The Development and Evaluation of a Prediction Model for Kidney Transplant-Based Pneumocystis carinii Pneumonia Patients Based on Hematological Indicators.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to develop a simple predictive model for early identification of the risk of adverse outcomes in kidney transplant-associated Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) patients. METHODS: This study encompassed 103 patients diagnosed with PCP, who received treatment at our hospital between 2018 and 2023. Among these participants, 20 were categorized as suffering from severe PCP, and, regrettably, 13 among them succumbed. Through the application of machine learning techniques and multivariate logistic regression analysis, two pivotal variables were discerned and subsequently integrated into a nomogram. The efficacy of the model was assessed via receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and calibration curves. Additionally, decision curve analysis (DCA) and a clinical impact curve (CIC) were employed to evaluate the clinical utility of the model. The Kaplan-Meier (KM) survival curves were utilized to ascertain the model's aptitude for risk stratification. RESULTS: Hematological markers, namely Procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP)-to-albumin ratio (CAR), were identified through machine learning and multivariate logistic regression. These variables were subsequently utilized to formulate a predictive model, presented in the form of a nomogram. The ROC curve exhibited commendable predictive accuracy in both internal validation (AUC = 0.861) and external validation (AUC = 0.896). Within a specific threshold probability range, both DCA and CIC demonstrated notable performance. Moreover, the KM survival curve further substantiated the nomogram's efficacy in risk stratification. CONCLUSIONS: Based on hematological parameters, especially CAR and PCT, a simple nomogram was established to stratify prognostic risk in patients with renal transplant-related PCP.

Machine Learning Models for Prediction of Severe Pneumocystis carinii Pneumonia after Kidney Transplantation: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to formulate and validate a prognostic model for postoperative severe Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (SPCP) in kidney transplant recipients utilizing machine learning algorithms, and to compare the performance of various models. METHODS: Clinical manifestations and laboratory test results upon admission were gathered as variables for 88 patients who experienced PCP following kidney transplantation. The most discriminative variables were identified, and subsequently, Support Vector Machine (SVM), Logistic Regression (LR), Random Forest (RF), K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LGBM), and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGB) models were constructed. Finally, the models' predictive capabilities were assessed through ROC curves, sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and F1-scores. The Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) algorithm was employed to elucidate the contributions of the most effective model's variables. RESULTS: Through lasso regression, five features-hemoglobin (Hb), Procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), progressive dyspnea, and Albumin (ALB)-were identified, and six machine learning models were developed using these variables after evaluating their correlation and multicollinearity. In the validation cohort, the RF model demonstrated the highest AUC (0.920 (0.810-1.000), F1-Score (0.8), accuracy (0.885), sensitivity (0.818), PPV (0.667), and NPV (0.913) among the six models, while the XGB and KNN models exhibited the highest specificity (0.909) among the six models. Notably, CRP exerted a significant influence on the models, as revealed by SHAP and feature importance rankings. CONCLUSIONS: Machine learning algorithms offer a viable approach for constructing prognostic models to predict the development of severe disease following PCP in kidney transplant recipients, with potential practical applications.

Pneumocystis jiroveci Pneumonia: A Review of Management in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Non-HIV Immunocompromised Patients.

Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia is an opportunistic fungal infection that was mainly associated with pneumonia in patients with advanced human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease. There has been a decline in Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia incidence in HIV since the introduction of antiretroviral medications. However, its incidence is increasing in non-HIV immunocompromised patients including those with solid organ transplantation, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, solid organ tumors, autoimmune deficiencies, and primary immunodeficiency disorders. We aim to review and summarize the etiology, epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in HIV, and non-HIV patients. HIV patients usually have mild-to-severe symptoms, while non-HIV patients present with a rapidly progressing disease. Induced sputum or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid can be used to make a definitive diagnosis of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole is considered to be the first-line drug for treatment and has proven to be highly effective for Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia prophylaxis in both HIV and non-HIV patients. Pentamidine, atovaquone, clindamycin, and primaquine are used as second-line agents. While several diagnostic tests, treatments, and prophylactic regimes are available at our disposal, there is need for more research to prevent and manage this disease more effectively.

