Risk of Cognitive Impairment in Patients With Parkinson’s Disease With Visual Hallucinations and Subjective Cognitive Complaints

Cognitive impairment; Parkinson's disease; Visual hallucinationsDeterioro cognitivo; Enfermedad de Parkinson; Alucinaciones visualesDeteriorament cognitiu; Malaltia de Parkinson; Al·lucinacions visualsBackground and Purpose Visual hallucinations (VH) and subjective cognitive complaints (SCC) are associated with cognitive impairment (CI) in Parkinson’s disease. Our aims were to determine the association between VH and SCC and the risk of CI development in a cohort of patients with Parkinson’s disease and normal cognition (PD-NC). Methods Patients with PD-NC (total score of >80 on the Parkinson’s Disease Cognitive Rating Scale [PD-CRS]) recruited from the Spanish COPPADIS cohort from January 2016 to November 2017 were followed up after 2 years. Subjects with a score of ≥1 on domain 5 and item 13 of the Non-Motor Symptoms Scale at baseline (V0) were considered as “with SCC” and “with VH,” respectively. CI at the 2-year follow-up (plus or minus 1 month) (V2) was defined as a PD-CRS total score of <81. Results At V0 (n=376, 58.2% males, age 61.14±8.73 years [mean±SD]), the frequencies of VH and SCC were 13.6% and 62.2%, respectively. VH were more frequent in patients with SCC than in those without: 18.8% (44/234) vs 4.9% (7/142), p<0.0001. At V2, 15.2% (57/376) of the patients had developed CI. VH presenting at V0 was associated with a higher risk of CI at V2 (odds ratio [OR]=2.68, 95% confidence interval=1.05–6.83, p=0.0.039) after controlling for the effects of age, disease duration, education, medication, motor and nonmotor status, mood, and PD-CRS total score at V0. Although SCC were not associated with CI at V2, presenting both VH and SCC at V0 increased the probability of having CI at V2 (OR=3.71, 95% confidence interval=1.36–10.17, p=0.011). Conclusions VH were associated with the development of SCC and CI at the 2-year follow-up in patients with PD-NC.The resources obtained for the development of this project have been obtained by the Degen Foundation (https://fundaciondegen.org/). A part of the Project is financed with grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness [PI16/01575] co-founded by ISCIII (Concesión de subvenciones de Proyectos de Investigación en Salud de la convocatoria 2020 de la Acción Estratégica en Salud 2017-2020 por el proyecto “PROGRESIÓN NO MOTORA E IMPACTO EN LA CALIDAD DE VIDA EN LA ENFERMEDAD DE PARKINSON”)

Voriconazole Use in Children: Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Control of Inflammation as Key Points for Optimal Treatment

Infeccions fúngiques pediàtriques; Monitorització terapèutica de fàrmacs; VoriconazolInfecciones fúngicas pediátricas; Monitorización terapéutica de fármacos; VoriconazolPaediatric fungal infections; Therapeutic drug monitoring; VoriconazoleVoriconazole plasma concentrations (PC) are highly variable, particularly in children. Dose recommendations in 2–12-year-old patients changed in 2012. Little data on therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) after these new recommendations are available. We aimed to evaluate voriconazole monitoring in children with invasive fungal infection (IFI) after implementation of new dosages and its relationship with safety and effectiveness. A prospective, observational study, including children aged 2–12 years, was conducted. TDM was performed weekly and doses were changed according to an in-house protocol. Effectiveness, adverse events, and factors influencing PC were analysed. A total of 229 PC from 28 IFI episodes were obtained. New dosing led to a higher rate of adequate PC compared to previous studies; still, 35.8% were outside the therapeutic range. In patients aged < 8 years, doses to achieve therapeutic levels were higher than recommended. Severe hypoalbuminemia and markedly elevated C-reactive protein were related to inadequate PC. Therapeutic PC were associated with drug effectiveness and safety. Higher doses in younger patients and a dose adjustment protocol based on TDM should be considered. Voriconazole PC variability has decreased with current updated recommendations, but it remains high and is influenced by inflammatory status. Additional efforts to control inflammation in children with IFI should be encouraged.This research was funded by an Investigator Sponsored Research Grant from Pfizer (Grant Number WI182544

Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of Streptococcus tigurinus endocarditis

Background: Streptococcus tigurinus was recently described as a new streptococcal species within the viridans group streptococci (VGS). The objectives of the present work were to analyse the clinical and microbiological characteristics of S. tigurinus isolated from patients with bacteraemias, to determine the prevalence of S. tigurinus among VGS endocarditis in Spain, and to compare the clinical characteristics and outcomes of endocarditis caused by S. tigurinus and other VGS. Methods: Retrospective nationwide study, performed between 2008 and 2016 in 9 Spanish hospitals from 7 different provinces comprising 237 cases of infective endocarditis. Streptococcal isolates were identified by sequencing fragments of their 16S rRNA, sodA and groEL genes. Clinical data of patients with streptococcal endocarditis were prospectively collected according to a pre-established protocol. Results: Patients with endocarditis represented 7/9 (77.8%) and 26/86 (30.2%) of the bacteraemias caused by S. tigurinus and other VGS, respectively (p < 0.001), in two of the hospital participants. Among patients with streptococcal endocarditis, 12 different Streptococcus species were recognized being S. oralis, S. tigurinus and S. mitis the three more common. No relevant statistical differences were observed in the clinical characteristics and outcomes of endocarditis caused by the different VGS species. Conclusions: In this multicenter study performed in Spain, S. tigurinus showed a higher predilection for the endocardial endothelium as compared to other VGS. However, clinical characteristics and outcomes of endocarditis caused by S. tigurinus did not significantly differ from endocarditis caused by other oral streptococci.JMM received a personal 80:20 research grant from the Institut d’InvestigacionsBiomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain during 2017–19. Nofunding entity played any role in the design of the study and data collection,analysis, and interpretation of data and in writing the manuscript

