Risk, Outcomes, and Predictors of Clostridium difficile Infection in Lymphoma: A Nationwide Study.

OBJECTIVE: The risk of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has not been well studied in patients with lymphoma. We thus sought to determine the risk of CDI in hospitalizations with lymphoma along with its trend, outcomes, and predictors using a large database. METHODS: Hospital discharge data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) from 2007 to 2011 were used for the study. Using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes, all adult patients aged 18 years or older having a primary diagnosis of lymphoma were queried for the presence of CDI as any of the secondary diagnoses. The risk of CDI in lymphoma and its yearly trend were assessed. We performed multivariate logistic regression to determine the independent risk factors of CDI in lymphoma. Furthermore, we studied mortality and other adverse outcomes of CDI in patients with lymphoma. RESULTS: There were 236,312 discharges (weighted) with the primary diagnosis of lymphoma. CDI was present in 2.13% of patients with lymphoma versus 0.8% in the nonlymphoma group (P < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, the significant predictors of CDI in lymphoma were presence of infection (odds ratio [OR] 3.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.7-3.6), stem cell transplant (OR 2.7, 95% CI 2.3-3.4), graft-versus-host disease (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.4-2.8), race (Asian vs white, OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1-2.4), chemotherapy (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.4-1.8), gastrointestinal surgery (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.2-1.7), and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) (CCI of 2 vs 0-1: OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.1-1.4; CCI of 3 vs 0-1: OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.03-1.6). CDI in lymphoma was associated with worse hospital outcomes such as increased mortality (17% vs 8%), increased length of stay (23.6 vs 9.9 days), mean total hospital charges ($197,015 vs $79,392), rate of intubation (13% vs 4% vs 13%), and rate of total parenteral nutrition (11% vs 3%). CONCLUSIONS: Hospitalization with lymphoma was associated with an increased risk of CDI. The significant predictors for CDI in lymphoma were infection, stem cell transplant, graft-versus-host disease, race, chemotherapy, gastrointestinal surgery, and Charlson Comorbidity Index. CDI in lymphoma was associated with increased mortality and other adverse outcomes warranting a need of more vigilance for CDI in patients with lymphoma.

Secondary acute myeloid leukemia in survivors of Hodgkin lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: This large population-based study determined the epidemiology and outcomes of secondary acute myeloid leukemia (sAML) developing in Hodgkin lymphoma survivors. METHODS: We utilized the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) 9 database to identify 104 cases of sAML. RESULTS: Patients with sAML (median age: 47 years; 82% <60 years) were significantly younger than de novo AML cases (66 years; p < 0.01). sAML had worse overall survival (OS) than de novo AML (p < 0.01). OS was better in younger patients and in more recent years. CONCLUSION: Older patients with sAML have a dismal OS and should be enrolled in trials of novel therapies. Younger patients have improved OS and hence may benefit from curative intent intensive therapy and allogeneic transplant.

Pre-treatment neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio as a biomarker of frailty and predictor of survival among older adults with multiple myeloma.

INTRODUCTION: Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) combines a marker of inflammation and reduced cell turnover to reflect age related alterations in the immune system. Whether NLR can serve as a biomarker of frailty and predict survival among older adults with Multiple Myeloma (MM) is unknown. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used an electronic health record-derived database to identify older adults (age ≥ 60y) with incident MM diagnosed between 1/2011 and 2/2020, with known pre-treatment absolute neutrophil and lymphocyte count up to 90 days before the start of therapy. The calculated NLR values were stratified into quartiles (Q1-Q4). We constructed a previously validated, simplified frailty index combining age, comorbidity and ECOG performance status. We measured the association between NLR quartiles and this frailty index using a logistic regression, adjusted for age, sex and race/ethnicity. We used Kaplan Meier methods and multivariable Cox regression to assess the impact of NLR on overall survival adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS: We identified 1729 older adults with newly diagnosed MM, at a median age of 73y (IQR: 67-78y). The median NLR was 2.13 (IQR: 1.44 to 3.31). Of the 1135 evaluable patients, 55% met criteria for frailty. Multivariable analysis revealed a 2.1-fold higher odds of frailty (95%CI = 1.42-3.10, p < 0.001) for patients in the NLR Q4 group vs. NLR Q1 group. In a multivariable analysis, adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, M-protein type, stage, high risk cytogenetics, baseline creatinine, LDH and type of first line therapy, patients in NLR Q4 group had a 1.51 times increased hazards of death (95%CI = 1.15-1.98, p 0.002) when compared to those in NLR Q1 group. CONCLUSION: NLR, a readily available laboratory biomarker, is associated with frailty measured using a simplified frailty index as well as inferior overall survival among older adults with MM. Future studies should explore its value as a screening tool to identify frail older adults with MM.

