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Mohammad Williamson posted an update 6 hours, 11 minutes ago
Paragangliomas are rare lesions of the endocrine system that can be treated either by embolization preoperatively followed by surgical excision or by surgical excision or radiotherapy. In this report, we present an extremely rare location of a nonfunctional paraganglioma in the head and neck region, located in the right supraclavicular fossa, which was misdiagnosed as a thyroid tumor, in a 72-year-old female patient. Imaging revealed a 2.5 × 4.5 × 2 cm well-defined vascularized mass. Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) on the tumor was not diagnostic initially; however, a third attempt revealed thyroid cells suggesting the existence of an ectopic thyroid tumor. FNA was additionally performed on the right thyroid lobe, revealing atypical follicular colloid cells of the Bethesda 3 category. Therefore, the excision of the ectopic thyroid tumor along with right lobectomy was planned. No embolization was initiated preoperatively in this case. INDY inhibitor solubility dmso Histopathology revealed that the supraclavicular mass was a paraganglioma. Paragangliomas supplied by the subclavian, innominate, and common carotid artery are rarely reported, and to our knowledge, this is the third case to be reported worldwide.Introduction Alzheimer’s disease is associated with low bone mineral density. Various studies have linked early-onset Alzheimer’s disease with bone health. In this study, we will determine the association between bone health and recently diagnosed Alzheimer’s disease in the local population. Methods This case-control study was conducted at the neurology unit from April 2019 to Sept 2019. One hundred and fifty (150) Alzheimer’s patients with recently (within the last six months) confirmed diagnoses, based on clinical symptoms, mental status, and computed tomography (CT) scan, were included from the neurology outpatient department. The gender and age-matched 150 healthy participants were included in the study as the reference group. Various parameters of bone health and mental status were measured. Results Participants with Alzheimer’s had a significantly lower level of serum vitamin D (15.2 ± 4.2 ng/mL vs. 27.5 ± 8.1 ng/mL, p-value less then 0.0001) and lower level of serum osteocalcin (4.3 ± 1.7 ng/L vs. 5.6 ± 2.0 ng/L, p-value less then 0.0001). Participants with Alzheimer’s disease had more people with T-score ≤ -2.5 as compared to the general population (52.0% vs. 16.6%, p-value less then 0.0001). Conclusion Alzheimer’s disease is associated with poor bone health as compared to the general population of the same age. Bone health can be an important parameter to screen patients at risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The management of Alzheimer’s disease should include a regular assessment of bone health, and the treatment plan should include therapies to improve bone health.Background and objective Fluoroscopy during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is associated with radiation exposure and related health risks. Either the physician or the radiology technologist can activate fluoroscopy during ERCP. The aim of this study was to determine if physician-controlled fluoroscopy is associated with decreased fluoroscopy time, which may correspond to less radiation exposure to patients and staff. Methods We conducted a single-center, retrospective study; data were collected on ERCP performed using physician-controlled and technologist-controlled fluoroscopy. Fluoroscopy time, procedure complexity level, and Stanford Fluoroscopy Score were compared between the two groups. Results The median fluoroscopy time significantly differed between the two groups with 108 seconds for physician-controlled and 146 seconds for technologist-controlled procedures (p=0.004). The ratio of median fluoroscopy time to procedure complexity level was significantly lower in the physician-controlled group at 73.0 seconds compared to 97.0 seconds in the technologist-controlled group (p=0.002). The ratio of median fluoroscopy time to Stanford Fluoroscopy Score was 25.5 seconds in the physician-controlled group compared to 39.3 seconds in the technologist-controlled group, which was also statistically significant (p less then 0.001). A subgroup analysis of physicians with advanced training in ERCP also showed a significantly reduced median fluoroscopy time to Stanford Fluoroscopy Complexity Score ratio 25.5 seconds for physician-controlled versus 35.0 seconds for technologist-controlled (p=0.001). Conclusion The ERCP technique with physician-controlled fluoroscopy may be associated with shorter fluoroscopy time. This may correspond to decreased radiation exposure to patients compared to radiology technologist-controlled fluoroscopy. Further investigations with larger, prospective studies are warranted.Hematemesis with concomitant small bowel obstruction is an uncommon emergency department presentation. We report the case of a patient who presented with hematemesis and an incarcerated pantaloon hernia. While the patient initially had intact bowel movements and flatus, he eventually developed complete obstruction that required open surgical repair. In a patient with an incarcerated hernia and a history of recurrent small bowel obstruction, predicting strangulation or compromised bowel and the need for rapid surgical intervention can be difficult. Hematemesis concurrent with hernia incarceration may be suggestive of impending complete bowel obstruction and ischemia.Some patients may need mechanical ventilation support during severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (coronavirus disease-2019, COVID-19) infection and may eventually require tracheostomy in the following days. Tracheostomy is considered as a high-risk procedure for surgeons and operative personnel in terms of air contamination. We present a case of percutaneous dilational tracheostomy performed in a patient with COVID-19 pneumonia and the methods we used to reduce contamination risks for the healthcare staff.Pembrolizumab is an immune checkpoint inhibitor approved for use in many cancer types such as non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), metastatic melanoma, head and neck cancers, hepatocellular carcinoma, and renal cell carcinoma. There are many reported cases of patients on immunotherapy who have discontinued treatment due to the development of immune-related adverse effects (irAE). Recognition of the histopathologic patterns of dermatologic toxicities due to immunotherapy will become increasingly important for ensuring appropriate management and optimal patient care. Here, we present a case of a 72-year-old man with metastatic carcinoma of unknown primary origin treated with pembrolizumab who developed an immune-related cutaneous adverse event (ircAE) in the form of lichenoid dermatitis.