Brucellosis is a zoonosis with non-specific clinical symptoms involving multiple systems and organs. Its prevalence is low in most of EU countries, which can lead to the difficulties in laboratory and clinical diagnostic. Due to its relationship to the Ochrobactrum spp., it may be misclassified in rapid identification systems. We present a case of a 13-year-old immunocompetent girl who was examined several times for fever, fatigue, night sweats and weight loss; laboratory results showed mildly elevated C-reactive protein, anaemia and leukopenia. Four weeks before the onset of symptoms, she had been on a family holiday in Egypt. Given her symptoms, a haemato-oncological or autoimmune disease was considered more likely. The diagnosis of Brucella spondylitis was made after 4 months. The main reasons for this delay were as follows: low specificity of clinical symptoms, delay in completing the travel history, inconclusive initial serological results and misidentification of the blood culture isolate as Ochrobactrum sp. Even in countries with a low incidence of brucellosis, it is essential to educate healthcare professionals about the disease. Low specificity of symptoms and limited experience of laboratory staff may lead to late diagnosis with risk of complications and poor outcome. If Ochrobactrum spp. is detected in clinical specimens by rapid identification, careful re-evaluation must follow and all measures to prevent laboratory-acquired infections must be taken until Brucella spp. is unequivocally excluded.
- Klíčová slova
- Ochrobactrum spp, Brucellosis, Spondylitis,
- MeSH
- bakteriemie * diagnóza mikrobiologie MeSH
- Brucella izolace a purifikace klasifikace MeSH
- brucelóza * diagnóza mikrobiologie MeSH
- chybná diagnóza * MeSH
- gramnegativní bakteriální infekce diagnóza mikrobiologie MeSH
- horečka * mikrobiologie etiologie MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- Ochrobactrum * genetika izolace a purifikace MeSH
- spondylitida mikrobiologie diagnóza MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- kazuistiky MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Egypt MeSH
BACKGROUND: An in-depth study of neurological symptoms and complications of influenza in elderly patients. This population group is more susceptible to complications of the disease and these complications are more likely to end in death. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patient data was performed. All patients aged 65 years and older were included in the study. The study period was from the 1st of January , 2018 to 31st of December, 2021. All symptoms and complications of influenza were analyzed. Especially neurological and general symptoms were analyzed. Data were extracted from the complete medical records of the patients. RESULTS: The most common symptoms of influenza in the elderly were fever in 218 cases (83.52%), cough in 189 patients (72.41%), general weakness in 182 (69.73%) and fatigue in 166 patients (63.6%). Myalgias were experienced by 106 patients (40.61%) and arthralgias by 101 patients (38.7%). Headache occurred in only 21 patients (8.06%). Encephalopathy was observed in 7 elderly patients (2.68%) during hospitalization. Influenza encephalitis was noted in 2 cases. CONCLUSION: The most common neurological symptoms of influenza in more than half of the elderly are general weakness and increased fatigue. Myalgias are common, headache less often. Nausea is not uncommon. Of the complications, encephalopathy is the most common. Cases of influenza encephalitis have also been reported. We have not encountered a stroke. Concerning other complications, bacterial pneumonia was the most common.
