Publications by authors named "Michael Brockman"

Background and objective The incidence of hypertension is growing at an alarming rate globally. In the United States, nearly half of the adult population suffers from hypertension, a disease potentially associated with long-term dire consequences and comorbidities. While Internet access has proliferated, and free Internet-based education resources for healthy lifestyles have exponentially increased over the past two decades, little is known about whether Internet-based information can be or is used as a self-learning tool for hypertension management in a community setting.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Emerging data suggest that Hispanic patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) exhibit improved survival rates compared to individuals of other ethnicities with similar baseline hemodynamics. However, the underlying reasons for this survival advantage remain unclear. This study focused on comparing pulmonary hemodynamics in Hispanic and non-Hispanic PAH patients and how these differences may contribute to varied clinical outcomes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Risk stratification plays an essential role in the management of acute pulmonary embolism (PE). Several risk scores have been studied to support risk stratification and management. While ethnic differences in acute PE risk factors exist, current risk scores lack validation for Hispanic patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Hepatic injuries attributable to terbinafine usage are a well-documented yet infrequent phenomenon. This case study details the clinical presentation and management of a 70-year-old Hispanic female, with no previous medical history, subsequently hospitalized for progressive jaundice, right upper quadrant abdominal discomfort, and worsening pruritus. A comprehensive review of her prior records revealed a recent terbinafine prescription for onychomycosis, which she took consistently for five weeks and then self-discontinued four weeks before her current admission.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Inflammatory myositis (IM) presents a diagnostic challenge due to its multifaceted etiology and varying clinical presentations. This case involves a 55-year-old male with asymptomatic hypothyroidism, recent statin use, and rapidly progressing proximal muscle weakness. He presented with profound weakness in the upper and lower extremities, severely impairing his daily activities.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Although the gastrointestinal (GI) manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are relatively less reported, they are common and occur in approximately half of individuals with SLE. These symptoms vary and include, but are not limited to, oral ulceration, dysphagia, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and intestinal perforation. Gastrointestinal manifestations are often triggered by an inciting event, such as an infection or the side effects of medication.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The prevalence of concomitant deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and its impact on 30-day outcomes in Hispanic patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is unknown. We retrospectively studied a cohort of Hispanic patients admitted for acute PE to determine the relationship of concomitant DVT to clot burden on chest computer tomography (CT), right heart strain, and 30-day mortality. We identified 391 patients admitted with acute PE; 168 (42.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Brain abscess secondary to community-acquired methicillin-resistant (CA-MRSA) infection is a rare, yet highly fatal disease. This article presents the case of a 45-year-old homeless female with a medical history of bipolar disorder, seizure disorder, and substance use disorder who was admitted with altered mental status. Laboratory tests on admission revealed neutrophil-predominant leukocytosis, elevated inflammatory markers (erythrocyte sedimentation rate [ESR], C-reactive protein [CRP]), and lactic acid.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Coccidioidomycosis is a rare infection caused by the dimorphic fungi or . This fungal infection is very common in the American Southwest as well as northern Mexico. Though the fungus is ubiquitous, symptomatic coccidioidomycosis usually occurs in the elderly or immunocompromised.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Studies have demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 RNA can be detected in the feces of infected individuals. This finding spurred investigation into using wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) to monitor SARS-CoV-2 RNA and track the appearance and spread of COVID-19 in communities. SARS-CoV-2 is present at low levels in wastewater, making sample concentration a prerequisite for sensitive detection and utility in WBE.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Gene expression and processing during mouse male germ cell maturation (spermatogenesis) is highly specialized. Previous reports have suggested that there is a high incidence of alternative 3'-processing in male germ cell mRNAs, including reduced usage of the canonical polyadenylation signal, AAUAAA. We used EST libraries generated from mouse testicular cells to identify 3'-processing sites used at various stages of spermatogenesis (spermatogonia, spermatocytes and round spermatids) and testicular somatic Sertoli cells.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Fully grown oocytes (FGOs) contain all the necessary transcripts to activate molecular pathways underlying the oocyte-to-embryo transition (OET). To elucidate this critical period of development, an extensive survey of the FGO transcriptome was performed by analyzing 19,000 expressed sequence tags of the Mus musculus FGO cDNA library. Expression of 5400 genes and transposable elements is reported.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Unlabelled: The PolyA Cleavage Site and 3'-UTR Database (PACdb) is a web-accessible database that catalogs putative 3'-processing sites and 3'-UTR sequences for multiple organisms. Sites have been identified primarily via expressed sequence tag-genome alignments, enabling delineation of both the specificities and heterogeneity of 3'-processing events.

Availability: By web browser or CGI: PACdb: http://harlequin.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF