Palliative cytoreduction with low dose intravenous melphalan in patients with acute myeloid leukemia refractory to prior treatment.

Background: Hyperproliferative crises with hyperleukocytosis occur frequently in the disease course of refractory or relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Palliative cytoreduction aims to control blast count in order to avoid life-threatening complications and preserve quality of life in patients unfit for intensive treatment. In our center, low-dose intravenous melphalan is sometimes used with this intent.

Flucloxacillin-induced hypokalaemia: a case report.

Objective And Importance: Flucloxacillin is a narrow-spectrum beta-lactam antibiotic with activity against penicillinase producing staphylococci and streptococci. Severe hypokalaemia is an uncommon, but serious adverse effect in patients treated with penicillin derivates.

Clinical Presentation: We report a case of severe hypokalaemia in a patient treated with high dose intravenous flucloxacillin.

Anti-MDA5 positive dermatomyositis complicated with rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease - a case report.

Case Presentation:  We present a case of a 55-year-old Caucasian male with manifestations of dermatomyositis complicated with rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease (RP-ILD). Diagnosis of anti-MDA5 positive dermatomyositis was made.

Discussion:  Myositis specific antibodies (MSA) can be used for diagnosis and predicting prognosis in patients with polymyositis and dermatomyositis.