Osteoarticular manifestations of human brucellosis:A review

Brucellosis is a common global zoonotic disease, which is responsible for a range of clinical manifestations. Fever, sweating and musculoskeletal pains are observed in most patients. The most frequent complication of brucellosis is osteoarticular involvement, with 10% to 85% of patients affected. The sacroiliac(up to 80%) and spinal joints(up to 54%) are the most common affected sites.Spondylitis and spondylodiscitis are the most frequent complications of brucellar spinal involvement. Peripheral arthritis, osteomyelitis, discitis, bursitis and tenosynovitis are other osteoarticular manifestations, but with a lower prevalence. Spinal brucellosis has two forms: focal and diffuse. Epidural abscess is a rare complication of spinal brucellosis but can lead to permanent neurological deficits or even death if not treated promptly. Spondylodiscitis is the most severe form of osteoarticular involvement by brucellosis, and can have single-or multifocal involvement. Early and appropriate diagnosis and treatment of the disease is important in order to have a successful management of the patients with osteoarticular brucellosis. Brucellosis should be considered as a differential diagnosis for sciatic and back pain, especially in endemic regions. Patients with septic arthritis living in endemic areas also need to be evaluated in terms of brucellosis. Physical examination, laboratory tests and imaging techniques are needed to diagnose the disease. Radiography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) and bone scintigraphy are imaging techniques for the diagnosis of osteoarticular brucellosis. MRI is helpful to differentiate between pyogenic spondylitis and brucellar spondylitis. Drug medications(antibiotics)and surgery are the only two options for the treatment and cure of osteoarticular brucellosis.

Serum adipokines might predict liver histology findings in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

AIM: To assess significance of serum adipokines to determine the histological severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.METHODS: Patients with persistent elevation in serum aminotransferase levels and well-defined characteristics of fatty liver at ultrasound were enrolled. Individuals with a history of alcohol consumption, hepatotoxic medication, viral hepatitis or known liver disease were excluded. Liver biopsy was performed to confirm non-alcoholic liver disease (NAFLD). The degrees of liver steatosis, lobular inflammation and fibrosis were determined based on the non-alcoholic fatty liver activity score (NAS) by a single expert pathologist. Patients with a NAS of five or higher were considered to have steatohepatitis. Those with a NAS of two or lower were defined as simple fatty liver. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the independent association of adipokines with histological findings. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was employed to determine cut-off values of serum adipokines to discriminate the grades of liver steatosis, lobular inflammation and fibrosis.RESULTS: Fifty-four participants aged 37.02 ± 9.82 were enrolled in the study. Higher serum levels of visfatin, IL-8, TNF-α levels were associated independently with steatosis grade of more than 33% [β = 1.08 (95%CI: 1.03-1.14), 1.04 (95%CI: 1.008-1.07), 1.04 (95%CI: 1.004-1.08), P < 0.05]. Elevated serum IL-6 and IL-8 levels were associated independently with advanced lobular inflammation [β = 1.4 (95%CI: 1.09-1.8), 1.07 (95%CI: 1.003-1.15), P < 0.05]. Similarly, higher TNF-α, resistin, and hepcidin levels were associated independently with advanced fibrosis stage [β = 1.06 (95%CI: 1.002-1.12), 19.86 (95%CI: 2.79-141.19), 560.72 (95%CI: 5.98-5255.33), P < 0.05]. Serum IL-8 and TNF-α values were associated independently with the NAS score, considering a NAS score of 5 as the reference value [β = 1.05 (95%CI: 1.01-1.1), 1.13 (95%CI: 1.04-1.22), P < 0.05].CONCLUSION: Certain adipokines may determine the severity of NAFLD histology accurately.

Single-and double-dose of platelet-rich plasma versus hyaluronic acid for treatment of knee osteoarthritis: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND Platelet-rich plasma(PRP)and hyaluronic acid have been shown to be useful in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis.However,investigations comparing the efficacy of these two drugs together are insufficient.AIM To compare the outcomes of PRP vs hyaluronic acid injections in three groups of patients with bilateral knee osteoarthritis.METHODS This randomized controlled trial study involved 95 patients.Thirty-one subjects received a single injection of PRP(group PRP-1),33 subjects received two injections of PRP at an interval of 3 wk(group PRP-2)and 31 subjects received three injections of hyaluronic acid at 1-wk intervals(group hyaluronic acid).The patients were investigated prospectively at the enrollment and at 4-,8-and 12-wk follow-up with the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index(WOMAC)and Visual Analogue Scale questionnaires.RESULTS Percentages of patients experiencing at least a 30%decrease in the total score for the WOMAC pain subscale from baseline to wk 12 of the intervention were 86%,100%and 0%in the groups PRP-1,PRP-2 and hyaluronic acid,respectively(P<0.001).The mean total WOMAC scores for groups PRP-1,PRP-2 and hyaluronic acid at baseline were 63.71,61.57 and 63.11,respectively.The WOMAC scores were significantly improved at final follow-up to 42.5,35.32 and 57.26,respectively.The highest efficacy of PRP was observed in both groups at wk 4 with about 50%decrease in the symptoms compared with about 25%decrease for hyaluronic acid.Group PRP-2 had higher efficacy than group PRP-1.No major adverse effects were found during the study.CONCLUSION PRP is a safe and efficient therapeutic option for treatment of knee osteoarthritis.It was demonstrated to be significantly better than hyaluronic acid.We also found that the efficacy of PRP increases after multiple injections.

