Benign Breast Disease: Periareolar Mastitis, Granulomatous Lobular Mastitis, and Lymphocytic or Diabetic Mastopathy.

Periareolar mastitis, granulomatous lobular mastitis, and lymphocytic or diabetic mastopathy are benign inflammatory breast conditions that require specialized knowledge of the pathophysiology to reduce the morbidity from surgical management.

Characteristics and Outcomes of 360 Consecutive COVID-19 Patients Discharged From the Emergency Department With Supplemental Oxygen.

Study Objective: To describe characteristics and outcomes of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients with new supplemental oxygen requirements discharged from a large public urban emergency department (ED) with supplemental oxygen.

Methods: This observational case series describes the characteristics and outcomes of 360 consecutive COVID-19 patients with new supplemental oxygen requirements discharged from a large urban public ED between April 2020 and March 2021 with supplemental oxygen. Primary outcomes included 30-day survival and 30-day survival without unscheduled inpatient admission.

Predictors of overlapping autoimmune disease in Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum disorder (NMOSD): A retrospective analysis in two inner-city hospitals.

Background: The coexistence of Neuromyelitis Optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) with other autoimmune diseases (AD-NMOSD) presents worse clinical outcomes and healthcare costs than NMOSD alone (NMOSD-only). NMOSD and other autoimmune diseases also have a higher prevalence and morbidity in Black. We aim to compare clinical features and treatment responses in NMOSD patients with and without overlapping autoimmunity in a predominantly Black cohort.

Understanding Delayed Presentation to Emergency Care in Pediatric Patients With Neutropenic Fever.

We investigated social and logistic factors eg, distance from the medical center, language barriers, other children to care for, number of caregivers, etc.) for families to delay seeking immediate emergency care for neutropenic fever in a retrospective cohort study of all pediatric hematology-oncology patients who presented for fever in the setting of neutropenia to our emergency department or clinic from 2015 to 2020. Patients with a history of at least 2 prior admissions for neutropenic fever waited more often for a second fever before presenting versus those without such history (odds ratio 5.

Short-course antibiotics for common infections: what do we know and where do we go from here?

Background: Over the past 25 years, researchers have performed >120 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) illustrating short courses to be non-inferior to long courses of antibiotics for common bacterial infections.

Objective: We sought to determine whether clinical data from RCTs affirm the mantra of 'shorter is better' for antibiotic durations in 7 common infections: pneumonia, urinary tract infection, intra-abdominal infection, bacteraemia, skin and soft tissue infection, bone and joint infections, pharyngitis and sinusitis.

Sources: Published RCTs comparing short- versus long-course antibiotic durations were identified through searches of PubMed and clinical guideline documents.

How to change the course: practical aspects of implementing shorter is better.

Background: Based on multiple randomized-controlled clinical trials, shorter antibiotic courses are equally effective as traditional longer courses for many types of infections. However, longer courses are still being used widely in the clinical practice.

Objectives: To describe four components involved in the successful implementation of shorter antibiotic courses in our health care institutions, including an academic, public hospital and a community hospital staffed primarily by private practitioners.

Point-of-care renal ultrasound: Are longitudinal views of the kidney alone sufficient to rule out hydronephrosis?

Objective: Point-of-care ultrasound for the detection of hydronephrosis is frequently used by emergency physicians. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of longitudinal views of the kidney compared with a combination of longitudinal and transverse views of the kidney on emergency physician-performed renal point-of-care ultrasound to detect hydronephrosis.

Methods: This was a retrospective case-control study of patients who received a renal point-of-care ultrasound examination performed and interpreted as hydronephrosis in the emergency department (ED).

Patterns of allergenic food introduction in Los Angeles inner-city children.

Background: Early introduction of allergenic foods is recommended to reduce the risk of developing food allergies, but it is unclear whether recommendations are being followed.

Objective: We examine patterns of allergenic food introduction in inner-city children enrolled in an academic pediatric practice in the greater Los Angeles area.

Methods: This was a prospective study with patients ages 12 to 24 months recruited from the pediatrics continuity clinic at an inner-city tertiary medical center in the greater Los Angeles area.

Pregnancy-Onset Ulcerative Colitis in a Pediatric Patient Presenting With Altered Mental Status and Severe Anemia.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) classically presents with abdominal pain, hematochezia, or diarrhea. However, it can present atypically in pediatric and pregnant patients, posing a diagnostic challenge. A healthy, 16-year-old primigravida presented at 18 weeks and six days of gestation with sudden-onset altered mental status and severe anemia.

