Tolerated drugs in subjects with severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs) induced by anticonvulsants and review of the literature

Investigating brain-gut microbiota dynamics and inflammatory processes in an autistic-like rat model using MRI biomarkers during childhood and adolescence

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by social interaction deficits and repetitive behaviors. Recent research has linked that gut dysbiosis may contribute to ASD-like behaviors. However, the exact developmental time point at which gut microbiota alterations affect brain function and behavior in patients with ASD remains unclear. We hypothesized that ASD-related brain microstructural changes and gut dysbiosis induce metabolic dysregulation and proinflammatory responses, which collectively contribute to the social behavioral deficits observed in early childhood. We used an autistic-like rat model that was generated via prenatal valproic acid exposure. We analyzed brain microstructural changes using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and examined microbiota, blood, and fecal samples for inflammation biomarkers. The ASD model rats exhibited significant brain microstructural changes in the anterior cingulate cortex, hippocampus, striatum, and thalamus; reduced microbiota diversity (Prevotellaceae and Peptostreptococcaceae); and altered metabolic signatures. The shift in microbiota diversity and density observed at postnatal day (PND) 35, which is a critical developmental period, underscored the importance of early ASD interventions. We identified a unique metabolic signature in the ASD model, with elevated formate and reduced acetate and butyrate levels, indicating a dysregulation in short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) metabolism. Furthermore, increased astrocytic and microglial activation and elevated proinflammatory cytokines-interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)-were observed, indicating immune dysregulation. This study provided insights into the complex interplay between the brain and the gut, and indicated DTI metrics as potential imaging-based biomarkers in ASD, thus emphasizing the need for early childhood interventions.

Atopic Dermatitis and Autism Spectrum Disorders: Common Role of Environmental and Clinical Co-Factors in the Onset and Severity of Their Clinical Course

Increasing evidence suggests an association between atopic dermatitis, the most chronic inflammatory disease of the skin, and autism spectrum disorders, which are a group of neurodevelopmental diseases. Inflammation and immune dysregulation associated with genetic and environmental factors seem to characterize the pathophysiological mechanisms of both conditions. We conducted a literature review of the PubMed database aimed at identifying the clinical features and alleged risk factors that could be used in clinical practice to predict the onset of ASD and/or AD or worsen their prognosis in the context of comorbidities.

Concomitance or consequence? Stevens-Johnson syndrome in COVID-19: A case report

The novel coronavirus infection has been, and still is, a pressing medical problem with a catastrophic effect, not only from a medical point of view, but also from an economic and social one. The cutaneous manifestations of the disease have a diverse morphology and can signal the presence of the infection. The present article reports the case of a 77-year-old male patient admitted at The Sf. Parascheva Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases in Iasi (Romania) after testing positive for SARS CoV-2 infection. Initially, the patient presented a pruriginous generalized maculopapular-erythematous eruption with a tendency towards confluence, peri-oro-nasal meliceric crusts and desquamation of the skin on the third anterosuperior and posterior thorax, scalp and forehead, which was accompanied by low back pain, headache and orbital pain. The suspicion of Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) was raised, and treatment was given according to the recommendation of the hospital dermatologist. This association raises multiple questions regarding whether SJS is a cutaneous manifestation of COVID-19 or if there was a concomitance between the viral infection and the immune reaction. The combination of SJS and COVID-19 can have a fatal outcome if not recognized and promptly treated. To our knowledge, this is the first case of SJS in a patient diagnosed with SARS CoV-2 infection in Romania.

Phenotypic overlap between atopic dermatitis and autism

BACKGROUND

Autism, a childhood behavioral disorder, belongs to a large suite of diseases, collectively referred to as autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Though multifactorial in etiology, approximately 10% of ASD are associated with atopic dermatitis (AD). Moreover, ASD prevalence increases further as AD severity worsens, though these disorders share no common causative mutations. We assessed here the link between these two disorders in the standard, valproic acid mouse model of ASD. In prior studies, there was no evidence of skin involvement, but we hypothesized that cutaneous involvement could be detected in experiments conducted in BALB/c mice. BALB/c is an albino, laboratory-bred strain of the house mouse and is among the most widely used inbred strains used in animal experimentation.

