Tuberculous meningitis in a country with a low incidence of tuberculosis: still a serious disease and a diagnostic challenge

In order to assess the present epidemiology, clinical presentation and outcome of patients with tuberculous meningitis (Tm), a retrospective study was conducted including 20 Tm patients admitted to a referral department in Denmark between January 1988 and July 2000. The findings were compared to those of a similar survey conducted 12 y earlier. A total of 65% of the patients came from countries with a high endemicity of tuberculosis, compared to only 26% in the previous survey. The overall mortality rate was 20%, with elderly patients with various pre-existing diseases being particularly affected. Neurological sequelae were seen in 50% of patients and seemed to be related to the duration of symptoms and treatment delay. The neurological state on admission and a rapid progression of symptoms seemed to be related to mortality. In 85% of the patients treatment was initiated without a definitive bacteriological diagnosis having been reached. The findings indicate that Tm is a rare but still serious disease, and one that is associated with high mortality and morbidity.     

Organ transplantation from a donor colonized with a multidrug-resistant organism: a case report

The number of intensive care unit patients with infections caused by multidrug-resistant organisms is increasing in most developed countries. We report the case of a deceased multiorgan donor, who was an asymptomatic carrier of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CR-KP) in the respiratory tract, a condition that was not diagnosed before organ harvesting and transplantation. The outcome of the 2 kidney recipients, the liver recipient, and 1 of the lung recipients was uneventful; in particular, no evidence of infection transmission or adverse graft outcomes was noted. The other lung recipient had a complicated postoperative course and, 4 weeks post transplantation, he developed a bacteremic pneumonia with CR-KP from which he subsequently died. These results suggest that, in well defined conditions, organs from donors who are CR-KP positive may be considered for transplantation.     

Bacterial pyomyositis in a patient with a multiple myeloma

Summary Pyomyositis is relatively rare in regions with a temperate climate. The most common aetiologic agent is staphylococcus aureus. Most patients with pyomyositis from temperate regions involve immunocompromised states. Because of the rarity, it is often initially misdiagnosed. Computed tomography scan is considered the most helpful tool for the diagnosis of pyomyositis. We present a case in a patient with multiple myeloma.     

Electrophysiologic endocardial mapping from a noncontact nonexpandable catheter: a validation study of a geometry-based concept

INTRODUCTION: The need for high-resolution simultaneous mapping of cardiac excitation and arrhythmias on a beat-by-beat basis is widely recognized. Here we validate a noncontact mapping approach that combines a spiral catheter design with mathematical reconstruction to generate potential maps, electrograms, and activation maps (isochrones) on the entire left ventricular endocardial surface during a single beat. The approach is applicable to any heart chamber. METHODS AND RESULTS: The catheter is 3 mm (9 French) in diameter and carries 96 electrodes. Reconstruction accuracy is evaluated through direct comparison with endocardial data measured with 95 needle electrodes. Results show that endocardial potentials, electrograms, and isochrones are reconstructed with good accuracy during pacing from single or multiple sites (simulating ectopic activity). Pacing sites can be located to within 5 mm of their actual position, and intersite distances of 17 mm can be resolved during dual pacing. The reconstructed potential pattern reflects the intramural depth of pacing. The reconstructions are robust in the presence of geometric errors, and the accuracy is minimally reduced when only 62 catheter electrodes are used (32 are sufficient for pacing site localization). CONCLUSION: The study demonstrates that simultaneous endocardial mapping can be accomplished during a single beat from a spiral-shaped noncontact catheter with good accuracy.     

What a difference a day makes

With the availability of group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal (GABHS) antigen detection tests, the management of adult pharyngitis is being reassessed. A decision analytic model was developed which considered four strategies: immediate treatment, no treatment, performing a rapid antigen test, or obtaining a bacterial culture. Patient outcomes were expressed in “well” days, which were reduced by the “sick” days associated with adverse reactions to treatment or complications of GABHS infection. When immediate test results are available, testing is the optimal strategy for probabilities of GABHS between 1 and 49 per cent. This range includes almost all patients, using probability estimates based on clinical criteria. The absolute benefit of testing was 0.1 days. The major advantage of a rapid test is the avoidance of penicillin reactions. Variations in the symptomatic benefits of treatment had minimal effects on the analysis. The analysis supports the use of an antigen test for adult patients with pharyngitis. Received from the Division of General Medicine and Primary Care. Department of Internal Medicine, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond. Virginia. A preliminary version of this work was presented at the seventh annual meeting of the Society for Medical Decision Making, October 21, 1985.     

