SARS-CoV-2 precipitated Kasabach-Merritt syndrome in a child with angioma infantile and acute lymphoblastic leukemia: Case Report

Background: We describe an 8-month-old boy with leukemia and SARS-CoV-2 infection who developed Kasabach-Merritt phenomenon. He had a positive SARS-COV-2 RT-PCR sample. Hematologic tests showed coagulopathy and intestinal involvement. She was managed in emergency receiving transfusion support and in hospitalization with social isolation measures, she started propanolol and corticotherapy as initial treatment of infantile angiomas. She presented with symptoms of intestinal obstruction and underwent surgery and evidence of hemorrhagic infarction with foci of intestinal ischemic necrosis, ending in ileostomy. We tried to understand a pathophysiological explanation of the dermatologic and gastrointestinal tract involvement by the virus and the atypical form of COVID-19. Given the emerging evidence of endothelial and vascular involvement in COVID-19, the development of tests to detect vascular lesions may be critical to guide the use of new therapeutic strategies.

Prevalence and Predictors of Iron Deficiency in Adolescent and Young Adult Outpatients: Implications for Screening

Current screening guidelines may not be adequate to identify iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in adolescent and young adults. Adolescent and young adult outpatients from 4 hospital-based clinics (N = 493) reported on diet, health, and bleeding, and had phlebotomy for iron and hematologic tests. We examined sex-specific factors associated with ID and IDA and ability of universal and risk factor–based screening using hemoglobin and hemoglobin plus ferritin to detect ID and IDA. Among females (n = 350), 34.6% had ID and 6.3% had IDA. Nearly 1 in 3 females with ID had no risk factors. Among males, 12.6% had ID; none had IDA. More than 1 in 3 males with ID did not have risk factors. Current screening approaches would have missed ID in 47% to 82% of females and 95% to 100% of males. ID was prevalent in both male and female adolescents and young adult outpatients. New approaches to screening for ID are needed to accurately evaluate iron status in this population.

The clinical course of hospitalized moderately ill COVID-19 patients is mirrored by routine hematologic tests and influenced by renal transplantation

Several studies of patients with COVID-19 have evaluated biological markers for predicting outcomes, most of them retrospectively and with a wide scope of clinical severity. We followed a prospective cohort of patients admitted in hospital wards with moderate COVID-19 disease, including those with a history of kidney transplantation, and examined the ability of changes in routine hematologic laboratory parameters to predict and mirror the patients’ clinical course regarding the severity of their condition (classified as critical vs. non-critical) and in-hospital mortality or hospital discharge. Among the 68 patients, 20 (29%) were kidney transplanted patients (KT), and they had much higher mortality than non-kidney transplanted patients in this cohort (40% X 8.3%). Lymphocytes, neutrophils and neutrophils/lymphocytes ratio (NLR) at admission and platelets as well as the red blood cells parameters hemoglobin, hematocrit, and RDW by the time of hospital discharge or death clearly differentiated patients progressing to critical disease and those with clinical recovery. Patients with deteriorating clinical courses presented elevated and similar NLRs during the first week of hospitalization. However, they were dramatically different at hospital discharge, with a decrease in the survivors (NLR around 5.5) and sustained elevation in non-survivors (NLR around 21). Platelets also could distinguish survivors from non-survivors among the critical patients. In conclusion, routine hematologic tests are useful to monitor the clinical course of COVID-19 patients admitted with moderate disease. Unexpectedly, changes in hematologic tests, including lymphopenia, were not predictive of complicated outcomes among KT recipients.

