46 research outputs found
Red blood cell distribution width in dogs with chronic degenerative valvular disease
No full textObjective: To evaluate RBC distribution width (RDW) in dogs with chronic degenerative valvular disease (CDVD) with compensated or decompensated heart failure.
Study design: Retrospective case-control study.
Animals: 27 healthy dogs and 135 dogs with CDVD (87 dogs with compensated heart failure and 48 dogs with decompensated heart failure).
Procedures: The RDW and various CBC and serum biochemical variables were compared among groups. Correlations between RDW and various echocardiographic variables were evaluated.
Results—Mean ± SD RDW in dogs with CDVD (13.1% ± 1.0%) was not significantly different from that of healthy dogs (12.8% ± 0.8%). The RDW of dogs with CDVD and compensated heart failure (13.0% ± 1.0%) was not significantly different from that of dogs with CDVD and decompensated heart failure (13.2% ± 1.1%).
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: In this study population, RDW did not seem to be associated with the presence of heart failure or CDVD
Red Blood cell distribution width in dogs with chronic degenerative valvular disease
No full textOBJECTIVE: To evaluate RBC distribution width (RDW) in dogs with chronic degenerative valvular disease (CDVD) with compensated or decompensated heart failure.
DESIGN:
Retrospective case-control study.
ANIMALS:
27 healthy dogs and 135 dogs with CDVD (87 dogs with compensated heart failure and 48 dogs with decompensated heart failure).
PROCEDURES:
The RDW and various CBC and serum biochemical variables were compared among groups. Correlations between RDW and various echocardiographic variables were evaluated.
RESULTS:
Mean ± SD RDW in dogs with CDVD (13.1% ± 1.0%) was not significantly different from that of healthy dogs (12.8% ± 0.8%). The RDW of dogs with CDVD and compensated heart failure (13.0% ± 1.0%) was not significantly different from that of dogs with CDVD and decompensated heart failure (13.2% ± 1.1%). The RDW had a significant, weak, negative correlation with Hct (correlation coefficient, -0.250), hemoglobin concentration (correlation coefficient, -0.219), and mean corpuscular volume (correlation coefficient, -0.211). The RDW had a significant, weak, positive correlation with 1 echocardiographic index of CDVD severity (ie, the left atrium-to-aorta ratio [correlation coefficient, 0.183]).
CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE:
In this study population, RDW did not seem to be associated with the presence of heart failure or CDVD
Severe raltegravir-associated rhabdomyolysis: a case report and review of the literature
No full textRaltegravir (RAL), an HIV integrase inhibitor, may uncommonly induce an increase of serum creatine kinase (CK) both in naïve and antiretroviral (ARV)-experienced HIV-positive patients. We report the case of severe rhabdomyolysis requiring hospitalization in an ARV-experienced HIV/hepatitis C co-infected patient treated with a RAL-containing drug regimen. Factors favouring a severe clinical occurrence of RAL-induced rhabdomyolysis from cases reported in literature are described
Imaging diagnosis - Ultrasonographic diagnosis of diplomyelia in a calf.
No full textWe describe the ultrasonographic diagnosis of diplomyelia in a 40-day-old calf. The acoustic window was the
lumbosacral junction, which, in cattle, corresponds to the L6–S1 intervertebral space and enables the evaluation
of approximately 1 cm of the length of the spinal cord. Despite this limited length, this acoustic window yields
good anatomic details and can be helpful in assessing anomalies of the caudal aspect of the spinal cord
Systemic Inflammatory Response Is a Prognostic Marker in HIV-Infected Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma
No full text<b><i>Background:</i></b> Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is increasingly prevalent in people living with HIV. Systemic inflammation is a prognostic factor requiring validation in HIV-associated HCC. <b><i>Aims:</i></b> Using a multi-centre database of consecutive HCC cases, we investigated the prognostic role of a panel of inflammatory markers, including neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), using univariate and multivariate survival analyses. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Fifty-nine patients with HIV-associated HCC secondary to hepatitis C (69%) or B virus infection (32%) were identified. The median survival was 22 months. A raised NLR independently predicted patients' survival and was correlated with advanced Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage (<i>p</i> = 0.003) and poor performance status (<i>p</i> < 0.001) but not with HIV RNA or CD4 counts. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Systemic inflammation, as measured by NLR, is a prognostic determinant associated with adverse pathological features of malignancy, but not coexisting HIV infection, suggesting a tumour-promoting role of the innate immune response that warrants further investigation in mechanistic studies.</jats:p
Blood Epstein-Barr virus DNA does not predict outcome in advanced HIV-associated Hodgkin lymphoma
No full textIn HIV-seronegative patients with advanced Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) viraemia at diagnosis predicts a worse progression-free survival (PFS), independent of the International Prognostic Score. However, its role in HIV-associated HL is uncharacterised. We collected clinico-pathologic and treatment data from a prospective series of 44 HIV-associated HLs from 2000 to 2016. We evaluated circulating EBV DNA as a prognostic factor on uni- and multivariable analyses in relationship to the International Prognostic Index criteria. In 44 patients with HIV-associated HL, EBV was detected by in situ hybridisation in all diagnostic biopsies. Blood EBV DNA was detectable in 26 patients (59%) with a median of 600 copies/mL (range 0-161,000). EBV DNA was independent of CD4 cell count (p = 0.9) or HIV viral load (p = 0.6) and did not predict PFS (HR 1.6, 95% CI 0.39-6.7, p = 0.49). EBV DNA is not a prognostic trait in HIV-associated HL. Prognostication in HIV-associated HL should be solely based on the International Prognostic Index criteria
Characterisation of the T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire in HIV-associated Kaposi Sarcoma tissue with a single TCR cloning platform
No full textThe high prevalence of Kaposi Sarcoma (KS) in immunosuppressed individuals, in particular
people living with HIV (PLWH), suggests that T-cell immunity is critical for tumor surveillance.
It has been previously shown that KS lesions harbor a lymphocytic infiltrate. However, the
specificity and immunophenotype of this infiltrate remains unclear. We hypothesized that
clonally expanded tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) have a role in controlling KS. We
applied a novel single cell TCR cloning platform to analyze the tissue TCR repertoire in subjects
affected by HIV associated KS. Alpha and beta clonal separate chains sequences isolated from
HIV-KS TILs were identified in public TCRs databases and showed similarity to TCRs recognising
EBV and CMV epitopes. In all subjects studied we identified clonal expansion within the TILs.
In one study participant we identified clonality of αβ paired TCR chains. A TCR-deficient cell
line (SKW3), transduced with the clonal TCR of interest, was cocultured with KSHV infected
target cells (autologous B-cell lines and partially HLA matching U2OS and HEK293T cell lines)
and no KSHV specific T-cell response was clearly detected with T-cell activation markers and
cytokines measurements. We observed a higher secretion of IL-2 and TNFα in KSHV-/EBV+
and KSHV+/EBV+ autologous B-cell lines in comparison to background which could be
explained by TCR cross reactivity between KSHV, EBV and CMV epitopes. We cannot fully
exclude an antigen specific immune response as it is possible that immune responses are
generated against lytic rather than latent viral epitopes or against non-viral epitopes within
the tumour. Lack of immunodominance in KSHV T-cell responses and immune suppressive
mechanisms, within the KS tumour microenvironment, could explain the results of the TCR
functional analysis.
Further characterisation of clonal TILs immune responses may have future translational
implications as TCR gene therapy for KS and other KSHV related malignanciesOpen Acces
