Levofloxacin induces erythrocyte contraction leading to red cell death.

Background: Levofloxacin, a fluoroquinolone, is an extensively used antibiotic effective against both positively and negatively staining bacteria. It works by inhibiting bacterial topoisomerase type II and topoisomerase type IV, resulting in impaired DNA synthesis and bacterial cell death. Eryptosis is another term for apoptotic cell death of erythrocyte marked by cell shrinkage, phosphatidylserine (PS) flipping, and membrane blebbing.

Genetic and Chemical Controls of Sperm Fate and Spermatocyte Dedifferentiation via PUF-8 and MPK-1 in .

Using the nematode germline as a model system, we previously reported that PUF-8 (a PUF RNA-binding protein) and LIP-1 (a dual-specificity phosphatase) repress sperm fate at 20 °C and the dedifferentiation of spermatocytes into mitotic cells (termed "spermatocyte dedifferentiation") at 25 °C. Thus, double mutants lacking both PUF-8 and LIP-1 produce excess sperm at 20 °C, and their spermatocytes return to mitotically dividing cells via dedifferentiation at 25 °C, resulting in germline tumors. To gain insight into the molecular competence for spermatocyte dedifferentiation, we compared the germline phenotypes of three mutant strains that produce excess sperm-, ; ), and ; .

Restoration of the Original Inhabitants: A Systematic Review on Fecal Microbiota Transplantation for Graft-Versus-Host Disease.

A compelling intervention to maintain healthy gut microbiota in graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) is fecal microbial transplantation (FMT). To examine its role in GVHD, we conducted a systemic literature search using multiple electronic databases. Upon pooling of data, 79 patients from six studies and five case reports were included.

Role of sacituzumab govitecan in solid tumors.

Objective: To evaluate the antibody-drug conjugate- sacituzumab govitecan, its pharmacological properties, toxicity, data supporting efficacy against a wide variety of solid tumors beyond breast cancer, and potential future uses.

Data Sources: Articles in MEDLINE/PubMed databases and the National Institutes of Health Clinical Trials Registry (http://www. clinicaltrials.

Isolated Myeloid Sarcoma: A Diagnostic Dilemma.

Myeloid sarcoma (MS)/granulocytic sarcoma/myeloblastoma/chloroma is a rare extramedullary proliferation of blast cells of one or more myeloid lineages along with the destruction of the normal architecture of adjacent tissue. Isolated MS is a rare entity with an incidence of 0.7 out of 1 million children and 2 out of 1 million adults.

A Case of Idiopathic Portal Vein Thrombosis in an Immunocompetent Female.

Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is characterized by a complete or partial occlusion of the portal vein by a thrombus. The formation of the thrombus is usually attributed to an underlying condition that is causing a hypercoagulable state, such as malignancy or cirrhosis. When these causes are ruled out, a hypercoagulable workup can reveal other underlying prothrombotic etiologies.

Pulmonary Tumor Embolism: A Rare Cause of Acute Pulmonary Hypertension.

A rare cause of acute decompensated pulmonary hypertension is pulmonary tumor embolism (PTE), which is an uncommon complication of advanced lung malignancy. Patients diagnosed with PTE typically have a poor prognosis, and so patients with advanced lung tumors who present with signs of right heart failure and respiratory support should be evaluated for PTE. We present a case of a 54-year-old Hispanic female who initially presented with a one-month history of dysphagia, who was found to have acute pulmonary hypertension secondary to invasion of the pulmonary arteries by lung adenocarcinoma.

All-Cause Mortality Outcomes of Usage of Cardiac Contractility Modulation in Patients With Dilated Cardiomyopathy Ineligible for Cardiac Re-Synchronization Therapy: An Updated Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Introduction Dilated cardiomyopathy has been associated with remarkably high mortality despite guideline-directed therapy. This study compares the all-cause mortality rate between a cardiac contractility modulation group and a standard therapy group in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy who were monitored via follow-up for 12 weeks or more. Materials and methods We conducted a systematic search of Medline (PubMed) and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for abstracts and fully published studies (from inception to October 2018).

Pulmonary Embolism in Acquired Hemophilia A: A Rare Complication With Factor VIII Inhibitor Bypassing Activity Therapy.

Acquired hemophilia A (AHA) is an uncommon complication caused by autoantibodies against Factor VIII. The main concern with these patients is hemorrhage, which is often treated with Factor VIII inhibitor bypassing activity (FEIBA). On rare occasions, treatment with FEIBA can result in thromboembolism, a potentially fatal complication.

Valacyclovir-Induced Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura.

Valacyclovir is a well-tolerated antiviral drug. Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura is a rare adverse effect of valacyclovir therapy. Mostly, it has been reported in clinical trials and case reports in patients with high dose or low dose therapy in immunocompromised patients.

Role of Ivabradine in Patients with Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction.

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) accounts for 50% of patients with heart failure. HFpEF carries almost similar morbidity and mortality outcomes to heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Despite many trials, no management has been shown to improve mortality outcomes in HFpEF.

Effect of Beta-blockers on Tachycardia in Patients with Pulmonary Embolism.

Hypothesis Beta-blockers (BBs) lower the heart rate, which may mask the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) since one of the main clinical diagnoses of PE is tachycardia. The endpoint of our retrospective study is to determine if the pre-existing use of (BB) significantly affects the utility of these scoring criteria in diagnosing PE. Introduction Diagnosing PE is a challenge because of the non-specificity of its symptoms and signs.