Left aortic arch without a circumflex segment and a right descending aorta: a hypothetical case and a real example

We studied a case of a patent left ductus arteriosus, with a left aortic arch connected to a right descending aorta without an aortic circumflex (retroesophageal) segment. We believe this is the first world-published example of this--so far--hypothetical anomaly, included in Kirkling and Edwards classification of vascular rings. The case was a 27-year-old deaf-mute female patient with a patent left ductus arteriosus, with important left to right shunt and moderate pulmonary arterial hypertension who underwent a successful closing surgical procedure. In the aortographic study a left (normal) aortic arch was seen, which after giving off a large left ductus arteriosus, crossed to the right and connected to a right descending aorta. In the upper part of the thorax the esophagus and trachea were displaced to the right by the left aortic arch. The esophagus in the middle and the upper inferior parts of the thorax was also displaced to the right by the descending right aortic segment. Complete vascular ring was not evident. The case--although without clinical importance--reinforces the pathogenic concept of the Rathke diagram of a complete double aortic primitive arch originating the pulmonary and supraaortic vascular structures which are formed by the obliteration or disappearance of particular segments of the structure. This knowledge explains the embryogenesis of these complex anomalies. Our case is believed to be formed by the very early disappearance of a frontal portion of the primitive left dorsal aorta.     

Mutation in a primate-conserved retrotransposon reveals a noncoding RNA as a mediator of infantile encephalopathy

The human genome is densely populated with transposons and transposon-like repetitive elements. Although the impact of these transposons and elements on human genome evolution is recognized, the significance of subtle variations in their sequence remains mostly unexplored. Here we report homozygosity mapping of an infantile neurodegenerative disease locus in a genetic isolate. Complete DNA sequencing of the 400-kb linkage locus revealed a point mutation in a primate-specific retrotransposon that was transcribed as part of a unique noncoding RNA, which was expressed in the brain. In vitro knockdown of this RNA increased neuronal apoptosis, consistent with the inappropriate dosage of this RNA in vivo and with the phenotype. Moreover, structural analysis of the sequence revealed a small RNA-like hairpin that was consistent with the putative gain of a functional site when mutated. We show here that a mutation in a unique transposable element-containing RNA is associated with lethal encephalopathy, and we suggest that RNAs that harbor evolutionarily recent repetitive elements may play important roles in human brain development.     

Neumonía organizada asociada a tratamiento con trastuzumab

Organizing pneumonia is a clinical and histological condition in which the onset is usually subacute with respiratory symptoms and pulmonary infiltrates. It may be unknown origin (cryptogenic) or associated with other illnesses, infectious diseases or drugs. We present a 60 year-old female patient with a previous history of breast cancer, who was being treated with trastuzumab, an antiHER2 monoclonal antibody. She was diagnosed with casual pulmonary infiltrates that had histological changes compatible with organizing pneumonia. The pulmonary infiltrates disappeared on withdrawing trastuzumab treatment. Due to the increasing use of biological therapies in different medical areas, we believe it is of interest to report this pulmonary involvement attributed to the monoclonal antibody trastuzumab.     

Controlling a Presacral Hemorrhage by Using a Saline Bag: Report of a Case

The incidence of presacral bleeding during rectal mobilization is low, but the bleeding may be massive and even fatal, therefore, effective hemostasis is critical. We report our successful use of a saline bag tamponade in a patient with a life-threatening presacral hemorrhage after an abdominoperineal resection of an anal carcinoma.     

Association of a Polymorphism in a Gene Encoding a Urate Transporter with CKD Progression

Background and objectives

Hyperuricemia predicts a high risk for CKD progression but there is no large clinical trial in humans indicating that this relationship is causal in nature. The rs734553 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the GLUT9 urate transporter gene was strongly associated with uric acid (UA) levels in a large meta-analysis.

Design, setting, participants, & measurements

This prospective study adopted the Mendelian randomization approach. The rs734553 SNP was used as an instrumental variable to investigate the relationship between UA and renal outcomes in a cohort of 755 patients with CKD who were enrolled between October 18, 2005, and October 2, 2008. The association between the polymorphism and UA was preliminary confirmed in a series of 211 healthy volunteers enrolled between January 1, 2001, and July 12, 2011, from the same geographic area as the patients with CKD. The study end point was a composite renal–end point (i.e., >30% decrease in the GFR, dialysis, or transplantation). Patients were followed up for a median of 36 months.

