Epipericardial fat necrosis (EFN) is an inflammatory process that occurs in the mediastinal fat surrounding the heart. It is a rare cause of acute chest pain and mimics more ominous clinical conditions such as acute coronary syndrome, aortic dissection, and pulmonary embolism. Clinicians are often not familiar with this condition due to its infrequent occurrence, and traditional textbooks of medicine and cardiology have not covered this topic adequately.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe present an unusual case of hyponatremia in an ambulatory hypothyroid patient and review related published literature on PubMed including, original articles, reviews and case reports that describe or refute the association and mechanism for the development of hyponatremia in hypothyroidism. A 50-year-old female presented in ambulatory clinic with complaints of bilateral hand swelling, fatigue, dizziness, and unsteadiness while walking. Laboratory investigations revealed that she had hypothyroidism and hyponatremia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRelapse after stem cell transplantation for Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) remains a significant challenge. In this systematic review, we compare survival outcomes of second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) nilotinib and dasatinib with first-generation TKI imatinib when these agents are used after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in Ph+ ALL. In addition, we review the literature on TKI use to prevent relapse in patients who proceed to allo-HSCT beyond first complete response (>CR1).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMultiple Myeloma (MM) is primarily a disease of old age with a median age of sixty-nine years at diagnosis. The development of novel therapies for induction and use of autologous stem cell transplantation has resulted in improved clinical outcomes and better quality of life for MM patients. Elderly patients, comprising the majority of MM population, have a higher incidence of age-related comorbidities, frailty and organ dysfunction which complicates the coordination of treatment and limits the selection of therapies.
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