Maternal death due to severe and critical COVID-19 in Qom,Iran:A case series

Objective:To report the maternal death due to COVID-19.Methods:A total of 14 maternal deaths due to severe and critical COVID-19 who were referred to the obstetric department of Nekouie-Forghani-Hedayati Hospital,Qom,Iran from December 2019 to May 2022 were collected.The clinical manifestations and maternal and perinatal outcomes were analyzed.Results:Dexamethasone was used in 7 cases,while remdesivir was used in 5 cases.Acute respiratory distress syndrome,multiple organ failure,and sepsis were the main cause of mother death.The pregnancy in 8 cases were terminated by caesarean and only one neonatal death was reported from a mother at 13th week of gestational age,while all other fetus delivered were healthy and alive.Conclusions:COVID-19 in pregnancy is an emergency.Critical appraisal is needed to detect the other comorbidities and positive PCR test by throat swap should be performed as soon as possible.

Patient Safety Attitudes, Skills, Knowledge and Barriers Related to Reporting Medical Errors by Nursing Students

Introduction: Health care system structure is prone to human error. Medical errors are one of the major challenges that health systems in all countries are grappling with to minimize and reduce the damage caused by them. The aim of this study was to assess the Patient Safety Attitudes, Skills, Knowledge and Barriers Related to Reporting Medical Errors by Nursing Students in Ilam, Iran. Methods: A cross-sectional mixed method was conducted to this study. Sampling was conducted by census of all students entering nursing criteria in Ilam in 2016. A number of 140 students participated in this study. The tool used in this study was created by Schnall et al. that measures knowledge, attitudes and skills related to medical errors reporting. Data were analyzed with t test, regression and correlation coefficients and descriptive statistical methods. Results: The results showed that nursing students had a positive attitude with respect to the reporting of medical errors (p = 0.01). They also have the low knowledge to medical errors and reporting them. There were significant differences in all groups and subgroups of knowledge, attitude, and skills (except creating of safety culture subgroup) between the two group’s students. Moreover, the main reason for not reporting was the lack of knowledge and fear of punishment. Conclusions: The results of this study help those who involve in the health care system to improve patient safety and improve the process of reporting medical errors by nursing students’ participation in the process of reporting error, while improving knowledge and attitudes through nursing education with the effective educational models. As a result, there is a need to educate students on reporting systems.

Placental pathologies and fetal outcome in pregnant women with COVID-19: A retrospective study

Objective:To describe histopathologic findings in the placentas in women with coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)during pregnancy.Methods:In a cross-sectional study,38 pregnant women with COVID-19 and undergoing delivery between March 2020 and January 2022,were included.The patients had positive polymerase chain reaction(PCR)test for SARS-CoV-2 infection and the placentas after delivery were sent for histopathologic evaluation based on the Amsterdam Placental Workshop Group Consensus Statement and assessed by two pathologists.Results:Our results showed that maternal vascular malperfusion was the most common and was present in 17 cases(44.7%).These features included accelerated villous maturation(36.8%)distal villous hypoplasia(5.3%),placental infarction(5.3%)and intervillous fibrin deposition(10.5%).Other pathologic findings included focal calcification(10.5%),intravillous congestion and hemorrhage(10.5%),sub-chorionic hemorrhage(5.3%),acute villitis,chronic histiocytic intervillositis and delayed villous maturation each in one case(2.6%).Twelve out of 38 cases showed no significant pathologic changes.Fetal outcomes included neonatal intensive care unit admission rate of 13.2%,dyspnea 31.6%,newborn’s anosmia 7.9%,intrauterine fetal demise 2.6%,asphyxia 2.6%and neonate COVID infection 5.3%.Conclusions:Microvasculopathy,as a sign of maternal vascular malperfusion,is a common finding in placentas from SARS-CoV-2 positive pregnant women in the present study.Further studies with larger sample sizes and comparative studies between COVID-19 positive and negative,as well as information from patient follow-up are suggested.

Angioid Streaks in Psuedoxanthoma Elasticum

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is a hereditary disorder that affects primarily the elastic tissues of skin, eyes and blood vessels. Its estimated prevalence is thought to be 1:25,000 - 100,000. PXE patients also carry an increased risk for cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases. Early diagnosis can play a crucial role in preventing early loss of vision and systemic complications in these patients however despite having characteristic clinical features;it is still to a large extent being under-diagnosed. Here we present two cases of PXE with reduced vision.

Assessment of mechanism, type and severity of injury in multiple trauma patients： A cross sectional study of a trauma center in Iran

Purpose： To accurately assess the mechanism, type and severity of injury in Iranian multiple trauma patients of a trauma center. Methods： Patients with multiple traumas referring to the emergency department of Hasheminejad University Hospital in Mashhad, lran, entered this cross sectional study from March 2013 to December 2013. All the patients with injury severity score （ISS） 〉 9 were included in this study. Data analysis was performed by SPSS software （Version 11.5） and P values less than 0.05 were considered as significant differences. Results： Among the 6306 hospitalized trauma patients during this period, 148 had ISS〉9. The male fe- male ratio was 80%. The mean age of the patients was （33.5 m 19.3） years. And 71% of the patients were younger than 44 years old. There were 19 （13%） deaths from which 68.5% were older than 44 years old. The mean transfer time from the injury scene to hospital was （55 e 26） minutes. The most frequent mechanisms of injury were motorcycle crashes and falling from height, which together included 66.2% of all the injuries. A total of 84% of hospital deaths occurred after the first 24 h of hospitalization. Head and neck were the most common body injured areas with a prevalence of 111 cases （75%）. Conclusion： Motorcycle crashes have high frequency in lran. Since most victims are young males, injury prevention strategies should be considered to reduce the burden of injuries.