Preterm prelabor rupture of membranes after first-trimester chorionic villus sampling: A case report and review of the literature.

Rupture of membranes in the first trimester is extremely rare. Generally at this gestational age, rupture is a complication of invasive genetic testing. Little is known about the complications or sequelae of such an occurrence and therefore the management options are limited.

The Effect of Exercise on Cardiotoxicity in Women with Breast Cancer Receiving Anthracycline-Based Chemotherapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women with a 5-year survival over 90%. However, anthracycline-based chemotherapy causes significant cardiotoxicity often requiring discontinuation of chemotherapeutic regimen among breast cancer survivors. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of exercise training in mitigating anthracycline-related cardiotoxicity among women with breast cancer.

Outcomes of COVID-19 amongst patients with ongoing use of inhaled corticosteroids - a systematic review & meta-analysis.

Background: WHO quoted the numbers for the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic as of August 2021 were 200 million cases with over 4 million deaths globally. COVID-19 is associated with several respiratory pathologies. Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are used to improve lung function by reducing inflammation, edema, mucus secretion, and inhibiting various cytokine activities.

The relationship between statin administration timing and survival outcomes in patients with cancer receiving immune checkpoint blockade.

Objective: Statins have been demonstrated to improve outcomes in patients receiving immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). This study aimed to investigate whether the timing of statin administration influences the outcomes of patients receiving ICB.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study utilizing electronic health records from two tertiary referral centers in Taiwan.

Atypical Presentation of a Right Atrial Myxoma.

Primary cardiac tumors are exceptionally rare and predominantly located in the left atrium with occasional involvement on the right side of the heart. We present the case of a 52-year-old man who presented with chest pain, leading to suspicion of acute coronary syndrome. However, further investigation revealed a right atrial tumor measuring 6.

COVID-19 convalescent plasma therapy decreases inflammatory cytokines: a randomized controlled trial.

This study examined the role that cytokines may have played in the beneficial outcomes found when outpatient individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 were transfused with COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) early in their infection. We found that the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 decreased significantly faster in patients treated early with CCP. Participants with COVID-19 treated with CCP later in the infection did not have the same effect.

The Association between Proton Pump Inhibitors and the Effectiveness of CDK Inhibitors in HR+/HER- Advanced Breast Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

There have been many clinical questions regarding whether the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) could deteriorate the effects of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (CDKIs) in HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer patients. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of this clinical question, including studies enrolling HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer patients treated with CDKIs (Palbociclib or Ribociclib) and reporting at least one comparative survival outcome, either overall survival (OS) or progression-free survival (PFS), between concomitant PPI users and non-users. Eight studies met the eligibility criteria, with a total of 2584 patients included (PPI users: 830, PPI non-users: 1754), demonstrating that concomitant PPI use was associated with significantly higher risks of all-cause mortality (HR = 2.

Pediatric neuroimaging findings and clinical presentations of COVID-19: A systematic review.

Objectives: Symptoms from SARS-CoV-2 infection can involve multiple organ systems. Several reviews discussed the neurologic involvement and neuroimaging findings in adults but research on children is lacking. This study aimed to analyze the incidence of neurologic involvement in patients diagnosed with pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with COVID-19 (PIMS-TS) or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C); and also to summarize current literature on possible neuroimaging findings in SARS-CoV-2 infected children.

Safety and efficacy of mechanical aspiration thrombectomy for patients with acute lower extremity ischemia.

Objective: Acute limb ischemia (ALI) is associated with high rates of amputation and consequent morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study is to report on the safety and efficacy of aspiration thrombectomy using the Indigo Aspiration System in patients with lower extremity (LE) ALI.

Methods: The STRIDE study was an international, multicenter, prospective, study that enrolled 119 participants presenting with LE-ALI.

An Elusive Diagnosis: Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Masquerading as Acute Liver Failure with Persistent Lactic Acidosis.

BACKGROUND Acute liver failure (ALF) associated with malignant lymphoma is a rare condition with non-specific clinical and radiological features. Here, we describe an unusual case of ALF due to DLBCL with an image negative on presentation posing diagnostic difficulty. CASE REPORT A 74-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with abdominal pain.

IgA Vasculitis Followed by IgA Nephropathy Without an Identifiable Trigger: The Same Disease or a Spectrum of Related Conditions?

IgA vasculitis and IgA nephropathy are characterized by IgA deposition in blood vessels and glomerular mesangium, respectively. The former is far more common in the pediatric population, while the latter presents more often in adulthood. A consensus regarding whether these two conditions are manifestations of the same disease that occurs on a spectrum has not yet been reached, and, to our knowledge, no clinical trials to address this question have been conducted.

Pathways to lung cancer diagnosis among individuals who did not receive lung cancer screening: a qualitative study.

Background: Although early detection of lung cancer through screening is associated with better prognosis, most lung cancers are diagnosed among unscreened individuals. We therefore sought to characterize pathways to lung cancer diagnosis among unscreened individuals.

Methods: Participants were individuals with lung cancer who did not undergo asymptomatic lung cancer screening (n = 13) and healthcare providers who may be involved in the pathway to lung cancer diagnosis (n = 13).

Incidence and characteristics of vascular trauma at a level 2 trauma center.

Objective: Despite the significant number of trauma patients treated at level 2 trauma centers (L2TCs) in the United States, most of the literature describing vascular trauma is from level 1 trauma centers (L1TCs). Currently, trauma center designation criteria do not require vascular surgery as a necessary component service.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed for all trauma patients with a vascular surgery consultation seen at our L2TC between 2013 and 2018.

Radiation therapy prior to a pancreaticoduodenectomy for adenocarcinoma is associated with longer operative times and higher blood loss.

Background: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is currently the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. In patients with "borderline resectable" disease, current National Comprehensive Cancer Center guidelines recommend the use of neoadjuvant chemoradiation prior to a pancreaticoduodenectomy. Although neoadjuvant radiotherapy may improve negative margin resection rate, it is theorized that its administration increases operative times and complexity.

Cryptococcal Meningitis in an Apparent Immunocompetent Host.

Cryptococcal meningitis is a severe fungal infection that primarily affects individuals with compromised immune systems, such as those with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or those undergoing immunosuppressive therapies after organ transplantation. In rare cases, immunocompetent individuals may also be affected by this life-threatening condition. We present the case of a 64-year-old male patient with no known underlying immune deficiency diagnosed with cryptococcal meningitis, who presented with persistent headaches and subjective fevers.

Imaging findings of fibroid torsion in pregnancy: A case report.

When our patient presented emergently to labor and delivery at 18 weeks pregnant with severe right abdominal pain, the common diagnoses (such as appendicitis, cholecystitis, etc.) were on the top of the differential. However, US and MRI revealed a rarer cause of her pain, a pedunculated fibroid.

Unmasking Renal Disease in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Beyond Lupus Nephritis.

A 64-year-old Caucasian woman with a history of hypertension and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was referred to a nephrology clinic due to persistent microscopic hematuria and trace proteinuria. Initial tests showed elevated antinuclear antibodies (ANA), anti-double-stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA), and anti-Sjögren's syndrome-related antigen A (anti-SSA) levels, while other markers remained within normal limits. Over the course of a year, her urine protein-creatinine ratio increased, prompting a renal biopsy.

Assessment of Pre-operative Vaginal Preparation for Laparoscopic Hysterectomy.

Objective: Determine the difference in microbial growth from the vagina and uterine manipulator among patients undergoing laparoscopic hysterectomy after randomization to one of three vaginal preparation solutions (10% Povidone-iodine, 2% Chlorhexidine, or 4% Chlorhexidine).

Method: This was a prospective randomized controlled trial in an academic community hospital. Patients were ≥ 18 years old and scheduled for laparoscopic hysterectomy for benign and malignant indications.

Dynamics of inflammatory responses after SARS-CoV-2 infection by vaccination status in the USA: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Cytokines and chemokines play a critical role in the response to infection and vaccination. We aimed to assess the longitudinal association of COVID-19 vaccination with cytokine and chemokine concentrations and trajectories among people with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Methods: In this longitudinal, prospective cohort study, blood samples were used from participants enrolled in a multi-centre randomised trial assessing the efficacy of convalescent plasma therapy for ambulatory COVID-19.

Exploring the link between home garden use and severe obesity: Insights from a nationwide survey in Tuvalu.

Background: Obesity is prevalent and increasing but understudied across Pacific Islanders. Tuvalu is a South Pacific country with a high obesity rate and faces multiple threats of food insecurity. Home garden serves as a sustainable food source and can be a possible intervention for the obesity pandemic in Tuvalu.

Unusual Suspect: Streptococcus pyogenes as a Cause of Pneumonia.

A 73-year-old male patient with a history of hypertension and coronary artery disease presented to the hospital with dyspnea, nonproductive cough, sore throat, and fever. Prior to presentation, the patient was treated for over a week for upper respiratory infection with conservative management. Images were positive for extensive pleural effusions and consolidations, particularly in the right lung.

Warm autoantibodies mimicking alloantibodies: Three cases of autoantibodies with unusual antigenic specificity.

Objectives: We describe 3 cases of red blood cell (RBC) autoantibodies with unusual apparent antigenic specificity and discuss the testing methodology and implications of these findings.

Methods: All immunohematologic testing, including ABO and RhD typing, antibody detection and identification, RBC antigen phenotyping and genotyping, direct antiglobulin tests, and elution studies were performed using standardized and validated methods and reagents.

Results: Three patients were found to have autoantibodies, which were originally presumed to be alloantibodies.

Transfusion reactions associated with COVID-19 convalescent plasma in outpatient clinical trials.

Background: COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) is an important therapeutic option for outpatients at high risk of hospitalization from SARS-CoV-2 infection. We assessed the safety of outpatient CCP transfusions administered during clinical trials.

Study Design And Methods: We analyzed data pertaining to transfusion-related reactions from two randomized controlled trials in the U.