FRAX assessment in people ageing with HIV.

Objectives: Current British HIV Association (BHIVA) guidelines recommend the use of FRAX for the routine assessment of bone fracture risk in people living with HIV over 50 years of age every 3 years. Bone mineral density measurement with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan is recommended for those with increased fracture risk (FRAX major > 10%). Our objectives were to estimate the prevalence of and risk factors for osteoporosis in a population of PLWH aged > 50 years and assess the utility of FRAX in predicting the presence of DXA-proven osteoporosis in this cohort.

Histopathology and immunophenotyping of late onset cutaneous manifestations of COVID-19 in elderly patients: Three case reports.

Background: Several cutaneous manifestations such as urticarial rash, erythematous patches and chilblain-like lesions have been described in young adults with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and are present in up to 20% patients, but few reports exist describing histopathological and immunophenotypic characteristics of dermatological lesions in older patients. Our aim was to characterize skin lesions in elderly patients during late stages of COVID-19 from clinical, histological and immunophenotypic perspectives.

Case Summary: Three patients, admitted for COVID-19, and who developed cutaneous manifestations underwent skin biopsies.

Rickettsia slovaca infection in humans, Portugal.

Fifteen years after the initial detection of Rickettsia slovaca in ticks in Portugal, 3 autochthonous cases of R. slovaca infection were diagnosed in humans. All patients had an eschar on the scalp and lymphadenopathy; 2 patients had facial edema.

[Transfusion-transmitted protozoal infections: what is the risk in non-endemic countries?].

Protozoal infections that are efficiently transmitted by blood transfusion include Malaria, Chagas Disease, African Trypanosomiasis, Leshmaniasis, Toxoplasmosis and Babesiosis. With exception of Toxoplasmosis and Leishmaniasis, these diseases are endemic in mainly tropical low income countries and, in non-endemic countries like Portugal, the reported cases are imported from these endemic areas by travelers or immigrants. Globalization, with increasing travel and immigration poses the risk of exposition to these infectious agents and raises the issue of possible transmission by blood transfusion.