Direct-acting antivirals are effective and safe in HCV/HIV-coinfected liver transplant recipients who experience recurrence of hepatitis C: A prospective nationwide cohort study

Direct-acting antivirals have proved to be highly efficacious and safe in monoinfected liver transplant (LT) recipients who experience recurrence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. However, there is a lack of data on effectiveness and tolerability of these regimens in HCV/HIV-coinfected patients who experience recurrence of HCV infection after LT. In this prospective, multicenter cohort study, the outcomes of 47 HCV/HIV-coinfected LT patients who received DAA therapy (with or without ribavirin [RBV]) were compared with those of a matched cohort of 148 HCV-monoinfected LT recipients who received similar treatment. Baseline characteristics were similar in both groups. HCV/HIV-coinfected patients had a median (IQR) CD4 T-cell count of 366 (256-467) cells/µL. HIV-RNA wa

Direct-acting antivirals are effective and safe in HCV/HIV-coinfected liver transplant recipients who experience recurrence of hepatitis C: A prospective nationwide cohort study.

Direct-acting antivirals have proved to be highly efficacious and safe in monoinfected liver transplant (LT) recipients who experience recurrence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. However, there is a lack of data on effectiveness and tolerability of these regimens in HCV/HIV-coinfected patients who experience recurrence of HCV infection after LT. In this prospective, multicenter cohort study, the outcomes of 47 HCV/HIV-coinfected LT patients who received DAA therapy (with or without ribavirin [RBV]) were compared with those of a matched cohort of 148 HCV-monoinfected LT recipients who received similar treatment. Baseline characteristics were similar in both groups. HCV/HIV-coinfected patients had a median (IQR) CD4 T-cell count of 366 (256-467) cells/µL. HIV-RNA wa

The 2023 Duke-International Society for Cardiovascular Infectious Diseases Criteria for Infective Endocarditis: Updating the Modified Duke Criteria

The microbiology, epidemiology, diagnostics, and treatment of infective endocarditis (IE) have changed significantly since the Duke Criteria were published in 1994 and modified in 2000. The International Society for Cardiovascular Infectious Diseases (ISCVID) convened a multidisciplinary Working Group to update the diagnostic criteria for IE. The resulting 2023 Duke-ISCVID IE Criteria propose significant changes, including new microbiology diagnostics (enzyme immunoassay for Bartonella species, polymerase chain reaction, amplicon/metagenomic sequencing, in situ hybridization), imaging (positron emission computed tomography with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose, cardiac computed tomography), and inclusion of intraoperative inspection as a new Major Clinical Criterion. The list of "typical" microorganisms causing IE was expanded and includes pathogens to be considered as typical only in the presence of intracardiac prostheses. The requirements for timing and separate venipunctures for blood cultures were removed. Last, additional predisposing conditions (transcatheter valve implants, endovascular cardiac implantable electronic devices, prior IE) were clarified. These diagnostic criteria should be updated periodically by making the Duke-ISCVID Criteria available online as a "Living Document.

The 2023 Duke-International Society for Cardiovascular Infectious Diseases Criteria for Infective Endocarditis: Updating the Modified Duke Criteria

: The microbiology, epidemiology, diagnostics, and treatment of infective endocarditis (IE) have changed significantly since the Duke Criteria were published in 1994 and modified in 2000. The International Society for Cardiovascular Infectious Diseases (ISCVID) convened a multidisciplinary Working Group to update the diagnostic criteria for IE. The resulting 2023 Duke-ISCVID IE Criteria propose significant changes, including new microbiology diagnostics (enzyme immunoassay for Bartonella species, polymerase chain reaction, amplicon/metagenomic sequencing, in situ hybridization), imaging (positron emission computed tomography with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose, cardiac computed tomography), and inclusion of intraoperative inspection as a new Major Clinical Criterion. The list of "typical" microorganisms causing IE was expanded and includes pathogens to be considered as typical only in the presence of intracardiac prostheses. The requirements for timing and separate venipunctures for blood cultures were removed. Last, additional predisposing conditions (transcatheter valve implants, endovascular cardiac implantable electronic devices, prior IE) were clarified. These diagnostic criteria should be updated periodically by making the Duke-ISCVID Criteria available online as a "Living Document.

Cytokine Release Assays as Tests for Exposure to <i>Leishmania</i>, and for Confirming Cure from Leishmaniasis, in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients

<div><p>Spain has one of the world’s largest pools of organ donors and is a global leader in terms of the number of transplants it performs. The current outbreak of leishmaniasis in Fuenlabrada (in the southwest of the region of Madrid, Spain) has involved 600 clinical cases since late 2009 (prevalence 0.2%). It may therefore be wise to monitor the town’s transplanted population for <i>Leishmania infantum</i>; its members are immunosuppressed and at greater risk of infection and relapse following treatment. The present work examines the use of cytokine release assays to determine the prevalence of <i>Leishmania</i> infection in this population, and to confirm recovery following treatment for visceral leishmaniasis (VL). The humoral and cellular immune responses to <i>L</i>. <i>infantum</i> were characterized in 63 solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients from Fuenlabrada, 57 of whom reported no previous episode of VL (NVL subjects), and six of whom had been cured of VL (CVL subjects). Seventeen subjects (12 NVL and 5 CVL) showed a patent lymphoproliferative response to soluble <i>Leishmania</i> antigen (SLA). Stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cell cultures and of whole blood with SLA led to the production of different combinations of cytokines that might serve to confirm <i>Leishmania</i> infection or recovery from VL and help prevent cured patients from relapsing into this serious condition.</p></div