SiAl composite feedhorn arrays for astrophysical applications: Cryogenic material properties.

A study investigating the physical properties and use of the SiAl composite Controlled Expansion 7 (CE7) for the packaging of silicon bolometric detectors for millimeter-wave astrophysical applications at cryogenic temperatures is presented. The existing interfaces to such detectors are typically made of either ductile metals or micro-machined silicon. As a composite of Si and Al, we find that CE7 exhibits properties of both in ways that may be advantageous for this application. This exploration of the physical properties of CE7 reveals: (a) superconductivity below a critical transition temperature, Tc ∼ 1.2 K; (b) a thermal contraction profile much closer to Si than metal substrates; (c) the relatively low thermal conductivity anticipated for a superconductor, which can be improved by Au-plating; and (d) the feasibility of machining mechanical features with tolerances of ∼25 µm. We further discuss the use of CE7 in the cosmology large angular scale surveyor telescope array, which deployed CE7 in several of its detector focal planes.

Connective Tissue Disorders in Patients With Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura: A Retrospective Analysis Using a National Database.

BACKGROUND: Prior reports have shown acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) co-existing with connective tissue disorders (CTD). However, these are mainly limited to case reports and case-series reports, and the patient characteristics and clinical outcomes in these patients are not well known. METHODS: We used National Inpatient Sample and Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database for the years 2009 to 2016 to identify all adult patients with TTP and searched for either the presence or absence of any co-existing CTD. These two cohorts of TTP patients were then compared using statistical methods for baseline patient characteristics and clinical outcomes. The primary outcome of interest was the all-cause in-hospital mortality and the secondary outcomes were in-hospital length of stay, in-hospital total charge and in-hospital complications. RESULTS: Of the 14,400 cases of TTP diagnosed between 2009 and 2016, nearly 9% (n = 1,247) had one or more underlying CTD. Patients with TTP were more likely to be young, black, female, with more than one comorbidity and with private insurance if they had an underlying CTD than when they did not have any underlying CTD. There was no difference in regards to the size, location or type of the hospital, or the time taken to initiate plasmapheresis. Patients being managed for TTP had a longer mean length of hospital stay and a greater mean total inpatient stay charge if they had underlying CTD. There was however no difference in the risks of inpatient mortality, acute coronary syndrome, cardiac arrest, acute stroke, need for mechanical ventilation or hemodialysis. CONCLUSION: TTP and CTD frequently co-existed and contributed to a longer hospital stay and a greater hospital charge.

Hyperacute liver injury following intravenous fluconazole: A rare case of dose-independent hepatotoxicity.

