Axial Spondyloarthritis in Black Americans: An Observational Study From Five Centers in Shelby County, Tennessee.

Objective: Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is an immune-mediated disease that predominantly affects the axial skeleton. The objective of this study was to describe the frequency and clinical characteristics of axSpA in Black Americans in Shelby County. We also aimed to report diagnostic delays, disease severity, and health disparities in this population.

Psychological well-being of travellers on long-distance shipping voyages: A systematic review protocol.

The psychosocial well-being of every individual is as important as the well-being of long-distance voyages, especially that they have to spend longer hours and days travelling to their destinations with all the experiences of adventure and adversities characterizing the journey. The aim of this systematic review is to explore the psychosocial well-being of long-distance seafarers on board shipping vessels to gain an understanding of their psychological and social well-being with the objective of ameliorating the adversities associated with these travels. A systematic review will be conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (2020) statement.

Storytelling: A learning tool to enhance medical students' empathy, attentive listening, clinical curiosity and reflection.

Listening to stories of sickness lies at the heart of the patient-doctor relationship. Storytelling serves as a powerful learning tool fostering empathy, attentive listening, clinical curiosity and reflection, key elements of narrative competence. The patient's story, their history, forms the fundamental core of diagnosis, and their emotions are central to crafting appropriate treatment plans that address their true concerns.

Leading edge of the a-wave of the electroretinogram and sodium iodate-induced age-related macular degeneration: A model.

Background: Iron-induced oxidative stress was thought to be the reason why the a-wave amplitude of the electroretinogram (ERG) dropped when iron ions were present. It is assumed that reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated in the presence of iron ions, and this leads to a decrease in hyperpolarization of the photoreceptor. It is known that in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), sodium iodate can induce oxidative stress, apoptosis, and retinal damage, which mimic the effects of clinical AMD.

Evidence of a Hardening in the Cosmic Ray Proton Spectrum at around 166 TeV Observed by the GRAPES-3 Experiment.

We present the measurement of the cosmic ray proton spectrum from 50 TeV to 1.3 PeV using 7.81×10^{6} extensive air shower events recorded by the ground-based GRAPES-3 experiment between 1 January 2014 and 26 October 2015 with a live time of 460 day.

Endothelial Dysfunction in Systemic Sclerosis.

Systemic sclerosis, commonly known as scleroderma, is an autoimmune disorder characterized by vascular abnormalities, autoimmunity, and multiorgan fibrosis. The exact etiology is not known but believed to be triggered by environmental agents in a genetically susceptible host. Vascular symptoms such as the Raynaud phenomenon often precede other fibrotic manifestations such as skin thickening indicating that vascular dysfunction is the primary event.

Relapse and Outcome of Lupus Nephritis After Renal Transplantation in the Modern Immunosuppressive Era.

Background Recurrence of lupus nephritis in the graft is a concern in lupus patients with end-stage renal disease undergoing renal transplantation. The recurrence of lupus nephritis has been variable among different studies depending on the patient characteristics, immunosuppressive regimen, and indications of renal biopsy. Therefore, we investigated the recurrence of lupus nephritis among our patients to see if the new post-transplant regimen has impacted the recurrence.

Safety of Recombinant Zoster Vaccine in Rheumatology Patients.

Objectives: Recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) is Food and Drug Administration approved for the prevention of herpes zoster (shingles) in adults 50 years old and older. Immunocompromised subjects were excluded from the pivotal vaccine trials. We studied the safety of this vaccine in our university-affiliated rheumatology practice.

The [Formula: see text]-Wave of the Electroretinogram and Iron-Induced Oxidative Stress: A Model.

In photoreceptors of a dark adapted eye, the inward flux of sodium and calcium ions in the outer segment is balanced by the outward flux of potassium ions. But in the presence of light the creation of cyclic guanosine monophosphate in the outer segment decreases. Due to low concentration of cG (cyclic GMP) the channels in the outer segment open relatively less and thus the influx of calcium ion decreases, leading finally to hyperpolarization of the photoreceptors.

Implementation and Impact of a β-Lactam Allergy Assessment Protocol in a Veteran Population.

Background: Approximately 10% of the US population reports having a β-lactam allergy, although nearly 90% do not have a true immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated reaction. This misconception results in using nonpreferred antibiotics, leading to antimicrobial resistance and treatment failure. To evaluate, clarify, and clear β-lactam allergies, we implemented a pharmacist-driven β-lactam allergy assessment (BLAA) protocol and penicillin allergy clinic (PAC).

