The role of empirical albendazole treatment in idiopathic hypereosinophilia - a case series.

Hypereosinophilia is usually defined as a blood eosinophil count >1500/μL. A broad variety of conditions are associated with hypereosinophilia. The present report describes three cases of hypereosinophilia, in which a thorough history, physical examination, laboratory and imaging investigations were unable to detect any abnormalities.

Surgical site infections after abdominal surgery: incidence and risk factors. A prospective cohort study.

Background: Abdominal surgeries have high rates of surgical site infections (SSIs), contributing to increased morbidity and mortality and costs for hospitalization. The aim of this study was to determine the SSI incidence rates and risk factors after abdominal surgeries.

Methods: This prospective cohort study included all patients undergoing abdominal surgeries between 2005 and 2007 in the Western Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, Israel.

Microangiopathic Anemia of Acute Brucellosis - is it a True TTP?

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a severe disease, potentially fatal, if not diagnosed and treated promptly. TTP is clinically characterized by the pentad of thrombocytopenia, Coombs-negative hemolytic anemia, fever, renal abnormalities and neurological disturbances. Advances in recent years have delineated the molecular mechanisms of acquired and hereditary TTP.

Olive oil consumption and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

The clinical implications of non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD) derive from their potential to progress to fibrosis and cirrhosis. Inappropriate dietary fat intake, excessive intake of soft drinks, insulin resistance and increased oxidative stress results in increased free fatty acid delivery to the liver and increased hepatic triglyceride (TG) accumulation. An olive oil-rich diet decreases accumulation of TGs in the liver, improves postprandial TGs, glucose and glucagon-like peptide-1 responses in insulin-resistant subjects, and upregulates glucose transporter-2 expression in the liver.

Streptococcus pneumonia endocarditis associated with gastrointestinal malignancy.

Particular systemic infections have been found to be associated with concurrent malignancies sufficiently commonly as to warrant search for malignancy in patients with such infections. The current study adds Streptococcus pneumonia endocarditis to the list of relevant infections.

Salmonella paratyphi endocarditis.

Endocarditis is a rare complication of salmonellosis. The most frequently observed species is Salmonella typhi. Endocarditis caused by Salmonella paratyphi is extremely rare with only three previous cases documented in the medical literature.

An unusual cause of pleural effusion.

Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is a unique clinicopathological entity associated with human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) infection, occurring almost exclusively in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals. We report a rare case of HHV-8-negative PEL in an HIV-negative elderly patient who presented with pleural effusion. The patient was treated with CHOP and Rituximab.

Bone marrow fibrosis and caseating granulomas associated with intravesicular BCG treatment.

Intravesicular instillation of bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), an attenuated variant of the virulent strain of Mycobacterium bovis, has been extensively used as the treatment of choice for bladder cancer since first approved in 1976. Adverse effects of treatment are rare and mostly local, with systemic reactions complicating up to 5% of patients. The majority of serious side effects have occurred in immunocompromised patients.

A rare lung manifestation with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN).

In this unusual case, we report the history of a patient who was hospitalized with pulmonary manifestations presenting as broncholitis obliterance organizing pneumonia (BOOP) associated with ANCA-negative pauci-immune glomerulonephritis. Other known causes for the occurrence of BOOP were excluded. Immediate diagnosis and treatment with a combination of steroids and cytotoxic therapy resulted in a complete remission and prevented eventual dialysis.

Intravenous immunoglobulin for treatment of toxic epidermal necrolysis.

We report three female patients suffering from toxic epidermal necrolysis, with 30% to 70% epidermal detachment. Alleged causative agents were dipyrone, dibenzazepine, and allopurinol. All patients were treated by intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) and survived without further complications, although poor prognostic factors such as concomitant diabetes, large areas of epidermal detachment, and pancytopenia were present.

Genotypic differences of Candida albicans and C. dubliniensis isolates related to ethnic/racial differences within the same geographic area.

Candida albicans and C. dubliniensis genotype differences among Israeli ethnic groups were assessed. Isolates from Jews (51), Arabs (35) and Druze (25) were genotyped.