Publications by authors named "Alexander M Sy"

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is potentially fatal complication affecting patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). The incidence of HCC is 13 per 1000 person-years in patients with PBC cirrhosis, but much lower at 2.7 per 1000 person-years among patients with PBC without cirrhosis.

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Dietary supplements are unregulated medications that can lead to serious liver injury. Despite this, many people take vitamin supplements believing they are safe because they do not require prescriptions. We are reporting a case of an African American man who took large doses of vitamin supplements leading to noncirrhotic portal hypertension.

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Cholesterol crystal embolism can be spontaneous or iatrogenic, and it can involve any organ of the gastrointestinal tract, presenting with common gastrointestinal symptoms such as bleeding, perforation, obstruction, and inflammation. It is therefore considered the "great masquerader," requiring a high level of suspicion because the condition is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. We present a 69-year-old man who presented with gastrointestinal bleeding and azotemia.

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A 34-year-old woman was referred to the hepatology clinic for evaluation of an increased serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) level. She was gravida 5 and in her 38th week of gestation. Her obstetric history was significant for 2 uncomplicated spontaneous term vaginal deliveries resulting in live births and 2 spontaneous abortions.

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Commonly reported complications of hepatic cysts are spontaneous hemorrhage, rupture into the peritoneal cavity, infection and compression of the biliary tree however cardiac complications are not commonly reported. We are presenting a case of a large liver cyst presenting with right atrial and ventricular inflow tract impingement resulting in cardiac symptoms. A 68 year-old Hispanic female presented with one month of fatigue and shortness of breath after household work and walking less than one block, right upper quadrant pain and weight loss.

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Hepatitis C infection and its treatment have been associated with extrahepatic manifestations, including different skin conditions. Over the past decades, a greater number of drugs have been implicated as triggers for drug-induced subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus. We report a case of a 42-year-old Hispanic man who developed a forehead violaceous rash during treatment with pegylated interferon alpha-2a as part of his therapy against hepatitis C infection that subsequently resulted to be subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus.

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Pulmonary aspergillosis presents with a variety of clinical forms including invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, chronic necrotising aspergillosis, aspergilloma, chronic cavitary pulmonary aspergillosis and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. Haemoptysis is a devastating complication of pulmonary aspergillosis and a common indication for surgery. We report a case of a 54-year-old man with a history of pulmonary tuberculosis and diabetes mellitus, who presented with productive cough and haemoptysis for 2 months.

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Aim. The aim of the paper is to determine association between H. pylori and colonic adenomatous polyps and to explore whether treatment or chronic PPI use can mitigate this risk.

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A relationship between hepatocellular carcinoma and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia has been reported. This is a case of a 75-year-old woman with stable chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, not on treatment with an increased activity of serum alkaline phosphatase and negative liver disease work up. A liver biopsy revealed leukaemic infiltration without evidence of cirrhosis or fatty liver.

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A 52-year-old woman presented with a 1-week history of recurrent fevers and joint pains accompanied by abdominal and low back discomfort. She has a history of hypoparathyroidism and is on calcium supplements. Physical examination revealed fever and tachycardia.

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Background: Vitamin D has been postulated to play a role in colonic carcinogenesis by modulation of apoptosis and inhibition of angiogenesis. However, data supporting this theory are conflicting, and most studies include only Asians and Caucasians. This retrospective study aims to determine whether there is a correlation between an increased total vitamin D level and a lower incidence of carcinomatous polyps in a multi-race but predominantly Hispanic population in East Harlem, New York City.

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Osteoarticular infections caused by Salmonella are rare. The rates of osteomyelitis and septic arthritis due to Salmonella are estimated to be less than 1% and 0.1%-0.

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