Acta Clinica Belgica最新文献

Objectives: The content of substances sold and consumed as party drugs is often unknown. They may contain inactive, contaminated or unexpected ingredients, and the dosage of the active components may vary considerably. Obviously, these phenomena increase the chances of a wrong or delayed therapy. To illustrate this point, we report 3 cases of clozapine intoxication at a dance event where most likely clozapine tablets were sold as party drugs.Methods: The three cases were part of a prospective toxicology study at a nocturnal indoor dance event.Results: One patient had to be intubated after obstructive breathing with desaturation and bradycardia, while the 2 other patients presented with syncope and altered mental status. All patients recovered after 20 minutes to 8 hours. Systematic toxicological analysis of the blood samples revealed the presence of clozapine (73-244 ng/ml) and its metabolite norclozapine (9-59 ng/ml). A pill, found in a pocket of one patient, was identified as Leponex® 100 mg (clozapine). This neuroleptic drug is mainly prescribed for treatment-resistant schizophrenia. In clozapine-naive subjects, orthostatic hypotension, bradycardia and syncope have been reported with a single 25 mg oral dose. Serum clozapine concentrations of the 3 cases were below the defined therapeutic range (350-600ng/ml) and the clozapine:norclozapine ratios were suggestive for recent drug intake.Conclusion: Routine drug screening may be unable to detect the toxic agent(s) involved. Whenever unusual symptoms are observed in an intoxicated patient, blood and urine samples should be sent to a reference toxicology laboratory.

Chronic respiratory infection with Burkholderia cenocepacia (Bc) in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) is associated with accelerated decline in lung function and increased mortality. It is therefore important to attempt to eradicate new isolates, especially in children. However, there are no standardized guidelines to eradicate Bc. We report a case of successful eradication of new isolates of Bc in a 2-year-old child with CF using a combination of IV, nebulized antibiotics and sinus surgery.

Necrotizing myositis is an extremely rare soft tissue infection, mainly caused by Group A Streptococci. Although its presentation is nonspecific and seems harmless, it quickly leads to death in almost all cases. Therefore, diagnosis and treatment of necrotizing myositis are considered as medical emergencies. The 27 years old patient we report benefited from early diagnosis and care. Necrotic tissues were surgically removed 24 hours after the appearance of the first clinical signs. Intravenous antibiotherapy as well as immunoglobulin therapy were also given on the first day. Starting from this clinical case, we present a brief explanation of the pathogenesis, the key clinical features and appropriate tools for diagnosis. Then, adequate antibiotherapy, role of immunoglobulin therapy and interest of hyperbaric oxygenotherapy will be discussed.

Objectives: Melanoma induces lymphangiogenesis by secreting lymphangiogenic growth factors. The aim of this study was to examine the role of tumour lymphangiogenesis in survival of patients with cutaneous melanoma. Methods: Immunostaining of one hundred melanoma specimens was done with lymphatic-specific antibody D2-40. The quantification of tumour lymphangiogenesis - lymphatic vessel density (LVD) and lymphatic vessel area (LVA) - was calculated by computer-assisted morphometric analysis. Results: High intratumoural LVD, high peritumoural LVD, male gender, greater tumour thickness and Clark level IV/V were significantly associated with shorter disease-free survival (p= 0.001, p= 0.004, p= 0.004, p= 0.000 and p= 0.008, respectively) and melanoma-specific survival (p= 0.002, p= 0.002, p= 0.001, p= 0.000 and p= 0.017, respectively), while the trunk melanoma site was significantly associated only with shorter disease-free survival (p= 0.033). No significant association of LVA with survival was found. At multivariate analysis, peritumoural LVD [hazard ratio (HR) = 2.143, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.097-4.189, p= 0.026)] and melanoma thickness (HR = 1.276, 95%CI 1.106-1.473, p= 0.001) were independent predictors of disease-free survival, while intratumoural LVD (HR = 3.446, 95%CI 1.465-8.109, p= 0.005), peritumoural LVD (HR = 2.742, 95%CI 1.313-5.725, p= 0.007) and gender (HR = 2.880, 95%CI 1.304-6.362, p= 0.009) were independent predictors of melanoma-specific survival. Conclusion: Тhis study shows that LVD enables better prediction of survival than melanoma thickness and other clinical-pathological parameters. Intratumoural LVD is the most significant predictor of melanoma-specific survival, while only peritumoural LVD has a significant impact on both, a disease-free survival and a melanoma-specific survival.

Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) can be a severe indicator disease of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). We present two cases of homosexual male patients who came to the emergency unit of a Belgian hospital because of shortness of breath. Both men had been sent back home, initially diagnosed with a benign viral infection. Because of worsening symptoms and gradually evolving hypoxemia, both patients came back and were admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of (microbiology proven) Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia. HIV serology in both men was tested and was clearly positive, indicating a new diagnosis of HIV infection. In this article, we provide an overview of this possibly severe AIDS defining condition. First, we give an introduction of the history of HIV/AIDS and its occurrence in homosexual males in Europe. Secondly, we provide an overview of the diagnosis and treatment of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia. Finally, since the first case reports of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic also included homosexual men, we emphasize the potential importance of a sexual anamnesis in young male patients with an initial complaint of dyspnea.

