Diffuse Thyroid Lipomatosis and Amyloid Goiter With Incidental Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: A Rare Case Report.

Lipoid lesions of the thyroid gland are very rare. Fat-containing thyroid lesions include a variety of clinical-pathological disorders, such as adenolipomas, thyrolipomatosis, and lipomatous tissue, in the event of amyloidosis. Herein, we report a case of diffuse thyrolipomatosis with amyloidosis and incidentally detected papillary carcinoma of the thyroid in a 51-year-old female patient who clinically presented with a multinodular goiter. Amyloidosis in papillary carcinoma of the thyroid is very rare and can be primary or secondary amyloidosis. Thyrolipomatosis, amyloid goiter, and papillary carcinoma of the thyroid is a rare combination, and to our knowledge, this is the third reported case in the literature. The association of amyloidosis and the rare occurrence of a differentiated carcinoma have to be considered, as in the case of thyroid lipomatosis.

Unraveling the role of tumor sidedness in prognosis of stage II colon cancer.

Background: Stage II colon cancer has varying risks for metastasis, and treatment strategies depend on molecular and clinicopathological features. While tumor-sidedness is a well-accepted prognostic factor for stage III/IV colon cancer, its role in stage II is controversial. Understanding its effect in stage II is crucial for improving treatment strategies. Methods: We analyzed clinical and follow-up data of colon cancer from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (2004-2017). Patients were divided into a primary study cohort (2010-2017) and a validation cohort (2004-2009). The baseline characteristics between right-sided colon cancer (RCC) and left-sided colon cancer (LCC) groups were compared. Moreover, the effect of tumor size on cancer-specific survival (CSS) was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results: The study involved 87,355 patients in the study cohort and 65,858 in the validation cohort. Of the study cohort, 52.3% were diagnosed with RCC. The median age was 64 years old, with 48.5% females and 76.8% of white people. In addition, stage II RCC showed better CSS compared with LCC (5-year CSS 88.0% vs 85.5%, P < 0.001), while stage III/IV RCC demonstrated poorer outcomes. Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified that the right-sidedness was a positive prognostic factor in stages I/II but negative in stages III (HR 1.10, P < 0.001) and IV (HR 1.26, P < 0.001). Chemotherapy rates decreased in RCC, particularly in stage II (RCC vs LCC: 16.2% vs 28.5%, P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis, stratified by T3/T4 stages and chemotherapy status, further highlighted better survival outcomes in RCC. Conclusions: RCC is associated with a significantly better prognosis in stage II. The importance of considering tumor-sidedness in clinical decision-making and the design of future clinical trials should be emphasized.

Physician marriage survey reveals sex and specialty differences in marital satisfaction factors.

Physician marriage is a valuable indicator of how vocational factors (e.g. work hours, stressors) impact satisfaction in relationships and physician wellness overall. Previous studies suggest that gender and specialty influence marriage satisfaction for physicians, though these often come from limited, local, cohorts. A cross-sectional survey was designed and distributed to publicly available email addresses representing academic and private practice physician organizations across the United States, receiving 321 responses (253 complete). Responses included data on demographics, medical specialty, age at marriage, stage of training at marriage, number of children, and factors leading to marital satisfaction/distress. A multivariable ordinal logistic regression was conducted to find associations between survey variables and marriage satisfaction. Survey results indicated that 86.5% of physicians have been married (average age at first marriage was 27.8 years old), and the rate of first marriages ending is at least 14.7%. Men had significantly more children than women. Physicians married at least once averaged 1.98 children. "Other" specialty physicians had significantly more children on average than psychiatrists. Marrying before medical school predicted practicing in private practice settings. Job stress, work hours, children, and sex were most frequently sources of marital distress, while strong communication, finances, and children were most frequently sources of marital stability. Sex differences were also found in distressing and stabilizing marital factors: Female physicians were more likely to cite their spouse's work hours and job stress as sources of marital distress. Finally, surgery specialty and Judaism were associated with higher marriage satisfaction, whereas possession of an M.D. degree was associated with lower marriage satisfaction. This study elucidated new perspectives on physician marriage and families based on specialty, practice setting, and stage of training at marriage. Future studies may focus on factors mediating specialty and sex's impact on having children and marriage satisfaction. To our knowledge, this study is the first physician marriage survey which integrates multiple factors in the analysis of physician marriages.

