Functional decline among bullous pemphigoid patients: A retrospective monocentric cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Bullous pemphigoid (BP) affects older patients with numerous comorbidities. The impact of BP on patient autonomy remains poorly understood. OBJECTIVES: To assess the frequency and factors associated with functional decline (FD) in BP. METHODS: In this retrospective monocentric study, we selected patients aged ≥75 years with BP diagnosed between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2021 and followed for more than 3 months. We assessed activity limitation at diagnosis and included patients with no or mild activity limitation. We described FD and its associated factors at 6 weeks and 3 months. FD was qualified as moderate or severe. Age, comorbidities (CIRS-G score), BP characteristics at diagnosis (including palms and soles involvement) and hospitalization were collected. Factors associated with FD were investigated through univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. Worsening of previous comorbidities or new comorbidities at Week 6 were collected. RESULTS: One hundred and thirty-one patients were included (mean age 85 years), 75 (57.3%) had no activity limitation, and 56 (42.7%) a mild activity limitation at baseline. At Week 6, FD was observed in 44 (33.6%) patients, including 23 out of 75 (30.7%) with no activity limitation and 21 out of 56 (37.5%) with mild activity limitation at baseline. FD was moderate in 20 cases (45.5%) and severe in 24 (54.5%) and persisted at Month 3 in 37 (84%) patients. By multivariate analysis, factors associated with FD were a CIRS-G score >7, palms and soles involvement and anti-BP180 antibodies level. Fifty (38.2%) patients experienced a worsening of their pre-existing comorbidities or a new one. CONCLUSION: FD is often observed in patients with BP, especially in those with severe symptoms, palms and soles involvement and comorbidities. A comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach involving geriatric assessments should be adopted to manage these patients.

Prognostic value of comorbidities in older patients with cancer: the ELCAPA cohort study.

BACKGROUND: In older patients, comorbidities competed with cancer for mortality risk. We assessed the prognostic value of comorbidities in older patients with cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analysed all patients >70 years of age with colorectal, breast, prostate, or lung cancer included in the prospective ELCAPA cohort. The Cumulative Illness Rating Scale-Geriatrics (CIRS-G) score was used to assess comorbidities. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS) at 3, 12, and 36 months. The adjusted difference in the restricted mean survival time (RMST) was used to assess the strength of the relationship between comorbidities and survival. RESULTS: Of the 1551 patients included (median age 82 years; interquartile range 78-86 years), 502 (32%), 575 (38%), 283 (18%), and 191 (12%) had colorectal, breast, prostate, and lung cancer, respectively, and 50% had metastatic disease. Hypertension, kidney failure, and cognitive impairment were the most common comorbidities (67%, 38%, and 29% of the patients, respectively). A CIRS-G score >17, two or more severe comorbidities, more than seven comorbidities, heart failure, and cognitive impairment were independently associated with shorter OS. The greatest effect size was observed for CIRS-G >17 (versus CIRS-G <11): at 36 months, the adjusted differences in the RMST (95% confidence interval) were -6.0 months (-9.3 to -2.6 months) for colorectal cancer, -9.1 months (-13.2 to -4.9 months) for breast cancer, -8.3 months (-12.8 to -3.9 months) for prostate cancer, and -5.5 months (-9.9 to -1.1 months) for lung cancer (P < 0.05 for all). CONCLUSIONS: Comorbidities' type, number, and severity were independently associated with shorter OS. A 17-point cut-off over 56 for the total CIRS-G score could be considered in clinical practice.