Mucormycosis following burn injuries: A systematic review.

Introduction: Mucormycosis is an opportunistic fungal infection with a high mortality rate. Though typically associated with diabetes and other conditions that affect innate immune function, infections can also be precipitated by conditions such as trauma and burns. Burn patients are particularly susceptible to fungal infections due to the immune dysfunction that often accompany their wounds.

Use of liver stiffness measurements in acute decompensated heart failure: new applications of a non-invasive technique.

Heart failure (HF) is a complex disease associated with multisystem organ failure, recurrent hospital admissions, and increased mortality. Acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) increases central venous pressure (CVP) with resultant hepatic congestion, and this relationship has prognostic significance. The gold standard method of measuring CVP, right heart catheterization, is invasive and costly, prompting further investigation into more accurate non-invasive assessments in HF patients, including liver elastography.

Challenges of caring for transgender and gender diverse patients with rheumatic disease: presentation of seven patients and review of the literature.

Purpose Of Review: As perspectives on sex and gender identity have evolved, there has been an increase in the practice of transgender medicine. Within rheumatology, however, there is a dearth of information about rheumatic disease in transgender and gender diverse (TGGD) individuals. This is important, as sex hormones affect the etiopathogenesis and expression of autoimmune diseases.

COVID-19-Associated Miller Fisher Syndrome With Long Latency Period: A Case Report.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been known to affect multiple organ systems, aside from the respiratory system. Increasing reports of post-infection neurological complications have been reported. Miller-Fisher syndrome, a rare variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), has been reported after COVID-19 infection.

Reducing Metabolic Dysregulation in Obese Latina and/or Hispanic Breast Cancer Survivors Using Physical Activity (ROSA) Trial: A Study Protocol.

Background: Latina and Hispanic breast cancer survivors (LHBCS) are at increased risk for long-term complications and poorer metabolic health, including metabolic dysregulation (MetD) before and following breast cancer diagnosis. MetD can increase risk of cancer recurrence, death, and comorbid conditions by increasing inflammation and cancer cell proliferation. While exercise improves physical fitness and metabolic outcomes in breast cancer survivors, there is a lack of studies including underrepresented and disadvantaged minority groups such as LHBCS.

Reflecting on the immunopathology of arthritis associated with inflammatory bowel disease: what do we know and what should we know?

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), is clinically closely associated with arthritis. Three major arthritis clinical subtypes have been described, peripheral arthritis type 1 (PeA1), peripheral arthritis type 2 (PeA2), and axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). While genetic overlaps between IBD and arthritis have been defined, detailed pathophysiology for these three major subtypes of arthritis in patients with IBD has only recently begun to be established.

Effectiveness of Simulation Training in Acquiring Echocardiography Skills among Neonatology Care Providers.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that simulation training improves echocardiography skills.

Study Design: In this prospective study, 43 participants (16 neonatologists, 26 neonatology fellows, and 1 nurse practitioner) were tested on the simulator after 4 hours of didactic sessions on topographical cardiac anatomy and standard echocardiographic views. Participants were given 20 minutes to obtain and save the standard views.

Challenges of caring for homeless patients with inflammatory arthritis: 12-month follow-up observations and identification of certain barriers to care.

Homelessness is a public health crisis and there is a paucity of information about patients with rheumatic disease experiencing homelessness. We sought to develop approaches to improve care for this unique patient population. We previously reported observations on 17 homeless patients with inflammatory arthritis (15 rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 2 psoriatic arthritis (PsA)).

Lung Ultrasound Findings in COVID-19: A Descriptive Retrospective Study.

Background Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is an indispensable tool in emergency medicine. With the emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a need for improved diagnostic capabilities and prognostic indicators for patients who are symptomatic for COVID-19 has become apparent. POCUS has been demonstrated to be a useful diagnostic and prognostic tool in the emergency department (ED) in assessing other lung complications.

SARS-CoV-2 cycle threshold (Ct) values predict future COVID-19 cases.

Aim: Anticipating local surges in COVID-19 cases has predominantly been based on observation of increasing cases. We sought to determine if temporal trends in SARS-CoV-2 Cycle threshold (Ct) values from clinical testing were predictive of future cases.

Methods: Data were collected from a large, safety-net hospital in Los Angeles, California.