Search

Abstract Background Healthcare waste (HCW) poses a global hazard, particularly in developing country hospitals where mismanagement is common due to poor practices among staff. Training healthcare workers has shown promise in enhancing practices and behaviors. The aim of this study was to assessHCW management at Sahloul University Hospital (2019–2021) before and after training sessions. Methods This study was conducted at Sahloul University in Sousse, Tunisia, spanned two years (2019–2021) and consisted of three distinct stages. Two audits of Healthcare Waste Management (HCWM) were conducted using a predetermined assessment framework derived from ANGED’s guidelines, with an educational session separating the two audits. Results In terms of sorting practicesthere was a substantial improvement in sorting practices following training. Specifically, the overall compliance rate for sorting sharps increased from 60.3 to 77.6% (p

Abstract Introduction Adverse events (AEs) that occur in hospitals remain a challenge worldwide, and especially in intensive care units (ICUs) where they are more likely to occur. Monitoring of AEs can provide insight into the status and advances of patient safety. This study aimed to examine the AEs reported during the 20 months after the implementation of the AE reporting system. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of a voluntary ICU AE reporting system. Incidents were reported by the staff from ten ICUs in the Sahloul University Hospital (Tunisia) between February 2020 and September 2021. Results A total of 265 reports were received, of which 61.9% were deemed preventable. The most frequently reported event was healthcare-associated infection (30.2%, n = 80), followed by pressure ulcers (18.5%, n = 49). At the time of reporting, 25 patients (9.4%) had died as a result of an AE and in 51.3% of cases, the event had resulted in an increased length of stay. Provider-related factors contributed to 64.2% of the events, whilst patient-related factors contributed to 53.6% of the events. As for criticality, 34.3% of the events (n = 91) were unacceptable (c3) and 36.3% of the events (n = 96) were ‘acceptable under control’ (c2). Conclusions The reporting system provided rich information on the characteristics of reported AEs that occur in ICUs and their consequences and may be therefore useful for designing effective and evidence-based interventions to reduce the occurrence of AEs.

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is associated with an autoimmune disease (AD) in 10 to 20% of cases. Crohn's disease (CD) is not a common autoimmune manifestation reported with MDS. The triad made up of MDS, CD and another autoimmune manifestation is even more unusual. To our knowledge, only four cases with this triad have been reported in the literature to date, and ours is the fifth. It's about a 50-year-old man with a history of autoimmune hepatitis who was diagnosed, five years later, with MDS with multilineage dysplasia. He was started on Azacitidine three weeks before retaining the diagnosis of an associated CD.

Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) is an aggressive B-cell lymphoma that occurs in children and adults. It is a chemosensitive lymphoma with very exceptional cases of late relapse.We report the case of a 32-year-old male, originally from a nonendemic area for BL, who was successfully treated for abdominal BL 20 years ago. He described a two-month history of cervical swelling and a one-week history of dyspnea. Physical examination was unremarkable except for a left submandibular mass that extended to the collarbone. An ultrasound of the neck revealed cervical lymphadenopathy. The patient was submitted to a lymph node biopsy with an immunohistochemical analysis, which concluded to the diagnosis of BL. Screening for recent Epstein-Barr-Virus (EBV) infection was negative. We considered this a very late relapse (VLR) of the original disease, and the patient was treated according to the same initial protocol. Unfortunately, he suffered a second relapse and died.We report an unusual case of a VLR of nonendemic BL in an EBV-negative patient, occurring 20 years after achieving complete remission following the initial chemotherapy.

Orbital plasmacytoma is rare and has only been reported in the context of the initial diagnosis of multiple myeloma. Moreover, isolated orbital plasmacytoma without any signs of multiple myeloma is extremely rare.We report the case of a 59-year-old female patient diagnosed with IgA Kappa multiple myeloma. It was stage I ISS (International Staging System) and stage I R-ISS (Revised ISS). According to the Tunisian national protocol, the patient was included in the standard-risk group and was eligible for four cycles of CTD (Cyclophosphamide, Thalidomide, Dexamethasone) followed by autologous stem cell transplantation. Taking into account the partial response after the CTD cycles, the patient has benefited from two VTD cycles (Bortezomib, Thalidomide, Dexamethasone). Thus, complete remission was obtained. The patient refused autologous stem cell transplantation. Therefore, maintenance treatment based on Thalidomide only was started and received over a twelve-month period.Five months after the end of maintenance treatment, she reported frontal headaches that were resistant to symptomatic treatment, with ptosis in the right eye in physical examination. Brain MRI revealed the presence of a right cranio-orbital tissue mass with intra-orbital and extra-axial cerebral components. The mass measured 32/36 mm on axial sections and 47 mm in height. The patient underwent a complete resection of the cranio-orbital mass with cranioplasty. The histopathological examination of the mass with Immunohistochemistry staining confirmed the diagnosis of orbital plasmocytoma.An update of the multiple myeloma assessment did not reveal any biological, cytological or radiological signs in favor of multiple myeloma. Therefore the diagnosis of isolated orbital plasmacytoma without signs of multiple myeloma was made.Post-operative brain MRI showed complete disappearance of the right cranio-orbital tissue lesion. There was only a persistent meningeal enhancement of the dura mater at the surgical site, suggestive of post-operative changes. The patient was then referred for cranio-orbital radiotherapy.

