Severe case of rhabdomyolysis following jellyfish envenomation in the Mediterranean Sea.

Jellyfish envenomation is a common problem in coastal areas all over the world; usually symptoms are self-limited with no long-lasting complications. Despite that, some jellyfish species, mainly populating the Indian Ocean, are renown to be potentially lethal and in some cases may cause severe myopathy. We report the first case of rhabdomyolysis following a jellyfish sting in the Mediterranean Sea. A 17-year-old patient was admitted to the intensive care unit of our hospital in life-threatening conditions. He was dyspnoeic and dysphagic with pain and functional impairment of upper and lower limbs. The evidence of a red mark in his face and the clinical presentation, coupled with the diagnostic test performed, allowed the diagnosis of toxidrome from jellyfish venom. Treatment with hydration, ventilatory support and steroids led to a progressive improvement of patient conditions. Our case report stresses the importance of prompt identification and treatment of potential rhabdomyolysis determined by jellyfish and rises awareness on the presence of such venomous species in the Mediterranean Sea.

Diagnostic accuracy of different blood cells-derived indexes in rheumatoid arthritis: A cross-sectional study.

To evaluate the performance of different blood cells-derived indexes in the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte to monocyte ratio, platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), systemic inflammation response index (SIRI), and aggregate inflammation systemic index were calculated in 199 consecutive RA patients and 283 sex and age-matched controls (147 healthy donors and 136 patients with other rheumatic diseases). Area under the curve (AUCs), sensitivity and specificity were calculated to evaluate the accuracy of indexes in discriminating between RA and controls. Association between indexes and RA variables was explored by multiple linear regression analyses.Blood cells-derived indexes did not demonstrate good accuracy in differentiating RA from controls with lymphocyte to monocyte ratio, the index with the best diagnostic performance, having 63.6% of sensitivity and 65.3% specificity [AUC (95%CI) = 0.67 (0.62-0.72]. The accuracy of the indexes in differentiating RA from healthy donors was significantly higher than that (AUCs < 0.6 for all comparisons) differentiating RA from rheumatic diseases. In RA, SIRI and aggregate inflammation systemic index showed significant association with C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate.Our results do not support the use of blood cells-derived indexes for the diagnosis of RA, suggesting that they might reflect chronic inflammatory burden in rheumatic diseases rather than, specifically, in RA.

Coronary flow reserve in systemic rheumatic diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Coronary flow reserve (CFR), a measure of both obstructive coronary artery disease and microvascular dysfunction, has been evaluated in systemic rheumatic diseases (RDs), but a comprehensive critical appraisal of the available evidence is lacking. The objective of this study is to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies with small sample size investigating the associations between the presence of RDs and CFR to increase statistical power and accuracy. PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar, from inception to March 2018, were searched for studies reporting on CFR in RDs in comparison to healthy subjects. Standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Meta-regressions and sensitivity analyses assessed study heterogeneity by type of RDs, age, traditional cardiovascular risk factors, systemic inflammation, and methodology used to evaluate CFR. Twenty-one studies (709 RDs patients and 650 healthy controls) were included in the meta-analysis. Pooled results showed that CFR values were significantly lower in patients with RDs than in healthy controls (SMD = - 1.51, 95% CI - 1.91, - 1.11; p < 0.001; I2 = 90.1%, p < 0.001). The between-group differences in CFR were not associated with inflammatory burden, age, lipids, body mass index, blood pressure, or assessment methods. Patients with prevalent autoimmune features (e.g., systemic lupus erythematosus) showed a significantly lower CFR when compared to patients with mixed autoimmune and autoinflammatory features (e.g., psoriatic arthritis). This meta-analysis showed a significant impairment in CFR in patients with RDs with respect to the general population. Differences in pathogenetic mechanisms may influence the severity of CFR impairment in RDs.