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Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) Mar 2023Accumulating evidence suggests that toxoplasmosis in immunocompetent hosts can be severe and life-threatening. (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Accumulating evidence suggests that toxoplasmosis in immunocompetent hosts can be severe and life-threatening.
METHODS
We performed a systematic review of severe toxoplasmosis cases in immunocompetent patients to gain insight into the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, radiological findings, and outcomes of these cases. We classified severe toxoplasmosis as cases with the symptomatic involvement of target organs (the lungs, central nervous system (CNS), and heart), disseminated disease, prolonged disease (>3 months), or a fatal outcome. Our primary analysis focused on cases published from 1985-2022 to avoid confounding with cases in AIDS patients.
RESULTS
We identified 82 pertinent articles (1985-2022) with a total of 117 eligible cases; the top five countries for these cases were French Guiana (20%), France (15%), Colombia (9%), India (9%), and Brazil (7%). Overall, 44% (51/117) of cases had pulmonary involvement, 39% (46/117) CNS, 31% (36/117) cardiac, 24% (28/117) disseminated disease, 2% (2/117) had prolonged disease, and 8% (9/117) of patients died. More than one organ was involved in 26% (31/117) of cases. Eighty-four percent (98/117) of cases occurred in the context of a recent acute primary infection; for the remaining, the exact timing of infection was unclear. Genotyping data were very sparse. Among those reporting genotyping data, 96% (22/23) were caused by atypical non-type II strains; one case was caused by a type-II strain. Only half of the cases reported risk factors. The most common risk factors were eating raw/undercooked meat or eating game meat (47% (28/60)), drinking untreated water (37% (22/60)), or living in a toxoplasmosis high-prevalence area (38% (23/60)). For the 51 pulmonary cases, the main clinical presentation was pneumonia or pleural effusions in 94% (48/51) and respiratory failure in 47% (24/51). For the 46 CNS cases, the main clinical presentation was encephalitis in 54% (25/46), meningitis in 13% (6/46), focal neurologic findings in 24% (11/46), cranial nerve palsies in 17% (8/46), Guillain-Barre syndrome or Miller Fisher syndrome in 7% (3/46), and Brown-Sequard syndrome in 2% (1/46) of cases; more than one clinical manifestation could also be present. Among the 41 CNS cases reporting the CNS imaging findings, 68% (28/41) had focal supratentorial lesions and 7% (3/41) had focal infratentorial lesions. Brain abscess-like/mass-like lesions were seen in 51% (21/41) of cases. For the 36 cardiac cases, the main clinical presentation was myocarditis in 75% (27/36), pericarditis in 50% (18/36), heart failure and/or cardiogenic shock in 19% (7/36), and cardiac arrhythmias in 22% (8/36); more than one manifestation could also be present. Illness was critical in 49% (44/90) of cases intensive care unit care was needed in 54% (29/54) of cases among those reporting this information, and 9 patients died.
CONCLUSION
The diagnosis of severe toxoplasmosis in immunocompetent hosts can be challenging. Toxoplasmosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of immunocompetent patients presenting with severe illness of unclear etiology with pulmonary, cardiac, CNS, or multiorgan involvement/failure, or prolonged febrile illness, even in the absence of common exposure risk factors or common manifestations of toxoplasmosis (e.g., fever, mononucleosis-like illness, lymphadenopathy, and chorioretinitis). Fatal outcomes can also rarely occur in immunocompetent patients. Prompt initiation of anti- treatment can be lifesaving.
PubMed: 37111429
DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12040543 -
Mediterranean Journal of Hematology and... 2022Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is a large B-cell lymphoma growing within body-cavities caused by the Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV)/human herpesvirus-8... (Review)
Review
Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is a large B-cell lymphoma growing within body-cavities caused by the Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV)/human herpesvirus-8 (KSHV/HHV-8). It is mainly reported in HIV-infected patients. The uncommon occurrence in the elderly supports a form paralleling classic Kaposi sarcoma (KS), i.e. classic PEL, whose characteristics are relatively underexplored. To better understand the diagnostic modalities and clinical-epidemiological features of classic PEL, articles reporting cases of PEL were identified through MEDLINE/EMBASE databases (January 1998-July 2020) and screened according to PRISMA guidelines to extract individual-level data. A comparison was also performed between classic PEL and classic KS to evaluate similarities and differences. We identified 105 subjects (median age 77 years; 86% males), mainly from Mediterranean countries (52%, first Italy) and Eastern Europe (7%). Common comorbidities were heart failure (32%), cirrhosis (16%), and malignancy (20%) including lymphoid neoplasms. Pleural cavity was the commonest site (67%). PEL diagnosis was based on cytomorphology (89%), evidence of KSHV/HHV-8 infection (94%), EBV co-infection (28%) and clonality of IGH (59%), IGK (14%), TRG (9%) alone or in multiple combinations. Compared to KS, age (P<.001), gender-ratio (P=.08) and mortality (P<.001) were significantly higher in PEL, whereas the frequency of PEL as a second primary was similar (P=.44). This is the first systematic review of classic PEL case reports highlighting heterogeneity and lack of a uniform multidisciplinary approach at diagnosis, in the absence of specific guidelines as it happens for rare cancers. It is conceivable that classic PEL is still underdiagnosed in Mediterranean countries wherein KSHV/HHV-8 is endemic.