Opportunistic infections associated with Janus kinase inhibitor treatment for rheumatoid arthritis: A structured literature review.

BACKGROUND: The availability of Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors has transformed the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), helping patients achieve clinical remission. However, the emergence of opportunistic infections (OIs) associated with the use of JAK inhibitors has been reported. This structured literature review was conducted to summarize reports of OIs associated with JAK inhibitor treatment for RA in clinical trials. METHODS: Structured searches were performed in MEDLINE® and Embase® to identify relevant clinical trial data through March 2021. Bibliographic searches of recent reviews were also conducted, and gray literature searches were used to supplement key gap areas. Publications were screened, extracted, and quality assessed. Data were narratively synthesized. RESULTS: Following screening, 105 publications describing 62 unique clinical trials reporting the rates of OIs in RA patients treated with JAK inhibitors were included. Overall, the highest exposure-adjusted incidence rate was reported for herpes zoster (HZ) infection (any form), followed by OI (any) and tuberculosis based on limited data from clinical trials with approved doses of JAK inhibitors. Lack of head-to-head trials and differences in trial design preclude direct comparison across JAK inhibitors. Higher rates of OIs were noted in the Asian and Australian populations compared with the global population. Higher rates of OIs were also noted with increasing dose of JAK inhibitors in most clinical trial data. CONCLUSIONS: HZ was the most common OI reported among RA patients using all currently approved JAK inhibitors in clinical trials, although tuberculosis and other OIs were also reported. More long-term safety studies in the real-world setting are needed to compare the risk of OIs between various JAK inhibitors.

[Clinical Characteristic, Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Combined with Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia in Children].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characteristics and treatment of pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), in order to improve the early diagnosis and effective treatment. METHODS: Clinical data of five children with ALL developing PCP in the post-chemotherapy granulocyte deficiency phase were analyzed retrospectively. The clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, imaging findings, treatment methods and effect were summarized. RESULTS: The male-to-female ratio of the five children was 1∶4, and the median age was 5.5 (2.9-8) years old. All patients developed PCP during granulocyte deficiency phase after induction remission chemotherapy. The clinical manifestations were generally non-specific, including high fever, tachypnea, dyspnea, non-severe cough, and rare rales in two lungs (wet rales in two patients). Laboratory tests showed elevated C-reactive protein (CRP), serum procalcitonin (PCT), (1,3)-ß-D-glucan (BDG), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and inflammatory factors including IL-2R, IL-6 and IL-8. Chest CT showed diffuse bilateral infiltrates with patchy hyperdense shadows. Pneumocystis carinii(PC) was detected in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) or induced sputum by high-throughput sequencing in all patients. When PCP was suspected, chemotherapy was discontinued immediately, treatment of trimethoprim-sulfame thoxazole (TMP-SMX) combined with caspofungin against PC was started, and adjunctive methylprednisolone was used. Meanwhile, granulocyte-stimulating factor and gammaglobulin were given as the supportive treatment. All patients were transferred to PICU receiving mechanical ventilation due to respiratory distress during treatment. Four children were cured and one died. CONCLUSION: PCP should be highly suspected in ALL children with high fever, dyspnea, increased LDH and BDG, and diffuse patchy hyperdense shadow or solid changes in lung CT. The pathogen detection of respiratory specimens should be improved as soon as possible. TMP/SMZ is the first-line drug against PCP, and the combination of Caspofungin and TMP/SMZ treatment for NH-PCP may have a better efficacy. Patients with moderate and severe NH-PCP may benefit from glucocorticoid.

Super-resolution reconstruction of pneumocystis carinii pneumonia images based on generative confrontation network.