SÍNDROME DE GILBERT E SUA RELAÇÃO COM DOENÇAS CARDIOVASCULARES

RESUMO Introdução: A Síndrome de Gilbert (SG), caracterizada pelo aumento moderado de bilirrubina não conjugada (BNC), pode coexistir com outras condições mais clinicamente significativas e interferir em seus parâmetros clínicos e diagnósticos. Objetivo: Identificar na literatura a relação da Síndrome de Gilbert com doenças cardiovasculares (DCV), além de trazer uma visão geral sobre a associação da bilirrubina ao metabolismo lipídico alterado e a outros parâmetros hematológicos. Método: Trata-se de uma revisão integrativa, utilizando como fontes de pesquisa a SciELO, LILACS, PubMed e periódicos da CAPES. Artigos de revisão, relatos de casos, teses, dissertações e monografias foram excluídos. Os descritores “Doença de Gilbert”, “doenças cardiovasculares”, “hiperbilirrubinemia” e “testes hematológicos” foram utilizados no idioma inglês e seus correspondentes em português, empregando o operador booleano “AND”. Resultados: A busca nas bases de dados resultou na seleção de 11 artigos, publicados entre 2011 e 2017, que permitiram especular evidências sobre a relação existente entre a hiperbilirrubinemia leve na SG com as DCV. Níveis de estresse oxidativo reduzido, atenuação de ativação plaquetária e de processos pró-inflamatórios, hipocolesterolemia e outros achados foram associados à concentração de BNC. Conclusão: Os estudos evidenciaram possíveis mecanismos que podem contribuir para a redução do risco de DCV em indivíduos com SG, principalmente na incidência de arritmias cardíacas, doença arterial coronariana e cardiopatias ateroscleróticas. Palavras-chave: Doença de Gilbert; UDP-glucuronosiltransferase; Hiperbilirrubinemia; Doenças Cardiovasculares; Testes Hematológicos. ABSTRACT Introduction: Gilbert's Syndrome (GS), characterized by a moderate increase in unconjugated bilirubin (UCB), can coexist with other more clinically significant conditions and interfere with its clinical and diagnostic parameters. Objective: To identify in the literature the relationship between Gilbert's Syndrome and cardiovascular diseases (CVD), in addition to providing an overview of the association of bilirubin with altered lipid metabolism and other hematological parameters. Method: This is an integrative review, using SciELO, LILACS, PubMed and CAPES journals as research sources. Review articles, case reports, theses, dissertations and monographs were excluded. The descriptors "Gilbert Disease", "cardiovascular diseases", "hyperbilirubinemia" and "hematologic tests" were used in english and their correspondents in portuguese, using the boolean operator "AND". Results: The search in the databases resulted in the selection of 11 articles, published between 2011 and 2017, which allowed speculating evidence on the relationship between mild hyperbilirubinemia in GS and CVD. Levels of reduced oxidative stress, attenuation of platelet activation and pro-inflammatory processes, hypocholesterolemia and other findings were associated with UCB concentration. Conclusion: The studies showed possible mechanisms that can contribute to the reduction of CVD risk in individuals with GS, mainly in the incidence of cardiac arrhythmias, coronary artery disease and atherosclerotic heart diseases. Keywords: Gilbert Disease; UDP-glucuronosyltransferase; Hyperbilirubinemia; Cardiovascular Diseases; Hematologic Tests

Relationship between Clinical, Demographic and Socio-economic Factors with Suicide Ideation; A cross-sectional Study

Background: Suicide has grown in global prevalence as a public health problem. We aimed to evaluate the association of socioeconomic factors, biochemical and hematologic tests, and suicide ideation. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 8267 Iranian adults aged 35 – 65 years old were enrolled. The assessment of suicide ideation was made by the completion of Beck’s depression inventory (BDI) questionnaire; according to one specific item on the questionnaire: “have you ever decided to suicide in the past week?” Results: According to our results, 6.9 % of subjects had ideation of suicide. The results showed high levels of FBG, RBC, MCHC, and hs-CRP were associated with suicide ideation. Obese, single subjects, and current-smokers had a higher risk of suicide ideation. Conclusion: Increased physical activity, obesity, and smoking are associated with a high risk of suicide ideation; whilst, a high MCHC is related to low risk of suicide ideation in Iranian adults.