Hidradenitis suppurativa disease control associated with type of hormonal contraceptive use.

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a painful chronic skin condition of apocrine gland regions. This retrospective cohort study aimed to assess the impact of hormonal contraception type on HS disease control in adult women. In total, 160 patients were included, with the majority identifying as Black or African American (73.1%). Multivariate logistic regression showed that oestrogen-progesterone users were 3.14 times more likely to experience stable or improved HS than progesterone-only users (adjusted odds ratio 3.14, 95% CI 1.18-8.35; P = 0.02). Further investigation is needed to elucidate the antiandrogenic mechanisms affecting HS symptom response to hormonal contraceptives.

Anti-inflammatory role of extracellular l-arginine through calcium sensing receptor in human renal proximal tubular epithelial (HK-2) cells.

Renal tubular epithelial cells are capable of synthesizing interleukins (IL) in response to a variety of proinflammatory cytokines. Moreover, elevated urinary levels of IL have been shown in patients with various forms of nephritic diseases. However, the underlying intracellular signaling mechanism is unclear. Here we show the immunological signaling role of l-Arginine (l-Arg) through Ca2+-sensing receptor (CaSR) in human kidney 2 (HK-2) renal proximal tubular epithelial cells, using Ca2+ imaging and patch clamp techniques and its mechanistic link to the downstream cellular function. Both pharmacological and siRNA inhibitors support the activation CaSR by extracellular l-Arg to induced Ca2+ entry via a Transient receptor potential canonical (TRPC) channel in HK-2 cells mainly through the receptor operated Ca2+ entry (ROCE). Activation of CaSR by l-Arg led to the rise in p-p38/p38 expression suggesting [Ca2+]i as a regulator for p38-signaling pathways. Notably, l-Arg activated CaSR-induced Ca2+ signaling reduced the expressions of key fibrotic, inflammatory, and apoptotic genes, suggesting its nephroprotective role via Ca2+ signaling through CaSR in HK-2 cells. Since we found that the IL-6 expressions were inversely proportional to the increasing concentrations of l-Arg in HK-2 cells, we measured the release of IL-6, which steadily decreased as the concentrations of l-Arg were elevated. Taken together, extracellular l-Arg is a negative regulator for IL-6-induced inflammatory process, through the activation of CaSR and TRPC channel by ROCE pathway and can have a potential to alleviate inflammatory renal diseases.

Clinical parameters to predict adverse outcomes in patients with shunt-dependent physiology with a Blalock-Taussig-Thomas shunt.

In patients with shunt-dependent physiology, early risk factor identification can facilitate the prevention of adverse outcomes. This study aims to determine a scoring system to estimate the risk for adverse outcomes after Blalock-Taussig-Thomas shunt placement. Of the 39 neonates with Blalock-Taussig-Thomas shunt placement, 10 experienced the composite outcome. The resulting risk score from clinical and hemodynamic variables attributed 1 point for each of the following: central venous pressure >7.8, serum lactate >1.8 mmol/L, renal oxygen extraction ratio >32, and vasoactive-inotrope score >8.7. A score of 0 was associated with a 0% risk of the composite outcome, a score of 1 or 2 with a 15% risk, and a score of 3 or 4 with a 60% risk. A combination of increased central venous pressure, increased serum lactate, increased renal oxygen extraction ratio, and increased vasoactive-inotrope score are highly accurately associated with the risk of cardiopulmonary arrest, need for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or inpatient mortality after a Blalock-Taussig-Thomas shunt in patients with shunt-dependent physiology.

Coexistence of Bilateral First and Second Branchial Cleft Anomalies: A Rare Case Report.

The simultaneous presence of bilateral second branchial arch anomalies along with bilateral first arch anomalies is extremely rare, with only four such cases reported in the literature. We are presenting fifth classic case of bilateral preauricular sinuses with bilateral branchial sinuses in 1.5 year old girl child with no similar family history.

