Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome induced by ceftriaxone with successful treatment — A case report and literature review

Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms is a rare and potentially life threatening condition characterised by hypersensitivity reactions to a drug with prolonged latency, in the form of skin rashes, hyper eosinophilia and systemic features like fever, lymphadenopathy, leucocytosis, internal organ involvement (liver, kidney, lung). Though it can occur in response to many drugs but very few cases has been described in relation to one of the most commonly used antibiotic ceftriaxone. Here we have described a case of DRESS in a patient who has been treated with ceftriaxone outside our hospital for sore throat.

Kaempferol, Myricetin and Fisetin in Prostate and Bladder Cancer: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Prostate and bladder cancer represent the two most frequently diagnosed genito-urinary malignancies. Diet has been implicated in both prostate and bladder cancer. Given their prolonged latency and high prevalence rates, both prostate and bladder cancer represent attractive candidates for dietary preventive measures, including the use of nutritional supplements. Flavonols, a class of flavonoids, are commonly found in fruit and vegetables and are known for their protective effect against diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, a higher dietary intake of flavonols was associated with a lower risk of both bladder and prostate cancer in epidemiological studies. In this systematic review, we gathered all available evidence supporting the anti-cancer potential of selected flavonols (kaempferol, fisetin and myricetin) against bladder and prostate cancer. A total of 21, 15 and 7 pre-clinical articles on bladder or prostate cancer reporting on kaempferol, fisetin and myricetin, respectively, were found, while more limited evidence was available from animal models and epidemiological studies or clinical trials. In conclusion, the available evidence supports the potential use of these flavonols in prostate and bladder cancer, with a low expected toxicity, thus providing the rationale for clinical trials that explore dosing, settings for clinical use as well as their use in combination with other pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions.

Recognition Characteristics of Facial and Bodily Expressions: Evidence From ERPs

In the natural environment, facial and bodily expressions influence each other. Previous research has shown that bodily expressions significantly influence the perception of facial expressions. However, little is known about the cognitive processing of facial and bodily emotional expressions and its temporal characteristics. Therefore, this study presented facial and bodily expressions, both separately and together, to examine the electrophysiological mechanism of emotional recognition using event-related potential (ERP). Participants assessed the emotions of facial and bodily expressions that varied by valence (positive/negative) and consistency (matching/non-matching emotions). The results showed that bodily expressions induced a more positive P1 component and a shortened latency, whereas facial expressions triggered a more negative N170 and prolonged latency. Among N2 and P3, N2 was more sensitive to inconsistent emotional information and P3 was more sensitive to consistent emotional information. The cognitive processing of facial and bodily expressions had distinctive integrating features, with the interaction occurring in the early stage (N170). The results of the study highlight the importance of facial and bodily expressions in the cognitive processing of emotion recognition.

Antibiotics for Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes

Antibiotics for preterm prelabor rupture of membranes (PPROM) have been shown to prolong the length of pregnancy as well as improve neonatal outcomes as demonstrated by the landmark article by Mercer et al. PPROM complicates 3% of all pregnancies, and approximately one-half of patients will deliver within 1 week of membrane rupture. Infection is thought to play a role in both the etiology of PPROM and subsequent maternal and neonatal complications. Premature birth further complicates neonatal outcomes, therefore prolongation of pregnancy after PPROM is essential for risk reduction. Administration of broad spectrum antibiotics have been associated with prolonged latency in women with PPROM at less than 32 weeks and 0 days of gestation as well as improved neonatal outcomes.

Magnesium Sulfate Attenuates Lethality and Oxidative Damage Induced by Different Models of Hypoxia in Mice

Mg2+ is an important cation in our body. It is an essential cofactor for many enzymes. Despite many works, nothing is known about the protective effects of MgSO4 against hypoxia-induced lethality and oxidative damage in brain mitochondria. In this study, antihypoxic and antioxidative activities of MgSO4 were evaluated by three experimental models of induced hypoxia (asphyctic, haemic, and circulatory) in mice. Mitochondria protective effects of MgSO4 were evaluated in mouse brain after induction of different models of hypoxia. Antihypoxic activity was especially pronounced in asphyctic hypoxia, where MgSO4 at dose 600 mg/kg showed the same activity as phenytoin, which used as a positive control ( P < 0.001 ). In the haemic model, MgSO4 at all used doses significantly prolonged latency of death. In circulatory hypoxia, MgSO4 (600 mg/kg) doubles the survival time. MgSO4 significantly decreased lipid peroxidation and protein carbonyl and improved mitochondrial function and glutathione content in brain mitochondria compared to the control groups. The results obtained in this study showed that MgSO4 administration has protective effects against lethality induced by different models of hypoxia and improves brain mitochondria oxidative damage.

