Introduction: The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has presented various unprecedented challenges to healthcare systems globally, prompting society to adopt new preventative strategies to curb spread of the disease. Those experiencing homelessness have been particularly impacted because of barriers to practicing social distancing, inability to isolate, and poor access to care. Project Roomkey was established in California as a statewide measure to provide non-congregate shelter options for individuals experiencing homelessness to properly quarantine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Cervical spinal (c-spine) injuries range greatly in severity from minor ligamentous injuries to osteoligamentous instability with spinal cord injuries. Initial evaluation begins with stabilization as needed and immediate immobilization. Current practice as to whether the c-spine can be cleared clinically without radiographic evaluation is often guided by using the National Emergency X-Radiography Utilization Study Low-Risk Criteria and the Canadian C-Spine Rule.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo identify patient characteristics and treatment factors of patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with cancer-related pain that may affect patient outcomes. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to evaluate adult patients with active cancer, who presented to the ED with a chief complaint of pain between June first, 2012 and January first, 2016. We utilized multivariable logistic regression to evaluate the association of several exposure variables, including disease and demographic characteristics, primary pain site, and treatment methods, on ED disposition and revisit rate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Urinomas are rare and generally result from trauma to any part of the urinary collecting system. Appropriate imaging is crucial in the timely diagnosis and management of urinomas and for ruling out other etiologies such as subcapsular renal hematomas and perinephric abscesses.
Case Report: A 31-year-old woman with no past medical history or known trauma presented to the Emergency Department (ED) with a week of right flank pain, abdominal pain, and intermittent fevers.
Background: Although uncommon, retinal detachments are medically urgent and can result in permanent vision loss if untreated. Bilateral retinal detachments in healthy individuals are even more rare. In addition, there are no cases to date of retinal detachment associated with either coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) or after receiving the Moderna (mRNA-1273) severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: There have been previous cases of medication-induced hyponatremia with various causative agents reported. Severe hyponatremia, a common medical emergency, can vary widely in its presentation, ranging from seizures and comas to no clinical manifestations.
Case Report: An 81-year-old female patient presented to the Emergency Department with history of a fall.
Microglia play a pivotal role in the coordination of brain development and have emerged as a critical determinant in the progression of neurodegenerative diseases; however, the role of microglia in the onset and progression of neurodevelopmental disorders is less clear. Here we show that conditional deletion of αVβ8 from the central nervous system ( mice) blocks microglia in their normal stepwise development from immature precursors to mature microglia. These "dysmature" microglia appear to result from reduced TGFβ signaling during a critical perinatal window, are distinct from microglia with induced reduction in TGFβ signaling during adulthood, and directly cause a unique neurodevelopmental syndrome characterized by oligodendrocyte maturational arrest, interneuron loss, and spastic neuromotor dysfunction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMetastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) is nearly incurable and accounts for most of the mortality associated with RCC. Von Hippel Lindau (VHL) is a tumour suppressor that is lost in the majority of clear cell RCC (ccRCC) cases. Its role in regulating hypoxia-inducible factors-1α (HIF-1α) and -2α (HIF-2α) is well-studied.
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