Open Gastrostomy of a Gastric Leiomyoma Proximal to the Gastroesophageal Junction: A Case Report.

Gastric leiomyomas are benign, submucosal tumors found incidentally on unrelated imaging or during autopsy. The majority of leiomyomas are asymptomatic; however, patients can develop central ulcerations on the lesions leading to upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. A 75-year-old female, with a past medical history of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and a cerebrovascular accident, presented with complaints of melena, near-syncope events, lightheadedness, weakness, and hematemesis. A computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen with contrast found a heterogeneous low-attenuation mass of 4×4×3 cm3 within the gastric fundus and near the gastroesophageal (GE) junction. After an open gastrostomy and excisional biopsy, the mass was identified as a leiomyoma. This case report reviews the presentation, diagnostic assessments, and treatment of a gastric leiomyoma in a complex location proximal to the gastroesophageal junction. Gastric leiomyomas should be considered as a differential diagnosis for patients presenting with an upper gastrointestinal bleed.

Assessment of optic disc photographs for glaucoma by UK optometrists: the Moorfields Optic Disc Assessment Study (MODAS).

PURPOSE: To assess the ability of UK optometrists to accurately discriminate between stereoscopic photographs of healthy and glaucomatous optic discs. METHODS: An online survey, including questions relating to qualification, practice environment, and diagnostic methods was completed by 1256 optometrists. Based on their responses, 208 (17%) were selected to undertake an online disc assessment exercise. Optometrists evaluated the same disc images previously assessed by European ophthalmologists as part of the European Optic Disc Assessment Trial (EODAT); the task was to state if the disc appeared healthy or glaucomatous. There were 110 stereoscopic disc images, of which 40 were healthy, 48 glaucomatous, and six ocular hypertensive, with 16 duplicates images. Sensitivity, specificity and overall accuracy were calculated and compared between optometrist groups and with the EODAT ophthalmologists using permutation analysis. RESULTS: Median sensitivity was 0.92 (95% CI: 0.70, 1.00) and median specificity was 0.74 (95% CI: 0.62, 0.88). Median overall accuracy was 80% (95% CI: 67%, 88%). Agreement between optometrists was moderate (Fleiss' κ: 0.57). Optometrists with higher qualifications did not have overall higher sensitivity than those without (p = 0.23), but had higher specificity (p = 0.001) and higher overall accuracy (p < 0.001). Optometrists displayed higher sensitivity but lower specificity than the EODAT ophthalmologists. CONCLUSION: UK optometrists displayed a high sensitivity and moderate specificity when assessing optic discs for the presence of glaucoma, in the context of this study.

Postoperative scores for robot-assisted and conventional total knee arthroplasty: A meta-analysis.

Background: Knee osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease globally. As obesity and age rates continue to rise in the U.S., the demand for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is expected to grow significantly by 2030. Advanced techniques such as robotic-assisted (RA-TKA) aim to address this growing concern and improve patient quality-of-life. Since utilization of RA-TKA increased from 2010 to 2018, it is important to compare RA-TKA to conventional TKA (C-TKA) performance. This study compares RA-TKA to C-TKA in patient-reported WOMAC scores and objective range of motion (ROM) scores in eligible short-term (one-year or less) and long-term (one-year to fifteen-years) postoperative follow-up studies. Methods: A systematic review using the PubMed database was performed to identify articles including RA-TKA, CA-TKA, C-TKA, WOMAC scores, and ROM scores. Results: Between RA-TKA and C-TKA, weighted analysis found significant effects in short-term (15.45, 95% CI: 4.96-25.94) and long-term (2.62, 95% CI: 0.62-4.61) WOMAC scores. Conclusion: As approximately 7-20% of C-TKA surgeries result in poor subjective outcomes, and with revision rates and the demand for TKA set to rise, our analysis suggests that patient quality-of-life and cost effectiveness may be significantly improved by RA-TKA over C-TKA.

A Rare Instance of Chronic Masson's Tumor Presenting in the External Auditory Meatus and Surgical Plan: A Case Report.

Intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia (IPEH), or Masson's tumor, is a rare and benign proliferation of endothelial cells typically of vascular origin. Common locations of Masson's tumor include the head, neck, orbit, lip, pharynx, and mandible. It is typically seen in middle-aged adult life and females. Possible differential diagnoses include hemangioma, benign vascular formation, angiosarcoma, and neurofibromatosis. The exact pathophysiology of Masson's tumor is currently unknown. We present the case of a middle-aged 47-year-old male with a pure type of Masson's tumor presenting with pedunculated, malleable lesions across the posterior scalp and circumferential neck, on the pinna of the right ear, and within the right external auditory meatus. The lesions within the right external auditory meatus caused conductive hearing loss. The plan is a complete surgical excision without wide margins. The patient was referred to an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgeon due to the complicated location of the lesion within the external auditory meatus. This case serves as a differential diagnosis of conductive hearing loss complicated by Masson's tumor.

Robotic Sigmoidectomy of a Rare Instance of Sigmoid Colon Duplication in an Elderly Patient: A Case Report.

Duplication of the alimentary tract is a rare malformation that can occur in any portion of the gastrointestinal tract. Rarely diagnosed in adulthood, it is usually an incidental finding due to non-specific gastrointestinal symptoms. Approximately 80% of cases are diagnosed in infants less than two years old. The most common location is the ileum, and the least common location is the rectum. Embryological theories discussing the etiology of alimentary tract duplications include failure of internal vacuolization during the sixth week of fetal development and/or the yolk-sac dorsal protrusion may adhere to the ectoderm during somite development. Environmental factors such as trauma or hypoxia affecting various intestinal fragments receiving blood supply can evolve into duplication. Excision with consideration to the common blood supply to protect the native bowel is the preferred treatment approach. We present the case of an elderly 70-year-old male with a bowel obstruction complicated by sigmoid duplication. After preoperative assessments, the patient underwent a robotic sigmoidectomy. This case report highlights colonic duplication as a differential diagnosis in the bowel obstruction of an elderly patient.

Developing and mature human granulocytes express ELP 6 in the cytoplasm.

BACKGROUND: c3orf75 is a conserved open reading frame within the human genome and has recently been identified as the Elongator subunit, ELP6 [1]. The Elongator enzyme complex has diverse roles, including translational control, neuronal development, cell migration and tumorigenicity [2]. OBJECTIVE: To identify genes expressed early in human eosinophil development. METHODS: Eosinophilopoiesis was investigated by gene profiling of IL-5 stimulated CD34+ cells; ELP6 mRNA is upregulated. A monoclonal antibody was raised to the recombinant protein predicted by the open reading frame. RESULTS: ELP6 transcripts are upregulated in a human tissue culture model of eosinophil development during gene profiling experiments. Transcripts are expressed in most tissue types, as shown by reverse-transcriptase PCR. Western blot experiments show that human ELP6 is a 30 kDa protein expressed in the bone marrow, as well as in many other tissues. Flow cytometry experiments of human bone marrow mononuclear cells show that ELP6 is expressed intracellularly, in developing and mature human neutrophils, eosinophils and monocytes. CONCLUSIONS: ELP6 is expressed intracellularly in developing and mature granulocytes and monocytes but not in lymphocytes and erythrocytes.