Importance: Cancer and its care impose significant time commitments on patients and care partners. The oncology community has only recently conceptualized these commitments and the associated burden as the "time toxicity" of cancer care. As the concept gains traction, there is a critical need to fundamentally understand the perspectives of multiple stakeholders on the time burdens of cancer care.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNaunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol
September 2024
Arsenic is a ubiquitous metalloid and heavy metal that contributes to the global decline in human fertility. Humans are constantly exposed to arsenic through biotic and abiotic sources, especially ingestion of arsenic-contaminated food and water. Its exposure is associated with several adverse health challenges, including reproductive toxicity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFull-spectrum flow cytometry has increased antibody-based multiplexing, yet further increases remain potentially impactful. We recently proposed how fluorescence multiplexing using spectral imaging and combinatorics (MuSIC) could do so using tandem dyes and an oligo-based antibody labeling method. In this work, we found that such labeled antibodies had significantly lower signal intensities than conventionally labeled antibodies in human cell experiments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRetrorectal herniation of the sigmoid colon is a rare condition characterized by the protrusion of a segment of the colon into the pre-sacral space and posterior to the rectum. This herniation occurs through a defect in the peritoneum, which may have developed secondary to congenital mechanisms, surgery, trauma, or inflammatory processes. Here, a case of retrorectal herniation of the sigmoid colon in an elderly female patient presenting with constipation is reported, with a review of the literature.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCryoglobulinemia may result in small-to-medium vessel vasculitis. Central nervous system (CNS) involvement is rare, and presentation may range from stroke/transient ischemic attack, reversible ischemic neurological deficits, to encephalopathic syndromes. This is a rare case discussing cryoglobulinemia with CNS involvement.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFColorectal cancer, developing from malignant transformation of the distal gut epithelium, is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. We present a gentleman in his 60s who was diagnosed with colorectal cancer during a routine screening colonoscopy with no evidence of distant metastasis on subsequent staging with positron emission tomography and computed tomography (PET-CT). The outside rectal MR (magnetic resonance) imaging report localized a mass to the upper rectum.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPulmonary alveolar microlithiasis (PAM) is an autosomal recessive disease of the lung, characterized by diffuse deposits of intra-alveolar calcium phosphate microliths. It usually affects both sexes, presenting mostly in the second and third decades. The clinical course is highly variable, ranging from being asymptomatic to respiratory failure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe pathophysiology of aortic valve stenosis is degenerative and calcific. It may be exacerbated by atherosclerotic processes characterized by lipid accumulation and inflammation. When the stenosis gets hemodynamically severe, the valves would need to be replaced.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVentricular arrhythmias (VAs) are among the most common cardiac rhythms seen among patients. Patients presenting with frequent, sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) pose a dilemma for clinicians due to the constant risk of sudden cardiovascular compromise. Ventricular tachycardia, which is commonly seen in patients with defects in cardiac anatomy, has been associated with an increased risk of sudden death.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnn Ib Postgrad Med
August 2023
Introduction: Malignant gliomas, especially glioblastomas, are among the most aggressive and devastating of cancers, commonly producing profound progressive disability and leading to death in most cases. Conventional magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with gadolinium-based contrast agents is the most widely established and most useful tool in the characterization of cerebral tumors including Glioblastomas. This study aims to describe the imaging characteristics of Glioblastoma in African patients using conventional MR imaging.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Fetal echocardiograms (F-echo) are recommended in all pregnancies when maternal congenital heart disease (CHD) is present, even if there was a prior level II ultrasound (LII-US) that was normal. The goal of this study was to evaluate if any diagnosis of a critical CHD was missed in a fetus with maternal CHD who had a normal LII-US.
Methods: A retrospective chart review of all F-echoes where the indication was maternal CHD between 1/1/2015 to 12/31/2022 was performed.
Infantile fibrosarcoma (IF) is a rare malignant fibroblastic tumor that affects infants and young children, occurring most commonly in the extremities. Here, we present a 14-year-old patient with an abdominal mass incidentally detected after a blunt injury to the abdomen. The initial trauma protocol CT revealed a high attenuation mesenteric lesion in the left central abdomen suggestive of mesenteric hematoma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDepression has been shown to predispose to poorer prognosis and outcomes in patients with heart failure, including rehospitalization, poor functional status, and mortality. Our study aimed to decipher the recent trends in hospitalization and in-hospital mortality attributable to heart failure patients with depression in the United States. We analyzed data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) from 2016 to 2020.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global concern. Currently, the greatest mortality due to AMR is in Africa. A key driver continues to be high levels of dispensing of antibiotics without a prescription.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdolescents and youths are a key part of the population that needs to be protected against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This is because they are more likely to spread the virus to vulnerable individuals. In view of these concerns, this study investigated the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines and associated factors among adolescents and youths attending secondary schools in Zambia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdvances in antenatal imaging have allowed early and accurate diagnosis of many fetal anomalies. This, together with the increasing understanding of the natural history of many fetal diseases, has opened the door to the possibility of offering timely fetal interventions in progressive or life-threatening conditions with the intention of improving perinatal outcomes. These interventions can occur at an adult hospital with obstetrical services (with or without pediatric care) or at a freestanding pediatric hospital.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Gallstones detected incidentally during imaging are termed 'silent' or asymptomatic gallstones and they account for 80% of all gallstones. About 1-2% of patients with silent gallstones develop symptoms yearly; however, determining those who will develop symptoms is a major challenge. Ultrasonography is the most sensitive and specific method of detecting gallstones with an accuracy greater than 95%.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLinear IgA bullous dermatosis (LABD) is a rare, idiopathic, or drug-induced vesiculobullous disease caused by IgA autoantibodies in the basement membrane zone. An 84-year-old man was started on spironolactone two weeks before presentation for the management of hypertension and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. He presented to our hospital for evaluation of worsening lower extremity swelling and a painful pruritic rash that started on the day preceding his presentation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFull-spectrum flow cytometry has increased antibody-based multiplexing, yet further increases remain potentially impactful. We recently proposed how fluorescence Multiplexing using Spectral Imaging and Combinatorics (MuSIC) could do so using tandem dyes and an oligo-based antibody labeling method. In this work, we found that such labeled antibodies had significantly lower signal intensity than conventionally-labeled antibodies in human cell experiments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF