Advancements in Early Detection and Screening Strategies for Pancreatic Cancer: From Genetic Susceptibility to Novel Biomarkers.

Pancreatic cancer is a rare but lethal cancer due to its biologically aggressive nature, advanced stage at the time of diagnosis, and poor response to oncologic therapies. The risk of pancreatic cancer is significantly higher to 5% in certain high-risk individuals with inherited genetic susceptibility. Screening for pancreatic cancer in these individuals from high-risk groups can help with the early detection of pancreatic cancer as well as the detection of precursor lesions leading to early surgical resection and improved overall outcomes.

Screening and Surveillance of Colorectal Cancer: A Review of the Literature.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) has the highest mortality rate among men and is the second highest among women under fifty, with incidence and mortality rates rising in younger populations. Studies indicate that up to one-third of patients diagnosed before fifty have a family history or genetic factors, highlighting the need for earlier screening. Contrariwise, diagnosis in healthy subjects through screening strategies enables early-stage detection of the tumor and better clinical outcomes.

Sweet or Not? Azathioprine-Induced Sweet Syndrome Mimicking Erythema Nodosum in a Patient With Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

This case report highlights the clinical challenge and need to distinguish Sweet syndrome and erythema nodosum (EN) in a 50-year-old woman with newly initiated azathioprine for inflammatory bowel disease. While she initially presented with clinical features concerning for drug-induced Sweet syndrome, a subsequent histopathological examination confirmed early-stage EN. Both Sweet syndrome and EN share common triggers and therapeutic responses, but have distinctive clinical characteristics.

The critical pharmaceutical situation in Sudan 2023: A humanitarian catastrophe of civil war.

The situation in Sudan have deteriorated since the ongoing war outbreak in April 2023. This article sheds light on the pharmacological status in Sudan in terms of shortage of supply, rising demands, and regulatory issues. The ongoing civil war has acutely impacted the dilapidated pharmaceutical status of Sudan, patients have suffered from the paucity of medical services forcing an out-of-control rise in underreported morbidity and mortality.

Role of fecal microbiota transplant in management of hepatic encephalopathy: Current trends and future directions.

Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) offers a potential treatment avenue for hepatic encephalopathy (HE) by leveraging beneficial bacterial displacement to restore a balanced gut microbiome. The prevalence of HE varies with liver disease severity and comorbidities. HE pathogenesis involves ammonia toxicity, gut-brain communication disruption, and inflammation.

Rising meningitis in USA and Mexico: insights from the fatal outbreak.

Meningitis, an inflammatory disease affecting the meningeal layers of the brain and the spinal cord, poses a significant public health concern globally. Most meningitis cases are caused by viral infections, bacterial infections being the second most common cause, while fungal or parasitic infections are deemed rare. Despite the decrease in bacterial meningitis because of vaccination and treatment, a recent meningitis outbreak in the United States and Mexico highlighted ongoing challenges.

Upsurge of Powassan virus disease in northeastern United States: a public health concern-a short communication.

Powassan virus (POWV) is a tick-borne primarily transmitted through ticks in North America which is a significant public health threat in the northeastern United States. POWV infection spans from Ontario to the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and Midwest regions in the USA. Climate change, ecological factors, and human-related changes, including shifts in migration and agriculture, contribute to the dissemination of POWV.

Liver transplant in primary sclerosing cholangitis: Current trends and future directions.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic and progressive immune-mediated cholangiopathy causing biliary tree inflammation and scarring, leading to liver cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease. Diagnosis of PSC is challenging due to its nonspecific symptoms and overlap with other liver diseases. Despite the rising incidence of PSC, there is no proven medical therapy that can alter the natural history of the disease.

Outbreak of severe myocarditis in England: Havoc by a harmless virus.

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) has been alerted to a concerning upsurge of severe myocarditis, an inflammatory heart condition, in neonates within Wales and South West England. The myocarditis cases are being intricately associated with enterovirus infection, belonging to the Picornaviridae family. The concerned pathogen poses a significant global disease burden, with an estimated 10 to 15 million symptomatic cases occurring annually in the United States alone.