Double Anti-neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody and Anti-glomerular Basement Membrane Antibody-positive Crescentic Glomerulonephritis, Following SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) affects kidneys mainly in the form of acute kidney injury but rarely can cause glomerular disease. On a very rare occasion, SARS-CoV-2 infection can be associated with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antigen (ANCA)-associated vasculitis and anti-glomerular basement membrane glomerulonephritis (anti-GBM GN). We report a case of a 59-year-old man who presented with progressive renal failure 8 weeks after contracting the viral infection, which progressed slowly to severe renal dysfunction. Renal biopsy showed crescentic glomerulonephritis (CrGN) accompanied by interrupted linear IgG deposits along the glomerular basement membrane (GBM) on immunofluorescence (IF) staining with associated mild acute tubular injury. The serology for anti-myeloperoxidase (MPO), as well as anti-GBM antibodies, was positive. He was treated with steroid and pulse intravenous cyclophosphamide, following which there was a significant improvement in the renal function and serological resolution of both the antibodies 6 months post-treatment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of "double-antibody" positive CrGN following SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Pragmatic Effect of Lower Limb McKenzie in Grade One Osteoarthritis: A Novel Case Report.

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a usual disorder depicted as discomfort and loss of functional performance, including decreased proprioceptive acuity. Symptoms of this condition include stiffness, pain, swelling, joint disproportion, functional incompetency, and muscle atrophy, which may reduce the well-being of the patient. This report highlights the case of a 41-year-old female patient who complained of right knee pain, which was persisting for a month, and was treated with the McKenzie Technique (MT) along with electrotherapy modalities. Following 12 days protocol, there was a substantial reduction in pain, improvement in functional ability and knee muscle strength, and reduced walking time. Various other physiotherapy approaches and techniques were inculcated in the management of OA, which involved a soft tissue approach, therapeutic training, and manual method. Hence, this case report highlights the pragmatic effect of lower limb MT in grade 1 knee OA patients, which may improve the patient's well-being.

Impact of Dorn Therapy on a Patient With a Prolapsed Intervertebral Disc: A Case Report.

A prolapsed intervertebral disc (PIVD) refers to herniation of the nucleus pulposus out of the intervertebral space. Mechanical nerve compression brought on by a protruding nucleus pulposus and an increase in chemokines in the affected area causes the underlying pain, which is typically treated conventionally with surgery or medication. Nonetheless, these management strategies may not always be effective and may impact a person's quality of life. This report highlights the case of a 31-year-old male patient, who complained of neck and low back pain associated with tingling sensations for two months, and was treated with Dorn Therapy (DT) which is the basis of pain management intervention in conjunction with spinal traction, spinal mobilization, stretching, muscular strength training, and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. Following a week of pain management techniques, DT significantly reduced pain, improved range of motion, and enhanced muscle strength. This case report highlights the impact of DT on pain associated with a PIVD, which may curtail an individual's well-being.

Stress-level glucocorticoids increase fasting hunger and decrease cerebral blood flow in regions regulating eating.

CONTEXT: The neural regulation of appetite and energy homeostasis significantly overlaps with the neurobiology of stress. Frequent exposure to repeated acute stressors may cause increased allostatic load and subsequent dysregulation of the cortico-limbic striatal system leading to inefficient integration of postprandial homeostatic and hedonic signals. It is therefore important to understand the neural mechanisms by which stress generates alterations in appetite that may drive weight gain. OBJECTIVE: To determine glucocorticoid effects on metabolic, neural and behavioral factors that may underlie the association between glucocorticoids, appetite and obesity risk. METHODS: A randomized double-blind cross-over design of overnight infusion of hydrocortisone or saline followed by a fasting morning perfusion magnetic resonance imaging to assess regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) was completed. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) hunger, cortisol and metabolic hormones were also measured. RESULTS: Hydrocortisone relative to saline significantly decreased whole brain voxel based CBF responses in the hypothalamus and related cortico-striatal-limbic regions. Hydrocortisone significantly increased hunger VAS pre-scan, insulin, glucose and leptin, but not other metabolic hormones versus saline CBF groups. Hydrocortisone related increases in hunger were predicted by less reduction of CBF (hydrocortisone minus saline) in the medial OFC, medial brainstem and thalamus, left primary sensory cortex and right superior and medial temporal gyrus. Hunger ratings were also positively associated with plasma insulin on hydrocortisone but not saline day. CONCLUSIONS: Increased glucocorticoids at levels akin to those experienced during psychological stress, result in increased fasting hunger and decreased regional cerebral blood flow in a distinct brain network of prefrontal, emotional, reward, motivation, sensory and homeostatic regions that underlie control of food intake.

