Curēus
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Introduction Non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) is a major burden on the health care system. The timing of endoscopy has been an ongoing debate and data on the association of early endoscopy with a better or worse clinical outcome are conflicting. In our study, we aimed to identify the benefits versus the risks of performing an urgent endoscopy in regards to the number of endoscopic interventions, length of hospital stay, number of packed red blood cells (PRBCs) transfused, and mortality. Methodology This is a retrospective record-based study. ⋯ There was no statistical difference in the Blatchford scores between the three groups, indicating that the groups were similar in morbidity. No difference in mortality, hospital length of stay, or number of blood transfusions received, surgical or interventional radiology-guided interventions was found between the three groups. Conclusion Patients who underwent urgent endoscopy had more procedures, with no difference in mortality, number of units of blood transfused, or length of hospitalization when compared to the early or late endoscopy groups.
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In December 2019, several patients from Wuhan, China were admitted to hospitals with symptoms of pneumonia. As the number of patients presenting with similar symptoms started to rise, the causative agent was eventually isolated from samples. It was initially called the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) and has been recently relabelled as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2); the disease it causes has been named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). ⋯ The World Health Organization (WHO) called COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020. There are multiple drug trials going on with some positive results. However, since no vaccine is available, the best way to combat the virus is by preventive methods.
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Case Reports
An Atypical Cardiac Manifestation of Fabry Disease from a Novel Pathological Variant on the GLA Gene.
Fabry disease (FD) is one of the most common lysosomal storage disorders and is caused by an X-linked progressive inborn error of metabolism in the alpha-galactosidase A (α-Gal A) gene. This leads to intracellular accumulation of glycosphingolipids, mainly globotriaosylceramide (Gb3), throughout the body. The impact of this accumulation is seen across multiple cell lines and therefore can cause multisystem organ dysfunction. ⋯ Further measurement of α-Gal A leukocyte activity showed low levels, which was diagnostic for FD. The index patient had an unusual non-classic phenotype in that his sole presenting symptom was asymptomatic LVH, he presented early, and had low α-Gal A leukocyte activity. Early detection and prompt treatment with enzyme replacement therapy can improve outcomes and decrease mortality. In the absence of known risk factors, non-classical FD should be strongly considered in patients with unexplained LVH and a family history of sudden cardiac death at a young age.
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Background Since the beginning of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic, misinformation has been spreading uninhibited over traditional and social media at a rapid pace. We sought to analyze the magnitude of misinformation that is being spread on Twitter (Twitter, Inc., San Francisco, CA) regarding the coronavirus epidemic. Materials and methods We conducted a search on Twitter using 14 different trending hashtags and keywords related to the COVID-19 epidemic. We then summarized and assessed individual tweets for misinformation in comparison to verified and peer-reviewed resources. ⋯ The keyword "COVID-19" had the lowest rate of misinformation and unverifiable information, while the keywords "#2019_ncov" and "Corona" were associated with the highest amount of misinformation and unverifiable content respectively. Conclusions Medical misinformation and unverifiable content pertaining to the global COVID-19 epidemic are being propagated at an alarming rate on social media. We provide an early quantification of the magnitude of misinformation spread and highlight the importance of early interventions in order to curb this phenomenon that endangers public safety at a time when awareness and appropriate preventive actions are paramount.
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The Recovery of Equipment for Capacity building OVERseas (RECOVER) initiative at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School involves collection and donation of clean and unused medical supplies that would otherwise be discarded to those desperately in need of those supplies abroad. RECOVER has recently responded to the aftermath of the Ebola crisis and the even more recent mudslide natural disaster in Freetown, Sierra Leone, which had resulted in a considerable diminishing of the local medical supplies. The goal of this study was to assess the match between donated supplies and local needs by using a post-donation survey. ⋯ At first glance, our donations appear usable and appropriate for the recipients. We hope to provide a framework for an objective measure of need for hospitals in other low-income countries, using the Freetown post-Ebola crisis as a pilot for the assessment of medical supply donations and the longitudinal impact it can have on global health and surgery overseas. More studies are required to further explore the possible implications of our program including those relating to medical waste management and environmental considerations when donating and shipping disposable supplies to a developing country.