Epidemiology of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and risk factors for carriage acquisition in an intensive care unit.

Because of a high prevalence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections, we conducted an epidemiological study to assess the need for systematic surveillance, as well as the value of applying barrier precautions toP. aeruginosa carriers. From July 1997 to February 1998, we conducted a prospective cohort study in an 18-bed medical intensive care unit (ICU), which is part of the infectious diseases department in a 1200-bed tertiary-care teaching hospital. Rectal and oropharyngeal swabs were obtained on admission and twice weekly. Acquired strains were genotypically characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). A risk factor analysis for carriage, colonization and infection was performed. Among 269 eligible patients, 116 (43%) were P. aeruginosa carriers, with 46 (17%) detected on admission and 70 (26%) who acquired carriage during their stay in ICU. Among these 70 patients, 29 became colonized (N=13) or developed infection (N=16). Conversely, in the 121 patients who remained free of carriage, no colonization or infection were detected. Genotyping analysis using PFGE was performed for 81/85 (95%) acquired strains in 67 patients. The same genotype I was observed for 58/81 (70%) of these strains issued from 47 patients, and a distinct genotype II affected two other patients (three strains). The last 20 strains were not genetically related. In a multivariate model, mechanical ventilation was associated with the acquisition of P. aeruginosa carriage. Antibiotics ineffective against P. aeruginosa significantly increased the risk of colonization or infection in ICU. Although several recent studies concluded that endogenous sources account for the majority of P. aeruginosa colonizations or infections, we conclude that epidemiology may vary according to the ICU, and that cross-colonization (i.e., exogenous source) may occur and warrant reinforced barrier precautions.

Tinea pedis in European marathon runners.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies suggest that 15% of the population in industrial countries suffer from tinea pedis (athlete's foot) and that persons who do sports are a high-risk population. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the responsibility of dermatophytes in interdigital lesions of the feet in European marathon runners and to identify associated risk factors. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Runners of the 14th Médoc Marathon (n = 147) were interviewed on risk factors for tinea pedis and underwent physical and mycological examinations. RESULTS: Interdigital lesions of the feet were found in 66 runners (45%). A dermatophyte was isolated in 45 runners (31%), 12 of whom were asymptomatic. Trichophyton interdigitale and T. rubrum accounted for 49% and 35.5%, respectively, of the cases of tinea pedis. Thirty-three (22%) of the 102 runners free of dermatophyte infection had lesions resembling those of tinea pedis. Increasing age and use of communal bathing facilities were predictive of T. rubrum culture. CONCLUSIONS: Marathon runners are at high risk for tinea pedis, but dermatophytes are responsible for only half of the foot lesions found in runners. The existence of asymptomatic carriers calls for prophylactic measures.

Divergence between the high rate of p53 mutations in skin carcinomas and the low prevalence of anti-p53 antibodies.

Circulating anti-p53 antibodies have been described and used as tumoural markers in patients with various cancers and strongly correlate with the p53 mutated status of the tumours. No study has yet looked at the prevalence of such antibodies in skin carcinoma patients although these tumours have been shown to be frequently p53 mutated. Most skin carcinoma can be diagnosed by examination or biopsy, but aggressive, recurrent and/or non-surgical cases' follow up would be helped by a biological marker of residual disease. We performed a prospective study looking at the prevalence of anti-p53 antibodies using an ELISA technique in a series of 105 skin carcinoma patients in comparison with a sex- and age-matched control skin carcinoma-free group (n = 130). Additionally, p53 accumulation was studied by immunohistochemistry to confirm p53 protein altered expression in a sample of tumours. Anti-p53 antibodies were detected in 2.9% of the cases, with a higher prevalence in patients suffering from the more aggressive squamous cell type (SCC) of skin carcinoma (8%) than for the more common and slowly growing basal cell carcinoma type or BCC (1.5%). p53 protein stabilization could be confirmed in 80% of tumours studied by IHC. This low level of anti-p53 antibody detection contrasts with the high rate of p53 mutations reported in these tumours. This observation shows that the anti-p53 humoral response is a complex and tissue-specific mechanism.

Clinical and histopathologic features and immunologic variables in patients with severe chilblains. A study of the relationship to lupus erythematosus.

