The Advocate - June 8, 1961

Original title (1951-1987)--The Advocate: official publication of the Archdiocese of Newark (N.J.)

Post COVID-19 irritable bowel syndrome

Objectives: The long-term consequences of COVID-19 infection on the gastrointestinal tract remain unclear. Here, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms and post-COVID-19 disorders of gut-brain interaction after hospitalisation for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Design: GI-COVID-19 is a prospective, multicentre, controlled study. Patients with and without COVID-19 diagnosis were evaluated on hospital admission and after 1, 6 and 12 months post hospitalisation. Gastrointestinal symptoms, anxiety and depression were assessed using validated questionnaires. Results: The study included 2183 hospitalised patients. The primary analysis included a total of 883 patients (614 patients with COVID-19 and 269 controls) due to the exclusion of patients with pre-existing gastrointestinal symptoms and/or surgery. At enrolment, gastrointestinal symptoms were more frequent among patients with COVID-19 than in the control group (59.3% vs 39.7%, p<0.001). At the 12-month follow-up, constipation and hard stools were significantly more prevalent in controls than in patients with COVID-19 (16% vs 9.6%, p=0.019 and 17.7% vs 10.9%, p=0.011, respectively). Compared with controls, patients with COVID-19 reported higher rates of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) according to Rome IV criteria: 0.5% versus 3.2%, p=0.045. Factors significantly associated with IBS diagnosis included history of allergies, chronic intake of proton pump inhibitors and presence of dyspnoea. At the 6-month follow-up, the rate of patients with COVID-19 fulfilling the criteria for depression was higher than among controls. Conclusion: Compared with controls, hospitalised patients with COVID-19 had fewer problems of constipation and hard stools at 12 months after acute infection. Patients with COVID-19 had significantly higher rates of IBS than controls. Trial registration number: NCT04691895

Cytomegalovirus Disease Causing Outbreak in Family Members

WOS: 000488951800014Primary cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection generally occurs during childhood/early adolescence and is usually an asymptomatic or mild and self-limiting disease in immunocompetent patients. Mononucleosis-like syndrome due to primary CMV may occur in middle-aged or advanced-aged adults, though rare. Three middle-aged patients from the same family admitted to our clinic with acute CMV infection. Two of the three cases were hospitalized, CMV antibodies were examined and at the same time the third case had an acute CMV infection. CMV transmission among middle-aged family members Is very rare. This study reports three cases of acute CMV infection and it's transmission from person to person in the same family

A Case of Chickenpox Developing 11 Years after Renal Transplantation

WOS: 000514116300017In solid organ transplant recipients, it is recommended that the necessary vaccinations be completed at least 4 weeks before transplant. Chickenpox infection in adulthood can lead to serious clinical conditions such as pneumonia, hepatitis, and central nervous system infections. Herein, the case of chickenpox in a 36-year-old female patient with renal transplantation for end-stage renal disease due to vesicoureteral reflux 11 years previously and without a history of chickenpox or its vaccination before and after transplantation is reported. in this case, because of the development of thrombocytopenia associated with intravenous acyclovir, treatment was successfully concluded with oral valacyclovir

Tigecycline versus INR increase; more than expected?

Akdag, Damla/0000-0003-1700-7578WOS: 000514053100001PubMed: 31994416Objectives: the aim of the study was to investigate the frequency of tigecycline-associated INR abnormality. Methods: Patients who were hospitalized between June and September 2016 and treated with tigecycline including therapy were extracted from hospital database and retrospectively reviewed. INR values at the beginning and end of treatment were compared. Results: A total of 79 patients who received tigecycline were identified by analyzing the hospital database. Nineteen patients were excluded from the study since INR was not measured at the beginning and/or end of treatment. in 55 of the 60 patients, INR levels were within normal limits (0.9-1.2) at the beginning of treatment while 19 of these 55 (34,5%) had prolonged INR after treatment. Prolongation was found to be mild (1.01-1.25 x ULN-upper limit of normal) in 12 of 19 patients, moderate (1.26-1.5 x ULN) in six and severe (1.51-3.0 x ULN) in one. in 10 of 19 patients, tigecycline was stopped, and the INR values normalized. There was no difference in INR abnormality rate between tigecycline monotherapy versus combination therapy receiving cases (19/27-33% vs. 10/33-30% p:1). Conclusion: These data show that INR prolongation may develop as common as 34.6% during tigecycline therapy. Regular INR follow-up may be beneficial in cases receiving tigecycline