Healing Treatments in COVID-19 Patients: A Narrative Review.

Since December 2019, many drugs have been evaluated or advocated as potential treatments of SARS-CoV-2 induced disease (COVID-19), including many repositioned drugs and some others specifically developed for these diseases. They can be roughly classified into three categories according to their main mechanism of action (passive immunization, direct antivirals, and anti-inflammatory treatments), and their use depends on the stage of the disease. Despite often promising preclinical data, most of the treatments evaluated failed to show a significant clinical benefit.

Long-term Prognosis Following Vascular Graft Infection: A 10-Year Cohort Study.

Background: Vascular graft infection (VGI) remains a severe disease with high mortality and relapse rates. We performed a retrospective single-center cohort study to highlight factors associated with long-term all-cause mortality in patients with vascular graft infection.

Methods: All patients hospitalized in our facility over 10 years for VGI were included.

COVID-19 or not COVID-19? Compared characteristics of patients hospitalized for suspected COVID-19.

During an epidemic period, we compared patients hospitalized for initial suspicion of COVID-19 but for whom an alternative diagnosis was finally retained (n = 152) with those who had COVID-19 (n = 222). Most common diagnoses were another infectious disease and heart failure. COVID-19-negative patients were more often active smokers had less often cough, fever, and digestive symptoms, as compared to the 222 COVID-19-positive patients.

Is there a need to widely prescribe antibiotics in patients hospitalized with COVID-19?

Background: Debate continues regarding the usefulness and benefits of wide prescription of antibiotics in patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Methods: All patients hospitalized in the Infectious Diseases Department, Dijon University Hospital, Dijon, France between 27 February and 30 April 2020 with confirmed COVID-19 were included in this study. Clinical, biological and radiological data were collected, as well as treatment and outcome data.

Comparative review of imipenem/cilastatin versus meropenem.

Introduction: Carbapenems are broad-spectrum antibacterial molecules. Imipenem-cilastatin and meropenem are the two main molecules used in French healthcare services.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the relative strengths and weaknesses of these two molecules by considering their pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, microbiological, and clinical properties.

Duration of first-line antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected treatment-naive patients in routine practice.

Background: First-line antiretroviral therapy (1st ART) is an important step in a patient's management and often considered a long-term therapy at treatment initiation.

Methods: To describe the duration of 1st ART and the factors associated with treatment modification in a recent real-life setting, antiretroviral-naive patients who began their 1st ART in six French hospitals in 2009-2012 were included in a cohort. Clinical, immunological, virological and therapeutic data, as well as the reasons for therapeutic changes, if any, were retrospectively collected.

Informal consultation at a teaching hospital infectious diseases department.

Introduction: Informal consultations for advice in the infectious diseases department (IDD) induce a significant workload for physicians. Our aim was to retrospectively quantify and describe this activity in our institution.

Method: The data was obtained from files documented and faxed by physicians from October 2009 to May 2012.

Recommendations for using TNFα antagonists and French Clinical Practice Guidelines endorsed by the French National Authority for Health.

The use of TNFα antagonists must follow specific guidelines to ensure optimal effectiveness and safety. The French Society for Rheumatology (SFR) and Task Force on Inflammatory Joint Diseases (CRI), in partnership with several French learned societies, asked the French National Authority for Health (HAS) to develop and endorse good practice guidelines for the prescription and monitoring of TNFα antagonist therapy by physicians belonging to various specialties. These guidelines were developed, then, validated by two multidisciplinary panels of experts based on an exhaustive review of the recent literature and in compliance with the methodological rules set forth by the HAS.

Severe hypovitaminosis D correlates with increased inflammatory markers in HIV infected patients.

Background: Even though it has been suggested that antiretroviral therapy has an impact on severe hypovitaminosis D (SHD) in HIV infected patients, it could be speculated that the different levels of residual inflammation on HAART (Highly Active Anti Retroviral Therapy) could contribute to SHD and aggravate bone catabolism in these patients.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in an unselected cohort of 263 HIV infected outpatients consulting during Spring 2010. Clinical examinations were performed and medical history, food habits, sun exposure and addictions were collected.

Impact of immunodepression and moderate alcohol consumption on coronary and other arterial disease events in an 11-year cohort of HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral therapy.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between response to antiretroviral therapy (ART), alcohol use and occurrence of a major coronary or other arterial disease event (CADE) in HIV-infected individuals.

Design: A cohort study. A Cox model was used to identify the correlates of a first occurrence of a major CADE.

