Internal Medicine Commons^™

Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy Associated With Polycythemia Vera., Sijan Basnet, Priya Rajagopalan, Rashmi Dhital, Biswaraj Tharu

Reading Hospital Internal Medicine Residency

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is characterized by transient apical ballooning with preserved basal ventricular function triggered by physical or emotional stressors. We present a case of a 75-year-old man referred to our facility for the management of acute myocardial infarction later diagnosed as takotsubo cardiomyopathy. We believe platelet-mediated adrenaline release from massive thrombocytosis might have been the precipitating factor for the pathogenesis of takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

Equal Efficacy Of Clopidogrel Versus Ticagrelor As Monotherapy In Peripheral Artery Disease, Aimee L. Vos

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A critical appraisal and clinical application of Hiatt H, Fowkes G, Heizer G, et al. Ticagrelor versus clopidogrel in symptomatic peripheral artery disease. N Engl J Med. 2017;376:32-40. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1611688.

Hcv-Associated Exosomes Promote Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cell Expansion Via Inhibiting Mir-124 To Regulate T Follicular Cell Differentiation And Function, Ling Wang, Dechao Cao, Ling Wang, Juan Zhao, Lam Nhat Nguyen, Xindi Dang, Yingjie Ji, Xiao Y. Wu, Zheng D. Morrison, Qian Xie, Mohamed El Gazzar, Shunbin Ning, Jonathon P. Moorman, Zhi Q. Yao

ETSU Faculty Works

Virus-infected cells can regulate non-permissive bystander cells, but the precise mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Here we report that this process can be mediated by transfer of viral RNA-loaded exosomes shed from infected cells to myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), which in turn regulate the differentiation and function of T cells during viral infection. Specifically, we demonstrated that patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection exhibited significant increases in T follicular regulatory (TFR) cells and decreases in T follicular helper (TFH) cells. These MDSC-mediated T-cell dysregulations resulted in an increased ratio of TFR/TFH and IL-10 production in peripheral blood. Specifically, co-culture …

Autologous Blood Patch After Ct-Guided Lung Biopsy Might Reduce Pneumothorax Requiring Chest Tube Placement, Tiffani Strickland

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A critical appraisal and clinical application of Malone LJ, Stanfill RM, Wang H, Fahey KM, Bertino RE. Effect of intraparenchymal blood patch on rates of pneumothorax and pneumothorax requiring chest tube placement after percutaneous lung biopsy. American Journal of Roentgenology. 2013;200(6):1238-1243. doi: 10.2214/ajr.12.8980.

Inhibition Of Trf2 Accelerates Telomere Attrition And Dna Damage In Naïve Cd4 T Cells During Hcv Infection, Lam Nhat Nguyen, Juan Zhao, Dechao Cao, Xindi Dang, Ling Wang, Jianqi Lian, Ying Zhang, Zhansheng Jia, Xiao Y. Wu, Zheng Morrison, Qian Xie, Yingjie Ji, Zheng Zhang, Mohammed El Gazzar, Shunbin Ning, Jonathan P. Moorman, Zhi Q. Yao

ETSU Faculty Works

T cells play a crucial role in viral clearance and vaccine responses; however, the mechanisms that regulate their homeostasis during viral infections remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the machineries of T-cell homeostasis and telomeric DNA damage using a human model of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We found that naïve CD4 T cells in chronically HCV-infected patients (HCV T cells) were significantly reduced due to apoptosis compared with age-matched healthy subjects (HSs). These HCV T cells were not only senescent, as demonstrated by overexpression of aging markers and particularly shortened telomeres; but also DNA damaged, as evidenced by …

A Systematic Review Of The Efficacy And Safety Of Fecal Microbiota Transplant For Clostridium Difficile Infection In Immunocompromised Patients, Oluwaseun Shogbesan, Dilli Ram Poudel, Samjeris Victor, Asad Jehangir, Opeyemi Fadahunsi, Gbenga Shogbesan, Anthony A. Donato

Reading Hospital Internal Medicine Residency

Background: Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been shown to be effective in recurrent

Methods: We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE for English language articles published on FMT for treatment of CD infection in immunocompromised patients (including patients on immunosuppressant medications, patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), inherited or primary immunodeficiency syndromes, cancer undergoing chemotherapy, or organ transplant, including-bone marrow transplant) of all ages. We excluded inflammatory bowel disease patients that were not on immunosuppressant medications. Resolution and adverse event rates (including secondary infection, rehospitalization, and death) were calculated.

Results: Forty-four studies were included, none of which were randomized designs. A total …

Evaluation Of Quality Of Warfarin Therapy By Assessing Patient's Time In Therapeutic Range At A Tertiary Care Hospital In Pakistan, Haris Hakeem, Ammar Zaman Khan, Kashif Aziz, Ayesha Abbasi, Anam Haider, Bushra Moiz, Mohammad Wasay

Section of Neurology

Objective: To assess the time in therapeutic range in patients on warfarin anti-coagulation therapy.

