A rare case of May-Thurner syndrome due to external compression of the right and left common iliac veins.

May-Thurner syndrome, also known as external iliac compression syndrome, is a rare but commonly underdiagnosed cause of asymmetric lower extremity edema. Here we describe a case of May-Thurner syndrome owing to external compression of the right and left common iliac veins presenting as chronic worsening asymmetric right greater than left lower extremity edema. Initial etiology workup was unremarkable, and further diagnostics revealed compression of the right common iliac vein at the bifurcation of the right common iliac artery between the right external and internal iliac arteries with concomitant compression of the left common iliac vein.

Impact of an Online Gastrointestinal Symptom History Taker on Physician Documentation and Charting Time: Pragmatic Controlled Trial.

Background: A potential benefit of electronic health records (EHRs) is that they could potentially save clinician time and improve documentation by auto-generating the history of present illness (HPI) in partnership with patients prior to the clinic visit. We developed an online patient portal called AEGIS (Automated Evaluation of Gastrointestinal [GI] Symptoms) that systematically collects patient GI symptom information and then transforms the data into a narrative HPI that is available for physicians to review in the EHR prior to seeing the patient.

Objective: This study aimed to compare whether use of an online GI symptom history taker called AEGIS improves physician-centric outcomes vs usual care.

Clinical Utility of SPECT in the Heart Transplant Population: Analysis From a Single Large-volume Center.

Background: Survival after heart transplant has greatly improved, with median survival now over 12 years. Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) has become a major source of long-term morbidity and mortality. Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) is used for CAV surveillance, but there is limited data on its prognostic utility.

Uniqueness of laryngeal nerve injury following heart transplantation.

Background: The incidence of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury (RLNI) after heart transplantation has not been well studied. This can manifest as vocal cord dysfunction causing dysphonia. Previous research is limited to aortic, coronary bypass, and valvular surgery.

JC virus-associated nephropathy in a post-heart and -kidney transplantation patient.

JC virus-associated nephropathy is rare in kidney transplant recipients, and even rarer in recipients of other solid organ transplants. We present a case of JC virus-associated nephropathy in a heart-kidney transplant recipient, which to our knowledge is the first case reported in the literature. We discuss the findings on renal biopsy for JC virus nephropathy and our management approach to this rare complication.

Vascular progenitors from cord blood-derived induced pluripotent stem cells possess augmented capacity for regenerating ischemic retinal vasculature.

Background: The generation of vascular progenitors (VPs) from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) has great potential for treating vascular disorders such as ischemic retinopathies. However, long-term in vivo engraftment of hiPSC-derived VPs into the retina has not yet been reported. This goal may be limited by the low differentiation yield, greater senescence, and poor proliferation of hiPSC-derived vascular cells.