We carried out a prospective observational study to evaluate whether Monocyte Distribution Width (MDW) may play a role in identifying patients with sepsis in comparison with Procalcitonin (PCT). We prospectively enrolled all consecutive patients hospitalized at the Infectious Diseases Unit of Pescara General Hospital for bacterial infection or sepsis. MDW values were collected for all patients. Clinical characteristics, demographic data, past and present medical history, microbiological results, PCT, as well as neutrophil and monocytes indices at entry were compared in the 2 groups. Two-hundred-sixty patients were enrolled, 63.5% males, aged 59.1±19.5 years. Sepsis was diagnosed in 105 (40.4%); in 60 (57.1%) at least 1 microorganism was isolated from blood cultures. In multivariate models, MDW as a continuous variable (OR:1.57 for each unit increase; 95%CI: 1.31–1.87, p<0.001) and PCT˃1 ng/mL (OR: 48.5; 95%CI: 14.7–160.1, p<0.001) were independently associated with sepsis. Statistical best cut points associated with sepsis were 22.0 for MDW and 1.0 ng/mL for PCT whereas MDW values<20 were invariably associated with negative blood cultures. At ROC curve analysis, the AUC of MDW (0.87) was nearly overlapping that of PCT (0.88). Our data suggest that incorporating MDW within current routine WBC counts and indices may be of remarkable use for detection of sepsis. Further research is warranted.

Herpes zoster (HZ) is a common disease, characterized by rash-associated localized pain. Its main complication, post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), is difficult to treat and may last for months to years in the wake of rash resolution. Uncertainties remain as to the knowledge of predictors of HZ-related pain, including the role of antiviral therapy in preventing PHN in ordinary clinical practice. This prospective cohort study was aimed at investigating pain intensity at HZ presentation and its correlates, as well as the incidence of PHN and its predictors.

Background: Monocyte Distribution Width (MDW), a simple proxy marker of innate monocyte activation, can be used for the early recognition of sepsis along with Procalcitonin. This study explored the added value of MDW as an early predictor of ensuing sepsis in patients hospitalised in an Intensive Care Unit. Methods: We performed an observational prospective monocentric study to estimate the analytical performance of MDW in detecting ensuing sepsis in a sample of consecutive patients assisted in an Intensive Care Unit for > 48 h for any reason. Demographic and clinical characteristics, past medical history and other laboratory measurements were included as potential predictors of confirmed sepsis in multivariate logistic regression. Results: A total of 211 patients were observed, 129 of whom were included in the final sample due to the suspect of ensuing sepsis; of these, 74 (57%) had a confirmed diagnosis of sepsis, which was best predicted with the combination of MDW > 23.0 and PCT > 0.5 ng/mL (Positive Predictive Value, PPV: 92.6, 95% CI: 82.1–97.9). The best MDW cut-off to rule out sepsis was ≤20.0 (Negative Predictive Value, NPV: 86.4, 95% CI: 65.1–97.1). Multivariate analyses using both MDW and PCT found a significant association for MDW > 23 only (OR:17.64, 95% CI: 5.53–67.91). Conclusion: We found that values of MDW > 23 were associated with a high PPV for sepsis, whereas values of MDW ≤ 20 were associated with a high NPV. Our findings suggest that MDW may help clinicians to monitor ICU patients at risk of sepsis, with minimal additional efforts over standard of care.

Background: Data on the potential efficacy of acupuncture (AC) in controlling intense or very intense pain in patients with Herpes Zoster (HZ) has not been so far adequately assessed in comparison with standard pharmacological treatment (ST) by a controlled trial design. Methods: Within the VZV Pescara study, pain was assessed in HZ patients on a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and by the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) both at the beginning and at the end of treatment. Response rates, mean changes in pain intensity, differences in total pain burden with an area-under-the-curve (AUC) method over a 1-year follow-up and differences in the incidence of Post-Herpetic Neuralgia (PHN) were evaluated. Results: One hundred and two patients were randomized to receive either AC (n = 52) or ST (n = 50) for 4 weeks. Groups were comparable regarding age, sex, pain intensity at presentation and missed antiviral prescription. Both interventions were largely effective. No significant differences were observed in response rates (81.6% vs 89.2%, p = 0.8), mean reduction of VAS (4.1 +/- 2.3 vs 4.9 +/- 1.9, p = 0.12) and MPQ scores (1.3 +/- 0.9 vs 1.3 +/- 0.9, p = 0.9), incidence of PHN after 3 months (48.4% vs 46.8%, p = 0.5), and mean AUC during follow-up (199 +/- 136 vs 173 +/- 141, p = 0.4). No serious treatment-related adverse event was observed in both groups. Conclusions: This controlled and randomized trial provides the first evidence of a potential role of AC for the treatment of acute herpetic pain. Trial registration: ChiCTR-TRC-10001146.

Background: Early recognition of patients hospitalized for sepsis at higher risk of poor clinical outcome is a mandatory task and many studies suggested that indicators of the immune status may be useful for this purpose. We performed a retrospective, monocentric cohort study to evaluate whether lymphocyte subsets may be useful in predicting in-hospital mortality of septic patients. Methods: Data of all consecutive patients with a diagnosis of sepsis at discharge and an available peripherical blood lymphocyte subset (CD4, CD8, CD16/CD56 and CD19) analysis at hospital entry were retrospectively collected between January 2015 and August 2018. Clinical characteristics of patients, past medical history and other laboratory parameters were also considered. Results: Two-hundred-seventy-eight septic patients, 171 (61.5%) males, mean age 63.2 ± 19.6 years, were enrolled. Total counts of lymphocytes, CD4 T cells, CD8 T cells and B cells were found significantly lower in deceased than in surviving patients. At univariate analyses, CD4 T cells/µL (OR 0.99 for each incremental unit, 95%CI 0.99–1.10, p < 0.0001), age (OR 1.06, 95%CI 1.04–1.09, p < 0.0001), procalcitonin (OR 1.01, 95%CI 1.01–1.02, p < 0.0001) and female gender (OR 2.81, 95%CI 1.49–5.28, p = 0.001) were associated with in-hospital mortality. When a dichotomic threshold of < 400/µL for CD4 T cells as a dependent variable was considered in multivariate models, age (OR 1.04; 95%CI 1.01–1.09, p = 0.018); female gender (OR 3.18; 95%CI 1.40–7.20, p = 0.006), qSOFA (OR 4.00, 95%CI 1.84–8.67, p < 0.001) and CD4 T cells < 400/µL (OR 5.3; 95%CI 1.65–17.00, p = 0.005) were the independent predictors. Conclusions: In adjunct to biomarkers routinely determined for the prediction of prognosis in sepsis, CD4 T lymphocytes, measured at hospital entry, may be useful in identifying patients at higher risk of in-hospital death.