Post-Acute Sequelae of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) After Infection During Pregnancy.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of post-acute sequelae of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection (PASC) after infection with SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy and to characterize associated risk factors.

Methods: In a multicenter cohort study (NIH RECOVER [Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery]-Pregnancy Cohort), individuals who were pregnant during their first SARS-CoV-2 infection were enrolled across the United States from December 2021 to September 2023, either within 30 days of their infection or at differential time points thereafter. The primary outcome was PASC , defined as score of 12 or higher based on symptoms and severity as previously published by the NIH RECOVER-Adult Cohort, at the first study visit at least 6 months after the participant's first SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Hemodialysis as an Effective Treatment for Combined Amlodipine and Metformin Overdose: A Case Report and Literature Review.

The combined toxicity of amlodipine and metformin is a rarely reported phenomenon in the literature. The management varies depending on the clinical status of the patient. We present a case that was managed successfully with the early initiation of hemodialysis.

Development of a Definition of Postacute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

Importance: SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with persistent, relapsing, or new symptoms or other health effects occurring after acute infection, termed postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), also known as long COVID. Characterizing PASC requires analysis of prospectively and uniformly collected data from diverse uninfected and infected individuals.

Objective: To develop a definition of PASC using self-reported symptoms and describe PASC frequencies across cohorts, vaccination status, and number of infections.

A Rare Case of Cyclophosphamide-Induced Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome in a Patient With Acute Lupus Nephritis Flare.

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a syndrome encompassing both clinical and radiological manifestations with white matter vasogenic edema predominantly of the posterior and parietal lobes of the brain. It may accompany several medical conditions including immunosuppressive/cytotoxic drugs. We present a case of cyclophosphamide-induced PRES in a patient treated for acute lupus flare with biopsy-proven lupus nephritis.

Echocardiographic findings and associated factors in HIV-infected patients at a tertiary hospital in Ethiopia.

Noncommunicable diseases including cardiovascular diseases are becoming an important part of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) care. Echocardiography is a useful noninvasive tool to assess cardiac disease and different echocardiographic abnormalities have been seen previously. The aim of this study was to investigate the echocardiographic abnormalities in HIV-infected patients and factors associated with the findings.

Prevalence of Clinical Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors Among HIV Infected Patients on Anti-Retroviral Treatment in a Tertiary Hospital in Ethiopia.

Background: Anti-retroviral treatment has improved mortality of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients, which is offset by an increasing burden of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Data regarding prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors in HIV infected patients in Ethiopia are very scarce. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of CVD risks and associated factors in patients with HIV.

Fractional exhaled nitric oxide and mortality in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a national cohort aged 40 years and older.

Background: Little is known about Fractional concentration of exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO) as a predictor of mortality in persons with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Objective: This study tested the hypotheses that FeNO level ≥ 25 ppb was associated with mortality in a national cohort of persons with asthma or COPD age ≥ 40 years.

Methods: In the 2007-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), FeNO was measured using an electrochemical sensor.

Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase- and Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae Family of Bacteria from Diarrheal Stool Samples in Northwest Ethiopia.

Background: Resistance among the commensal flora is a serious threat because they are highly populated ecosystems like the gut, maybe a source of extraintestinal infections. Infections due to extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)- and carbapenemase (CPM)-producing Enterobacteriaceae family of bacteria impose a major global issue because they are usually resistant to multiple antimicrobial agents. Data on the fecal ESBL- and CPM-producing group of bacteria in developing countries including Ethiopia are limited mainly due to resource constraints.

Pulmonary Embolism and Chronic Superior Vena Cava Occlusion Complicating Central Line-Associated Venous Thromboembolism in a Sickle Cell Disease Patient.

Sickle cell disease (SCD), the most common genetic disorder globally, is often associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolic events (VTE). Many of these patients have central lines placed for the purposes of repeated medication administration, blood transfusions, and blood draw, further increasing the risk of VTE. Given the non-specific presentation of VTE and pulmonary embolism, as well as the risk of mortality if interventions are delayed, a high index of suspicion is required for early diagnosis of the condition.

Absence of Antibody Reponses and Severe COVID-19 in Patients on Hemodialysis Following mRNA Vaccination.

Inpatient dialysis patients cannot isolate, resulting in a higher rate of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections, with increased severity and higher mortality rate [1]. We present 2 African American dialysis patients who developed severe COVID-19 infections after vaccination. Both patients had not mounted antibody response to the COVID-19 vaccine or to hepatitis B vaccination.

Geographic Heterogeneity in Influenza and Pneumonia Mortality in Hispanic Americans.

(1) : Influenza and pneumonia (IP) is a leading cause of death in the US. The hypothesis was tested that the mortality rate differential between Hispanic whites (HW) and non-Hispanic whites (NHW) from IP varied by geographic region in the US. (2) : The CDC database for multiple causes of death between 1999-2018 was used for this study.

Clinical Characteristics and Predictors of Mortality in Minority Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19 Infection.

Objectives: To identify the early mortality predictors in minority patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Design: Demographics, presenting characteristics, admission laboratory data, ICU admission, and mortality data were collected from 200 consecutively hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

Results: The mean (SD) age was 58.

