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A retrospective cohort study titled "The association of hemoglobin drop with in-hospital outcomes in COVID-19 patients" by Kuno et al. found that COVID-19 patients with a drop in hemoglobin levels had a higher risk of hospital mortality and acute kidney injury (AKI) compared to those without a drop in hemoglobin. However, the study has some limitations. It did not evaluate certain potential confounders that could affect the appearance of AKI, and the causes of AKI were not mentioned. Additionally, the cutoff value for hemoglobin drop used in the study was based on research that included hospitalized patients with acute coronary syndrome, which may differ from general inpatients. The authors suggest further analysis to determine the most appropriate cutoff point for hemoglobin drop. [Extracted from the article]

Recent outbreaks of enterically transmitted infections, including acute hepatitis A and shigellosis, have raised the concerns of increasing Entamoeba histolytica infection (EHI) among people living with HIV (PLWH) in Taiwan. This study investigated the prevalence of EHI, its temporal trends, and associated factors among newly diagnosed PLWH in Taiwan. Medical records of newly diagnosed PLWH at six medical centers in Taiwan between 2009 and 2018 were reviewed. The annual prevalence of invasive amoebiasis and seroprevalence of E. histolytica were determined and examined by the Cochran-Armitage test. The clinical characteristics associated with invasive amoebiasis and seropositivity for E. histolytica were analyzed in multivariable regression models. Among 5362 patients seeking HIV care at six medical centers in Taiwan during the 10-year study period, 119 (2.2%) had invasive amoebiasis at the time or within six months of their HIV diagnosis. Among 3499 who had indirect hemagglutination antibody (IHA) determined, 284 (8.1%) had positive IHA (≥1:32) and 205 (5.9%) had high-titre IHA (≥1:128). The prevalence of invasive amoebiasis increased from 1.3% in 2012 to 3.3% in 2018 (p = 0.024). Invasive amoebiasis was independently associated with a greater age, men who have sex with men, rapid plasma reagin titre ≥1:4, and concurrent shigellosis and giardiasis. Increasing prevalence of invasive amoebiasis among newly diagnosed PLWH in Taiwan calls for strategies to prevent ongoing transmission in this population. Routine screening of EHI for early diagnosis and treatment is recommended, especially among men who have sex with men and those who present with other sexually or enterically transmitted infections. Author summary: Outbreaks of enterically transmitted infection, including acute hepatitis A and shigellosis, among men who have sex with men and people living with HIV have been reported in Taiwan and in many developed countries in recent years. This study reveals that the prevalence of invasive amoebiasis among newly diagnosed people living with HIV increased in Taiwan since 2012, accompanied by increasing seroprevalence of syphilis and hepatitis A virus infection. This study also shows that concurrent infections with shigellosis and giardiasis and history of syphilis were independently associated with invasive amoebiasis, which indicates that transmission of Entamoeba histolytica might have occurred through sexual behaviours that increased faecal-oral contact in this population. In the era of improved access to HIV prevention and treatment, emerging and re-emerging enterically transmitted infections, including amoebiasis, pose an ongoing health threat to at-risk individuals and the public as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predictors of in-hospital mortality in HIV-infected patients with COVID-19. Second, the authors found that advanced liver disease was a main predictor of death in HIV-infected inpatients with COVID-19, but the severity (mild, moderate, severe or advanced) of liver disease was not defined in this study. We read with great interest the retrospective study by Moreno-Torres I et al i .[1] on predictors of in-hospital mortality in HIV-infected patients with COVID-19. [Extracted from the article]

A cohort study titled "Relation of body mass index and waist circumference with the risk of new-onset hyperuricemia in hypertensive patients" by Li et al. found that hypertensive individuals with a higher body mass index (BMI) had an increased risk of developing hyperuricemia. The study controlled for various factors such as age, sex, and laboratory tests, but did not consider other potential confounders like drug use, dietary factors, and cardiovascular diseases. Additionally, the study did not evaluate dynamic changes in relevant covariates during the study period. While the findings are useful, these limitations should be taken into account. [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses a study conducted by Shepshelovich et al. on the incidence of lung cancer after pneumonia among smokers. The study found that smokers who were hospitalized for pneumonia had a higher 1-year incidence of lung cancer compared to smokers who were not hospitalized for pneumonia. However, the article raises concerns about potential bias and confounding effects in the study, as well as the need to consider other factors that could impact lung cancer risk. The authors suggest performing a sensitivity analysis to address these issues. Overall, while the study provides valuable insights, it is important to consider its limitations when interpreting the results. [Extracted from the article]

Vaccination saves lives: a real-time study of patients with chronic diseases and severe COVID-19 infection. We read with interest the recent study by Mukherjee I et al. i [1] entitled 'Vaccination saves lives: a real-time study of patients with chronic diseases and severe COVID-19 infection'. [Extracted from the article]

Objective: The study aimed to describe the evolution of the seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients included in two cohorts in Taiwan. Methods: We retrospectively collected the information on demographic and clinical characteristics of 4,025 and 3,856 HIV-positive Taiwanese, who were aged 18 years or older at designated hospitals around Taiwan in 2004–2007, when an outbreak of HIV infection was occurring, and 2012–2016, when the outbreak was controlled with the implementation of harm reduction program, respectively. Comparisons of HCV seropositivity were made among different age and risk groups for HIV transmission between these two cohorts. Results: The overall HCV seroprevalence of the 2004–2007 cohort and 2012–2016 cohort was 43.4% (1,288/2,974) and 18.6% (707/3,793), respectively (P<0.001). The HCV seroprevalence among injecting drug users (IDUs), though decreasing, was constantly high across the two cohorts, 96.4% and 94.0% (P = 0.02), respectively, and all age groups. In contrast, the corresponding figures among men who have sex with men (MSM) and heterosexuals in the two cohorts were 5.9% vs. 3.5% (P = 0.002) and 9.4% vs. 10.9% (P = 0.59), respectively. Among sexually transmitted HIV-positive patients, HCV seropositivity was significantly correlated with age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], per 1-year increase, 1.03; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02–1.05) and a rapid plasma reagin (RPR) titer ≥1:8 (aOR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.03–2.43) in a multivariate analysis including age, gender, route for HIV transmission, baseline CD4 count and plasma HIV RNA load, the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen, and an RPR titer ≥1:8. Compared with heterosexuals, the aOR for HCV seropositivity among MSM was 0.47 (95% CI, 0.31–0.72). Conclusions: HCV seroprevalence among HIV-positive patients in Taiwan decreased with time, probably related to the inclusion of younger adults and more non-IDUs, and remained high among IDUs. HCV seropositivity was associated with age and an RPR titer ≥1:8 among patients who acquired HIV through sexual contact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]