PubMed: 35444770
DOI: 10.4084/MJHID.2022.020 -
Epidemiology and Infection Feb 2022This review aimed to compare the clinical features and CT imaging features between patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and lung cancer and patients with PTB... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Comparison of clinical and imaging features between pulmonary tuberculosis complicated with lung cancer and simple pulmonary tuberculosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
This review aimed to compare the clinical features and CT imaging features between patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and lung cancer and patients with PTB alone. That would help to analyse the differences between the two and consequently providing a theoretical basis for the clinical diagnosis and treatment for the patients. Relevant case-control studies focusing on the clinical and CT imaging characteristics between PTB with lung cancer and PTB alone were systematically searched from five electronic databases. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for comparison. As of 2021-07-06, a total of 1735 articles were retrieved. But only 15 articles were finally included for meta-analysis. The results showed a higher proportion of irritable cough, haemorrhagic pleural effusion and lower proportion of night sweating in PTB patients with lung cancer than in PTB patients, and the differences were statistically significant (irritable cough: OR 2.43, 95% CI 1.43-4.11; haemorrhagic pleural effusion: OR 5.73, 95% CI 1.63-20.12; night sweating: OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.36-0.87). In addition, there are many differences in the imaging characteristics of the two types of patients. In conclusion, this review summarises the similarities and differences in clinical symptoms and imaging features between patients with PTB and lung cancer and patients with PTB alone, suggesting that we should be alert to the occurrence of lung cancer in patients with obsolete PTB relapse.
Topics: Case-Control Studies; Cough; Humans; Lung Neoplasms; Pleural Effusion; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary
PubMed: 35105410
DOI: 10.1017/S0950268822000176 -
Tuberculosis (Edinburgh, Scotland) May 2020Diagnosing tuberculous pleurisy (TP) remains a clinical challenge and the best method to diagnose it is controversial. Although several studies have investigated the... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Diagnosing tuberculous pleurisy (TP) remains a clinical challenge and the best method to diagnose it is controversial. Although several studies have investigated the performance of pleural fluid (PF) T-SPOT for pleural tuberculosis (plTB) diagnosis, the heterogeneity of its accuracy exists. Therefore, we performed an updated meta-analysis of the existing evidence on the utility of PF T-SPOT to diagnose TP.
METHODS
PubMed and EmBase were searched for relevant English articles up to July 29, 2019. Statistical analysis was performed using Stata, Revman, and Meta-Disc. Pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) were determined. Summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curves and the area under the curve (AUC) were used to summarize the overall diagnostic performance.
RESULTS
A total of 13 studies (997 patients with TP and 656 patients without TP) were identified and enrolled to meta-analysis, giving the following pooled values for diagnostic accuracy of PF T-SPOT: sensitivity, 0.91 (95% CI, 0.89-0.92, I = 80.9%); specificity, 0.88 (95% CI, 0.86-0.91, I = 87.3%); PLR, 6.28 (95% CI, 2.88-13.69, I = 93.3%); NLR, 0.12 (95% CI, 0.07-0.21, I = 84.9%); DOR, 59.74 (95% CI, 24.13-147.93, I = 78.3%); and the area under the SROC curve, 0.95 (95% CI, 0.93-0.97).
CONCLUSIONS
Our meta-analysis suggests that PF T-SPOT has important diagnostic value for plTB. However, the standardization of the operating procedure needs to be further promoted, which would make the results more credible.
