Medicine and Clinical Immunology, 7 years after the Residency Training Program Reform: Findings from a 2024 year-end survey in France].

Objective: To compile a list of approved training sites for the Residency Training Program [Diplôme d'Études Spécialisées] in Internal Medicine and Clinical Immunology (DES-MIIC) in France.

Method: All local coordinators of the DES-MIIC were contacted to establish the list of approved internship sites for the MIIC DES within their geographical subdivision.

Results: We listed 244 approved training sites, of which 87 (35.

Arterial cardiovascular outcomes and venous thromboembolism in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome: a Danish cohort study.

Objective: To evaluate whether atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease outcomes, venous thromboembolism, heart failure, and cardiovascular mortality are elevated in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) compared with a matched cohort from the general population.

Methods: We conducted a nationwide population-based cohort study including all patients with a pSS diagnosis from 1996 to 2017 in Denmark, matched with a comparison cohort on age, gender, and calendar year. The cumulative incidence of each outcome was computed using hospital contact diagnoses as the end point.

Treatment of mixed connective tissue disease: A multicenter retrospective study.

Introduction: Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) is a rare systemic disorder that belongs to connective tissue diseases (CTD). Few studies are available on MCTD treatment.

Methods: We conducted an observational study within the French MCTD cohort.

Pneumococcal Septic Arthritis among Adults, France, 2010-2018.

Streptococcus pneumoniae infection is considered an uncommon cause of arthritis in adults. To determine the clinical and microbiological characteristics of pneumococcal septic arthritis, we retrospectively studied a large series of cases among adult patients during the 2010-2018 conjugate vaccine era in France. We identified 110 patients (56 women, 54 men; mean age 65 years), and cases included 82 native joint infections and 28 prosthetic joint infections.

Safety of Fertility Treatments in Women With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Data From a Prospective Population-Based Study.

Objective: To assess safety of fertility treatments in women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Design: Data from the multicentre French observational GR2 (Groupe de Recherche sur la Grossesse et les Maladies Rares) study (2014-ongoing).

Setting: Seventy-six centres in France.

Relevance of blood tumor markers in inpatients with significant involuntary weight loss and elevated levels of inflammation biomarkers.

Purpose: To assess the diagnostic performance of a panel of standard tumor markers (TMs) in patients hospitalized with significant involuntary weight loss (IWL) and elevated levels of inflammation biomarkers, and a combination of the TM panel and the finding of the computed tomography (CT) scan.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study in the internal medicine department at Amiens-Picardie University Medical Center (Amiens, France) between January 1st, 2015, and November 1st, 2021. The inclusion criteria were age 18 or over, significant IWL (≥ 5 kg over 6 months), elevated inflammation biomarkers (e.

Clinical presentation, course, and prognosis of patients with mixed connective tissue disease: A multicenter retrospective cohort.

Objectives: The objective of this study is to better characterize the features and outcomes of a large population of patients with mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD).

Methods: We performed an observational retrospective multicenter cohort study in France. Patients who fulfilled at least one diagnostic criterion set for MCTD and none of the criteria for other differentiated CTD (dCTD) were included.

Inhaled corticosteroids and adverse outcomes among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients with community-acquired pneumonia: a population-based cohort study.

Introduction: While inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) may increase pneumonia risk in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the impact of ICS on pneumonia outcomes is debated. We examined whether ICS use is associated with adverse outcomes among COPD patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).

Materials And Methods: Population-based cohort study of all COPD patients with an incident hospitalization for CAP between 1997 and 2013 in Northern Denmark.

Deep Learning on Bone Scintigraphy to Detect Abnormal Cardiac Uptake at Risk of Cardiac Amyloidosis.

Background: Cardiac uptake on technetium-99m whole-body scintigraphy (WBS) is almost pathognomonic of transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis. The rare false positives are often related to light-chain cardiac amyloidosis. However, this scintigraphic feature remains largely unknown, leading to misdiagnosis despite characteristic images.

Value of Positron Emission Tomography Coupled With Computed Tomography for the Diagnosis of Inflammatory Syndrome of Unknown Origin in an Internal Medicine Department.

Objective: To evaluate the usefulness of positron emission tomography (PET) coupled with computed tomography (CT) in the diagnostic workup for inflammatory syndrome of undetermined origin (IUO) and to determine the diagnostic delay in an internal medicine department.

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively studied a cohort of patients for whom a PET/CT scan had been prescribed in an indication of IUO in an internal medicine department (Amiens University Medical Center, Amiens, France) between October 2004 and April 2017. The patients were grouped according to the PET/CT findings: very useful (enabling an immediate diagnosis), useful, not useful, and misleading.

Cutaneous involvement in relapsed multiple myeloma.

Cutaneous involvement in multiple myeloma with extramedullary disease is rare. We report the case of a refractory multiple myeloma patient who developed a cutaneous lesion. Histopathology revealed dermal immature plasma cell infiltrate with a lack of CD138 expression.

