Survival and Vision Restoration Following Severe Metformin-associated Metabolic Acidosis With Transient Blindness: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Metformin-associated lactic acidosis (MALA) is a life-threatening condition that may occur as a side effect of biguanides. This condition has a mortality rate of approximately 55 % depending on the severity. Typical symptoms include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, but may also manifest with severe symptoms such as blindness, distributive shock, and renal failure requiring ICU level care. We present the case of a female in her early 70s who arrived at the emergency department with altered mental status and new-onset blindness, later diagnosed with severe acidosis (pH 6.607). She was intubated for hemodynamic instability and continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) was started to address her acid-base status. Her metformin concentration was found to be exceptionally high at 34 mcg/ml, significantly surpassing the normal range of 1-2 mcg/ml. Fortunately, the patient survived and was subsequently transferred to the medical floors in stable condition. Physicians should perform medication review and consider "MALA" as a potential etiology of severe acidosis when forming a differential diagnosis.

A Life-threatening Cup of Tea: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Herbal teas have been ingrained in traditional practices, particularly in traditional Chinese medicine, for many years. Despite their global popularity and widespread use, there is a notable absence of comprehensive studies elucidating the mechanism of action and potential adverse effects associated with these medicinal herbs. We present the case of a male in his early 50s who consumed an herbal tea called "Tapee tea" which is marketed to alleviate musculoskeletal pain and is available for purchase on various online platforms. He presented to the hospital due to melanotic stools and was subsequently diagnosed with a large duodenal peptic ulcer which was further complicated by hemorrhagic shock and cardiopulmonary arrest. Our aim is to create awareness for the public to exercise caution before purchasing products regarded as "natural" supplements. Healthcare professionals, including physicians and mid-level providers, should adopt a comprehensive approach to patient assessment, including history-taking that includes medication reconciliation of over-the-counter dietary supplements when constructing a differential diagnosis. This approach ensures a well-informed and vigilant stance towards the potential risks associated with herbal product consumption.

The efficacy and safety of cabozantinib in patients with metastatic or advanced renal cell carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Cabozantinib, a new first-line treatment for advanced renal cell carcinoma (aRCC), targets essential tyrosine kinases and outperforms the established comparator (sunitinib) in various efficacy outcomes. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of cabozantinib compared to other aRCC treatments. Methods: Following PRISMA and Cochrane guidelines, our protocol was registered in PROSPERO. A systematic search, without date limits, was conducted on PubMed, Cochrane, Web of Science, and EMBASE until October 8, 2023. Data extraction encompassed study details, baseline information, and outcomes. Hazard ratios (HR) and risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals were employed for each outcome, and a random-effects model was applied to account for expected heterogeneity. Results: Three studies, encompassing 967 patients, were included in our analysis. In terms of efficacy, the pooled rate for overall survival significantly favored cabozantinib. However, in subgroup analyses, cabozantinib was only statistically superior to everolimus. For progression-free survival and tumor objective response rate, cabozantinib outperformed both everolimus and sunitinib. In adverse events, compared to sunitinib, cabozantinib exhibited inferiority in nearly all evaluated aspects, except for nausea and stomatitis, which showed no difference between the two groups. Conversely, it demonstrated a comparable risk profile with everolimus across various side effects. Conclusion: Cabozantinib shows significant efficacy in extending overall survival, progression-free survival, and tumor objective response rate despite a potentially higher risk of adverse events compared to sunitinib. These findings support cabozantinib as a first-line therapy for aRCC, either as an initial treatment or after prior VEGFR-targeted therapies.

Acquired Factor VIII Deficiency in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: A Case Report.

Factor VIII deficiency is mostly seen in hemophilia A, an X-linked recessive disorder. Patients would have a past medical history of bleeding diathesis or a family history of bleeding disorder. Acquired deficiencies of factor VIII are rare; some cases have been reported in solid malignancies. We present this case of acquired factor VIII deficiency in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). A 72-year-old man was incidentally found to have leukocytosis at 31,000 and a platelet count of 3.2 million on a routine complete blood count (CBC). Prothrombin time (PT), international normalized ratio (INR), and partial thromboplastin time (PTT) showed an isolated elevation of PTT at 38.1 and a low factor VIII activity level at 39. The patient did not have any history or physical examination suggestive of bleeding diathesis. A bone marrow biopsy confirmed the BCR/ABL mutation, a diagnosis of CML was made, and the patient was started on dasatinib for one month. His PTT normalized after treatment for CML, suggesting a deficiency of factor VIII likely related to CML. The aim of this study is to highlight a case with acquired factor VIII deficiency due to CML and to emphasize the importance of coagulation workup in all newly diagnosed CML patients.

Sex-based disparities and in-hospital outcomes of patients hospitalized with atrial fibrillation with and without dementia.

Study objective: We sought to evaluate the sex-based disparities and comparative in-hospital outcomes of principal AF hospitalizations in patients with and without dementia, which have not been well-studied. Design: This is a non-interventional retrospective cohort study. Setting and participants: We identified principal hospitalizations of AF in the National Inpatient Sample in adults (≥18 years old) between January 2016 and December 2019. Main outcome measure: In-hospital mortality. Results: Of 378,230 hospitalized patients with AF, 49.2 % (n = 186,039) were females and 6.1 % (n = 22,904) had dementia. The mean age (SD) was 71 (13) years. Patients with dementia had higher odds of in-hospital mortality {adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.48, 95 % confidence interval (CI): 1.34, 1.64, p < 0.001} and nontraumatic intracerebral hemorrhage (aOR: 1.60, 95 % CI: 1.04, 2.47, p = 0.032), but they had lower odds of catheter ablation (0.39, 95 % CI: 0.35, 0.43, p < 0.001) and electrical cardioversion (aOR: 0.33, 95 % CI: 0.31, 0.35, p < 0.001). In patients with AF and dementia, compared to males, females had similar in-hospital mortality (aOR: 1.00, 95 % CI: 0.93, 1.07, p = 0.960), fewer gastrointestinal bleeds (aOR: 0.92, 95 % CI: 0.85, 0.99, p = 0.033), lower odds of getting catheter ablation (aOR: 0.79, 95 % CI: 0.76, 0.81, p < 0.001), and less likelihood of getting electrical cardioversion (aOR: 0.78, 95 % CI: 0.76, 0.79, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Patients with AF and dementia have higher mortality and a lower likelihood of getting catheter ablation and electrical cardioversion.