1
|
Altaf F, Khanzada M, Qasim A, Anto AM, Haider A, Khaja M. Successful Management of Atypical Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome in Pregnancy Using Eculizumab: A Case Review. Cureus 2024; 16:e57973. [PMID: 38738120 PMCID: PMC11086038 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.57973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) is a rare thrombotic microangiopathy characterized by the triad of microangiopathic hemolytic anemia (MAHA), thrombocytopenia, and acute kidney injury. The disease is pathologically marked by fibrinoid necrosis within renal arterioles and glomerular capillaries. HUS can be categorized into typical variants, often linked to Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infection, and atypical variants that stem from dysregulation in the alternative complement pathway. Pregnancy is a recognized predisposing condition for HUS due to the potential reduction in complement regulatory proteins and the possibility of heightened maternal immune response. This report illustrates the case of a 36-year-old woman who, at 36 weeks of gestation, faced a breech presentation and was diagnosed with atypical HUS (aHUS) after placental abruption. Following a cesarean section, she developed complications, including a pelvic hematoma and bilateral hydronephrosis. Despite initial suboptimal response to plasmapheresis, the patient exhibited marked clinical improvement with eculizumab treatment, with no evidence of disease relapse.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Faryal Altaf
- Internal Medicine, BronxCare Health System, Bronx, USA
| | | | - Abeer Qasim
- Internal Medicine, BronxCare Health System, Bronx, USA
| | - Anandu M Anto
- Internal Medicine, BronxCare Health System, Bronx, USA
| | - Asim Haider
- Internal Medicine, St. Vincent Medical Center, Bridgeport, USA
| | - Misbahuddin Khaja
- Internal Medicine/Pulmonary Critical Care, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, BronxCare Health System, Bronx, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Falsetti L, Guerrieri E, Zaccone V, Viticchi G, Santini S, Giovenali L, Lagonigro G, Carletti S, Gialluca Palma LE, Tarquinio N, Moroncini G. Cutting-Edge Techniques and Drugs for the Treatment of Pulmonary Embolism: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives. J Clin Med 2024; 13:1952. [PMID: 38610717 PMCID: PMC11012374 DOI: 10.3390/jcm13071952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a potentially life-threatening condition requiring prompt diagnosis and treatment. Recent advances have led to the development of newer techniques and drugs aimed at improving PE management, reducing its associated morbidity and mortality and the complications related to anticoagulation. This review provides an overview of the current knowledge and future perspectives on PE treatment. Anticoagulation represents the first-line treatment of hemodynamically stable PE, direct oral anticoagulants being a safe and effective alternative to traditional anticoagulation: these drugs have a rapid onset of action, predictable pharmacokinetics, and low bleeding risk. Systemic fibrinolysis is suggested in patients with cardiac arrest, refractory hypotension, or shock due to PE. With this narrative review, we aim to assess the state of the art of newer techniques and drugs that could radically improve PE management in the near future: (i) mechanical thrombectomy and pulmonary embolectomy are promising techniques reserved to patients with massive PE and contraindications or failure to systemic thrombolysis; (ii) catheter-directed thrombolysis is a minimally invasive approach that can be suggested for the treatment of massive or submassive PE, but the lack of large, randomized controlled trials represents a limitation to widespread use; (iii) novel pharmacological approaches, by agents inhibiting thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor, factor Xia, and the complement cascade, are currently under investigation to improve PE-related outcomes in specific settings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Falsetti
- Clinica Medica, Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche e Molecolari, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60126 Ancona, Italy; (L.F.)
| | - Emanuele Guerrieri
- Emergency Medicine Residency Program, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60126 Ancona, Italy; (E.G.)
| | - Vincenzo Zaccone
- Internal and Subintensive Medicine, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria delle Marche, 60126 Ancona, Italy
| | - Giovanna Viticchi
- Clinica di Neurologia, Dipartimento Scienze Cliniche e Molecolare, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60126 Ancona, Italy
| | - Silvia Santini
- Emergency Medicine Residency Program, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60126 Ancona, Italy; (E.G.)
| | - Laura Giovenali
- Emergency Medicine Residency Program, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60126 Ancona, Italy; (E.G.)
| | - Graziana Lagonigro
- Emergency Medicine Residency Program, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60126 Ancona, Italy; (E.G.)
| | - Stella Carletti
- Emergency Medicine Residency Program, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60126 Ancona, Italy; (E.G.)
| | | | - Nicola Tarquinio
- Internal Medicine Department, INRCA-IRCCS Osimo-Ancona, 60027 Ancona, Italy
| | - Gianluca Moroncini
- Clinica Medica, Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche e Molecolari, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60126 Ancona, Italy; (L.F.)
