Publications by authors named "Ralph Kamel"

Nasal carriage of methicillin-resistant (MRSA) remains an important risk factor for diabetic foot infections (DFIs). We explored herein the clinical value of MRSA-nasal screening in the management of DFIs. In this retrospective case-control study, patients admitted with a DFI between 1/1/2014-6/30/2020 were studied and divided into cases (positive MRSA-nasal screening) and controls (negative MRSA-nasal).

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COVID-19 is a multi-system disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). One of the main highlights of the disease is the development of pneumonia complicated by adult respiratory distress syndrome. While spontaneous pneumothorax has been reported in some patients with COVID-19, bronchopleural fistula has seldom been reported as the primary cause in these cases.

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Extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma nasal type (NNKTL) is a type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that has been associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). It has an aggressive behavior, known for predilection to metastasize to different organs. Central nervous system (CNS) spread from a primary location has been reported.

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Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis is a serious and potentially fatal disorder characterized by excessive immune system activation. The disorder is diagnosed mainly based on laboratory, clinical, and pathologic criteria. The spectrum comprises hereditary or "primary" HLH that comprises genetically heterogeneous conditions, occurring during childhood.

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Severe congenital neutropenia (SCN) is characterized by a near absence of neutrophils, rendering individuals with this disorder vulnerable to recurrent life-threatening infections. The majority of SCN cases arise because of germline mutations in the gene elastase, neutrophil-expressed () encoding the neutrophil granule serine protease neutrophil elastase. Treatment with a high dose of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor increases neutrophil production and reduces infection risk.

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Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in patients with a preexisting duodenal stent is particularly challenging and has a low success rate. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided biliary drainage (EUS-BD) has been increasingly used as an alternative to percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage after failed ERCP. EUS-guided choledochoduodenostomy (EUS-CD) and EUS-guided hepaticogastrostomy (EUS-HGS) have been reported to have similar efficacity.

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Inherited bone marrow failure syndromes (IBMFS) are rare cancer predisposition syndromes with an especially high risk of transformation to myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and/or acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We performed a retrospective systematic review of reported MDS/AML arising in the eight most common IBMFS to determine the frequency and outcome of chromosome 7 abnormalities. We identified 738 MDS/AML cases of 4,293 individuals.

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Schwannomas are usually benign tumours arising from Schwann cells of peripheral nerve sheath. Retroperitoneal location is extremely rare compromising 0.5-5% of all schwannomas, except in patients having von Recklinghausen's disease, in whom retroperitoneal location is more frequent and malignant cases are known to occur.

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Choriocarcinoma, a nonseminomatous germ cell tumor, is a rare type of testicular malignancy that tends to occur in young males. It is, however, exceedingly rare for choriocarcinoma to involve the GI tract. In this article, we present a rare case of a 31-year-old male, diagnosed with choriocarcinoma of the left testes, along with several metastases to distant sites.

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We are reporting a case of a patient with a previous history of colorectal cancer (CRC) and cirrhosis, who developed concurrent liver lesions consistent with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); a case which is unique due to the low incidence of multiple cancers, particularly HCC in the setting of previous advanced colorectal carcinoma along, in a cirrhotic liver. We will review the known literature on multiple cancer rates found in patients with known colorectal carcinoma. We will then outline this particular patient's presentation, followed by a discussion as to why the particular concurrent development of HCC in the setting of previous CRC is of note.

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