- MeSH
- bolesti hlavy etiologie epidemiologie MeSH
- chřipka lidská * komplikace epidemiologie MeSH
- horečka etiologie MeSH
- kašel etiologie MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- myalgie etiologie epidemiologie MeSH
- nemoci nervového systému epidemiologie etiologie MeSH
- retrospektivní studie MeSH
- senioři nad 80 let MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- svalová slabost etiologie epidemiologie MeSH
- únava etiologie epidemiologie MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- senioři nad 80 let MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
INTRODUCTION: Protracted febrile myalgia syndrome (PFMS) is a rare manifestation of familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), characterized by myalgia, fever and elevated inflammatory markers lasting several weeks. As the hallmark of FMF are short episodes of disease symptoms, the long duration of PFMS may lead to a delayed diagnosis and treatment. OBJECTIVES: 1. To perform a review of literature and rheumatology textbooks focused on clinical features and treatment of PFMS in children. 2. To present our own case. METHODS: All articles in Pub Med generated using the keywords "protracted febrile myalgia" and information on PFMS in seven rheumatology textbooks were collected. The systematic review was supplemented with our own case presentation. RESULTS: In total, 18 articles with 78 pediatric patients (including our own) were retrieved. More than half of the patients presented with PFMS as the first manifestation of FMF. All complained of myalgia, 65% of abdominal pain and 26% had a rash. Corticosteroids (CS) were effective in 77%. In all CS-refractory cases, anakinra was shown efficient. MRI was used in 5 patients and showed myositis in all of them. The scrutiny of seven rheumatology textbooks showed that PFMS presenting with myalgia was mentioned in six. Possible accompanying symptoms were described only once, the long duration of symptoms twice, the efficacy of corticosteroids three times and anakinra only once. The presented 6 year old patient manifested with fever, myalgia, abdominal pain and petechial rash lasting 6 weeks. She had undergone multiple diagnostic procedures before her parents mentioned a positive family history for FMF. The subsequent genetic testing confirmed a homozygosity for M694V pathogenic variant in the MEFV gene. CONCLUSION: The long duration of PFMS may be misleading to clinicians especially if PFMS occurs at manifestation of FMF. The fact that more than half of the reported patients experienced PFMS as the presenting symptom of FMF is one of the key findings of our study. Our case presentation demonstrates the importance of genetic testing early in suspected autoinflammatory diseases. Furthermore, MRI may be an important diagnostic tool showing myositis in PFMS.
- Klíčová slova
- Clinical features, Diagnostic role of MRI, Protracted febrile myalgia syndrome, Treatment,
- MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- familiární středomořská horečka * komplikace diagnóza MeSH
- horečka * diagnóza etiologie MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- magnetická rezonanční tomografie metody MeSH
- myalgie * diagnóza etiologie MeSH
- syndrom MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- kazuistiky MeSH
- systematický přehled MeSH
BACKGROUND: Systemic autoinflammatory disorders (SAIDs) represent a growing spectrum of diseases characterized by dysregulation of the innate immune system. The most common pediatric autoinflammatory fever syndrome, Periodic Fever, Aphthous Stomatitis, Pharyngitis, Adenitis (PFAPA), has well defined clinical diagnostic criteria, but there is a subset of patients who do not meet these criteria and are classified as undefined autoinflammatory diseases (uAID). This project, endorsed by PRES, supported by the EMERGE fellowship program, aimed to analyze the evolution of symptoms in recurrent fevers without molecular diagnosis in the context of undifferentiated AIDs, focusing on PFAPA and syndrome of undifferentiated recurrent fever (SURF), using data from European AID registries. METHODS: Data of patients with PFAPA, SURF and uSAID were collected from 3 registries including detailed epidemiological, demographic and clinical data, results of the genetic testing and additional laboratory investigations with retrospective application of the modified Marshall and PRINTO/Eurofever classification criteria on the cohort of PFAPA patients and preliminary SURF criteria on uSAID/SURF patients. RESULTS: Clinical presentation of PFAPA is variable and some patients did not fit the conventional PFAPA criteria and exhibit different symptoms. Some patients did not meet the criteria for either PFAPA or SURF, highlighting the heterogeneity within these groups. The study also explored potential overlaps between PFAPA and SURF/uAID, revealing that some patients exhibited symptoms characteristic of both conditions, emphasizing the need for more precise classification criteria. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with recurrent fevers without molecular diagnoses represent a clinically heterogeneous group. Improved classification criteria are needed for both PFAPA and SURF/uAID to accurately identify and manage these patients, ultimately improving clinical outcomes.
