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Objectives: A global outbreak of monkeypox virus infections in human beings has been described since April 2022. The objectives of this study were to describe the clinical characteristics and complications of patients with a monkeypox infection., Methods: All consecutive patients with a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-confirmed monkeypox infection seen in a French referral centre were included., Results: Between 21 May and 5 July 2022, 264 patients had a PCR-confirmed monkeypox infection. Among them, 262 (262/264, 99%) were men, 245 (245/259, 95%) were men who have sex with men, and 90 (90/216, 42%) practiced chemsex in the last 3 months. Seventy-three (73/256, 29%) patients were living with human immunodeficiency virus infection, and 120 (120/169, 71%) patients were taking pre-exposure prophylaxis against human immunodeficiency virus infection. Overall, 112 (112/236, 47%) patients had contact with a confirmed monkeypox case; it was of sexual nature for 95% of the contacts (86/91). Monkeypox virus PCR was positive on the skin in 252 patients, on the oropharyngeal sample in 150 patients, and on blood in eight patients. The majority of patients presented with fever (171/253, 68%) and adenopathy (174/251, 69%). Skin lesions mostly affected the genital (135/252, 54%) and perianal (100/251, 40%) areas. Overall, 17 (17/264, 6%) patients were hospitalized; none of them were immunocompromised. Complications requiring hospitalization included cellulitis (n = 4), paronychia (n = 3), severe anal and digestive involvement (n = 4), non-cardia angina with dysphagia (n = 4), blepharitis (n = 1), and keratitis (n = 1). Surgical management was required in four patients., Conclusion: The current outbreak of monkeypox infections has specific characteristics: it occurs in the men who have sex with men community; known contact is mostly sexual; perineal and anal areas are frequently affected; and severe complications include superinfected skin lesions, paronychia, cellulitis, anal and digestive involvement, angina with dysphagia, and ocular involvement., (Copyright © 2022 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Europe lacks studies related to asylum-seekers' health., Methods: We described the health status, healthcare and follow-up of men seeking asylum, accommodated in a primary reception center in Paris (CPA). This observational study included volunteer patients presenting for care at the CPA primary care unit (PCU) from January to March 2018. They could be referred to on-site GPs and psychiatrists or to surrounding healthcare facilities. After their asylum application, patients were transferred to other French accommodation centers. PCU healthcare professionals could make referrals for close medical reassessments after transfer., Results: The 728 included men came mostly from Central Asia or Middle East (65%) and Africa (34%). Seventy percent reported violence during migration. Seventy-five percent (547/728) were referred to on-site GPs, 20% to psychiatrists. During patients' stay at CPA, 67% (144/214) of referrals to surrounding healthcare facilities led to performed consultations. Seven percent of all the included patients (49/728) were referred for frequent communicable infectious diseases screening. Final diagnoses (n = 1108) included 31% infectious diseases and 7% psychiatric disorders. When post-transfer accommodation centers could be reached, 69% (33/48) of the medical referrals had led to a scheduled appointment., Conclusions: The healthcare trajectory at CPA could benefit from optimization of infectious and psychiatric screenings, and improved coordination of care and follow-up., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

High doses of the organic nitrate glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), a nitric oxide (NO) donor, are known to trigger apoptosis in human cancer cells. Here, we show that such a cytotoxic effect can be obtained with subtoxic concentrations of GTN when combined with H89, N-[2-(p-bromocinnamylamino)ethyl]-5-isoquinolinesulphonamide.2HCl. This synergistic effect requires the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from H89 and NO from GTN treatment that causes cGMP production and PKG activation. Furthermore, the GTN/H89 synergy was attenuated by inhibition of P2-purinergic receptors with suramin and competition with ATP/UDP. By down-regulating genes with antisense oligonucleotides, P2-purinergic receptors P2X3, P2Y1, and P2Y6 were found to have a role in creating this cytotoxic effect. Thus, H89 likely acts as an ATP mimetic synergizing with GTN to trigger apoptosis in aggressive cancer cells.

Previous studies have shown that maintaining high hemoglobin levels in patients after chemotherapy reduced the length of neutropenia. Thus, we undertook a randomized, controlled, clinical trial in children undergoing allogeneic bone marrow transplantation after receiving a myeloablative conditioning regimen to compare 2 hemoglobin thresholds as triggers for red blood cell transfusion: 120 g/L in the experimental arm and 70 g/L in the control arm. The Data and Safety Monitoring Board closed the study after enrollment of the sixth patient because 3 patients in the experimental arm contracted veno-occlusive disease, but none in the control arm did (P = .05). Ascites was present in all 3 patients, pleura effusion in 2, and portal vein thrombosis in 2. One patient experienced hepatic failure and required treatment with the molecular adsorbent recycling system. Another patient required hemodialysis for renal failure. No major imbalance between groups was seen with regard to risk factors for veno-occlusive disease. Therefore, maintaining the hemoglobin at higher levels should be avoided after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation., (Copyright © 2013 American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This report summarizes the present state of our knowledge pertaining to the NO-induced resistance or sensitization of tumor cell death. The effects of NO and its synergy with members of the TNF family, with cytotoxic drugs, and with ionizing radiations have been investigated. The dual effect of NO-induced resistance or sensitization and the underlying molecular mechanisms are discussed.