Results

In healthy individuals, serum UA levels were highest in homozygotes for the T allele (risk allele), intermediate in heterozygotes for the same allele, and lowest in those without the risk allele (P<0.001), but no such relationship was found in patients with CKD. In the CKD cohort, homozygotes (TT) and heterozygotes (GT) for the risk allele had a 2.35 times higher risk (hazard ratio, 2.35; 95% confidence interval, 1.25 to 4.42; P=0.008) of CKD progression. The risk for CKD progression by rs734553 remained unmodified in analyses adjusting for proteinuria, GFR, and other classical and CKD-peculiar risk factors.

Conclusions

A GLUT9 polymorphism, which is strongly associated with serum UA levels in healthy individuals of the general population with normal renal function, holds a strong predictive power for CKD progression. These findings are compatible with the hypothesis that the link between UA and CKD progression is causal in nature.     

Treatment for eating disorders from a patient satisfaction perspective: a Norwegian replication of a British study

The purpose of this study was to replicate a British survey on patient satisfaction with treatment for eating disorders, factors associated with satisfaction and the consumer's suggestions on how to improve the quality of health care services. A questionnaire was completed by 321 members of the Norwegian organizations for eating disorder patients. The British results were replicated as subjects were highly satisfied with outpatient individual and group psychotherapy, and to a less extent with family therapy. Also, a similar delay of 5–6 years from the first subject recognition of eating disorder symptoms to the time of seeking help was found. However, we found a relation between treatment delay and treatment satisfaction. Inpatient treatment was more favourably experienced in the UK than in Norway. Subjects who experienced therapists as competent on eating disorders reported higher treatment satisfaction. The results imply a critical view on the issue of early detection, a more selective use of family therapy, the need for more competence on eating disorders among clinicians, and a closer cooperation between professionals and the services provided by the patient organizations. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.     

Factores asociados a complicaciones de yeyunostomía

BackgroundThere are few studies in the literature that analyze jejunostomy complications and their associated factors.AimsTo describe the rate of complications and analyze the factors associated with their development in a tertiary reference center in Mexico.MethodsA retrospective study was carried out on patients that underwent Witzel jejunostomy within the time frame of January 2002 to December 2011. Patient demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected at the time of hospital admission and during follow-up. The factors associated with the development of complications were analyzed using the chi square test for categorical variables and the Student's t test for the continuous variables. Statistical significance was considered with a p<.05.ResultsOne hundred and twelve patients (57 men) with a mean age of 54.2 years were included in the study. Forty-eight patients (42.9%) presented with postoperative complications. The most frequent surgical complications were severe sepsis (11.6%) and septic shock (7.14%) and the most frequent medical complications were pleural effusion (7.14%) and aspiration pneumonia (6.25%). The factors that were significantly associated with the development of complications were obesity, lymphocytopenia, and hypoalbuminemia.ConclusionsJejunostomy is associated with an elevated medical, as well as surgical, complication frequency. Even though it has been established as a better alternative to parenteral nutrition, its associated morbidity should be taken into consideration before establishing its routine use as a means of nutritional support, especially in patients with factors associated with the development of complications.     

Disorders of bladder depletion in a young man because of a prostatic cyst: a case report

Symptomatic prostatic cysts presenting with recurrent urinary tract infections and urinary obstructive disorders in young men may be misdiagnosed as benign prostatic hyperplasia, urethral stenosis or neuropathic bladder. We report a case of a 28 year old young man with obstructive and irritative voiding disorders caused by a prostatic cyst, located in the anterior and left lateral lobe of the prostate gland. The cyst appeared to obstruct the bladder outlet by a "ball-valve" mechanism. The prostatic cyst was incised and marsupialized by transurethral resection. At post-operative follow up we observed an increase in Qmax with no residual urine and negative urine culture. The patient showed no retrograde ejaculation nor erectile dysfunction.     

Blastomycosis in a young African man presenting with a pleural effusion

Blastomyces dermatitidis is a dimorphic fungus endemic to northwestern Ontario, Manitoba and some parts of the United States. The fungus is also endemic to parts of Africa. Pulmonary and extrapulmonary findings of a 24-year-old African man who presented with weight loss, dry cough and chronic pneumonia not resolving with antibiotic treatment are presented. The unusual occurrence of pulmonary blastomycosis associated with skin lesions and a moderate pleural effusion is reported.     