Topics: Host-Pathogen Interactions; Humans; Interferon-gamma; Interferon-gamma Release Tests; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Predictive Value of Tests; Reproducibility of Results; Tuberculosis, Pleural
PubMed: 32501259
DOI: 10.1016/j.tube.2020.101941 -
Canadian Respiratory Journal 2022Adenosine deaminase 2 (ADA) is reported as a novel diagnostic biomarker for tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE) in many studies. This meta-analysis was conducted to... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Adenosine deaminase 2 (ADA) is reported as a novel diagnostic biomarker for tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE) in many studies. This meta-analysis was conducted to systematically evaluate the general diagnostic performance of pleural ADA in TPE. After searching for relevant studies that investigated the diagnostic performance of pleural ADA in TPE in several databases, we assessed and selected eligible studies to calculate pooled parameters by STATA 16.0 software. A final set of thirteen studies entirely met the inclusion standards and were used to calculate pooled parameters in our meta-analysis. Among them, there were nine English studies and four Chinese studies. The pooled parameters of pleural ADA in diagnosing TPE were summarized as follows: sensitivity, 0.91 (95% CI: 0.86-0.95); specificity, 0.93 (95% CI: 0.92-0.95); positive likelihood ratio, 13.9 (95% CI: 10.6-18.3); negative likelihood ratio, 0.09 (95% CI:0.06-0.16); diagnostic odds ratio, 147 (95% CI: 76-284); and the area under the curve, 0.95 (95% CI: 0.93-0.97). Pleural ADA is a reliable indicator with excellent accuracy in TPE diagnosis. However, we need to combine pleural ADA with diverse examinations to diagnose TPE in clinical practice.
Topics: Adenosine Deaminase; Biomarkers; Humans; Odds Ratio; Pleural Effusion; Tuberculosis, Pleural
PubMed: 36124285
DOI: 10.1155/2022/7078652 -
Journal of Pediatrics Review Apr 2020Although biological sex influences Acute Lower Respiratory Tract Infections (ALRIs) morbidity and mortality patterns in children living in sub-Saharan Africa, the exact...
CONTEXT
Although biological sex influences Acute Lower Respiratory Tract Infections (ALRIs) morbidity and mortality patterns in children living in sub-Saharan Africa, the exact mechanism about the effect is unknown.
OBJECTIVE
We assessed the quality and strength of evidence on the association of sex with incidence, etiology, and outcomes of ALRI in African children.
DATA SOURCES STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION
We systematically searched electronic databases for publications from 1971-2016 in PubMed, African Journals Online, and Google scholar for ALRI literature in the African children. We used (pneumonia OR bronchiolitis OR "community-acquired pneumonia" OR CAP OR "hospital-acquired pneumonia" OR "nosocomial pneumonia" OR "ventilator-acquired pneumonia" OR "lung abscess" OR "pleural effusion" OR "empyema thoracis") AND (sex OR gender) AND (Africa OR Sub-Saharan) as search terms. We included the published peer-reviewed journal articles reporting on incidence, etiology, and case fatality. We summarized the findings using narrative and meta-analysis methods.
RESULTS
We included 14 studies with sex-related data; the median (IQR) number of reported pneumonia cases was 148 (87-770) and 114 (56-599) for male and female patients, respectively. Only two studies reported a sex-specific incidence. The odds of sex were in favor of male sex, and the chances of identification of Respiratory Syncytia Virus (RSV) were significantly lower in males than in females (OR=0.60; 95% CI: 0.42, 0.86). Estimates from 9 studies showed that the death rate for males was significantly higher than for females (OR=1.26; 95% CI=1.20-1.33).
CONCLUSIONS
Sex-disaggregated data on incidence, etiology, and case fatality of pneumonia are scarcely reported in studies published in Africa. However, males appear to die more often than females, and females more likely to have RSV infection.
PubMed: 33043060
DOI: 10.32598/jpr.8.2.65 -
PloS One 2022We compared diagnostic accuracy of pleural fluid Xpert MTB/RIF (Xpert) and Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Ultra) assays for diagnosing tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE), through... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
OBJECTIVE
We compared diagnostic accuracy of pleural fluid Xpert MTB/RIF (Xpert) and Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Ultra) assays for diagnosing tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE), through systematic review and comparative meta-analysis.
METHODS
We searched PubMed and Embase databases for publications reporting diagnostic accuracy of Xpert or Ultra for TPE. We used bivariate random-effects modeling to summarize diagnostic accuracy information from individual studies using either mycobacterial culture or composite criteria as reference standard. We performed meta-regression through hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic (HSROC) modeling to evaluate comparative performance of the two tests from studies reporting diagnostic accuracy of both in the same study population.
