Gastroduodenal artery aneurysm rupture in hospitalized patients:An overlooked diagnosis

Gastroduodenal artery(GDA) aneurysm rupture is a rare serious condition.The diagnosis requires a high level of suspicion with specif ic attention to warning signs.Early diagnosis can prevent fatal outcomes.In this report,we describe a case of GDA aneurysm rupture presenting as recurrent syncope and atypical back and abdominal discomfort.The rupture manifested as hemorrhagic shock.The diagnosis was made by computed tomography of the abdomen which showed acute peritoneal and retroperitoneal bleeding.Angiographic intervention failed to coil the GDA and surgery with arterial ligation was the def initive treatment.

In-hospital acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding: What is the scope of the problem?

BACKGROUND Acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding(AUGIB)is a frequently encountered condition in the Gastroenterology field with a mortality rate of 10-14%.Despite recent newer innovations and advancements in endoscopic techniques and available medications,the mortality rate associated with AUGIB remained persistently elevated.AIM To explore mortality,characteristics and outcome differences between hospitalized patients who develop AUGIB while in-hospital,and patients who initially present with AUGIB.METHODS This is a retrospective of patients who presented to Northwell Health Staten Island University Hospital from October 2012 to October 2016 with AUGIB that was confirmed endoscopically.Patients were divided in two groups:Group 1 comprised patients who developed AUGIB during their hospital stay;group 2 consisted of patients who initially presented with AUGIB as their main complaint.Patient characteristics,time to endoscopy,endoscopy findings and interventions,and clinical outcomes were collected and compared between groups.RESULTS A total of 336 patients were included.Group 1 consisted of 139 patients and group 2 of 196 patients.Mortality was significantly higher in the 1st group compared to the 2nd(20%vs 3.1%,P≤0.05).Increased length of stay(LOS)was noted in the 1st group(13 vs 6,P≤0.05).LOS post-endoscopy,vasopressor use,number of packed red blood cell units and patients requiring fresh frozen plasma were higher in group 1.Inpatients were more likely to be on corticosteroids,antiplatelets and anticoagulants.Conversely,the mean time from bleeding to undergoing upper endoscopy was significantly lower in group 1 compared to group 2.CONCLUSION In-hospital AUGIB is associated with high mortality and morbidity despite a shorter time to endoscopy.Larger scale studies assessing the role of increased comorbidities and antithrombotic use in this setting are warranted.

Optimizing Surgical Conditions with the Use of a Modified Spontaneous Respiration, Intravenous Anesthesia and High-Flow Nasal Oxygen for Pediatric Laser Laryngeal Surgery

The use of SponTaneous Respiration using IntraVEnous anesthesia and High-flow nasal oxygen (STRIVE-Hi) in laryngeal surgery has become more widely reported. This method eliminates the endotracheal tube as a fuel for a potential fire. However, little has been published on its use in the pediatric population. Our case report describes its use in a 2-year-old undergoing micro-direct laryngoscopy with CO2 assisted supraglottoplasty and rigid bronchoscopy for airway obstruction from congenital laryngomalacia. The STRIVE-Hi technique was modified for the pediatric patient by using a lower flow through the nasal cannula (4 L). No major changes in SpO2 were detected during the 30-minute procedure. With back up airway safety equipment in place, STRIVE is proving to be a safe technique with major advantages when used in this unique scenario.

减重手术在多囊卵巢综合征治疗中的作用

多囊卵巢综合征（polycystic ovarian syndrome,PCOS）是女性常见内分泌紊乱性疾病,其发生率近10%。表现为无排卵、高雄激素血症及超声显示卵巢的多囊改变。多数患者伴有代谢综合征（metabolic syndrome,MS）,表现为高血压、高血脂、肥胖、胰岛素抵抗及糖耐量异常。

Hypoalbuminemia in colorectal cancer prognosis:Nutritional marker or inflammatory surrogate?

Albumin is the single most abundant protein in the human serum. Its roles in physiology and pathology are diverse. Serum albumin levels have been classically thought to reflect the nutritional status of patients. This concept has been challenged in the last two decades as multiple factors, such as inflammation, appeared to affect albumin levels independent of nutrition. In general, cancer patients have a high prevalence of hypoalbuminemia. As such, the role of hypoalbuminemia in patients with colorectal cancer has received significant interest. We reviewed the English literature on the prognostic value of pretreatment albumin levels in colorectal cancer. We also consolidated the evidence that led to the current understanding of hypoalbuminemia as an inflammatory marker rather than as a nutritional one among patients with colorectal cancer.