Direct esophageal metastasis from a distant primary tumor is a submucosal process: a review of six cases

Malignant esophageal stricture secondary to invasion from a tumor arising in a contiguous organ is a relatively rare finding; even more uncommon is a direct metastasis to the esophagus from a distant primary carcinoma. We present six cases, the largest current series, of esophageal strictures secondary to metastases from a separate primary cancer. We reviewed the records of 20 patients treated at Virginia Mason Medical Center between 1972 and 2000 with a diagnosis of malignant esophageal stricture secondary to an extraesophageal primary carcinoma. Patients whose stricture appeared to be secondary to esophageal invasion or compression from a contiguous tumor or lymph nodes were excluded. The remaining six patients who had metastases to the esophagus itself were reviewed with respect to the nature of the primary tumor, presentation, radiologic and endoscopic findings, and treatment. Among the 20 patients reviewed, 14 were excluded owing to either contiguous involvement from a nearby primary malignancy, regional nodal involvement, or complications of external beam radiation treatment. Six patients were considered to have direct metastasis to the esophagus from distant primary malignancies. The mean age of these patients was 72 years (range 68-74). Two of the primary lesions were lung carcinoma, while four primaries were breast cancers. The average time interval from the diagnosis of a primary tumor to esophageal involvement was 7 years in patients with breast cancer and 5 months in patients with lung cancer. Three patients were palliated with endoscopic dilation and stent placement. The other three patients have died secondary to upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Metastatic cancer to the esophagus is a rare occurrence. The process is usually submucosal and can be difficult to diagnose. The diagnosis should be considered when a patient presents with malignant dysphagia and has a background of distant carcinoma.     

Damage to a covered stent by a thrombectomy device.

A 75-year-old with a history of coronary bypass grafting was found to have significant stenoses in a vein graft to the right coronary artery. Symbiot stents, with a polytetrafluoroethylene covering, were used to treat areas in the proximal and middle sections of the graft. The following day, she developed symptoms and signs consistent with an acute inferior infarction. The graft was found to be thrombosed. Thrombectomy was performed using an X-Sizer device, consisting of a helical cutter connected to a vacuum source. This resulted in damage to the stent lining, which led to jamming of the device and subsequent removal of a piece of the stent covering. Treatment was by way of deployment of a long stent within the damaged stent. Recovery was unremarkable. Caution or avoidance of this device appears warranted in the setting of covered stent procedures.     

The gastric antrum: a rare primitive location of a gastrinoma within a type I multiple endocrine neoplasia

We report the case of an 18-year-old man, with no previous medical history, presenting with recurrent hemorrhagic duodenal ulcers revealing a Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. The initial diagnosis of sporadic gastrinoma of the antrum associated with satellite lymph nodes led to surgical treatment. The evolution of clinical and secretory tests associated with the outbreak of a primary hyperparathyro?dism demonstrated that the patient had a type I multiple endocrine neoplasia. To our knowledge, this is the first described case of primitive gastrinoma of the antrum occurring in a type I multiple endocrine neoplasia.     

Material Model Effect for Simulating a Single-Lap Joint with a Blind Rivet

This paper concerns the influence of the material modeling method on the results of strength analyses. The research object was a single lap joint with a blind rivet (ISO 12996). The results of numerical strength analysis for various configurations of material models with material and contact nonlinearity were compared not only with the experimental results of such a connection but also with the values estimated using classical analytical tools (pressure stress and Hertz stress). The research aimed to determine how the results of numerical analyses (FEMs) were influenced by the method of modeling the material model and how it relates to the experimental results. As part of the analyses, a discrete riveted model and material models were constructed. The analyses took into account various load cases (from 10 to 90% of the connection capacity) to better illustrate the relationship between the numerical and experimental results. As a result of the conducted analyses, it was determined that the linear-elastic model was an acceptable and suggested solution (with a load of up to 90% of the load capacity of the joint connection) for further tests. The work was summarized with general and specific conclusions relating to all cases of numerical modeling. In addition, the summary includes suggestions for future works.     

Performing a myocardial biopsy in a cardiac transplant patient with a persistent left superior vena cava

The life expectancy of patients with congenital heart disease is increasing. Thus, as the prevalence of adults with congenital heart disease increases, invasive cardiologists will have more exposure to these patients and will benefit from expertise in the anatomy of congenital heart defects. We present a case of performing right heart catheterization and myocardial biopsy in a cardiac transplant patient with a history of multiple congenital defects including a persistent left superior vena cava. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

The combination of a left aortic arch, a right-sided descending thoracic aorta with a left-sided arterial duct

A nine-year-old male child presented with a history of recurrent chest infections and breathlessness. On investigation, he was found to have a left aortic arch with a right-sided descending thoracic aorta along with a left-sided arterial duct. He also had mild aortic stenosis with regurgitation. The duct was successfully ligated under controlled hypotensive anesthesia through a left posterolateral thoracotomy.