A Case of Rapidly Deteriorating Lymphangitic Carcinomatosis in a Patient with Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer.

Pulmonary lymphangitic carcinomatosis (PLC) is defined as a tumor in the lung lymphatic vessels. It is rarely seen as a result of malignancy and generally carries a poor prognosis. Proper knowledge of the clinical presentation is important for physicians to be aware of in order to consider a diagnosis of PLC.

Role of Bisphosphonate Therapy in Patients with Osteopenia: A Systemic Review.

By contrast to clinical trials exploring osteoporosis, clinical trials specifically designed for the osteopenic population are limited. Thus, less clinical data are available regarding treatment benefits and cost-effectiveness of treating a patient population with a bone mass density in the osteopenic range (T-score between -1 and -2.5).

Gastropleural Fistula: A Rare Complication of a Common Procedure.

Weight loss surgeries are evident to be highly beneficial in patients with morbid obesity (body mass index (BMI) ≥40.0 kg/m) and severe obesity (BMI between 35.0 and 39.

Tumor Lysis Syndrome: A Rare Complication of Chemotherapy for Metastatic Breast Cancer.

Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) is a fatal complication of chemotherapy treatment. It is rarely seen in the treatment of solid tumors particularly in breast cancer. We presented the case of a chemo-naïve 58-year-old Caucasian woman who developed tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) after a single treatment dose of gemcitabine for metastatic breast cancer.

Updated Treatment for Calcium Pyrophosphate Deposition Disease: An Insight.

Calcium pyrophosphate disease (CPPD) is caused by the deposition of calcium pyrophosphate (CPP) crystals in the joint tissues, particularly fibrocartilage and hyaline cartilage. CPP crystals trigger inflammation, causing local articular tissue damage. Our review article below covers different aspects of CPPD.

Gastrointestinal Neuroendocrine Tumor, Colon Adenocarcinoma, and Hyperparathyroidism: An Unorthodox Synchronism.

Synchrony of colorectal adenocarcinoma with neuroendocrine tumor (NET) and hyperparathyroidism with colon adenocarcinoma is a rare entity, reported in a handful of cases. We authors would like to report a rare case of coexistence of poorly differentiated colon adenocarcinoma, NET of appendix and hyperparathyroidism. A 43-year-old Caucasian female was diagnosed with metastatic colon adenocarcinoma involving the caecum and appendiceal orifice.

An Unusual Case of Pulmonary Cryptococcus.

Cryptococcal infections are caused by encapsulated fungi Cryptococcus gattii and C. neoformans. Inhalation commonly causes innocuous colonization but may cause meningitis or disseminated disease via hematogenous spread.

Pseudogout: An Autoimmune Paraneoplastic Manifestation of Myelodysplastic Syndrome.

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is often associated with autoimmune paraneoplastic manifestations. Seronegative arthritis is among one of them. Very rarely, pseudogout demonstrated as paraneoplastic autoimmune manifestations of MDS has been adumbrated so far.

Haploidentical Stem Cell Transplantation: A Gateway to Infrequent Availability of HLA-Matched Related Donors.

Haploidentical stem cell transplantation provides a plausible alternative for the patients when a fully matched donor is unavailable. Historically, the decision of considering haploidentical transplant has remained elusive; however, with the recent advances, the consideration of haploidentical grafts as a treatment option has become more apparent for both allografting for diseases and engraftment failure. We are reporting here an anecdotal case of a successful haploidentical engraftment in a patient with the prior graft failure of an HLA-matched related donor.

A Large Grade 5 Mobile Aortic Arch Atheromatous Plaque: Cause of Cerebrovascular Accident.

Aortic atheromas (aortic atheromatous plaques) are defined by an irregular thickening of the intima ≥2 mm, and a complex plaque is defined as a protruding atheroma ≥4 mm with or without an attached mobile component. Stroke incidence is approximately 25% in patients with mobile plaques of the aortic arch and 2% in patients with quiescent nonmobile plaques. Antiplatelet agents, oral anticoagulants, and statins have been suggested in the management of atheromas.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for adult sickle cell disease in the era of universal donor availibility.

Current projections estimate that the number of newborns with sickle cell disease (SCD) globally will exceed 400,000 by 2050. Over the last three decades, increased newborn screening, supportive care, and use of hydroxyurea therapy, have decreased early childhood mortality among individuals affected with SCD. Despite hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) being curative in SCD, its impact on disease free survival remains unknown, especially in adults, partly due to previous limitations in donor options and perceived mortality in adults using myeloablative conditioning.

Orbital dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans with intracranial extension preceded by recurrent leiomyoma of the orbit: a case report.

Introduction: Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans is a rare, locally aggressive cutaneous tumor of intermediate to low-grade malignancy. COL1A1-PDGFβ translocation is specific to dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, where the abnormally fused COL1A1-PDGFβ gene directs formation of an abnormal combined (fusion) protein that researchers believe to ultimately function like the platelet-derived growth factor-beta protein.

Case Presentation: In this report, we present a case of a 63-year-old Asian man with dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans of the right orbit with intracranial extension.

PARP inhibitors.

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerases, abbreviated as PARPs, are a group of familiar proteins that play a central role in DNA repair employing the base excision repair (BER) pathway. There about 17 proteins in this family out of which the primary nuclear PARPs are PARP-1, PARP-2, PARP-3, and tankyrases 1 and 2 (PARP-5a and -5b) .The PARP family members are known to engage in a wide range of cellular activities, for example, DNA repair, transcription, cellular signaling, cell cycle regulation and mitosis amongst others.