Clinical Characteristics, Etiology, and Prognostic Scores in Patients with Acute Decompensated Liver Cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND: Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis contribute significantly to global mortality, with limited improvements despite medical advancements. This study aims to evaluate acute decompensation of liver cirrhosis characteristics, etiology, and survival outcomes in Oman. In addition, we examined the accuracy of prognostic scores in predicting mortality at 28 and 90 days. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 173 adult patients with acute decompensation of liver cirrhosis at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital in Oman. We collected demographic, clinical, and biochemical data, including etiology, prognostic scores (CTP, MELD-Na, CLIF-C), and health outcomes. RESULTS: Alcohol (29.5%), hepatitis C (27.75%), and hepatitis B (26.74%) were the predominant causes of liver cirrhosis in our cohort. Hepatic encephalopathy, mechanical ventilation, and admission to the intensive care unit were strongly associated with an increased mortality rate. The 1-year readmission rate stood at 42.2%. Liver transplantation was performed in 4.1% of cases. The overall mortality rate was approximately 40% during the follow-up period, and the cumulative 28-days and 90-days mortality rates were 20.8% and 25.4%, respectively. Prognostic scores (CTP, MELD-Na, CLIF-C) effectively predicted 28- and 90-day mortality, with CLIF-C demonstrating superior performance (AUROC 0.8694 ± 0.0302 for 28-day mortality and AUROC 0.8382 ± 0.0359 for 90-day mortality). CONCLUSION: Alcohol and viral hepatitis are the leading causes of liver cirrhosis in our study. Hepatic encephalopathy is a significant predictor of poor outcomes. Prognostic scores (CTP, MELD-Na, CLIF-C) have valuable predictive abilities for short-term mortality. These findings highlight the importance of public strategies to reduce alcohol consumption and the need for the comprehensive management of liver cirrhosis in Oman. Early diagnosis and intervention can improve clinical outcomes and support the establishment of a national organ transplantation program to address the healthcare challenge effectively.

The Stability of Analytes of Ionized Magnesium Concentration and Its Reference Range in Healthy Volunteers.

This study aimed to determine the stability of refrigerated analytes of iMg concentration at different time intervals and to establish iMg reference range in a cohort of healthy Omani volunteers (≥18 years). The concentrations of iMg were measured using the direct ion-selective electrode technique. Pearson's and Lin's concordance correlation coefficients along with the Bland-Altman plot were used to assess the levels of agreement between iMg concentrations of fresh and refrigerated blood samples at different time intervals. The study included 167 volunteers (51% females) with a median age of 21 (range: 20-25) years. The median, 2.5th, and 97.5th percentiles for fresh iMg reference ranges were 0.55, 0.47, and 0.68 mmol/L, respectively. The overall agreement between the fresh and refrigerated iMg concentrations was poor (rho-c = 0.51; p < 0.001). However, according to Altman's definition, iMg concentrations of the refrigerated samples for a period of ≤1 h had an excellent correlation with the fresh iMg concentrations (Lin's rho-c = 0.80), with a small average bias difference of 0.009 (95%CI; -0.025-0.043). A cut-off refrigeration period within ≤1 h at 2-8 °C can be considered an alternate time frame for the gold standard measurement (fresh or within 0.5 h).

Clinical Associations with the differences in rivaroxaban dosing in patients with atrial fibrillation stratified by three renal function formulae.

Background: Clinical trials used Cockcroft-Gault (CG) formula to calculate the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in order to dose rivaroxaban for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate rivaroxaban dosing appropriateness in patients with AF with or without renal impairment based on the CG formula and other formulae, including Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation and the isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) traceable Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) Study equation and the associated clinical outcomes. Methodology: A retrospective cohort study conducted at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) from 1st January 2016 to 31st December 2020, included all adult patients (≥ 18 years) treated with rivaroxaban for AF and followed up for one year after starting the treatment. Results: Based on the CG formula, the rivaroxaban dose was inappropriately prescribed in 27% of the patients (21% overdosed and 6% underdosed). Higher baseline creatinine (P=0.0014) and concurrent use of antiplatelet therapy (P<0.001) were associated with the tendency to rivaroxaban overdosing. Higher Body Mass Index (BMI) (P=0.002), female sex (P=0.032), and CKD (P=0.003) were associated with rivaroxaban underdosing. The degree of agreement between the renal function tests when comparing MDRD vs CG and CKD-EPI vs CG in terms of estimated glomerular filtration rate/creatine clearance (eGFR/CrCl) calculation was moderate (κ=0.46) and poor (κ=0.00), respectively, while, in terms of rivaroxaban dose appropriateness was almost perfect (κ=0.82) and substantial (κ=0.77). Clinical outcomes measured by stroke and bleeding events were not significantly different according to the appropriateness of the rivaroxaban dose. Conclusion: This study has shown a relatively high consistency with the gold standard in dosing rivaroxaban in AF patients using CG formula. Treatment efficiency and safety were not affected by the proportion of dose inappropriateness found in this cohort.

Very long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency and type I diabetes mellitus: Case report and management challenges.

