Rituximab and intravenous immunoglobulin treatment in PM/Scl antibody-associated disease: case-based review

Autoantibodies to the 75-kDa and 100-kDa subunits of the PM/Scl nucleolar protein complex are associated with an overlap syndrome, manifesting with clinical features of systemic sclerosis and idiopathic inflammatory myopathy. We describe the diverse clinical features in a series of 4 cases with anti-PM/Scl-75 and/or anti-PM/Scl-100 antibodies, including severe proximal muscle weakness, oesophageal dysfunction, respiratory weakness requiring mechanical ventilation, Raynaud’s, calcinosis cutis, sclerodactyly and critical digital ischaemia. Despite the severity of striated and oesophageal muscle weakness, all patients responded very well to immune suppression, and calcinosis cutis in one case regressed substantially. We highlight the efficacy of Rituximab and intravenous immunoglobulin therapy (IVIg) in these cases, enabling return to normal muscle function within six months. Rituximab was preferentially chosen for cases with hyper-gammaglobulinemia and multiple autoantibodies in addition to anti-PM/Scl, and IVIg was utilised for cases where a rapid onset of effect was required, such as severe ventilator-dependent respiratory muscle weakness and oesophageal dysfunction.

Remdesivir for Covid-19 pneumonia in patients with severe chronic kidney disease: Case series and review of the literature

Remdesivir was the first antiviral agent to receive FDA authorization for severe COVID-19 management, which restricts its use with severe renal impairment due to concerns that active metabolites might accumulate, causing renal toxicities. With limited treatment options, available evidence on such patient groups is important to assess for future safety.

Towards A Strategic Approach Of Covid-19 Cluster Web Mapping In Malaysia

The world was shocked by an unprecedented outbreak caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In Malaysia, it started with the largest number of COVID-19 cases with the first wave of infection on 25 January 2020. The objectives of this paper are to obtain the perspective of the respondents about the need for web-mapping in the form of mapping the geospatial data in Malaysia and to visualize the current online datasets of COVID-19 disease case clusters. The study area would cover the entire Malaysia since a rapidly increasing number of citizens were affected by this virus. To be specific, this study focused on the active clusters of COVID-19 in Malaysia. The data were freely shared in real-time by referring to the Ministry of Health (MOH) channel. The hotspots map were explored using the Map Editor by Cloud GIS. The approach has been illustrated using a dataset of whole Malaysia which are locally transmitted confirmed cases in four phases of COVID-19 wave in Malaysia. This study is significant to raise public awareness of the virus, especially among Malaysian citizens. It can provide an accurate estimation of the cluster tracking of the COVID-19 system by using geospatial technology. Therefore, people are more concerned and followed all the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) provided by the government to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Homeopathic treatment of two patients with coronary artery disease: case-report

The homeopathic materia medica includes a number of remedies potentially useful in heart diseases and that could be an effective complementary tool in cardiology and cardiovascular surgery. As conventional doctors demand evidence on the efficacy and effectiveness of homeopathic treatment backed with independent laboratory evaluation by accredited specialists, this paper reports the outcome of two patients diagnosed with severe coronary artery disease treated with homeopathic remedies. Keywords: coronary artery disease; low dilutions remedies.  Tratamento de 2 pacientes com doenças na artéria coronária: relato de caso ResumoA Matéria Médica homeopática inclui uma série de medicamentos potencialmente úteis para doenças cardíacas, que poderiam ser efetivos como ferramenta complementar na cardiologia e cirurgia cardiovascular. A medicina tradicional exige a obtenção de evidéncias sobre a eficácia e efetividade de tratamentos homeopáticos, suportadas por resultados de laboratórios independentes e acreditados por especialistas. Este artigo relata o acompanhamento de 2 pacientes diagnosticados com doença severa da artéria coronária , tratados com medicamentos homeopáticos. Palavras-chave: doença da artéria coronariana, medicamentos dinamizados.  Tratamiento homeopático de dos pacientes con enfermedad arterial coronaria: informe de caso ResumenLa materia médica homeopática incluye una serie de recursos potencialmente útiles en las enfermedades del corazón y que podría ser una eficaz herramienta complementaria en cardiología y cirugía cardiovascular. Considerando la demanda por pruebas sobre la eficacia y la eficacia del tratamiento homeopático, con respaldo en laboratorios independiente y evaluación por especialistas acreditados, el presente documento informa de los resultados de dos pacientes con diagnóstico de grave enfermedad de la arteria coronaria tratada con remedios homeopáticos. Palabras-clave: enfermedad de las arterias coronarias; bajas diluciones recursos  Correspondence author: Pedro Bernardo Scala, [email protected] How to cite this article: Scala PB. Homeopathic treatment of two patients with coronary artery disease: case-report. Int J High Dilution Res [online]. 2009 [cited YYYY Month dd]; 8 (27): 45-49. Available from: http://journal.giri-society.org/index.php/ijhdr/article/view/337/391. ÂÂÂ

Antituberculosis Drug-induced Linear IgA Dermatosis

Introduction: Linear IgA dermatosis is a rare autoimmune vesiculobullous disease characterized by homogeneous linear IgA deposits in basement membrane of epidermis, and it can be idiopathic or drug-induced. The pathogenesis of drug-induced linear IgA dermatosis is not fully known yet, but it is associated with specific T cells. The clinical manifestations of the disease include vesiculobullous eruption, erythematous plaques, or string of pearls. Most cases still need additional therapy to avoid the expansion of the disease. Case Presentation: In this study, we present a 17-year-old male patient with erythema plaques, vesicles, and bullae with erosion in facial, oral, neck, trunk, genital, and extremities, pruritus, and burning sensation. The patient was undergoing pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) treatment for one week. Physical examination was done, and total BSA 10% and negative Asboe-Hansen sign were seen. The treatment consisted of delaying administration of TB drugs, desoximetasone cream 0.25%, cetirizine 10 mg, and aspiration of bullae. Conclusions: Drug-induced linear IgA dermatosis can occur at any age due to the administration of rifampicin and other antibiotics, angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The drug can stimulate specific T cells that release Th2 cytokines to produce IgA antibodies against the basement membrane of epidermis. Drugs may cause an autoimmune response by cross-reaction with the target epitope, altering the conformation of epitopes, or exposing previously sequestered antigens to the immune system. The causative drug was stopped, and methyl prednisolone 0.5 - 1 mg/kg/day was given as initial therapy. In this study, we reported a rare case of a 17-year-old male with anti-TB drug-induced linear IgA dermatosis. Diagnosis was done based on clinical manifestation, histopathology, and immunofluorescence. The causative drug was stopped, the patient was given topical and systemic steroid therapy and drug desensitization. Remission was noted after six weeks of therapy, and oral steroid was slowly tapered and stopped on day 42. After stopping oral steroids, no lesions were reported. A 6-month follow-up revealed no signs of recurrence.