RESULTS
We retrieved 1097 publications, and included 74 for review. Summary estimates for sensitivity and specificity for Xpert were 0.52 (95% CI 0.43-0.60, I2 82.1%) and 0.99 (95% CI 0.97-0.99, I2 85.1%), respectively, using culture-based reference standard; and 0.21 (95% CI 0.17-0.26, I2 81.5%) and 1.00 (95% CI 0.99-1.00, I2 37.6%), respectively, using composite reference standard. Summary estimates for sensitivity and specificity for Ultra were 0.68 (95% CI 0.55-0.79, I2 80.0%) and 0.97 (95% CI 0.97-0.99, I2 92.1%), respectively, using culture-based reference standard; and 0.47 (95% CI 0.40-0.55, I2 64.1%) and 0.98 (95% CI 0.95-0.99, I2 54.8%), respectively, using composite reference standard. HSROC meta-regression yielded relative diagnostic odds ratio of 1.28 (95% CI 0.65-2.50) and 1.80 (95% CI 0.41-7.84) respectively in favor of Ultra, using culture and composite criteria as reference standard.
CONCLUSION
Ultra provides superior diagnostic accuracy over Xpert for diagnosing TPE, mainly because of its higher sensitivity.
Topics: Antibiotics, Antitubercular; Humans; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Pleural Effusion; Rifampin; Sensitivity and Specificity; Tuberculosis
PubMed: 35816471
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268483 -
Frontiers in Pharmacology 2019To evaluate the benefit and safety of preoperative administration of steroid in patients undergoing liver resection. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) which...
To evaluate the benefit and safety of preoperative administration of steroid in patients undergoing liver resection. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) which comparing preoperative administration of steroid in patients undergoing liver resection with control group were identified through a systematic literature search in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library Central databases. This meta-analysis was carried out to assess the liver function, inflammatory response, and postoperative complications after liver surgery. Six RCTs including 411 patients were reviewed. The pooled result showed that there was no significant difference in the incidence of overall complications between the steroid group and the control group (OR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.27-1.17; = 0.13). With respect to specific complications, no significant difference was detected between the two groups in infection complications (OR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.13-6.95; = 0.96), wound complications (OR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.32-1.33; = 0.24), liver failure (OR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.10-1.64; = 0.21), bile leakage (OR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.17-1.89; = 0.36), and pleural effusion (OR, 1.24; 95% CI, 0.55-2.78; = 0.60). For liver function, the level of serum total bilirubin (TB) on postoperative day 1 (POD 1) was significantly decreased associated with the intervention of steroid (MD, -0.54; 95% CI, -0.94 to -0.15; = 0.007). However, no significant difference was found in the level of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (MD, -69.39; 95% CI, -226.52 to 87.75; = 0.39) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (MD, -93.44; 95% CI, -275.68 to 88.80; = 0.31) on POD 1 between the two groups. Serum IL-6 level on POD 1 (MD, -57.98; 95% CI, -73.04 to -42.91; < 0.00001) and CRP level on POD 3 (MD, -4.83; 95% CI, -6.07 to -3.59; < 0.00001) were significantly reduced in the steroid group comparing to the control group. Compared with the control group, the level of early postoperative IL-10 was significant higher in the steroid group (MD, 17.89; 95% CI, 3.89 to 31.89; = 0.01). Preoperative administration of steroid in liver resection can promote the recovery of liver function and inhibit the inflammatory response without increasing postoperative complications. Further studies should focus on determining which patients would benefit most from the steroid.
PubMed: 31849683
DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2019.01442 -
SAGE Open Medicine 2023Visceral leishmaniasis remains a deadly parasitic disease with diagnostic complexities. Currently, point-of-care chest imaging is gaining momentum in the diagnosis of... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVES
Visceral leishmaniasis remains a deadly parasitic disease with diagnostic complexities. Currently, point-of-care chest imaging is gaining momentum in the diagnosis of infectious diseases. Respiratory symptoms are common in visceral leishmaniasis. Here we aimed to systematically synthesize the evidence on the utility of chest imaging on the diagnosis and management of patients with visceral leishmaniasis.
METHODS
We searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar databases for studies reporting chest imaging findings in patients with visceral leishmaniasis, published in English from database inception to November 2022. We used the Joanna Briggs Institute checklists to evaluate the risk of bias. The protocol of this systematic review was registered with the Open Science Framework: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/XP24W.
