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International audience; The aim of this study was to estimate influenza vaccine effectiveness (IVE) against laboratory-confirmed influenza among hospitalized patients. A case-control investigation was based on the prospective surveillance of influenza-like illness (ILI) during five flu seasons. We compared influenza-positive cases and influenza-negative controls. Unadjusted overall IVE was 62% (95% confidence interval 24% to 81%). We found that IVE was lower during the 2004-05 flu season (11%; 95% CI -232% to 76%) when the vaccine and circulating viruses were mismatched. Expansion of the study to other hospitals could provide IVE estimates earlier in the season, for different age groups and emerging virus strains.

Treatment of hepatitis C (HCV)–mixed cryoglobulinemia (MC) may target either the viral trigger (HCV) or the downstream B-cell clonal expansion. Prospective cohort study of 38 HCV-MC patients who received a combination of rituximab (375 mg/m2) once a week for 1 month followed by Peg-interferon-α (Peg-IFN-α; 2a, 180 μg or 2b, 1.5 μg/kg) weekly plus ribavirin (600-1200 mg) daily for 48 weeks were compared with 55 HCV-MC patients treated by Peg-IFN-α/ribavirin with the same modalities. In the whole population of HCV-MC patients (n = 93), a complete clinical response was achieved in 73.1% (68 of 93), cryoglobulin clearance in 52.7% (49 of 93), and a sustained virologic response in 59.1% (55 of 93). Compared with Peg-IFN-α/ribavirin, rituximab plus Peg-IFN-α/ribavirin–treated patients had a shorter time to clinical remission (5.4 ± 4 vs 8.4 ± 4.7 months, P = .004), better renal response rates (80.9% vs 40% of complete response, P = .040), and higher rates of cryoglobulin clearance (68.4% vs 43.6%, P = .001) and clonal VH1-69+ B-cell suppression (P < .01). Treatment was well tolerated with 11% of discontinuation resulting from antiviral therapy and no worsening of HCV RNA under rituximab. Our findings indicate that rituximab combined with Peg-IFN-α/ribavirin is well tolerated and more effective than Peg-IFN-α/ribavirin in HCV-MC.

Objective To report on the long-term followup of a cohort of patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV)–related vasculitis treated with rituximab with or without PEGylated interferon alfa-2b (PEG–IFN alfa-2b) plus ribavirin. Methods The study group comprised 32 HCV RNA–positive patients with HCV-related vasculitis: 20 patients were treated with rituximab and PEG–IFN alfa-2b (9 of whom had not previously received antiviral treatment and 11 of whom had experienced disease resistance to or relapse with antiviral treatment), and 12 antiviral-intolerant patients were treated with rituximab alone. Results Treatment with rituximab and PEG–IFN alfa-2b plus ribavirin induced a complete clinical response and a partial clinical response in 80% and 15% of patients, respectively, a complete immunologic response and a partial immunologic response in 67% and 33% of patients, respectively, and a sustained virologic response in 55% of patients. Treatment with rituximab alone induced a complete clinical response and a partial clinical response in 58% and 9% of patients, respectively, and a complete immunologic response and a partial immunologic response in 46% and 36% of patients, respectively. B cell depletion was achieved in 96% of patients, and B cell recovery began after a median delay of 12 months. After a mean ± SD followup period of 23 ± 12 months, 22% of patients experienced a clinical relapse, and 34% of patients experienced an immunologic relapse. All relapses were associated with the absence of virologic control, and 78% of relapses were associated with B cell recovery. Six patients were re-treated with rituximab. All 6 of these patients had a complete clinical response, 50% had a complete immunologic response, and 50% had a partial immunologic response. Rituximab was well tolerated overall. Conclusion Rituximab is an effective treatment of severe and/or refractory HCV-related vasculitis. Relapses were consistently associated with the absence of virologic control. The clinical and immunologic efficacy of rituximab after repeated infusion appeared to be the same as that observed after induction therapy.