Introduction: Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of the head and neck is a rare malignancy of the salivary glands that accounts for approximately 10% of salivary gland carcinoma. Despite aggressive local therapy, local recurrence and distant metastases occur frequently. Response rates (RR) to potential curative and palliative chemotherapy are limited, so new strategies are needed.

Case reports: We describe five case reports of patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic ACC of the head and neck who have been treated with sorafenib, a multi-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (mTKI).

Results: In this case series, we found that three out of five patients treated with sorafenib survived, respectively, 16, 35 and 35 months. Two patients showed a partial response (PR) and one patient had a prolonged stable disease (SD) for almost three years. Grade 3 adverse events (AE) occur under sorafenib so adequate toxicity management is essential. This retrospective case series hints towards the possibility of clinical benefit for treating ACC patients with sorafenib. Efficacy of sorafenib should be studied in a prospective-randomized clinical trial which is a challenging task due to the rarity of the disease.

Objectives: . To investigate the dose-response relationship between cardiovascular or psychotropic medication dosages and falling orthostatic blood pressure in geriatric inpatients.

Methods: . This cross-sectional study included 100 consecutive geriatric inpatients of a Belgian hospital. The end points were the maximum changes of systolic (sBP) and diastolic (dBP) blood pressure in a standing up position at one or three minutes. The dosages of six classes of vascular and five classes of psychotropic medications were expressed in terms of a proportion of defined daily doses (DDD). Bivariate and multivariate linear regression models were used.

Results: . The 100 geriatric patients (85 ± 5 years, 58 % women) received 7.7 ± 4 medications (mean DDD: vascular = 1.0, psychotropic = 0.74) on the day of an orthostatic test (lying sBP: 136 ± 21; dBP: 72 ± 14 mm Hg). In a standing position, sBP and dBP fell by 12 ± 17 and 11 ± 5 mmHg, respectively. At the individual level, BP change was not correlated with vascular DDD (sBP: p = 0.07, r² = 0.04; dBP: p = 0.59; r² = 0.004) nor with psychotropic DDD (sBP: p = 0.14, r² = 0.02; dBP: p = 0.82; r² = 0.0). In multivariate analysis, sBP drop was positively associated with age, diabetes, falls history, and number of medications, but not with the DDD of any of the medication classes, while dBP drop was positively associated with age, diabetes, stroke and anaemia, but again with the DDD of any of the medication classes.

Conclusion: . No correlation was found between vascular and psychotropic medication dosages and the orthostatic blood pressure drop expressed as a continuous variable.

Objectives: Emergency physicians have shown difficulties to combine their private and professional life. In addition to a very stressful environment, they have to deal with multiple sources of uncertainty. These factors may lead to psychological distress. The aim of this study is to determine the factors leading to dissatisfaction and burnout among Flemish emergency physicians (EPs). Which are the barriers hindering EPs to seek help and what are the potential solutions for this problem? Methods:This is a prospective, explorative qualitative study where seven Flemish EPs were interviewed. These were in-depth semi-structured interviews. The information from the interviews was analyzed using NVivo 12. Results:The common contributors were the working schedule, the increasing number of patients, the mental and physical impact of the job and the relatively low income. The most important barrier to seek help is the existence of an unforgiving medical culture. The solutions provided by the EPs are less patients and a better financing. Conclusion:Dissatisfaction and burnout are common among the EP profession. There is a need for awareness and a change in the unforgiving medical culture to a 'no shame no blame culture'. Improvement of EPs' work schedule and income to the level of other medical specialties are other important needs. Finally, reducing the number of patient contact at the emergency department, by highlighting the difference between medical urgency rather than personal convenience.

Objectives: Acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (aTTP) is a rare autoimmune disorder characterized by auto-antibodies to Willebrand factor (vWF) cleaving enzyme (ADAMTS13), resulting in unusually large vWF multimers that lead to platelet aggregation, microthrombi formation and microangiopathic hemolytic anemia. Hemolysis in aTTP is mechanical; thus, direct antiglobulin test (Coombs test) is usually negative. Multiple autoimmune conditions and various auto-antibodies have been described in the context of chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML). In this paper, we describe the first case of CMML with auto-antibodies to ADAMTS13, presenting initially as plasmapheresis-refractory Coombs-positive aTTP. Results: Although our patient was not treated for CMML, a complete remission of aTTP was eventually achieved with rituximab. Conclusion; We propose that aTTP should be in the differential diagnosis of CMML patients with thrombocytopenia and anemia (Coombs positive or not) who develop signs of thrombotic microangiopathy. Further studies are much needed to decipher the immune-mediated processes in CMML.