OBJECTIVE: Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, also known as pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), is an interstitial plasma cell pneumonia caused by pneumocystis spp. It is a conditional lung infectious disease. Because the early and correct diagnosis of PCP has a great influence on the prognosis of patients, the image processing of PCP's high-resolution CT (HRCT) is extremely important. Traditional image super-resolution reconstruction algorithms have difficulties in network training and artifacts in generated images. The super-resolution reconstruction algorithm of generative counter-networks can optimize these two problems well. METHODS: In this paper, the texture enhanced super-resolution generative adversarial network (TESRGAN) is based on a generative confrontation network, which mainly includes a generative network and a discriminant network. In order to improve the quality of image reconstruction, TESRGAN improved the structure of the Super-Resolution Generative Adversarial Network (SRGAN) generation network, removed all BN layers in SRGAN, and replaced the ReLU function with the LeakyReLU function as the nonlinear activation function of the network to avoid the disappearance of the gradient. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS: The TESRGAN algorithm in this paper is compared with the image reconstruction results of Bicubic, SRGAN, Enhanced Deep Super-Resolution network (EDSR), and ESRGAN. Compared with algorithms such as SRGAN and EDSR, our algorithm has clearer texture details and more accurate brightness information without extending the running time. Our reconstruction algorithm can improve the accuracy of image low-frequency information. CONCLUSION: The texture details of the reconstruction result are clearer and the brightness information is more accurate, which is more in line with the requirements of visual sensory evaluation.

Case Report: Successful treatment of severe pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in a case series of primary nephrotic syndrome after receiving anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody therapy.

Rituximab is emerging as a new steroid sparing agent in children with difficult-to-treat nephrotic syndrome due to its ability of depleting CD20-positive B cells. Life-threatening adverse events such as pneumocystis carinii pneumonia may occur even though it seems to be well tolerated. Since rituximab is wildly used in immune-mediated diseases, it is important to manage its severe adverse events. To explore the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in children with primary nephrotic syndrome (PNS) after receiving rituximab therapy, we retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of PNS patients younger than 18 years old with pneumocystis carinii pneumonia who were hospitalized in our center. Clinical features and laboratory test results were retrieved from the electronic medical records. Severe pneumocystis carinii pneumonia occurred in one child with steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome and two with steroid dependent nephrotic syndrome patients after rituximab treatment. These patients were diagnosed in time by metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) for pathogen detection. Fortunately, all three patients survived after antifungal treatment and achieved complete remission eventually. In conclusion, early diagnosis by using mNGS and timely antifungal treatment is the key to successful management of pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in children with difficult-to-treat PNS.

Nursing care of pneumocystis carinii pneumonia after liver transplantation in infants / 中国实用护理杂志

Objective:To explore the nursing points of pneumocystis carinii pneumonia after liver transplantation in infants.Methods:Strengthened artificial airway management for children to improve dyspnea. Adopted nasal high-flow humidifying oxygen therapy to correct hypoxemia. Implemented individual temperature management to effectively control high fever. Strengthened children′s medication management, predictive skin management, using the protective isolation and psychological nursing.Results:After timely treatment and careful nursing, the condition of the three children was improved, SpO 2 was maintained at 0.95-1.00, and the patients were discharged successfully. One patient with respiratory failure died of multiple organ failure due to the deterioration of the condition after receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygen and supportive treatment. Conclusions:The infants with pneumocystis carinii pneumonia after liver transplantation should strengthen airway management, correct hypoxia. At the same time to do a good job of symptomatic care, strengthen the observation of the condition, can promote the rehabilitation.

Clinical characteristics and prognosis of severe pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in pediatric liver transplant recipients / 中国小儿急救医学

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics and risk factors for mortality of severe pneumocystis carinii pneumonia(PCP)in pediatric liver transplant(LT)recipients.Methods:The data of severe PCP in LT recipients diagnosed at Shanghai Children′s Medical Center from November 2019 to February 2021 were collected.The clinical characteristics and risk factors for 28-day mortality were analyzed.Results:Fifteen patients were enrolled in the study.Thirteen cases survived and 2 cases were non-survived.There was no routine anti-pneumocystis prophylaxis after LT.The median age of onset of PCP was 12(7, 26)months.The median time after LT was 3.00(0.33, 4.00)months.The onset clustered in November-December and June-August.All patients were mechanically ventilated, and some patients were given prone ventilation(11 cases), neuromuscular blocking agents(13 cases)and high concentration oxygen(more than 60%, nine cases). Fourteen cases were complicated with other infections.Two cases were complicated with pneumothorax and subcutaneous/mediastinal emphysema.There were 2 cases with septic shock-like manifestation, 1 case of right heart insufficiency, 1 case of right heart failure(death), and 1 case of multiple organ failure(death). Compared with the survived group, the non-survived group had higher pediatric risk of mortality Ⅲ score[3.5(0.0, 6.0)vs.8.5(5.0, 12.0), Z=1.993, P=0.046] and lactate dehydrogenase level[1 731.5(1 012.0, 3 270.0)U/L vs.4 387.5(3 606.0, 5 169.0)U/L, Z=2.148, P=0.032]. Conclusion:PCP in pediatric LT is critical and complicated.Pediatric risk of mortality Ⅲ scores and lactate dehydrogenase increase in 28-day hospitalized deaths.

