A retrospective analysis of leucocyte count as a strong predictor of survival for patients with acute paraquat poisoning

Características sociodemográficas y clínicas relacionadas con la condición final de pacientes intoxicados por paraquat en un hospital del suroccidente de Colombia

Introducción.

El herbicida paraquat constituye la primera causa de decesos por intoxicaciones en distintos países.

Objetivo.

Relacionar las características sociodemográficas y clínicas con la condición final de pacientes intoxicados por paraquat atendidos en un hospital del suroccidente de Colombia.

Materiales y métodos.

En este estudio observacional, descriptivo, analítico, transversal y retrospectivo, se revisaron las historias clínicas de pacientes atendidos por intoxicación con paraquat en una institución de tercer nivel de complejidad en Pasto (Colombia) entre el 2013 y el 2018. Se recolectó la información sobre la condición final (vivo o fallecido) de cada paciente, así como los datos sociodemográficos, clínicos y de los exámenes paraclínicos. Se establecieron comparaciones por grupos y se diseñó un modelo de regresión logística binaria.

Resultados.

Se filtró la información de 299 registros y se analizaron finalmente 160 casos. Las características relacionadas con la condición final de los pacientes fueron el tiempo de estancia (OR=0,124; IC_95% 0,03-0,6; p=0,009), la frecuencia cardiaca (OR=35,65; IC_95% 1,44-884,78; p=0,029) y la creatinina inicial (OR=1,73; IC_95% 1,23-2,44; p=0,002).

Conclusiones.

La proporción de la letalidad fue mayor entre los pacientes con estancia hospitalaria corta, taquicardia y elevación de la concentración sérica de creatinina al ingreso. Este reporte puede ser útil como fundamento de una escala de gravedad para detectar a los pacientes con resultados adversos en la fase temprana para que puedan recibir una intervención oportuna.

The acute paraquat poisoning mortality (APPM) score to predict the risk of death in paraquat-poisoned patients

CONTEXT

Mortality prediction in paraquat poisoning is a major issue since most prediction rules are inapplicable if the exact ingestion time cannot be determined and/or the serum paraquat concentration is not readily available, as in most countries. Therefore, we aimed to develop and validate a new prediction rule not requiring these two parameters.

METHODS

We designed a 10-year observational cohort study including all consecutive paraquat-poisoned patients managed in two Taiwanese hospitals. We built one cohort to define and one cohort to validate this prediction rule. Parameters independently related to mortality determined using a multivariate analysis were used to formulate the Acute Paraquat Poisoning Mortality (APPM) score.

RESULTS

Overall, 321 paraquat-poisoned patients were included, 156 in the derivation and 165 in the validation cohort. Mortality rates in the derivation and validation cohorts were 73% and 81%, respectively (p = 0.20). The three parameters chosen of 28-day mortality at presentation were urine paraquat level >10 ppm (using a colorimetric sodium dithionite-based test; odds ratio (OR), 12.70; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.64-61.24), white blood cells >13.0 G/L (OR, 5.50; CI, 1.41-21.48) and blood glucose >140 mg/dL [7.8 mmol/L] (OR, 7.45; CI, 1.70-32.86). In the derivation cohort, the area under the ROC curve (AUC-ROC) of the APPM score did not significantly differ from AUC-ROCs of serum paraquat (0.95, p = 0.25) and the Severity Index of Paraquat Poisoning (0.95, p = 0.33). AUC-ROCs of the APPM score in the derivation and validation cohorts were 0.91 and 0.94, respectively.

CONCLUSION

We built and validated a reliable score to predict 28-day mortality in paraquat-poisoned patients at presentation, independently from the ingestion time and serum paraquat measurement.

A novel flowchart to predict mortality and analyse effectiveness of routinely used pharmacological regimens in paraquat poisoning

Paraquat is responsible for an extremely high case-fatality rate poisoning. Mortality prediction remains a major issue since evidence to support benefits of routinely used treatments is lacking. We aimed to develop an easy-to-use prediction flowchart not requiring the ingestion time, for which accuracy is frequently questionable, and to evaluate the effectiveness of routinely used pharmacological therapies on mortality. We designed a two-centre cohort study including consecutive paraquat-poisoned adults with confirmed diagnosis based on serum/urine paraquat measurement. We built a flowchart using a multivariate analysis of death predictors and analysed the outcome according to the administered therapies. Overall, 256 patients were enrolled. Mortality rate was 75%. Independent death predictors on admission were serum creatinine (odds ratio [OR], 5.07; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.97-13.05) and serum paraquat concentration (OR, 2.26; CI, 1.66-3.09). The area-under-the flowchart curve was 0.91. Overall sensitivity and specificity were 81.5% and 94.8%, respectively. More survivors than non-survivors of severe poisoning received methylprednisolone (P = 0.04). While not significantly differing in severity, methylprednisolone-treated patients had better survival (P = 0.04). To conclude, we defined an efficient flowchart to predict mortality in paraquat poisoning at presentation, even if ingestion time is undetermined. Methylprednisolone seems effective to improve the outcome, especially in the most severe cases.

Combined signaling of NF-kappaB and IL-17 contributes to Mesenchymal stem cells-mediated protection for Paraquat-induced acute lung injury

BACKGROUND

Paraquat (PQ) is an herbicide widely used in the world. PQ can cause pulmonary toxicity and even acute lung injury. Treatment for PQ poisoning in a timely manner is still a challenge for clinicians. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation has hold potentials for the treatment of several lung diseases including PQ poisoning. The aim of this study is to examine the mechanisms mediated by MSC transplantation to protect PQ-induced lung injury.

