An unexpected location of pleural catheter in a hepatic vein: A case report.

Pleural catheters are widely used for patients with pleural effusions. Several complications with limited morbidity have been reported. We report, to our knowledge, the first case of a pleural catheter insertion into the hepatic vein, passed through the inferior vena cava, and the tip reaching the right atrium, which may be reduced using additional imaging during thoracocentesis.

Extensive Subcutaneous Emphysema Post-traumatic Tube Thoracostomy.

Bronchocutaneous fistula (BCF) is a pathologic communication between the bronchus and the subcutaneous tissue. Its diagnosis is made mainly by chest imaging, and bronchoscopy can help in accurately localizing the fistula. Treatment options include conservative and non-conservative approaches. We report a case of iatrogenic bronchocutaneous fistula occurring after traumatic chest tube placement in an 81-year-old man, treated efficiently with conservative management.

Frequency of ABCB1 C3435T and CYP3A5*3 Genetic Polymorphisms in the Lebanese Population.

OBJECTIVES: CYP3A5 and ABCB1 are highly implicated in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of immunosuppressive agents, such as calcineurin inhibitors and mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors. The polymorphisms of their coding genes play important roles in the interindividual and intraindividual differences of bioavailability of these drugs. In this study, our objective was to investigate, in a Lebanese population,the frequency of ABCB1C3435T (rs1045642) and CYP3A5*3 (rs776746) polymorphisms and to compare the results to preexisting data from other populations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We determined the frequencies of the allelic variants of interest for 1824 Lebanese participants, and we compared these results with those from other major ethnic groups. RESULTS: The allelic frequencies were 91.4% (C) and 8.6% (T) for CYP3A5*3 and 50.8% (T) and 49.2% (C) for ABCB1 C3435T. Our results were significantly different from most other world populations, except the European population. CONCLUSIONS: The frequencies of gene variants of interest in our Lebanese population were similar to those found in European populations. Most of our study population were CYP3A5*3 carriers, and more than half may have a lower P-glycoprotein efflux pump. These characteristics might render Lebanese transplant recipients more prone to the development of drug toxicity and in need of lower drug doses.