Noonan syndrome is a genetic disorder frequently caused by PTPN11 mutations. Patients with Noonan syndrome are characterized by facial dysmorphism, short stature and congenital heart defects and they have a reported predisposition to malignancies such as leukemia, and solid and central nervous system tumors. Here, we report a case of a 14-year-old boy with Noonan syndrome treated for T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia who presented with 2 concomitant abnormalities: cerebral abscess and high grade glioblastoma. This exceptional association exhibits to a poorer prognosis and may sometimes delay the diagnosis and therefore the therapeutic intervention.

Key Clinical Message Chronic neutrophilic leukemia is a rare disease with a poor prognosis. Its diagnosis is challenging in the lack of genetic tools. It can infrequently be associated with autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Abstract Chronic neutrophilic leukemia is a rare disease with poor prognosis, characterized by a sustained mature neutrophilic leukocytosis in the absence of monocytosis or basophilia with few or no circulating immature granulocytes, hepatosplenomegaly, and granulocytic hyperplasia of the bone marrow. In addition, no molecular markers for other myeloproliferative neoplasms are detected. The 2016 WHO classification included the presence of the CSF3R mutation as a key diagnostic criterion for this disease. Although anemia may be present at diagnosis, hemolytic one rarely complicates myeloproliferative neoplasms. Treatment is largely based on cytoreductive agents, but bone marrow allograft remains the only curative option. We report the case of a patient with chronic neutrophilic leukemia associated with autoimmune hemolytic anemia. We describe the epidemiological, clinical, prognostic, and therapeutic features of this disease in addition to the difficulties of its diagnosis and management in Tunisia.

Abstract Background Idiopathic intracranial hypertension is a rare neurological condition among children. Its manifestations vary from mild headaches to loss of vision. Although rare, COVID-19 infection and high dose cytosine arabinoside have been reported as risk factors for this neurological disorder. In patients with acute leukemia, idiopathic intracranial hypertension diagnosis is simple, but finding its etiology can be difficult. Case presentation We report a case of a 9-year-old boy with an ongoing treatment for T-acute lymphoblastic leukemia presenting with persistent headaches and diplopia. A diagnosis of idiopathic intracranial hypertension was retained based on clinical, imaging and laboratory findings. Due to its rarity, we describe its clinical and therapeutic features and highlight the challenging etiological dilemma between COVID-19 infection and high dose cytosine arabinoside administration. Conclusion Persistent headache in a pediatric patient with leukemia can be due to many neurological disorders other than leukemic relapse. Given the improvement of the neurological symptoms after the SARS-CoV-2 PCR negativization and the successful re-introduction of high dose cytosine Arabinoside, the diagnosis of idiopathic intracranial hypertension associated with Covid-19 infection was withheld.

Introduction: Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is characterized by Philadelphia chromosome resulting in the fusion between the BCR gene, located on chromosome 22, and the ABL gene on chromosome 9. The prognostic significance of BCR-ABL transcript variants in CML is controversial. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the clinico-hematological presentation and evolution of the disease, response to treatment and survival according to transcript type in chronic phase CML patients. Results: The median age of our population was 50 years with a slight female predominance (sex-ratio 0.78). Sixty percent had the b3a2 transcript and 34% had the b2a2 type. Patients with the co-expression of these two transcripts (4.5%) and those with e19a2 were excluded from the analysis. Patients with b3a2 subtype were associated significantly with thrombocytosis (p = 0.006) and higher Sokal score (p = 0.038) compared to those with b2a2 transcript. The two isolated transcripts were not significantly associated with gender, age group, blast cell percentage or the identified ranges of spleen size. Complete cytogenetic response at 12 months for b3a2 patients and b2a2 patients was 78.6% and 21.4% respectively. This difference was statistically significant (p = 0.001, HR = 9.5, 95% CI 6.5–13.7). Patients with b3a2 transcript had a higher rate of optimal molecular response at 3 months (p = 0.04, HR = 4.2, 95% CI 1–17.3) and major molecular response at 12 months (p = 0.004, HR = 4.9, 95%CI 1.5–15.1). At the date of last follow-up, most patients achieving deep molecular response (MR4 or deeper) belonged to b3a2 group (79%) (p = 0.003, HR = 5.2, 95% CI 1.6–16.4). We did not find a significant difference in OS and EFS between the two groups. Conclusion: Our study concluded that b2a2 transcript is a prognostic factor in cytogenetic and molecular response but further studies are needed to complete this aspect.

