Gastrointestinal Bleeding During Continuous-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device Support: State of the Field.

Continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (CF-LVADs) are increasingly used for the management of advanced heart failure refractory to optimal medical therapy. Despite the encouraging outcomes with CF-LVADs, gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) continues to be a rather concerning complication resulting in increased rates of readmission and increased morbidity. The exact pathophysiology of CF-LVAD-associated GIB remains poorly understood, and this lack of knowledge limits our ability to control this morbid complication.

Recurrent diabetic myonecrosis -an under-diagnosed cause of acute painful swollen limb in long standing diabetics.

Diabetic myonecrosis (DMN) is an under-diagnosed complication of long-standing poorly controlled diabetes mellitus. It presents as abrupt pain and swelling of the extremity, mostly lower limbs. Diagnosis is often delayed as it mimics a number of clinical entities such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT), cellulitis, necrotizing fasciitis and malignancy.

Impact of bariatric surgery in patients with HIV infection: a nationwide inpatient sample analysis, 2004-2014.

Objective: Despite rising rates of obesity among patients with HIV, the potential role for weight loss surgery in this population remains less clear. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the role of bariatric surgery on relevant clinical outcomes among hospitalized obese patients with HIV.

Design: Retrospective analysis using the United States Nationwide Inpatient Sample database from 2004 to 2014.

Knowledge of Pelvic Floor Disorders in Obstetrics.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate knowledge and demographic factors associated with a lack of knowledge proficiency about urinary incontinence (UI) and pelvic organ prolapse (POP) among pregnant and postpartum women.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey of women receiving antepartum and postpartum care at 9 Connecticut sites. Knowledge was assessed using the validated Prolapse and Incontinence Knowledge Questionnaire.

Bariatric Surgery and Hepatocellular Carcinoma: a Propensity Score-Matched Analysis.

Background: The association between obesity and rising incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the USA has been documented; however, the role of bariatric surgery remains less clear.

Aim: To evaluate the cross-sectional association of prior-bariatric surgery and HCC.

Methods: The United States Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database was queried from 2004 to 2014 for discharges with a diagnosis of morbid obesity.

Impact of Postmastectomy Radiation Therapy in Prepectoral Versus Subpectoral Implant-Based Breast Reconstruction.

Background: This study aimed to compare the impact of postmastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) on outcomes after prepectoral versus subpectoral implant-based breast reconstruction with local deepithelialized dermal flap and acellular dermal matrix (ADM).

Methods: From 2010 to 2017, 274 patients (426 breasts) underwent prepectoral reconstruction. In this group, 241 patients (370 breasts) were not exposed to PMRT, whereas 45 patients (56 breasts) were exposed to PMRT.

Splenic rupture from babesiosis, an emerging concern? A systematic review of current literature.

Babesiosis is a relatively common tick-borne parasitic infection of erythrocytes primarily affecting the northeastern United States. Babesiosis' prevalence and presentation have earned it the monikers "malaria of the northeast" and "Nantucket fever". Clinical presentation ranges from asymptomatic infection to severe infection including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC) or death.

A randomized, triple-blind trial of cardiac shock-wave therapy on exercise tolerance and symptoms in patients with stable angina pectoris.

Background: Despite major advances in managing coronary artery disease and continuous research on alternative techniques to enhance myocardial perfusion and reduce symptoms, coronary artery disease is still one of the leading causes of adult disability worldwide. Cardiac shock-wave therapy (CSWT) has shown promising results in the amelioration of myocardial ischemia in experimental studies; however, clinical results are limited to single-center, mostly uncontrolled and underpowered trials. The current study aimed to evaluate whether CSWT can improve exercise tolerance and relieve angina symptoms in addition to optimal medical treatment in patients with stable angina.

Survival prediction based on qualitative MRI diffusion signature in patients with recurrent high grade glioma treated with bevacizumab.

Background: Bevacizumab was approved by the FDA for the treatment of recurrent or progressive glioblastoma (GBM). Imaging responses are typically assessed by gadolinium-enhanced MRI. We sought to determine the significance of qualitative diffusion signature (manifest as variable degree of dark signal) on ADC maps in recurrent gliomas after treatment with bevacizumab.

Reducing severe hypoglycaemia in hospitalised patients with diabetes: Early outcomes of standardised reporting and management.

Background: Severe hypoglycaemic events (HGEs) in hospitalised patients are associated with poor outcomes and prolonged hospitalization. Systematic, coordinated care is required for acute management and prevention of HGEs; however, studies evaluating quality control efforts are scarce.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of system-based interventions to improve management response to HGEs.

Emphysematous osteomyelitis of the forefoot.

Emphysematous osteomyelitis is a very rare, potentially fatal infection that requires immediate diagnosis and prompt treatment. Emphysematous osteomyelitis is usually considered whenever intraosseous gas is detected on imaging. Most organisms implicated in emphysematous osteomyelitis are members of the Enterobacteriaceae family or anaerobes; sometimes the infection is polymicrobial.