Methods: The retrospective chart review was conducted at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised data of patients having undergone anti-coagulation with warfarin from January 2013 to April 2015. To determine the mean time in therapeutic range, Rosendaal method was used. Association of time in therapeutic range with the composite outcome, bleeding and thromboembolic events was also assessed. Percentage of patients with time in therapeutic range <60% was calculated.

Results: There were 92 patients whose median time in therapeutic range was 34.9% (interquartile range: 20.0- 55.7). Overall, 71(77.2%) …

Utilization Of Imaging To Identify A Benign Condition Mimicking Acute Appendicitis In A Child, Neelam Phalke Md, Zubin Mehta Md, Samrat Das Md

School of Medicine Faculty Research

One of the most concerning causes of abdominal pain affecting children is acute appendicitis. However, there are benign conditions that can closely mimic appendicitis in children. In this article, we present a case of a child admitted for possible acute appendicitis and determined to have a condition known as omental infarction. The patient was managed medically and made a full recovery without surgical intervention. The aim of this case report is to review omental infarction and present a way of differentiating this disease from appendicitis, utilizing imaging, with the goal of avoiding surgical intervention. We also discuss the presentation and …

Anidulafungin: A Noninferior Alternative To Fluconazole For Treatment Of Esophageal Candidiasis, Blake S. Sanford

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A critical appraisal and clinical application of Krause DS, Simjee AE, van Rensburg C, et al. A randomized, double-blind trial of anidulafungin versus fluconazole for the treatment of esophageal candidiasis. Clin Infect Dis. 2004;39(6):770-775. doi: 10.1086/423378.

Intravenous Glucocorticoids Provide No Additional Benefit Over Oral Glucocorticoids In Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Exacerbation, Alexander C. Waselewski

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A critical appraisal and clinical application of de Jong YP, Uil SM, Grotjohan HP, Postma DS, Kerstjens HA, van den Berg JW. Oral or IV prednisolone in the treatment of COPD exacerbations: a randomized, controlled, double-blind study. Chest. 2007;132(6):1741-1747. doi: 10.1378/chest.07-0208

The Association Of Qsofa, Sofa, And Sirs With Mortality In Emergency Department Pneumonia, Ian D. Mecham, Nathan C. Dean, Emily L. Wilson, Al R. Jephson, Michael J. Lanpsa

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Objective: To determine the association between 30-day mortality with Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), and quick SOFA (qSOFA) in emergency department patients with pneumonia. Secondary outcomes included the association of sepsis scores with hospital admission and direct ICU admission.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of a pneumonia population conducted in the emergency department of 3 tertiary care medical centers and 4 community hospitals. Adult immunocompetent patients diagnosed with pneumonia were included from 3 twelve-month periods spanning December 2009 to October 2015. We generated area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) values for …

Continuous Infusion Of Epoprostenol As Salvage Therapy For Severe Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, Jenna Rousseau, Jie Chi

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A critical appraisal and clinical application of Barst RJ, Rubin LJ, Long WA, McGoon MD, Rich S. A comparison of continuous intravenous epoprostenol (prostacyclin) with conventional therapy for primary pulmonary hypertension. New Eng J Med. 1996;334(5):296-301. doi: 10.1056/nejm199602013340504

Bevacizumab: A Rare Cause Of Nonischemic Cardiomyopathy., Oreoluwa Oladiran, Salik Nazir

Reading Hospital Internal Medicine Residency

Left ventricular dysfunction is a rare side effect of bevacizumab occurring in 2-4% of cases. We report the case of a 68-year-old woman who presented to the emergency department (ED) with sudden onset of shortness of breath, orthopnea, and paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea. She was tachypneic and in respiratory distress. Physical examination revealed jugular venous distention, diffuse expiratory wheeze, and bipedal edema. She had been started on bevacizumab for the treatment of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia 1 month prior to presentation. Laboratory tests revealed BNP of 1697 pg/ml with slightly elevated troponin 0.05 ng/ml. Chest X-ray showed interstitial edema with cardiomegaly, and …

Prevalence Of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (Copd) Among Rheumatoid Arthritis: Results From National Inpatient Database., Rashmi Dhital, Sijan Basnet, Prakash Paudel, Yam Prasad Acharya, Dilli Ram Poudel

Reading Hospital Internal Medicine Residency

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is being increasingly recognized as an important contributor to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Although smoking is a major risk factor, other factors may play a role. We used National Inpatient Sample (NIS) from 2013 to explore this relationship. We used propensity matching with a 1:3 nearest-neighbor-matching algorithm to match 1 RA hospitalization to 3 age- and-sex-matched comparators. In the age- and-sex-matched population, RA had a higher odds of COPD (OR 1.20, 95% CI: 1.17-1.22,