We investigated 33 patients affected with chilblain lesions following a persisting course of more than 1 month. We focused on the incidence of an underlying connective tissue disease, mostly lupus erythematosus (LE), and we analyzed features of idiopathic chilblains compared with those of chilblain lesions associated with connective tissue disease. We also carried out a prospective follow-up of patients. Eleven patients included in the study were free of any clinical and/or laboratory abnormality suggestive of connective tissue disease, while 22 of 33 patients showed 1 or several abnormalities raising suspicion for connective tissue disease, and among them 8 had a diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) established at initial evaluation based on the American College of Rheumatology revised criteria. The comparative analysis of patients with idiopathic chilblains and patients with chilblains associated with LE showed that female sex and persistence of lesions beyond cold seasons were significantly associated with chilblain LE. Histopathologic studies of chilblain lesions did not reveal features typical of LE in any case, but revealed a higher incidence of a deep perisudoral infiltrate in idiopathic chilblains. In patients showing signs of connective tissue disease, positive cutaneous immunofluorescence was correlated with the presence of circulating antinuclear antibodies. Two patients had an ascertained diagnosis of SLE with severe manifestations during prospective follow-up, requiring treatment with oral steroids in both cases. Chilblains following a chronic course may reveal connective tissue disease, and patients affected with chilblains associated with autoimmune abnormalities may develop severe SLE. Accordingly, long-term follow-up of these patients is warranted.

High seroprevalence to Bartonella quintana in homeless patients with cutaneous parasitic infestations in downtown Paris.

Bartonella quintana infections have recently been reported in homeless patients. We prospectively studied the prevalence of and the factors associated with a positive serology to B quintana in the homeless population of downtown Paris. The following data were recorded: ongoing cutaneous parasitic infestation, years of homelessness, living status, previous episodes of body pediculosis and scabies, alcoholism, intravenous drug use, known immunodepression (including undernutrition and known HIV infection), and contacts with animals. B quintana serology was performed in 57 patients and in 53 age- and sex-frequency-matched downtown Paris volunteer blood donors. Thirty-one patients (54%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 41%-68%) had a positive B quintana serology as compared with 2% in the control group (P <.0001); 8 of 57 patients (14%; 95% CI: 6%-26%) had a serologic profile of an evolving infection. Age and years of homelessness were independently associated with a positive B quintana serology with adjusted relative risks (RRs) of 2.9 (95% CI, 1.4-5.9) for age 40 years and older and 1.7 (95% CI, 1.1-2.7) for years of homelessness 3 or more. Our results suggest a high prevalence of past and recent infections with B quintana in the downtown Paris homeless population with cutaneous parasitic infestations.

Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia: a long-term study of 70 patients-report of the French society of bone marrow transplantation.

PURPOSE: To identify predictive factors of survival, relapse, and transplantation-related mortality (TRM) among patients with therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome (t-MDS) or acute leukemia (t-AML) who underwent allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 1980 to 1998, 70 patients underwent allogeneic BMT for t-MDS (n = 31) or t-AML (n = 39) after prior cytotoxic exposure. Thirty-three patients had received induction-type chemotherapy before BMT. At the time of transplantation, there were 24 patients in complete remission (CR) and 46 with active disease. RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 7.9 years (range, 1.1 to 18.8 years) after BMT, 16 patients are alive, whereas 19 died of relapse, 34 of TRM, and one of relapse of the primary disease. The estimated 2-year overall survival, event-free survival, relapse, and TRM rates were 30% (95% confidence interval [CI], 19% to 40%), 28% (95% CI, 18% to 39%), 42% (95% CI, 26% to 57%), and 49% (95% CI, 36% to 62%), respectively. In multivariable analysis, age greater than 37 years, male sex, positive recipient cytomegalovirus (CMV) serology, absence of CR at BMT, and intensive schedules used for conditioning were associated with poor outcome. CONCLUSION: BMT is an effective treatment for patients with t-MDS or t-AML who have responsive disease and, in particular, who have no poor-risk cytogenetic features. The poor results of the other patients, especially those with active disease at BMT, emphasize the need to delineate indications and perform prospective protocols.

White blood cell count: a prognostic factor and possible subset indicator of optimal treatment with low-dose adjuvant interferon in primary melanoma.

AlphaIFN has recently been recognized as an adjuvant therapy to surgery in melanoma patients. A major issue is to select patients who will benefit from this therapy and to avoid toxicity in those who will not respond. The aim of this exploratory analysis was to identify the predictive factors of response to alphaIFN. The French cooperative group has recently shown that adjuvant therapy of melanoma patients with low-dose alphaIFN provides a benefit on disease-free interval (DFI). Using this database, predictors of DFI were investigated using Cox models and treatment-covariate interactions were sought. Gender, age, Breslow thickness, and baseline WBC count, given an alphaIFN-WBC interaction, were independent predictors of DFI. Baseline WBC count was the only variable for which there was an interaction with alphaIFN, whatever the Breslow: patients with low WBC count (<6.8 x 10(9)/liter = median) did not benefit from alphaIFN (HR=1.27 (95%CI: 0.84-1.91); P = 0.26) whereas the DFI of patients with high WBC was prolonged (P = 0.0001) with a hazard ratio of 0.50 (95% confidence interval, 0.35-0.71). The estimated values of WBC count for which IFN was significantly superior to no-treatment were those > or = 7.2 x 10(9)/liter. The baseline WBC count was correlated to baseline neutrophils but not to Breslow thickness or to time since last melanoma surgery. AlphaIFN prolonged DFI in patients with a high WBC count but not in those with a low WBC count. The results of this exploratory analysis, if confirmed by other studies, may help to identify patients who are most likely to benefit from alphaIFN.

