1.Pulmonary coinfection by Pneumocystis jiroveci and Cryptococcus neoformans.
Bava JAVIER ; Lloveras SUSANA ; Garro SANTIAGO ; Troncoso ALCIDES
Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine 2012;2(1):80-82
We communicate the diagnosis by microscopy of a pulmonary coinfection produced by Cryptococcus neoformans and Pneumocystis jiroveci, from a respiratory secretion obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage of an AIDS patient. Our review of literature identified this coinfection as unusual presentation. Opportunistic infections associated with HIV infection are increasingly recognized. It may occur at an early stage of HIV-infection. Whereas concurrent opportunistic infections may occur, coexisting Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (PCP) and disseminated cryptococcosis with cryptococcal pneumonia is uncommon. The lungs of individuals infected with HIV are often affected by opportunistic infections and tumours and over two-thirds of patients have at least one respiratory episode during the course of their disease. Pneumonia is the leading HIV-associated infection. We present the case of a man who presented dual Pneumocystis jiroveci and cryptococcal pneumonia in a patient with HIV. Definitive diagnosis of PCP and Cryptococcus requires demonstration of these organisms in pulmonary tissues or fluid. In patients with < 200/microliter CD4-lymphocytes, a bronchoalveolar lavage should be performed. This patient was successfully treated with amphotericin B and trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole. After 1 week the patient showed clinical and radiologic improvement and was discharged 3 weeks later.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
;
complications
;
Adult
;
Amphotericin B
;
therapeutic use
;
Antifungal Agents
;
therapeutic use
;
Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid
;
microbiology
;
Coinfection
;
diagnosis
;
pathology
;
Cryptococcosis
;
complications
;
diagnosis
;
pathology
;
Cryptococcus neoformans
;
isolation & purification
;
Humans
;
Male
;
Microscopy
;
Pneumocystis carinii
;
isolation & purification
;
Pneumonia, Pneumocystis
;
complications
;
diagnosis
;
pathology
;
Treatment Outcome
;
Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination
;
therapeutic use
2.Unilateral Punctate Keratitis Secondary to Wallenberg Syndrome.
Pino CIDAD ; Ana BOTO ; Almudena DEL HIERRO ; Maria CAPOTE ; Susana NOVAL ; Amanda GARCIA ; Susana SANTIAGO
Korean Journal of Ophthalmology 2014;28(3):278-283
We studied three patients who developed left unilateral punctate keratitis after suffering left-sided Wallenberg Syndrome. A complex evolution occurred in two of them. In all cases, neurophysiological studies showed damage in the trigeminal sensory component at the bulbar level. Corneal involvement secondary to Wallenberg syndrome is a rare cause of unilateral superficial punctate keratitis. The loss of corneal sensitivity caused by trigeminal neuropathy leads to epithelial erosions that are frequently unobserved by the patient, resulting in a high risk of corneal-ulcer development with the possibility of superinfection. Neurophysiological studies can help to locate the anatomical level of damage at the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve, confirming the suspected etiology of stroke, and demonstrating that prior vascular involvement coincides with the location of trigeminal nerve damage. In some of these patients, oculofacial pain is a distinctive feature.
Aged
;
Cornea/*pathology
;
Diagnosis, Differential
;
Female
;
Humans
;
Keratitis/diagnosis/*etiology
;
Lateral Medullary Syndrome/*complications
;
Middle Aged
3.Inhibition of Tumor Growth and Metastasis by Newcastle Disease Virus Strain P05 in a Breast Cancer Mouse Model
Oscar Antonio ORTEGA-RIVERA ; Pamela GALLEGOS-ALCALÁ ; Mariela JIMÉNEZ ; J. Luis QUINTANAR ; Flor TORRES-JUAREZ ; Bruno RIVAS-SANTIAGO ; Susana del TORO-ARREOLA ; Eva SALINAS
Journal of Breast Cancer 2023;26(2):186-200
Purpose:
Conventional therapies and surgery remain the standard treatment for breast cancer. However, combating the eventual development of metastasis is still a challenge.Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is one of the various species of viruses under clinical evaluation as a vector for oncolytic, gene-, and immune-stimulating therapies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antitumor activity of a recombinant NDV (rNDV-P05) in a breast cancer murine model.
Methods:
Tumors were induced by injecting the cellular suspension (4T1 cell line) subcutaneously. The virus strain P05 was applied three times at intervals of seven days, starting seven days after tumor induction, and was completed 21 days later. Determination of tumor weight, spleen index, and lung metastasis were done after sacrificing the mice.Serum levels of interferon (IFN)-α, IFN-γ, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.CD8+ infiltrated cells were analyzed by immunofluorescence.
