Proven Fatal Invasive Aspergillosis in a Patient with COVID-19 and Pneumonia.

There is increasing attention for opportunistic pathogens such as complicating SARS-CoV-2 infections in the critically ill. For invasive fungal disease, establishing a clear diagnosis can be challenging due to the invasiveness of diagnostic procedures required for a proven case. Here we present one of the first proven cases of COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis by positive culture of post-mortem lung biopsy.

[A woman with a red demarcation of the tongue].

A 68-year-old woman had a red demarcation of the tongue, without any discomfort. Because of the use of corticosteroid inhalations, it was thought that this was caused by median rhomboid glossitis, based on Candida albicans. Oral antimycotic therapy made the demarcation disappear, which confirmed the diagnosis.

Sclerosing Mesenteritis.

A 55-year-old Caucasian man presented with weight loss, cramping abdominal pains, an increasing abdominal circumference and diarrhea. Physical examination showed no abnormalities besides a puffy abdomen. His past medical history included a recent subcutaneous swelling in the neck, histologically compatible to a benign solitary fibrous tumor.

DRESS syndrome caused by nitrofurantoin.

Systemic side effects of nitrofurantoin are rare but can be life-threatening. Serious side effects are pulmonary involvement and Stevens-Johnson syndrome. We report a case of a patient developing circulatory and renal failure together with eosinophilia and a rash.

Surgical treatment of basal joint disease of the thumb: comparison between resection-interposition arthroplasty and trapezio-metacarpal arthrodesis.

Thirty-six thumbs with symptomatic osteoarthritis of the first carpometacarpal joint were treated either by trapezio-metacarpal arthrodesis (n = 18) or resection-tendon-interposition arthroplasty (n = 18). The mean follow-up of the 29 patients was 42 months. With the data available, we could not find any difference in the outcome of either procedure.

Is pseudocholinesterase activity related to markers of triacylglycerol synthesis in Type II diabetes mellitus?

Hypertriglyceridaemia is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in patients suffering from Type II diabetes mellitus, and is due to enhanced synthesis and/or impaired clearance of triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins. In the present study we investigated whether pseudocholinesterase (PChE) activity could serve as a marker for the rate of triacylglycerol synthesis in these patients. Patients were stratified according to their apolipoprotein E (apoE) phenotype, i.

Pravastatin compared to bezafibrate in the treatment of dyslipidemia in insulin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Background: Both HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors and fibric acid derivates are used for the treatment of dyslipidemia in Type 2 diabetes patients. The aim of this study was to compare the lipid lowering effect of 40 mg pravastatin, a HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, and 400 mg bezafibrate, a fibric acid derivate, on serum lipids, lipoproteins and lipoprotein composition in 45 (22 men and 23 women) dyslipidemic, insulin-treated Type 2 diabetes patients.

Method: The study used a double-blind, cross-over design.

Interference of MIBG uptake by medication: a case report.

Phaeochromocytoma is one of the causes of hypertension. Topographic diagnosis is made by CT-scans or scanning with 123I- or 131I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (123I- or 131I-MIBG). We describe a patient with recurrent episodes of severe hypertension and increased serum catecholamines.

Serum lipid levels in growth hormone-deficient men.

To evaluate the impact of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) on lipid metabolism, serum lipid and apolipoprotein concentrations were measured in 64 GHD adult males (mean age, 27.1 +/- 4.7 years).

Time course and variability of the endocrine and metabolic response to severe sepsis.

Background: In trauma patients a specific pattern of the hormone endocrine response to injury has been described. Conflicting data exist regarding the hormonal changes during sepsis. We studied the time course and variability of the hormonal and metabolic responses to severe sepsis in twelve medical patients.

Inhomogeneity and anisotropies for motion detection in the monocular visual field of human observers.

Signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) thresholds were measured for the detection of coherent motion in moving random pixel arrays of constant root-mean-square contrast (35%) and constant average luminance (48 cd/m2) for 8 or 16 directions of motion at 25 positions in the visual field of the right eye. Five observers took part in this perimetric study of motion detection. The 24 eccentric positions were chosen on 8 equally spaced radial lines at the eccentricities 6, 24, and 48 degrees, the 25th position was centred on the fovea.

Growth hormone: secretion and administration in catabolic adult patients, with emphasis on the critically ill patient.

Critical illness, surgery and hypocaloric feeding are accompanied by a high rate of total body nitrogen loss. Loss of body protein, occurring despite adequate nutrition, results in increased incidence of infection, poor wound healing, skeletal muscle weakness and increased mortality. Growth hormone (GH) administration together with nutritional support attenuates protein catabolism.

Effects of recombinant human growth hormone in patients with severe sepsis.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and the effect of recombinant exogenous growth hormone (GH) on nitrogen production in patients with severe sepsis. It was designed as a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, and performed in the medical intensive care unit of a university hospital. Twenty patients admitted with septic shock and receiving standard parenteral nutrition served as subjects.

Pulsatile hormone secretion during severe sepsis: accuracy of different blood sampling regimens.

The metabolic response to sepsis is dependent on the hormonal status. However, reported plasma hormone levels vary widely among studies. The persistence of pulsatile secretion, as occurs normally, may explain the observed variability.

Body composition in adult growth hormone-deficient men, assessed by anthropometry and bioimpedance analysis.

Anthropometry and bioimpedance analysis (BIA) were used to assess body composition in 42 GH-deficient (GHD) adult males (mean age, 27.2 +/- 4.7 yr).

Plasma endothelin levels are increased during septic shock.

Objective: To study whether serially measured plasma concentrations of endothelin (a novel, potent, endogenous vasoconstrictor derived from endothelium and macrophages) relate to the pathophysiology and severity of human septic shock.

Design: Prospective analysis.

Setting: Medical ICU of a university hospital.