Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis in Hospitalized Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Recipients: Outcomes Based on the United States National Readmission Database.

Background And Objective: Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is a well-established treatment for hematologic malignancies and certain autoimmune and congenital conditions. HSCT is associated with immunocompromise and increased risk of infections. This study assessed whether invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) affects in-hospital mortality and 30-day readmission among HSCT patients.

Diagnostic Dilemma: A Patient With Pulmonary Fibrosis Who Presented for Severe Tracheal Stenosis After COVID-19 Pneumonia.

A 44-year-old man with pulmonary fibrosis presented to our pulmonary hypertension clinic with biphasic stridor and dyspnea. He was sent to the emergency department, where he was found to have 90% subglottic tracheal stenosis and was successfully treated with balloon dilation. Seven months prior to the presentation, he required intubation for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia complicated by hemorrhagic stroke.

ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Outcomes: A United States Nationwide Emergency Departments Cohort Study.

Background: Literature regarding trends in incidence and mortality of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in emergency departments (EDs) is limited.

Objective: To study the trends of incidence and mortality of STEMI.

Methods: Using the National Emergency Department Sample database in the United States, we identified all ED encounters for patients presenting with STEMI using International Classification of Diseases codes.

Mortality outcomes associated with invasive aspergillosis among acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patient population.

Background: Literature regarding trends of mortality, and complications of aspergillosis infection among patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) is limited.

Methods: Data from the National Readmissions Database (NRD) that constitutes 49.1% of the stratified sample of all hospitals in the United States (US), representing more than 95% of the national population were analyzed for hospitalizations with aspergillosis among AECOPD.

Trends in Incidence, and Mortality of Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in the United States Emergency Department (2010-2018).

Literature regarding trends of incidence, mortality, and complications of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the emergency departments (ED) is limited. What are trends of COPD exacerbation in ED? Data were obtained from the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS) that constitutes a 20% sample of hospital-owned EDs and inpatient sample in the US. All ED encounters were included in the analysis.

Spontaneous retroperitoneal haemorrhage secondary to anticoagulation polypharmacy.

Retroperitoneal haemorrhage (RH) is not uncommon in patients with provoking events like trauma. However, spontaneous RH (SRH) is a rare and life-threatening complication described as the development of bleeding into the retroperitoneal cavity, appearing spontaneously and without a preceding history of trauma or other predisposing illness. We are reporting a case of an elderly patient with recurrent deep vein thrombosis who had developed SRH secondary to concurrent use of multiple anticoagulation agents, resulting from poor healthcare follow-up and lack of sufficient medication reconciliation.

Infectious Mononucleosis Presenting with Loss of Taste and Smell During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic?

Unlabelled: A 53-year-old woman presented during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic with an 18-day history of pyrexia, myalgia, progressive dyspnoea and loss of taste and smell after a close contact had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. In this period two swabs had been negative for SARS-CoV-2. Clinical examination was normal.

Diaphragmatic Excursion: Does it Predict Successful Weaning from Mechanical Ventilation?

Objective: To measure the diaphragmatic excursion and its outcome on weaning from mechanical ventilation.

Study Design: Cross-sectional comparative study.

Place And Duration Of Study: Medical Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Military Hospital (MH), Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from January to December 2014.

Elevation of serum creatine phosphokinase in hospitalized patients.

Background: The clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with significant noncardiac and cardiac serum creatine phosphokinase (CPK) elevations are not well described.

Methods: One hundred fifty-eight inpatients who had CPK elevation of >1000 IU/L were identified. One hundred thirty-seven patients whose CPK elevations could be attributed to either noncardiac or cardiac etiologies were included and analyzed for clinical characteristics, 30-day, 3-month, and 1-year all-cause mortality rates.

Absence of transverse tubules contributes to non-uniform Ca(2+) wavefronts in mouse and human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes.

Mouse (m) and human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hESC-CMs) are known to exhibit immature Ca(2+) dynamics such as small whole-cell peak amplitude and slower kinetics relative to those of adult. In this study, we examined the maturity and efficiency of Ca(2+)-induced Ca(2+) release in m and hESC-CMs, the presence of transverse (t) tubules and its effects on the regional Ca(2+) dynamics. In m and hESC-CMs, fluorescent staining and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to detect the presence of t-tubules, caveolin-3, amphiphysin-2 and colocalization of dihydropyridine receptors (DHPRs) and ryanodine receptors (RyRs).

New onset atrial fibrillation developing in medical inpatients.

Background: The outcome of patients who develop new onset atrial fibrillation (AF) after admission to an Internal Medicine service for acute medical illnesses is unknown.

Methods: In a retrospective review, we compared patients in the study group: patients who were admitted to hospital for acute medical illnesses and subsequently developed new onset AF during hospitalization, with a control group 1: patients whose admitting diagnosis was new onset AF and a control group 2: patients who were admitted for acute medical illnesses and never developed AF. We analyzed clinical characteristics and all-cause mortality rate during the first 30 days, 6 months, and 1 year after admission.

Tongue discoloration in an elderly kidney transplant recipient: Treatment-related adverse event?

Background: With the increased occurrence of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus infections, linezolid treatment might be administered more often. New rare adverse events are likely to follow.

Case Summary: A 65-year-old man (weight, 91 kg; height, 185 cm) presented to the emergency department at the University of Virginia-affiliated Salem Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salem, Virginia, after a recent (8 weeks) kidney transplantation with a 24-hour history of fatigue, chills, arthralgias, increased urinary frequency, and onset of tongue discoloration.

Early asymmetry of gene transcription in embryonic human left and right cerebral cortex.

The human left and right cerebral hemispheres are anatomically and functionally asymmetric. To test whether human cortical asymmetry has a molecular basis, we studied gene expression levels between the left and right embryonic hemispheres using serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE). We identified and verified 27 differentially expressed genes, which suggests that human cortical asymmetry is accompanied by early, marked transcriptional asymmetries.

Expression patterns of epidermal growth factor receptor and fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 mRNA in fetal human brain.

Factors that interact with the epidermal growth factor and fibroblast growth factor receptors have numerous effects in the central nervous system (CNS), inducing the proliferation of CNS stem cells and astrocytes and the survival and differentiation of neurons. Both receptors are expressed in the embryonic rodent brain in proliferative and nonproliferative regions, suggesting roles in numerous developmental processes. However, the roles of these factors in human brain development are not known.