Southern medical journal
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Southern medical journal · Oct 2009
The utility of repeated stool toxin testing for diagnosing Clostridium difficile colitis.
Clostridium difficile is diagnosed using the enzyme-linked immunoassay (EIA) with the specificity and sensitivity ranging from 50-90% and 70-95%, respectively. Due to the wide ranges, there is considerable confusion regarding the value of the EIA toxin test. We undertook this study to evaluate the benefit of repeat stool toxin testing.
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Southern medical journal · Oct 2009
Case ReportsAcute methotrexate neurotoxicity with choreiform movements and focal neurological deficits: a case report.
Methotrexate (MTX) is an effective antimetabolite treatment for various oncological disorders including the central nervous system involvement (CNS) in widespread leukemia and CNS lymphoma. This form of treatment has a notable toxic effect on the nervous system, and the pediatric population seems to be more vulnerable to the neurologic toxicity of this drug. ⋯ The diagnosis of acute focal symptoms from MTX treatment is especially difficult in patients who receive chemotherapy for neoplastic disorders and who may have many reasons for CNS involvement in general and parenchymal involvement in particular. We report the unusual clinical and neuro-imaging findings in a teenager with acute focal symptoms after MTX treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
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Southern medical journal · Sep 2009
Review Case ReportsEmphysematous cystitis in the absence of known risk factors: an unusual clinical entity.
Emphysematous cystitis is a rare disorder that is usually associated with immunosuppression, poorly controlled diabetes mellitus, and other risk factors such as previous urinary tract infection and/or recent instrumentation of the urinary tract. The case of an 89-year-old woman with emphysematous cystitis who had no evidence of immunodeficiency or other risk factors except for advanced age is reported. A review of the literature on emphysematous cystitis in immunocompetent, nondiabetic individuals is presented.
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Traumatic pulmonary pseudocyst is a rare clinical event that may occur following chest trauma. This complication usually occurs as a result of blunt trauma and rarely, due to a penetrating injury. We report an unusual case of a 10-year-old boy who developed a left-sided pneumothorax along with a traumatic pulmonary pseudocyst when he was hit by a cricket ball while playing.