- Klíčová slova
- AID-Net, Autoinflammatory diseases, Eurofever, JIR-cohort, PFAPA, SURF,
- MeSH
- aftózní stomatitida * diagnóza epidemiologie MeSH
- dědičné zánětlivé autoimunitní nemoci * diagnóza MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- faryngitida * diagnóza MeSH
- horečka etiologie diagnóza MeSH
- kojenec MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- lymfadenitida * diagnóza epidemiologie MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- předškolní dítě MeSH
- recidiva MeSH
- registrace * MeSH
- retrospektivní studie MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- kojenec MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- předškolní dítě MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Evropa epidemiologie MeSH
PURPOSE: To evaluate the contribution of F-18 FDG-PET/MRI in the search for the etiology of the inflammation of unknown origin (IUO) and fever of unknown origin (FUO). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 104 patients who underwent F-18 FDG-PET/MRI for IUO or FUO. The sensitivity, specificity, predictive values of the PET/MRI findings in relation to the final diagnosis of IUO/FUO were evaluated. A five-point Likert scale was used to semiquantitatively assess the probability of the cause of IUO/FUO based on PET/MRI finding. Furthermore, clinical (fever, arthralgia, weight loss, night sweats, age) and laboratory (C-reactive protein, leukocytes) parameters were monitored and compared with the true positivity rate of PET/MRI. RESULTS: In patients with definitively identified etiology of FUO and IUO, FDG-PET/MRI achieved a sensitivity of 96 %, specificity of 82 %, and positive and negative predictive values of 92 and 90 %. The cause of the IUO was determined in 71 patients (68.3 %). In 33 (31.7 %) patients, the etiology of IUO/FUO remained unknown, while in 25 (75.8 %) of them the symptoms resolved spontaneously and in 8 (24.2 %) patients they persisted without explanation even after 12 months of the follow-up. The most significant parameter in relation to subsequent PET/MRI finding was increased level of CRP, which was present in 96 % of true positive PET/MRI and normal CRP level was present in 56 % of true negative PET/MRI. CONCLUSION: Based on this study, FDG-PET/MRI is a suitable alternative for the investigation of IUO/FUO, this imaging technique has a very high sensitivity and negative predictive value.
- Klíčová slova
- Fever of unknown origin, Fluorodeoxyglucose F18, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Multimodal Imaging, Positron-Emission Tomography,
- MeSH
- C-reaktivní protein metabolismus MeSH
- fluorodeoxyglukosa F18 * MeSH
- horečka neznámého původu * etiologie komplikace MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- pozitronová emisní tomografie metody MeSH
- radiofarmaka MeSH
- zánět komplikace diagnostické zobrazování MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Názvy látek
- C-reaktivní protein MeSH
- fluorodeoxyglukosa F18 * MeSH
- radiofarmaka MeSH
RATIONALE: The manuscript aimed to show that an unmeasurable capillary C-reactive protein (CRP) should be a red flag that can indicate a possible severe hematological pathology. PATIENTS CONCERNS AND DIAGNOSES: The authors present 3 case reports of children with fever examined at the pediatric emergency department. Fever is among the most frequently exhibited symptoms of acute pediatric infectious diseases. However, sometimes fever can be the manifestation of other serious noninfectious diseases. CRP is a marker widely used in clinical pediatric practice to help us evaluate inflammation and possible bacterial infection. All mentioned patients had unmeasurable CRP from capillary blood, even though venous CRP ranged from 14 to 21 mg/L. All of the patients were consequently diagnosed with severe hemato-oncological disease. Possible explanations are that a change in blood viscosity or an elevation of circulating immune complexes in the blood of patients with leukemia leads to malfunctioning immunoturbidimetry measurement. LESSON: Although these findings are very interesting and could lead to faster recognition of acute leukemia in pediatric clinical practice, further prospective study is needed for their confirmation.
- MeSH
- bakteriální infekce * diagnóza MeSH
- C-reaktivní protein analýza MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- horečka etiologie MeSH
- leukemie * komplikace MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- prospektivní studie MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Názvy látek
- C-reaktivní protein MeSH
Our goal was to identify highly accurate empirical models for the prediction of the risk of febrile seizure (FS) and FS recurrence. In a prospective, three-arm, case-control study, we enrolled 162 children (age 25.8 ± 17.1 months old, 71 females). Participants formed one case group (patients with FS) and two control groups (febrile patients without seizures and healthy controls). The impact of blood iron status, peak body temperature, and participants' demographics on FS risk and recurrence was investigated with univariate and multivariate statistics. Serum iron concentration, iron saturation, and unsaturated iron-binding capacity differed between the three investigated groups (pFWE < 0.05). These serum analytes were key variables in the design of novel multivariate linear mixture models. The models classified FS risk with higher accuracy than univariate approaches. The designed bi-linear classifier achieved a sensitivity/specificity of 82%/89% and was closest to the gold-standard classifier. A multivariate model assessing FS recurrence provided a difference (pFWE < 0.05) with a separating sensitivity/specificity of 72%/69%. Iron deficiency, height percentile, and age were significant FS risk factors. In addition, height percentile and hemoglobin concentration were linked to FS recurrence. Novel multivariate models utilizing blood iron status and demographic variables predicted FS risk and recurrence among infants and young children with fever.
