Steroid-sparing effect and toxicity of dapsone treatment in giant cell arteritis: A single-center, retrospective study of 70 patients.

Although a glucocorticoid (GC)-sparing strategy is needed for patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) suffering from refractory disease or serious treatment-related complications, evidence of efficacy in this setting of immunosuppressive drugs and biotherapies is lacking. Herein, we evaluated the GC-sparing effects and tolerability of addition of dapsone (DDS) to prednisone therapy in patients with GCA. We retrospectively assessed data on 18 GCA patients who received DDS as a first-line treatment (DDS-1 group) and 52 patients who received it as a second- or third-line treatment for refractory GCA, with or without excessive GC-related toxicity (DDS-2 group).

Contribution of dot-blot assay to the diagnosis and management of myositis: a three-year practice at a university hospital centre.

Objectives: Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are heterogeneous autoimmune diseases with wide clinical spectrum that may lead to delayed diagnosis. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of IIM-specific dot-blot assay on diagnostic process of patients presenting with muscular or systemic symptoms evocating of IIM.

Methods: We collected all the prescriptions of an IIM specific dot-blot assay (8 autoantigens including Jo-1, PL-7, PL-12, SRP, Mi-2, Ku, PM/Scl and Scl-70) over a 38-month period.

Venous thrombosis in patients with giant cell arteritis: Features and outcomes in a cohort study.

Objectives: To describe the features and outcomes of patients with giant cell arteritis who developed venous thrombosis.

Methods: Inception cohort study including 428 newly diagnosed patients of giant cell arteritis from 1976 to 2014. Clinical and biological data and outcomes were analysed by comparing patients with and without venous thrombosis.

Prostatic abscesses and severe sepsis due to methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus producing Panton-Valentine leukocidin.

Background: Prostatic abscesses are an uncommon disease usually caused by enterobacteria. They mostly occur in immunodeficient patients. It is thus extremely rare to have a Staphylococcal prostatic abscess in a young immunocompetent patient.

Cardiac tamponade related to a coronary injury by a pericardial calcification: an unusual complication.

Background: Cardiac tamponade is a rare but severe complication of pericardial effusion with a poor prognosis. Prompt diagnosis using transthoracic echocardiography allows guiding initial therapeutic management. Although etiologies are numerous, cardiac tamponade is more often due to a hemopericardium.

Non-invasive detection of hepatic amyloidosis: FibroScan, a new tool.

Introduction: FibroScan, a non-invasive tool for measuring liver stiffness (LS), is not specific to liver fibrosis. Other extra-hepatic conditions may modify the LS value.

Objectives: Our aim was to examine whether amyloid deposition in the liver may modify LS.