CD19 + CD21lo/neg cells are increased in systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) represents a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in systemic sclerosis (SSc). The purpose of this study was to examine recirculating lymphocytes from SSc patients for potential biomarkers of interstitial lung disease (ILD). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from patients with SSc and healthy controls enrolled in the Vanderbilt University Myositis and Scleroderma Treatment Initiative Center cohort between 9/2017–6/2019. Clinical phenotyping was performed by chart abstraction. Immunophenotyping was performed using both mass cytometry and fluorescence cytometry combined with t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding analysis and traditional biaxial gating. This study included 34 patients with SSc-ILD, 14 patients without SSc-ILD, and 25 healthy controls. CD21^lo/neg cells are significantly increased in SSc-ILD but not in SSc without ILD (15.4 ± 13.3% vs. 5.8 ± 0.9%, p = 0.002) or healthy controls (5.0 ± 0.5%, p < 0.0001). While CD21^lo/neg B cells can be identified from a single biaxial gate, tSNE analysis reveals that the biaxial gate is comprised of multiple distinct subsets, all of which are increased in SSc-ILD. CD21^lo/neg cells in both healthy controls and SSc-ILD are predominantly tBET positive and do not have intracellular CD21. Immunohistochemistry staining demonstrated that CD21^lo/neg B cells diffusely infiltrate the lung parenchyma of an SSc-ILD patient. Additional work is needed to validate this biomarker in larger cohorts and longitudinal studies and to understand the role of these cells in SSc-ILD.

     

African-American Adolescents’ Weight Loss Skills Utilization: Effects on Weight Change in a Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial

Objective

Successful weight loss interventions for African-Americans adolescents are lacking. Cognitive-behavioral interventions seek to develop weight loss skills (e.g., counting calories, goal setting, managing one's environment). Little is known about how well adolescents implement such skills in their daily lives. Study aims were to (1) examine weight loss skills utilization at midpoint and end of a 6-month cognitive-behavioral/motivational interviewing weight loss sequential multiple assignment randomized trial (SMART), and (2) determine if greater skill utilization predicted weight loss at treatment end and 3 months post-treatment.

Ductal Carcinoma In Situ with Microinvasion on Core Biopsy: Evaluating Tumor Upstaging Rate,Lymph Node Metastasis Rate,and Associated Predictive Variables

Annals of Surgical Oncology - The role of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) when ductal carcinoma in situ with microinvasion (DCISM) is identified on core biopsy is unclear. Our aim was to assess...     

Rectal perforation as a complication of urethral instrumentation: 2 case reports

A review of the complications of urethral instrumentation performed at our institution during the last 15 years revealed 2 cases of urethrorectal perforation. These patients were managed with loop colostomy and suprapubic cystostomy diversion with excellent healing and no evidence of fistula formation at 24-month followup. This rare complication is described and the principles of diagnosis, prevention and prompt aggressive management are emphasized.     

Caring for elderly people at home: the consequences to caregivers

The emphasis on home-based care is one important aspect of health services restructuring initiatives in Canada. Fundamental to the preference for home-based care over institutional care is the expectation that family caregivers will be available in the home to support patients who would otherwise be in an institution. The authors explore the potential impact of this devolution of services from institutions to the home in 2 vulnerable patient populations--elderly patients with dementia and elderly patients with terminal illnesses. Community-based surveillance strategies are needed to determine the true health, quality-of-life and economic outcomes of these restructuring initiatives.     

Man the risk taker

Most approaches to preventing chronic disease involve changing personal behavior. Appeals to change are often made on the grounds that certain behavior incurs a risk to health, but evaluative studies of health education suggest that this may not be a persuasive argument. Humans have always lived with risks and do not necessarily equate risk with personal danger. Many forces, both social and psychological, underlie the willingness to tolerate risks, and altering familiar behaviors may seem to the individual to be more of a loss than a benefit. If we seek to change health behavior, we must acknowledge this and recognize that factual information on risks will not encourage change unless the change forms part of a broader reappraisal of the person's values. Individual appeals for change will have little impact as long as broader social forces continue to encourage health risk behavior.     

A case of dark urine,hyperpigmentation and hepatomegaly

We report a case of malignant melanoma in which the presenting feature was melanuria. Melanuria should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any patient presenting with dark urine.