Medicine
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Cytopenias in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) require clinical and laboratory workup and bone marrow (BM) examination to determine the cause and for appropriate patient management. Common causes include an increase in SLE activity, immune-mediated hemolysis, iron deficiency, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, infection, or the effect of medications. We retrospectively evaluated the clinical and laboratory findings of patients with SLE and cytopenias who had undergone BM studies to determine the indicators of malignancy. ⋯ Clinical and laboratory findings, the number of transplants, and the use of immunosuppressive agents can guide physicians to identify patients with a higher risk of developing hematologic malignancy. BM findings of cytopenia in SLE are often due to increased disease activity causing global cell death and dysmaturation. SLE patients presenting with cytopenias, with a history of long-term exposure to immunosuppressive drugs, should be regularly screened for hematologic and nonhematologic malignancies.
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Case Reports
Transapical off-pump mitral valve repair following prior mitral valve surgery: A case report.
Redo surgeries after mitral valve repair are technically demanding. Procedures applying the NeoChord device (NeoChord Inc, St. Louis Park, MN) have proven to be safe and feasible in selected patients requiring mitral valve repair due to a leaflet prolapse or flail. However, its use for redo procedures after conventional surgical repair has not been well established yet. ⋯ As redo surgery after minimally invasive mitral valve repair is challenging, the NeoChord device represents a novel treatment option that does not require cardiopulmonary bypass.
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Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorders affecting up to 11.5% of the general global population. The brain-gut axis has been shown to play an important role in the pathogenesis of IBS. Several studies confirmed that intrinsic brain abnormalities existed in patients with IBS. But, studies of abnormal regional homogeneity (ReHo) in IBS have reported inconsistent results. The objective of this protocol is to conduct a meta-analysis using the Seed-based d mapping software package to identify the most consistent and replicable findings of ReHo in IBS patients. ⋯ This research will determine the consistent pattern of alterations in ReHo in IBS patients.
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Comparative Study Observational Study
Diagnostic yield, safety, and advantages of ultra-low dose chest CT compared to chest radiography in early stage suspected SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia: A retrospective observational study.
To determine the role of ultra-low dose chest computed tomography (uld CT) compared to chest radiographs in patients with laboratory-confirmed early stage SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. Chest radiographs and uld CT of 12 consecutive suspected SARS-CoV-2 patients performed up to 48 hours from hospital admission were reviewed by 2 radiologists. Dosimetry and descriptive statistics of both modalities were analyzed. ⋯ The average increment of diagnostic performance of uld CT compared to chest X-ray was 29%. The average effective dose was, respectively, of 0.219 and 0.073 mSv. Uld CT detects substantially more lung injuries in symptomatic patients with suspected early stage SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia compared to chest radiographs, with a significantly better inter-reader agreement, at the cost of a slightly higher equivalent radiation dose.
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Observational Study
High expression of guanine nucleotide-binding protein-like-3-like is associated with poor prognosis in esophageal cancer.
Guanine nucleotide-binding protein-like-3-like (GNL3L) is required for processing ribosomal pre-rRNA and cell proliferation and is upregulated in many types of cancer. This study is aimed to investigate the clinical significance of GNL3L in esophageal cancer. The mRNA and protein expression levels of GNL3L were determined by using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry, respectively. ⋯ The Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) databases also showed that GNL3L was upregulated in esophageal cancer, which was closely associated with an unfavorable prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer. Taken together, our findings suggest that GNL3L is upregulated in esophageal cancer, which is linked to the progression of the disease. As a result, GNL3L could be used as a biomarker for esophageal cancer.