Evaluation of a prophylactic transfusion program on obstetric outcomes in pregnant women with sickle cell disease: A single centre retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of a prophylactic transfusion program (TP) on obstetric and perinatal outcomes in pregnant women with sickle cell disease (SCD). METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included all singleton pregnancies among women with SCD in a French university tertiary care center between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2017. The TP group included patients selected according to the French guidelines who received regular red blood cell transfusions during pregnancy until delivery. The factors associated with TP indication [year of birth, SCD genotype, history of acute chest syndrome and delayed hemolysis transfusion reaction (DHTR) risk score] were taken into account in a propensity score. A composite obstetric adverse outcome was defined associating birth before 34 gestational weeks and/or pre-eclampsia and/or small for gestational age and/or abruption and/or stillbirth and/or maternal death and/or neonatal death. RESULTS: In total, 246 pregnancies in 173 patients were analyzed. Twenty-two pregnancies with a history of DHTR were excluded. A higher frequency of TP was found before 2013 [119/148 (80.4%) vs 38/76 (50%); p < 0.001]. Rates of preterm birth before 34 gestational weeks (5.6% vs 19.7%; p = 0.001), vaso-occlusive crisis (36.5% vs. 61.8%; p < 0.001), and acute chest syndrome (6.1% vs. 14.5%; p = 0.04) during pregnancy were decreased significantly in the TP group. Among the groups with and without composite obstetric adverse outcomes, the frequency of TP was 52.6% and 74.7%, respectively [odds ratio (OR) 0.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.09-1.02]. The multivariate analysis shows that the TP was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of composite obstetric adverse outcomes (OR 0.28, 95% CI 0.08-0.97; p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: A red blood cell TP may have an independent protective effect on maternal and perinatal adverse outcomes during pregnancy in women with SCD.

Ischemic injury of the upper gastrointestinal tract after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a prospective, multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: The consequences of cardiac arrest (CA) on the gastro-intestinal tract are poorly understood. We measured the incidence of ischemic injury in the upper gastro-intestinal tract after Out-of-hospital CA (OHCA) and determined the risk factors for and consequences of gastrointestinal ischemic injury according to its severity. METHODS: Prospective, non-controlled, multicenter study in nine ICUs in France and Belgium conducted from November 1, 2014 to November 30, 2018. Included patients underwent an esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy 2 to 4 d after OHCA if still intubated and the presence of ischemic lesions of the upper gastro-intestinal tract was determined by a gastroenterologist. Lesions were a priori defined as severe if there was ulceration or necrosis and moderate if there was mucosal edema or erythema. We compared clinical and cardiac arrest characteristics of three groups of patients (no, moderate, and severe lesions) and identified variables associated with gastrointestinal ischemic injury using multivariate regression analysis. We also compared the outcomes (organ failure during ICU stay and neurological status at hospital discharge) of the three groups of patients. RESULTS: Among the 214 patients included in the analysis, 121 (57%, 95% CI 50-63%) had an upper gastrointestinal ischemic lesion, most frequently on the fundus. Ischemic lesions were severe in 55/121 (45%) patients. In multivariate regression, higher adrenaline dose during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (OR 1.25 per mg (1.08-1.46)) was independently associated with increased odds of severe upper gastrointestinal ischemic lesions; previous proton pump inhibitor use (OR 0.40 (0.14-1.00)) and serum bicarbonate on day 1 (OR 0.89 (0.81-0.97)) were associated with lower odds of ischemic lesions. Patients with severe lesions had a higher SOFA score during the ICU stay and worse neurological outcome at hospital discharge. CONCLUSIONS: More than half of the patients successfully resuscitated from OHCA had upper gastrointestinal tract ischemic injury. Presence of ischemic lesions was independently associated with the amount of adrenaline used during resuscitation. Patients with severe lesions had higher organ failure scores during the ICU stay and a worse prognosis. Clinical Trial Registration NCT02349074 .