Prediction of global spread of COVID-19 pandemic: a review and research challenges.

Since the initial reports of the Coronavirus surfacing in Wuhan, China, the novel virus currently without a cure has spread like wildfire across the globe, the virus spread exponentially across all inhabited continent, catching local governments by surprise in many cases and bringing the world economy to a standstill. As local authorities work on a response to deal with the virus, the scientific community has stepped in to help analyze and predict the pattern and conditions that would influence the spread of this unforgiving virus. Using existing statistical modeling tools to the latest artificial intelligence technology, the scientific community has used public and privately available data to help with predictions. A lot of this data research has enabled local authorities to plan their response-whether that is to deploy tightly available medical resources like ventilators or how and when to enforce policies to social distance, including lockdowns. On the one hand, this paper shows what accuracy of research brings to enable fighting this disease; while on the other hand, it also shows what lack of response from local authorities can do in spreading this virus. This is our attempt to compile different research methods and comparing their accuracy in predicting the spread of COVID-19.

Prospective analysis of intraoperative critical incidents relevant to anaesthesia in a tertiary care teaching hospital in India.

Background and Aims: Critical incidents associated with anesthesia can affect the patient's outcome, may cause transient damage, and contribute to mortality. We aimed at recording anesthesia-related critical incidents in patients undergoing general surgical, ear, nose, and throat (ENT) and orthopedic surgical procedures in our institution. The critical incidents data were analyzed regarding the cause to establish protocols to prevent recurrences. Material and Methods: We conducted a prospective analysis of voluntarily reported perioperative critical incidents occurring in patients subjected to anesthesia over 1 year. Critical incidents were noted in terms of time (while inducing/intraoperative/while extubating), location (operating theater/recovery room) of the incident, anesthesia-related or surgery-related complications. Data collected were expressed as numbers and proportions to calculate incidence. Results: Anesthesia was administered to 5,645 patients of which 131 (2.32%) patients had critical incidents. Of these 131, 46 (35.11%) patients had more than one critical incident. A total of 216 (3.82%) critical incidents were noted. A majority of the patients were in the age range of 51-60 years. The maximum incidents occurred during the intraoperative period (35.11%) and in the operating theater (86.25%). Of the 216 incidents, 154 (71.30%) were anesthesia-related, 18 (8.33%) were surgery-related, 1 (0.46%) was patient-related and 43 (19.91%) were recovery-related. Of the 216 incidents, cardiovascular-related incidents accounted for the maximum incidents (18.05%, n = 39). Most of the events were preventable. Conclusion: The critical incident reporting system should be encouraged and protocols established to reduce the frequency and severity of these occurrences.

The Mismatch Between Neuroscience Graduate Training and Professional Skill Sets.

Neuroscience career paths are rapidly changing as the field expands and increasingly overlaps with computational and data-heavy job sectors. With the steady growth in neuroscience trainees and the diversification of jobs for those trainees, it is important to identify the necessary skills in neuroscience career paths and how well graduate training is preparing our students for this ever-changing workforce. Here, we survey hundreds of neuroscience professionals and graduate students to assess their use and valuation of a range of skills, from bench skills to communication and management. We find that almost all neuroscience professionals report strongly needing management and communication skills, but that these were seen as are less important by graduate students. In addition, coding and data analysis skills are widely used in academic and industry research, predict higher salaries, and are more commonly used by male-identifying graduate students. These findings can help trainees assess their own skill sets as well as encourage educational leaders to offer training in skills beyond the bench, helping to catapult trainees into the next stages of their careers.

