Infective endocarditis (IE) involving the tricuspid valve is commonly associated with intravenous drug use, with right-sided IE typically leading to septic pulmonary emboli; however, systemic embolization via paradoxical embolism is a rare and severe complication. We present a case of a 33-year-old female with a history of intravenous drug use who was admitted with generalized pain after leaving another facility against medical advice following treatment for pneumonia and tricuspid valve endocarditis, including vegetation debulking. On readmission, she exhibited signs of infection, and imaging revealed bilateral septic pulmonary emboli with cavitary lesions, while echocardiography showed severe tricuspid regurgitation with large mobile vegetation and an aneurysmal interatrial septum, suggesting a probable patent foramen ovale.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOlfactory sensory deprivation induces anosmia and reduces tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine levels in the olfactory bulb. The behavioral consequences specific to the loss of olfactory bulb dopamine are difficult to determine because sensory deprivation protocols are either confounded by side effects or leave the animal anosmic. A new method to both induce sensory deprivation and to measure the behavioral and circuit consequences is needed.
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