Background In acute-care hospitals, no evidence of a protective effect of healthcare worker (HCW) vaccination on hospital-acquired influenza (HAI) in patients has been documented. Our study objective was to ascertain the effectiveness of influenza vaccination of HCW on HAI among patients. Methods A nested case-control investigation was implemented in a prospective surveillance study of influenza-like illness (ILI) in a tertiary acute-care university hospital. Cases were patients with virologically-confirmed influenza occurring ≥ 72 h after admission, and controls were patients with ILI presenting during hospitalisation with negative influenza results after nasal swab testing. Four controls per case, matched per influenza season (2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07), were randomly selected. Univariate and multivariate conditional logistic regression models were fitted to assess factors associated with HAI among patients. Results In total, among 55 patients analysed, 11 (20%) had laboratory-confirmed HAI. The median HCW vaccination rate in the units was 36%. The median proportion of vaccinated HCW in these units was 11.5% for cases vs. 36.1% for the controls (P = 0.11); 2 (20%) cases and 21 (48%) controls were vaccinated against influenza in the current season (P = 0.16). The proportion of ≥ 35% vaccinated HCW in short-stay units appeared to protect against HAI among patients (odds ratio = 0.07; 95% confidence interval 0.005-0.98), independently of patient age, influenza season and potential influenza source in the units. Conclusions Our observational study indicates a shielding effect of more than 35% of vaccinated HCW on HAI among patients in acute-care units. Investigations, such as controlled clinical trials, are needed to validate the benefits of HCW vaccination on HAI incidence in patients.

Gammacarboxyglutamic acid (gla) is a non essential amino acid synthesized in presence of vitamin K, predominantly found in coagulation and bone proteins. In 14 cases of deep vein thrombosis and in 11 cases of disseminated intravascular coagulation, compared to 19 normal subjects and 9 patients hospitalized for leg pain, free plasma gla levels were found significantly elevated (respectively 372 +/- 244 and 559 +/- 361 versus 146 +/- 34 and 120 +/- 40 pmol/mL). In six paired plasma and serum, gla levels were similar. These results suggest an involvement of blood coagulation in gla generation with need of a catabolism of the activated factors. A significant decrease was noticed during vitamin K antagonist therapy and liver disease, both instances in which the synthesis of gla containing coagulation factors is affected. During hepatocellular carcinoma with elevated desgamma carboxyprothrombin, gla was found normal, denying an global impairement of the vitamin K metabolism.

Reactive hemophagocytic syndrome (RHS) is a rare, life-threatening, and little-known complication of rheumatic diseases. This disorder is characterized by fever, pancytopenia, liver failure, coagulopathy, and neurologic symptoms. RHS may develop in patents who have lymphoma, organ transplantation, serious infection, and rheumatic diseases, most notably systemic lupus erythematosus and adult-onset Still disease (AOSD). Observations of specific cases of RHS in AOSD remain rare, and the significance of this syndrome during the course of AOSD remains unknown. We retrospectively studied 16 episodes of AOSD-associated RHS in 8 patients. To determine whether RHS is associated with a particular phenotype of AOSD, we conducted a case-control study from the cohort of AOSD patients seen during the same period. The estimated frequency of RHS in AOSD patients from our cohort was 15.3% (8/52). The median age at RHS diagnosis was 44.5 years. We collected clinical and laboratory data. RHS was the first manifestation of AOSD in 7 cases. The main symptoms were fever (n = 8), salmon rash (n = 6), arthralgia (n = 7), lymphadenopathy (n = 6), and shock (n = 4). Serum ferritin concentration was consistently elevated (1000 microg/L in 8 cases), and the level of glycosylated ferritin was low in all cases (5% in 7 cases, 15% in 1 case). Six patients presented with coagulopathy; hypertriglyceridemia was found in 6 cases. Admission to the intensive care unit was required in 4 cases. Treatment included corticosteroids (n = 8) and intravenous immunoglobulin (n = 6), cyclophosphamide in 2 cases, infliximab in the same 2 cases, and cyclosporine in 1 case. With a follow-up ranging from 2 to 15 years, the patients were in remission with prednisone plus methotrexate (n = 4), prednisone plus infliximab (n = 2), and low-dose prednisone alone (n = 2). We compared the 8 patients included in this study with 44 control patients with AOSD without RHS. Low haptoglobin levels, very high ferritin levels (10,000 microg/L), and a normal or low neutrophil count seem to be predictive factors of the occurrence of RHS in AOSD.