METHODS

We performed our studies in valproic acid (VPA)-treated BALB/c hairless mice, a standard mouse model of ASD. Mid-trimester pregnant mice received a single intraperitoneal injection of either valproic acid sodium salt dissolved in saline or saline alone on embryonic day 12.5 and were housed individually until postnatal day 21. Only the brain and epidermis appeared to be affected, while other tissues remain unchanged. At various postnatal time points, brain, skin and blood samples were obtained for histology and for quantitation of tissue sphingolipid content and cytokine levels.

RESULTS

AD-like changes in ceramide content occurred by day one postpartum in both VPA-treated mouse skin and brain. The temporal co-emergence of AD and ASD, and the AD phenotype-dependent increase in ASD prevalence correlated with early appearance of cytokine markers (i.e., interleukin [IL]-4, 5, and 13), as well as mast cells in skin and brain. The high levels of interferon (IFN)γ not only in skin, but also in brain likely account for a significant decline in esterified very-long-chain N-acyl fatty acids in brain ceramides, again mimicking known IFNγ-induced changes in AD.

CONCLUSION

Baseline involvement of both AD and ASD could reflect concurrent neuro- and epidermal toxicity, possibly because both epidermis and neural tissues originate from the embryonic neuroectoderm. These studies illuminate the shared susceptibility of the brain and epidermis to a known neurotoxin, suggesting that the atopic diathesis could be extended to include ASD.

Delabeling Delayed Drug Hypersensitivity: How Far Can You Safely Go?

Delayed immune-mediated adverse drug reactions (IM-ADRs) are defined as reactions occurring more than 6 hours after dosing. They include heterogeneous clinical phenotypes that are typically T-cell-mediated reactions with distinct mechanisms across a wide spectrum of severity from benign exanthems through to life-threatening cutaneous or organ-specific diseases. For mild reactions such as benign exanthem, considerations for delabeling are similar to immediate reactions and may include a graded or single-dose drug challenge with or without preceding skin or patch testing. Evaluation of challenging cases such as the patient who is on multiple drugs at the time a severe delayed IM-ADR occurs should prioritize clinical ascertainment of the most likely phenotype and implicated drug(s). Although not widely available and validated, procedures such as patch testing, delayed intradermal skin testing, and laboratory-based functional drug assays or genetic (human leukocyte antigen) testing may provide valuable information to further help risk stratify patients and identify the likely implicated and/or cross-reactive drug(s). The decision to use a drug challenge as a diagnostic or delabeling tool in a patient with a severe delayed IM-ADR should weigh the risk-benefit ratio, balancing the severity and priority for the treatment of the underlying, and the availability of alternative efficacious and safe treatments.

Delayed hypersensitivity to antiepileptic drugs in children

BACKGROUND

Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are widely used for the treatment of epilepsy, but they can be associated with the development of mainly delayed/non-immediate hypersensitivity reactions (HRs). Although these reactions are usually cutaneous, self-limited, and spontaneously resolve within days after drug discontinuation, sometime HR reactions to AEDs can be severe and life-threatening.

AIM

This paper seeks to show examples on practical management of AED HRs in children starting from a review of what it is already known in literature.

RESULTS

Risk factors include age, history of previous AEDs reactions, viral infections, concomitant medications, and genetic factors. The diagnostic workup consists of in vivo (intradermal testing and patch testing) and in vitro tests [serological investigation to exclude the role of viral infection, lymphocyte transformation test (LTT), cytokine detection in ELISpot assays, and granulysin (Grl) in flow cytometry. Treatment is based on a prompt drug discontinuation and mainly on the use of glucocorticoids.

CONCLUSION

Dealing with AED HRs is challenging. The primary goal in the diagnosis and management of HRs to AEDs should be trying to accurately identify the causal trigger and simultaneously identify a safe and effective alternative anticonvulsant. There is therefore an ongoing need to improve our knowledge of HS reactions due to AED medications and in particular to improve our diagnostic capabilities.