Clinical characteristics of pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in children without human immunodeficiency virus infection / 中国小儿急救医学

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis factors in children with pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected.Methods:From January 2017 to December 2020, 35 non-HIV infected patients with PCP were admitted to Hunan Children′s Hospital.According to the prognosis at discharge, they were divided into survival group and death group.The clinical characteristics of two groups were compared, and the prognostic factors were analyzed.Results:The age of 35 patients ranged from 1 month to 15 years, including 24 males and 11 females.Seven patients(20.0%) had primary immunodeficiency, 5 patients(14.2%) had autoimmune disease, and 4 patients(11.4%) had renal disease.Eighteen patients were treated with long-term hormone and 13 patients were treated with immunosuppressive agents before the onset of the disease.Clinical symptoms included shortness of breath or dyspnea, cough, fever and so on, while with few pulmonary signs.Peripheral blood lymphocyte count was less than 1.5×10 9/L in 18 cases.The median LDH was(654.94±57.66)U/L; Fungal D-glucan increased in 13 cases.The median P/F was(121.29±23.25)mmHg, and P/F was less than 200 mmHg in 16 cases.CD4 cells were less than 500/μL in 15 cases and less than 200/μL in 8 cases.The imaging findings were mainly consolidation or patellar shadow, diffuse ground glass shadow, 3 cases with pleural effusion, and 1 case with pneumothorax.Twenty-two cases survived and 13 died, with a mortality rate of 37.1%.There were statistically significant differences in hospitalization days, CD4 cell count, Fungal D-glucan, P/F, ICU admission and invasive mechanical ventilation between two groups( P<0.05). Logistic multivariate analysis showed that decreased P/F value was an independent risk factor affecting the prognosis of non-HIV infected children with PCP ( OR=0.006, 95% CI 0.975-1.000). Conclusion:The clinical manifestations, laboratory examinations and imaging examinations of non-HIV infected patients with PCP lack specificity.When a diagnosis is suspected, high-resolution CT should be performed based on the results of peripheral blood lymphocyte count, CD4 cell count, fungal D, LDH, and blood gas analysis results as soon as possible, compound sulfamethoxazole should be used timely.Decreased P/F value is an independent factor affecting the prognosis of non-HIV children with PCP.

Clinical characteristics and prognosis of severe pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in pediatric liver transplant recipients / 中国小儿急救医学

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics and risk factors for mortality of severe pneumocystis carinii pneumonia(PCP)in pediatric liver transplant(LT)recipients.Methods:The data of severe PCP in LT recipients diagnosed at Shanghai Children′s Medical Center from November 2019 to February 2021 were collected.The clinical characteristics and risk factors for 28-day mortality were analyzed.Results:Fifteen patients were enrolled in the study.Thirteen cases survived and 2 cases were non-survived.There was no routine anti-pneumocystis prophylaxis after LT.The median age of onset of PCP was 12(7, 26)months.The median time after LT was 3.00(0.33, 4.00)months.The onset clustered in November-December and June-August.All patients were mechanically ventilated, and some patients were given prone ventilation(11 cases), neuromuscular blocking agents(13 cases)and high concentration oxygen(more than 60%, nine cases). Fourteen cases were complicated with other infections.Two cases were complicated with pneumothorax and subcutaneous/mediastinal emphysema.There were 2 cases with septic shock-like manifestation, 1 case of right heart insufficiency, 1 case of right heart failure(death), and 1 case of multiple organ failure(death). Compared with the survived group, the non-survived group had higher pediatric risk of mortality Ⅲ score[3.5(0.0, 6.0)vs.8.5(5.0, 12.0), Z=1.993, P=0.046] and lactate dehydrogenase level[1 731.5(1 012.0, 3 270.0)U/L vs.4 387.5(3 606.0, 5 169.0)U/L, Z=2.148, P=0.032]. Conclusion:PCP in pediatric LT is critical and complicated.Pediatric risk of mortality Ⅲ scores and lactate dehydrogenase increase in 28-day hospitalized deaths.