Perinatal depression is a major public health problem having serious negative impacts on personal, family, and child developmental outcomes. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) and its associated factors in working pregnant women. This descriptive, cross-sectional study was performed on 389 working pregnant women enrolled from four Tunisian public maternity hospitals. Data collection tools were the sociodemographic, obstetric, family relationships, and work environment questionnaire, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The mean score of depression was 27.39 ± 6.97 and 76.1% of women had major depressive symptoms using cutoff points on the CES-D ≥ 23. Family income, diagnosis with a chronic illness, history of depression, and employment categories were associated with major depressive symptoms. In multivariate analyses, family income and work posture were significantly associated with MDD. These results suggest an increased burden of MDD during pregnancy in Tunisian women. Prevention, early detection, and interventions are needed to reduce the prevalence of perinatal depression.

Introduction: High-risk febrile neutropenia (FN) is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in onco-hematology. The initiation of empirical antibiotic therapy is an emergency that can change the prognosis of some patients. Given the emergence of increasingly resistant Gram-positive bacteremia, glycopeptides, as an empirical treatment, have an important place in the management of high-risk FN. The aim of this study is to evaluate the appropriateness of glycopeptide prescription in high-risk FN patients. Methods: This study was conducted in the Hematology Department of Fattouma Bourguiba University Hospital of Monastir, Tunisia. Patients with high-risk FN were enrolled during the period between January 1 and December 31, 2020. Results: Of the 29 patients included in this study, 88 FN episodes were noted of which 39 episodes treated with glycopeptides were evaluated. Twenty-four febrile episodes were empirically treated with glycopeptides (27.3%) of which 17 prescriptions (70.8%) were appropriate according to the European Conference on Infection in Leukemia and the Infectious Diseases Society of America recommendations. A therapeutic escalation using glycopeptides was noted in 17% of cases and appropriately opted in 6 FN episodes (40%). Conclusion: Prescriptions of glycopeptides were appropriate according to the international recommendations in 71% of the empirical prescriptions and in 40% of the therapeutic escalation using glycopeptides. In high-risk FN episodes, glycopeptides prescriptions should be rationalized and limited to the indications detailed in the international guidelines to control the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Sweet syndrome is a rare inflammatory dermatosis that can be associated with various diseases, including leukemias. Physicians should be aware that a photodistributed clinical presentation of a pustular SS may reveal underlying malignancies, particularly hemopathies. If the hemopathy is known, recurrence lesions should be suspected of a relapse.

This article aims to present the feasibility of storing thermal energy in buildings for solar water heating while maintaining the comfort environment for residential buildings. Our contribution is the creation of insulating composite panels made of bio-based phase change materials (bio-PCM is all from coconut oil), cement and renewable materials (treated wood fiber and organic clay). The inclusion of wood fibers improved the thermal properties; a simple 2% increase of wood fiber decreased the heat conductivity by approximately 23.42%. The issues of bio-PCM leakage in the cement mortar and a roughly 56.5% reduction in thermal conductivity with bio-PCM stability in composite panels can be resolved by treating wood fibers with an adjuvant by impregnating them in bio-PCM in the presence of the treated clay generated. Clay and wood fiber were treated with adjuvants that are both biological and environmentally acceptable, as confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy. The heat transfer bench (DIDATEK) showed a decrease in thermal conductivity. By using differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) analysis, the investigation of thermal stability and enthalpy during two heating cycles of pure bio-PCM and composite bio-PCM was validated. The novel renewable material was used to create composite panels for the trial prototype, which took the shape of a component attached to the solar heating system, 33.57% less heat was lost, according to the heat transfer research. The outcomes demonstrated the possibility of replacing traditional electric water heating in residential buildings with solar water heating systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary pulmonary lymphoma is a rare entity. Furthermore, simultaneous bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax (SBSP) is a very rare condition which is often related to therapeutic complications. We present, to the best of our knowledge, the first case of primary pulmonary mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma revealed by SBSP. A 50-year-old female was diagnosed with organizing pneumonia. One month later, she presented with sudden chest pain and shortness of breath due to SBSP. Bilateral chest tubes were inserted. A scan- guided right lung biopsy led to the diagnosis of primary pulmonary MALT lymphoma. The patient was treated with R-CHOP chemotherapy. The association between lymphoma and pneumothorax is extremely rare, often related to therapeutic toxicity. We report the case of SBSP as the first manifestation of primary pulmonary MALT lymphoma.