Intracorporeal versus extracorporeal anastomosis in laparoscopic right hemicolectomy: results from the CLIMHET study group.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic right hemicolectomy (LRHC) is increasingly performed for the treatment of right colon disease. Nevertheless, standardization of the surgical technique regarding the performance of intracorporeal (IC) or extracorporeal (EC) anastomosis is lacking. The purpose of this study was to compare short-term postoperative outcomes in patients who had laparoscopic right colectomy either with IC or EC. METHODS: This was a retrospective, non-randomized and multicenter study conducted from January 2005 to December 2015 on the CLIMHET study group cohort from five tertiary centers in France. Data were collected for all patients with LRHC to compare patient characteristics, intraoperative data and postoperative outcomes in terms of medical and surgical complications, duration of hospitalization and mortality. A multivariate analysis was performed to compare the results in the two groups. RESULTS: Of the 597 patients undergoing LRHC, 150 had IC and 447 had EC. The incidence of medical complications (cardiac, vascular, and pulmonary complications) was lower in the IC group than in the EC group (13 vs 20%, p = 0.049). This difference remained significant in multivariate analysis after adjusting to field characteristics and patient histories (p = 0.009). Additionally, a shorter hospital stay (7 vs 8 days, p = 0.003) was observed in the IC group as compared to the EC group. This difference remained significant in favor of the IC group in multivariate analysis (p = 0.029). There was no difference between the groups as regards: surgical complications (p = 0.76), time of mobilization (p = 0.93), reintervention rate (p = 1) and 90-day mortality (p = 0.47). CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that IC anastomosis in LRHC is associated with fewer medical complications and shorter hospital stays compared to EC anastomosis.

Health-related quality of life and long-term sequelae in survivors of epidermal necrolysis: an observational study of 57 patients.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have investigated the global burden of sequelae and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) for survivors of epidermal necrolysis (EN). OBJECTIVES: To investigate the long-term HRQoL for survivors of EN using validated instruments. METHODS: We conducted a single-centre study that enrolled patients who were admitted for EN between 2010 and 2017. HRQoL was assessed via phone interview using the Short Form (SF)-36 questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale, Impact of Event Scale-Revised, and general quality-of-life outcomes, including EN-specific sequelae. The primary outcome measure was the physical component summary (PCS) score of the SF-36. RESULTS: In total, 57 survivors of EN [19 (33%) with intensive care unit (ICU) admission] were interviewed via telephone at a median of 3·6 years (1·9-6·1) after hospital discharge. The median PCS score was 0·44 SDs below that of the age- and sex-matched reference population and was significantly lower for survivors of EN who were admitted to the ICU vs. those who were not [43·7 (28·7-49·3) vs. 51·2 (39·4-56·5), P = 0·042]. The proportion of patients with EN who had HAD-anxiety score ≥ 8 or HAD-depression score ≥ 5 was 54% and 21%, respectively. Physical and mental outcomes did not differ between patients with EN who were admitted to the ICU and survivors of septic shock. Reported EN-specific sequelae were cutaneous (77%), ocular (70%), psychological (60%), dental/oral (49%), genital (30%) and respiratory (18%), with median intensity on a visual analogue scale. CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms the major burden and long-term impact of EN on quality of life for survivors and emphasizes the need for prolonged close follow-up after the acute phase. What's already known about this topic? Long-term sequelae have been reported in 90% of survivors of epidermal necrolysis (EN). Few studies have investigated the global burden of sequelae and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in survivors of EN. What does this study add? Survivors of EN, particularly those admitted to the intensive care unit, had poorer physical HRQoL than the French reference population but had comparable HRQoL to survivors of septic shock. Survivors of EN exhibited symptoms of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress syndrome. The most frequent sequelae were cutaneous, ocular and psychological, with visual analogue scale scores of 5/10 and 6/10. These results confirm the burden of EN on quality of life.

Trends in hospitalization rates for psoriasis flares since the introduction of biologics: a time series in France between 2005 and 2015.

BACKGROUND: In the late 2000s, the introduction of biologics transformed the prognosis for patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. We hypothesized that treatment with biologics may associate with a reduction in the hospitalization rate for psoriasis flares. OBJECTIVE: To analyse changes over time in the hospitalization rate for psoriasis flares. METHODS: We included inpatient stays in any of nine French hospitals between 2005 and 2015 for a psoriasis flare, as documented in the national inpatient database. In two centres, we also analysed data from the individual patients' electronic medical records. RESULTS: A total of 3572 stays were included. The introduction of biologics was not associated with a decrease in the number of hospitalizations for a psoriasis flare; on the contrary, we observed a non-significant increase in the number of hospitalizations (13 hospitalizations for psoriasis flares per quarter per 10 000 beds). In the two-centre study, the introduction of biologics was associated with a significant increase in the hospitalization of patients receiving topical treatments only (520 hospitalizations per year per 10 000 beds) and those with a first psoriasis flare. CONCLUSION: The number of hospitalizations for a psoriasis flare tended to increase between 2005 and 2015. The availability of additional treatment options might have increased patient demand and/or broadened the indications in clinical practice.

[Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) in elderly with cancer: For whom?]. / Évaluation gériatrique en oncologie : pour quels patients ?

Scientific societies recommend the implementation of a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) in cancer patients aged 70 and older. The EGA is an interdisciplinary multidimensional diagnostic process seeking to assess the frail older person in order to develop a coordinated plan of treatment and long-term follow-up. Identification of comorbidities and age-induced physiological changes that may increase the risk of anticancer treatment toxicities is essential to better assess the risk-benefit ratio in elderly cancer patients. The systematic implementation of a CGA for each patient is difficult to perform in daily practice. Therefore, it is recommended to screen vulnerable patients who will benefit from a complete CGA. Our work presents the vulnerability screening tools validated by at least two independent studies in a cancer elderly population setting. Among seven screening tools, the G8 and the VES13 are the most effective, and have been validated specifically in older population with cancer. The G8 is recommended by scientific societies and the French National Cancer Institute (INCa) because of its easy implementation in daily clinical practice, its high sensitivity and fair specificity. Although studies are underway to improve its performance, the G8 is currently the simplest tool to routinely identify older cancer patients who should have a complete assessment in geriatric oncology.

Th-17 Alloimmune Responses in Renal Allograft Biopsies From Recipients of Kidney Transplants Using Extended Criteria Donors During Acute T Cell-Mediated Rejection.

Although renal transplantation using expanded criteria donors has become a common practice, immune responses related to immunosenescence in those kidney allografts have not been studied yet in humans. We performed a retrospective molecular analysis of the T cell immune response in 43 kidney biopsies from patients with acute T cell-mediated rejection including 25 from recipients engrafted with a kidney from expanded criteria donor and 18 from recipients grafted with optimal kidney allograft. The clinical, transplant and acute T cell-mediated rejection characteristics of both groups were similar at baseline. The expression of RORγt, Il-17 and T-bet mRNA was significantly higher in the elderly than in the optimal group (p = 0.02, p = 0.036, and p = 0.01, respectively). Foxp3 mRNA levels were significantly higher in elderly patients experiencing successful acute T cell-mediated rejection reversal (p = 0.03). The presence of IL-17 mRNA was strongly associated with nonsuccessful reversal in elderly patients (p = 0.008). Patients with mRNA IL17 expression detection and low mRNA Foxp3 expression experienced significantly more treatment failure (87.5%) than patients with no mRNA IL17 expression and/or high mRNA Foxp3 expression (26.7%; p = 0.017). Our study suggests that the Th17 pathway is involved in pathogenesis and prognosis of acute T cell-mediated rejection in recipients of expanded criteria allograft.

Ranibizumab for exudative age-related macular degeneration: A five year study of adherence to follow-up in a real-life setting.

PURPOSE: To analyze adherence to follow-up over 5 years in patients treated with intravitreal ranibizumab for exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in a tertiary health care center. To investigate factors associated with failure to continue follow-up. METHODS: Retrospective chart review of all consecutive patients with exudative AMD, who received their first intravitreal ranibizumab injection at the Créteil Intercommunal University Hospital Eye Clinic between October 1, 2006 and March 31, 2007. Patient clinical characteristics at baseline and at the last follow-up visit were recorded. Distance from home to hospital was measured for each patient. A multiple-choice telephone survey was conducted for patients lost to follow-up to determine the main reasons for failure to continue follow-up. RESULTS: Two hundred and one patients were included. The rate of loss to follow-up over the 5-year period was 57% (115/201). Fifty-eight patients lost to follow-up completed the questionnaire. The main reasons reported by patients for follow-up discontinuation were long distance from home to hospital (51.7%, 30/58), subjective dissatisfaction with the benefits of intravitreal injections (34.5%, 20/58), and the excessive burden of periodic follow-up visits (24.1%, 14/58). Three factors were significantly associated with follow-up discontinuation: high age at baseline (82.2 vs. 76.5 years, P<0.001), poor best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at baseline (42.5 vs. 51.0 letters, P=0.020), and long distance from home to hospital (132 vs. 17.1km, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: In this study, adherence to follow-up over 5 years was poor. Age and BCVA at baseline and distance from home to hospital were independently associated with long-term adherence.