- MeSH
- deficit železa * MeSH
- febrilní křeče * diagnóza etiologie MeSH
- horečka komplikace MeSH
- kojenec MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- předškolní dítě MeSH
- studie případů a kontrol MeSH
- železo MeSH
- Check Tag
- kojenec MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- předškolní dítě MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Názvy látek
- železo MeSH
- Klíčová slova
- MRSA/PVL pneumonia, cough, dyspnoea, fever, haemoptysis,
- MeSH
- dyspnoe etiologie MeSH
- hemoptýza etiologie MeSH
- horečka etiologie MeSH
- kašel MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- respirační insuficience * etiologie terapie MeSH
- syndrom dechové tísně * MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
The high rate of climate change may soon expose plants to conditions beyond their adaptation limits. Clonal plants might be particularly affected due to limited genotypic diversity of their populations, potentially decreasing their adaptability. We therefore tested the ability of a widely distributed predominantly clonally reproducing herb (Fragaria vesca) to cope with periods of drought and flooding in climatic conditions predicted to occur at the end of the twenty-first century, i.e. on average 4 °C warmer and with twice the concentration of CO2 in the air (800 ppm) than the current state. We found that F. vesca can phenotypically adjust to future climatic conditions, although its drought resistance may be reduced. Increased temperature and CO2 levels in the air had a far greater effect on growth, phenology, reproduction, and gene expression than the temperature increase itself, and promoted resistance of F. vesca to repeated flooding periods. Higher temperature promoted clonal over sexual reproduction, and increased temperature and CO2 concentration in the air triggered change in expression of genes controlling the level of self-pollination. We conclude that F. vesca can acclimatise to predicted climate change, but the increased ratio of clonal to sexual reproduction and the alteration of genes involved in the self-(in)compatibility system may be associated with reduced genotypic diversity of its populations, which may negatively impact its ability to genetically adapt to novel climate in the long-term.
- MeSH
- aklimatizace MeSH
- atmosféra MeSH
- horečka MeSH
- jahodník * MeSH
- oxid uhličitý MeSH
- teplota MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Názvy látek
- oxid uhličitý MeSH
INTRODUCTION: Poor adoption of stroke guidelines is a problem internationally. The Quality in Acute Stroke Care (QASC) trial demonstrated significant reduction in death and disability with facilitated implementation of nurse-initiated. METHODS: This was a multi-country, multi-centre, pre-test/post-test study (2017-2021) comparing post implementation data with historically collected pre-implementation data. Hospital clinical champions, supported by the Angels Initiative conducted multidisciplinary workshops discussing pre-implementation medical record audit results, barriers and facilitators to FeSS Protocol implementation, developed action plans and provided education, with ongoing support co-ordinated remotely from Australia. Prospective audits were conducted 3-month after FeSS Protocol introduction. Pre-to-post analysis and country income classification comparisons were adjusted for clustering by hospital and country controlling for age/sex/stroke severity. RESULTS: Data from 64 hospitals in 17 countries (3464 patients pre-implementation and 3257 patients post-implementation) showed improvement pre-to-post implementation in measurement recording of all three FeSS components, all p < 0.0001: fever elements (pre: 17%, post: 51%; absolute difference 33%, 95% CI 30%, 37%); hyperglycaemia elements (pre: 18%, post: 52%; absolute difference 34%; 95% CI 31%, 36%); swallowing elements (pre: 39%, post: 67%; absolute difference 29%, 95% CI 26%, 31%) and thus in overall FeSS Protocol adherence (pre: 3.4%, post: 35%; absolute difference 33%, 95% CI 24%, 42%). In exploratory analysis of FeSS adherence by countries' economic status, high-income versus middle-income countries improved to a comparable extent. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Our collaboration resulted in successful rapid implementation and scale-up of FeSS Protocols into countries with vastly different healthcare systems.
- Klíčová slova
- FeSS, QASC, Stroke, dysphagia, fever, hyperglycaemia, implementation, nurses, swallow, translation,
- MeSH
- cévní mozková příhoda * diagnóza MeSH
- horečka diagnóza MeSH
- hyperglykemie * diagnóza MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- polykání MeSH
- poruchy polykání * diagnóza MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Austrálie MeSH