Publications by authors named "Mason Stoltzfus"

Loeffler's syndrome is a rare, benign respiratory disease usually associated with peripheral eosinophilia, first described by Wilhelm Loeffler in 1932. It is caused by the larvae of helminths such as hookworms, , and S that transmigrate through the lungs during the active phase of infection. We present a case of a 53-year-old man who complained of a productive cough with intermittent hemoptysis and left-sided posterior chest pain.

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Sepsis is characterized by life-threatening organ dysfunction due to dysregulated host response to infection. It can progress to cause circulatory and cellular/metabolic abnormalities, resulting in septic shock that may significantly increase mortality. The pathophysiology of sepsis involves a complex interplay of invading pathogens and the body's immune defense, causing alteration in normal homeostasis, eventually leading to derangements in the cellular, humoral, circulatory, and metabolic functions.

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Article Synopsis
  • Carpal and cubital tunnel syndromes are rare in children, and their simultaneous occurrence is even less common, as illustrated by a unique case of a 15-year-old girl with significant nerve entrapment and damage.
  • The patient underwent surgery after two years of conservative treatment, revealing severe compression of the median and ulnar nerves, which still showed inflammation post-surgery.
  • Research using the TriNetX database identified only 503 out of over 20 million pediatric patients with both conditions, highlighting the rarity of such cases in the community.
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Prolonged hospital stays can significantly impede patients' recovery, negatively affecting anything from physical health via issues like hospital-acquired infections and increased complications due to immobility to psychological health. Several studies investigated the psychosocial impact of prolonged hospital stays, revealing a variety of patient perspectives, such as feeling uncertain and frustrated about their conditions, which can erode their trust in healthcare providers. Delayed discharges not only affect patients but also have multifaceted effects on healthcare providers, potentially reducing physician efficiency and contributing to higher rates of burnout among healthcare professionals.

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Objective Spinal fusions are gaining popularity as a means of treating spinal deformity and instability from a range of pathologies. The prevalence of glucocorticoid use has also increased in recent decades, and their systemic effects are well-documented. Although commonly used in the preoperative period, the effects of steroids on outcomes among patients undergoing spinal fusions are inadequately described.

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The purpose of this review is to serve as a concise learning tool for clinicians interested in quickly learning more about cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) and its physical principles. There is heavy coverage of the basic physical fundamentals of CMR as well as updates on the history, clinical indications, cost-effectiveness, role of artificial intelligence in CMR, and examples of common late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) patterns. This literature review was performed by searching the PubMed database for the most up-to-date literature regarding these topics.

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A 24-year-old female with a history of intravenous heroin use presented with two weeks of chills, myalgias, and cough and was found to be in acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. Subsequent workup revealed the presence of bilateral septic pulmonary emboli and tricuspid valve endocarditis. Several weeks into her hospitalization, she developed periorbital edema and laboratory testing revealed she had developed acute renal failure and nephrotic range proteinuria.

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Objective Lumbar puncture (LP) is a diagnostic procedure that accesses the spinal subarachnoid space to measure the opening pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and obtain samples of CSF for analysis. Although commonly performed, LPs are associated with the risk of morbidity and mortality. In addition, thrombocytopenia is thought to increase the risk of LP complications, particularly spinal bleeds.

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Background/importance: There are only 56 documented cases of intravascular fasciitis, a rare variant of nodular fasciitis. Of these cases, only 2 involved the scalp. This lesion is amenable to surgical resection, making it important to differentiate it from soft tissue malignancies of the scalp.

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