Impaired contraction of blood clots precedes and predicts postoperative venous thromboembolism

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a common but unpredictable complication of surgical interventions. To reveal an association between the blood clot contraction (retraction) and the incidence of postoperative venous thrombosis, 78 patients with brain tumors that were operated on were studied, of which 23 (29%) were diagnosed with postoperative DVT. A clot contraction assay, along with other hemostatic and hematologic tests, was performed 1–3 days before the surgery and on the 1st day and 5–7th days after the surgery. On the 1st postoperative day, clot contraction was significantly suppressed in patients who subsequently developed DVT, compared to the patients without DVT. Importantly, this difference was observed at least 5 days before DVT had developed. The weakening of contraction on the 1st postoperative day was more pronounced in the DVT patients with malignant versus benign brain tumors, atherosclerosis, hypertension, as well as in patients receiving steroids before and during the operation. These results indicate that impaired clot contraction in the postoperative period is associated with imminent DVT, suggesting that it is a prothrombotic risk factor and promotional mechanism. The clot contraction assay has a predictive value in assessing the threat of postoperative thrombosis in patients with benign and malignant brain tumors.

Prevalence and risk factors of chronic kidney disease in a populated area with highly moving populations

BackgroundChronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major public health problem worldwide. Prevalence and associated risk factors of CKD was evaluated in the greater Mashhad, a highly populated pilgrimage city, in 2018 on 2,976 subjects.MethodsThis study was carried out in the greater Mashhad, a highly populated pilgrimage city, in 2018 on 2,976 subjects. For each participant a standard questionnaire, a physical examination and clinical history were completed. Then biochemical and hematologic tests for kidney function were performed.ResultsObesity was observed more frequently in subjects with CKD, thus BMI was positively correlated with the prevalence of CKD (p<0.001). Moderately reduced GFR was found in 17.6% and 7.1%, and severely reduce GFR at 0.7% and 0.5%, of males and females, respectively (p<0.001).Drug abuse also showed a strong association with CKD (p=0.004), but smoking did not. Using univariate and multivariate logistic regression of decreased estimated GFR<60 showed that age (OR=1.06), gender (OR=2.14), diabetes (OR=1.07), hypertension (OR=1.39) and drug usage (OR=3.29) were risk factors for CKD; BMI was not. The same statistics showed that only age (OR=1.02), diabetes (OR=2.61) and hypertension (OR=1.16) were risk factors for albuminuria. The prevalence of hypertension (22.1%) was a risk factor for CKD, and vice versa. BMI and drug abuse were also risk factors for hypertension, but not smoking.ConclusionThese findings demonstrated that progression of CKD and hypertension in any population should be considered in the context of changes in human behaviours, etiology, disease severity, co-occurring diseases, addiction and priority of therapy over prevention.

CLINICAL FEATURES AND COAGULATION ABNORMALITIES IN CHILDREN WITH SEPSIS AT DANANG HOSPITAL FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN

Objective: To determine the relationship between coagulation abnormalities and main clinical features, and hematologic tests. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 65 children with sepsis at the PICU, Da Nang Hospital for Women and Children from April 2012 to June 2013. Results: The frequency of internal hemorrhage in septic shock children was significantly higher than in children with sepsis (p < 0.001). The rate of thrombocytopenia was 30.8%, in which 10.8% of the children had severe thrombocytopenia (<50 x 109/l). Hypofibrinogenemia was observed in 30.8% of the patients, in which severe hypofibrinogenemia (≤ 1 g/l) was observed in 16.9% of the children. The frequency of reduced prothrombin ratio was 40%, in which 23.1% of the patients had prothrombin ratio < 50%. 35.4% of the patients had rAPTT > 1.15. Positive D-dimer and DIC were observed in 53.8% and 20% of the patients, respectively. Hemostatic changes showed the significant relationship with hemorrhage and the mortality of sepsis. Conclusion: Children with sepsis, especially septic shock were at high risk of coagulation dysfunction and coagulation abnormalities showed the correlation with hemorrhage and the mortality of sepsis. Key words: coagulation abnormalities, sepsis, children