Rizza, Stacey A.

Understanding temporal dynamics of COVID-19 symptoms could provide fine-grained resolution to guide clinical decision-making. Here, we use deep neural networks over an institution-wide platform for the augmented curation of clinical notes from 77,167 patients subjected to COVID-19 PCR testing. By contrasting Electronic Health Record (EHR)-derived symptoms of COVID-19-positive (COVID pos ; n = 2,317) versus COVID-19-negative (COVID neg ; n = 74,850) patients for the week preceding the PCR testing date, we identify anosmia/dysgeusia (27.1-fold), fever/chills (2.6-fold), respiratory difficulty (2.2-fold), cough (2.2-fold), myalgia/arthralgia (2-fold), and diarrhea (1.4-fold) as significantly amplified in COVID pos over COVID neg patients. The combination of cough and fever/chills has 4.2-fold amplification in COVID pos patients during the week prior to PCR testing, in addition to anosmia/dysgeusia, constitutes the earliest EHR-derived signature of COVID-19. This study introduces an Augmented Intelligence platform for the real-time synthesis of institutional biomedical knowledge. The platform holds tremendous potential for scaling up curation throughput, thus enabling EHR-powered early disease diagnosis.

Abstract Abstract 4908 Insulin resistance can be a major problem in patients with diabetes mellitus. Although multiple reasons can result in this problem, one of the rare causes is localized insulin induced cutaneous amyloidosis. Lack of recognition of this may result in fatal hypoglycemia if a higher dose of insulin is given at a different site. A 43-year-old female diagnosed with diabetes mellitus in 1986 after acute pancreatitis secondary to hypertriglyceridemia presented to our hospital in December of 2008 with a 2 year history of low grade fever of 99-100F. This was associated with chills and fatigue. Over the same time period she had noticed anterior abdominal wall nodularity, particularly at sites where she has been injecting her insulin. Her insulin requirement had also increased from a total of 60 units of NPH in a day to 170 units per day. Because of the subcutaneous nodularity at the site of injection a decision was made to switch the site of the insulin which resulted in lower blood glucose level and subsequently significant decrease in her insulin requirement to 120 units a day. This suggested poor absorption from the infiltrated site. At our clinic laboratory data showed normal white count of 5.4 × 10(9)/L with normal differential, normal hemoglobin of 12.9 g/dL with an ESR of 11 mm/hour, creatinine of 0.8 mg/dL and C-reactive protein of less than 3. As part of the work up for fever of unknown origin a CT-scan of the abdomen was obtained which showed infiltrative lesion in the anterior abdominal subcutaneous tissue with few calcifications Fig 1 & 2. Biopsy of the anterior abdominal wall nodular infiltrate was performed. Tissue cultures came out negative for infection. The biopsy showed eosinophilic material positive with Congo red staining and showing apple green birefringence when viewed under polarized light. Immunohistochemical staining showed this to be negative for AA, AL, or TTR amyloidosis. Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC MS/MS) detected peptides representing apolipoprotein E, apolipoprotein A-IV, SAP and Insulin. The amyloid deposits stained positive with anti-insulin. The presence of peptides from insulin and immunohistochemical reactivity with an anti-insulin antibody indicated that the amyloid deposits were caused by insulin injection at this site. Work up for systemic amyloidosis including serum protein electrophoresis with immunofixation was negative for a monoclonal protein. Quantitative immunoglobulins were within normal range. Her 24-hour urine protein was 65 mg within normal range. Her serum free light chains were unremarkable. Echocardiogram did not show any evidence of infiltrative cardiomyopathy. This was therefore consistent with localized insulin induced cutaneous amyloidosis. The recommendation was to change the insulin type and to rotate the insulin injection site. Because of occasional hemorrhage and pain the long term plan will be to surgically remove the amyloid deposits. Insulin mediated iatrogenic localized amyloidosis has been described previously in the literature at the sites of insulin injection in patients with diabetes. This is a rare complication of insulin therapy and must be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with insulin resistance to prevent fatal hypoglycemia. Fig 1. Amyloid infiltration in subcutaneous tissue of upper abdomen at insulin injection site Fig 1. Amyloid infiltration in subcutaneous tissue of upper abdomen at insulin injection site Fig 2. Amyloid infiltration in subcutaneous tissue of lower abdomen at insulin injection site Fig 2. Amyloid infiltration in subcutaneous tissue of lower abdomen at insulin injection site Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

As treatment of HIV has improved, people living with HIV (PLWH) have experienced a decreased risk of AIDS and AIDS-defining cancers (non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Kaposi sarcoma, and cervical cancer), but the risk of Kaposi sarcoma in PLWH is still elevated about 500-fold compared with the general population in the United States. The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for AIDS-Related Kaposi Sarcoma provide diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance recommendations for PLWH who develop limited cutaneous Kaposi sarcoma and for those with advanced cutaneous, oral, visceral, or nodal disease.