Clinical characteristics of pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in children without human immunodeficiency virus infection / 中国小儿急救医学

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis factors in children with pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected.Methods:From January 2017 to December 2020, 35 non-HIV infected patients with PCP were admitted to Hunan Children′s Hospital.According to the prognosis at discharge, they were divided into survival group and death group.The clinical characteristics of two groups were compared, and the prognostic factors were analyzed.Results:The age of 35 patients ranged from 1 month to 15 years, including 24 males and 11 females.Seven patients(20.0%) had primary immunodeficiency, 5 patients(14.2%) had autoimmune disease, and 4 patients(11.4%) had renal disease.Eighteen patients were treated with long-term hormone and 13 patients were treated with immunosuppressive agents before the onset of the disease.Clinical symptoms included shortness of breath or dyspnea, cough, fever and so on, while with few pulmonary signs.Peripheral blood lymphocyte count was less than 1.5×10 9/L in 18 cases.The median LDH was(654.94±57.66)U/L; Fungal D-glucan increased in 13 cases.The median P/F was(121.29±23.25)mmHg, and P/F was less than 200 mmHg in 16 cases.CD4 cells were less than 500/μL in 15 cases and less than 200/μL in 8 cases.The imaging findings were mainly consolidation or patellar shadow, diffuse ground glass shadow, 3 cases with pleural effusion, and 1 case with pneumothorax.Twenty-two cases survived and 13 died, with a mortality rate of 37.1%.There were statistically significant differences in hospitalization days, CD4 cell count, Fungal D-glucan, P/F, ICU admission and invasive mechanical ventilation between two groups( P<0.05). Logistic multivariate analysis showed that decreased P/F value was an independent risk factor affecting the prognosis of non-HIV infected children with PCP ( OR=0.006, 95% CI 0.975-1.000). Conclusion:The clinical manifestations, laboratory examinations and imaging examinations of non-HIV infected patients with PCP lack specificity.When a diagnosis is suspected, high-resolution CT should be performed based on the results of peripheral blood lymphocyte count, CD4 cell count, fungal D, LDH, and blood gas analysis results as soon as possible, compound sulfamethoxazole should be used timely.Decreased P/F value is an independent factor affecting the prognosis of non-HIV children with PCP.

Clinical analysis of pneumocystis pneumonia after kidney transplantation: a report of 13 cases / 中华器官移植杂志

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics of pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) after kidney transplantation.Methods:From January 2020 to January 2022, clinical data were retrospectively reviewed for 13 renal transplant recipients with pneumocystis pneumonia diagnosed by metagenomics next generation sequencing (mNGS). There were 3 females and 10 males with an age range of (46±10) years.The median time of postoperative onset was 10(2-21) months; The major clinical manifestations included fever ( n=11), cough ( n=7), expectoration ( n=6) and dyspnea ( n=11). Paired t-test was employed for analyzing the laboratory results at admission and discharge. Results:The diagnosis was confirmed by the detection of NGS in alveolar lavage fluid or venous blood.The levels of G test, LDH test, total T lymphocyte absolute count (CD3+ Abs), inhibitory/cytotoxic T lymphocyte count (CD3+ CD8+ Abs) and auxiliary/induced T lymphocyte absolute count (CD3+ CD4+ Abs) were (543.27±440.49) pg/ml, (529.98±222.43)U/L and (191.92±119.42)/μl, (87.33±50.59)/μl and (106.92±87.42)/μl at admission and (69.58±50.21) pg/ml, (285.38±46.62 U/L), (888.58±672.99)/μl, (336.83±305.21)/μl and (520.08±388.76)/μl at discharge.The differences were statistically significant ( P<0.001, P=0.002, 0.006, 0.017, 0.005). All of them received compound sulfamethoxazole and caspofungin.Except for one death due to septic shock after 21-day treatment, 12 cases were cured. Conclusions:mNGS test is one of the important tool for an early diagnosis of PCP.Combined use of compound sulfamethoxazole and caspofungin is an effective anti-infective regimen.And immune function monitoring is vital for adjusting antibiotic and immunosuppressive regimens.

