Reversible suppression of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis in Addison's disease due to ethinyl oestradiol-induced increase in total cortisol.

Summary: An oral contraceptive pill (OCP)-induced increase in total cortisol lead to reversible suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and insulin resistance (IR) in a patient with Addison's disease. We suggest that this might influence the choice of an OCP in such patients. A 20-year-old female was diagnosed with Addison's disease (cortisol: 44 nmol/L, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH): >500 pg/mL) and started on hydrocortisone (HC).

Non-Contact Monitoring of Inhalation-Exhalation (I:E) Ratio in Non-Ventilated Subjects.

The inhalation-exhalation (I:E) ratio, known to be an indicator of respiratory disease, is the ratio between the inhalation phase and exhalation phase of each breath. Here, we report on results from a non-contact monitoring method for the determination of the I:E ratio. This employs a depth sensing camera system that requires no sensors to be physically attached to the patient.

Extended-release hydrocortisone formulations - Is there a clinically meaningful benefit?

Despite best practice replacement therapy with corticosteroids, patients with adrenal insufficiency report diminished quality of life and face increased mortality and morbidity. Conventional formulations of hydrocortisone have short half-lives (about 90 minutes) requiring multiple dosing during the day. Extended-release hydrocortisone (ER-HC) formulations have since 2011 been available enabling once, sometimes twice daily dosing.

Long-term rate of heart failure in patients with autoimmune disease: A nationwide cohort study.

Aims: Although certain autoimmune diseases (AIDs) have been associated with an increased rate of heart failure (HF), data on the long-term rate of HF across the spectrum of AIDs are lacking. We investigated the long-term rate of HF in individuals with a history of 28 different AIDs.

Methods And Results: Individuals diagnosed with an AID (2000-2021) were identified through Danish nationwide registries.

Addisonian Pigmentation - The Great Mimicker - A Review.

Skin colour usually depends upon melanin, haemoglobin, and carotenoids. Pigmentary disorders indicate an increased amount of melanin, leading to a darker colour of the skin, called hypermelanosis. Addison's disease is a rare endocrinal disorder with severe oral and systemic manifestations.

Beef Consumption and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: Results from observational studies suggest associations of red meat intake with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD); however, RCTs have not clearly demonstrated a link between red meat consumption and CVD risk factors. Further, the specific effects of beef, the most consumed red meat in the United States, have not been extensively investigated.

Objectives: This study aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of RCT data evaluating the effects of minimally or unprocessed beef intake on CVD risk factors in adults.

Common AAV gene therapy vectors show indiscriminate transduction of living human brain cell types.

The development of cell-type-specific gene therapy vectors for treating neurological diseases holds great promise, but has relied on animal models with limited translational utility. We have adapted an organotypic model to evaluate adeno-associated virus (AAV) transduction properties in living slices of human brain tissue. Using fluorescent reporter expression and single-nucleus RNA sequencing, we found that common AAV vectors show broad transduction of normal cell types, with protein expression most apparent in astrocytes; this work introduces a pipeline for identifying and optimizing AAV gene therapy vectors in human brain samples.

Socio-demographic factors, housing characteristics, and clinical symptoms associated with falciparum malaria in two rapidly urbanizing areas in the Ashanti region of Ghana.

Background: Malaria has been described as a disease of poverty, affecting the poorest populations typically living in rural areas. As hitherto rural areas transition into semi-urban environments, this study investigated the prevalence of falciparum malaria and associated risk factors in two rapidly urbanizing districts in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.

Methods: A cross-sectional, hospital-based study was conducted at Agona and Mankranso Government Hospitals located within the Sekyere South and Ahafo Ano Southwest districts respectively, in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.

Pembrolizumab-Induced Addison's Disease Leading to Severe Hyponatremia in a Breast Cancer Survivor: A Case Report With Implications for Emergency Department Practice.

Pembrolizumab, a PD-1 inhibitor, has become a cornerstone in the treatment of various cancers, including breast cancer. However, its use is associated with immune-related adverse effects (irAEs), particularly those involving the endocrine system. This case report presents a rare instance of pembrolizumab-induced Addison's disease leading to severe hyponatremia.

Complex Antiphospholipid Syndrome Successfully Controlled for 17 Years with Personalized Enoxaparin Therapy.

Unlabelled: Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies and venous and arterial thrombotic events, including obstetric complications. We describe the case of a 56-year-old female diagnosed with APS with triple antibody positivity and multiple disease-associated manifestations, namely recurrent purpuric lesions, adrenal insufficiency due to infarction, acalculous cholecystitis, and three spontaneous abortions. Her follow-up was marked by severe thrombotic and haemorrhagic events, notably splanchnic vein thrombosis and haemorrhagic shock after a renal biopsy, as well as the diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus 8 years after the APS diagnosis.

Gastric Perforation Necessitating Splenectomy.

Gastric perforations can rarely cause splenic erosion from irritation of gastric contents spilling into the peritoneum. This case describes a 51-year-old female on chronic steroid use due to Addison's disease who presents with a gastric perforation involving the splenic hilum. Computed tomography showed a posterior gastric perforation with splenic erosion of a foreign body.

Longitudinal assessment of thyroid function in dogs with hypoadrenocorticism: Clinical outcomes and prevalence of autoantibodies.

Background: Knowledge about primary hypoadrenocorticism coexisting with immune-mediated thyroiditis (Schmidt's syndrome) in dogs is limited.

Objective: To evaluate thyroid function in dogs with naturally occurring hypoadrenocorticism before and during treatment.

Animals: Sixty-six client-owned dogs.

The Adoption of a "Diseased Identity" in Traditional 12-Step Groups: Exploring the Implications of These Processes for Individuals and Practitioners in Health and Social Care Services.

Self-help groups are increasingly utilised by communities of interest and shared experience, services, and government departments as platforms for supporting and improving health and social care outcomes for drug and alcohol users. Traditional 12-step self-help groups like Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous (NA and AA) are worldwide organisations and each have their own programme of change, language, criteria for membership, processes for problem resolution, and self-transformation. Within these types of groups, members are openly encouraged to identify with and adopt an (diseased) identity that is consistently invoked to work on the self.

Particulate Matter 2.5 Pollution Impact on Comorbid Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality in the U.S.

Background: Evidence regarding the effect of long-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) 2.5 and comorbid cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality is limited.

Objectives: In this study, the author report the association between long-term exposure to PM 2.