BACKGROUND: Very long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (VLCADD) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder of fatty acid metabolism. Its clinical presentation includes hypoketotic hypoglycemia and potentially life-threatening multiorgan dysfunction.Therefore, the cornerstone of management includes avoiding fasting, dietary modification, and monitoring for complications. The co-occurrence of type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1) with VLCADD has not been described in the literature. CASE REPORT: A 14-year-old male with a known diagnosis of VLCADD presented with vomiting, epigastric pain, hyperglycemia, and high anion gap metabolic acidosis. He was diagnosed with DM1 and managed with insulin therapy while maintaining his high complex carbohydrate, low long-chain fatty acids diet with medium-chain triglyceride supplementation. The primary diagnosis (VLCADD) makes the management of DM1 in this patient challenging as hyperglycemia related to the lack of insulin puts the patient at risk of intracellular glucose depletion and hence increases the risk for major metabolic decompensation.Conversely, adjustment of the dose of insulin requires more attention to avoid hypoglycemia. Both situations represent increased risks compared to managing DM1 alone and need a patient-centred approach, with close follow-up by a multidisciplinary team. CONCLUSION: We present a novel case of DM1 in a patient with VLCADD. The case describes a general management approach and highlights the challenging aspects of managing a patient with two diseases with different potentially paradoxical life-threatening complications.

The Clinical Associations With The Differences in Rivaroxaban Dosing in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation Stratified by three Renal Function Formulae

Background: Clinical trials used Cockcroft-Gault (CG) formula to calculate the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in order to dose rivaroxaban for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate rivaroxaban dosing appropriateness in patients with AF with or without renal impairment based on the CG formula and other formulae, including Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation and the isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) traceable Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) Study equation and the associated clinical outcomes. Methodology: A retrospective cohort study conducted at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) from 1st January 2016 to 31st December 2020, included all adult patients (≥ 18 years) treated with rivaroxaban for AF and followed up for one year after starting the treatment. Results: Based on the CG formula, the rivaroxaban dose was inappropriately prescribed in 27% of the patients (21% overdosed and 6% underdosed). Higher baseline creatinine (P=0.0014) and concurrent use of antiplatelet therapy (P<0.001) were associated with the tendency to rivaroxaban overdosing. Higher Body Mass Index (BMI) (P=0.002), female sex (P=0.032), and CKD (P=0.003) were associated with rivaroxaban underdosing. The degree of agreement between the renal function tests when comparing MDRD vs CG and CKD-EPI vs CG in terms of estimated glomerular filtration rate/creatine clearance (eGFR/CrCl) calculation was moderate (κ=0.46) and poor (κ=0.00), respectively, while, in terms of rivaroxaban dose appropriateness was almost perfect (κ=0.82) and substantial (κ=0.77). Clinical outcomes measured by stroke and bleeding events were not significantly different according to the appropriateness of the rivaroxaban dose. (AU)

Thyrotoxicosis Periodic Paralysis: A Rare Presentation of a Common Disease.

We report a 31-year-old man of an Arabic ethnicity who presented to the Emergency Department (ED) with a one-night history of progressive generalized weakness followed by an inability to move all four limbs. The patient was found to have hypokalemia and hypophosphatemia. Detailed inpatient assessment revealed that the patient had undiagnosed Graves' disease with thyrotoxicosis causing electrolyte disturbances and paralysis. The patient's symptoms resolved after the correction of the electrolytes. In this case study, we report an unusual presenting symptom of paralysis of Graves' disease in a patient of Arabic ethnicity.

Myocarditis, Pulmonary Hemorrhage, and Extensive Myositis with Rhabdomyolysis 12 Days After First Dose of Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic is a current global crisis, and there are hundreds of millions of individuals being vaccinated worldwide. At present, there have been few reports of COVID-19 vaccine-induced autoimmune processes manifested as myositis, thrombocytopenia, and myocarditis. CASE REPORT A 37-year-old man presented to the Emergency Department (ED) with a 3-day history of back pain and a 1-day history of left upper limb swelling with paresthesia and shortness of breath, 12-days after receiving the first dose of Pfizer/BioNTech BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. He was diagnosed with severe myositis complicated with rhabdomyolysis and non-oliguric acute kidney injury, thrombocytopenia, myocarditis with pulmonary edema, and pulmonary hemorrhage. Screens for potential toxic, infectious, paraneoplastic, and autoimmune disorders were unremarkable. The patient was treated with a 5-day course of intravenous methylprednisolone and intravenous immunoglobulin, with a good response. He was hospitalized for 16 days and discharged home on a tapering dose of oral prednisolone for 6 weeks. CONCLUSIONS The case describes a possible link between Pfizer/BioNTech BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine and immune-mediated myocarditis, pulmonary vasculitis, myositis, and thrombocytopenia. However, further data are required to confirm such an association.

Late-Onset COVID-19-Related Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome in a Middle-Aged Man.

A 47-year-old man presented to the emergency department with persistent fever, chest pain and neck swelling, two months following a mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. He was found to have persistent fever, hypotension, cervical lymphadenitis, myocarditis, and acute kidney injury, collectively meeting the multi-system inflammatory syndrome criteria in adults (MIS-A). The patient responded well to methylprednisolone therapy and intravenous immunoglobulins with a complete clinical recovery. This case demonstrates that MIS-A can present as a delayed complication of COVID-19 infection.