[Recurrent atypical mycobacterial infections in the adult: think of autoantibodies against interferon-gamma !].

Introduction: Disseminated non-tuberculosis mycobacterial infections are associated with a defect of the cellular immune response. They have been mainly reported in AIDS patients. Cases related to the presence of anti-interferon-γ autoantibodies are rare.

Emergence of tularemia in France: paradigm of the Burgundy region.

We report three consecutive cases of tularemia occurring in Burgundy, France, a region previously considered not endemic for tularemia. The patients presented with varied and unspecific clinical manifestations. The epidemiological circumstances, especially the mode of contamination, were not particularly suggestive of tularemia.

Current management and recommendations on hepatitis B therapy in HIV-coinfected patients.

Background: The match between the real-life therapeutic management of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in HIV-infected patients and the recommendations that existed at the time has never been assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Methods: A total of 73 HBV-HIV coinfected patients, 34 of whom were first followed in 2003-2005 and 39 in 2006-2008 (before and after the 2005 European Consensus Conference on the treatment of chronic viral hepatitis in HIV coinfected patients), were included. All the data were retrospectively collected from their first visit to October 2008 through a standardised questionnaire.

[Nasopharyngeal carriage, antibiotic susceptibility and serotyping of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae in children attending day care centers].

Unlabelled: The aim of this study was to investigate the nasal carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP) and Haemophilus influenzae (HI) in children.

Methods: Nasal samples were swabbed from children 3 months to 3 years of age, between December 2006 and April 2007, in 10 day-care centers in Dijon.

Results: Three hundred and eighty-five children, 22.

A decision tree to help determine the best timing and antiretroviral strategy in HIV-infected patients.

Optimal antiretroviral strategies for HIV-infected patients still need to be established. To this end a decision tree including different antiretroviral strategies that could be adopted for HIV-infected patients was built. A 10-year follow-up was simulated by using transitional probabilities estimated from a large cohort using a time-homogeneous Markov model.

[Vaccination coverage of healthcare professionals in an infectious diseases department].

Objectives: The study's objective was to evaluate with a standardized questionnaire the knowledge of healthcare workers (HCWs) regarding occupational vaccinations and their vaccination coverage.

Population And Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted in the department of infectious diseases of a 1796 bed-teaching hospital in Dijon, France.

Results: Fifty-seven (93%) out of 61 HCPs completed the questionnaire.

[Measure of effectiveness and adherence to antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected patients in Cameroon].

Objective: The aim of the study was to identify the most useful clinical criteria to measure effectiveness and adherence to antiretroviral treatment in a rural area of Cameroon.

Patients And Method: All patients under antiretroviral therapy followed for at least 3 months at the Tokombéré UPEC hospital were eligible. Therapeutic failure was defined according to clinical criteria including weight, Karnofsky's index, or occurrence of WHO stage IV conditions.

Ocular syphilis and HIV infection.

Syphilitic ocular involvement is thought to be rare in HIV infected patients. During a 5-year study in 509 HIV-positive patients, syphilis was diagnosed in 3.9%, and the eye was involved in one-fifth of these.

[Factors influencing the prescription or non-prescription of antibiotics by general practitioners].

Aim: The authors wanted to identify the factors associated with prescription or non-prescription of antibiotics by general practitioners (GPs), for three frequent infectious diseases: tonsillitis, acute bronchitis (AB) and exacerbations of chronic bronchitis (ECB).

Patients And Methods: A cross-sectional study included 574 patients followed by 58 randomly selected GPs in Eastern France. Data on physicians, patients (clinical, social and environmental) and antibiotic treatment (type, motivations) was collected during the consultation via a standardized questionnaire.

[Incidence, prevalence and risk factors for a first infectious complication on a totally implantable venous-access port].

Background: Totally implantable venous-access ports (TIVAP) should present less risk of complications than central venous catheters over a long time period.

Aims: Firstly, the study's objective was to assess the prevalence and incidence of a first infectious complication on a TIVAP and secondly, to assess the risk factors associated with this first infection.

Methods: The authors made a longitudinal historical cohort study of patients with a TIVAP in 2003, in the Dijon University Hospital.

[Acute group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus membranous laryngotracheobronchitis in an adult].

Objective: To describe the first case of a group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus laryngotracheobronchitis as well as the other possible etiologies in a case of acute dyspnea.

Methods: We report the case of a 46-year-old woman with a doubtful vaccination status who presented clinical features of croup (laryngotracheobronchitis). She developed respiratory distress and required endotracheal intubation.