Soluble ST2 as a prognostic marker in community-acquired pneumonia.

OBJECTIVES: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is associated with high mortality when initial treatment fails. Early identification of these patients allows physicians to modify treatments earlier, increasing survival. METHODS: Ninety-one hospitalized patients with CAP were studied. Serum soluble ST2 levels were measured at diagnosis and at 3, 7, and 14 days (days 0, 3, 7, and 14) after the initiation of antimicrobial treatment. The predictive value of all-cause in-hospital mortality and the additive effect of soluble ST2 on the pneumonia severity index (PSI) were evaluated. RESULTS: In univariate analysis, high serum levels of soluble ST2 at days 0, 3, 7, and 14 were predictive of death (hazard ratios: 3.1, 10.0, 12.0, and 22.6, respectively). In multivariate analysis, a combination of soluble ST2 at day 3 (above 2700 pg/ml) and PSI were predictive of death with higher accuracy than PSI alone (net reclassification improvement, 0.44; integrated discrimination improvement, 0.17; P = 0.001 for both). Specifically, simultaneous presence of high soluble ST2 (day 3) and a PSI of 5 was suggestive of higher mortality risk than a PSI of 5 alone (mortality 78% vs. 39%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Soluble ST2 is prognostic indicator of CAP and can add to the predictive value of the PSI.

Mechanic's hands revisited: is this sign still useful for diagnosis in patients with lung involvement of collagen vascular diseases?

BACKGROUND: The presence of "mechanic's hands" is one of the clinical clues for collagen vascular diseases. However, the exact relevance of "mechanic's hands" in collagen vascular diseases has not been well documented. The aim of this study was to clarify the relevance of "mechanic's hands" to collagen vascular diseases including various skin lesions and interstitial pneumonia. METHODS: A retrospective review of the medical records of patients with "mechanic's hands" at our hospital between April 2011 and December 2012 was conducted. A PubMed search was also conducted using the term "mechanic's hands". RESULTS: Four patients in our institution and 40 patients obtained from PubMed who had "mechanic's hands" were identified. The most frequent diseases were DM/amyopathic DM (n = 24, 54.5%) and anti-ARS syndrome (n = 17, 38.6%). In these patients, the major skin lesions associated with "mechanic's hands" were periungual erythema (n = 23, 52.3%), Gottron's sign (n = 17, 38.6%), heliotrope rash (n = 10, 22.7%), Raynaud's phenomenon (n = 9, 20.5%), and anti-ARS syndrome (n = 17, 38.6%). Six cases (2 DM, 4 anti-ARS syndrome) had only "mechanic's hands". Antibodies to anti-ARS (n = 24) were Jo-1 (n = 19), PL-7 (n = 3), OJ (n = 1), and PL-12 (n = 1). CONCLUSION: The presence of "mechanic's hands" together with diverse skin lesions could be a clinical clue to the diagnosis of lung involvement associated with collagen vascular diseases, especially in anti-ARS syndrome or DM/amyopathic DM.

Serial quantification of procalcitonin (PCT) predicts clinical outcome and prognosis in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).

Procalcitonin (PCT), a calcitonin precursor, is commonly measured in the setting of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). However, the clinical significance of serial PCT changes has not been established. We conducted a prospective observational study of 122 patients with CAP. Thirty-day mortality was the primary endpoint. Secondary endpoints included: (1) initial treatment failure, (2) 30-day mortality and/or initial treatment failure, and (3) intensive care unit (ICU) admission. In subgroup analysis, we classified patients into pneumococcal pneumonia and non-pneumococcal pneumonia groups. The baseline frequency of 30-day mortality was 10.7%. Increases in serum PCT levels from admission to Day 3 were observed with statistically higher frequency in patients with 30-day mortality (P = 0.002). For secondary endpoints, only the 30-day mortality and/or initial treatment failure group was statistically significant (P = 0.007). Subgroup analysis revealed statistically significant changes in the non-pneumococcal pneumonia group (N = 85) across several endpoints, including 30-day mortality (P = 0.001), initial treatment failure (P = 0.013), and 30-day mortality and/or initial treatment failure (P < 0.001). No significant changes in endpoint measurements were found in the pneumococcal pneumonia group (N = 28). Interestingly, serum PCT levels at the time of diagnosis were higher in patients with pneumococcal pneumonia than those with non-pneumococcal pneumonia (P = 0.006), and this positively correlated with disease severity scores for all patients (PCT vs. PSI: R = 0.380, P < 0.001; PCT vs. A-DROP: R = 0.422, P < 0.001) and for non-pneumococcal pneumonia (PCT vs. PSI: R = 0.468, P < 0.001; PCT vs. A-DROP: R = 0.448, P < 0.001), but not for pneumococcal pneumonia. In conclusion, serial quantification of PCT can predict clinical outcomes for patients with CAP.

A case of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma revealed with limitation of PET-CT in the diagnosis of thoracic metastasis.

A 47-year-old man was referred to our hospital because of a 2-month history of dry cough, 2-kg weight loss, and a feeling of abdominal fullness. The PET-CT scan depicts the intense standard uptake values (SUVs) of the anterior and subphrenic lymphnodes, and intraperitoneal cavity, especially in the omentum, while, no uptake was found in the pleural cavity. Based on the pathological findings of the open lung biopsy specimens, he was diagnosed with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma of epithelioid type with thoracic metastasis. The present case demonstrated the some of the limitations of PET-CT in the diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma, which failed to detect pleural involvement despite aggressive invasion by this tumor.

Guillain-Barré syndrome in two patients with respiratory failure and a review of the Japanese literature.

We described two patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome and respiratory failure with or without mechanical ventilation. Case 1 was a 44-year-old man who treated as pneumonia under mechanical ventilation for a month and transferred to our hospital with unsuccessful weaning trials because of phrenic nerve palsy. Case 2 was a 74-year-old man who presented with aspiration pneumonia because of bulbar palsy. The present two cases with review of the Japanese literature showed that antecedent infection with initial symptoms within the most recent 5 to 46 days is a clinical clue to the diagnosis even in patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome accompanied by respiratory failure.

Kinetics of c-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid A protein (SAA) in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), as presented with biologic half-life times.

Context: In management of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), excellent biomarkers for inflammation would be helpful in our practice. Objectives: Kinetics of c-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid A (SAA) was characterized, using their biologic half-life times. Materials and methods: Time course of CRP and SAA levels in the successfully treated 36 CAP patients were investigated and their half-life times were determined and compared. Results & Discussions: SAA and CRP declined in an exponential mean and the biologic half-life times of SAA levels was 34.9 ± 28.7 h, significantly shorter than that of CRP, 46.4 ± 21.7 h (p = 0.0014). Conclusion: The kinetic evidence, presented as biologic half-life times of CRP and SAA, helps us make a clinical assessment of CAP patients.