Results:
rNDV-P05 showed a route-of-administration-dependent effect, demonstrating that the systemic administration of the virus significantly reduces the tumor mass and volume, spleen index, and abundance of metastatic clonogenic colonies in lung tissue, and increases the inhibition rate of the tumor. The intratumoral administration of rNDV-P05 was ineffective for all the parameters evaluated. Antitumor and antimetastatic capability of rNDV-P05 is mediated, at least partially, through its immune-stimulatory effect on the upregulation of TNF-α, TRAIL, IFN-α, and IFN-γ, and its ability to recruit CD8+ T cells into tumor tissue.
Conclusion
Systemic treatment with rNDV-P05 decreases the tumoral parameters in the breast cancer murine model.
4.Use of Skull Vibration-Induced Nystagmus in the Follow-up of Patients With Ménière Disease Treated With Intratympanic Gentamicin
Susana Marcos ALONSO ; Nicole Almeida AYERVE ; Chiara Monopoli ROCA ; Guillermo Coronel TOUMA ; Juan Carlos del Pozo de DIOS ; Hortensia Sánchez GÓMEZ ; Santiago Santa Cruz RUÍZ ; Ángel Batuecas CALETRÍO
Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology 2023;16(3):236-243
Objectives:
. Ménière disease (MD) is an idiopathic disorder that affects hearing and inner ear balance. Intratympanic gentamicin (ITG) is recognized as an effective treatment for uncontrolled MD characterized by persistent vertigo attacks despite therapy. The video head impulse test (vHIT) and skull vibration-induced nystagmus (SVIN) are validated methods for evaluating vestibular function. A progressive linear relationship has been identified between the slow-phase velocity (SPV) of SVIN determined using a 100-Hz skull vibrator and the gain difference (healthy ear/affected ear) measured by vHIT. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether the SPV of SVIN was associated with the recovery of vestibular function following ITG treatment. Consequently, we sought to determine whether SVIN could predict the onset of new vertigo attacks in patients with MD who were treated with ITG.
Methods:
. A prospective longitudinal case-control study was conducted. Several variables were recorded post-ITG and throughout the follow-up period, followed by statistical analyses. Two groups were compared: patients who experienced vertigo attacks 6 months after ITG and those who did not.
Results:
. The sample comprised 88 patients diagnosed with MD who underwent ITG treatment. Of the 18 patients who experienced recurring vertigo attacks, 15 demonstrated gain recovery in the affected ear. However, all 18 patients exhibited a decrease in the SPV of SVIN.
Conclusion
. The SPV of SVIN may be more sensitive than vHIT in identifying the recovery of vestibular function following ITG administration. To our knowledge, this is the first study to illustrate the link between a reduction in SPV and the likelihood of vertigo episodes in patients with MD who have been treated with ITG.
5.Molecular epidemiology of Aleutian mink disease virus causing outbreaks in mink farms from Southwestern Europe: a retrospective study from 2012 to 2019
Alberto PRIETO ; Ricardo FERNÁNDEZ-ANTONIO ; Gonzalo LÓPEZ-LORENZO ; José Manuel DÍAZ-CAO ; Cynthia LÓPEZ-NOVO ; Susana REMESAR ; Rosario PANADERO ; Pablo DÍAZ ; Patrocinio MORRONDO ; Pablo DÍEZ-BAÑOS ; Gonzalo FERNÁNDEZ
Journal of Veterinary Science 2020;21(4):e65-
Background:
Aleutian mink disease virus (AMDV) causes major economic losses in fur-bearing animal production. The control of most AMDV outbreaks is complex due to the difficulties of establishing the source of infection based only on the available on-farm epidemiological data. In this sense, phylogenetic analysis of the strains present in a farm may help elucidate the origin of the infection and improve the control and biosecurity measures.
Objectives:
This study had the following aims: characterize the AMDV strains from most outbreaks produced at Spanish farms between 2012–2019 at the molecular level, and assess the utility of the combined use of molecular and epidemiological data to track the possible routes of infection.
Methods:
Thirty-seven strains from 17 farms were partially sequenced for the NS1 and VP2 genes and analyzed phylogenetically with other strains described worldwide.
Results:
Spanish AMDV strains are clustered in four major clades that generally show a good geographical correlation, confirming that most had been established in Spain a long time ago. The combined study of phylogenetic results and epidemiological information of each farm suggests that most of the AMDV outbreaks since 2012 had been produced by within-farm reservoirs, while a few of them may have been due to the introduction of the virus through international trade.
Conclusions
The combination of phylogenetic inference, together with epidemiological data, helps assess the possible origin of AMDV infections in mink farms and improving the control and prevention of this disease.