Interrelations of immunological parameters, nutrition, and healthcare-associated infections: prospective study in elderly in-patients.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Healthcare-associated infections [HAI] are common in elderly individuals and may be related to both nutritional deficiencies and immunosenescence. Here, we assessed whether overall malnutrition and/or specific nutrient deficiencies were associated with HAI via alterations in immune parameters. METHODS: Prospective observational cohort study in patients aged ≥ 70 years admitted to the geriatric rehabilitation unit of a teaching hospital in France between July 2006 and November 2008. Clinical and laboratory parameters reflecting nutritional status and immune function were collected at baseline. Flow cytometry was used to assess blood lymphocyte subsets including the naive CD4 T-cell count, naive and memory CD8 T-cell counts, effector CD8 T-cell count, and CD4/CD8 ratio. Patients were monitored for HAI for 3 months or until discharge from the geriatric unit or death. RESULTS: Of 252 consecutive in-patients aged ≥ 70 years [mean age, 85 ± 6.2 years], 181 [72%] met French National Authority for Health criteria for malnutrition and 97 [38%] experienced one or more HAI. Patients who subsequently experienced HAI had significantly lower baseline values for energy intake [odds ratio (OR), 0.76; 95% confidence interval (95%CI), 0.59-0.99], serum albumin [OR, 0.43; 95%CI, 0.32-0.58], serum zinc [OR, 0.77; 95%CI, 0.62-0.97], selenium [OR, 0.76; 95%CI, 0.61-0.95], and vitamin C [OR, 0.71; 95%CI, 0.54-0.93]. Associations linking these five variables to HAI were not significantly changed by adjusting for flow cytometry T-cell subset values. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest a direct effect of nutritional parameters on HAI rather than an indirect effect mediated by immune parameters.

[Improvement of pneumococcal immunization coverage in older patients]. / Amélioration de la couverture vaccinale anti-pneumococcique chez le sujet âgé.

PURPOSE: To study pneumococcal immunization coverage in older patients in hospital, and the impact of two actions aiming at improving this coverage. METHODS: We reported a prospective and descriptive study conducted from November 2009 to August 2010, including all new patients ≥75 years old received in a geriatric short-stay department and residing in Val-de-Marne, France. This study was performed in three successive three-month periods, to assess the vaccination coverage in the months following hospital release. Period I was the reference; Period II included an awareness campaign of general practitioners relying on the hospitalization discharge report, containing an indication for the vaccination; Period III consisted in a systematic proposal of vaccination by the geriatric hospital department. RESULTS: Indication for pneumococcal vaccination has been given to 139 patients (61.2%) in 227 processed questionnaires. The main indication was heart failure for 105 patients (75.5%). Twenty-four patients were already vaccinated (17.2%). No vaccination was reported in the three months following period I in 33 included patients. The awareness campaign targeting regular doctors resulted in only one vaccination out of 37 patients. Immunization coverage in the department had reached 84.5% of inoculation (38 of 45 patients). CONCLUSION: Pneumococcal vaccination is often prescribed in elderly patients but generally not executed. The awareness campaign did not result in a big enough immunization coverage improvement, compared to a codified proposal of vaccination during hospital stay.

