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  • MacLean Lam posted an update 1 week ago

    Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) is a constellation of metabolic derangements that occur as a consequence of rapid cell turnover in malignancy and the release of intracellular solutes – potassium, phosphate, and nucleic acid metabolites. TLS classically occurs following chemotherapy, with severe renal failure. However, the entity referred to as spontaneous TLS occurs without a precipitating factor of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, steroid therapy, or immunotherapy and can develop in both hematologic and solid malignancies. Here, we report a rare case of a patient who presented with nonspecific symptoms, hyperphosphatemia, hyperuricemia, but hypercalcemia, resultant acute renal failure, with a large mediastinal mass and a pericardial effusion, who was later found to have spontaneous TLS. The workup led to the diagnosis of T-cell leukemia. Spontaneous TLS is often the first manifestation of occult or undetected malignancy, making this oncologic emergency a challenge to manage. The early diagnosis and prompt treatment of spontaneous TLS can reduce morbidity and mortality for patients with an otherwise curable disease.A 20-year-old female presented to the emergency department with fever, anorexia, headache, and neck stiffness for two weeks with recent onset of diplopia and ptosis. She was found to have bilateral symmetrical and complete oculomotor palsy. The diagnosis of tubercular meningitis (TBM) was established on magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and cerebrospinal fluid examination. The oculomotor palsy was attributed to tubercular exudates along the ventral surface of midbrain. Although cranial nerves palsies are common in TBM, such a pattern is rarely seen and has been reported only in the context of tuberculoma in midbrain. She was treated with anti-tubercular therapy for nine months, but there was only partial recovery of the oculomotor function.Introduction Universally, blood stream infections are linked with increasing morbidity and mortality. Timely diagnosis for identification of bacterial etiology, their susceptibility pattern and choice of empiric treatment plays a vital role in management. Objective To reveal the etiological profile and antibiotic sensitivity in blood culture specimens in a tertiary care setting. Methods This descriptive study was carried out in pathology laboratory of a tertiary care hospital from August 2016 to July 2019. All the 750 blood culture bottles were processed and isolates were recognized by morphological appearance on recommended media, gram stain, and different biochemical tests using Analytic Profile Index. Antibiotic sensitivity was implemented by modified disc diffusion method as per Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) principles (2019). Results Out of 750 blood samples, 212 (28.26%) were culture positive. The percentage of gram-negative bacilli (n = 105) and gram-positive cocci (n = 104) was alration of medication and treatment cost.Purpose To evaluate whether otolaryngology residency program directors (PDs) provide residents to teach pre-clinical medical students anatomy and to outline their perceptions of this practice. Methods An anonymous online survey was sent to active U.S. otolaryngology residency PDs in 2019, assessing each program’s involvement in teaching medical student anatomy. Results Forty-five of 121 (37.1%) of surveyed otolaryngology PDs responded. Sixteen of the 44 (36.4%) residency programs that were associated with a medical school provided residents to teach anatomy (“Teaching Programs”). The 29 (64.4%) remaining programs did not provide residents (“Non-teaching Programs”). No significant differences were found between Teaching and Non-teaching Programs (P less then 0.05) for the size of the program, the presence of fellowships, the size of medical school, whether residents had won teaching awards, or the number of otolaryngology residency applicants from that school. In general, all PDs responded positively about residents teaching medical school anatomy. Non-teaching Programs primarily cited not being approached by the medical school as a reason for not providing residents to teach. Conclusion The majority of respondent otolaryngology PDs have a positive view of residents teaching medical students but few do it. Otolaryngology departments will need to take the lead on developing opportunities to put students and residents together for anatomy education.Studies about the role of self-compassion have focused primarily on psychological well-being, but there is solid evidence to suggest that self-compassion may have larger and more prominent implications in the medical world. Therefore, this systemic review aimed to investigate the effects of self-compassion on psychosocial and clinical outcomes in medically ill patients. A comprehensive search of several databases from their inception to August 10, 2020, was conducted, which included Ovid MEDLINE(R) and Epub Ahead of Print, Ovid Embase, Ovid Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL). Eligible studies needed to include psychosocial or clinical outcomes of self-compassion in medically ill patients. Nineteen articles (n=2,713 patients; 73.3% females) met our eligibility criteria and were included in this systematic review. There was a negative correlation between self-compassion and psychosocial outcomes such as anxiety, depression, and stress. Moreover, based on self-compassion intervention, there was an improvement in clinical outcomes related to diabetes such as hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and blood glucose levels. LY3522348 clinical trial This systematic review highlights the effect of self-compassion on psychosocial and clinical outcomes. Further studies are needed to evaluate long-term outcomes of a self-compassion-based-intervention to highlight its importance in the role of disease management.Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the diagnostic performance of real-time tissue elastography in detecting lymph node involvement in skin cancers. Methodology We retrospectively analyzed B-mode sonography and real-time elastography (RTE) images of 70 lymph nodes from 34 patients diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) or malignant melanoma (MM). In the B-mode examination, the appearance or loss of the hilar architecture in the lymph node, contour lobulation, and the presence of focal cortical thickening were evaluated. Elastography scores were classified according to the ratio of soft and hard areas across the lymph node on a 4-point scale system. Largely soft lymph nodes were scored as “1” and largely hard lymph nodes were scored as “4”. Results When patients with SCC and MM were evaluated together, the sensitivity of elastography was 94%, specificity was 70%, and the accuracy rate was 86% in detecting lymph node involvement. When both tumor groups were evaluated separately, for SCC, the sensitivity of elastography was 90%, specificity was 61%, and the accuracy rate was 80% in detecting lymph node involvement.