Predictive factors for failure of isotretinoin treatment in acne patients: results from a cohort of 237 patients.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of oral isotretinoin in acne has been established, though the role of the mean daily dose (MDD) is still unclear. OBJECTIVE: To determine the predictive factors of resistance to oral isotretinoin and the role of the MDD of isotretinoin on relapse of acne while taking into account patient characteristics and the total cumulative dose (TCD). METHODS: Two hundred and thirty-seven patients treated with oral isotretinoin for the first time were enrolled by a single dermatologist. Patients with closed comedonal acne and with hyperandrogenism received adequate therapy prior to isotretinoin. RESULTS: Closed comedonal acne was the only predictive factor of resistance to isotretinoin with an adjusted OR = 2.7 (95% CI: 1.0-7.3). The estimated rates of relapse at 1, 3 and 5 years were 14, 40 and 48%, respectively. Age and grade of facial acne were the only predictive factors for relapse with adjusted relative risks of 0.6 (95% CI: 0.4-0.8) for age >/= 20 and 1.5 (95% CI: 1.0-2.2) for grade > 3. CONCLUSION: MDD, TCD, closed comedonal acne and hyperandrogenism that have been adequately treated prior to isotretinoin treatment had no prognostic value for relapse.

Randomised trial of interferon alpha-2a as adjuvant therapy in resected primary melanoma thicker than 1.5 mm without clinically detectable node metastases. French Cooperative Group on Melanoma.

BACKGROUND: Owing to the limited efficacy of therapy on melanoma at the stage of distant metastases, a well-tolerated adjuvant therapy is needed for patients with high-risk primary melanoma. Our hypothesis was that an adjuvant treatment with low doses of interferon alpha could be effective in patients with localised melanoma. METHODS: After resection of a primary cutaneous melanoma thicker than 1.5 mm, patients without clinically detectable node metastases were randomly assigned to receive either 3x10(6) IU interferon alpha-2a, three-times weekly for 18 months, or no treatment. The primary endpoint was the relapse-free interval. FINDINGS: 499 patients were enrolled, of whom 489 were eligible. When used as part of a sequential procedure, interferon alpha-2a was of significant benefit for relapse-free interval (p=0.038). A long-term analysis, after a median follow-up of 5 years, showed a significant extension of relapse-free interval (p=0.035) and a clear trend towards an increase in overall survival (p=0.059) in interferon alpha-2a-treated patients compared with controls. There were 100 relapses and 59 deaths among the 244 interferon alpha-2a-treated patients compared with 119 relapses and 76 deaths among the 245 controls. The estimated 3-year-relapse rates were 32% in the interferon alpha-2a group and 44% in controls; the 3-year death rates were 15% and 21%, respectively. Only 10% of patients experienced WHO grade 3 or 4 adverse events. Treatment was compatible with normal daily life. INTERPRETATION: Adjuvant therapy of high-risk melanoma with low doses of interferon alpha-2a for 18 months is safe and is beneficial when started before clinically detectable node metastases develop.

Chicken pox and acute monocytic leukaemia skin lesions in an HIV-seropositive man.

Lymphoid neoplasia is now well known to occur in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection but the first case of acute monocytic leukaemia in an HIV-seropositive man has been only recently described. We report the case of an HIV-infected patient who simultaneously developed skin lesions of acute monocytic leukaemia and chicken pox. We suggest that HIV may produce a malignant transformation of monocytic cells.

[Buschke-Ollendorff syndrome]. / Syndrome de Buschke-Ollendorff.

The Buschke-Ollendorff syndrome (BOS) is a rare connective tissue disorder inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern characterized by cutaneous lesions, dermatofibrosis lenticularis disseminata, and osteopoikilosis. We report a new case of this syndrome in a 66 year old man, interesting by its association with a protein C deficiency, another rare genetically transmitted disease. Diagnosis of the BOS is difficult on the mere cutaneous lesions; it is therefore important to systematically practice bone X-rays in the presence of atypical pseudoxanthoma elasticum, disseminated collagenoma or disseminated connective tissue or elastic nevi. The radiologically detectable osteopoikilotic bone lesions, evoking Paget's disease, easily sign the diagnosis. In our case, the association of a protein C deficiency with the BOS may not be fortuitous because both the elastin and protein C genes are localized on chromosome 2q.