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Mubarak M, Raza A, Rashid R, Sapna F, Shakeel S. Thrombotic microangiopathy after kidney transplantation: Expanding etiologic and pathogenetic spectra. World J Transplant 2024; 14:90277. [PMID: 38576763 PMCID: PMC10989473 DOI: 10.5500/wjt.v14.i1.90277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 01/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) is an uncommon but serious complication that not only affects native kidneys but also transplanted kidneys. This review is specifically focused on post-transplant TMA (PT-TMA) involving kidney transplant recipients. Its reported prevalence in the latter population varies from 0.8% to 14% with adverse impacts on both graft and patient survival. It has many causes and associations, and the list of etiologic agents and associations is growing constantly. The pathogenesis is equally varied and a variety of patho genetic pathways lead to the development of microvascular injury as the final common pathway. PT-TMA is categorized in many ways in order to facilitate its management. Ironically, more than one causes are contributory in PT-TMA and it is often difficult to pinpoint one particular cause in an individual case. Pathologically, the hallmark lesions are endothelial cell injury and intravascular thrombi affecting the microvasculature. Early diagnosis and classification of PT-TMA are imperative for optimal outcomes but are challenging for both clinicians and pathologists. The Banff classification has addressed this issue and has developed minimum diagnostic criteria for pathologic diagnosis of PT-TMA in the first phase. Management of the condition is also challenging and still largely empirical. It varies from simple maneuvers, such as plasmapheresis, drug withdrawal or modification, or dose reduction, to lifelong complement blockade, which is very expensive. A thorough understanding of the condition is imperative for an early diagnosis and quick treatment when the treatment is potentially effective. This review aims to increase the awareness of relevant stakeholders regarding this important, potentially treatable but under-recognized cause of kidney allograft dysfunction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Muhammed Mubarak
- Department of Histopathology, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, Karachi 74200, Sindh, Pakistan
| | - Amber Raza
- Department of Nephrology, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, Karachi 74200, Sindh, Pakistan
| | - Rahma Rashid
- Department of Histopathology, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, Karachi 74200, Sindh, Pakistan
| | - Fnu Sapna
- Department of Pathology, Montefiore Medical Center, The University Hospital for Albert Einstein School of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, United States
| | - Shaheera Shakeel
- Department of Histopathology, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, Karachi 74200, Sindh, Pakistan
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Letarov AV. Bacterial Virus Forcing of Bacterial O-Antigen Shields: Lessons from Coliphages. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:17390. [PMID: 38139217 PMCID: PMC10743462 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242417390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
In most Gram-negative bacteria, outer membrane (OM) lipopolysaccharide (LPS) molecules carry long polysaccharide chains known as the O antigens or O polysaccharides (OPS). The OPS structure varies highly from strain to strain, with more than 188 O serotypes described in E. coli. Although many bacteriophages recognize OPS as their primary receptors, these molecules can also screen OM proteins and other OM surface receptors from direct interaction with phage receptor-binding proteins (RBP). In this review, I analyze the body of evidence indicating that most of the E. coli OPS types robustly shield cells completely, preventing phage access to the OM surface. This shield not only blocks virulent phages but also restricts the acquisition of prophages. The available data suggest that OPS-mediated OM shielding is not merely one of many mechanisms of bacterial resistance to phages. Rather, it is an omnipresent factor significantly affecting the ecology, phage-host co-evolution and other related processes in E. coli and probably in many other species of Gram-negative bacteria. The phages, in turn, evolved multiple mechanisms to break through the OPS layer. These mechanisms rely on the phage RBPs recognizing the OPS or on using alternative receptors exposed above the OPS layer. The data allow one to forward the interpretation that, regardless of the type of receptors used, primary receptor recognition is always followed by the generation of a mechanical force driving the phage tail through the OPS layer. This force may be created by molecular motors of enzymatically active tail spikes or by virion structural re-arrangements at the moment of infection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrey V Letarov
- Winogradsky Institute of Micrbiology, Research Center Fundamentals of Biotechnology RAS, pr. 60-letiya Oktyabrya 7 bld. 2, Moscow 117312, Russia
| |
Collapse
|