Myocardial involvement in rocky mountain spotted fever: a case report and review.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF), caused by Rickettia rickettsii, is a serious tickborne illness that is endemic in the southeastern United States. Although it is most commonly known as a cause of fever and rash, it can have systemic manifestations. The myocardium may rarely be involved, with symptoms that can mimic those of acute coronary syndromes.

Idiopathic pneumonia syndrome after syngeneic bone marrow transplant in mice.

Idiopathic pneumonia syndrome is characterized by noninfectious diffuse lung injury after myeloablative chemotherapy and bone marrow transplant. Because little is known about its pathogenesis after autologous-based regimens, we have developed a murine model that closely mimics the human lung disease process. Using an autologous regimen similar to that used for patients with metastatic breast cancer, mice developed pulmonary injury as early as 1 day posttransplant.

Fatal re-expansion pulmonary edema associated with increased lung IL-8 levels following high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplant.

Re-expansion pulmonary edema (REPE) leading to hypoxic respiratory failure and death occurred following a unilateral low-volume (750 ml) thoracentesis in a young patient 8 days after high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (HDC/ASCT) for advanced-stage breast cancer. A higher volume (1,000 ml) thoracentesis from the contralateral lung, 2 weeks prior to HDC/ASCT, showed no clinical consequences. We have recently demonstrated increased levels of inflammatory cytokines in the lungs of patients following HDC/ASCT, a finding which may predispose them to exaggerated inflammatory lung injury.