在 polycystic 定义 bariatric 外科的角色卵巢的症候群病人

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder in women.To meet PCOS criteria,women must have a combination of hyperandrogenism,anovulation and ultrasound findings.Almost 10% of all reproductive age women worldwide show signs of PCOS.Although women often seek care for gynecological or body image concerns,many PCOS women are at risk for metabolic syndrome (MS).Many of the metabolic consequences are overlooked and un-dertreated by physicians because these patients tend to be young,reproductive age women.MS and obesity coexist commonly with PCOS.These young women are predisposed to glucose abnormalities and ulti-mately diabetes mellitus,dyslipidemia and eventually cardiovascular disease.Bariatric surgery can be an ef-fective means of weight loss in PCOS women.Surgical techniques have become safer and less invasive over time and have been found to be effective in achieving significant weight loss.Surgical options have also in-creased,giving patients more choices.Bariatric surgery may prevent or reverse metabolic syndrome.Bariatric surgery may also have reproductive benefits in PCOS patients.Although bariatric surgery has historically been performed in older,reproductive aged women,it has recently gained favor in adolescents as well.This is of particular importance due to the prevalence of both PCOS and MS in adolescents.Treatment of PCOS and MS certainly requires a combination of medical therapy,psychological support and lifestyle modifications.These treatments are difficult and often frustrating for pa-tients and physicians.Bariatric surgery can be effective in achieving significant weight loss,restoration of the hypothalamic pituitary axis,reduction of cardiovascular risk and even in improving pregnancy outcomes.Ulti-mately,bariatric surgery should be considered part of the treatment in PCOS women,especially in those with MS.

Frequently overlooked and rarely listened to: Music therapy in gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures

To elucidate the role of music therapy in gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures following the conflicting outcomes reported in two recent studies. The findings of our recent meta-analysis that examined this matter were discussed in the context of later studies. Our meta-analysis illustrated the beneficial effects of music therapy on patient anxiety levels when used as a single measure of relaxation and analgesia. Beneficial effects were also shown on analgesia and sedation requirements and procedure duration times when used as an adjunct to pharmacotherapy. These findings are in agreement with those of both studies excluded from analysis and those that followed it. Music therapy is an effective tool for stress relief and analgesia in patients undergoing gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures.

Assessing and treating insulin resistance in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome

Polycystic ovarian syndrome(PCOS) is a highly prevalent hormonal and metabolic disorder among reproductive aged women worldwide.Women with PCOS have widely varying phenotypes and seek medical care for differing reasons.In addition to concern for menstrual cycle function,ovulation,hirsutism and acne,many PCOS women have abnormal glucose metabolism.While diabetes mellitus and impaired glucose tolerance are easily diagnosed,the diagnosis of and concern for insulin resistance as a precursor disorder is underappreciated.Insulin resistance may be the first important marker of metabolic disease in PCOS women at risk for metabolic syndrome and coronary artery disease.

Prognostic impact of atrial fibrillation on clinical outcomes of acute coronary syndromes,heart failure and chronic kidney disease

Atrial fibrillation(AF) is the most common type of sustained arrhythmia,which is now on course to reach epidemic proportions in the elderly population. AF is a commonly encountered comorbidity in patients with cardiac and major non-cardiac diseases. Morbidity and mortality associated with AF makes it a major healthcare burden. The objective of our article is to determine the prognostic impact of AF on acute coronary syndromes,heart failure and chronic kidney disease. Multiple studies have been conducted to determine if AF has an independent role in the overall mortality of such patients. Our review suggests that AF has an independent adverse prognostic impact on the clinical outcomes of acute coronary syndromes,heart failure and chronic kidney disease.

Methylmalonic acid as an indicator of vitamin B12 deficiency in patients on metformin

Context: Metformin is frequently prescribed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. It is recommended as a first line agent by the American Diabetes Association. Vitamin B12 deficiency has been suggested as a side effect of metformin therapy;however, previous studies have not assessed the utility of methylmalonic acid levels as an indicator of vitamin B12 status. Objective: To investigate the prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency in patients on metformin therapy for diabetes by utilizing both vitamin B12 and methylmalonic acid levels. Design, Setting, and Patients: Eighty-eight patients with diabetes, who were either on or off metformin therapy for at least thirty days, were enrolled in a case-controlled study. Blood work and questionnaires were used for analysis. Main Outcome Measures Study: Aims were to detect a clinically significant difference in the prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency between metformin users and non-users, where such deficiency is defined by both low vitamin B12 and elevated methylmalonic acid levels. Results: Two Sample Equal Variance T-Tests were used to compare averages of measured values and the Chisquare test was used to determine the significance of calculated vitamin B12 deficiency rates between the two groups of patients. Two separate methods for defining vitamin B12 deficiency were utilized. There was no difference in the prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency in metformin users compared with non-users by either method. Average homocysteine levels were higher in those not on metformin therapy. Conclusion: Vitamin B12 deficiency as defined by an elevated methylmalonic acid level was no greater in patients with diabetes on metformin therapy versus those patients not on metformin treatment.