Super-resolution of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia CT via self-attention GAN.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Computed tomography (CT) examination plays an important role in screening suspected and confirmed patients in pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), and the efficient acquisition of high-quality medical CT images is essential for the clinical application of computer-aided diagnosis technology. Therefore, improving the resolution of CT images of pneumonia is a very important task. METHODS: Aiming at the problem of how to recover the texture details of the reconstructed PCP CT super-resolution image, we propose the image super-resolution reconstruction model based on self-attention generation adversarial network (SAGAN). In the SAGAN algorithm, a generator based on self-attention mechanism and residual module is used to transform a low-resolution image into a super-resolution image. A discriminator based on depth convolution network tries to distinguish the difference between the reconstructed super-resolution image and the real super-resolution image. In terms of loss function construction, on the one hand, the Charbonnier content loss function is used to improve the accuracy of image reconstruction, and on the other hand, the feature value before activation of the pre-trained VGGNet is used to calculate the perceptual loss to achieve accurate texture detail reconstruction of super-resolution images. RESULTS: Experimental results show that our SAGAN algorithm is superior to other state-of-the-art algorithms in both peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and structural similarity score (SSIM). Specifically, our SAGAN method can obtain 31.94 dB which is 1.53 dB better than SRGAN on Set5 dataset for 4 enlargements. CONCLUSION: Our SAGAN method can reconstruct more realistic PCP CT images with clear texture, which can help experts diagnose the condition of PCP.

First case of low-dose umbilical cord blood therapy for pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome induced by Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to present the case of a boy with acute distress syndrome (ARDS) treated with low-dose umbilical cord blood (UCB) therapy and explore the underlying possible mechanism. METHODS: A 7-year-old boy with severe Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and severe ARDS was treated with allogeneic UCB as salvage therapy. RESULTS: The patient did not improve after being treated with lung protective ventilation, pulmonary surfactant replacement, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for 30 days. However, his disease reversed 5 days after allogeneic UCB infusion, and he weaned from ECMO after 7 days of infusion. Bioinformatics confirmed that his Toll-like receptor (TLR) was abnormal before UCB infusion. However, after the infusion, his immune system was activated and repaired, and the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway was recovered. CONCLUSION: Allogenic UCB could treat ARDS by repairing the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway, thereby achieving stability of the immune system.

Narrative review of the relationship between COVID-19 and PJP: does it represent coinfection or colonization?

BACKGROUND: Pneumocystis jirovecii (P. jirovecii) is increasingly identified on lower respiratory tract specimens of COVID-19 patients. Our narrative review aims to determine whether the diagnosis of pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) in COVID-19 patients represents coinfection or colonization based on the evidence available in the literature. We also discuss the decision to treat COVID-19 patients with coinfection by PJP. METHODS: A literature search was performed through the Pubmed and Web of Science databases from inception to March 10, 2021. RESULTS: We identified 12 COVID-19 patients suspected to have PJP coinfection. All patients were critically ill and required mechanical ventilation. Many were immunosuppressed from HIV or long-term corticosteroids and other immunosuppressive agents. In both the HIV and non-HIV groups, severe lymphocytopenia was encountered with absolute lymphocyte and CD4+T cell count less than 900 and 200 cells/mm, respectively. The time to PJP diagnosis from the initial presentation was 7.8 (range 2-21) days. Serum lactate dehydrogenase and beta-D-glucan were elevated in those coinfected with PJP. All patients were treated with anti-PJP therapy, predominantly sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim with corticosteroids. The overall mortality rate was 41.6%, and comparable for both HIV and non-HIV groups. CONCLUSION: As the current evidence is restricted to case reports, the true incidence, risk factors, and prognosis of COVID-19 patients with PJP coinfections cannot be accurately determined. Comorbidities of poorly controlled HIV with lymphocytopenia and multiple immunosuppressive therapies are likely predisposing factors for PJP coinfection.

