The spectrum of biochemical alterations associated with organ dysfunction and inflammatory status and their association with disease outcomes in severe COVID-19: A longitudinal cohort and time-series design study.

Background: In patients with severe COVID-19, no data are available on the longitudinal evolution of biochemical abnormalities and their ability to predict disease outcomes.

Methods: Using a retrospective, longitudinal cohort study design on consecutive patients with severe COVID-19, we used an extensive biochemical dataset of serial data and time-series design to estimate the occurrence of organ dysfunction and the severity of the inflammatory reaction and their association with acute respiratory failure (ARF) and death.

Findings: On the 162 studied patients, 1151 biochemical explorations were carried out for up to 59 biochemical markers, totaling 15,260 biochemical values.

Setting up a Virtual Calprotectin Clinic in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: Literature Review and Nancy Experience.

Technological progress, including virtual clinics, web or smartphone-based applications, and assessment of fecal calprotectin (FC) at home has favored the implementation of treat to target strategies for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Although these innovations are promising and have been associated with a significant reduction in health costs, their application in clinical practice is limited. Here, we summarize the most recent literature on virtual clinics and available FC home tests.

Long-term ACE Inhibitor/ARB Use Is Associated With Severe Renal Dysfunction and Acute Kidney Injury in Patients With Severe COVID-19: Results From a Referral Center Cohort in the Northeast of France.

Background: In patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), data are scarce and conflicting regarding whether chronic use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) influences disease outcomes. In patients with severe COVID-19, we assessed the association between chronic ACEI/ARB use and the occurrence of kidney, lung, heart, and liver dysfunctions and the severity of the inflammatory reaction as evaluated by biomarkers kinetics, and their association with disease outcomes.

Methods: We performed a retrospective longitudinal cohort study on consecutive patients with newly diagnosed severe COVID-19.

[SFBC working group "Biochemical markers of COVID-19"].

The SARS-CoV-2 virus is responsible for an epidemic disease called COVID-19, which was initially evidenced in Wuhan, China, and spread very rapidly in China and around the world. In France, the first isolated case seems now to be reported in December 2019, stage 3 of the COVID-19 epidemic was triggered on March 14, the start of the planned containment exit from May 11. Healthcare services have faced a large influx of patients who may be beyond their capacity to receive and care, particularly in the Large-East and Ile-de-France regions.

Compliance with the faecal calprotectin test in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Background: We investigated, for the first time, levels of compliance with faecal calprotectin test in inflammatory bowel disease patients.

Methods: All consecutive adult inflammatory bowel disease patients having been prescribed an faecal calprotectin test between December 2014-July 2015 were included. At their next visit to the hospital, patients had to return a stool sample for the faecal calprotectin test and answer a simple questionnaire: 'Have you brought a stool sample? If not, why not? If so, did you encounter any difficulties when collecting the sample? Were you aware of faecal calprotectin before being asked to take the test?'.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Procalcitonin for Predicting Blood Culture Results in Patients With Suspected Bloodstream Infection: An Observational Study of 35,343 Consecutive Patients (A STROBE-Compliant Article).

Previous studies have suggested that procalcitonin is a reliable marker for predicting bacteremia. However, these studies have had relatively small sample sizes or focused on a single clinical entity. The primary endpoint of this study was to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of procalcitonin for predicting or excluding clinically relevant pathogen categories in patients with suspected bloodstream infections.

[Survey of professional practices within the framework of the Continuous professional development: an experience led on a national scale on the theme of macroenzymes].

The recent HPST law (reform of the hospital and relative to the patients, to the health and to the territories) states that the formation of the healthcare professionals is now "independent" and "compulsory". This law introduces the term of "Continuous professional development". The "Continuous professional development" groups together the former systems of both Evaluation of the professional practices and in-services training.

[Biochemical markers of iron status].

Traditionally, the standard biochemical markers of iron status are serum iron, transferrin, transferrin saturation, ferritin and, more recently, soluble transferrin receptor. Diagnosis of iron deficiency is usually associated with a low serum ferritin concentration. The diagnosis can be difficult in diseases in which there is an acute-phase response, because ferritin is an acute-phase reactant.

[How do we optimally evaluate iron stores in dialyzed patients treated with erythropoiesis stimulating agent?].

The treatment of renal anaemia with erythropoiesis stimulating agent is often associated with a functional iron deficiency characterized by normal or elevated iron stores but insufficient iron delivered for erythropoiesis. Biological markers of iron status depend on the compartment where it is located: stored, circulating or available for erythropoiesis. Ferritin is the protein of iron storage but also a protein of the acute phase of inflammation and serum ferritin increases in case of liver cytolysis.