Utilization trends in inpatient endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP): A cross-sectional US experience.

 The goal of our study was to determine the current trends for inpatient utilization for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and its economic impact in the United States between 2002 and 2013.  A Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 2002 through 2013 was examined. We identified ERCPs using International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9) codes; Procedure codes 51.

Hospital Admissions for Chest Pain Associated with Cocaine Use in the United States.

Background: The outcomes related to chest pain associated with cocaine use and its burden on the healthcare system are not well studied.

Methods: Data were collected from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (2001-2012). Subjects were identified by using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes.

Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome: A Rare Case of Chronic Diarrhea.

Zollinger-Ellison syndrome (ZES) is caused by hypersecretion of gastrin from duodenal or pancreatic gastrinomas. We report a case of a 57-year-old female who presented with chronic diarrhea. CT abdomen showed multiple liver masses.

Stiff Person Syndrome Masquerading as Acute Coronary Syndrome.

Stiff person syndrome (SPS) is a rare neuroimmunological disorder characterized by severe progressive muscle stiffness in axial and lower extremity musculature with superimposed painful muscle spasms. Although chest pain is a common reason for SPS patients presenting to the emergency room, this disorder is overlooked and not part of the differential diagnosis of chest pain. Herein, we report on a middle age male presenting with classic symptoms of SPS; however, due to the rarity of this disease, he was initially thought to have acute coronary syndrome.

On equal footing: Trends in ankle/foot injuries for men vs. women.

Objectives: The objective of the current study was to examine trends in ankle/foot (A/F) injuries during the period 2001-2014, in order to determine whether the incidence of these injuries has changed and whether a previously identified difference in risk by gender still existed. In addition, other driver and crash-related risk factors were examined separately for men and women.

Methods: Passenger vehicle drivers aged 16+ were identified from NASS-CDS; weighted data were analyzed for model years 2001-2014.

Difficult Diagnosis of Colon Adenocarcinoma Metastasis to Retina: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Intraocular metastatic tumors have been increasingly reported in the recent past. Unlike choroidal metastasis, metastasis to retina is very rare and so far has been reported in very few case reports only. A 56 year-old male who presented with a history of adenocarcinoma of the cecum and underwent lap colectomy for the primary cecal tumor, received adjuvant chemotherapy for a year after surgery and decided to stop.

Illness perceptions in adolescents with a psychiatric diagnosis in Pakistan.

Aims and method To assess adolescents' perceptions of their psychiatric illness and the role of various demographic factors in a Pakistani setting. Adolescents with various psychiatric diagnoses were interviewed using a structured questionnaire including the Illness Perceptions Questionnaire-Revised (IPQ-R). Results Fifty-two adolescents with various psychiatric illnesses were interviewed; their mean age was 12.

Who Shot Ya? How Emergency Departments Can Collect Reliable Police Shooting Data.

This paper examines an alternative solution for collecting reliable police shooting data. One alternative is the collection of police shooting data from hospital trauma units, specifically hospital-based violence intervention programs. These programs are situated in Level I trauma units in many major cities in USA.

Comparison of Inhospital Outcomes and Hospitalization Costs of Peripheral Angioplasty and Endovascular Stenting.

The comparative data for angioplasty and stenting for treatment of peripheral arterial disease are largely limited to technical factors such as patency rates with sparse data on clinical outcomes like mortality, postprocedural complications, and amputation. The study cohort was derived from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Inpatient Sample database from 2006 to 2011. Peripheral endovascular interventions were identified using appropriate International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) Diagnostic and procedural codes.

Effect of Hospital Volume on Outcomes of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is associated with a significant learning curve. There is paucity of data regarding the effect of hospital volume on outcomes after TAVI. This is a cross-sectional study based on Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project's Nationwide Inpatient Sample database of 2012.

Variability in utilization of drug eluting stents in United States: Insights from nationwide inpatient sample.

Objectives: We studied the trends and predictors of drug eluting stent (DES) utilization from 2006 to 2011 to further expound the inter-hospital variability in their utilization.

Background: We queried the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project's Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) between 2006 and 2011 using ICD-9-CM procedure code, 36.06 (bare metal stent) or 36.

Clinical characteristics, predictors, and survival among patients with hepatopulmonary syndrome.

Background: Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a complication of advanced liver disease. The impact of HPS on survival is not clearly understood.

Material And Methods: A prospective study was carried out at Department of Medicine, King Edward Medical University Lahore from June 2011 to May 2012.

Comparison of inhospital mortality, length of hospitalization, costs, and vascular complications of percutaneous coronary interventions guided by ultrasound versus angiography.

Despite the valuable role of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) guidance in percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs), its impact on clinical outcomes remains debatable. The aim of the present study was to compare the outcomes of PCIs guided by IVUS versus angiography in the contemporary era on inhospital outcomes in an unrestricted large, nationwide patient population. Data were obtained from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 2008 to 2011.

Sex-specific effects of cardiovascular risk factors on endothelium-dependent dilation and endothelin activity in middle-aged women and men.

Background: Healthy middle-aged postmenopausal women have higher endothelium-dependent dilation and lower vasoconstrictor activity of endothelin-1 than men. Whether these sex-specific differences extend to patients with cardiovascular risk factors has not been investigated. The current study aimed to determine whether, in patients with cardiovascular risk factors, sex-specific differences exist in endothelium-dependent dilation and endothelin-1 activity.

Diseases at the crossroads: chronic myelogenous leukemia and tuberculosis.

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and tuberculosis (TB) are diseases with effective available therapy. Treating patients who are afflicted simultaneously with both of these conditions is challenging due to significant drug interactions and the requirement of strict adherence to the multi-agent treatment regimen. Here, we report a case of peritoneal tuberculosis which was successfully treated with a non-rifampin based regimen in tandem with ongoing administration of a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, dasatinib, for CML.

The cardiovascular action of hexarelin.

Hexarelin, a synthetic growth hormone-releasing peptide, can bind to and activate the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR) in the brain similar to its natural analog ghrelin. However, the peripheral distribution of GHSR in the heart and blood vessels suggests that hexarelin might have direct cardiovascular actions beyond growth hormone release and neuroendocrine effects. Furthermore, the non-GHSR CD36 had been demonstrated to be a specific cardiac receptor for hexarelin and to mediate its cardioprotective effects.

Hepatitis C prevalence in HIV-infected individuals: a comparison of inpatient and outpatient care.

Summary Due to the shared risk factors for viral transmission, coinfection of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) is common. This study examined the seroprevalence of HCV among HIV-infected patients in inpatient and outpatient settings. A retrospective chart review of 256 HIV-infected patients was conducted in Prince George's Hospital Center (inpatients from 1 September 2011 to 1 March 2012) and Glenridge Medical Center (outpatients from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2012).

Rapunzel syndrome: a rare postpartum case.

The Rapunzel syndrome describes a disorder in which a significant amount of hair is swallowed, forming a trichobezoar that extends past the stomach into the small intestines. Given the indigestible nature of hair, it subsequently leads to obstruction within the gastrointestinal system. Clinically, patients may present with symptoms of gastrointestinal obstruction, including abdominal complaints such as pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

A case of isolated cutaneous Rosai-Dorfman-Syndrome.

Unlabelled: Rosai-Dorfman Syndrome (RDD) is a rare, benign, self-limiting disorder which is characterized by the non-malignant proliferation of distinctive histiocytic cell within lymphatic system. RDD has been described as a dynamic entity in the spectrum of histiocytosis with non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis at one end and Langerhans cell histiocytosis at the other. The exact etiology of this disease is uncertain despite widespread search for infectious or immunological reasons.