Immunoglobulin G4 Sclerosing Cholangitis: An Unusual Cause Of Obstructive Jaundice-Case Report And Literature Review., Pragya Shrestha, Brian Le, Brent Wagner, William Pompella, Paras Karmacharya

Reading Hospital Internal Medicine Residency

IgG4-related sclerosing cholangitis (IgG4-SC) is one of the most common extra-pancreatic manifestation of IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) and is clinically distinct from primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). IgG4-RD is an increasingly recognized immune-mediated fibroinflammatory systemic disease, mostly affecting middle-aged and older male populations that can affect multiple organs. The presence of extra-biliary clinical manifestations of IgG4-RD, such as parotid and lacrimal swelling, lymphadenopathy, autoimmune pancreatitis, and retroperitoneal fibrosis, if present could provide important clues to diagnosis. High serum IgG4 levels, characteristic radiological (e.g., sausage-shaped pancreas or periaortitis) or biopsy findings (high percentage of IgG4+ plasma cells, lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate, storiform fibrosis, or obliterative …

Recurrent Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia In Splenic Marginal Zone Lymphoma., Oreoluwa Oladiran, Rashmi Dhital, Anthony Donato

Reading Hospital Internal Medicine Residency

Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) is a condition associated with an extensive differential diagnosis that includes lymphoid malignancies. Although AIHA occurs in about 10-25% of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, it is also reported to occur in all of the other lymphoid subtypes. In this article, we report a case of recurrent AIHA in a 67-year-old woman with two acute episodes of hemolysis separated by 3 years of hematologic remission. Both episodes were severe enough to require blood transfusion, oral steroids, and rituximab. Bone marrow biopsy and immunophenotyping using flow cytometry done during both admissions confirmed the presence of splenic marginal …

Fecal Microbiota Transplantation May Have Clinical Utility In Reducing Incidence Of Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection, Jeremy A. Grekin

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A critical appraisal and clinical application of Tariq R, Pardi DS, Tosh PK, Walker RC, Razonable RR, Khanna S. Fecal microbiota transplantation for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection reduces recurrent urinary tract infection frequency. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 2017 Oct 30;65(10):1745–1747. doi: 10.1093/cid/cix618

Novel Stat3 Gene Mutation Related Hyper-Ige Syndrome Misdiagnosed As Hidradenitis Suppurativa., Pragya Shrestha, Geetika Sabharwal, Gisoo Ghaffari

Reading Hospital Internal Medicine Residency

Although Hyper-IgE Syndrome (HIES) is a rare immunodeficiency disorder, presenting symptoms may be as common as lung and skin infections. Symptoms are usually nonspecific such as recurrent abscesses, folliculitis, and pneumonias along with skeletal abnormalities. Careful history of susceptibility to skin and lung infections, thorough family history, and findings on physical exam can guide towards the diagnosis of this often-eluded condition. Early optimization of therapy with prophylactic antibiotics can prevent recurrent infections and future complications and improve quality of life and longevity of survival. We present a case of a young female with Hyper-IgE Syndrome with a novel mutation in …

A Rare Case Of Spontaneous Cardiac Tamponade Induced By Concomitant Use Of Rivaroxaban And Amiodarone., Oreoluwa Oladiran, Jared Segal, Ifeanyi Nwosu, Salik Nazir

Reading Hospital Internal Medicine Residency

Rivaroxaban is a direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) approved as an important alternative to warfarin in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. We report the case of an 87-year-old man with past medical history of nonvalvular atrial fibrillation on rivaroxaban and recently started amiodarone for pulseless ventricular tachycardia who presented to our hospital with intermittent chest pain and was diagnosed with spontaneous hemopericardium causing cardiac tamponade. The culprit drugs were discontinued, and the patient was treated with emergent pericardiocentesis. Both rivaroxaban and amiodarone are substrates for the CYP3A4 hepatic pathway, and concomitant use can result in increased plasma rivaroxaban levels causing an …

Progression Of Gastric Acid Production In Preterm Neonates: Utilization Of In-Vitro Method, Murali R. Palla, Shashidhar Harohalli, Tim N. Crawford, Nirmala Desai

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Background: Limited studies are done regarding ability to produce gastric acid in preterm infants and most studies used in vivo method of assessing gastric pH.

Objectives: To assess the feasibility of using an in vitro method of measuring gastric pH in babies ≤ 28 weeks gestational age (GA) and determine whether changes in gastric pH differ with gestational age, mode of delivery, and use of antenatal steroids.

Design/Methods: Prospective study that enrolled extremely low birth weight (ELBW) babies. Gastric aspirate collected before feeding. In vitro testing of gastric aspirates for pH were done on days of life 1, 3, 5, …