Fluconazole is a triazole antifungal medication used in the treatment of various fungal infections. It is available in both oral and parenteral formulations. Liver damage has been reported with fluconazole use, but most commonly it is benign elevated liver transaminases. Acute liver failure (ALF) in fluconazole use is rare, with cases being reported sporadically in literature and large cohorts describing incidence rates of acute liver injury ranging from 0.0 to 31.6/10,000 patients. We present a case of a 45-year-old African-American male with no history of liver disease who presented with superficial candidiasis and superimposed bacterial cellulitis. He was subsequently started on intravenous fluconazole and clindamycin. Shortly after he developed ALF and a drug-induced liver injury (DILI) was suspected. Fluconazole was stopped, and the clinical picture improved shortly afterward, leading to a diagnosis of fluconazole-induced ALF. Patient underwent laboratory and clinical evaluation to exclude competing etiologies of liver injury as well as a standardized assessment for causality and disease severity such as Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method/Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences score, which concluded a "Highly Probable" DILI, and a Naranjo score identifying adverse drug reaction (ADR) which concluded a "Definite ADR." Due to the severity of ALF and the routine use of fluconazole in clinical practice, clinicians should be aware that fluconazole can be a causative agent of ALF, even in low-risk populations.

A Case of Pseudoinfarction Pattern in Diabetic Ketoacidosis: A Diagnostic and Therapeutic Dilemma.

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is regularly associated with hyperkalemia that results in well-described changes on the electrocardiogram (EKG). However, ST-segment elevations on EKG mimicking acute myocardial infarction have rarely been described in the setting of DKA. Here we present a case of a 43-year-old male with DKA who had pseudoinfarction pattern of ST-segment elevation on EKG that resolved with treatment of DKA and discuss the diagnostic and therapeutic dilemma around the condition.

Acquired Amegakaryocytic Thrombocytopenia and Pure Red Cell Aplasia in Thymoma.

Association of thymoma with myasthenia gravis, pure red cell aplasia, and aplastic anemia is well documented. However, thymoma complicated by acquired amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia (AAMT) is rarely reported. Here, we present a case of a 60-year-old male with past medical history of recurrent invasive thymoma who presented with cough and blood in sputum. He was found to have severe normocytic normochromic anemia and thrombocytopenia that did not improve with intravenous steroids or multiple transfusions of red cells and platelets. Subsequent bone marrow biopsy showed severely depleted megakaryocytes and erythroid precursor cells with relative myeloid hyperplasia suggestive of amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia and red cell aplasia. He was started on oral cyclosporine but subsequently developed leukopenia and refused any further treatment or diagnostic procedures and left the hospital against medical advice. AAMT, thus, may be a very early presentation of impending aplastic anemia, and treating physicians need to be aware of this entity.

Vancomycin-Induced Leukocytoclastic Vasculitis: A Rare Case Report.

Vancomycin causes different types of hypersensitivity reactions, ranging from localized skin reactions to generalized cardiovascular collapse. However, cases of vancomycin-induced leukocytoclastic vasculitis are rare. In this article, we present a case where the patient developed palpable purpura on his bilateral lower limbs following treatment with vancomycin. He was diagnosed with vancomycin-induced leukocytoclastic vasculitis that resolved without sequelae after withdrawal of vancomycin.

Secondary Salivary Gland Malignancy in Thyroid Cancer: A United States Population Based Study.

BACKGROUND: There is an increased risk of second primary malignancies with thyroid cancer. However, the risk and characters of secondary salivary gland malignancy (sSGM) in patients with thyroid cancer have not been evaluated before. METHODS: We used the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) 18 registry to identify thyroid cancer patients from 1973 to 2014. We then calculated the risk of sSGM using standardized incidence ratio and excess risk. Separately, all cases of primary salivary gland malignancy (pSGM) diagnosed between 1973 - 2014 were extracted from the SEER 18 registry, and their characteristics compared with sSGM using independent samples t-test for continuous variables and Chi-square tests for categorical variables. RESULTS: There were a total of 68,339 cases of primary thyroid cancer. Of these, 18 patients developed sSGM with the observed to expected ratio being 3.58 (95% CI: 2.12 to 5.65; P < 0.05) and excess risk being 0.48 per 10,000 population. The incidence of sSGM remained higher between 6 months to 10 years from the time of diagnosis of thyroid carcinoma. The risk of developing sSGM was significantly higher if they were below 60 years of age (O/E: 4.51; 95% CI: 2.33 - 7.88; P < 0.05), were females (O/E: 4.91; 95% CI: 2.80 - 7.97; P < 0.05), were whites (O/E: 3.04; 95% CI: 1.62 - 5.1 9; P < 0.05), had well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma (O/E: 9.70; 95% CI: 3.90 - 19.98; P < 0.05) or were treated with radioactive iodine (O/E: 5.26; 95% CI: 2.72 - 9.19; P < 0.05). While the proportion of females developing sSGM was significantly greater than those developing pSGM (88.9% vs. 44%; P < 0.05), there was no statistical difference between pSGM and sSGM in terms of the age at diagnosis, the proportion of patients diagnosed before 60 years of age, anatomic site of origin or the histological grade of tumor. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with thyroid cancers are at an increased risk of developing sSGM than the general population. This risk is greater if the person is below 60 years of age, female, white, with well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma or is treated with radioactive iodine.