A Rare Case of Multipathogenic Pneumonia in a Patient With Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

The incidence of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related opportunistic infections has declined dramatically following the introduction of potent antiretroviral therapy (ART). However, pulmonary infections remain a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. The spectrum of pulmonary disease that can affect patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is wide and includes opportunistic infections with many bacterial, fungal, viral, and parasitic organisms. In this case, we present a 65-year-old woman with HIV, non-compliant with ART, who presented with subacute melena, fatigue, dyspnea, and hemoptysis. After extensive evaluation, she was found to have pneumonia caused by four different pathogens: Strongyloides stercoralis, Pneumocystis jirovecii, Cytomegalovirus (CMV), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. She received trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, steroids, and ivermectin. However, her clinical condition did not improve and she passed away.

Acute Pancreatitis Due to Disseminated Varicella Zoster Infection in an Individual with Newly Diagnosed Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection is generally considered as a benign and self-limiting disease. However, individuals with VZV infection can have disseminated to various organs leading to serious complications, particularly in adults. This pattern is more prevalent in immunosuppressed individuals. Disseminated varicella is historically known to involve the central nervous system (CNS), liver, and lungs. However, dissemination of varicella to the pancreas and subsequently causing acute pancreatitis has been rarely reported. We present a case of disseminated varicella infection in a newly diagnosed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patient causing acute pancreatitis at initial disease presentation and subsequently leading to multi organ dysfunction. A 42-year-old African American female who was initially being treated for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) at an inner-city hospital developed severe epigastric pain radiating to back along with nausea on day 2 of admission. Physical findings revealed tachycardia, epigastric tenderness and newly formed vesicular rash involving the neck and face classical of varicella infection. Skin biopsy and serum sample confirmed varicella infection by VZV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Labs revealed elevated lipase, amylase at a level diagnostic of acute pancreatitis. The patient had no other risk factors for pancreatitis. She was started on intravenous Acyclovir and intravenous hydration with isotonic normal saline. She was managed conservatively for other systemic complications. Pancreatitis resolved after five days of clinical presentation. She completed two weeks of Acyclovir, her condition steadily improved and she was successfully discharged home with no further recurrence. Acute pancreatitis is a rare infectious association of disseminated varicella infection. Clinicians should always be mindful of this infectious etiology as one of the rare differentials for acute pancreatitis as this is a treatable cause and could prevent morbidity, mortality associated with this condition if treated timely.

Pneumocystis jirovecii prophylaxis in patients treated for high-grade gliomas: a survey among neuro-oncologists.

BACKGROUND: Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) is a known complication in patients with high-grade gliomas (HGGs) who are treated with radiation and chemotherapy. PJP prophylaxis is commonly recommended, but there are currently no clear guidelines regarding duration of treatment and choice of drugs. This study aimed to assess current practice patterns of PJP prophylaxis among neuro-oncologists. METHODS: An online survey of 14 multiple choice questions was sent to 207 neuro-oncologists and medical oncologists treating brain cancers at all National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers in the United States. Recipients were identified via a search of the cancer centers' websites. RESULTS: Sixty-one invited experts completed the survey (response rate 29%; of these, 72% were neuro-oncologists, 18% were medical oncologists, and 10% were pediatric neuro- or medical oncologists). Seventy percent of respondents stated that they routinely prescribe PJP prophylaxis, while 7% do not provide prophylaxis. Eighty-one percent of respondents use absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) to assess lymphopenia and 13% also monitor CD4 lymphocyte counts during prophylaxis. The most commonly used first-line agent is trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (88% of respondents), followed by pentamidine (6%). Discontinuation of PJP prophylaxis is determined by the following: count recovery (33% by ALC; 18% by CD4 lymphocyte counts), radiation completion (23%), and chemotherapy completion (7%). Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase levels were routinely checked by only 13% of respondents. CONCLUSIONS: PJP prophylaxis is commonly used in HGG patients, but there are large variations in practice patterns, including the duration of prophylaxis. As consideration for PJP prophylaxis affects all patients with HGG, standardization of prophylaxis should be formally addressed.