Clostridioides difficile infection in liver cirrhosis patients: A population-based study in United States

BACKGROUND Clostridioides(formerly Clostridium)difficile infection(CDI)is an increasingly frequent cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients.Multiple risk factors are documented in the literature that includes,but are not limited to,antibiotics use,advanced age,and gastric acid suppression.Several epidemiological studies have reported an increased incidence of CDI in advanced liver disease patients.Some have also demonstrated a higher prevalence of nosocomial infections in cirrhotic patients.AIM To use a large nationwide database,we sought to determine CDI’s risk among liver cirrhosis patients in the United States.METHODS We queried a commercial database(Explorys Inc^(TM),Cleveland,OH,United States),and obtained an aggregate of electronic health record data from 26 major integrated United States healthcare systems comprising 360 hospitals in the United States from 2018 to 2021.Diagnoses were organized into the Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms(SNOMED–CT)hierarchy.Statistical analysis for the multivariable model was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences(SPSS version 25,IBM CorpTM).For all analyses,a two-sided P value of<0.05 was considered statistically significant.RESULTS There were a total of 19387760 patients in the database who were above 20 years of age between the years 2018-2021.Of those,133400 were diagnosed with liver cirrhosis.The prevalence of CDI amongst the liver cirrhosis population was 134.93 per 100.000 vs 19.06 per 100.000 in non-cirrhotic patients(P<0.0001).The multivariate analysis model uncovered that cirrhotic patients were more likely to develop CDI(OR:1.857;95%CI:1.665-2.113,P<0.0001)compared to those without any prior history of liver cirrhosis.CONCLUSION In this large database study,we uncovered that cirrhotic patients have a significantly higher CDI prevalence than those without cirrhosis.Liver cirrhosis may be an independent risk factor for CDI.Further prospective studies are needed to clarify this possible risk association that may lead to the implementation of screening methods in this high-risk population.

Cardiac resynchronization therapy in acute pulmonary edema: A case report

We are reporting a case of 71-year old lady with a dual chamber demand pacemaker,who developed acute pulmonary edema due to an acute left ventricular(LV)dysfunction and worsening in mitral valve regurgitation after atrioventricular nodal ablation for uncontrolled atrial fibrillation.This was attributed to right ventricular apical pacing leading to LV dyssynchronization.Patient dramatically improved within 12-24 h after upgrading her single chamber pacemaker to biventricular pacing.Our case demonstrates that biventricular pacing can be an effective modality of treatment of acute congestive heart failure.In particular,it can be used when it is secondary to LV dysfunction and severe mitral regurgitation attributed to significant dyssynchrony created by right ventricular pacing in patients with atrioventricular nodal ablation for chronic atrial fibrillation.

9.1 cm abdominal aortic aneurysm in a 69-year-old male patient

We are presenting a case of one of the largest unruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm ever reported. Presented here is a rare case of a 69-year-old active smoker male with history of hypertension and incidental diagnosis of abdominal aortic aneurysm of 6.2 cm in 2003, who refused surgical intervention at the time of diagnosis with continued smoking habit and was managed medically. Patient was subsequently admitted in 2012 to the hospital due to unresponsiveness secondary to hypoglycemia along with diagnosis of massive symptomatic pulmonary embolism and nonST elevation myocardial infarction. With the further inpatient workup along with known history of abdominal aortic aneurysm, subsequent computed tomography scan of abdomen pelvis revealed increased in size of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm to 9.1 cm of without any signs of rupture. Patient was unable to undergo any surgical intervention this time because of his medical instability and was eventually passed away under hospice care.

Biodegradable polymer stents vs second generation drug eluting stents:A meta-analysis and systematic review of randomized controlled trials

AIM: To evaluate the premise, that biodegradable polymer drug eluting stents(BD-DES) could improve clinical outcomes compared to second generation permanent polymer drug eluting stents(PP-DES), we pooled the data from all the available randomized control trials(RCT) comparing the clinical performance of both these stents.METHODS: A systematic literature search of Pub Med, Cochrane, Google scholar databases, EMBASE, MEDLINE and SCOPUS was performed during time period of January 2001 to April 2015 for RCT and comparing safety and efficacy of BD-DES vs second generation PP-DES. The primary outcomes of interest were definite stent thrombosis, target lesion revascularization, myocardial infarction, cardiac deaths and total deaths during the study period. RESULTS: A total of 11 RCT's with a total of 12644 patients were included in the meta-analysis, with 6598 patients in BD-DES vs 6046 patients in second generation PP-DES. The mean follow up period was 16 mo. Pooled analysis showed non-inferiority of BD-DES, comparing events of stent thrombosis(OR = 1.42, 95%CI: 0.79-2.52, P = 0.24), target lesion revascularization(OR = 0.99, 95%CI: 0.84-1.17, P = 0.92), myocardial infarction(OR = 1.06, 95%CI: 0.86-1.29, P = 0.92), cardiac deaths(OR = 1.07, 95%CI 0.82-1.41, P = 0.94) and total deaths(OR = 0.96, 95%CI: 0.80-1.17, P = 0.71).CONCLUSION: BD-DES, when compared to second generation PP-DES, showed no significant advantage and the outcomes were comparable between both the groups.