Rare case of Mycobacterium nebraskense presenting as asymptomatic cavitary lung lesion.

Introduction: Mycobacterium Nebraskense is a rare nontuberculous mycobacterial infection. The first isolate of the species was from human sputum at University of Nebraska Medical Center. There are only a few cases have been reported and the exact behavior of the disease is not clearly described. Here, we present a case from New York City incidentally found to have a cavitary lung lesion due to M. nebraskense.Case report: An 82-year-old female with a history of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and dementia presented with constipation and urinary retention for 1 day. She had no fever, cough, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, appetite change, or weight loss. Computed tomography (CT) scan of abdomen and pelvis revealed retained fecal material in the colon, non-obstructing left renal calculus, and bilateral small pleural effusion with right-sided lung infiltrates. Subsequent CT scan of the chest showed 4.5 cm pleural-based opacity in right lung base with a small cavity. Sputum smear for Acid-fast bacilli was positive. Mycobacterial culture reported positive growth of M. nebraskense, while polymerase chain reaction returned negative for Mycobacterium gordonae, Mycobacterium kansasii, Mycobacterium avium complex and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. With the patient asymptomatic and her constipation improved, she was discharged with plans for close follow-up as outpatient. Conclusion: M. nebraskense is a very rare nontuberculous mycobacterial infection. From only a few cases reported in the USA, the exact presentation of infection, disease progression, and treatment have not been described well. Asymptomatic cavitary lung disease caused by M. nebraskense has not been reported before.

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Chronic Hepatitis C Treatment and Its Challenges: A Survey of Internal Medicine Residents in a Community Hospital.

BACKGROUND: Despite recent advances in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) treatment, only a small proportion of patients are connected with care and receive treatment. Internal medicine (IM) residents spend nearly one-third of their training in primary care settings and play a crucial role in diagnosing and counseling patients as well as linking patients with care and following up. METHODS: IM residents in a community hospital completed an anonymous questionnaire regarding their knowledge, attitude, and practice associated with CHC treatment and its challenges. RESULTS: Descriptive analysis of the survey showed that there is a substantial gap in knowledge regarding the newer treatment of CHC between IM residents' perceptions of patient awareness and IM residents. CONCLUSION: Updated education regarding CHC that is geared towards medical residents and focused on new modalities of treatment can narrow the gap and lead to considerable increases in the rates of diagnosis and treatment and decreases in morbidity and mortality.

Fatal Acute Liver Failure With Intravenous Amiodarone: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Amiodarone is a drug which frequently causes elevated transaminases. However, acute liver failure has been rarely reported. Here, we present a case of fatal acute liver failure following the administration of intravenous amiodarone. It is important to be aware of this rare but potentially fatal complication of intravenous amiodarone so that it can be withdrawn immediately at the first sign of hepatic impairment.

Hypereosinophilic Syndrome Complicated by Eosinophilic Myocarditis With Dramatic Response to Steroid.