Demographics, tumor characteristics, treatment, and survival of patients with Klatskin tumors.

Background: The objective of this study was to investigate the incidence, demographics, tumor characteristics, treatment, and survival of patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma.

Methods: Data on Klatskin tumors between 2004 and 2013 was extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Registry. The epidemiology of these tumors was then analyzed.

Clinical and Neuroimaging Findings in Thalamic Territory Infarctions: A Review.

The thalamus is a part of the diencephalon, containing numerous connections between the forebrain and subcortical structures. It serves an important function as a relay center between the cerebral cortex and the subcortical regions, particularly with sensory information. The thalamus also plays a major role in regulating arousal and the levels of awareness.

Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension Without Underlying Cardiac Disease as a Presentation of Pulmonary Interstitial Glycogenosis.

Introduction: Pulmonary interstitial glycogenosis (PIG) is an idiopathic lung condition that remains clinically underrecognized despite a growing body of literature.

Case Report: We present a case of PIG with pulmonary hypertension without underlying cardiac disease. This patient presented with respiratory distress and spontaneous pneumothorax at 6 months of age.

Not all sagittal band tears come with extensor instability: a case report with radiological and operative correlation.

The sagittal bands are a component of the extensor hood. They serve an important role in stabilizing the extensor tendon by forming a "check-rein" to radial-ulnar translation of the tendon over the metacarpal head, and extending the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint by virtue of attaching the extensor tendon to the palmar plate. Injury to the sagittal band is thought to cause extensor instability and subluxation to the contralateral side by disruption of this "check-rein" function, although recent evidence from cadaver studies suggests that ulnar sagittal band tear may be spared of extensor instability.

Asymptomatic adult intrapericardial diaphragmatic hernia detected on cardiac SPECT CT.

An 83-year-old man underwent exercise stress test with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging for new electrocardiogram (EKG) changes. The stress EKG did not show any significant changes. Myocardial perfusion imaging with SPECT demonstrated an inferior wall defect and extracardiac uptake of nuclear tracer.

Cystic adventitial disease-case series and review of literature.

Cystic adventitial disease (CAD) is a rare vascular disorder that involves the arteries and rarely the veins, most commonly found in the popliteal artery of male patients. Etiology of CAD is uncertain and currently without a consensus agreement. Clinically, the most common presenting symptom is claudication.

Secondary systemic amyloidosis in inflammatory bowel disease: a nationwide analysis.

Background: Secondary systemic amyloidosis (SSA) is a rare but severe complication of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics, predictors of complications, and in-hospital mortality of patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and Ulcerative colitis (UC) who develop SSA.

Methods: Using the National Inpatient Sample, we identified patients hospitalized for IBD and SSA between 2004 and 2012.

Emerging role of in brain abscesses: A case report and literature review.

We describe a case of a 29-year-old man from Pakistan who presented with progressive neurologic symptoms over 1 week and was found to have a right parietal cerebral abscess. Neurosurgical drainage cultures showed growth of , , and . An abscessed molar was identified as the likely port of entry and was extracted.

Surgical Findings and Outcomes in Premenopausal Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Oophorectomy: A Multicenter Review From the Society of Gynecologic Surgeons Fellows Pelvic Research Network.

Study Objective: To describe the procedures performed, intra-abdominal findings, and surgical pathology in a cohort of women with premenopausal breast cancer who underwent oopherectomy.

Design: Multicenter retrospective chart review (Canadian Task Force classification II-3).

Setting: Nine US academic medical centers participating in the Fellows' Pelvic Research Network (FPRN).

Penile fracture: role of ultrasound.

Penile fracture is a rare surgical emergency which requires prompt diagnosis and immediate surgical repair. In most cases the diagnosis is clinical however, in equivocal cases ultrasound examination can help in establishing the diagnosis by demonstrating the site and extent of tunica albuginea disruption. In this article, we are presenting sonographic findings in two cases of penile fractures.

Balloon enteroscopy versus spiral enteroscopy for small-bowel disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background And Aims: Two novel enteroscopic procedures, balloon enteroscopy and spiral enteroscopy, have revolutionized the diagnostic and therapeutic approach to small-bowel disorders. These disorders that historically required surgical interventions are now investigated and managed nonsurgically. Only a few weakly powered studies have compared the outcomes of spiral enteroscopy and balloon enteroscopy.

Provoked Eagle syndrome after dental procedure: A review of the literature.

Eagle syndrome is an uncommon condition caused by an elongated ossified styloid process. The majority of individuals with an elongated ossified styloid process are asymptomatic. Therefore, this condition is diagnosed based on clinical presentation, with radiologic imaging serving to confirm the diagnosis.