Geographic Variation in Racial Disparities in Mortality From Influenza and Pneumonia in the United States in the Pre-Coronavirus Disease 2019 Era.

Background: In 2018, influenza and pneumonia was the eighth leading cause of death in the United States. Since 1950, non-Hispanic blacks (NHBs) have experienced higher rates of mortality than non-Hispanic whites (NHWs). Previous studies have revealed geographic variation in mortality rates by race.

Riociguat in the Treatment of Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension: An Evidence-Based Review of Its Place in Therapy.

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is classified as group-4 pulmonary hypertension caused by organized thrombi in pulmonary arteries and vasculopathy in nonoccluded areas leading to right heart failure and death. In addition to chronic anticoagulation therapy, each patient with CTEPH should receive treatment assessment starting with evaluation for pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA), which is the guideline recommended treatment. There is increasing experience with balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) for inoperable patients; this option, like PEA, is reserved for specialized centers with expertise in this treatment method.

Never-smoker African-American women suffer more from COPD compared with never-smoker Caucasian women.

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Identifying Clinical and Research Priorities in Sickle Cell Lung Disease. An Official American Thoracic Society Workshop Report.

Pulmonary complications of sickle cell disease (SCD) are diverse and encompass acute and chronic disease. The understanding of the natural history of pulmonary complications of SCD is limited, no specific therapies exist, and these complications are a primary cause of morbidity and mortality. We gathered a multidisciplinary group of pediatric and adult hematologists, pulmonologists, and emergency medicine physicians with expertise in SCD-related lung disease along with an SCD patient advocate for an American Thoracic Society-sponsored workshop to review the literature and identify key unanswered clinical and research questions.

Disparities in Sarcoidosis Mortality by Region, Urbanization, and Race in the United States: A Multiple Cause of Death Analysis.

Purpose: Sex, race/ethnicity, and geographic disparities in sarcoidosis-associated mortality were assessed for the most recent period.

Methods: US data for multiple causes of death for 1999-2016 were used to determine numbers of deaths and age-adjusted rates for sarcoidosis as an underlying or a contributing cause of death using International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision code D86 for Hispanics, non-Hispanic blacks, and non-Hispanic whites.

Results: For persons of all ages in the United States in 1999-2016, there were a total of 28,923 sarcoidosis-associated deaths.

Disparities in Sepsis Mortality by Region, Urbanization, and Race in the USA: a Multiple Cause of Death Analysis.

Purpose: To assess gender, race/ethnicity, and geographic disparities in sepsis-associated mortality.

Materials And Methods: The US data for multiple causes of death (MCOD) for years 2013-2016 were used to determine numbers of deaths and age-adjusted rates for sepsis as underlying or contributing cause of death using the International Classification of Diseases-10 (ICD-10) codes for non-Hispanic blacks (NHB) and whites (NHW) aged 15 years and older.

Results: There were a total of 746,725 sepsis-associated deaths.

Does Low FEV1 in Addition to Fixed Ratio and/or Lower Limit of Normal of FEV1/FVC Improve Prediction of Mortality in COPD? The NHANES-III-linked-mortality Cohort.

Purpose: There is presently an ongoing debate on the relative merits of suggested criteria for spirometric airway obstruction. This study tests the null hypothesis that no superiority exists with the use of fixed ratio (FR) of forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) < 0.7 versus less than lower limit predicted (LLN) criteria with or without FEV1 <80% predicted in regards to future mortality.

Riociguat use in sickle cell related chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: A case series.

Adults with sickle cell disease can develop pulmonary hypertension from a multitude of etiologies. Classified as WHO Group 5, there are no therapies approved for the treatment of sickle cell disease-pulmonary hypertension. Thromboembolic disease is prevalent in sickle cell disease and can lead to pulmonary hypertension.

Abnormal Ventilation-Perfusion Scan Is Associated with Pulmonary Hypertension in Sickle Cell Adults.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) in adults with sickle cell disease (SCD) is associated with early mortality. Chronic thromboembolic PH (CTEPH) is an important complication and contributor to PH in SCD but is likely underappreciated. Guidelines recommend ventilation-perfusion (V/Q) scintigraphy as the imaging modality of choice to exclude CTEPH.

Mortality Related to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Co-morbidities in the United States, A Multiple Causes of Death Analysis.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) mortality based on the underlying cause of death (UCOD) underestimates disease burden. We aimed to determine the current COPD mortality rate, trends and the distribution of co-morbidities using United States (US) multiple-cause of death (MCOD) records. All 38,905,575 death certificates of decedents aged ≥45 years in the United States were analyzed for 1999-2015.

The State of US Health, 1990-2016: Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Among US States.

Introduction: Several studies have measured health outcomes in the United States, but none have provided a comprehensive assessment of patterns of health by state.

Objective: To use the results of the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) to report trends in the burden of diseases, injuries, and risk factors at the state level from 1990 to 2016.

Design And Setting: A systematic analysis of published studies and available data sources estimates the burden of disease by age, sex, geography, and year.