Lysosomial diseases and autoimmune diseases are systemic disorders. Their clinical manifestations can overlap with the broad spectrum of one another. Their association has been rarely reported. We report a new case of systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) associated to antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) and Hashimoto thyroiditis occurring in Niemann-Pick disease (NPD) type B patient. A 42-year-old woman with a familial history of NPD was diagnosed with a NPD type B at the age of ten. Twenty years later (2008), she complained of inflammatory arthralgia with acute dyspnea. She was diagnosed with SLE (according to ACR criteria) and Hashimoto disease with positive IgG anti-cardiolipin and IgA anti-beta2 glycoprotein. In 2018, she presented a left segmental pulmonary embolism. Antiphospholipid syndrome was retained. She was treated with steroids, hydroxychloroquine, anticoagulation therapy and levothyroxine. Her SLE treatment was re-enforced by cyclophosphamide because of corticosteroid dependence and recurrent hemolytic crises.

INTRODUCTION Despite tobacco control prevention programs, many adolescents start smoking at school age. The main objectives of this study were to assess the prevalence of smoking, secondhand smoke exposure, and susceptibility to smoking among middle-school students aged 11-16 years, using the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS), in Sousse, Tunisia, 2020. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted among 306 students aged 11-16 years enrolled in 12 classes from 2 public middle schools in Sousse, Tunisia, during the school year 2020-2021. The Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) self-administered questionnaire on smoking was used to assess their smoking habits. RESULTS In total, 35.3% of students reported that they had tried cigarettes in the past, while 17.6% reported currently being cigarette smokers, with a higher prevalence among boys (30.6%) than in girls (7.6%) (p<0.001). Of the students, 59.2% had been exposed to secondhand smoke at home and 66% in public places. Of the current cigarette smokers, 47.2% usually purchased their cigarettes in a store or market, and 34.5 % had not been prevented from purchasing them despite their age. Overall, more than half (54%) of current cigarette smokers wanted to stop smoking immediately, and 66.7% had tried to quit smoking. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of smoking among adolescents in the study is high. The results suggest that adolescents have relatively easy access to cigarettes and are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke in public places. Implementing measures to stop tobacco use and its new forms of consumption among adolescents is imperative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was carried out to investigate the effects of inhaled Mg alone and associated with F in the treatment of bronchial hyperresponsiveness. 43 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups and exposed to inhaled NaCl 0.9%, MeCh, MgSO4 and MgF2. Pulmonary changes were assessed by means of functional tests and quantitative histological examination of lungs and trachea. Results revealed that delivery of inhaled Mg associated with F led to a significant decrease of total lung resistance better than inhaled Mg alone (p

Key Clinical Message: Chronic neutrophilic leukemia is a rare disease with a poor prognosis. Its diagnosis is challenging in the lack of genetic tools. It can infrequently be associated with autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Chronic neutrophilic leukemia is a rare disease with poor prognosis, characterized by a sustained mature neutrophilic leukocytosis in the absence of monocytosis or basophilia with few or no circulating immature granulocytes, hepatosplenomegaly, and granulocytic hyperplasia of the bone marrow. In addition, no molecular markers for other myeloproliferative neoplasms are detected. The 2016 WHO classification included the presence of the CSF3R mutation as a key diagnostic criterion for this disease. Although anemia may be present at diagnosis, hemolytic one rarely complicates myeloproliferative neoplasms. Treatment is largely based on cytoreductive agents, but bone marrow allograft remains the only curative option. We report the case of a patient with chronic neutrophilic leukemia associated with autoimmune hemolytic anemia. We describe the epidemiological, clinical, prognostic, and therapeutic features of this disease in addition to the difficulties of its diagnosis and management in Tunisia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Methotrexate is administered through different routes to treat childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Toxicities of low, intermediate, or high doses of methotrexate have been described in the literature. Methotrexate-induced or related pneumonitis is a rare complication that leads, in most cases, to discontinuing this drug. Case report: We report a case of a 17-year-old female patient with newly diagnosed B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia who received a high-dose methotrexate on an induction course. Eight days after methotrexate infusion, she developed fever, dyspnea, hypoxemia, and dry cough. Chest computed tomography showed mosaic attenuation of lung parenchyma and bilateral interstitial infiltrate in favor of hypersensitivity pneumonitis with no evidence of bacterial or fungal infections. Management and outcome: Methotrexate-related pneumonitis was diagnosed and corticosteroids were prescribed. Improvement of the symptomatology was noted within four days. Given the importance of methotrexate in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, intrathecal methotrexate was administered without incident and high-dose methotrexate was re-introduced successfully two and a half months after the pneumonitis episode while using corticosteroids. According to Naranjo's algorithm, the reaction to the drug was found to be probable with a score of 6. Discussion: Methotrexate is the backbone of acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment, but numerous adverse reactions have been published of which methotrexate pneumonitis can be fatal in some cases. In this case, we concluded that this drug can be successfully reintroduced after methotrexate-related pneumonitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]