Consumer interest in topical cannabidiol: An examination of online search trends from 2015 to 2019.

Cannabinoids represent a diverse group of pharmacologic compounds that have recently grown in popularity for its use in medicine. One of the cannabinoids of the Cannabis plant is cannabidiol (CBD), which is a compound known to regulate physiologic processes. Despite limited high-quality clinical evidence, topical CBD-containing products are frequently marketed to consumers as possessing antiinflammatory, hydrating, moisturizing, and wrinkle-reducing properties. Here, we explored the trends in consumer interest for topical CBD products by querying a popular online search engine database from 2015 to 2019 to offer valuable insights.

Physician Executive Leadership Plus: An Approach to Business and Management Education for Medical Students.

INTRODUCTION: Physicians are looked upon to lead the healthcare team, a task that has grown increasingly complex and interdisciplinary, requiring a diverse extra-clinical skillset. Physician Executive Leadership (PEL) Plus is a student-run program that uniquely utilizes both didactic and real-world project-based approaches to deliver a business and management curriculum to medical students. METHODS: We developed and implemented PEL Plus during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 academic years, geared at first- and second-year medical students. We provide an overview of this combined didactic and project-based curriculum, in addition to evaluating if the program was efficacious in teaching the desired skillset. We assessed short-term knowledge acquisition using multiple-choice questions, and investigated student perceptions of their learning and the program using Likert scales and narrative feedback. We also investigated the influence of student demographics on performance, in order to assess the appropriateness of our target audience. RESULTS: 28 students completed PEL Plus over the two years (14 students/year). Average performance on multiple-choice questions showed statistically significant improvement after the majority of sessions. There were no statistically significant effects of demographics on performance in the majority of sessions. Students self-rated stronger understandings of lecture topics after each session, and analysis of narrative feedback demonstrated thematic categories centred on teaching style, new knowledge, lecture content/material, projects, networking, program structure, and generic statements. DISCUSSION: PEL Plus is an innovative and effective approach to teaching business, leadership, and management skills in undergraduate medical education. Development of similar programs at other institutions will positively impact the broader medical student community.

Carcinosarcoma of the Prostate Masquerading as Benign Prostatic Enlargement: Lesson Learned.

Primary carcinosarcoma of the prostate is an extremely rare and aggressive malignancy. We report a patient who presented with obstructive symptoms and without a history of radiation, prior adenocarcinoma, or androgen deprivation therapy. Transurethral resection of the prostate was performed. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry revealed a confirmatory diagnosis of de novo carcinosarcoma of the prostate. The case is described for its rarity and masquerading nature.

Histopathological changes in the right atrial appendages triggering atrial fibrillation: A tertiary care center study.

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation(AF) is as an abnormal irregular rhythm with chaotic generation of electrical signals in the atria of the heart. Various studies in the West have proved that atrial substrates, like isolated atrial amyloidosis can trigger the development of atrial fibrillation. In India, these structural changes have been analyzed on autopsied hearts. AIM: To determine the role of Atrial Amyloid as a substrate for Atrial fibrillation in ante mortem hearts. METHODS AND RESULTS: Atrial appendages were obtained from seventy five patients undergoing open heart surgery at a tertiary care hospital in south India. They were stained with Hematoxylin &Eosin, Masson's Trichrome and Congo red stains and were examined for myocarditis, fibrosis and amyloidosis, respectively. 30 (40%) patients were in AF. Amyloid deposits were seen in 3 cases. All the three were in AF and had undergone mitral valve replacement (MVR) (P<0.05). 2 out of the 3 amyloid-positive cases showed active myocarditis and severe scarring but there was no statistically significant correlation between these factors. CONCLUSION: Amyloid and myocarditis, independently act as an arrythmogenic substrates in the development of atrial fibrillation and are also increasingly associated with female gender and MVR. We hypothesize that the amyloid deposits are due to isolated atrial amyloidosis as they were seen only in young individuals. Some patients in sinus rhythm (SR) had large left atria and myocarditis and probably are at a higher risk for developing AF. Hence, follow-up of these patients is required for prevention of severe organ damage and timely therapeutic intervention.