Medicine
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Rituximab is a chimeric monoclonal antibody against CD20 that is used mainly for the treatment of CD20-positive lymphoma. Recently, its use has been expanded to include treatment of other nonmalignant diseases such as rheumatologic diseases and autoimmune cytopenia. Correlating with the increased use of rituximab has been an increased number of reports of its late adverse effects. ⋯ Repeated episodes of LON are not uncommon, but it is so far impossible to identify those patients at risk of these relapsing episodes of LON. Re-treatment with rituximab after LON may result in recurrent episodes, but the implications and risks are uncertain at the present time. The role of growth factors once LON appears is ill defined, and the decision to use them should be made on a case-by-case basis.
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Culture of Tropheryma whipplei, the agent of Whipple disease (WD), was achieved in our laboratory in 2000, allowing new perspectives for the diagnosis of this disease and for the description of other potential clinical manifestations caused by this microorganism. Since 2000, we have developed new tools in our center in Marseille, France, to optimize the diagnosis of T whipplei infections. Classic WD was characterized by positive periodic acid-Schiff performed on duodenal biopsy. ⋯ Infection with T whipplei resulted in multifaceted conditions. Some localized infections due to this agent have recently been reported and may correspond to emerging entities. Patients with inflammatory rheumatoid disease must be systematically interviewed to determine the efficacy of previous immunosuppressive and antibiotic therapies.
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Few studies have addressed the association between polypharmacy and hip fracture using population data. We conducted a population-based case-control study to investigate whether polypharmacy increases the risk for hip fracture in the elderly. We used insurance claims data from the Taiwan Bureau of National Health Insurance, a universal insurance program with a coverage rate of more than 98% of the population in Taiwan. ⋯ However, age-specific analysis revealed that the risk for hip fracture was 23 times greater for patients aged > or = 85 years who used 10 or more drugs than for those aged 65-74 years who used 0-1 drug after controlling for covariates (OR, 23.0; 95% CI, 3.77-140). We conclude that the risk of hip fracture in older people increases with the number of medications used, especially in women. Age interacts with the daily medications for the risk of hip fracture.
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We describe the natural history of lupus nephritis (LN) in a historical cohort of 190 white patients with the diagnosis of biopsy-proven LN followed in a single reference center. We evaluated 670 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) consecutively followed in our department from 1970 until 2006. All patients fulfilled the 1997 revised criteria for the classification of SLE. ⋯ Survival was 92% at 10 years of follow-up, 80% after 20 years, and 72% after 30 years. Our results suggest that biopsy-proven LN in white patients has an excellent prognosis. Ethnicity should be considered a key factor when evaluating the prognosis and therapeutic response to different agents in patients with LN.