Acute Viral Hepatitis Due to Co-infection With Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B in an Intravenous Drug User.

Injection drug users are at high risk of contracting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) due to parenteral exposure. Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is classically thought to be transmitted through the fecal-oral route, but injection drug use is increasingly recognized as a risk factor. It is well documented that there is a high prevalence of total antibodies to HAV in injection drug users, although there is limited data about the prevalence of acute HAV in injection drug users.

Disseminated blastomycosis presenting as a retro-orbital mass.

A 43-year-old man with history of non-Hodgkins' lymphoma presented with unilateral eye swelling, pain and vision deficits which had been progressive over 2 months. Symptoms followed a presumed bacterial pneumonia 4 months prior. Imaging demonstrated retro-orbital soft tissue swelling with bony erosion concerning for a mass; surgical decompression was performed with histology confirming disseminated Symptoms responded rapidly to antifungal therapy with amphotericin followed by itraconazole.

Severe cholestatic hyperbilirubinaemia secondary to thyrotoxicosis complicated with bile cast nephropathy treated with plasma exchange and haemodialysis.

Thyrotoxicosis rarely presents as cholestatic hyperbilirubinaemia, and severe bilirubin elevation may lead to bile cast nephropathy. We present a case of a young woman with newly diagnosed Graves' disease with thyrotoxicosis who developed severe hyperbilirubinaemia and bile cast nephropathy. Serial plasma exchange and temporary haemodialysis led to full renal recovery.

Adult-onset Still's disease with haemorrhagic pericarditis and tamponade preceded by acute Lyme disease.

A 61-year-old Caucasian man presented with a fever of unknown origin, a transient erythematous rash on his right upper extremity and chest pressure after being treated for erythema migrans (Lyme disease). Echocardiogram demonstrated a large pericardial effusion with tamponade. He underwent pericardiostomy with tube placement.

Hospitalized patients' and family members' preferences for real-time, transparent access to their hospital records.

Objectives: To better understand patient satisfaction and perceived engagement with traditional hospital-based communication and to elicit patient preferences for health information technologies that would lead to improved satisfaction and engagement.

Study Design: We performed a mixed-methods study involving qualitative interviews followed by a survey of hospitalized patients and their family members at a single large academic medical center.

Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 41 patients and surveyed 267 patients or family members to elicit their perspectives on satisfaction with traditional hospital communication methods, information needed to more fully engage in the patients' medical care, and potential solutions for improved hospital-based communication.