Mastocytosis and Mast Cell Activation Disorders: Clearing the Air.

Mast cells are derived from hematopoietic stem cell precursors and are essential to the genesis and manifestations of the allergic response. Activation of these cells by allergens leads to degranulation and elaboration of inflammatory mediators, responsible for regulating the acute dramatic inflammatory response seen. Mast cells have also been incriminated in such diverse disorders as malignancy, arthritis, coronary artery disease, and osteoporosis.

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) with granulomatous interstitial lung disease (GLILD) and SARS COVID-19 infection: case report and review of literature.

Background: We present a case of CVID complicated by granulomatous interstitial lung disease (GLILD). This patient clinical course was further complicated by COVID-19 infection. This is only the 2nd known case report of COVID 19 in CVID with GLILD.

Eosinophilic Granulomatosis Polyangiitis (EGPA) Masquerading as a Mycotic Aneurysm of the Abdominal Aorta: Case Report and Review of Literature.

Introduction: Aortic involvement leading to aortitis in eosinophilic granulomatosis polyangiitis (EGPA) is infrequent, and only 2 cases have been reported so far in the literature. Even more so, aortic aneurysm, secondary to EGPA, has never been reported and remains a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. .

Impact of Beta-Lactam Allergies on Selection of Antimicrobials in an Inpatient Setting Among Veteran Population.

Purpose: Beta-lactam antibiotics are among the most common and widely used antibiotics. However, reported allergy to this class of antibiotics is also common, leading to the use of alternative broad-spectrum antibiotics by healthcare providers. This has led to the emergence of various negative health outcomes.

Infusion-related angioedema associated with infliximab-abda: Case report.

Purpose: A case of infusion-related angioedema associated with the use of an infliximab biosimilar (infliximab-abda) is reported in order to bring awareness that this adverse effect is still highly possible in biosimilars, similar to the reference infliximab biologic.

Summary: A 37-year-old white male with a past medical history significant for ileocolonic fistulizing Crohn's disease, depression, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) presented to an emergency department with shortness of breath, urticaria, and tongue swelling that had developed shortly after initiation of an infusion of infliximab-abda. The patient had no documented allergies at the time of presentation.

Development of a probabilistic early health warning system based on meteorological parameters.

Among the other diseases, malaria and diarrhoea have a large disease burden in India, especially among children. Changes in rainfall and temperature patterns likely play a major role in the increased incidence of these diseases across geographical locations. This study proposes a method for probabilistic forecasting of the disease incidences in extended range time scale (2-3 weeks in advance) over India based on an unsupervised pattern recognition technique that uses meteorological parameters as inputs and which can be applied to any geographical location over India.

Dermatomyositis Developed After Exposure to Epstein-Barr Virus Infection and Antibiotics Use.

Dermatomyositis is an inflammatory disorder involving muscle and skin. Similar to many other autoimmune diseases, environmental factors appear to trigger the onset of disease in some cases. Many drugs have been reported to be associated with dermatomyositis, and rarely infections have been described as potential triggering agents.

Trends in Hospitalization and Inpatient Outcomes of Behçet's Disease: A Nationwide Inpatient Sample Study.

Objective After an extensive review of the literature, we discovered that no study had addressed trends in hospitalization for people with Behçet's disease (BD). Hence, in this study, we explore multiple variables in patients with BD in the US for the year 2016. Methods We analyzed the data relating to hospitalized patients for the year 2016 using the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database with a listed discharge diagnosis of BD based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) diagnosis code M35.

Conversion of Tuberculosis Screening Tests During Biologic Therapy Among Veteran Patient Population With Rheumatic Disease.

Objective: The optimal strategy to detect the development of tuberculosis TB) in subjects receiving biologic agents is not clear. The recommendations vary because there is wide variation in the reported rate of seroconversion in various parts of the world. There is a scarcity of long-term studies regarding seroconversion of TB in the United States among these patients.

Impact of β-Lactam Allergies on Antimicrobial Selection in an Outpatient Setting.

Objective: The primary objective of this study was to determine whether patients prescribed nonpreferred antibiotics received appropriate alternative antibiotics.

Methods: This was a retrospective observational analysis of military veteran patients with a β-lactam allergy treated in an outpatient clinic or emergency department for an infection during a 5-year span. Antibiotic regimens were first stratified as preferred or nonpreferred based on infection-specific guidelines.