Geriatric syndromes increased the nutritional risk in elderly cancer patients independently from tumour site and metastatic status. The ELCAPA-05 cohort study.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: We assessed the prevalence and risk factors of malnutrition in elderly cancer patients. METHODS: We studied a prospective cohort of solid cancer patients aged ≥70 years at referral to two geriatric oncology clinics between 2007 and 2010. Nutrition was evaluated using the Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA) using validated cut-offs (<17: malnutrition, 17-23.5: at-risk for malnutrition). Patients with non-digestive tumours (breast, prostate, urinary tract) and with digestive (colorectal, upper digestive tract and liver) were analysed separately using multinomial logistic regression. RESULTS: Of 643 consecutive patients, 519 had available data (median age, 80; men, 48.2%; metastases, 46.3%; digestive cancer 47.8%). In non-digestive group, 13.3% had malnutrition versus 28.6% in digestive group. The link between metastasis and malnutrition was significantly higher in non-digestive group (adjusted odds ratio [ORa ], 25.25; 95%CI: 5.97-106.8) than in digestive group (ORa, 2.59; 1.08-6.24; p for heterogeneity = 0.04). Other factors independently associated with malnutrition were cognitive impairment (ORa MMMSE ≤ 24 versus > 24 in non-digestive group: 16.68; 4.89-56.90 and in digestive group: 3.93; 1.34-11.50), and depressed mood (ORa MiniGDS ≥1 versus <1 in non-digestive group: 11.11; 3.32-37.17 and in digestive group: 3.25; 1.29-8.15) and fall risk (ORa fall risk versus no fall risk in non-digestive group: 4.68; 1.77-12.37; in digestive group: 100% of malnourished patients were faller's). CONCLUSION: We highlighted, in elderly cancer patients, the high prevalence of malnutrition and that geriatrics syndromes (i.e. cognitive impairment, depressed mood and fall risk) were independent risk factors for malnutrition. Moreover, metastatic status was significantly much more strongly associated with malnutrition in non-digestive than digestive tumours.

Delirium in older people after proximal femoral fracture repair: role of a preoperative screening cognitive test.

OBJECTIVE: Preoperative cognitive impairment has been identified as a major risk factor for postoperative delirium in older people. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether a validated and rapid screening cognitive test - COgnitive Disorder EXamination (CODEX) - performed preoperatively before proximal femoral fracture repair, was associated with a risk of postoperative delirium. STUDY DESIGN: We performed an observational prospective cohort study in orthopedic surgery department of a French hospital. PATIENTS: We included patients aged 70years or older undergoing proximal femoral fracture repair and who were free of known dementia and delirium at the preoperative phase. METHODS: Before surgery, the anesthesiologist realized the CODEX based on three-word recall test, simplified clock drawing and if one of these tasks was abnormal, spatial orientation was assessed. Delirium was routinely sought on postoperative day 3 (D3) using the Confusion Assessment Method by the geriatrician. RESULTS: Among the 52 included patients, seven (13.5%) had delirium on D3. All seven patients were among the 25 patients with abnormal CODEX results. None of the 27 patients with normal CODEX results had postoperative delirium. Abnormal CODEX was significantly associated with the risk of postoperative delirium in univariate analysis and after adjustment for age (odds ratio [OR]: 13.33; 95% confidence interval, [95%CI]: 1.85±∞; P<0.003). CONCLUSION: Abnormal preoperative rapid screening test CODEX is independently associated with postoperative delirium in older people undergoing hip fracture surgery and free of known dementia.

Neuropsychiatric symptoms in elderly inpatients: a multicenter cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We determined the prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms in geriatric rehabilitation patients to compare neuropsychiatric symptoms between patients with and without dementia, and to evaluate associations linking severity of cognitive impairment and neuropsychiatric symptoms. METHODS: In February 2009, we studied patients aged 75 years or older who had been admitted to four geriatric rehabilitation units in the Paris area. The twelve Neuropsychiatric Inventory items and four neuropsychiatric subsyndromes defined by the European Alzheimer's Disease Consortium were evaluated. RESULTS: Of the 194 patients, 149 (76.8%) had dementia, and 154 (79.4%) had exhibited at least one neuropsychiatric symptom during the past week. Agitation was the most common neuropsychiatric symptom in the group with dementia (36.9%) and depression in the group without dementia (35.6%). The dementia group had significantly higher prevalences of hyperactivity (p < 0.001) and delusions (p = 0.01) than the non-dementia group. In the dementia group, severity of cognitive impairment was associated with hyperactivity (p = 0.01) and psychosis (p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms among geriatric rehabilitation patients was high but not higher than in elderly outpatients.