Introduction. Eosinophilic myocarditis is an infiltrative disease that affects the myocardium leading to various presentations. It can be precipitated by medications, helminthiasis, or hypereosinophilic syndrome. Case. We present the case of a young, male patient who presented with palpitations and dyspnea and was found to have heart failure with reduced ejection fracture of 12%. His past medical history was significant for recent lung problem treated with steroids. Based on his history and laboratory findings, he was started on intravenous steroids for treatment of eosinophilic myocarditis. Within 3 days, his ejection fracture improved to 35%. Conclusion. Given the nonspecific clinical presentations, mimicking other diseases, high index of suspicion is warranted to diagnose eosinophilic myocarditis. This is crucial as early detection and treatment with steroids can lead to a dramatic response.

Lung consolidation as a rare presentation of lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma with extramedullary Waldenström's macroglobulinemia.

Objectives: Lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (LPL) is a mature B cell lymphoma that usually involves the bone marrow, spleen and lymph nodes. Extramedullary involvement, including the lung, is rarely reported. Case description: A 73-year-old female initially presented to our hospital complaining of productive cough of white-colour sputum for three weeks duration. She reported unintentional weight loss of ten pounds over the last five months. There was no history of haemoptysis, fever, night sweats, chills, recent infections or hospitalization. Chest imaging showed right lower lobe consolidation, small right pleural effusion. She was treated with oral antibiotic for pneumonia. After two months, a follow up chest imaging revealed persistent right lower lobe consolidation. Therefore, she was worked up for the possibility of malignancy. Bronchoscopy showed polypoid nodularities surrounded by black discoloured mucosa in the sub-segmental bronchi of the right lower lobe, and biopsy specimen revealed atypical B cell lymphocytic infiltrate. Polymerase chain reaction confirmed a clonal B-cell gene rearrangement supportive for a low-grade B-cell Lymphoma. Subsequently; serum immunofixation showed IgM of 1491 mg/dL (normal range 26-217 mg/dl) with normal levels of IgG and IgA. Urine contained free kappa light chains. Cytology with immunophenotyping of pleural fluid revealed lymphoplasmacytic lymphocytes. This combination of lab and bronchoscopy findings established the diagnosis of extramedullary Waldenström's macroglobulinemia. Conclusion: Waldenström's macroglobulinemia, a manifestation of LPL, is associated with an IgM monoclonal gammopathy in the blood. Extramedullary involvement including the lung is rarely seen in LPL. Physicians need to be aware of this rare presentation.

Myocardial Infarction as an Early Presentation in Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura: A Rare Case Series.

Renal and neurological involvements are frequently seen in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). Cardiac involvement, however, has been rarely reported. In this article, we present 2 cases of myocardial infarction in patients with TTP. In the first case, a young man presented with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction that resolved promptly with plasmapheresis. The second patient developed ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction early in the course of the disease and died before plasmapheresis could be initiated. Hence, a high degree of suspicion with prompt diagnosis and treatment is needed to prevent mortality associated with cardiac involvement in TTP.

The Characteristics and Trends in Adrenocortical Carcinoma: A United States Population Based Study.

BACKGROUND: Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare malignancy with poor prognosis. Data on the incidence of ACC, however, are scarce and not recent. The purpose of this study was to characterize the tumor and the patients developing ACC over the last four decades using a large population based database. METHODS: We identified all cases of ACC diagnosed between 1973 - 2014 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-18 registry. Descriptive analyses were used for all extracted demographic, clinical, pathological, therapeutic and survival data, and were compared between the four time periods of 1973 to 1984, 1985 to 1994, 1995 to 2004 and 2005 to 2014 using Chi-square tests for categorical variables and one-way analysis of variance for continuous variables. RESULTS: There were a total of 2,014 cases of ACC between 1973 and 2014 with an age-adjusted incidence of 1.02 per million populations. The median age at diagnosis was 55 years with the majority of them being females and whites. The proportion of cases by different genders, races and age at diagnosis had not changed significantly over time. These malignancies were mostly the only primary malignancy, unilateral and of high grades at diagnosis. Surgical resection of the tumor remained the mainstay of treatment. However, there was a significant increase in the use of adjuvant radiotherapy, adjuvant chemotherapy and chemotherapy alone in recent times. The median survival time was 17 months, but continues to decrease in recent time periods. CONCLUSIONS: ACC continues to be a rare malignancy in the United States. However, most cases continue to be diagnosed only in advanced stages and are associated with poor survival. These findings underline the need for specific diagnostics tools with new and more effective treatment options.

