Herpes simplex virus encephalitis during treatment with etanercept.

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) inhibitors are widely used for the treatment of various inflammatory conditions. They are associated with an increased risk for infections. We report a case of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) encephalitis in a patient receiving etanercept and review the literature on TNF-α and TNF-α inhibitors, and their importance in the pathophysiology of herpes simplex encephalitis.

Epidemiology and outcome of infections with carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria treated with polymyxin B-based combination therapy.

Introduction: Infections with carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (CRGNB) are increasing and are associated with a high mortality. Synergistic effects of combination therapy with a polymyxin, carbapenem, and rifampin have been observed in in vitro studies. Clinical data are limited to retrospective studies.

Superior vena cava syndrome caused by embolisation of liquid Onyx.

Superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS) is usually caused by a malignancy or the presence of an intravascular device in a central vein. A 74-year-old male with a history of a superior vena cava (SVC) stent underwent embolisation of a brain arterio-venous malformation through the right meningeal artery with liquid Onyx. Two weeks later he presented with acute respiratory failure, upper airway obstruction, plethora, varices of the chest wall and stridor.

An unusual presentation of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator lead perforation.

Introduction: Recently, there have been increased reports of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) lead perforation. Controversy exists about the safety of certain leads.

Case Report: A 37-year-old man with an ischemic cardiomyopathy presented four days postimplantation of an ICD lead with localized nonpleuritic chest wall pain.

Human transcription factor Sp3: genomic structure, identification of a processed pseudogene, and transcript analysis.

The human transcription factor Sp3 has been widely studied at the translational level and has been described as a regulatory factor for a number of genes. Sp3 is currently characterized as a bifunctional transcription factor having the ability to behave as both an activator and/or a repressor in various promoter regions. Previous translational studies have attempted to determine the basis for these diverse functions with mostly contradictory evidence to date.