Clonal haematopoiesis of indeterminate potential and cardiovascular events in systemic lupus erythematosus (HEMATOPLUS study).

Objective: The detection of somatic mutations among the genes of myeloid cells in asymptomatic patients-defining clonal haematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP)-is associated with a predisposition to cardiovascular events (CVEs) in the general population. We aimed to determine whether CHIP was associated with CVEs in SLE patients.

Methods: The study is an ancillary study of the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre PLUS trial conducted from June 2007 through August 2010 at 37 centres in France, involving 573 SLE patients.

Prognostic factors of Pasteurella infections: a single-center retrospective cohort study over a 14-year period (2005-2018).

Background: Pasteurella spp. can lead to fatal infections in humans.

Objective: To assess prognostic factors of invasive pasteurellosis.

Analysis of Mesencephalic Astrocyte-derived Neurotrophic Factor in Multiple Myeloma.

Background/aim: Multiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by high production of immunoglobulins resulting in a constant source of endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-stress. Mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF) was identified as a possible circulating biomarker that could help in monitoring ER-stress mediated diseases.

Materials And Methods: To assess the relevance of MANF in MM, we performed in silico and in vitro analysis in malignant cell lines including the myeloma cell line RPMI 8226.

COVID-19 in DMARD-treated patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases: Insights from an analysis of the World Health Organization pharmacovigilance database.

Background: To determine whether the use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) is linked to the risk of COVID-19 among patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRDs).

Methods: We performed a disproportionality analysis of the World Health Organization pharmacovigilance database between January 1, 2020, and June 10, 2020. The frequency of COVID-19 reports for all DMARD classes identified was compared with that for all other reports for all other drugs and quoted as the reporting odds ratio (ROR) (95% confidence interval [CI]).

Highly sensitive serum cardiac troponin T and cardiovascular events in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (TROPOPLUS study).

Objective: Identification of biological markers able to better stratify cardiovascular risks in SLE patients is needed. We aimed to determine whether serum cardiac troponin T (cTnT) levels measured with a highly sensitive assay [high sensitivity cTnT (HS-cTnT)] may predict cardiovascular events (CVEs) in SLE.

Method: All SLE patients included between 2007 and 2010 in the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre PLUS trial were screened.

Acute Airway Obstruction and Cardiopulmonary Arrest due to Tracheomalacia Caused by Megaesophagus Compression Secondary to Achalasia.

We report the case of an 80-year-old woman who presented one episode of cardiopulmonary arrest and two episodes of acute airway obstruction. We found in this patient the presence of tracheomalacia caused by megaesophagus compression secondary to achalasia probably responsible for episodes of acute airway obstruction and cardiopulmonary arrest.

Spectrum and Prognosis of Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-associated Vasculitis-related Bronchiectasis: Data from 61 Patients.

Objective: To report on a large series of patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) and bronchiectasis, with a specific focus on the timeline of occurrence of both features.

Methods: Retrospective nationwide multicenter study of patients diagnosed with both AAV and bronchiectasis.

Results: Sixty-one patients were included, among whom 27 (44.

Does low risk of infections as a marker of effective immunity predict increased risk of subsequent giant cell arteritis or polymyalgia rheumatica? A Danish population-based case-control study.

Objective: It has been suggested that a hyper-effective immune system ("hyper-immunity") is central to the pathogenesis of giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica (GCA/PMR). We examined if a low risk of infections, as a marker of hyper-immunity, can predict increased subsequent risk of GCA/PMR.

Patients And Methods: We conducted a population-based case-control study including all patients aged ≥50 years with incident GCA/PMR diagnosed between 1997 and 2012 in Northern Denmark.

Biological scoring system for early prediction of acute bowel ischemia after cardiac surgery: the PALM score.

Background: Bowel ischemia is a life-threatening emergency defined as an inadequate vascular perfusion leading to bowel inflammation resulting from impaired colonic/small bowel blood supply. Main issue for physicians regarding bowel ischemia diagnosis lies in the absence of informative and specific clinical or biological signs leading to delayed management, resulting in a poorer prognosis, especially after cardiac surgery. The aim of the present series was to propose a simple scoring system based on biological data for the diagnosis of bowel ischemia.

Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs may Worsen the Course of Community-Acquired Pneumonia: A Cohort Study.

Purpose: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are frequently prescribed or used as self-medication in cases of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Nevertheless, the consequences of such medication on the risk of pleuroparenchymal complications are not well known. The aim was to investigate whether exposure to NSAIDs prior to hospital admission among patients suffering from CAP is associated with the development of pleural complications or a lung abscess.

A retrospective comparison of older and younger adults undergoing early laparoscopic cholecystectomy for mild to moderate calculous cholecystitis.

Objectives: To compare the demographic characteristics and intra- and postoperative outcomes in elderly adults (≥75) with those of younger adults undergoing early (<5 days after onset of complaints) cholecystectomy.

Design: Retrospective analysis from May 2010 to August 2012.

Setting: Randomized, multicenter, clinical trial (ABCAL Study, NCT01015417).