Prevalence and factors associated with uveitis in spondylarthritis patients in France: results from an observational survey.

OBJECTIVE: To accurately estimate the prevalence of and the factors associated with uveitis in spondylarthritis (SpA) patients in France. METHODS: In an observational survey of SpA patients (diagnosis confirmed by the European Spondylarthropathy Study Group and/or Amor's criteria) consulting their rheumatologist for routine followup, we collected information regarding present/past history of uveitis, as well as detailed characteristics of the disease. Factors independently associated with uveitis were determined. RESULTS: From September 2008 to January 2009, 202 rheumatologists participated in the survey and recruited 902 patients (61% men) with a mean ± SD age of 45.3 ± 13.4 years and a mean ± SD disease duration of 10.4 ± 9.6 years. The SpA diagnoses were ankylosing spondylitis (71%), psoriatic arthritis (18%), or other SpA (11%). The HLA-B27 positivity rate was 76%. Uveitis prevalence was 32.2% (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 29.1-35.3%) since psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease were 22.3% (95% CI 19.5-25.0%) and 8.6% (95% CI 6.7-10.5%), respectively. Recurrence of uveitis occurred in 52.3% and complications occurred in 11.7% of patients. Factors independently associated with uveitis were HLA-B27 positivity (adjusted odds ratio [OR(adj) ] 2.97 [95% CI 1.83-4.81], P < 0.0001) and disease duration (OR(adj) 1.28 [95% CI 1.16-1.41], P < 0.0001 for ≥10 years). CONCLUSION: Results indicate that uveitis is the most common extraarticular feature of SpA, occurring preferentially in HLA-B27-positive patients over the entire course of the disease.

Performance of the Iris iQ(R)200 Elite analyser in the cell counting of serous effusion fluids and cerebrospinal drainage fluids.

AIMS: Evaluation of the Iris iQ(®)200 Elite analyser, initially designed for urinary cell counting, for the analysis of biological fluids (serous effusion fluids and cerebrospinal drainage fluids) and comparison of its performance with that of the manual microscopic method. METHODS: Routine samples (ascite fluids, pleural fluids and cerebrospinal fluids) were evaluated in terms of red blood cells and nucleated elements using the iQ(®)200 analyser and the manual method. The authors compared the reliability, repeatability and speed of the two techniques. In addition, the authors assessed the contribution of two different sample dilution processes to the improvement of iQ(®)200 analyser cytological results. RESULTS: Very good agreements were found between the two methods and between the two sample dilution processes. Regarding the repeatability, the coefficients of variation obtained with the iQ200 were slightly higher than those obtained by the manual method. Besides, the difference in the speed of the two methods was not significantly different for series with <10 samples. CONCLUSIONS: The Iris iQ(®)200 Elite analyser has allowed us to obtain reliable results, equivalent to that of the manual method, for cell enumeration in biological fluids. Although the speed of this instrument needs to be improved for larger series of samples, it enables standardised and objective cytological results to be obtained and represents an alternative to the usual manual microscopic method. Moreover, automation of such analyses permits saving of technician time.

[Does persistent occiput posterior position increase the risk of severe perineal laceration?]. / Les présentations postérieures augmentent-elles le risque de déchirures périnéales sévères?

