A Rare Differential of Epistaxis.

Glomus tympanicum is a type of glomus tumor that affects the middle ear, located at the auricular branch of the vagus nerve. Glomus tumors, in general, are rare, slow-growing tumors and may not require surgery in some patients. It can be challenging to manage due to its hypervascularity, location, and advanced stage of diagnosis. Although glomus tympanicum commonly presents with pulsatile tinnitus and conductive hearing loss, it presented in our patient with large-volume hemoptysis and epistaxis, requiring urgent diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. We highlight the unique presentation of a 48-year-old female with sudden onset large-volume hemoptysis and epistaxis, leading to the discovery of a hypervascular glomus tympanicum in the right middle ear, identified via MRI. On arrival, her vitals were within normal limits, and a physical examination was pertinent for the obvious ongoing bleeding from her mouth. The examination revealed increased respiratory effort and bilateral crackles. Laboratory values were pertinent for hemoglobin of 11.8 g/dl. Ear examination revealed a large, vascular-appearing mass filling the right ear. An MRI of the face and neck showed an avidly enhancing 3.7 cm x 1.8 cm x 1.2 cm mass within the right middle ear and mastoid cavity, extending into the external auditory canal and through the eustachian tube into the nasopharynx. The mass was inseparable from the lateral border of the internal auditory canal in the petrous canal. Due to concern for glomus tympanicum, the patient underwent urgent embolization and subsequent tumor resection. Considering our patient initially presented large-volume hemoptysis, there was concern for alveolar hemorrhage. However, as she had no increased oxygen requirement, there was suspicion of massive epistaxis mistaken for hemoptysis. Due to large volume epistaxis, she underwent urgent embolization as resection could have been challenging due to increased vascularity. It is important to remember that massive epistaxis may not present with blood in the anterior nares, thereby delaying diagnosis and management. Furthermore, probing such tumors should be avoided as it may lead to life-threatening bleeding.

Bioimpedance analysis predicts the etiology of cirrhosis in a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with an increased risk of developing cirrhosis. However, body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) may not be indicative of body composition parameters that predispose to cirrhosis. Bioimpedance analysis (BIA) is a noninvasive cost-efficient method for more detailed estimation of body composition. METHODS: We examined patients with cirrhosis who underwent BIA as part of enrollment into a prospective cohort study. We examined the correlation between BIA variables, BMI, and WHR. We performed sex-adjusted and race-adjusted and race-specific multivariable logistic regression analyses to examine the association between anthropometric variables and risk factors [NAFLD, alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD), and HCV]. RESULTS: We analyzed data from 348 cirrhosis patients; 23.3% were women; 48.3% were non-Hispanic White; 19.3% were Hispanic; and 30.7% were African American. The cirrhosis etiology was 21.8% NAFLD, 56.9% HCV mostly cured, and 11.5% ALD. Several BIA variables correlated well with BMI, and others showed modest correlations, but none correlated well with WHR. Higher body fat mass and basal metabolic rate were positively associated, while higher lean body mass, dry lean mass, total body water, or skeletal muscle mass were negatively associated with NAFLD. Associations between these BIA parameters and ALD-related cirrhosis were in the opposite direction. These associations of BIA variables were seen only in Hispanic and non-Hispanic White patients but not non-Hispanic Blacks. BIA variables were more predictive of cirrhosis etiology than BMI or WHR. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with cirrhosis, several BIA-derived measurements indicative of body fat and muscle are associated with NAFLD and ALD etiology. BIA variables show stronger associations, as well as race/ethnicity-specific associations, with cirrhosis etiology than those of BMI or WHR.

Gastric Cancer Risk in Patients with Long-Term Use of Proton Pump Inhibitors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational and Interventional Studies.

BACKGROUND: A growing number of studies that differ in design, quality, and results report an association between the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and the risk of gastric cancer (GC). We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis, when possible, of observational and interventional studies examining PPI use and risk of GC. METHODS: We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We identified studies fully published in English through January 2023 using MeSH and non-MeSH keywords. We used random effects models to calculate pooled risk estimates with 95% confidence interval (CI) between PPI use and overall GC, cardia GC, and non-cardia GC. We estimated heterogeneity (I2) among studies. We examined the effect of study design and quality, GC site, H. pylori infection, and PPI duration. We assessed quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale and Risk Of Bias In Non-randomized Studies of Interventions. RESULTS: We identified 15 observational studies, of which 13 were included in the meta-analysis (six cohort and seven case-control). There was a modest 1.67-fold increase in overall GC risk (95% CI 1.39, 2.00) and no increase in cardia GC risk [odds ratio (OR) 1.12; 95% CI 0.80, 1.56] with PPI use. However, there was high heterogeneity (I2 = 61.3%, p = 0.004) among studies. All but one study had at least moderate risk of bias. In the six studies accounting for H. pylori, GC risk associated with PPI use increased slightly (OR 1.78; 95% CI 1.25, 2.52). Duration response was not reported consistently to allow pooled estimates. We identified only one interventional randomized controlled study that included GC as an outcome of interest, and it did not show increased GC risk. CONCLUSIONS: The overall available evidence is not supportive of a meaningful change in GC risk, either cardia or non-cardia, with PPI use.