A case report of toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) in a patient with COVID-19 treated with hydroxychloroquine: are these two partners in crime?

BACKGROUND

Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (SJS/TEN) is the most Serious Cutaneous Adverse Reaction (SCAR) often with a fatal outcome. Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) is caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-COV2) and is an emergent pandemic for which no cure exist at the moment. Several drugs have been tried often with scant clinical evidence and safety.

CASE PRESENTATION

Here we report the case of 78-years-old woman with cardiometabolic syndrome and COVID-19. A multidrug regimen including others hydroxychloroquine, antibiotics, dexamethasone and paracetamol, low-molecular-weight-heparin and potassium canrenoate was started. After almost 3 weeks, the patient started to display a violaceous rash initially involving the flexural folds atypical targetoid lesions and showing a very fast extension, blister formation and skin detachments of approximately 70% of the total body surface area and mucous membranes involvement consistent with toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN). The ALDEN algorithm was calculated inserting all drugs given to the patient in the 28 days preceding the onset of the skin manifestations. The highest score retrieved was for hydroxychloroquine. Other less suspicious drugs were piperacillin/tazobactam, ceftriaxone and levofloxacin.

CONCLUSIONS

To our knowledge, this is the first case of TEN in a patient suffering from COVID-19 probably associated with hydroxychloroquine. Given the activation of the immune system syndrome induced by the virus and the widespread off-label use of this drug, we suggest a careful monitoring of skin and mucous membranes in all COVID-19 positive patients treated with hydroxychloroquine in order to early detect early signs of toxicities.

Recent developments and highlights in drug hypersensitivity

Drug hypersensitivity reactions (DHRs) are nowadays the third cause of allergy after rhinitis and asthma with a significant increase in prevalence in both adults and paediatric population with new drugs included as culprit. For this, DHRs represent not only a health problem but also a significant financial burden for affected individuals and health systems. Mislabelling DHRs is showing to be a relevant problem for both, false label of drug allergic and false label of nonallergic. All this reinforces the need to improve accurate diagnostic approaches that allow an appropriate management. Moreover, there is a need for training both, nonallergist stakeholders and patients to improve the reaction identification and therefore decrease the mislabelling. The use of allergy cards has shown to be relevant to avoid the induction of DHRs due to the prescription of wrong medication. Recent developments over the last 2 years and highlights about risk factors, diagnostic approaches, mechanisms involved as well as prevention actions, and management have been reviewed. In these papers, it has been outlined the need for correct diagnosis and de-labelling of patients previously false-reported as allergic, which will improve the management and treatment of patients with DHRs.

Valproic acid and Stevens-Johnson syndrome: a systematic review of descriptive studies

Valproic acid (VPA) is a commonly used antiepileptic drug (AED). Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis are the rare but fatal cutaneous adverse drug reactions for VPA. We aimed to identify and critically evaluate all the literature of SJS in association with VPA and to describe the clinical features of the condition. A literature search was conducted in MEDLINE/PubMed from inception to December 2017 and updated in July 2018 without any restrictions, and the references of included studies were also searched. The descriptive studies discussing any patients who experienced SJS followed by the use of VPA alone or along with any other AED for its main indication were included. Two authors were independently involved in the study selection and data extraction. Disagreements were resolved by consensus or by the discussion with a third reviewer. A total of 19 studies including 17 case reports and two case series of 98 were included in the review. In all studies, the dose of VPA ranged from 100 mg/day to a maximum dose of 1,000 mg/day and was administered for indications including epilepsy, seizures, schizophrenic affective disorders, and bipolar disorder. The mortality seen with severe cutaneous adverse drug reactions can be decreased by immediate withdrawal of opposing medications, providing symptomatic relief, and offering supportive care, all of which are the mainstay of controlling the condition. It is essential for healthcare professionals to be aware of the importance of monitoring SJS or any other cutaneous reactions followed by the use of valproic acid even though the incidence is low, but it is injurious to the patient.