Laboratory findings predictive of critical illness in hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Tunisia.

Background: COVID-19 disease has spread rapidly worldwide, causing high mortality. Accessible biomarkers capable of early identification of patients at risk of severe form are needed in clinical practice. The aim of the study was to determine the biological markers that predict a critical condition.

Case Report: The first reported case of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis with myasthenia gravis in a 27-year-old patient.

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis is a very rare diffuse lung disease characterized by the accumulation of amorphous and periodic acid Schiff-positive lipoproteinaceous material in the alveolar spaces due to impaired surfactant clearance by alveolar macrophages. Three main types were identified: Autoimmune, secondary and congenital. Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis has been previously reported to be associated with several systemic auto-immune diseases.

A rare coexistence of sarcoidosis with overlap syndrome and sarcoidosis with primary biliary cholangitis and Sjogren's syndrome: Two distinct case reports.

Sarcoidosis and the overlap syndrome of autoimmune hepatitis and primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) share common clinical, biological, and histological features. The simultaneous occurrence of these diseases have been reported in few cases and suggests that a common pathway which may contribute to granuloma formation in both conditions. We report the cases of two female patients having an association of sarcoidosis and inflammatory liver diseases.

Pulmonary aspergilloma with prominent oxalate deposition.

Some species produce oxalic acid, which reacts with tissue calcium or blood to precipitate calcium oxalate. Oxalate crystals can induce lung and kidney damage. The presence of oxalate crystals can suggest the diagnosis of aspergillosis, even when hyphae are absent on microscopic slides.

[Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis complicating pulmonary adenocarcinoma: a case report].

Limbic encephalitis (LE) is a rare disease often of paraneoplastic origin. It is frequently associated with bronchopulmonary cancer. Diagnosis is based on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Case Report: Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis Revealing Asthma.

Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is an immunological pulmonary disorder caused by hypersensitivity to which colonizes the airways of patients with asthma and cystic fibrosis. Its diagnosis could be difficult in some cases due to atypical presentations especially when there is no medical history of asthma. Treatment of ABPA is frequently associated to side effects but cumulated drug toxicity due to different molecules is rarely reported.

[Confusion in the diagnosis of endobronchial tumor].

Bronchopulmonary cancer is the leading cause of death in men and the second in women. Some endoscopic or radiological features may guide histological diagnosis and thus facilitate therapeutic management. We here report the case of a 54-year old man, with a history of smoking and recent coronary stent implantation, presenting with haemoptysis and worsening of dyspnea which had evolved over the last month.

Esophageal leiomyomas presenting as a mediastinal mass.

Although benign tumors of the esophagus are very rare, the leiomyomas are frequently recorded. Most of them are small, asymptomatic and without risk of malignant degeneration. These benign tumors are usually discovered fortuitously on endoscopy.

Anxiety and depression in Tunisian patients with COPD.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic lung disease with a multi-systemic impact that can be complicated by psycho-affective disorders.

Aim: To determinethe frequency of anxiety and depression in patients followed for stable COPD in a university hospital-center in Tunisand to determine the predictors of their onset.

Methods: This was an analytical cross-sectional studyof patients followed for stable COPD at the pulmonology department of the Mongi Slim La Marsa Hospital.