Drug-Induced Liver Injury: An Institutional Case Series and Review of Literature.

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is the most common cause of acute liver failure in the USA. DILI can be broadly classified as Intrinsic and Idiosyncratic. Identifying predictors and at-risk patients are challenging but can have a substantial clinical implication. This case report series demonstrates the importance of valproic acid, fluconazole, and amiodarone as potential hepatoxic agents of drug-induced liver injury leading to acute hepatic failure. The causality in all cases was established by Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method/Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences score and Naranjo Algorithm. Obesity, hypo-perfusion state, and concurrent hepatotoxic agent might identify at-risk patients. Further studies are required to understand the risk factors.

Predictors of hospital stay in normotensive acute pulmonary embolism: a retrospective pilot study.

Introduction: The aim of our study is to determine the clinical, biochemical, and imaging factors that affect the duration of hospital stay in patients admitted with normotensive acute pulmonary embolism. Methods: This was a single-center retrospective study conducted in a community hospital in New York metropolitan area for patients admitted from October 2015 to October 2017. Results: A total of 79 patients were included, the mean age was 55.76 (SD = 17.33), 29 cases were males (37%) and 50 cases were females (63%). Among all patients, 17 cases had short length of stay (LOS) (≤2 days) and 62 cases had long LOS (>2 days). There were statistically significant differences in age (p = .041), presence of lung disease (p = .036), number of comorbidities (p = .043), and pulmonary embolism severity index (PESI) scores (original and simplified; p = .002 and .001, respectively). Logistic regression analysis showed that PESI score significantly predicted long LOS (OR 1.067, 95% CI [1.001, 1.137], p = .048). Similarly, sPESI significantly predicted long LOS (OR 0.223, 95% CI [0.050, 0.999], p = .050). Both regression models were adjusted for age, lung disease, and number of comorbidities. Conclusion: Both original and simplified PESI scores were statistically significant predictors of duration of hospital stay. Patients with multiple comorbidities or with chronic lung disease were also likely to have prolonged hospital stay. None of the cardiac biomarkers affected the duration of hospital stay, neither did the presence of right ventricular dysfunction nor treatment modality.

Real-World Clinical Efficacy and Tolerability of Direct-Acting Antivirals in Hepatitis C Monoinfection Compared to Hepatitis C/Human Immunodeficiency Virus Coinfection in a Community Care Setting.

Background/Aims: Limited data exist comparing the safety and efficacy of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) in hepatitis C virus (HCV) monoinfected and HCV/human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfected patients in the real-world clinic practice setting. Methods: All HCV monoinfected and HCV/HIV coinfected patients treated with DAAs between January 2014 and October 2017 in community clinic settings were retrospectively analyzed. Pretreatment baseline patient characteristics, treatment efficacy, factors affecting sustained virologic response at 12 weeks (SVR12) after treatment, and adverse reactions were compared between the groups. Results: A total of 327 patients were included in the study, of which 253 were HCV monoinfected, and 74 were HCV/HIV coinfected. There was a statistically significant difference observed in SVR12 when comparing HCV monoinfection and HCV/HIV coinfection (94% and 84%, respectively, p=0.005). However, there were no significant factors identified as a predictor of a reduced response. The most common adverse effect was fatigue (27%). No significant drug interaction was observed between DAA and antiretroviral therapy. None of the patients discontinued the treatment due to adverse events. Conclusions: In a real-world setting, DAA regimens have lower SVR12 in HCV/HIV coinfection than in HCV monoinfection. Further studies involving a higher number of HCV/HIV coinfected patients are needed to identify real predictors of a reduced response.