Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is often discovered at an advanced stage due to a lack of early symptomology, resulting in this being the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in the USA. The relationship between diabetes mellitus and pancreatic cancer has been known for many years; however, it is not well understood. Studies have suggested that long-standing type 2 diabetes mellitus can increase the risk of pancreatic cancer by 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHydrocephalus is a complex pathology that can have a significant impact on the quality of life in all age groups. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diversions from the lateral ventricle to the peritoneal cavity are regarded as the treatment of first intent, but they have a high revision rate, and there are multiple factors which can impair their proper insertion and function. One of the many alternatives to peritoneal shunting is redirecting the CSF towards the renal system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe authors report the first case of stage 4 cytokine release syndrome (CRS) (graded by the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Effects scale) involving a patient with advanced metastatic melanoma who was treated with the combination of two monoclonal antibodies, nivolumab (anti-programmed cell death receptor 1 inhibitor [PD-1]) and ipilimumab (a cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 inhibitor [CTLA-4]) after her first dose of both. The patient was treated initially with methylprednisolone and tocilizumab but was refractory to treatment. A trial of etanercept was initiated due to her elevated levels of TNF-α which elicited a satisfactory response.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPatients with sickle cell anemia often receive multiple red blood cell (RBC) transfusions during their lifetime. Hyperhemolysis is a life-threatening phenomenon of accelerated hemolysis and worsening anemia that occurs when both transfused RBCs and autologous RBCs are destroyed. The level of hemoglobin post-transfusion is lower than pre-transfusion levels, and patients are usually hemodynamically unstable.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTumor lysis syndrome (TLS) is an oncologic emergency characterized by the destruction of tumor cells leading to an influx of large amounts of uric acid, potassium, and phosphorus into systemic circulation. It most often occurs after the initiation of cytotoxic therapy in high-grade lymphomas and leukemias; however, rarely it may occur spontaneously. The authors report a case of spontaneous tumor lysis causing electrolyte abnormalities and acute kidney injury in a patient with subsequently diagnosed large chronic lymphocytic leukemia tumor burden.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImmune thrombocytopenia (ITP), also known as immune thrombocytopenic purpura, is a hematological disorder characterized by a decreased platelet count, predisposing patients to bleeding. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been linked to multiple cases of newly diagnosed ITP and is usually found in moderate-to-severe infections, peaking in children and elderly adults. Menorrhagia is the medical term for menstrual periods with abnormally heavy or prolonged bleeding occurring at regular intervals or prolonged uterine bleeding lasting more than seven days.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCyclical thrombocytopenia (CTP) is a very rare condition and often misdiagnosed as immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) due to similar features existing between the two. When evaluating a patient for the possible diagnosis of ITP, CTP must be high on the differential diagnosis. The main difference between the two conditions is that CTP is usually unresponsive to the treatment given to ITP and will ultimately display a cyclical nature with periods of low, normal and elevated platelets.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused significant morbidity and mortality in a vast majority of the patient population, especially those with malignancies. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common leukemia in adults and is often an indolent disease. High white blood cell counts greater than 120 k/cumm in chronic lymphocytic leukemia may be implicated in cases of COVID-19.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the context of hydrocephalus, there are a multitude of therapeutic options that can be explored in order to improve patient outcomes. Although the peritoneum is the current elected clinical solution, various receptacles have been utilized when experiencing contraindications. Along with the ventriculoatrial or ventriculopleural, the ventriculocholecystic shunt was also described as an alternative.
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