RESULTS
Of 1792 studies initially retrieved, 17 studies with 59 participants were included. Of the 59 patients, 51% (30) had respiratory symptoms and 20% (12) were human immunodeficiency virus co-infected. Chest X-ray, high-resolution computed tomography, and chest ultrasound findings were available for 95% (56), 93% (55), and 2% (1) of the patients, respectively. The most common findings were pleural effusion (20%; 12), reticular opacities (14%; 8), ground-glass opacities (12%; 7), and mediastinal lymphadenopathies (10%; 6). High-resolution computed tomography was more sensitive than chest X-ray and detected lesions that were lost on chest X-ray, 62% (37) versus 29% (17). In almost all cases, regression of the lesions was observed with treatment. Microscopy of pleural or lung biopsy detected amastigotes. Polymerase chain reaction yield was better in pleural and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids. A parasitological diagnosis from pleural and pericardial fluid was possible in AIDS patients. Overall, the risk of bias was low.
CONCLUSIONS
Visceral leishmaniasis patients frequently had abnormal findings on high-resolution computed tomography. Chest ultrasound is a useful alternative in resource-limited settings to aid in diagnosis and subsequent treatment follow-up, especially when routine tests yield negative results despite clinical suspicion.
PubMed: 37284569
DOI: 10.1177/20503121231177812 -
PloS One 2022Changes in endothelial function are implicated in the spread of tuberculosis (TB). Studies suggest a role for the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in TB-related... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Changes in endothelial function are implicated in the spread of tuberculosis (TB). Studies suggest a role for the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in TB-related endothelial function changes. However, the findings of studies investigating the VGEF profile in TB are not consistent, and no formal systematic review and meta-analysis exists summarizing these studies.
METHODS
We did a meta-analysis of studies assessing VEGF levels in patients with TB. A systematic search on June 25, 2021, was conducted for eligible studies that made VEGF measurements in an unstimulated sample, e.g., a blood fraction (plasma or serum), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), pleural effusion (PE), or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and ascites or pericardial fluid for patients with TB and controls without TB. Also, studies that made simultaneous measurements of VEGF in blood and PE or CSF in the same patients with TB were included. Longitudinal studies that provided these data at baseline or compared pre-post anti-tuberculosis treatment (ATT) levels of VEGF were included. The primary outcome was the standardized mean difference (SMD) of VEGF levels between the comparison groups.
RESULTS
52 studies were included in the meta-analysis. There were 1787 patients with TB and 3352 control subjects of eight categories: 107 patients with transudative pleural effusion, 228 patients with congestive heart failure (CHF)/chronic renal failure (CRF), 261 patients with empyema and parapneumonic effusion (PPE), 241 patients with cirrhosis, 694 healthy controls (with latent TB infection or uninfected individuals), 20 patients with inactive tuberculous meningitis (TBM), 123 patients with non-TBM, and 1678 patients with malignancy. The main findings are as follows: (1) serum levels of VEGF are higher in patients with active TB compared with healthy controls without other respiratory diseases, including those with latent TB infection or uninfected individuals; (2) both serum and pleural levels of VEGF are increased in patients with TPE compared with patients with transudative, CHF/CRF, or cirrhotic pleural effusion; (3) ascitic/pericardial fluid, serum, and pleural levels of VEGF are decreased in patients with TB compared with patients with malignancy; (4) pleural levels of VEGF are lower in patients with TPE compared with those with empyema and PPE, whereas serum levels of VEGF are not different between these patients; (5) both CSF and serum levels of VEGF are increased in patients with active TBM compared with controls, including patients with inactive TBM or non-TBM subjects; (6) post-ATT levels of VEGF are increased compared with pre-ATT levels of VEGF; and (7) the mean age and male percentage of the TB group explained large and total amount of heterogeneity for the meta-analysis of blood and pleural VEGF levels compared with healthy controls and patients with PPE, respectively, whereas these moderators did not show any significant interaction with the effect size for other analyses.
DISCUSSION
The important limitation of the study is that we could not address the high heterogeneity among studies. There might be unmeasured factors behind this heterogeneity that need to be explored in future research. Meta-analysis findings align with the hypothesis that TB may be associated with abnormal vascular function, and both local and systemic levels of VEGF can be used to trace this abnormality.
Topics: Exudates and Transudates; Humans; Latent Tuberculosis; Male; Pleural Effusion; Tuberculosis, Meningeal; Tuberculosis, Pleural; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
PubMed: 35613134
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268543