Rare case of coronary to pulmonary vein fistula with coronary steal phenomenon

Coronary artery fistulas are abnormal connections between coronary artery territories and cardiac chambers or major vessels,most of them are congenital.Patients with coronary artery fistula can be asymptomatic or present with different symptoms like angina.Cardiac computed tomography(CT)is one of the best modalities for diagnosis.We present an elderly patient that presented with angina symptoms,non invasive stress test was positive for ischemic heart disease,coronary angiogram could not reveal any obstructive lesions,but an abnormal branch of the left descending coronary artery(LAD),cardiac CT showed fistula that connect left anterior descending coronary artery to left superior pulmonary vein.Our case is extremely rare as most of the reported cases were fistulas between LAD and pulmonary artery,but in our case the fistula between LAD and left superior pulmonary vein.In addition,our patients’symptoms resolved with anti-ischemic medical treatment without any surgical intervention.

Unique presentation of Twiddler's syndrome

We present a rare case of Twiddler's syndrome diagnosed in an asymptomatic patient on a routine follow up.This case reiterates the need for frequent monitoring of the implanted device.In addition,it was detected 4 years after implantation of an automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator.This late representation is extremely uncommon.

The Transradial Approach for Cardiac Catheterization and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention:A Review

Cardiac catheterization and percutaneous coronary intervention play an important role in the management of coronary artery disease.Although the transfemoral approach has been the traditionally dominant method,there has been an increased utilization of the transradial approach.Multiple observational studies and randomized clinical trials have shown fewer bleeding complications,reduced morbidity and mortality,improved quality of life,and better economic outcomes when the transradial approach is utilized when compared to the transfemoral approach.Despite its many benefits,utilization of this approach in certain countries including the United States has been less than optimal due to a lower adoption rates mostly driven by lack of training opportunities and decreased awareness of clinical benefits of the transradial approach.In this review,the history,observational trends,efficacy,and technical aspects of transradial cardiac catheterization and percutaneous coronary intervention are discussed.

Sub-acute endocarditis by Corynebacterium straitum : An often ignored pathogen

With the emergence of novel etiologic organisms, panresistance, and invasive medical care infective endocarditis continues to be evasive, requiring newer approaches and modified treatment guidelines. Presented here is the case of a 75-year-old male with history of systolic heart failure with an automatic internal cardioverter defibrillator(AICD) implantation and a prosthetic mitral valve who presented with generalized malaise and progressive shortness of breath for 6 d. He was found to have positive blood cultures for gram positive rod shaped bacteria identified as Corynebacterium straitum, but was not considered as the etiological pathogen initially as it a usual skin contaminant. Later this bacterium was found to be the causative agent for the patient's endocarditis. This case highlights the importance of identifying the role of this uncommon commensal in invasive disease. With the use of effective antibiotic regimen and awareness of these new pathogens in invasive disease, mortality and morbidity can be prevented with initiation of early appropriate therapy.

Remission of Relapsing Immunotactoid Glomerulonephritis with Fludarabine

Immunotactoid gloemrulonephritis is a glomerular disease characterized by organized microtubular deposits of monoclonal immunoglobulin. These deposits are Congo red-negative, have hollow centers, measure > 30 nm, and are arranged in stacked or parallel arrays. Treatment of immunotactoid glomerulonephritis is not well-defined, with poor outcomes seen in native kidneys. In fewer than 10% of the cases, trials with steroids alone or cytotoxic agents with steroids or plasmapheresis with steroids has been associated with clinical remission of proteinuria. 50% of patients with renal impairment progress to end stage renal disease (ESRD) in two to four years. There are three case reports of recurrent ITG in renal allograft;one was treated with pulse steroids plus cyclophosphamide, pulse steroids in second case and use of rituximab in the third case. Recurrence of ITG has been described in the renal allograft but there is no literature on relapse of ITG in the native kidneys. Here, we have a case of ITG that relapsed in the native kidneys eight years after being in remission. Renal function improved with fludarabine both times and the patient had stable renal function at last follow-up.