ABSTRACT Understanding how some HIV-infected cells resist the cytotoxicity of HIV replication is crucial to enabling HIV cure efforts. HIV killing of CD4 T cells that replicate HIV can involve HIV protease-mediated cleavage of procaspase 8 to generate a fragment (Casp8p41) that directly binds and activates the mitochondrial proapoptotic protein BAK. Here, we demonstrate that Casp8p41 also binds with nanomolar affinity to the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2, which sequesters Casp8p41 and prevents apoptosis. Further, we show that central memory CD4 T cells (T CM ) from HIV-infected individuals have heightened expression of BCL-2 relative to procaspase 8, possibly explaining the persistence of HIV-infected T CM despite generation of Casp8p41. Consistent with this hypothesis, the selective BCL-2 antagonist venetoclax induced minimal killing of uninfected CD4 T cells but markedly increased the death of CD4 T cells and diminished cell-associated HIV DNA when CD4 T cells from antiretroviral therapy (ART)-suppressed HIV patients were induced with αCD3/αCD28 to reactivate HIV ex vivo . Thus, priming CD4 T cells from ART suppressed HIV patients with a BCL-2 antagonist, followed by HIV reactivation, achieves reductions in cell-associated HIV DNA, whereas HIV reactivation alone does not. IMPORTANCE HIV infection is incurable due to a long-lived reservoir of HIV + memory CD4 T cells, and no clinically relevant interventions have been identified that reduce the number of these HIV DNA-containing cells. Since postintegration HIV replication can result in HIV protease generation of Casp8p41, which activates BAK, causing infected CD4 T cell death, we sought to determine whether this occurs in memory CD4 T cells. Here, we demonstrate that memory CD4 T cells can generate Casp8p41 and yet are intrinsically resistant to death induced by diverse stimuli, including Casp8p41. Furthermore, BCL-2 expression is relatively increased in these cells and directly binds and inhibits Casp8p41's proapoptotic effects. Antagonizing BCL-2 with venetoclax derepresses this antagonism, resulting in death, preferentially in HIV DNA containing cells, since only these cells generate Casp8p41. Thus, BCL-2 antagonism is a clinically relevant intervention with the potential to reduce HIV reservoir size in patients.

Abstract A 68-year-old avid deer hunter with ischemic cardiomyopathy underwent left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation for destination therapy two years ago. He was living an active lifestyle, tracking deer and fishing in a Midwestern forest in November. His wife removed an engorged tick on his thorax. A few days later, he experienced fever, confusion, and ataxia and was hospitalized with septic shock and ventricular fibrillation. The LVAD site had no signs of trauma, drainage, warmth, or tenderness. A peripheral blood smear revealed intraleukocytic anaplasma microcolony inclusions. After completing 14 days of doxycycline, he recovered. Typical non-device-associated infections in LVAD recipients include pneumonia, urinary tract infection, or Clostridium difficile colitis. Human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) is a very atypical non-LVAD infection, and the incidence of tickborne illnesses in LVAD recipients is unknown.

HIV positive patients on ritonavir-containing antiretroviral therapy (ART) can develop iatrogenic Cushing syndrome (IACS) and adrenal insufficiency as a result of drug-drug interactions with inhaled or intranasal glucocorticoid therapy. Reports related to epidural triamcinolone injections are relatively uncommon but increasingly reported. We describe a 48-year-old woman with immunologically and virologically well-controlled HIV on ritonavir-based ART, who developed headache, dizziness, and candida and herpes simplex virus (HSV) ulcerative esophagitis 7 days after receiving an epidural triamcinolone injection for cervical radicular pain. Iatrogenic Cushing syndrome and relative adrenal insufficiency were suspected and proven. The patient’s ART was changed to a non-HIV protease inhibitor- (PI-) containing program, her symptoms improved, and she did not require hydrocortisone replacement. In this paper, we review the literature on IACS and relative secondary adrenal insufficiency from epidural triamcinolone injections in HIV patients on ritonavir-containing ART regimens. A high index of clinical suspicion is needed for diagnosis. Prevention of drug-drug interactions by taking a thorough medication history for patients on ritonavir-containing ART regimens before prescribing any form of corticosteroid is crucial and effective and sustained interdisciplinary communication in the care of such patients.

AbstractProgressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is associated with JC polyomavirus (JCV) infection of central nervous system oligodendrocytes resulting in demyelinization and progressive focal neurologic deficits. Reactivation of dormant JCV occurs in the setting of immunosuppression, most commonly in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) or hematological malignancies. PML has also been reported in solid organ transplant recipients. We report the case of a 61‐year‐old man after bilateral lung transplantation for chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis who presented with leg weakness, cognitive decline, and expressive aphasia at 5 months post transplantation. Magnetic resonance imaging and brain biopsy were consistent with PML. Treatment attempt with cytarabine was unsuccessful, and immunomodulation resulted in recurrent grade A3 rejection. The difficulty of managing PML in lung transplant patients is highlighted by the lack of directed therapy and risk of graft rejection or failure with attempts at decreasing immunosuppression.