Auditory Mismatch Negativity in Youth Affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder With and Without Attenuated Psychosis Syndrome

The present study investigates the differences in auditory mismatch negativity (MMN) parameters given in a sample of young subjects with autism spectrum disorder (ASD, n = 37) with or without co-occurrent attenuated psychosis syndrome (APS). Our results show that ASD individuals present an MMN decreased amplitude and prolonged latency, without being influenced by concurrent APS. Additionally, when correlating the MMN indexes to clinical features, in the ASD + APS group, we found a negative correlation between the severity of autistic symptoms and the MMN latency in both frequency (f-MMN r = −0.810; p &lt; 0.0001) and duration (d-MMN r = −0.650; p = 0.006) deviants. Thus, our results may provide a more informative characterization of the ASD sub-phenotype when associated with APS, highlighting the need for further longitudinal investigations.

Smoking induced alterations in auditory pathways: Evidence from evoked potentials

Objectives: Auditory Brainstem Responses (ABR) are used for assessment of integrity of auditory pathway. Given the widespread prevalence of smoking, interpretation of ABR data must be done in light of smoker/nonsmoker status. Materials and Methods: The present study was done on 30 normal, healthy non-smoker males and 30 healthy, smoker males in the age group of 18-40 years. Approval of Institutional Ethics Committee and written informed consent was taken from all volunteers. ABR was recorded using Biopac MP 150 system. The recordings were done in a state of abstinence of 12 hours (chronic smoking state) and 10 minutes after smoking (acute smoking state). In the non-smoker group, only one set of recordings were done. The peak latencies and amplitudes of the ABR waves were analyzed. Results: Analysis of data revealed a significant prolongation of the latencies of wave I and II and Inter-peak latency I-III in chronic smoking state as compared to non-smoking state. The amplitudes of waves I, II and V were also significantly reduced in chronic smoking state. A comparison between the non-smokers and acute smoking state revealed significantly prolonged latency of waves I and II in the acute smoking state accompanied by a significant decrease in the amplitudes of all waves of ABR. There were no significant differences in latencies and amplitudes of the chronic and acute smoking state. Conclusion: Smoking led to an increase in latency and decrease in amplitude, thereby indicating that it adversely affected the auditory pathway. Thus, interpretation of data of ABR should consider smoking as a confounding variable.

Magnesium Sulfate Attenuates Lethality and Oxidative Damage Induced by Different Models of Hypoxia in Mice

Mg2+ is an important cation in our body. It is an essential co-factor for many enzymes. Despite many works, nothing is known about the protective effects of MgSO4 against hypoxia-induced lethality and oxidative damage in brain mitochondria. In this study, antihypoxic and antioxidative activities of MgSO4 were evaluated by three experimental models of induced-hypoxia (asphyctic, haemic, and circulatory) in mice. Mitochondria protective effects of MgSO4 were evaluated in mice brain after induction of different models of hypoxia. Antihypoxic activity was especially pronounced in asphyctic hypoxia where MgSO4 at dose 600 mg/kg showed the same activity as phenytoin which used as a positive control (P< 0.001). In the haemic model, MgSO4 at all used doses significantly prolonged latency of death. In circulatory hypoxia, MgSO4 (600 mg/kg) doubles the survival time. MgSO4 significantly decreased Lipid peroxidation, protein carbonyl, and improved mitochondrial function and glutathione content in brain mitochondria compared to control groups. The results obtained in this study showed that MgSO4 administration has protective effects against lethality induced by different models of hypoxia and improves brain mitochondria oxidative damage.

A case report of drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms syndrome induced by dapsone

Drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome is a distinct, severe, idiosyncratic reaction to a drug characterized by a prolonged latency period. It is followed by a variety of clinical manifestations, usually fever, rash, lymphadenopathy, eosinophilia, and a wide range of mild-to-severe systemic presentations. Among sulfonamides, Dapsone, sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim and sulfasalazine are the most common offending drugs. We report here a case of DRESS syndrome due to dapsone.

Anastrozole-induced liver injury after a prolonged latency: a very rare complication of a commonly prescribed medication

Anastrozole is an aromatase inhibitor that has been used more frequently over the last decade especially for oestrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. It has a relatively safe side effect profile. However, occasionally it has been associated with serious adverse events. Here, we present the case of a 58-year-old woman who presented with significantly elevated liver enzymes 4 years after starting anastrozole. She was not taking any other medications and an extensive workup did not reveal any other cause for her liver injury. The patient’s liver enzymes normalised after discounting the anastrozole. She scored 4 on the updated Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method grading system which was possible for drug-induced liver injury. A review of the literature revealed six prior cases of anastrozole-related liver injury. Anastrozole should be considered as a possible culprit in patients who develop an unexplained acute liver injury.