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Purpose To analyze the application of a lung ultrasound (LUS)-based diagnostic approach to patients suspected of COVID-19, combining the LUS likelihood of COVID-19 pneumonia with patient’s symptoms and clinical history. Methods This is an international multicenter observational study in 20 US and European hospitals. Patients suspected of COVID-19 were tested with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) swab test and had an LUS examination. We identified three clinical phenotypes based on pre-existing chronic diseases (mixed phenotype), and on the presence (severe phenotype) or absence (mild phenotype) of signs and/or symptoms of respiratory failure at presentation. We defined the LUS likelihood of COVID-19 pneumonia according to four different patterns: high (HighLUS), intermediate (IntLUS), alternative (AltLUS), and low (LowLUS) probability. The combination of patterns and phenotypes with RT-PCR results was described and analyzed. Results We studied 1462 patients, classified in mild (n = 400), severe (n = 727), and mixed (n = 335) phenotypes. HighLUS and IntLUS showed an overall sensitivity of 90.2% (95% CI 88.23–91.97%) in identifying patients with positive RT-PCR, with higher values in the mixed (94.7%) and severe phenotype (97.1%), and even higher in those patients with objective respiratory failure (99.3%). The HighLUS showed a specificity of 88.8% (CI 85.55–91.65%) that was higher in the mild phenotype (94.4%; CI 90.0–97.0%). At multivariate analysis, the HighLUS was a strong independent predictor of RT-PCR positivity (odds ratio 4.2, confidence interval 2.6–6.7, p

Background Osteocalcin (OC), a hormone secreted by osteoblasts, improves beta-cell function in vitro and in vivo. We aimed to understand the relationship between OC and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in pediatric diabetes. Methods Children (n = 70; mean [SD] age = 11.8 years [3.1]; 34.3% non-Hispanic white, 46.3% Hispanic, 14.9% African-American, 4.5% other) newly diagnosed with diabetes (69.1% type 1 diabetes [T1D], 30.9% type 2 diabetes [T2D]) were studied. We collected clinical data at diagnosis and first clinical visit (V1) 9 weeks later (interquartile range [IQR] = 7.9-12.0). (Serum undercarboxylated OC (uOC) and carboxylated OC (cOC) were measured 7.0 weeks (IQR 4.3-8.9) after diagnosis. Results Mean (SD) uOC was 20.3 (19.6) ng/mL, cOC 29.7 (13.7) ng/mL and u/cOC 0.68 (0.81). uOC, cOC, or u/cOC were not different by gender, race/ethnicity, age, diabetes type, BMI percentile, or random C-peptide, glucose or HbA1c at diagnosis. However, among 61 children with V1 within 4 months of diagnosis, uOC was higher in those with V1 HbA1c < 7.5% (HbA1c < 58 mmol/mol) (uOC=33.1 [22.0]) compared with children with HbA1c ≥ 7.5% (uOC=17.4 [2.3], P = .0004). The difference was larger among patients with T2D (34.6 and 4.7 ng/mL, respectively, P = .0001) than T1D (T1D) (32.2 and 19.3, P = .0169), and in males (36.1 and 17.4, P = .018) than females (27.6 and 17.3, P = .072). Analysis for u/cOC were similar while there were no differences in cOC. uOC was inversely correlated with HbA1c at V1 (Spearman’s rho = −0.29, P = .02). Conclusion Our findings suggest that serum uOC is inversely related to HbA1c shortly after diagnosis of pediatric diabetes. This potentially modifiable factor of glucose metabolism warrants further studies.

Presunciones aplicables en materia de residencia fiscal tanto en el derecho interno como en el ámbito internacional (CDI)

BACKGROUND: Neurosyphilis diagnosis is frequently dependent upon the results of serological tests and cerebrospinal fluid abnormalities but the reliability of findings in patients with HIV-1 infection has been questioned especially in asymptomatic patients with latent syphilis. In this study we present the data on the presence of T. pallidum DNA in CSF from asymptomatic HIV-infected patients with the diagnosis of syphilis. METHODS: CSF and serum samples were collected from 12 HIV-infected patients attending a tertiary care clinic located in southern Brazil during the period 2012 to 2013. RESULTS: In CSF samples from five of 12 patients (40%) we detected T. pallidum DNA. Unexpectedly in these patients the CSF cell count protein and glucose levels were normal. In addition none of these 5 CSF samples presented a positive VDRL reaction. Serum VDRL titers were similar between patients with positive and negative CSF T. pallidum DNA. Most patients with detectable T. pallidum DNA presented low serum VDRL titers. A higher serum VDRL titer of 1:64 was observed in only one patient. CONCLUSIONS: Our results have shown that asymptomatic HIV-infected patients with evidence of latent syphilis and normal CSF might present detectable T. pallidum DNA in the CSF. The detection of T. pallidum DNA by our seminested PCR provides additional information beyond conventional CSF analysis for the diagnosis of neurosyphilis. The detection of T. pallidum DNA in CSF despite normal CSF findings in HIV-infected patients could also provide a different therapeutic approach including the use of intravenous aqueous crystalline penicillin.