OBJECTIVE: To assess the risk of severe perineal lacerations (III and IV degrees) during vaginal deliveries in occiput posterior position. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 9097 vaginal deliveries in a teaching hospital's maternity between January 1st 2005 and December 31st 2008. Risk factors associated with tears of the 3rd or 4th degree were studied by a multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Severe perineal lacerations occurred in 1.69% of cases (n=152) and did not significantly vary between 2005 and 2008. Parity was a protective factor (OR 0.42; P<0.001; IC(95%) 0.29-0.60) whereas instrumental extraction was associated with an increased risk: vacuum (OR 3.95; P<0.001, IC(95%) 2.23-7.00) and forceps (OR 3.55; P<0.001, IC(95%) 2.33-5.42). macrosomia. Risks were also increased in fetal macrosomia and episiotomy did not protect the mother (respectively OR 1.41 P<0.001, IC(95%) 1.19-1.68 and OR 1.73; P<0.001, IC(95%) 1.16-2.57). Persistent occiput posterior position was not significantly associated with an anal sphincter injury (OR=1.70 P=0.059; IC(95%) 0.98-2.94). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: In our series, occiput posterior position did not significantly impact the risk of severe perineal laceration. A manual rotation of the fetal head should be performed in case of associated risk factors.

Systemic chemokine levels, coronary heart disease, and ischemic stroke events: the PRIME study.

OBJECTIVES: To quantify the association between systemic levels of the chemokine regulated on activation normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES/CCL5), interferon-γ-inducible protein-10 (IP-10/CXCL10), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1/CCL2), and eotaxin-1 (CCL11) with future coronary heart disease (CHD) and ischemic stroke events and to assess their usefulness for CHD and ischemic stroke risk prediction in the PRIME Study. METHODS: After 10 years of follow-up of 9,771 men, 2 nested case-control studies were built including 621 first CHD events and 1,242 matched controls and 95 first ischemic stroke events and 190 matched controls. Standardized hazard ratios (HRs) for each log-transformed chemokine were estimated by conditional logistic regression. RESULTS: None of the 4 chemokines were independent predictors of CHD, either with respect to stable angina or to acute coronary syndrome. Conversely, RANTES (HR = 1.70; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05-2.74), IP-10 (HR = 1.53; 95% CI 1.06-2.20), and eotaxin-1 (HR = 1.59; 95% CI 1.02-2.46), but not MCP-1 (HR = 0.99; 95% CI 0.68-1.46), were associated with ischemic stroke independently of traditional cardiovascular risk factors, hs-CRP, and fibrinogen. When the first 3 chemokines were included in the same multivariate model, RANTES and IP-10 remained predictive of ischemic stroke. Their addition to a traditional risk factor model predicting ischemic stroke substantially improved the C-statistic from 0.6756 to 0.7425 (p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: In asymptomatic men, higher systemic levels of RANTES and IP-10 are independent predictors of ischemic stroke but not of CHD events. RANTES and IP-10 may improve the accuracy of ischemic stroke risk prediction over traditional risk factors.

Renal transplantation in patients with AA amyloidosis nephropathy: results from a French multicenter study.

Although end-stage renal disease related to AA amyloidosis nephropathy is well characterized, there are limited data concerning patient and graft outcome after renal transplantation. We performed a multicentric retrospective survey to assess the graft and patient survival in 59 renal recipients with AA amyloidosis. The recurrence rate of AA amyloidosis nephropathy was estimated at 14%. The overall, 5- and 10-year patient survival was significantly lower for the AA amyloidosis patients than for a control group of 177 renal transplant recipients (p = 0.0001, 0.028 and 0.013, respectively). In contrast, we did not observe any statistical differences in the 5- and 10- year graft survival censored for death between two groups. AA amyloidosis-transplanted patients exhibited a high proportion of infectious complications after transplantation (73.2%). Causes of death included both acute cardiovascular events and fatal septic complications. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the recurrence of AA amyloidosis on the graft (adjusted OR = 14.4, p = 0.01) and older recipient age (adjusted OR for a 1-year increase = 1.06, p = 0.03) were significantly associated with risk of death. Finally, patients with AA amyloidosis nephropathy are eligible for renal transplantation but require careful management of both cardiovascular and infectious complications to reduce the high risk of mortality.