METHODS

Here we performed the whole genome sequencing and compared the genes and pathways in the lung that were altered by PQ or PQ together with MSC treatment.

RESULTS

The comparison in transcriptome identified a combined mitigation in NF-kappaB signaling and IL-17 signaling in MSC transplanted samples.

CONCLUSION

This study not only reiterates the important role of NF-kappaB signaling and IL-17 signaling in the pathogenesis of PQ-induced toxicity, but also provides insight into a molecular basis of MSC administration for the treatment of PQ-induced toxicity.

Hyperamylasemia as an early predictor of mortality in patients with acute paraquat poisoning

Objective

This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between elevated serum amylase levels and the prognosis of paraquat poisoning.

Methods

Patients were categorized into the elevated and non-elevated serum amylase groups according to serum amylase levels. Demographics, mortality, risk factors of elevated serum amylase levels, and injury to the pancreas were analyzed.

Results

A total of 457 patients were enrolled in this study and the overall mortality rate was 51.9%. Patients in the elevated group had worse indices than those in the non-elevated group. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis showed that the mortality rate in the elevated group was significantly higher than that in the non-elevated group (hazard ratio: 10.65, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 7.55–15.02). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis showed that elevated serum amylase levels were related to mortality (hazard ratio: 2.066, 95% CI: 1.239–3.444). The receiver operating characteristic curve showed that the area under the curve was 0.724 (95% CI: 0.666–0.783) for serum amylase levels with 70.4% sensitivity and 74.0% specificity.

Conclusion

Elevated serum amylase levels are observed in PQ poisoning. This elevation might be one of the most accurate early prognostic factors for predicting severity and mortality.

Comparison of severity index and plasma paraquat concentration for predicting survival after paraquat poisoning: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Severity index and plasma paraquat (PQ) concentration can predict the prognosis of patients with PQ poisoning. However, the better parameter is yet to be systematically investigated and determined. Thus, we conduct this systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the prognostic value of severity index and plasma PQ concentration in patients with PQ poisoning.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Cochrane Library to identify all relevant papers that were published up to March 2019. All diagnostic studies that compared severity index and plasma PQ concentration to predict mortality in patients with PQ poisoning were enrolled in this meta-analysis. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for individual trials were pooled using a random-effect model. We also aggregated heterogeneity testing, sensitivity analysis, and publication bias analysis.

RESULTS

Ultimately, seven studies involving 821 patients were included. The pooled OR with a 95% CI of severity index was 24.12 (95% CI: 9.34-62.34, P < .001), with an area under the curve of 0.88 (95% CI: 0.85-0.90), sensitivity of 0.84 (95% CI: 0.74-0.91), and specificity of 0.81 (95% CI: 0.75-0.87). Meanwhile, the pooled OR with 95% CI of plasma PQ concentration was 34.39 (95% CI: 14.69-80.56, P < .001), with an area under the curve of 0.94 (95% CI: 0.91-0.96), sensitivity of 0.86 (95% CI: 0.75-0.93), and specificity of 0.89 (95% CI: 0.76-0.95). Sensitivity analysis demonstrated the stability of the results of our meta-analysis. No significant publication bias was observed in this meta-analysis.

CONCLUSION

Overall, this study indicated that severity index and plasma PQ concentration have relatively high-prognostic value in patients with PQ poisoning, and that the sensitivity and specificity of plasma PQ concentration are superior to those of severity index.

The significance of serum HMGB1 level in humans with acute paraquat poisoning

High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) mediates acute lung injury in a mouse model of paraquat poisoning. However, published reports showing a clinically relevant association between HMGB1 and paraquat exposure are lacking. The objective of the present study was to investigate the potential role of serum HMGB1 level as a prognostic marker of mortality in patients with paraquat poisoning in a clinical setting. This retrospective observational cohort study included a convenience sample of 92 patients with acute paraquat poisoning admitted to the emergency room (ER) of The First Hospital of Jilin University between January 2014 and December 2016. Baseline serum HMGB1 levels and other laboratory parameters were measured on admission. Cumulative incidence of mortality during the first 30 days after admission was 50% (n = 46/92). Serum HMGB1 levels were higher in fatalities than survivors (P = 0.015), 30-day mortality increased with increasing baseline serum HMGB1 level (P < 0.001), and higher serum HMGB1 levels were associated with an increase in 30-day mortality on Kaplan-Meier analysis. Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified baseline serum HMGB1 levels, white blood cell count, and serum lactic acid levels as independent prognostic markers of 30-day mortality. These data suggest that serum HMGB1 levels measured on admission to the ER are an independent predictor of 30-day mortality in patients with acute paraquat poisoning.

Platelet-lymphocyte ratio is not a prognostic predictor for acute paraquat-intoxicated patients: A retrospective analysis

This study aimed to investigate the prognostic predictive value of the platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in patients with acute paraquat (PQ) intoxication.A total of 107 patients with acute PQ intoxication via oral ingestion were admitted in Cangzhou Central Hospital from May 2012 to September 2018. Valuable detection indices were screened out by using Cox proportional hazard regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses, and their diagnostic efficiency was evaluated by using Kaplan-Meier curve.The 90-day mortality was 58.9% (63/107). The Kaplan-Meier curve showed that PLR was not associated with 90-day survival (log-rank test; P = .661). In Cox proportional hazard regression analyses, PLR was not an independent risk factor. Meanwhile, the ROC curves showed that PLR had an AUC value of 0.569 (95% confidence interval: 0.459-0.679, P = .227) in predicting 90-day survival.PLR is not a prognostic predictor for patients with acute PQ intoxication.