Bilateral multifocal lower extremity localized soft tissue amyloidomas: case report with ultrasonographic characterization.

Amyloidosis may be acquired or hereditary and consists of multiple disease processes characterized by the abnormal deposition of extracellular fibrillary protein aggregates. The presentation of amyloidosis is varied, ranging from an isolated, focal deposition to systemic disease. While systemic involvement is common, a rare entity known as amyloidoma or tumor amyloidosis may also occur. The 75-year-old female in this case presented with slowly growing multifocal bilateral lower extremity masses and was ultimately diagnosed with localized amyloidomas in the absence of chronic illness or systemic disease. This case report includes a description of the sonographic features of localized extremity amyloidoma that, to the best of our knowledge, have not yet been described in the literature. Awareness of the sonographic features, and this unique presentation of multifocal soft tissue extremity amyloidomas will allow for this rare diagnosis to be included in a limited differential diagnosis.

The first patient with tandem duplication of 6q14q16: Molecular and phenotypic characterization.

Duplications of the long arm of chromosome 6 have been previously reported in a limited number of patients; however, most reported duplications encompass regions of chromosome 6 distal to band q21. Duplications restricted to the proximal portion of 6q are rare. We report an 8-year-old male with a 16.4 megabase (Mb) tandem duplication of chromosome 6q14.1q16.1 (chr6:78950191-95395865; hg19) who exhibited dysmorphic facial features, seizures, global developmental delay, intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, sensorineural hearing loss, and immune deficiency. This patient refines and potentially expands the current, poorly-characterized phenotype associated with duplication of this proximal 6q region. We recommend a low threshold for a hearing evaluation beyond newborn screening and for pursuing an immune work-up in patients with similar 6q duplications. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Methylene blue applied to N95 respirators and medical masks for SARS-CoV-2 decontamination: What is the likelihood of inhaling methylene blue?

BACKGROUND: Global shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), as consequence of the COVID-19 global pandemic, has unmasked significant resource inequities prompting efforts to develop methods for safe PPE decontamination for reuse. The World Health Organization (WHO) in their Rational Use of PPE bulletin cited the use of a photodynamic dye, methylene blue, and light exposure as a viable option for N95 respirator decontamination. Because WHO noted that methylene blue (MB) would be applied to surfaces through which health care workers breathe, we hypothesized that little to no MB will be detectable by spectroscopy when the PPE is subjected to MB at supraphysiologic airflow rates. METHODS: A panel of N95 respirators, medical masks, and cloth masks were sprayed with 5 cycles of 1,000 uM MB solution. Mask coupons were subjected to the equivalent of 120 L/min of 100% humidified air flow. Effluent gas was trapped in an aqueous solution and the resultant fluid was sampled for MB absorbance with a level of detection of 0.004 mg/m3. RESULTS: No detectable MB was identified for any mask using Ultraviolet-Visible spectroscopy. CONCLUSIONS: At 500-fold the amount of MB applied to N95 respirators and medical masks as were used for the decontamination study cited in the WHO Rational Use of PPE bulletin, no detectable MB was observed, thus providing safety evidence for the use of methylene blue and light exposure for mask decontamination.

Addressing personal protective equipment (PPE) decontamination: Methylene blue and light inactivates severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on N95 respirators and medical masks with maintenance of integrity and fit.

OBJECTIVE: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), underscoring the urgent need for simple, efficient, and inexpensive methods to decontaminate masks and respirators exposed to severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We hypothesized that methylene blue (MB) photochemical treatment, which has various clinical applications, could decontaminate PPE contaminated with coronavirus. DESIGN: The 2 arms of the study included (1) PPE inoculation with coronaviruses followed by MB with light (MBL) decontamination treatment and (2) PPE treatment with MBL for 5 cycles of decontamination to determine maintenance of PPE performance. METHODS: MBL treatment was used to inactivate coronaviruses on 3 N95 filtering facepiece respirator (FFR) and 2 medical mask models. We inoculated FFR and medical mask materials with 3 coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, and we treated them with 10 µM MB and exposed them to 50,000 lux of white light or 12,500 lux of red light for 30 minutes. In parallel, integrity was assessed after 5 cycles of decontamination using multiple US and international test methods, and the process was compared with the FDA-authorized vaporized hydrogen peroxide plus ozone (VHP+O3) decontamination method. RESULTS: Overall, MBL robustly and consistently inactivated all 3 coronaviruses with 99.8% to >99.9% virus inactivation across all FFRs and medical masks tested. FFR and medical mask integrity was maintained after 5 cycles of MBL treatment, whereas 1 FFR model failed after 5 cycles of VHP+O3. CONCLUSIONS: MBL treatment decontaminated respirators and masks by inactivating 3 tested coronaviruses without compromising integrity through 5 cycles of decontamination. MBL decontamination is effective, is low cost, and does not require specialized equipment, making it applicable in low- to high-resource settings.

Robot-Assisted Navigation versus Computer-Assisted Navigation in Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty: Efficiency and Accuracy.

Background. Since the introduction of robot-assisted navigation in primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA), there has been little research conducted examining the efficiency and accuracy of the system compared to computer-assisted navigation systems. Objective. To compare the efficiency and accuracy of Praxim robot-assisted navigation (RAN) and Stryker computer-assisted navigation (CAN) in primary TKA. Methods. This was a retrospective study consisting of 52 patients who underwent primary TKA utilizing RAN and 29 patients utilizing CAN. The primary outcome measure was navigation time. Secondary outcome measures included intraoperative final mechanical axis alignment, intraoperative robot-assisted bone cut accuracy, tourniquet time, and hospitalization length. Results. RAN navigation times were, on average, 9.0 minutes shorter compared to CAN after adjustment. The average absolute intraoperative malalignment was 0.5° less in the RAN procedures compared to the CAN procedures after adjustment. Patients in the RAN group tended to be discharged 0.6 days earlier compared to patients in the CAN group after adjustment. Conclusions. Among patients undergoing TKA, there was decreased navigation time, decreased final malalignment, and decreased hospitalization length associated with the use of RAN when compared to CAN independent of age, BMI, and pre-replacement alignment.